Date Night // Bowlen Wedding

Since Baby Logan graced us with her presence almost 4 weeks ago Troy and I have been so blessed to have been able to share these first few weeks at home together with the baby. Most men have very limited time off when the baby arrives and having Troy here every day to learn what to do with this little angel of ours has been amazing. Although we’ve spent every waking moment together the last few weeks, it has been all about Logan. And rightfully so, but we both strongly believe that it is SO important to maintain a healthy relationship between the two of us which calls for a date night. Before Logan was born we agreed to set aside at least 1 date night per month, if we can squeeze in a couple more, great! But at least 1 night a month. 

Our first date night came rather quickly, she still seems sooo tiny to be leaving her, but it was much needed. Last night we attended the wedding of our good friends Erin and Ben Bowlen. My older sister Jenny and my niece Ella were beyond willing to spend the evening with Logan while Troy and I went out and celebrated with our friends. I was not at all nervous leaving my little one with my sister, which made for an amazing evening with my guy. 

Erin looked absolutely stunning and Ben looked so sharp. =] Congrats my beautiful love birds! 

My bestie Chelsey and the beautiful Mrs. Erin Bowlen!

I’ve heard from so many new parents that they talk about doing a date night all the time but never actually get around to it. The way we’re going to keep ourselves a priority is to buy LivingSocial Deals and Groupon Deals for our favorite restaurants as well as new ones we haven’t tried yet. That way there are no excuses for “not having a place to go”, and the deals all have expiration dates so we’ll be more apt to actually go!

I hope you all are having an amazing weekend! =]

Skinny Snacks // Apple Cinnamon Protein Bars

Ingredients

4 scoops vanilla whey protein powder

1/2 cup almond meal/flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

3 egg whites

1/4 cup Splenda or Stevia

1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 medium apple - grated (large holes)

Directions

Spray an 8-by-8 inch glass dish with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine protein powder, almond meal, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Whisk together and set aside.

In a smaller bowl, combine egg whites, splenda, cottage cheese and vanilla. Whisk until well incorporated and then add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix again.

Fold in grated apple and mix until combined.

Pour batter into the prepared dish and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Makes 16 squares

Beer and Diaper Party//

A couple weeks ago I shared some of the amazingly creative gifts we received from our friends at the Beer and Diaper Party. I didn’t really get into how helpful this party was and really how simple it was. I really wanted Troy to feel included in all this baby excitement so we thought a fun “baby shower” where Troy could invite his friends and celebrate would be perfect.

Check out how stocked we are for diapers! Most places are really easy to exchange diapers for a different size if you got a million packs of size 2 diapers so not to worry about wasting any!  

If you haven’t decided already to host a Beer and Diaper Party – I would highly suggest considering it! It’s a much more laid back get together with you and your hubbies close friends and a great way to get a good diaper stockpile going.

Here are the invitations we sent out! =]

Baby Logan is Here!

Little Logan Jean made it into the world last week at 8lbs 11oz! =D I've been off the map for a couple weeks and I'm excited to get back to blogging! =]

She looks gigantic in these first photos! Hahah

 Proud new daddy.

My little brother Cole and holding his new niece! 

Presley snuggling up to Logan. =D

Courtney Sargent did Logan's newborn photos! This is the teaser we got on Wednesday, I cannot wait to see the rest! 

September Giveaway Winner // E.l.f. Cosmetics

Hi Gorgeous!

The September Giveaway wrapped up last night and I was thrilled to see all of your entries! =] I appreciate everyone’s participation and support – I’d love to hear what type of products you’d like to see on next month’s giveaway!!

I’m so excited to announce that the lovely Miss Stacy D. is the E.l.f. September Giveaway WINNER! =D Stacy mentioned that she has never used E.l.f. products before so I’m anxious to see how she likes them!

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this month’s giveaway. Make sure and check in for October’s Giveaway! =D

Have a great weekend lovies!

Quinoa Pizza Bites

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 large eggs

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup fat free shredded mozzarella

1 tsp minced garlic

1 Tbs dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

pinch of salt

pizza sauce for dipping

Directions:

1. Cook your quinoa! Boil the quinoa and 2 cups of waterand cover. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes (until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender).

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all of your ingredients (except the pizza sauce) in a mixing bowl until it is well mixed.

3. Lightly spray the bottom of a mini-muffin tin with olive oil spray. Using a Tablespoon, scoop - 1Tbs into each muffin tin.

