Since we’re already on the topic of routines and day-to-day randomness, I figured I’d make today’s blog post a quick lil’ recap of our day yesterday. Heeere we go!
Breakfast
My morning began at 6:30 a.m. when I opted to sleep in until I heard Chase begin stirring rather than set my alarm. I typically love working for an hour or two before Chase wakes up for the day but after less than five hours of sleep the night before when I was in Washington, D.C. for a blog trip, I gave myself permission to catch up on sleep a bit since I didn’t want to be a walking zombie all day.
Chase’s sporadic noises woke me up but since he wasn’t calling out for me yet, I headed downstairs to make myself breakfast and say goodbye to Ryan while Chase talked and sang to his stuffed cat in his crib.
Since I didn’t get a chance to prep food for breakfast after I arrived home on Monday, I assembled a fast and cheesy egg scramble with lots of veggies sautéed in coconut oil along with a mug of hot coffee with collagen and whole milk. I was able to eat my breakfast and sip on my coffee while I quickly checked my email inbox for about 10 minutes before Chase’s happy noises turned to “Mom, come get me” noises.
Once my little sidekick was changed and ready for the day, the two of us ate Paleo blender muffins together (plus avocado and banana for Chase) and played for a bit before it was time to head off to Burn Boot Camp for a workout.
Push/Pull Workout
Tuesday’s workout was a push/pull partner workout and I LOVED it. My workouts last week were a little light on strength training so I was craving some heavier lifting.
I was feeling quite energetic after a rest day on Monday and ended the workout looking like a sweaty mess. Once I scooped Chase up at childcare, we were off to Gymboree!
We ate a quick snack of apples with almond butter (bless the portable packets!) before heading inside where Chase ran around and had a blast with his little buddies for the next 45 minutes. I said goodbye to my girlfriends and Chase’s playmates once class was over and then we drove home where we were greeted by a very energetic pup!
Sadie was clearly ready to get outside so I quickly inhaled a FitJoy bar, packed a stroller snack for Chase and took my two babies on a walk around the neighborhood.
With temperatures just below 70 degrees, it was the perfect walking weather.
I’ve noticed that Chase is pretty good at independent play when we get home after a busy morning and seems to be ready for some quieter play, so I took advantage of his interest in his trains (and eventually Sadie’s dog bed and one of our kitchen cabinets) and did a little food prep!
I chopped up some vegetables and chicken sausage to make a frittata so breakfast will be a breeze for the rest of the week. (FYI, I actually prefer using regular breakfast chicken sausage in my favorite recipe rather than apple chicken sausage. It makes it a little more flavorful! I’ve been buying the al fresco breakfast chicken patties to use in my frittatas for more than a year now and use all four patties in a single frittata.)
By the time my frittata was done, Chase was ready to eat lunch, wind down and read a couple of books before his nap. Once he was snoozing away, I grabbed a shower. (You know those days when showers feel extra incredible? That was my shower yesterday. So great.)
Once I was nice and clean, I slipped into shorts and a tank top and headed back downstairs to make myself lunch and spend the next couple of hours working on the computer while Chase napped.
Lunch
Lunch was a breeze thanks to leftover easy marinated pork chops. I chopped up the pork and threw it in a mixing bowl (<— key for making big salads without everything spilling out when you toss it after adding dressing) on top of lettuce, brown rice, carrots, sliced almonds, cilantro, avocado and chopped leftover asparagus.
I topped my salad with ginger dressing (still loving Naturally Fresh!) and tossed everything together before digging in. I cannot remember the last time I made a salad at home for lunch and it needs to start happening more often. Such a great way to get those veggies in!
By the time Chase was up for his nap, we were both ready for an afternoon snack and after eating some tropical energy bites, we played upstairs for a bit while I unpacked from my weekend travels before spending the next hour or so at a local park with a friend. By the time we made it home, I was quite hungry and started assembling dinner.
Dinner
I made a simple meat sauce to serve over ditalini pasta (perfect toddler size!) by combining ground venison with a can of tomato sauce, some tomato paste and spices. (I use Muir Glen tomato sauce that I typically order for cheaper on Thrive Market because it’s so tasty and doesn’t have any sugar added.)
Ryan arrived home from work shortly after dinner was ready around 6:30 p.m. so we ate together before heading outside for fetch with Sadie and a final round of outside playtime for Chase.
After playing outside, it was time for an express bath for Chase (he isn’t loving hair washing these days…), followed by story time before bed. Once Chase was drifting off to sleep in his crib, I hit up the pantry for a couple of small handfuls of white chocolate chips to satisfy my sweet tooth which I ate while wrapping up another 45 minutes or so of work on the computer.
Eventually I joined Ryan on the couch to hang out a bit before we were both ready to head up to bed. I read for a bit before falling asleep around 10 p.m.
This morning was off to an early start (back to my usual routine!) and I’m looking forward to a fun and busy day. I’m watching two of my girlfriends’ kids today (one in the morning and the other in the evening) and hope to sneak in a workout, a trip to the grocery store and a few more hours of work during Chase’s naptime at some point as well.
Hope you have a great Wednesday!!!
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I really love normal everyday routines too, especially after travel! It’s nice to realize that your day to day life is so good
Looks like a fantastic day!! You’re smart to eat a few handfuls of white chocolate chips – I cured my sweet tooth last night with a bowl of vanilla ice cream and two rice cakes topped with peanut butter and chocolate chips lol!
Oh, also! You had asked if the YMCA still offers BodyPump! I found out yesterday that YES, it does!! Now it’s called Strength Train Together! I actually took that class on Monday and LOVED it. Your friend was right – it’s a killer total body strength workout.
Hope you have a good day!!
