This Week’s Book a Week

in Book a Week

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I recently realized the secret to super savory mini casseroles is to add a LOT of plain Greek yogurt. It adds so much zing and flavor.  I made these last night and have munched on them as both a dinner and breakfast entrée.

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I’m going to double check this recipe to formerly share next week, but here are my eyeball measurements if you want to give it a shot: two cups (measured dry) cooked quinoa, 1.5 cup shredded cheddar, 1/4 cup sautéed onion with two huge handfuls of sautéed spinach in olive oil, two eggs one can white beans (drained), salt, and 1 cup 2% Greek yogurt. Mix it all up and bake in cupcake tins at 375 for 25 minutes under foil and 5 more minutes without.  Makes 12 muffins.  It’s good!

 

Let’s see… what else is going on in my world of healthy eats?  Oh – Julie from PB Fingers came by yesterday and brought me a vegetarian, gluten-free lasagna.  So awesome.  I can’t wait to dig in later.

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And I made zucchini boats stuffed with crushed Rice Chex and cheddar cheese.  It was fun!   Plus, it made me eat zucchini, so that’s good.  Hah.

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On the exercise front, I’m continuing with my running game.  Yesterday, I did 2.2 miles before the Husband left for work (my first full day with both kids <—I survived!), and today, I did 3.25 with my friend Brandi, who was nice enough to push Claire in the stroller.

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(I can’t wait to share my product review of the new Tre stroller.  I can already tell you that super awesome because it fits my car seat perfectly. Also, the car seat’s canopy and the stroller’s canopy encloses the baby totally so they stay toasty warm!)

 

Book a Week

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This week’s Book a Week was Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.  First of all, I quickly realized that choosing approximately 500-page books for my Book a Week challenge is not the best idea – I really had to read A LOT to get through this in a week. But I did it, and I’m already appreciating how much the Book a Week challenge motivates me to read instead of doing other mindless things like TV or the phone.

 

Anyway – this book (which was recently made into a movie) was BRILLANT.  I cannot say enough good things about Unbroken.  It’s the true, very well-researched story of Louie Zamperini, a man who lived many lives – he was an Olympic track star and World War II bombardier who survived a plane crash, shark attacks, 47 days on a life raft with little supplies, and being imprisoned in a Japanese prisoner of war camp for about two and a half years.  I shamefully knew very little about the Pacific Theatre of WWII going into this book, and I am so glad that I read this inspiring book for the education of what really happened to the men who served in the Pacific and what it was like to be a Japanese POW.  This book is incredibly important in that aspect, and I think it should be taught in every high school.

 

But really – Unbroken is just an inspiring tale. Not just because of what Louie endured (well beyond what most people could even imagine), but how he emerges “redeemed” and forgiving.  I cried several times while reading the book, which says a lot because I never cry at books. 

 

My review: 5 out of 5 stars.  Best book I’ve read in a long time.

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Last Week’s Workouts

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Wahoo!  Back at it.  I was feeling rather enthusiastic this week.

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I did a lot of running and a little something new, too – PiYo!  I’m really excited about how good I feel.  My first run really wiped me out (I crashed HAAARD that night at 8:30) but now that I’ve adjusted, I’m feeling energized by my workouts.  It’s nice to have my “run time” again – it’s such a wonderful stress reliever and release.  Plus, I scheduled not one but TWO friend run dates, so I got to see my besties, too.

 

It’s been cold!  Cold enough for fleece tights and arm warmers.

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Monday: 2.2 mile walk/run

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 2.4 mile walk/run with my friend Brandi

Thursday: 2.2 mile walk/run

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: PiYo workout + 4.0 mile walk/run with BFF Nicole 

 

How about that Sunday workout?!  I was feeling FABULOUS because Claire decided to sleep eight straight hours Saturday night (don’t hate me; it was just a fluke).  So I felt good enough to test out my new PiYo DVD.  The Husband joined in, too.

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It was hard!  But fun.  I definitely like it – I feel like it’s basically a fast-paced version of power yoga.

 

We set Henry up with Netflix on the laptop…

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And put Claire in her swing…

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And somehow, the 35-minute workout was only interrupted to change/fast forward Henry’s TV show three times, adjust Claire’s blankie twice, and get Henry a pear from downstairs.  Winning!

 

What was your best workout last week?

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This post is sponsored by HP and Intel.

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I was so excited to experience working on-the-go with the HP and Intel Stream, a new kind of tablet with Intel Inside ®!  You see, I thought I was not a “tablet person.”  For a really long time, I resisted tablets because I thought they were redundant.  I had a desktop and I had a smart phone – what did I need a tablet for?  I thought tablets were mostly ‘big phones’ that you can’t actually make real phone calls on.  Hah.

