Mom Swaddles All

September 10, 2014

Chocolate Coconut Protein Pancakes

Need a protein boost that's not boring as a protein shake? Try these out. I totally defiled mine by putting butter on them. These are pretty dense, but can be lightened up by subbing almond meal, or flour if desired. These babies have 20 grams of protein, 40 if you eat the whole batch. Again, it's is a very dense meal, so be careful with the coconut flour/protein powder ratios.

On to the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup of water/choice of milk
2 tablespoons coconut flakes
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I used Optimum Nutrition)
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Heat griddle, or pan on medium low, about 200 degrees. These take a little bit to cook, so just be patient.
Mix all ingredients for pancakes
Pour onto pan, wait until firm, then flip to cook other side

Top with your favorite toppings!

September 7, 2014

Social Media Mixer #15

Welcome to the 15th week of the Social Media Mixer!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Week 14 - we had 120 blogs and numerous social media link-ups!

In the nature of mixing things up here at the Social Media Mixer, we will now be selecting our favorite posts each week - those posts will be featured and the social media links for that blogger will also be featured! So make sure to share as many posts as you'd like to be featured!!! One blogger will be chosen for 2 weeks of free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures!

The Social Media Mixer is all about networking and making connections. Also, you can gain exposure and increase your social media following! Link up your social media accounts and mix it up with some of the other linkers. Each week, the Weekday Mixer will start on Saturday nights at 8:00pm and go on until Thursday night at 11:59pm. One linker will be chosen each week each of the hosts and guest hosts and featured in the following week’s link-up! If chosen, a brief summary about yourself and your blog/website and all of your social media accounts will be featured. It’s a great way to stand out among the crowd!

Welcome your hosts!

And welcome your guest hosts for September!

And here are the Featured bloggers from last week's Social Media Mixer...

Tiffany chose...

Things Women With Tattoos Know All Too Well.... from Sincerely Alaska

If you're like me, then you have a special place in your heart for the art that is tattoos. It took me about a year to convince my parents to let me get one for my 18th birthday but once they agreed I was on a mini-roadtrip with one of my best friends. It was a scary moment for me to have my first one done...especially since I started off with a big calf piece.

Mila chose...

Learning to Love my Post Baby Body from Life with Peanut

From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I was worried about how I would look. Don't get me wrong, I was so excited about becoming a mom, but I was two months into a weight loss journey that was finally bringing me happiness.

Jillian and Lori chose...

sixteen Pantry organizational ideas from A Fresh Start on a Budget

Unfortunately we have a small kitchen and not much of a pantry area. Only one large cupboard. That doesn’t keep me from wanting it to be organized and planning for the day of a bigger kitchen with an amazing pantry. These are 16 amazing pantries that will give you some ideas for your own pantry no matter the size.

Angel chose...

A Frozen Birthday Morning Surprise from The Organized Dream

If you read my Tour Through Blogland post, then you know that I wanted to create a Frozen themed winter birthday breakfast for my daughter. It is the first year her birthday falls on a school day and I wanted her to feel super special from the moment she woke up. I went with the Frozen theme because she has loved the movie since she had seen it in theaters. I thought it would be a great theme since it was a sweltering 90 degrees that day! Warm hugs are fine, but a Winter's touch was better at this point!

Holly chose...

How to Create a Photo Travel Map from My Big Fat Happy Life

I have several items on my bucket list. One that I decided on after S was born was to take her to visit all 50 states before she graduates from high school. That does not mean driving through a state. It means actually exploring the state…visiting museums, state parks, tourist attractions, etc. I believe that exposing S to different experiences, activities and travel is very important.

Shana and Silvie chose...

Letter of the Week A-Z Series: A is for Apple (Click & Chat Social Media Link Up) from A Little Pinch of Perfect

WELCOME WELCOME!!! Thanks so much for joining us I am so excited to get school started and share our first post in the Perfect Tot School & Preschool A-Z series.

Avie chose...

Skinny Banana Oatmeal Smoothie from Natural Chow

On Monday, Mother Nature decided to be all like “Hey, I know it was 100 degrees yesterday, but I think I’ll make it 53 degrees this morning.” Of course, I went outside Monday morning wearing shorts and a T-shirt thinking I was going to be sweating like crazy, but in reality, I had to go back inside and throw on a big ‘ol sweater just to keep my tiny little arms warm. Yep.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google+

Jillian chose...

