It was a long, slow, rainy week in Seattle.  Not much excitement and even less exercise!  I got a major reality check during week 2 of wearing my Fitbit.  The first week I had it on, my inlaws were here and I was running all over Seattle and had lots of extra help around so I could squeeze in a few more runs and walks.  Back to reality this week, and my numbers dropped significantly. 

And as I mentioned last week, Graham was really sick for a few days which really halted activity for the whole family.  Even once he was feeling better, I didn’t want to push it and we laid low a few extra days.  So here is my week of “fitness” in all it’s glory…

Sunday:  Graham super sick.  Didn’t get dressed or leave the house at all the whole day.  (11,610 steps // 4.93 miles)

Monday:  Took Graham to the doctor.  Stayed at home the rest of the day.  (11,912 steps // 5.02 miles)

Tuesday:  Skipped my usual Barre3 class because I didn’t think Graham should go to childcare.  (10,498 steps // 4.40 miles)

Wednesday:  Rained all day and I had a babysitter in the afternoon, so I spent a lot of time sitting at my desk.  (9,203 steps // 3.86 miles)

Thursday:  The sun came out!  Took both boys and both dogs for an afternoon 45 minute walk.  (17,162 steps // 7.27 miles)

Friday:  More sun!  Took the dogs for an hour long walk.  (14,075 // 6.01 miles)

Saturday:  Rain all day.  Stayed home for most of it.  Felt tired and lazy from barely sleeping the night before.  (9,598 steps // 4.01 miles)

Sunday:  Finally had a SUPER active day – walked around the zoo in the morning, four mile run with the dogs in the afternoon, and three mile Greenlake loop in the afternoon with the family.  And of course – my Fitbit battery died!  Womp. 

The thing about working and fitness for me is that I understand that it’s going to majorly ebb and flow with life – that’s just my reality at this stage of parenthood.  Kids get sick, workouts don’t happen – life goes on.  I don’t really have any goals other than to just stay as active as I can, and hopefully get outdoors with the kids at least once each day.

I really like having the Fitbit because it’s a gentle minder and progress-tracker throughout my day.  Some people have told me they don’t like it because it makes them feel lazy or inadequate, but so far I’m finding it really motivating.  If my numbers are low going into the afternoon, I’m more likely to dig deep to find the motivation to haul two kids and two dogs outside for a long walk.  And I am always so happy that I did when I get back!

This was definitely a week where the physical stuff needed to take a backseat.  In addition to Graham getting over a virus, Casey and I are both seriously struggling in the sleep department.  BOTH kids had horrible weeks of sleep – Graham is slowly making his way out of the swaddle and to say it’s been rough is an understatement.  On top of that, Cullen willfully decided to give up his pacifier (HALLELUJAH!!) but now he has been having a hard time sleeping too.  The Fitbit sleep tracker is like virtual evidence of me turning into a full-fledged zombie…

And we are not the only ones feeling the sleep deprivation…

Pretty sure he hasn’t napped in a stroller in over a year.  As much as I wanted to rip my hair out when he refused to nap during nap time, I’ll admit it was pretty sweet to get to see him snoozing in the stroller like that.  I never see him sitting still!

Okay so that’s all my complaining for the week.  Sleep, rain, blech.  Of course, there was also plenty of good.  I had a great mom’s group with all my favorite mamas and kiddos, and we even snapped a pic with our growing group – both in numbers and in size!  I love every one of these crazy kids so much.

And even though there was a lot of rain, that made for lots of fun family time at home.  I am always grateful for any time we are all four together, no matter what we are doing.  Also grateful for a husband that makes us breakfast!

Last but not least, I did squeeze in ONE run for the week.  We got this amazing break in the weather on Sunday afternoon when the sun came out and the temps shot up, and I leashed up both of our pups and we all hit the pavement together. 

And then I literally hit the pavement. 

We were in the homestretch of our run and I was feeling great, and Indy got a little too excited and darted in front of me, tripping me up in his leash and sending me flying straight into the sidewalk.  Both of my hands are really cut up and bruised, in addition to scrapes on my knee, shoulder, and elbow. 

