I haven’t shared a post of any of my favorite things lately and I have a bunch of things I have been seriously LOVING over the past couple of weeks.

Things I’m loving this week…..

Avocado Toast

This stuff is so good. I simply just mash some avocado on bread or toast and sprinkle a little sea salt on top. If I need protein I usually add an egg or some egg whites.

You can’t beat it for a healthy snack!!! I have eaten some form of this toast every day this week

Cooper in sunglasses

You guys, how could you not smile at this picture? I know its from Easter but I can’t help but look at this and smile big. I love this guy and he sure does bring a lot of love and laughter to our family!

Warmer weather

Even though it hasn’t been exactly HOT, I’m appreciating the warmer temps and the opportunity to take my kids outside and play. The playgrounds & parks are our favorite place to go for an afternoon trip. I can’t wait for trips to the beach.

Wholly Guacamole

Speaking of avocados, we also love guacamole in our house. These single serving packets of guacamole from Costco are clutch. At 100 calories a serving it’s a great travel snack, it’s nutritious and super tasty!! We just got more this past week and we all love them!!

Chocolate Shakeology

I have been using Shakeology for well over a year now and it has helped me with cravings, energy and also it keeps me satisfied. I love knowing I’m getting in healthy vitamins and a good dose of protein. I have also got Marc hooked and my family uses it on occasion. I have been really enjoying my chocolate no bake protein bites as well and I can’t help but be excited to try out some new fun recipes this summer!!

Boot Camp Workouts

These past few weeks we have had some amazing boot camp workouts. I’m not participating in the entire class but here is a quick look at what some of my stats looked like.

Could you imagine if I did the entire workout??? There’s a great balance of cardio & fat burn. Plus a lot of calories can be burned if you really push it!

Cinnamon Bites

I tried this brand a few months back and bought the chocolate ones which I liked a lot. They do have wheat flour in them but I love that they are packed with sunflower seeds. If you like sunflower seeds then you will love these. Each serving has 6g protein and 9g of healthy fats!!!

I hope you all have a great week!

Are there any new things you are loving this week?

She’s too funny sometimes.

Today I am going to share some Things I’m loving this week:

Lets start of with this popcorn from Trader Joe’s. I love making homemade popcorn, but pregnancy has taken my energy at nights so healthy bagged popcorn it is. Call it lazy if you want but this stuff is convenient, it costs $1.59 and it tastes great. It also pairs well with Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal

Salsa Verde!!! Um yes this stuff is drinkable… well not really but it’s sweet tangy and awesome with tortilla chips. Marc picked it out at Trader Joe’s and we have had it before. It’s so good. I highly recommend it.

I told you I’ve had a craving for chocolate and sweets which is totally not like me and I’m blaming baby boy on this… but i’ve started to replace that craving with these Cookie Dough Larabars. They basically taste like the real thing and I feel good about eating this vs a brownie or cookie any day. When Stop & Shop has them on sale for $1.00 I stock up.

The Good Bean Smoky Chipotle & Lime chickpeas. One of my boot camp friends brought me these because she knows I like the sea salt ones and I couldn’t find these anywhere. They are so good, spicy, and satisfy a salt craving! Marc and I ate them together until he stole the bag from me

Trader Joe’s Blueberry Wheat Bran muffins. I bought these to have for a morning snack they are great topped with a little butter.  They are 100 calories a piece & have a good amount of fiber!

In case you missed my post yesterday check it out! I have a 21 Week Pregnancy Update for you!!

Check out the difference there!! 21 weeks on the left and 14 weeks on the right!

WELL that’s it for now. I hope you have a great weekend

What’s something you have been loving this week?

Any fun plans for the weekend?

THINGS I’M LOVING THIS WEEK……..

Siggi’s Yogurt I am currently on a yogurt kick this week and I can’t get enough of it. Siggi’s is packed with protein, and I love knowing that I’m eating a clean snack.

All things bacon.. I would definitely say Bacon is one of my HUGE cravings this pregnancy. I literally would eat it every day if I thought that was healthy butttt I think in moderation its okay so I’ve limited it to a few times a week. Ava is on the bacon train too, the girl wants all the bacon like her mama.

