This was such a fast week and I’m so happy about it.  I had a lot of positive vibes this week and it really helped make each day of the week so enjoyable!

There are so many things I love each week and I feel like I need to share those little things with you.

Things I’m Loving This Week!

Honest Kids Juice Boxes my dad bought these for Ava at costco and they contain real ingredients and less sugar then most of the juices out there for kids. Ava loves them and I do too! It’s always hard to get her to drink her water & juice, she’s really just a milk drinker so these are great to have on road trips and days at the beach.

Group Power was pretty awesome on Wednesday. I mean awesome because the group was so energetic and motivating that it made the workout so fun! I got in such a great workout and it felt great to see my class smiling and enjoying themselves. Exercise needs to be fun right?

Hot days call for salads. I’m on a salad kick as you know and I’m really loving the convenience of having salad kits available to throw together in 5 minutes. I’m really enjoying avocados and tomatoes in the salads. It’s so refreshing.

Back to Nature Animal Crackers. Ava eats a very healthy diet just like her mom and dad, but just like us there are some convenient snacks that I like to pack in the car and to keep on hand for when hunger strikes! A hungry kid is not a happy one so keeping crackers and snacks in my purse is a must! These are organic animal crackers that are lower in sugar and contain some healthy ingredients. I’m a huge fan myself

Fudgy Protein Bites I made a double batch of my Fudgy Shakeology bites on Wednesday and because they were made with love they came out EXTRA tasty. Even my mom & dad loved them! If you are looking for a satisfying snack check out the recipe.. it only takes about 5 minutes to make.

Larabars. I love snacks, and although I should take some more time to make these myself they are just too darn good to pass up in the store. I love the peanut butter chocolate chip cookie one. It’s even better when it sits in your car in the hot temps and gets all gooey and chocolatey. YUM! One of these days I’m gonna change my blog name to Peanut Butter Lover.

Night Night Mama. For the first time ever, Ava said “night-night mama” to me. I nearly melted and I came downstairs with such a smile on my face. She has been sleeping like a champ this week and super easy to put down, so what’s not to be happy about? But seriously, she’s too darn cute and I loved it.

Okay well this list could go on and on but I’m gonna end it on a good note. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

What’s something you are loving this weekend?

Are you a big snacker?

Today I am launching the new Group Power workout at 730am. To say I don’t get nervous would be a lie. It’s incredibly hard to remember every move for an hour straight but I do feel confident about it and I really do like this workout.

Lets back up a bit and chat about my weekend.

Friday night was a low key night, Ava had just went to the Doctors for her 18-month check up (a little late because she’s already 19 months) she had to get some shots so we opted for a lazy night because she was tired and drained from her appointment. Saturday morning we woke up took Cooper and Ava for a walk, played in the pool, did some grocery shopping and I had a work obligation in the afternoon.

I also managed to get in a Pull-up workout that I will recap tomorrow.

Saturday night we ordered take out food from and Italian restaurant down the street called Bella Nonna. I got Chicken Francese with veggies & potatoes and we split some Mussels Fra Diavolo to start. It was pretty good.

We spent the rest of the evening on our porch hanging out with our neighbors while Ava played with her friend Ella and our dogs wrestled until everyone was tired!

Sunday morning I headed to the YMCA to support my Co-worker Michelle while she launched the first Group Power workout.

It was a packed house and we barely had enough equipment to go around.  I didn’t have a step box to use so I really think it made some of the exercises a little more challenging, but I took one for the team

The rest of my day was spent doing coaching work on the computer, food prepping in the kitchen and playing with Ava outside in the pool again.

Ava and Cooper had a blast and it was really cute to see them playing together in the pool.

It was a lovely relaxing weekend and now I get to go pump some iron with the New GP workout!

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

What’s your favorite italian dish?

Sometimes its hard to track everything I put in my mouth but I try to take as many pictures as I can throughout the day!

Today I am linking up with Jenn to share my food journal from Monday.

I had an action packed day, but I still managed to choose some healthy simple foods to eat.

I woke up at 5:50am Monday and I was pretty hungry first thing. I chugged a tall glass of water and started sipping on some coffee as I got my breakfast prepared and got Ava her cup of milk. I made some delicious scrambled eggs with spinach & zucchini with 2 pieces of whole grain toast. (the veggies were leftover from the weekend)

I taught Group Power at 730am and I came home super sweaty after class. I refueled with a Chocolate Shakeology, a banana, & a large spoonful or 2 of Peanut butter. I love this snack. I didn’t combine them all in the blender because I ate the banana right away.. my hunger took over.

