Rain Is A Good Thing

Every time it rains I think of the Luke Bryan song, "Rain Is A Good Thing".

It's been raining on and off all day which has been kind of nice since its been in the 90's and hot all week. But I am not complaining because it's a million times better than the snow!


Anyway, we decided to go out in the rain and explore close to home today with the dogs since we have a neighborhood chili cook off to attend tonight. Anthony and I like to spend as much time as we can with the dogs during the weekend since they spend a lot of time during the week inside. We ended up going out to an empty field nearby where there were lots of trails we could walk on while the pups ran wild and free. Since they love water and freedom, they were in heaven! I took advantage of this opportunity to play around with my camera (Anthony wanted to play with it too, hence some of the pics below..) but since it was raining and I didn't have a lot of protection for my camera, I didn't get too many photos. Oh well! Still a good time practicing on my favorite furry subjects!

Mix it, Leave it, Eat it!

Well, I feel like I post a lot about food...but let's be honest, who doesn't love food?! I'm back with a delicious, easy, husband approved breakfast for you. I have seen the "overnight oatmeal" floating around for awhile but hadn't gotten around to trying it so when I was at Target last weekend I bought a dozen mason jars and decided this oatmeal concoction was going to be a thing at our house!


and man, am I glad it's become a thing.


So here's how it works:

1/2 cup of oatmeal
1/2 cup (sometimes a little more) of milk (we use almond over here since we have some lactose intolerance in the house)
1-3 spoonfuls of greek yogurt (only in mine-see above)
1 tablespoon of honey
and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds

Then you mix it all together in a bowl, mason jar, cup, WHATEVER you want and stick it in the fridge so it sits overnight.


Yup, it's that easy.



Oh, and in the morning you throw some fresh fruit or whatever toppings you would like on top and take it to go or eat it right then and there! I really need to try peanut butter/banana and cinnamon/apple next.....

Seriously, you can do anything with these. It's awesome.

(this morning I did strawberries and mango, yesterday was strawberries and blueberries...)

BONUS! Anyone who hates slimy chia seeds like me, don't fret! You can't even tell they are slimy or even in there for that matter! #win

Like always, tell me how you like them if you decide to give it a shot or what you like in them if you are already on the overnight oatmeal bandwagon!

Sunday Photos

So, most people who really know me and have known me for awhile, know that I love taking pictures. I was that annoying girl who ALWAYS had her camera and took pictures of every single event. Seriously, I had to go through and hide so many albums on Facebook because it was a little embarrassing!!

Anyway, Anthony has been telling me for ages that I should really get into photography and have fun with it. There has been a lot of debate, long conversations, him convincing me, and me being nervous/scared/weird about jumping in. It's kind of intimidating and a little scary putting yourself out there for others to see.

But! I've decided to do it, have fun, and see where this goes. I started a second Instagram (@paige.alise) so I could have a place to post photos and not bombard those who follow my personal account. So if you are interested in what I have to post, please go and check it out! 

Now to the good stuff (pictures obviously)

We had Harper and Blair over tonight for dinner and I got to do a little impromptu photo shoot with them as the sun was going down....and can I just say, 1) these two are such babes and SO photogenic and 2) these sunset photos gave me all kinds of heart eyes!! Ha! But really, I'm so grateful these two put up with me and walked through dirt and pokey bushes so I could snap some photos! 

 

 
 
 

When you need a little extra fiber....

Try these.

This recipe has become one of my favorites. I found it while searching for easy and healthy meals I could make during the week because one of the biggest struggles for me while working full time has been finding time to fit everything in, including meals that we could take for lunch or eat for dinner. But not just any meals. They had to be easy and healthy...which I always thought was a non existent combination. Well, turns out it's not impossible and there are some really good options out there!

When I first went to make this particular recipe I was a little skeptical....but I gave it a try and it obviously tasted great or else I wouldn't be sharing it here! The actual recipe is vegetarian but you can add chicken and its still just as tasty!! We have had it both ways and love it either way. (Although, I do think Anthony prefers the chicken version because he's a man and has to have his meat...)

I highly recommend these to everyone and I will be surprised if you try them and don't like them. That's how good they are....and bonus: I am usually good to go after eating three because they are filling (and good for you!!) so there are always leftovers.

Oh and before I forget, DON'T FORGET TO MAKE THE SAUCE TOO!!! It's a greek yogurt/avocado/lime dream combo. Seriously. It is so good. 