Sous Chef Sunday: Fast & Easy Refrigerator Pickles from 4 Sons 'R' Us

The sons have a love hate relationship with pickles. They either love them, or hate them. They’re firmly, and equally, entrenched on their sides with two for and two against. The hubs and I bolster each side with him against their salty, briny taste and me all for it! I’ve always got a family size jar in the fridge just for when one of us needs a pickled fix. Then I got a deal this summer from our local farmers market that resulted in us getting several pounds of free cucumbers. I couldn’t let those beauties go to waste, but wasn’t looking for anything in-depth that involved pectin and canning.

Blog | Facebook | Bloglovin | Twitter

Natasha chose...

the gift of family time from Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy

I mentioned yesterday that this year I asked Mr. B for a different kind of birthday present. I requested that he take a day off work (while I'm off work, of course) and that we spend the day together as a family.

Blog | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Bloglovin

And the winner is...

Learning to Love my Post Baby Body from Life with Peanut

Congratulations!! You have won 2 weeks of free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures! Please e-mail Natasha at 1EpicMommy@gmail.com for more information on your free ad space.

Stop by and follow our featured bloggers! We're sure you'll love them as much as we do!

If you were featured above, feel free to share the badge below with pride on your blog or website!

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Are you ready to start mixing it up?? Then, let's go!

Make sure to add the button below to your sidebar to invite even more people to join the fun!

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An InLinkz Link-up

August 29, 2014

Third-Trimester Countdown- Week 32

So, I've gained about 14 lbs since I first started out. Way better than the last time around.
Although it feels like cravings are at an all time high, and sleep is at an all time low.
I woke up at 4:30 to change my 14 month old's diaper, and couldn't fall back asleep. I tossed and turned for about an hour until finally I decided I just can't lay here. It was actually nice to be up at 6 am. The sun was peaking through our blinds, and everything seemed so calm. A sudden craving for a Panera bagel with some yummy hazelnut coffee hit me, and I was a one-track mind.

Bagel. Coffee. Bagel. Coffee. Baaaagel... you get what I mean. Rightttt?

Oh, how I miss New York bagels. People in California don't share the love of bagels as those in New York do, and there aren't that many bagels places anywhere. Anyway, I woke up my husband, and told him I'm getting a bagel. He nodded, and fell back asleep. I actually ended up driving to get that said bagel and coffee at 6:30. It was awesome!

It was like the world was waiting for me. Roads were clear. Weather was perfect. My breakfast was delicious. Pure morning bliss

I feel a little more energetic, but not enough to start working out. I stopped that completely because I was getting pelvic pressure after doing squats and lunges. It's not about motivation, I really want to work out to stay healthy but I find it hard to muster up the energy needed to do so. Hopefully it get's better

Its interesting that this pregnancy has been more painful, and tiresome. My OB was telling me this is normal the 2nd time around. The tiresome is from chasing around little miss. The funnest part of everyday. So... mostly I feel like this all day:

August 19, 2014

Today I Cried Watching Frozen

Granted I'm in my third trimester, but really? Frozen?

It makes me laugh because the movie is not supposed to be sad or stressful by any means. It was within the first 5 minutes of the movie too.

Why couldn't Elsa come play with Anna?
I imagined a little girl knocking on her sister's door. Feeling her sadness of being alone, and afraid, I began to cry. I wanted to scoop up little Anna, and go build a snowman with her. That's all she wanted to do... was just build a snowman. Is that so hard?

Elsa could have just used those gloves, and built a normal snowman sans magic. Ugh, poor Anna

I wanted to grieve with semi-teen Anna when her parents passed, and give her comfort when she needed somebody to go to.

"No one should have go through this!" I managed to choke out as my tears became more hysterical. Why is she alone? She needs support!"

I kid you not, this happened. I finally stopped crying when Anna met her fake prince charming. Silly right? I kind of felt embarrassed for myself afterward. It was just my 13 month old and I, but still I just couldn't understand what was getting me so worked up about this movie. Even my kid seemed alarmed, she stopped watching the movie and climbed up on the sofa to rest her head in my lap.