Shortly after I finished my snack I headed back to the YMCA to teach my second class of the day which was my senior class. It was a lot of fun and we had a big group of people as usual.

For lunch I chose some leftovers from Bella Nonna (which we had on the weekend) I had Chicken Marsala with mushrooms & cauliflower plus some roasted potatoes. There’s quite a few veggies missing from this picture… oops!

I also had a granny smith apple with it.

From 1230-2pm I did computer work while Ava napped. The time passed pretty quickly but I managed to get a lot done!

I wasn’t starving in the afternoon but I chose a small snack because I knew I wouldn’t make it until dinner. I had a lettuce wrap with turkey, tomato & avocado plus baby carrots on the side.

I ate a simple and light dinner, BBQ Pulled Chicken, green beans & a sweet potato with a little butter.  I subbed a 630pm Group Power class so this was the perfect fuel before the workout.

After Group Power I was officially spent. I needed a shower badly. I didn’t have a huge appetite after class, but I decided I needed something small so I had a 1/2 of a Quest bar and a bowl of frozen raspberries plus a handful of plantain chips! 

It was a delicious day of eats!

What is something yummy you ate yesterday?

Do you eat something rich in protein & carbs after your workouts?

I taught a morning and an evening Group Power class that were almost about 12 hours apart. I thought I was going to be tired for the 2nd class, but I wasn’t! I had a ton of energy and was able to lift and push myself more then I thought.

It didn’t hit me until I got home and sat on the floor to do some stretching that I realized my quads and back were already tight!

I had a surprise guest in class last night. My mom wanted to come over to see Ava, so she offered to hang out with her so Marc could get a workout in. It was nice having Marc in my class, it’s been such a long time since he’s been to any of my classes because he’s usually home with Ava when I teach. I feel like having him there definitely made me push a little harder!

I wanted to talk to you all about my workouts over the past week so lets rewind a bit, here’s what they looked like last week:

Monday: 1 Hour Strength Training Group Power class, senior fitness class and 20 minutes of Insanity Max 30

Tuesday: 1 hour Boot camp Class, (2) 20 minute walks with Cooper

Wednesday: 1 Hour Strength Training Group Power class, (2) 20 minute walks with Cooper

Thursday: 1 hour Boot camp Class, Senior Fitness Class, (1) 20 minute walk with Cooper

Friday: REST DAY, Ava was sick and I had a sore throat so we watched movies and laid around all day.

Saturday: REST DAY I still didn’t feel well. I can’t say I was really really sick, but I was fighting whatever Ava was trying to give me!!

Sunday: REST DAY With all intentions of being active, I decided my body needed to rest more so I took Cooper for a 25 minute walk in the morning and then called it a day.

Monday: (2) 1 Hour Strength Training Group Power classes, Senior Fitness Class

While I love taking a rest day 1-2x a week, last week was a very rare occurrence of 3 rest days in a row. Yesterday my body was ready for exercise, I was SOOOO rested up that I think I had too much energy to let loose. It was great though and my body thanked me in the end.

I have been doing some thinking about my workouts and I decided I need to add in a little more cardio. Besides Boot Camp, Insanity workouts, and walking Cooper I don’t do PURE CARDIO! I know boot camp and insanity are cardio based, so yes I am getting in my cardio but I guess I’m looking for something different to mix in.

I’m not a huge fan of elliptical or treadmill machines because I get bored easily so I am trying to think of extra cardio exercises I can do that are fun.

Maybe some jump rope circuits or agility ladder ciruits, what do you think? I am open to cardio suggestions!

Have a great day

Wasn’t it nice to see the sun shining this weekend??? All I wanted to do was be outside and it got me so excited for our family trip to Florida this Friday. I am overly excited for some sunshine!

Well lets back up a bit so I can recap my productive weekend for you. Friday I passed my CPR for the Professional Rescuer & First Aid course. We had our hands on CPR training using dummies and the time flew by.

In the afternoon I had time to practice our Group Power workout that I will be launching today at 730am! Shortly after I practiced, I whipped up a quick Upside down Shepherd’s Pie for dinner.

The picture looks kinda messy but let me tell you this meal tasted AMAZING. We typically don’t cook on Friday nights but this was a nice change:)

The rest of our evening was pretty low key because Marc and I were both exhausted and feeling a little under the weather.

Saturday morning I woke up and I still wasn’t feeling great. I had a little sore throat and cough, but I felt short of breath. I have had sinus infections plenty of times before and this kinda felt like another one coming so I took some Mucinex and kept drinking airborne and lots of fluid.