(I actually thought I had more bacon pics but it doesn’t surprise me that I don’t. We eat it way to fast to take pictures)

Whole Foods Gift Card winner I won a giveaway on The Posh Body’s blog and I was super excited to go shopping for free last week. I bought my favorite hummus, some healthy snacks and dinner, it was awesome.

Brussel Sprouts salad from Harvest Marc and I went to Harvest for dinner on New Years Eve and I can’t stop thinking about this brussel sprouts salad that I’ve decided to make it myself. It’s too good to be true that I feel like a few simple ingredients might work. I’ll let you know how it comes out.

CHILI… On sunday Marc made a big chili so we could eat while watching the Patriots game. Ava loved the chili but also the fact that she could eat in front of the TV.

On Wednesday she asked me for Chili for lunch. Of course I said “sure!!” and heated her up a bowl. This girl is TOO smart for her own good and started pushing her high chair towards the living room.

I know the chili was amazing, but smarty pants thought whenever she ate chili she got to eat in the living room watching football. She CRACKS me up.

Veggies Burgers growing up my mom always had some sort of veggie burger in the freezer. They were a great meal to have on hand when I didn’t know what to eat. Over the years I have tried several different brands and i’ve finally found the best Veggie burger from Costco.

It has real ingredients, it tastes great, and I can’t get enough!!

RX BARS is where its at. I have been snacking on these like crazy. My favorite one lately is the Coconut Chocolate, but Ava has been loving the Blueberry.

As you can see they one have clean REAL ingredients, what’s not to love??

Last but not least I needed to throw this picture of Ava in here.

She’s getting better at Cheesing for the camera, but she also loves to sing and that’s what she was doing before this picture. I’m not a singer, but she will sing for like 30 minutes straight and it’s pretty darn cute. I love the words she comes up with!!

HAPPY FRIDAYY.

What’s one of your favorite things from the week?

]]> http://thefitskool.com/?feed=rss2&p=9104 4 http://thefitskool.com/?p=8515 http://thefitskool.com/?p=8515#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2015 11:42:53 +0000 http://thefitskool.com/?p=8515 Continue reading →]]> Happy Fridayyyy!!

This week started out slow for me, but the last 2 days were rather quick. I can’t complain. Overall this week has been productive, fun and exciting.

I want to share with you some THINGS I’M LOVING FROM THIS WEEK:

What’s not to LOVE about the weather here in CT this week. With temperatures in the high 60’s and low 70’s I felt like being outside every second that I could. We took Cooper to the Park and on extra long walks, Ava was able to go to the playground in a T-shirt, and we played outside in the yard at my parents house.

I can’t say I’m really looking forward to winter, but I guess I’ll appreciate the season change when it happens.

I’m on a FRUIT kick this week. Give me all the fruit. I don’t know if it’s the warmer weather or just the fact that fruit is ridiculously expensive so I haven’t bought a ton of it.. it just makes me want more! I’ve been eating raspberries, grapes, apples, bananas and

 I even bought a mini watermelon this week!!

Today is my rest day. I will not be exercising and I’m kinda excited for a day off! I have been working extra hard this week with my workouts and also with the extra classes I’ve subbed so my body is craving some relaxation. I will of course walk Cooper but that will be the extent of my exercise.

Since starting my 21 Day Fix Holiday Challenge Group on Monday I really haven’t eaten anything bad or processed so I don’t have a ton of “packaged” goods to share with you. I’ve been eating a lot clean, real food.

I’m really digging breakfast as usual, and home cooked meals that involve meatballs, and chicken cutlets!

I finally found a PUMPKIN CHOBANI yogurt this week. There was 1 left, do you think it was a sign? Or a tease? I saved it for last night after Boot Camp class, I figured i could get in some extra protein and I topped it with a little granola. So delicious!

I found this interesting clip on Shakeology’s Instagram feed about Cinnamon Bun Calories vs making a shake. Growing up when my mom made cinnamon buns we used to all go nuts. There’s something so yummy about the SMELL of them alone. Looking at the calories on this bad boy, it definitely made me want to try out the shake instead

I found this picture of my mom and I, from my friend Lauren’s wedding and I had to share!

