Latest favorite things in food, home and life

Hi, my friends! Well hot dog, a three-post week! That hasn’t happened much since Baby Brady came into the world almost four months ago. And it’s been even longer than that when anyone has been cool while using the term “hot dog.” Am I right?

Okay, if I haven’t lost you yet, let’s jump right in. While I won’t say that I have any free time (the babe keeps me quite busy all day, every day), I will say that this past week seemed a bit more manageable when it comes to life and to-dos after last week’s crazy move.

We’ve been in the house for a week-and-a-half and are feeling quite comfortable here. So far, we’ve ordered a couch and two area rugs and that’s it (including one for the nursery above, because boy, it echoes when he cries!). We’ll be taking our time to pick out just the right stuff, and will hopefully have the main living areas filled up in the next couple of months (and will share pictures, of course). It’s so cool, but also so scary that we own this place. Now, let’s do some favorites!

Favorites from the week …

Brady’s first visit to Dave’s work

Dave has been eager to show Brady off to his coworkers, and we finally made the trip this week on Wednesday to his office. Well, the beginning of it didn’t go so well. Brady and I got there right on time, and Dave came out to get us, and just as we were carrying Brady in, he erupted into a major crying fit. Like major. He was inconsolable. A diaper change and a nursing session didn’t even help, which is weird, because he’s pretty social and usually seems to love to go on outings. So, we opted to put him back in his infant seat and stroller and walk to lunch nearby before meeting anyone.

He fussed during the first five minutes of lunch and then fell asleep, while Dave and I had some delicious Asian food from a vendor in the Swan Market in downtown Oakland, including miso soup, marinated green beans, a ginger salad and a salmon and avocado hand roll …

Then, we decided to do the office tour while Brady was sleeping like a little angel. So he doesn’t even know he’s been to Daddy’s office, but he has, and everyone has seen him. 🙂

(Still soooo pleased with our infant carrier and stroller choices.)

Overall, it didn’t turn out exactly as we had planned, having wanted him awake and out to meet people with his baby blue eyes open, but in the end, it was still a great visit. Babies will be babies, and we loved showing him off!

Keeping the feet warm in red

I’ve really upped my online shopping game recently, and that’s because it’s been rainy, or we’ve been too busy to head out. Well, one of the first things on my list other than house stuff and Brady stuff, was slippers. Our house has wood-ish floors throughout every single room, including the bedroom, and it gets cold in here during the winter months. I scoured around and finally settled on some bright red slippers with a slightly firm bottom.

(Loving my new slippers!)

They arrived two days after I ordered them, and I have NOT taken them off my feet while at home yet, except when sleeping. The inside is so soft and inviting. And they have just enough traction that I don’t slip, but don’t feel like actual shoes and feel like slippers. If you like them and plan to order, please note that the bright red could rub a pinkish color on a white couch, so be careful, or go with all the other more muted hues here. But the look of the red is so worth it to me!

My return to the CXWORX workout

Do you guys even know what the CXWORX workout is? I NEVER talk about it anymore, but CXWORX is a 30-minute core group fitness program, which I am certified to teach but haven’t taught in forever. It’s another one from the Les Mills company who makes BODYPUMP, and you can read more about it here. (Fun fact: One of my most popular posts ever from so long ago.)

(Home workout scenes.)

Nonetheless, I stopped doing CXWORX regularly a couple months before I got pregnant, then didn’t do it at all while pregnant or recovering, because of the focus on the core (hovers, standing twists, oblique work, etc.), so it’s been a hot minute. I finally did CXWORX early this week while following along my instructor videos online, and it felt SO hard. I was able to hold hover moves on my toes for a portion of the sets, but not all of them. (And you can read all about my postpartum fitness journey here.)

I absolutely LOVE the feeling of finishing a CXWORX workout, even though you spend much of it on the ground or in a kneeling or prone position. My core was sore the next day! Woohoo! Now that I’m almost 17 weeks postpartum, I’m finally comfortable challenging my core and CXWORX is a great way to do it, so I plan to do it again here and there at home. All you need is a weight and a resistance tube, or just a tube like this, so it’s a good one for travel too. You can access it on Les Mills On Demand.

Super tasty Quest products

Last month, my friends at Quest Nutrition sent me a huge care package of protein powders and bars. Dave and I went through all of the bars pretty quickly, because they were delicious. And that being said, I must admit that I have been relying on prepared bars a bit too much these days for an easy one-handed snack while I hold Brady, but I will also admit that I’ve enjoyed every bite of Quest bars that I’ve eaten. 

Perhaps my favorite is the new birthday flavor classic Quest bar. It tastes like a funfetti cake in protein bar form! 

(My fun pink sneakers seen below the bar are super comfy.)

And the Quest protein powder is the best tasting protein powder like ever, because it basically tastes like a milkshake — all of the flavors do, but I’m partial to both peanut butter and strawberries and cream. But here’s the deal with Quest products: they taste amazing, are gluten and soy free, but you don’t want to have them every single day, because some artificial ingredients are included, but the macros are definitely on point, so a lot of fitness people swear by them as the gold standard (low carb/high protein equals a macro-counter’s dream).

Because I always like to share my real thoughts with you, I figured you should know that this stuff passes the taste test for sure, but you should get most of your nutrients from real whole foods, when you can. (Also, I go with a plant-based protein powder for my more regular usage when lifting weights more frequently, which I’m not doing quite yet, and I also opt for whole food bars too — because I’m more of a clean food eater than a macro counter, if you know what I mean.) But darn, Quest knows how to make some delicious products, and I’ll be getting more for sure. Thanks for sending, Quest!

To read, watch and enjoy from around the web

• FUN: For some laughs: this hilarious “health food friend” video is soooo spot on, especially if you know people or follow people who always seem to jump on the latest healthy food trends and they never even seem to know why they are doing it.
• BREAKFAST: Need some breakfast inspiration? Hope you didn’t miss this creamiest warm almond butter oatmeal breakfast bowl recipe I posted earlier this week.
• FITNESS: Just another reason to try group fitness or work out with a friend. This article tells you that science says working out with other people will improve your performance, and of course, motivation. Thanks to Christine for sharing it in the A Lady Goes West Friends Facebook group.
• HEALTH: If you’re a fan of sparkling water (I am!), you may want to read this interesting piece on what it could mean for your teeth.
• FOOD: I get a lot of questions about why I eat so much sauerkraut and kimchi. The first reason is because I like the taste, the second reason is because both foods are fermented, which mean they have good bacteria, which helps your gut and body perform optimally. Here’s some more information on why you should eat fermented foods. But remember, only eat the ones you enjoy eating. Life is too short for crap food, even if it’s healthy, and see the video in bullet number one, if you need a reminder.

Thank you for reading the blog today, my friends! I hope your weekend is a good one! I’ll be teaching a Bootybarre class, hanging with the fam and having some visitors over to check out the house and meet Brady too.

Speaking of Brady, let’s leave off with a picture of him in his angelic sleeping state … which we’d love to see more of at night. 🙂

(Almost 17 weeks old and living his best life.)

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