At around 830am my friends came over and we headed to Greenwich Avenue to grab coffee at Starbucks together and go for a walk with our kids. It was such a nice idea, and a great morning to be outside! We took advantage of the 50 degree weather.

Ava had fun playing around and letting her friend chase her.

I think my friends and I enjoyed hanging out and chatting all morning 

In the afternoon I headed back to the Avenue to Lululemon because I was doing a demo Bosu Ball class in the store window!

It was fun and man was I exhausted at the end of the hour.

Can you see me in the window? I didn’t count how many pushups, quick feet, side shuffles, mountain climbers, squats & lunges that I did, but my butt was sore on Sunday!!!!

The rest of Saturday was spent outside at the dog park and hanging out on our porch until my family came over for dinner. It was another relaxing evening over here!!

Sunday morning I headed to the YMCA to support my co-worker as she taught her first class of the new Group Power APRIL release.

It’s so fun to take a class that you normally teach. It was actually easier for me to do the workout since I wasn’t yelling and instructing and you only have to focus on the exercises!

The last part of my weekend was spent at my cousins son’s Christening at Pelicci’s Restaurant in Stamford, CT.

I wasn’t feeling great and Ava was tired so we ended up heading home a little earlier to get some rest.

So this weekend was jam packed with tons of different stuff going on but it was fun!! Now I get to go workout and teach the New Group Power workout. I’m not gonna lie, I’m nervous and I hope I don’t mess up

What did you do this weekend?

Do you ever get nervous before you teach?

I decided to skip my post Friday.. We had way too much going on and I needed a day to catch up. This weekend was a long one, and I was lucky enough to spend the entire weekend with family.

here is a picture recap of my weekend:

I practiced Group Power

Once at home and once at the YMCA with Coworkers

We celebrated my younger brother’s 27th Birthday with takeout food from Dinosaur BBQ for dinner.

We indulged in delicious smokey BBQ!

and Ice cream cake for dessert.

Easter Sunday was a slow start, we ate breakfast and hung around the house.

This was Ava’s 2nd Easter and its crazy to see the difference in size just one year later. She was a little peanut.

I hid some easter eggs in the house for Ava. They were filled with Mickey Mouse stickers and as soon as she opened them she smiled.

Around 12 we headed to my parents for the day. We ate a delicious Easter lunch. I have no picture of the food! Think I was hungry?

It turned out to be a great day. We were able to hang outside for a bit, go for a walk, and play with Ava!

It was nice to spend the entire weekend with family.

These pics are as close as we got to taking a decent family picture!! Maybe next year.

we all hope you had a fabulous holiday weekend!!

What do you eat on Easter?

Did you have an Easter egg hunt?

It kinda sealed off winter for me. It made us chill out Friday night

and enjoy some quiet family time!

That was until Saturday rolled around. Ava had a different story planned out for our day. She was SO fussy. Poor girl is getting her molars in and I’m pretty sure this is her last one making its debut. I know Ava’s tough but she was not happy. Nothing made her smile. Marc and I played with her for a few hrs, and eventually ended up taking turns sitting on the floor with her. We played upstairs, we played downstrairs, we played with Cooper, we read books, we played hide and seek, we played sports, we did it all.  She kept making her uncomfortable whiny noise and I felt bad for her. There was really nothing we could do.

I was afraid to bring her out and have her cry in the stores so we went for a walk on Greenwich Avenue in hopes to distract her for a bit. It helped, but she was tired. She hadn’t napped ALLL day. HELP.

We went on the playground that was covered in snow and that was fun for a total of 2 minutes.

When we got home in the late afternoon I decided to give Grandma a call (my mom). She saved the day! She stopped over with her friend MaryAnn and they helped entertain Ava and play dress up with her until she forgot about her teething pain.

I literally was so thankful for that 45 minutes they were at my house. It allowed Marc to cook up some dinner and me to take a breather!!!

I finally decided to give Ava tylenol too.

Thankfully she went to sleep early and Marc and I were able to just hang out and relax. Lets just say I was asleep by 10 o’clock. She drained me!!!

Sunday morning we got up and Ava was SMILING……. woohoo. I knew it was going to be a great day!! I couldn’t help but smile myself.

I headed to the YMCA early to practice some Group Power with my co-workers. I am really enjoying the new release. I need some more practice but it has been really helpful to get together with the other instructors to go over the workout “live.”

Around 12:30pm Marc, Ava, Cooper and I went over to my parents house for brunch. It was so DELICIOUS. My mom made 2 different Egg frittata’s. One had spinach, mushrooms & peppers. The other had bacon and cheese. Which 1 do you think I went for??

