Category: healthy food

family, fitness, food, foodie, fun, healthy food, motivation, outer banks, seafood, vacation, workout

Our Outer Banks, NC Vacation (Baby’s First Time On The Beach)

caffeinatedcarly

Hello, all! I’m coming to you from the car on the way home from our wonderful vacation. I have gone to the Outer Banks, NC with my family since I was little. I brought my husband for the first time 5 years ago when we were dating, and this past week, we brought our daughter for her first visit. We had such a wonderful time, and made so many memories.

Here is the highlighted version..

TRAVELLING:

The drive from our house is around 11 hours. We broke it up into two days both ways. The baby did so well overall, but definitely had her moments where she wanted out of the car. We kept her busy with toys, music, and grandma (who sat in the backseat with her).

BABY’S SCHEDULE AND ROUTINE:

I thrive on routine, as does my little one. I never sway on bedtime, and try to keep consistent naps. I made sure to keep this up the whole vacation. Sure, it meant being at the house to have her in bed by 6 each night, but we had a blast going out in the day! It is SO worth it to me. Travel days were rough. She struggled going down, and since we had to share a room with her she wanted to play all hours of the night. She did amazing at the beach house though! I consider that a win.

BEACH FUN:

We had an oceanfront house, and the view was absolutely stunning. We drank coffee while watching the sun rise each morning. We even had a hot tub on the deck. Our weather was absolutely perfect! Sunny and breezy, which made for such pleasant beach days.

We had so much fun showing baby K the ocean! We either held her, or put her in the pack and play with toys while we were outside.

We walked the pier near us many times, visited a lighthouse, and a place called the Whalehead Club.

Kennedy also got to spend quality time with her grandparents. My mom was with us the whole time, and my husband’s parents came for a few days!

FOOD:

We ate so well!! I love love love seafood! Here is just a couple favorite meals from the trip, although we had many more delicious things!

This salad had fresh tuna, and all sorts of other tasty items! This was from a restaurant called Rundown Cafe. It is a staple when we visit!

Yes, another salad lol! This one had a delicious crabcake on it. I devoured the whole thing, along with my margarita!

Crabmeat stuffed mushrooms. These were so good!

FITNESS:

Most days, I did a 3 mile beach run! I love zoning out and taking in the sights and smells of the ocean. It is so peaceful!

Two of the days, I did barre videos and a long walk with my mom and baby K!

As always, the week flew by, and it is back to reality!

Have a wonderful week, all!

With love,

Carly

food, foodie, health, healthy, healthy food

Blue Apron Vs. Hello Fresh

caffeinatedcarly

Hi, all! This past week, my husband and I made 2 Blue Apron meals and 2 Hello Fresh meals. My brother uses both subscriptions (he likes the variety), and sent us free codes. I thought it would be fun to compare them and share our experiences.

Here goes:

PACKAGING:

BLUE APRON: Both meals came in an insulated box, but they weren’t separated out. Honestly, it was a big mess and a pain. I’m not sure if something happened while it was being delivered, but it all just seemed thrown into the box without care.

HELLO FRESH: Each meal was separated into sealed bags. I loved how nicely packaged it was! It made it so easy.Clearly my packaging pick winner is Hello Fresh.

PREP, INSTRUCTIONS, AND COOKING:

They both had detailed instructions and pictures for each step. I’d put these as a tie!Our Blue Apron meals took a little more time, and seemed to be a touch more advanced to make. We enjoyed this, as we felt like we were pulling out our inner Master Chef haha.

With Hello Fresh, I loved that the instructions told you exactly what tools you need to get out beforehand.

THE MEALS:

I chose off of the healthy menu for each service.

BLUE APRON:

MEAL 1: Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry with Spicy Sambal Sauce.

This was absolutely delicious, and I loved the kick of the sauce! We did add rice to this to make it more filling.

MEAL 2: Italian Chicken And Mozzarella Skillet With Mozzarella and Grana Padano Cheese.

Oh my gosh, this meal was so tasty!! The fresh mozzarella added so much. We put this over pasta, and it made it top notch.

HELLO FRESH:

MEAL 1: Southwest Stuffed Poblanos With Quinoa and Corn.

This was so different and delicious! My husband thought he’d miss having meat, but he ate every bite. It has a nice spice to it as well!

MEAL 2: Crispy Maple Mustard Chicken With Roasted Potato Wedges and Carrots.

This was definitely the easiest meal to make, but it sure wasn’t lacking in flavor! We loved it!

OVERALL:

We had a lot of fun cooking together and truly enjoyed each meal! Both services took the edge in different ways, and the food did not disappoint at all! I would definitely like to try some of the other services out there.

I would love to hear your experiences with meal delivery services!

Thanks for stopping by!

With love,

Carly

fitness, food, foodie, health, healthy, healthy food, motherhood, motivation, workout

Food, Fitness, And Motherhood

caffeinatedcarly

Hello, all!! Happy Friday! The baby is down for a nap, the house is clean, laundry is folded and put away, and this mamma is finally sitting and watching Friends reruns. Typically, I don’t have time to do this, but it sure feels good!

Let’s start this post with some tasty food and fitness from this week…

MONDAY:

My mom came over on Monday and baby and I enjoyed spending the day with her! I snuck out for a 3 mile run while she played with the baby. It was drizzling, but I loved the cooler weather. I am SO ready for Fall!!

We went to lunch at Whole Foods and enjoyed the salad bar.

It was delicious as always! We did some shopping afterwards before coming back to my place.

My husband and I made stir fry for dinner. We all ate and watched Bachelor In Paradise.

TUESDAY:

My workout for the day was barre arms and 15 minutes on the elliptical!

It was too rainy to get out for stroller walks, but we did run to Kroger just to get out for a little.