It probably goes without saying, but it turns out you actually use your hands A LOT – imagine that?  Both of them are cleaned up and bandaged, but it has made taking care of and carrying around two children really cumbersome and painful.  Such a silly thing to happen (and totally embarrassing!).

But other than that, the run actually felt really good and I didn’t take any walking breaks (other than falling on my face).  Running with both dogs feels ten times harder than running alone – they are just way too strong, and even in their old age they are both still much faster than me.  I need to get into better shape to keep up!

And we’re off on another week.  My Fitbit is fully charged and I’m hoping to get a lot of steps in this week!  It’s also time to start thinking about making an official half-marathon training schedule (the race is in June!).  I need to figure out a way to fit more runs in mid-week, and not just on the weekends.  Every single day I come a little bit closer to ordering a BOB Duallie.  We’ll see!

Happy Monday!

One of the things I love most about blogging is that it has connected me to this amazing network of talented and creative people.  Many of the people I started writing with years ago have gone on to do amazing things like write for amazing publications, or even – write books!

I have been reading Angela’s blog for as long as I’ve been reading blogs, and I know I first found her beautiful food and inspiring story back when I was working at a desk in Cincinnati.  So that’s my long way of saying – it’s been a long time. 

I’ve watched her transform from a hobby blogger, to a full-time professional recipe developer and amazing photographer, and most recently – cookbook author!

Her long-awaited Oh She Glows Cookbook hits shelves this week, and contains “over 100 vegan recipes to glow from the inside out.”  And if her food can make me glow like this…

Then sign me up!  I may or may not have just invested in some pricey eye cream, but that’s a topic for another day. I had the privilege of meeting Angela in person way back in 2009 at a blog conference, and I can attest that she is absolutely beautiful both inside and out.  She is inspiring and motivation to me as both a writer and a cook, and I’m so happy to see her achieve this amazing accomplishment.

Her recipes are healthy, vegan, and creative – great ideas and balanced meals for busy weeknights when you just need someone else to do the thinking for you. 

The book is 313 pages of delicious food, beautiful photography, and is broken up into sections like appetizers, power snacks, homemade staples, and even a basic food pantry list. 

Just to give you a basic idea of some of the delicious food you can find inside, here is one of Angela’s exclusive book recipes (reprinted with permission):

Empowered Noodle Bowl with Orange Maple Miso Sauce

For the Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons light miso
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

For the Salad:

• 4 ounces gluten-free soba noodles
• extra-virgin olive oil, for the noodles
• 1 bag frozen shelled edamame, thawed
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 seedless English cucumber, diced
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 4 green onions, chopped, plus more for serving
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• sesame seeds, for serving

Instructions:

1. Make the Dressing:  In a mini or regular food processor, combing the miso, vinegar, sesame oil, tahini, orange juice, water, and maple syrup and process until well combined.
2. Make the Salad:  Cook the soba noodles according to the instructions on the package.  Be sure not to overcook them – they should only take 5 to 9 minutes, depending on the brand.  Drain the noodles and rinse them under cold water.  Transfer the noodles to a large bowl and toss the with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (this prevents noodles from sticking together).
3. Add the edamame, bell pepper, cucumber, carrot, green onions, and cilantro to the bowl with the noodles and toss until well combined. 
4. Pour your desired amount of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.  (Any leftover dressing will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week).
5. Portion the salad into 4 bowl and garnish each serving with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and some green onions.  Serve any leftover dressing on the side. 

Is it dinnertime yet???  Angela and her publishers have been generous enough to offer a copy of The Oh She Glows Cookbook to one lucky Daily Garnish reader!  Rules are as follows:

Up For Grabs:
One copy of The Oh She Glows Cookbook.

How to Enter:
Leave a comment below! 

Giveaway Details:
Giveaway is open for one week!  Thursday, March 7th until Thursday, March 14th.  I’ll announce the winner in the Weekly Wrap-up at the end of next week!

Rules & Regulations:
Open to US and Canadian readers only.

Good luck, and have a great weekend!

All pictures provided and taken by Angela Liddon.  Thank you again, Angela!