The "Packing a School Lunch" Conundrum

For 7 years, packing school lunches was daily source of stress for me.  I know #suburbanmomproblems ...whaaa!  It was taking forever, there was always a fight, and nobody would know what they wanted.  There was also the issue of running out of things for school lunches and they would end up with things like "trail mix" made up from the bits of cereal left in the bottom of each cereal bag,  the protein bars from my gym bag, or even Halloween candy. Last year I finally got smart and came up with a way that made everyone happy, gave the kids choices, and made me feel better that they had at least one healthy item in their lunch box.

For their "main course" I have them make their own sandwich.  I lay out the bread, meats, veggies, and condiments before they wake up, and they make the sandwich to their liking.  I also make a big batch of a pasta salad filled with a protein and vegetables that they can choose instead of a sandwich.

For their snacks I fill three rubbermaid type bins with lids. I fill one bin for salty foods, one for sweets, and one for fruits.  I try to make it a mix between healthy and what the kids would consider 'fun' foods. I trust them to make good choices, and they always seem to balance healthy and fun in the same lunch. I can live with that. They pick one item from each bin and put it into their lunch box.  Easy.
  Sometimes, I make a big trip to Costco and fill it with pre-packaged foods and other times I will put large containers of foods and have them fill their reusable lunchbox each morning.  Other times I have foods like popcorn, muffins, and protein bars that I made at home...but that's only when I'm feeling super motivated.  It does not happen often.

These 3 bins are only for school and only get taken out in the mornings while they pack their lunch.  They have other snacks to choose from in the pantry.  This keeps us from realizing we are out of snacks during the morning rush and prevents me from adding cereal, Halloween candy, or a candy cane for their snack...not that they would mind.  Each bin lasts about 4 weeks between my three kids.

Here is what is in the bins this month:

Fruit bin: Go-go Squeeze Apple Sauce, Crunchy Pak Organic Apple slices from Costco (the fresh fruit changes weekly), and Clif Kid Z Fruit Rope.

Salty Bin: Quaker Popped Rice Crackers (in 3 flavors), Annie's Cheddar Bunnies, and Pringles

Sweet Bin:  Annie's Chocolate Bunnies,  Annie's Graham Bunnies, , Nature Valley Trail Mix bar,  Rice Krispie Treat, Fudge Stripes.

The bins vary depending what is on sale at Costco or what is on sale in bulk at our local grocery store HEB.  It also depends on my schedule and what I have time to make.

Since starting this way of packing lunches, the kids and I are much happier in the mornings.  They get choices that they like, they learn the responsibility of packing their own lunches,  we don't run out of snacks last minute because they ate them for an after school snack, and I'm not putting random crap in their lunches anymore.  If you do something like this, I'd love to see a link to your ideas! Please post your ideas here on on my FB page : https://www.facebook.com/BloodSweatandMinivans

My Home Gym {San Antonio Personal Trainer}

Hey Everyone! This year we finally had enough equipment in my home gym so that I could quit the gym.   I loved going to the gym to workout, but there were so many times that I only had time to workout from home.  I found myself working out from home more often than going to the big gym, that I decided to stop paying for the membership. Between the equipment I have at home, great running trails, and a nearby HS track I feel like I have everything I need to work out from home.  There are still things I want to add, but what we have is good enough for us.


This space is supposed to be our dining room, but our kitchen is big enough to fit a large table, so we decided to turn the dining room space into a gym instead.  It's pretty small and often I have to spill out into the hall to complete workouts, but it's great! We didn't get all of this at once. It took years to build up.

We have our elliptical, weight bench, weights, Olympic bar, EZ Bar, dumbells from 5-45 lbs (we'll add on later), plates, Bosu ball, Med balls, stability ball, and pull up bar.  The weight bench also acts as a squat rack, leg curl, and leg extension 'machine'.

Oh. Since we are friends, I left the dog hair in the photo for you.