4. Bake them for 15-20 and let cool. 

5. Serve them warm with pizza sauce to dip in!

Logan’s Nursery // Sneak Peak

I’m so excited to give you a small peak at Logan’s Nursery. I can’t believe we’re 9 days away from seeing our little munchkin and I STILL HAVE THINGS TO DO! That’s sooo unlike me! Ahhh.  I WILL finish it this weekend if Little Lo doesn’t show up before then. =]

So I wanted to share these adorable nursery prints with you! I didn’t stick to a theme for the nursery  and it looked very sophisticated but I thought it needed a “little friend” touch – I think these prints are just right! =]

 Many of these prints can be found on Pinterest or Etsy however, I’ve slightly tweaked these myself and saved a buck! 

I printed them out at home, put some thick scrap book paper behind for matting and put them in some dollar store frames.

Skinny Snacks // Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Protein Bake

Ingredients 

Old Fashioned Rolled Oats 2 cups

Vanilla Protein Powder 4 scoops

Ground Flaxseed (Optional) 2 tbsp

Baking Powder 1 tsp

Salt 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon 1 tbsp

Stevia in the Raw 1/2 cup

Egg Whites 4

Unsweetened Almond Milk 1 1/2 cups

Plain Greek Yogurt1/4 cup

Unsweetened Applesauce 4oz

Bananas 2

Strawberries 4 large

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl mix together dry ingredients.

In another medium bowl mix together wet ingredients except fruit.

Spray an 8" or 8.5" round or square baking pan with non-stick spray.

Line the bottom of the round baking pan with one of the thinly-sliced bananas.

Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients - make sure it is distributed evenly.

Pour mixture on top the layer of sliced bananas.

Cover with remaining sliced banana and sliced strawberries.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until top is golden brown, or inserted knife comes out clean.

4-Week Shape Up Plan // Week 2

Congrats on making it to week 2! You should be proud of yourself, you've made it this far. Have you written down your goals lately!? Definitely write them down if you haven't already - make a goal board or a motivation board somewhat like this one here to keep you on track and motivated. I'm in the middle of making mine as we speak and I'll be sure to put it up as soon as I finish!

Put your motivation board in a high-traffic area so that you'll walk by it and see it numerous times throughout the day. Statistics have shown that people who write down their goals and make them visible are more likely to accomplish them. =]

Week 2

Make sure you're adequately stretching and warming up before completing your exercises - you don't want to injure yourself by working with cold muscles.

Day 1
No Equipment Arm Work Out
30 minutes of cardio - jogging, swimming, cycling - get your heart pumping!

Day 2
Butt, Legs and Thighs Work Out

Day 3
Full Body, No Equipment Workout
8 Minutes to 6-Pack Abs - this one is absolutely killer but you'll love the pay off


Day 4
No Equipment CrossFit Workout

Day 5
Intense 50

Day 6
HIIT 100 - I'm pretty sure you will hate me after this workout. It gets me every.time.


Day 7
Rest - you're going to need it after that last HIIT 100 workout


Week 1 Shape Up Plan

Intense 50 // No Equipment Full Body

Ready for another killer workout? Lucky for you this one you only complete once so give it all your effort!

50 air squats

50 burpees

50 reverse lunges

50 russian twists

50 butterfly situps

50 stairs

50 tuck jumps

50 lunges

You're up! What is your number 1 "problem area" that you can't seem to tame?

No Equipment Arm Work Out //

Budgets are tight for many people these days and gym memberships are one of the first things to go when money is tight. I personally love no equipment workouts once in a while because frankly, sometimes, I. Don't. Want. To. Be. At. The. Gym. =] hahah especially when it's crowded. Are you ready to give this arm workout a whirl? =]

25 chair squats

25 pushups

15 tricep dips with leg extension

25 burpees

3 rounds

You're up! What are your favorite at-home workouts to do?

e.l.f. giveaway // September

Hi pretties! Last week I raved about my  experience with E.l.f. makeup and since then I’ve added many more E.l.f. items to my makeup collection. Honestly, I feel like their products are an insane bang for your buck. Can you tell I’m completely impressed? Haha.

Anyways! I’m SO excited to be having my first giveaway with E.l.f.’s 4-Piece Shimmer Gloss Collection AND E.l.f.’s Smokey Eyeshadow Collection!

The raffle is active NOW and ends on Friday, September 20^th at 12AM

TO ENTER:

It’s really simple! All you have to do is 

1. Leave a comment on this blog post about your favorite E.l.f. products – if you haven’t used E.l.f. makeup before, share your favorite low-budget beauty products! 

2. Follow my blog via bloglovin

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Maternity Photos // Courtney Sargent Photography

We got our maternity photos back from miss Courtney Sargent. Ah she's seriously amazing at what she does! Below are a few of my favorites - to see the full session visit Courtney's Blog!