 

Enter – the Stream 8. 

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Here’s why I’ve really loved this tablet: it’s not a ‘big no-call phone’ reserved for playing games and online shopping, it’s a device you can actually do work on.  It runs Windows 8 and comes with Microsoft Office 365 FREE for a whole year.  That’s Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and more (you also get 1 TB free cloud storage).  These all are programs that I use all the time on my desktop computer and found the programs translate pretty nicely to a tablet with a touchscreen keyboard.

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Here’s a just for fun post.  With both of our kiddos, we didn’t find out whether we were having a boy or a girl until birth (here are all the reasons why!).  But I thought it would be fun to look back on my pregnancies with Henry and Claire and see if there was any validity to those Old Wives Tales about whether it’d be a girl or boy. 

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The Chinese Gender Predictor said that Henry would be a boy and that Claire would be a boy, too.  So – it was right 50% of the time. Hah.

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I thought I carried high with Henry, but in comparison to my second pregnancy, Henry was lower, which indicates boy.  I was pretty high with Claire, indicating a girl.  Most strangers who assessed my bellies thought that Henry would be a boy and Claire would be a girl!

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I never broke out with Henry or Claire.  I do think I looked “glowier” with Claire, though.

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Henry’s heart rate was usually over 140 BPM (which meant girl), and Claire’s was usually under 140 BPM (which meant boy).  So – this tale was opposite for me!  Henry was much more active in utero than Claire, so maybe that had something to do with the high and low heart rates.

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I craved sweet with Henry, which meant girl, and salty foods (GIMME ALL THE FRENCH FRIES) with Claire.  Again – opposite!

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I ended up with a long linea nigra (this dark line that appears on your tummy towards the end of pregnancy) with both.  So – there was no truth to this tale for me.

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I only had a few days of morning sickness with Henry and weeks of it with Claire. I never actually puked with Henry and puked a TON with Claire.  So – this tale was true!

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What about my “gut instinct?”  Well, I didn’t have a strong gut instinct with either kid, but if pressed, I would’ve said Henry was a girl (wrong) and Claire was a boy – no, a girl – no, a boy (wrong again).  I know many moms who say that they “KNEW!”  but I never felt really strongly either time.

 

Were the Old Wives Tales true for you?

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My mom is back in town!  She left for a hot moment and then I begged to her to come back.  She happily obliged.  This is all part of my master plan to never, ever be left alone with my toddler and baby until they are teenagers (just kidding… well, kind of – the thought of being alone is still pretty terrifying). 

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Does Henry look like a popsicle in that photo of what?  It’s coooold in Charlotte!

 

Since it’s so chilly, we’ve been playing inside a lot.   I’m trying to avoid the TV because Henry binge-watched Mickey Mouse for three straight weeks after Claire was born. 

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We’ve been doing a lot of coloring and painting and lacing and tracing (the painting is my personal favorite – sometimes, I paint, too…).  I’d love some suggestions on fine motor activities; I’m trying to mix it up to keep it super fun. 

 

In between all the art projects – we’ve been EATING!

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I made a yummy quiche.  I mixed a handful of cooked, chopped kale, a handful of shredded carrots, and eight eggs and topped it with a ton of tomato and basil cheddar cheese (from Cabot) and baked it in a cast iron dish at 375 for 30 minutes.  Perfection!

 

I’ve also been munching on goodies from Bessie’s Best Lactation Cookies!  A reader works for this awesome small business.  They make all sorts of breastfeeding support treats, like this granola (SO GOOD), bars, bread, and – yup – cookies. 

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Some Bessie’s Best treats would be an awesome gift for a new mom!

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Book a Week

 

My New Year’s Resolution is to read a book a week!  So far – so good.  Last week, I read the INCREDIBLE memoir ‘A House in the Sky.’

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This true story is about a woman named Amanda. She loved to travel.  As a young adult, she funded her trips by working at a pricey cocktail bar for a few months out of the year. She would backpack on a shoestring budget as she explored Asia and South America. Eventually, Amanda tried to make it as a freelance photographer and writer, which is how she found herself in war-torn Somalia. Amanda and her friend Nigel are kidnapped and held for ransom by a group of Islamic extremists. The book tells her story of her 14+ months in captivity in a brutally honest and yet poetic way.

 

My rating:  5 out of 5 stars.  This book will both frighten and inspire you.  Amanda is a really strong woman and someone to be admired for her introspective attitude and positive outlook.

 

What are you reading this week?

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