Ava’s birthday is officially less then a month away and I need to think of something fun to get her. I am open to present suggestions.

She will be 2, and this girl loves everything. She loves being active, reading books, playing with here toys, coloring, pushing her baby in the stroller, playing hide & seek. I need something creative to get her. I always tend to buy educational stuff but I need something that she can use her imagination and have fun with!

Now I’m off to train at the YMCA and then we have an action packed weekend ahead of us that includes a trip to Rhode Island to see our new baby niece, I’m subbing a Group Power Class on Sunday and then heading up to Waterbury CT to see the show WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!

What are some of your favorite things from the week?

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

I’m so happy it’s Friday, this has been a long week. I’m looking forward to the weekend and seeing Ava and her cousin Emily dressed up for Halloween.

I am collecting a few things from the week that I have been loving, here goes:

MEATBALLS & RAVIOLI from Arthur Avenue.

I believe everything in moderation is healthy! especially this meal. It was such a treat and I thank my dad for buying us this delicious food from New York. Meatballs are my weakness, actually italian food is my weakness. I enjoyed every bite and if I could eat them every day I would.

My boy Cooper got a haircut. I know I mentioned this earlier this week but I can’t stop hugging, petting and smelling him. He probably thinks I’m crazy but he’s so soft and I can’t help but be excited to have a clean fluffy dog.

PRO BARS. At Target the other day I purchased these delicious bars that pretty much tasted like a chocolate chip cookie. They had a good amount of protein, healthy fats and they kept me satisfied!

Speaking of Bars. I got a shipment last week from QUEST and it felt like an early Christmas gift arrived. I love having these bars after my boot camp workouts this week. I feel like I’m getting the protein I need and satisfying my sweet cravings at the same time.

SORE LEGS. I don’t really LOVE sore legs, but I love knowing that I was able to get in some good workouts this week. I’m also subbing another Group Power class today so you can bet that I will be doing a whole lot of nothing tomorrow!

Ava says I love you. Ava has said I love you before but broken up and not that clear. On Wednesday night when I put her to bed. She gave me a kiss on her own and she said I love you after I said it to her. I almost melted. I couldn’t help but smile as I came downstairs to relax for the night!! It was awesome.

(Flashback to 1 year ago when Ava was a ladybug for halloween at 10 months old!)

I can’t wait to see Ava dressed up tomorrow for her 2nd Halloween!! I know I said before but I’m excited

What is one of your favorite things from the week?

Do you have any fun halloween plans?

I have a few things I wanted to share with you from this week. Maybe I use the term LOVE a little loosely with these posts but I get excited for all new things to share with you that I think its close to love.

Things I’m loving this week!

My dad supports my healthy lifestyle and he’s even cleaned up his diet a lot. (I won’t give myself any credit there) he did it on his own. Anyways, he loves Costco and he LOVES buying Ava and myself healthy snacks from there. His choices always surprise me and when he brought over these Figgy pops Energy Bites I couldn’t help but get a little excited to try them. They were definitely amazing and I approved of all the ingredients. Thanks Dad!

Costco has some great prepared salad mixes. This one from Taylor farms is delicious. They are so easy to prepare for a quick, simple and healthy dinner. I’ve eaten them twice this week with some chicken on top. The one pictured below has kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and a poppy seed dressing!

Fall Produce has been my favorite way to enjoy veggies this week. I simply roast them in the oven with olive oil and salt & pepper. Pictured below are a spaghetti squash, a carnival squash and a delicata squash!

Crockpot dinners were my thing this week. If I said I didn’t love the crockpot I would be lying, it just seems so easy that I felt like I was cheating this week. I really enjoyed having lots of leftovers, in fact we had so much food in the fridge I panicked a bit… I didn’t want to waste a single thing!! We made a big Turkey/beef chili and Chicken Cacciatore!

Ava had a playdate at my mom’s office while I worked Wednesday morning. She had fun running around and making a mess with rubber bands and paper. In the afternoon we all made a trip to St. Augustine’s Farm to buy a pumpkin and explore the market. It was fun.

It was a great week and I’m looking forward to our weekend trip to Rhode Island to visit Marc’s family!!

What’s something you are loving this week?

Any fun weekend plans?