Please go try these and tell me what you think.....I need to know if you guys get as obsessed as I am...

Photo from I Heart Naptime

Mango Tango

I don't know about you, but I LOVE mangos. I'm pretty sure I've loved them for a very long time and I'm not really sure how anyone could NOT love them. But hey, whatever floats your boat.

I actually can't look at mangos or eat one anymore without thinking about a particular story and since I hate when people bring stuff up and then don't share, I'll share the story with you ;) cuz I'm nice like that.

Ok- so my family was in Cabo one summer, and I think we were driving home from probably the most depressing zoo of my life, when we saw a guy with big paper bags FULL of mangos for sale. My dad asked if anyone wanted to stop and buy some and of course my little mango loving self in the back seat shouted "YES!!" (Note: I'm not the only one who loves mangos, I'm pretty sure it's genetic and everyone in my family got the dominant mango loving gene) So we took a massive bag (of already RIPE mangos) back to our hotel and immediately started devouring them. I don't think my little heart could have been happier! Now, let's fast forward two days...surprise, surprise, we were all sick from eating so many mangos. And I mean sick...think 3 grams of fiber per mango..... it was a rough day or two after that binge and we still had at least half of the mangos left!!! That's how big that dang bag was. It literally felt like a never ending supply of mangos. Which would have made me happy, if I  hadn't just missed a day of swimming to sit on the toilet.... I believe we ended up giving or throwing away the remaining fruit since no one could handle any more mangos after that. Hahaha.

After that trip I was afraid the whole experience was going to make me never want to touch a mango again. But, surprisingly, I still loved them. I just learned to pace myself ;)


So now you all know what I think about when I eat or see mangos and hopefully you think about something a little more pleasant. I can laugh about the story now, but man, I'm not sure my body has ever hated me more than during that mango cleanse!!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

Ok, so I used to be the worlds pickiest eater. Don't believe me, just as my poor mother. I still am a bit picky but mostly when it comes to the texture of food. I can't do slimy. Unless I want to throw up, which I don't. Ever.

I feel like all of my siblings are pretty adventurous when it comes to food, and I am still over here figuring that out. Oh well, some of us take longer, right? ;)


Anyway, we went to Costco yesterday and decided to buy some chia seeds (along with the rest of our groceries obviously) so we could give them another chance. **Disclaimer: The only experience I have ever had with chia seeds was one of those Mama Chia (or whatever they are called) drinks and lets just say, it was slimy.... SO I was a little nervous today when I pulled them out to see how I could incorporate them into one of my meals/snacks. Long story short, I figured it out and do not regret my decision to buy them at all. Especially after reading about all the benefits of eating those little seeds! Lets just say, they are small, but are PACKED with goodness. A quick google search can give you all the information you've ever wanted about chia seeds.


I know you are all dying to know how I ate them, right? So here ya go:

1-1 1/2 cups of greek yogurt (plain is best- less sugar and easier to add any flavor too!)
A handful (or more!) of blueberries
1- 1 1/12 tablespoons of chia seeds
Honey to drizzle on top


I feel stupid for typing this out, but honestly, I am the kind of person that likes to see exactly how much of each ingredient I need to put in or else I end up messing it up. (I can't do the whole "I just threw this, this, and a little of that all together and Ta-Da!") So there you go, its a fast, easy, healthy snack with a nice portion of protein (22 g!), antioxidants, and fiber!!

***I know I am probably late to the game on this little snack and most of you already know how to eat chia seeds, but this was so good (and I was pleasantly surprised) I had to share anyway!!***

Patience

I usually hate sharing quotes because I think they are cheesy 99% of the time instead of inspiring...but I saw this one and I have to share because its short and simple (and I like short and simple)!

This pretty sums up my thought process every single day. I have really committed to losing weight and getting in shape and it can be really hard sometimes when you don't see results as quickly as you wish you would.... I have a bad habit of getting frustrated after one week of working out and eating clean because I feel like it's been a month already and there is nothing to show for it. I have to remind myself that A) it has been ONE WEEK, and B) it takes a lot more TIME and PATIENCE. So I kind of love this picture and I think I will make it my screensaver on my phone so I can be constantly be reminded to chill out and have patience. 

So there is my random little motivational post for this lovely Tuesday evening.

Now off to work on that patience while I run on the treadmill....