The picture walls might be my favorite part of my gym. One wall includes photos of Josh and I in our first races, our race numbers, and some of our medals.  The other wall has pictures of our family having fun. It's motivating to me to see these while I work out.

Like I said, it has taken us years to build up our equipment. If you want to start your own home gym, the most important and useful equipment that will get you started are a heavy and light set of dumbbells , a stability ball, a jump rope, and a resistance band. With those you can work every body part and modify any gym exercise to work with that equipment.  Please feel free to share links to pictures of your home gym.  I'd love to see where you work out! You can post them on my FB page : https://www.facebook.com/BloodSweatandMinivans

Lower Body Toning...without Squats

So here it is...my first exercise video ever. I'm afraid to show it, but I will. I'm totally awkward on video and as I watched this all I could see was my bad form and 2 weeks of hot dogs, tater tots, and Starbucks I have consumed (totally worth it). ;)

I'll try to post these videos more often and we can get back in shape together!

I got a question from a reader in Arizona who wants to tone her lower body, but has bad knees. So, here we go...late at night, stuttering, tripping over my words, and looking like I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. Be kind...

Please follow me on Facebook at : https://www.facebook.com/BloodSweatandMinivans where I also post recipes, workouts, and random thought ;)

Healthy Shopping at Costco

Many people are under the impression that you cannot buy healthy foods at Costco. While there are a lot of less healthy choices there, I buy a majority of my healthy foods there. This is what my list consists of on most trips.

*For the past two years we have bought half of an organic cow, so I only buy beef at Costco if we run out. During spring and summer I have a lot of spinach and mixed lettuce (which is super easy to grow) in my garden, so those are things I depend on Costco for in the winter.  If you do not have some of these items in your Costco, ask the manager. They may be able to stock it if there is enough requests. It's couldn't hurt to ask. Hope this list helps!

Always Hungry?

A few friends of mine have recently kicked up their workouts a notch and now always feel hungry, even if they have just finished a meal.  I used to struggle with this myself, but I think I have got it worked out now.  I realized that it was all about eating the right foods at the right time.

I know that in order to keep myself full, healthy, energetic, and NOT cranky, I have to maintain a good balance of proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats.  For me that means 40% of my calories come from protein, 40% from complex carbs, and 40% from healthy fat.  For my body, age, and activity level, that means about 150-170g of protein, 100-150g of carbs, and 35-40g of healthy fats.  My Fitness Pal can help you figure out whats right for you.I also make sure that I drink plenty of water throughout the day.  Some days its almost a gallon.

It's  very important to eat within 30 minutes after completing a workout. The  body is still burning calories and is looking for ways to restore and repair those muscles that were used during your workout.  For this meal, it is suggested that you get a good balance of complex carbs and protein. If the timing is right, this is when I usually eat my biggest meal of the day. Today it was a turkey burger (no bun), a sweet potato, raw asparagus, and yogurt dip.

Healthy fats play a very important rule in keeping you full.  When I find myself hungry, it's usually because I have not had enough fats that day. I'll grab a handful of almonds or a portion of avocado dressed with salt and lime.

The fiber from raw veggies also help keep me full, so  I like to eat a lot of raw veggies with this yogurt dip.  

Speaking of yogurt, I have found that adding a moderate amount of dairy (I don't consume a lot of dairy) keeps me full.  I like Chiobani yogurt or any low fat cottage cheese.  Be careful when eating yogurt.  Try to choose brands that do not have a lot of sugar.

I find that if I am craving sugar, I did not have enough carbs that day.  I will usually have a piece of Ezekiel toast with a natural nut butter or a sweet potato with a tablespoon of nut butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Here is a list of staples I keep in my kitchen broken down into categories.  I hope you find it helpful:

*I am not a certified nutritionist. I am simply sharing what works for me.  Please consult a certified nutritionist before changing your diet.

Plastic Surgery...My thoughts

A reader wrote in to ask me a question about plastic surgery.  I answered.  This is in no way meant to offend anyone who has had plastic surgery.

Go Ahead and Suffer