The rain is making me not want to leave the house today, but I’m not going to complain because we had a beautiful summer and we need a little rain right? I guess it’s supposed to rain all weekend but rainy days are usually the days that I’m most productive with at home. It’s good weather to pay bills, catch up on laundry, organization and unwanted cleaning duties. In the end I think I usually feel good about the productivity though.

I’m going to share some THINGS I’M LOVING THIS WEEK:

First up is that it’s October. There’s just something about October that I love… pumpkins, pumpkin spice, apples, more apples, leaves on the ground, pumpkin beer… oops!

This past week we sampled Hello Fresh, you can check out my post from yesterday and I can honestly say it was a great change of pace for me with food. I was looking to mix things up and I was able to learn a few new food tricks in the process. It was a great experience!

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Cooking Meals with Ava. I try to cook dinner at home every week night and while some days its a challenge, other days Ava makes it easy and has some fun with me.

This week she helped me mash the butternut squash and apple puree I made as a side dish. It’s the simple things that make her smile and using a masher is quite fun I guess. I think we have a future chef on our hands. I can’t wait for her to cook me some dinner

On Wednesday night before I went to bed I said to Marc… I would love some BACON tomorrow and some pumpkin coffee. I’m so random I know, but guys I love breakfasttttttt. When I woke up and Marc was cooking bacon I knew it was going to be a good day! Especially since I didn’t have to cook. He’s the best.

On a different note from food, I’m loving the new training space at the YMCA. They added a lot of new equipment like these medicine balls and I am loving using them with my clients and using them for my workouts as well. Medicine Ball SLAMS is where its at.

My 21 day challenge group is starting Monday and I’m super thrilled with the amazing bunch of people I have participating in this group. It’s a great way to shape up but also learn a few things about health & fitness, the inspiration & motivation is an added plus. I can’t wait!!!

Last but not least I’m really LOVING Chobani Flip Yogurts. I consider them a treat because they are a little bit higher in sugar but as a dessert I think it’s healthy

My 2 favorite so far are the Pumpkin Flip & the Salted Caramel Crunch Flip. I think it’s time I create my own!!

Your turn!! What’s something you are loving this week?

Any fun weekend plans?

I love saying that, it just feels good to know free-time awaits us at the end of the day.

Last weekend we made a trip to Trader Joe’s AKA my favorite grocery store ever. I wish there was one a little closer so that I could go every day, but there’s not. It really makes me look forward to our trips and of course all the good finds from the store.

THING’S I’M LOVING TRADER JOE’S STYLE: 

There’s nothing quite like fall and knowing there are so many good pumpkin products available. I’m a complete sucker for anything pumpkin and most of the time I need to turn my head due to the pure fact that most of the pumpkin products are loaded with sugar and other crap that I don’t need. I usually try to make my own pumpkin treats but sometimes its fun to try out new products and of course share them with my family & YOU.

I found these Pumpkin O’s in the cereal aisle… 1. They are crunchy 2. They are toddler approved 3. They are a sweet pumpkin treat for 110 calories.

I also stumbled upon these Pumpkin Bars. We have had their fig bars before and we are all a fan so when I tried these I nearly died. They do have a little more sugar then I would’ve liked but it beats having a slice of pumpkin pie. You can enjoy one of these bars for probably 1/3 of the calories as that slice of pie!

We love hummus in our house, this tomato & basil trader joe’s hummus is creamy and tasty. I enjoyed it with some whole grain tortilla chips, Ava enjoyed some with her fingers, and Marc spread some on his sandwiches this week. It’s great and it’s only $1.99 per container.

Sometimes eating veggies can be challenging and there’s always days that I’m just not feeling it. Having this Broccoli slaw on hand was an easy way to get a serving of veggies. I added a simple dressing and enjoyed it with my lunch and my dinners! Ava also ate some big spoonfuls of the broccoli slaw.

Last but not least.. Trader Joe’s chicken sausage is awesomely delicious, contains no preservatives, is high in protein, toddler approved, and tastes great as is, on a sandwich or mixed with some veggies & potatoes. Some Chicken Sausages aren’t that filling but these did the trick!

