I don't know about you, but over the holidays I definitely indulged. Overindulged actually. All the delicious home cooking and baked goods...I couldn't get enough! While it was worth it in the moment, it left me feeling sluggish and totally negated the workouts I was doing. So now that the holiday parties and get togethers have simmered down, I realized I was in need of a bit of a detox. I needed to incorporate more fruits & veggies (AKA clean food) into my diet. And when the folks at Read More
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Protein Muffins
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #StartWithJifPowder #CollectiveBias When it comes to breakfast, I am a sucker for baked goods. Donuts, waffles, cinnamon rolls, pastries- you name it. They are undoubtedly tasty, but don’t really provide any nutritional value. Total bummer. That said, I went on a quest to find a better alternative where I can still indulge without giving up my beloved baked goodness, and I found a Read More
Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Granola
I recently whipped up a batch of pumpkin spice chocolate granola. Sweet, spiced with fall flavors and super delicious! Perfect mixed in with yogurt for breakfast, or on its own for a snack. YUM! I picked up the chalkboard top jars from Target in their dollar section and gave these as gifts to neighbors, friends and family. The recipe fills 3 small jars and 2 regular mason jars, FYI. Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Granola (recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats) makes 4-1/2 Read More
Weight Watchers Check In + Tips
Necklace: Kate Spade [exact] Vest: J. Crew Factory [option, option, option] Dress: Old Navy, out of stock [option, option] Sandals: Tommy Hilfiger via TJ Maxx [exact] Well, it’s been about another month since my last Weight Watchers check in so figured it was time for another update (not trying to be vain, just want to hold myself accountable here.) As of now, after 10 weeks on WW, I am down 17.8 pounds- YES! I am officially back at my pre-pregnancy weight, although I would like to Read More
Sweet Swaps: Roasted Red Pepper Cheese Spread
I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for the SPLENDA® Brand. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. All opinions and reviews are my own. This past weekend, Bryce was baptized. It was a truly wonderful day! After church, we invited our family over for a big celebration. We had quite the large crowd, and were busy cleaning and prepping food in the days leading up to the party Read More
Frozen Old Fashioned Oatmeal Recipe
Fellow Chicago blogger and momma-to-be Katie posted a link to a recipe lately about how to make frozen oatmeal, and I knew I had to try because 1- oatmeal (particularly old fashioned oats) are excellent for breastfeeding mamas and 2- I don't have time to make myself breakfast most days with Bryce (let along 40 minutes for oats), so something that is quick & easy is key. So I tried out the recipe and tweaked it a little bit to add a bit more protein and flavor. The result? Awesome-ness. Read More
Get Fired Up Grilling!
This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media® Smithfield® and Farmland®, but all my opinions are my own. #weavemade #GetUpandGrill #GetFiredUpGrilling http://my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH It’s almost summertime, and that means it’s time to get outside and fire up the grill! For the first time in a couple weeks, T and I took a break from the freezer meals I had prepped and we threw some ribs on the grill for a fun dinner for us to enjoy. I shopped at Read More
Insta-lately (February- Part 1)
Happy Monday friends! No outfit post today, but wanted to share some of the recent action that has been happening on Instagram (because you know if you don't put it up there, it doesn't happen...clearly.) Don't follow me? Please do! @stylefilesvalerie Annnd...if you follow me, you've automatically got one entry into a $400 Target gift card giveaway! Make it official and get a bunch more entries here. A couple weekends ago, T and I decided to paint our kitchen (nesting much?!) When Read More