This is so helpful for me! I’ve been missing Body Pump from Gold’s Gym since I joined the Y & have taken one Strength Training class, which was NOT at all like Body Pump. They’ve since switched instructors, so I’m curious to try it again!!
It’s great reading the simple day to day routines, and finding the joy and excitement is those something we can all learn from! Enjoy your week!
Hey girly, this is the first time I’ve noticed you cook with venison… is that a usual for you?! My husband hunts and we wind up using it for the majority of our meat source…which is great on one hand, but I totally get stuck with my handful of favorite recipes that aren’t too gamey…. pasta + sauce being one of those! I’d love to see some more of those if you have any!! :* :*
my dad spearfishes in the summer and hunts during the winter and typically offers to share his fish, venison and wild hog meats with us which we love!! since venison is so lean, i have a hard time finding ways to prepare it that doesn’t make it taste too dry so ground venison and a tomato-based sauce is a personal fav! my mom makes an amazing venison tenderloin in a similar way you’d prepare beef tenderloin. it’s SO good and i’ll see if i can find the recipe to share with you!
My husband hunts as well, so we’ve done a lot of cooking with venison. What works well for us is mixing it with ground beef – usually 50/50. The ground beef adds additional fat that the venison is lacking. But I love how healthy venison is for you!
My mom does the same — Love that tip!
I feel the same way about travel. I love it, but it’s so nice to get back into routine! I love when you post your burn boot camp workouts. I wish we had something similar here.
Nut butter on-the-go packs are the best! My son and I both love them, so I always keep one in his diaper bag and one in my purse
same! i have them on hand at all times lately!
Sounds like a great day to settle back in to your normal routine! Glad to hear your travels went well though. Hope you have a great rest of your week!
Wow you are a busy lady!! But it sounds like a great day!
Love that Frittata recipe. Need to try it out soon.
Ditalini is awesome! We discovered it after we had been spending time cutting ziti up to basically resemble ditalini for our little one.
isn’t it the best!? i discovered it at my mother-in-law’s house and it’s seriously perfect for little ones!
I agree! Nothing beats your normal day-to-day routine…truly no place like home
Happy Wednesday!
Its always weird for me after traveling! But it does feel good once you get back into routine. Your dinner looks DELICIOUS!!
Ugh my son hates having his hair washed too. Can’t figure out if it truly hurts his eyes, or if he is being dramatic. Have you found a product that doesn’t seem to sting??
i really don’t think the shampoo is stinging his eyes (we use honest company and i’ve tried it myself and it doesn’t sting!) — i think he just hates having something poured over his head at the moment. i’m hoping this little phase passes quickly!
liv used to HATE having her hair washed because she hates water on her face, so i taught her to tilt her head back and howl like a coyote. since then it’s been no prob (so i can just wet her hair instead of her entire face) and she’s taught P how to do it, too
This is SUCH a good idea! Trying this tonight! Thank you! Chase is obsessed with animals and making animal noises so I hope this works!
That frittata looks amazing! And it’s always nice to have a catch-up day after traveling.
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Looks like a fun day! Nothing better than coming home to a happy pup!
Sounds like you and Chase had a busy day. And Sadie really does look like she’s asking for a walk in that photo!
That picture of Chase in the dog bed is adorable. What a cutie pie!
Thank you!!! <3
I am so glad to know that I am not the only one who eats salad out of a mixing bowl! They taste better that way, don’t they?
I’m with Chase – I don’t like washing my hair either haha! Mostly because I’m lazy and my arms are often too sore to be held above my head.
Also, frittata! YUM!
Ha! Same… but mostly because I’m too lazy to style it!
All of this food looks soooooo delicious! I’m coming up with ways to create them all as vegetarian/vegan options! I’ve cut out meat and most dairy since Easter, and the challenge has made me extra excited in the kitchen!
Also, heck yes to handful of chocolate chips.
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I’m in the market for a large skillet. What brand do you have? is it a 12 inch?
It’s Calphalon! We received it in a set of pots and pans for our wedding and love it. It’s the perfect frittata pan!
Super on the go! Sounds like a lot of fun play to tire out a busy toddler!
Hi Julie! Yup! Always feels good to be home. And I love adding brown rice to a salad — sometimes I feel like salads just need more healthy carbs. Sounds like a nice day overall!
Sometimes no plans are literally the best plans. I get this relief feeling of ‘back on routine’ when I get off my little stretches of night shifts. It’s the best!
Hey Julie! I remember you saying a while ago that you bought a salad chopper to make chopped salads at home. Do you find yourself using it often? I’m debating buying one but don’t know if I’d actually use it or if if it would get lost in a cabinet.
Yeah to routines! I love traveling, but it’s always nice to get home and back to the usual swing of things. That workout looks tough!
I agree- having an open calendar is a good thing! Being a Mom and Wife and getting work done definitely fills the days just fine.
Hi Julie! I love your day-in-the-life posts. They always seem to give me good quick but healthy at home breakfast and lunch ideas – which I really struggle with!
Question on collagen… Did you take collagen while breastfeeding? If not, would you while pregnant/breastfeeding next time around? I’m not seeing any reason why not but I’m always a bit cautious.
Thanks!
A big mixing bowl for salads is a must! I try to eat a big salad every day–it’s the only time I get in raw vegetables so I like to make them big! And a good dressing makes it more palatable haha I like making my own but I’ll have to check out that ginger dressing!
Where do you get your ground venison? I’ve been searching for a good quality source.
We actually get it from my dad. He hunts and always eats whatever he shoots. He often offers to send us home with venison which we love!
Hi Julie! I know you’ve mentioned somewhere your tips of keeping frittata leftovers from getting soggy. But I can’t find it. Do you mind sharing the link again? Thank you!
One thing I always do is put a lining of paper towels at the bottom of the Tupperware container! It helps a ton!!