I am also LOVING this end of summer weather we are having. We have been enjoying the park a ton and I’m sure we will be going a lot more throughout the fall. I’m not gonna lie, I have fun going down the slides too.

What’s your favorite Trader Joe’s Product?

Any fun weekend plans?

I usually only pick a handful of things but I usually have at least 10 on my mind. Some of them are repeats so I don’t post them

THINGS I’M LOVING THIS WEEK!

On Labor Day we went to my parents to BBQ. My brother has been eating really healthy and trying lots of new nutritious snacks and foods and one of them was Ranch Kale Chips. I was excited to try them because I have only had them with olive oil and sea salt. Before I tried them he told me he wasn’t a fan, but after one bite I was sold. I really did like it and I was also happy to hear that they had 6g of protein, 4g fiber, iron and vitamin K with each serving!

Speaking of last weekend, my whole family was sick… rather then ramble on about sick details I want to tell you about my frequent trips to Green and Tonic. I went there twice last weekend and both times I took a shot of Fire Cider! No it doesn’t have alcohol, its an immunity booster shot containing apple cider vinegar, ginger, and HABANERO! This stuff is legit. I know I mentioned it last week, but I loved the way I felt after drinking it. It was almost like having a cup of coffee, a rinse of mouthwash and a lozenger in one gulp. That may sound weird but it worked wonders so I needed to mention it again.

I’m a huge fan of anything popcorn related. It’s probably one of my favorite healthy snacks, so when I saw this bag of Chia Pop I had to buy it. I was intrigued that it had chia powder but I assumed it would taste like regular popcorn and it did. The flavor was salt & pepper and I was surprised when I was full after one serving. Marc liked it too!

Ice cream is my weakness. It’s a part of my life and it’s one of my go to treats especially in the summer time and especially when I have a sore throat. What’s not soothing about ice cream right?? I stumbled upon this Breyers Natural Vanilla when I was just GLANCING at the ice cream aisle…. it caught my eye and when I saw that it only had 5 ingredients I knew it was a winner. It was creamy, delicious, soothed my sore throat, and tasted great. Each serving only has 130 calories too!

 Ava has been such a happy camper these last 2 days and really what’s not to love about a happy child! She’s been energized and so fun to play with.

We have no big plans this weekend and I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend!

What are some things you are loving this week?

Any fun weekend plans?

If you didn’t know that I LOVE swimming in pools, now you do!! My parents called me a fish when I was younger. If there was water I was in it and you literally had to pry me away from the pool.

To have plans to visit multiple pools makes me so happy inside, I feel like a kid

Because it’s Friday, I want to share some snacks, foods & things I’ve been loving this week:

I’m not usually one to buy sugary snacks but this one won me over and its probably due to the extra added sugar but who cares! Yoplait has a delicious greek yogurt that I had as a “treat” the other night. There are flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds and oats in the mix and all the different textures make it delicious.

I’m always looking for new healthy snacks when I’m shopping and I stumbled upon these individual portion packets of nut butters from Wild Friends. OMG they are delicious. I bought 2 different flavors: chocolate sunflower butter

and honey sunflower butter.

They are both delicious. If you like sunflower seeds you must try them. Each packet was only $1 and they are great to keep in your car, purse or lunch box for a nutty nutritious snack.

Using the Honey Sunflower butter I made some energy bites for me & Ava. They were a tasty & healthy snack!

Speaking of nuts. This nut mix from Back to Nature is hands down my favorite. It has cashews, pistachios & almonds and I can’t get enough. Ava has been loving the cashews herself… she says “more nuts please” its pretty cute.

Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies are a great snack that we have for Ava. They are organic snack crackers that are super cheesy and I’ve been keeping them in Ava’s travel lunch box for road trips. She likes them a lot!

On Wednesday night we made a trip to the St. Roch’s Feast. It was a beautiful night and we got to enjoy being outside plus Ava went on a couple rides.

She did not like the carousel (I don’t blame her though because it made me really dizzy)

She did however love the giant slide!!

And of course fishing in the pool for some fish. She won a duck to take home with her!

I’m hoping to get back to the carnival one more time but we kinda have a busy weekend ahead of us!

What’s something you are loving this week?

Do you enjoy carnivals?