Lunch was a stuffed avacado and it was so yummy!

When my husband got home, I made spaghetti and meat sauce for dinner!

WEDNESDAY:

My workout was a HIIT video from YouTube! I love that I can get a good workout completed at home.

Baby and I also took about 3 stroller walks. Our weather was amazing and we both enjoyed getting outside so much!

Dinner was salmon made in the cast iron skillet and a salad.

THURSDAY:

I woke up before my online teaching and went to the gym for a spin class. This one in particular uses weights to add in some arm work. I love it!

Thursday was full of more stroller walks and tons of cleaning while she napped!

Baby K also had her Bugs class. It is a mommy and me gym class and we have such a blast!

The class does different excercises to get baby moving including rolls, parachutes, the bars, whindmill pushes, balance beam (while mom holds them up), and free play with balls, rattles, and the other babies. The instructor also blows bubbles which is a huge hit!

Dinner was pork over a salad! Yum!!

FRIDAY:

This morning I did a HIIT leg workout once I was done online teaching and baby was down for a nap!

We also have had a stroller walk and hope to get another one in later.

That’s about all for this update!

Have an awesome weekend!

With love,

Carly

fitness, food, friendship, health, healthy, healthy food, motherhood, motivation, workout

A Motivated Mamma Update

caffeinatedcarly

Hello and happy Friday, all! Do you have any fun weekend plans? We are having some friends over for dinner and I’m so excited! Luckily, I got my cleaning finished during the baby’s nap this morning. Yay!

Anyway, I have felt extremely motivated during my workouts this week, despite an extremely painful UTI. Those are the worst! Thankfully, my antibiotics knocked it out and I am MUCH better.

Gosh, this little cutie keeps me going. I just want to be the best mommy to her because she is amazing.

Let’s recap this week in healthy food and fitness!

MONDAY:

For my workout, I jogged with baby K. We did some hills which was challenging, but so fun for both of us!

For dinner, we made the most delicious meal from Hello Fresh. I have never tried a meal delivery kit, but it was delicious and so fun to make! They get expensive, but it was fun to try.

Lots of veggies topped with a grilling cheese. We put chicken on ours to make it more hearty!

We watched Bachelor in Paradise while enjoying our meal.

TUESDAY:

My workout was a Barre video at home. It felt good, but my UTI was in full force so I struggled with that all day. Ughh!!

For dinner, we had porkchops. I put mine in a salad! Yum!

I had a rough evening and did not sleep well.

WEDNESDAY:

I felt well enough for a 3 mile jog before my dr. appointment! My mom babysat while I got medicine and ran some errands! Thanks, mom!!!

We had a baby play date at my friend’s place, and it was fun getting baby K around other kiddos.

For lunch, we had food from Whole Foods because we love their salad bar!

My husband came home early to be on baby duty while I went to a Handmaid’s Tale Finale Party! We all brought a dish, dressed up, and watched the show. It was a blast and the episode was SO GOOD.

Anyone else watch the show??

I got straight into bed when I got home.

THURSDAY:

I woke up before 5am because my body doesn’t like to sleep in. I decided to take a spin class before I taught online. It felt so good!

Later, baby K and I had another play date! Starbucks and the park = so much fun!

For dinner, we had pasta! I added a veggie burger to mine instead of the meat sauce that my husband used.

FRIDAY:

The day started with a gluteus maxout class at the gym! It felt so good, but I’m already sore.

Now that the house is clean I need to shower before our friends come over, but my little one is napping on me and I love it so much. I never get these snuggles anymore, so I’m soaking it up!

That’s a for this recap, friends! I will leave you with a throwback picture in honor of my. brother’s 36th birthday this week. You have to love early 90’s fashion haha!!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

With love,

Carly

fitness, food, health, healthy, healthy food, motherhood, motivation, weights, workout

Fit Friday-Mom Edition #8

caffeinatedcarly

Hi, all! Happy Friday! I am up before the crew, having coffee, and taking a few minutes to myself before I online teach. Do you have any fun weekend plans? Today, my sweet girl has her 6 month checkup. I can’t believe she is 6 months already.

I adore this little sweetie! She is just a blast. She is so happy (minus when her teeth hurt), loves her feet, chews on everything, eats like a champ, and loves taking in her surroundings. She is so chubby, and this mamma stays fit carrying her around all day haha! I honestly can’t believe that I get to be her mommy. God sure has blessed us.

Keeping up with a healthy lifestyle is so important to me. It can be a bit trickier these days, as I have little time to myself, but I sure do try!

FOOD THIS WEEK:

Chicken, corn, and sweet potato fries.

Chickpea pasta with veggie “meatballs” and a salad. This was my first time trying chickpea pasta and I really enjoyed it. It has a distinct taste, though!

Whole Foods salad bar with my mamma and little one. We love having her visit!!

A citrus crunch salad from Northstar Cafe! Baby K and I met with my friend for lunch. It was so fun! She has not seen her since she was 2 weeks old. This salad is amazing and has chicken, peanuts, and mangos. Plus, the peanut dressing is mouthwatering! Yum!!

Those were my favorites from the week. Some days we just throw an easy meal together, but we try to cook and eat as a family most of the time.

FITNESS THIS WEEK:

*HIIT workout video via Fitnessblender on YouTube. Guys, I can’t recommend this YouTube channel enough. They have tons of free videos and they are SO good. They are challenging, and range in level and time. I am sore days later haha!

*Barre workout video

*Elliptical

*Upper body lift at the gym (my mom babysat so I could sneak out)

*Today, I plan on going out for a run because my husband is staying home until baby K’s dr. appointment

That’s all for now! Have a great weekend, all!

With love,

Carly