Lindsay Ingalls

Back To School Lunches: Leftover Teriyaki Tempeh

September 13, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

In The Box:

Leftover Pineapple Teriyaki Tofu
Trail Mix
Bite sized veggies
Apple

Featuring: Laptop Lunches Bento

Pineapple Teriyaki Tempeh

September 12, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

This quick and easy Asian inspired dish is bound to make you never want to order Chinese take-out again! Healthy, quick and easy you’ll love this dish!
Serves 2

Sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari or shoyu
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon sriracha, add as much or as little based on your heat preference (can substitute chili flakes; start with 1/4t-1t)
1 tablespoon agave or honey

Whisk everything together.

1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1-8oz package of tempeh, diced

Heat the 3.5 quart saute pan over medium. Add 1/4 cup water, bell pepper, onion and garlic; cover and cook 5 minutes.
Stir in the tempeh and the sauce.
Cover and cook until steam just begins to escape from the lid (about 3-5 minutes).
Spin the lid to engage the vapor seal and immediately reduce to low and cook for 10 minutes. Serve with steamed veggies and your favorite grain.

Refueling During Busy Days

September 11, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

I thought I was busy before I had a baby but although I stopped working at my part time office job to become a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom I am still busier than ever. My days require constant refueling to get me through my days because being a mom is a 24-7 job that I absolutely love but I am thankful that I have an amazing partner to help me out because when he is on dad duty I can get work done, make us meals and shower.

To help keep me energized throughout the day I try and get up early and make a nice big bowl of oatmeal and enjoy a mug of tea or coffee and a large glass of water. I have found that having a nutritious and filling breakfast really helps me start the day right.

After completing our early morning routine I like to try and either get out for a walk with Edie or do baby yoga with her and if I’m lucky and she decides to nap I like to get in a more intense at home workout. A good workout gives me an energy boost to help me make it through the late morning and afternoon.

My last refuel of the day is making time for me in the evening. I love my husband and my daughter but I just need a few minutes of peace and quiet at night that is just for me. When Neil gets home I hand over parenting duties to him and I jump in the shower to relax, refresh and of course clean up! This then helps me make it through the remainder of the evening.

Each beverage is a sparkling, delicious boost of natural energy from Green Coffee Extract you can enjoy anytime. With real fruit juice, B vitamins, ginseng, antioxidants from vitamin C and only 60 calories per can, it’s a pick-me-up you can feel good about.

This is a sponsored post, produced in collaboration with Bliss and Starbucks. I received a Starbucks Refreshers sample to review. The opinions shared in this post are my own.

Edith’s Two Month Update

September 10, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

Today over on Naturally Family you will find Edith’s Two Month Update– Enjoy!

My Foreign Postpartum Body

September 10, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls 3 Comments

When you become pregnant, you know that over the course of 40 or so weeks you will be growing a beautiful baby inside of you and therefore your body will be making the necessary changes to do so. This, of course, means growing a baby belly. The first few months are strange, when you can’t really tell the difference between a baby belly and looking like you just finished Thanksgiving dinner. This can be challenging, especially if you haven’t told the world you are expecting yet.

18 Weeks

But then it happens. You go from looking bloated to having a bump that slowly continues to grow and grow. Although every woman’s shape and bump size is different, it is inevitable that it will grow and this is something that you eventually wrap your head around and many woman grow to really enjoy. It helps that inside that growing belly is a developing baby that you can feel moving inside of you and then the extra weight and growing belly all seem worth it.

39 Weeks 3 Days (the day I went into labor)

Then, just when you have come to love/like/get used to your new pregnant body it happens, you give birth and all of a sudden you aren’t pregnant anymore. For me, this was a startling experience. I went from spending each day enjoying my bump and feeling my baby move around inside of me to suddenly having my baby on the outside. I really wasn’t prepared for how this would make me feel, frankly I didn’t even think about how I would react but I surely didn’t think I would feel like a guest in my own body.

I still had the belly and the strangest part no baby moving around inside. It felt incredibly weird. It is a huge adjustment to make and all of a sudden this body that I felt so connected to during my entire pregnancy felt incredibly foreign.

As I said above, even though when I was pregnant I didn’t know how my pregnant body would look, I knew that my body would be changing and growing just like every other pregnant woman. As for my postpartum body I had no idea what it would look like, how quickly I would recover (I have another post regarding this) and how I would feel about it. Over the past two months it has really been a challenging journey to reconnect and feel comfortable with my new body; a journey that I am still on.

7 Weeks Postpartum

I am slowly beginning to learn to like my postpartum body. A body that was strong enough to birth my beautiful baby.

Q: Have you ever had to deal with a sudden change in your body?
New moms: How did you adjust to your postpartum body?

Working Out At Home: Fitness Videos on Gaiam TV

September 8, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

*This post was sponsored by Gaiam TV. All opinions are my own.

Since becoming a stay-at-home-mom I have been trying to find creative ways to get my workouts in since I no longer have time to head out to the gym. Luckily the weather is still beautiful here and I am able to get out for walks and runs however in the past week or so Edith has decided she hates her car seat which means walks in the stroller are hard to come by these days so I have been turning to workouts I can do at home with her in her bouncy chair, swing or just on a blanket next to me.

Lately I have been using Gaiam TV, which is like Netflix for health, wellness, yoga and fitness lover, on the Roku. I have found a number of yoga, Pilates and cardio workouts by some of my favorite instructors including Rodney Yee, Seane Corn, Jillian Michaels, Mari Winsor, Kathryn Budig and Shiva Rea. My favorites right now are Rodney Yee’s Conditioning For Athletes which has a mini workout for runners that is perfect for before and after runs and Shiva Rea’s Mama & Baby Yoga which Edie absolutely loves.

Edie & I doing some Mama & Baby Yoga with Shiva Rea via GaiamTV

One of the best things I love is that I can use Gaiam TV on my computer and smartphone so when I travel I have instant access to my favorite workout videos. Since many of my favorite DVD workouts are on Gaiam TV I now no longer have to remember to bring them with me instead I can just view them on my computer or iPhone.

Another feature I really like about Gaiam TV is that I am able customize workouts for weight loss, total body sculpting or increased energy. I am also able to search for workouts based on level, style, instructor and amount of available time. I recently went through and added a number of postpartum videos to my playlist as well as my favorite yoga, pilates and Jillian Michael’s fitness videos. I also love when searching that I can see how other users have rated the video, it makes choosing which new ones to try much easier, plus I can rate them as well.

As much as I love getting out to the gym or to a yoga class I love having the option of working out at home when I can fit it in. As a new mom that is the theme of my days, fitting things in around the Edie’s schedule. Having the option to fit in a quick 15 minute fitness video or even 30 minutes (wishful thinking) is great; all I have to do is change into some workout clothes (who am I kidding I live in yoga pants) and pick a workout out on from my playlist and I’m good to go!

Gaiam TV’s $9.95 per month subscription fee allows subscribers to stream unlimited content. The subscription to Gaiam TV is no strings attached; there is no commitment, and members can cancel at anytime. Gaiam TV is offering a free 10-day trial plus the first 25 people that sign up for Gaiam TV will get a free yoga mat with their subscription! Sign up here today!