Lately, I've noticed this happening a lot. I cry at commercials, songs, movies, anything! I can't remember if I was this emotional with my last pregnancy. It's like I have no recollection of it. Weird, how I could forget. Some parts are still vivid, but most of the negative stuff.. morning sickness, pelvic pain, round ligament pain memory is all gone. It's like my brain just wants to associate everything good with my wittle bug. Maybe that's the magic that keeps baby fever going!

Anyway, I can chalk it up to hormones, I think. Maybe it's some sort of repressed psychological things from my childhood? or could be both!

Either way, I felt better afterwards. A sense of relief washed over me as I realized Princess Anna, and Else resolve their differences in the end. All is well in the world.

Above image from: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/364510163562749298/

August 16, 2014

Simple Cheese Burgers

Everyone in our home loves cheeseburgers! We eat them once or twice a week. Instead of going out to enjoy them, we've been cutting calories, and making them at home. This recipe is super simple, and so easy to make. You can use ground turkey to cut down the fat even more! I just like the taste of beef in these, makes it that much heartier! Are these the healthiest on the planet? Hmmm probably not. But, they're wayyy better than what we used to eat, We would do take out instead of making them at home. You can get gluten-free buns, or even quinoa buns. The options are endless!

Ok, so on the recipe:

Ingredients:

1lb of extra lean ground beef

4 hamburger buns

4 slices of cheese- we used cheddar

1 tablespoon butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings of choice: Lettuce, tomatoes, onion

Directions:

Heat a medium to large fry pan. Form the ground beef into patties, place onto pan. Sprinkle side with salt and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip the pattie, and again sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook until desired doneness

Use another pan to warm the burger buns. Butter both sides of each bun, place down on fry ban until butter is melted into the bun, and slightly brown.

See? so easy and simple

ENJOY!

August 8, 2014

Green with Digital Envy

Focus on Self-improvement

Katie got into law school? Susie is taking another vacation to the Bahamas? Jeremy graduated from Pharm School? Jack got a new car?

Oh my!

And then I think to myself- What have I done recently? Everyone seems to be doing better than me.

{Cue violins, dark stormy clouds, etc }

I can't tell you how many times I have felt like this after going through all my social media accounts. I start thinking about how I'm behind in life, or how I'm not going places. I start complaining to my husband that we need to take more trips, or should have delayed having children so I could have applied to law school. Usually, he gives me a look of disdain. But, when I continue to persist, he gives me insight to things that I didn't even think of like:

Katie may have gotten into law school, but doesn't have the money to pay for it and will have to get loans and be indebted before her career even starts

Susie may have not vacationed that much earlier as a child, and has the means to do it now

Jeremy graduated from pharmacy school but may not be able to find a job immediately

Jack may have been saving to buy his new car for years

We don't really know the back stories, or what the future may entail for any scenario we think we may know. He tells me to focus on myself. Focus on self-improvement.

This conversation always makes me feel better, and every time we've had it I've learned to shift my thought pattern a different way. I've been doing that the last few times I get this way. If I think differently from the onset, I feel better at the end of my social media session. I haven't become a sage or anything but...

Here is what I've realized-

Every person is on their own path. Their unique journey. Look inside yourself, and find ways to make changes to get where you want rather than feeling jealous or upset.

Now, if I could only get myself to follow my own advice... more often that is

There was an article published in the Wall Street Journal that mentioned that if you have such feeling of envy or want, it's better to put it to good use than getting worked up about it. It suggests to use the feelings of wanting more to good use. Instead of focusing what you could have done- turn it around to focus on you will do in the future to get your life the way you want it. Let others fuel your desire to work harder, and succeed at what you wish to do.

It's so easy to be swept into the lure of social media. It's an excellent way to keep in touch with friends, family, and co-workers but can be detrimental to overall health- BUT, only if you let it.

It is a slow process, but putting all this into perspective has helped put me be at ease with where I am in life at this very moment.

I need to let myself be my guide, and be my own benchmark for success, not someone else. I understand this can't happen in a day, But I know I can work toward it.

Have you ever felt this way? Have you overcome it?