The veggie one… it was so freaking good. I will be sharing the recipe with you sometime soon because it was delicious & healthy! I’m so proud of my mom for whipping together such a healthy, yummy brunch. We also had some roasted potato hash browns that I made, a fruit salad, and some bacon.

I enjoyed spending the afternoon with my family!

Although part of the weekend was a bit stressful it ended on a great note! Marc and I enjoyed a nice glass of homemade wine from my friend Michelle! It was delicious.

Plus a great dinner to end the night.

Now its time to teach Group Power as usual.. I hope I don’t mess up and confuse the routine with the one I practiced yesterday ;O)

If you have kids, what have you done to distract them from teething pain? 

What’s your favorite brunch recipe/food?

Friday night was great, I got to see my niece Emily who is a week old. She is SO cute and it was great to hold her.

Saturday morning we woke up with more snow on the ground then expected which meant my Boot Camp class was canceled. I guess it was a sign because Ava wasn’t feeling well, she was tugging on her ear, fussy, and had random spurts of crying. This wasn’t her normal self, she NEVER cries. So I ended up taking her to the Doctor.  We waited for an hour for the Doctor to tell us exactly what we expected.  She had an ear infection!! Ugh poor girl. We spent the rest of our day running errands to pick up medicine and food to keep her comfortable.

Saturday night we cooked dinner at home. I’m not too sure why I only took pictures of the veggies!

The steak we had was the best part and I only took pictures of the veggies, how did that happen?

Marc made Sirloin Tips in a red wine & balsamic sauce… it was AMAZING. Once it was on the table I gobbled it up.

Clearly my mind wasn’t focused on pictures or my blog this weekend.

But I did manage to snap a couple pictures of Ava smiling while she played with Cooper. Her medicine kicked in!!

It was so cute to see her holding the bone for Cooper to play with. Don’t worry he is EXTRA Gentle when she holds it.

Sunday we woke up, and I had a headache plus Ava was still under the weather. I kept going back and forth about bringing her to Rhode Island for a birthday party for our niece Natalie. After hours of contemplating we went.

Ava toughed it out and was such a trooper

but I might regret it today because she’s back to a fussy baby who’s got an earache.

Alright enough talk about the “lows” from my weekend.

This morning I taught Group Power and I was ready to go and super pumped up. I had a lot of energy and we had a great group of people.

I quickly ran home posted this blog and now I’m heading back to teach another class. Apparently there’s a blizzard heading our way this afternoon. The grocery stores were crazy last night, but we are all stocked up and have tons of whole milk for Ava.

We will be stuck inside for the next 2 days! I am not gonna lie, I am EXCITED for the crazy amount of snow we are supposed to get. I can’t wait to play in the backyard. I think they are saying between 1 1/2-2 feet! That’s like Ava’s height.

 I am a bit nervous for the fact that we could lose power, that would stink!! How are we going to entertain Ava in the dark??? No Mickey mouse? Suggestions are welcome.

Good luck to all of you in the Northeast that will be hit hard from the storm, stay safe!

Are you going to get hammered by the snow? Have you stocked up?

Do you ever have a bad weekend?

Here is a Photo Recap of the weekend:

Friday we got several inches of snow and both Cooper & Ava had some fun outside in the afternoon.

I made a super delicious & healthy breakfast Saturday with Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes (recipe to come this week)

Who doesn’t love bacon???

I did a workout at home Saturday. I had no desire to head to the gym, sometimes I like working out at home by myself with no one around!!

 I did the Insanity Asylum Day 1 body weight workout. It is super challenging and only 25 minutes. After I finished I had a burst of energy so I tackled some more pull ups. I complete 5 sets.. this time the repetitions were a bit different. Set #1: 2 reps Set #2: 7 reps Set #3: 5 reps Set #4: 4 reps Set #5: 3 Reps

My arms were very tired and my shoulders were so tight so I decided to treat myself to a 10 minute chair massage at a local salon. I highly recommend it. I walked out feeling like a million bucks and I didn’t have to spend a lot!

In the afternoon my family came over to watch the Patriots game with us. We made a big chili and had some delicious food.

Ava wore a Patriots dress for the game and I wore my jersey. This was the first time we wore matching outfits.

The Patriots won.. so we will be sure to dress up again next weekend

Sunday morning I attended my co-worker Michelle’s Group Power class. We are launching the new workout this week and she was the first to teach it!

Now it’s my turn to teach the new Group Power workout this morning. I don’t know why I’m nervous but I guess it is good nervous feeling!! I’m sure I will be wiped after this class, there are a lot of pushups and my arms are slightly sore going into it.

What is something fun you did this weekend? 

Do you watch playoff football?? If so who are you rooting for?