Menu Monday | A New Healthy Eating Menu

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // August 22, 2016 // 6 Comments

Back into the usual swing of things for Menu Monday! Now that I’m exercising every day, it’s pretty important to purposefully plan out my meals so I don’t go hog-wild on fruit snacks or something… hence a new focus on healthy eating meals!

Confession – I’ve actually MISSED regularly meal planning. Even though we were loosely using our 2 week menu rotation (it was helpful! But we quickly grew tired of it) I noticed that without the weekly sit and plan session, complete with grocery store list, I was flying by the seat of my pants every week. And that’s not advisable with a newborn…

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’ve signed up for boot camp workout classes and am really enjoying them! I’m almost finished with my second month and I’ve noticed improvements! One of the perks (or annoyances… depends on how you look at it) is that you get a one-on-one meeting with the trainer every 2 weeks to discuss your goals, see where you are in your weight/body fat loss, and then chat about nutrition. Last week was my first meeting. He handed me this lengthy new “shopping list” and asked me to start entering in all my meals in the MyFitnessPal app.

Annoying.

We regularly focus on healthy eating… but it has been SO obnoxious entering in all of my meals into this app. As a result, I’ve decided it would be easier on me to have a few rotating meal options for breakfast and lunch so it’s simple to just quickly add a repeat meal.

For dinners now I’m making sure we have at least one large vegetable serving, but aiming for 2 servings. My husband is content to follow along with the menu changes as long as it’s not a frittata. You should have seen the disappointment on his face when he came home last week to find a tasty but healthy frittata in the oven. HAHA! I felt so guilty I whipped up a Mexican lasagna the next night.

The new healthy eating meal changes have given me a wonderful excuse to whip out my Forest Feast cookbook again. This is the most BEAUTIFUL cookbook you will ever buy. Minimal words and filled with photography and watercolor illustrations. It could be your fancy coffee table book! I saw there is a kids version now!

Anyway, here’s this week’s menu (you’ll notice it NOW features breakfasts and lunches too):

Breakfasts:
Plain Greek Yogurt topped with Honey, Fruit + Granola
Egg Scramble with Spinach + Feta
Breakfast Tacos with Black Beans, Feta + Pico de Gallo

Lunches:
Avocado Toast with Spinach + Tomato
Baked Sweet Potato with various toppings
Salad (whatever I’m feeling!)

Dinners:
Lentil + Butternut Squash Lettuce Wraps
Southwest Brown Rice Power Bowl with Honey Lime Dressing
Thai Red Curry
Avocado Pesto Gnocchi
Taco Salad

Need more info for how I menu plan? Check this out!
Or read up on my favorite meal planning and grocery shopping hacks!

Need more ideas for dinner?
Follow my Pinterest board – it’s where I save all of my dinner ideas!

Follow Katie | Cup of Tea Blog's board Good Eats | Dinner on Pinterest.

Linking up at Menu Monday with Org Junkie

High Five for Friday #84 | Send Shade!

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // August 19, 2016 // 11 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

Today’s featured blogger is Mary from The Bost Family Blog! I love it when people blog about their everyday life, and Mary loves giving her readers a sneak peak into her family’s fun. Not to mention she’s in the middle of tackling the art of tidying up! I love seeing what people discovered brings them joy or no joy. Be sure to swing over and say hello!!

Ah, friends… another Friday… another week of no posts… but I so look forward to spending time with you all on Fridays! I may not get a chance to visit you all and read what you’ve been up to, but when I see your picture on the link up below, I’m sure thinking about you.

1. Anyone else addicted now to the Olympics? Once it leaves, I’ll be lost every night. What have been your favorite events? I loved watching the track and field events, volleyball, table tennis (those serves are awesome/hilarious!), and weight lifting. My husband and I have had fun trying to figure out the rules to the games. It’s been a great series of games!

2. I’m so grateful for wonderful friends. I consider you all friends! We may not have met in person, but love keeping up with you all (can we plan a H54F retreat??).

This week we had several fun friend events. Monday was a Bible study get together at my house. 17 kiddos running around with a few sitters in the play room while us mommas were having some fellowship in the sun room. Delightful! And then we had several play dates with friends. It’s just fun to have friends that also have kiddos. It’s cute sitting back and watching them all play together.

3. Speaking of playing, it’s been a SCORCHER this August! Little rain and just hot hot hot. So I’m less than enthused about heading out and playing outdoors. But Elizabeth needs that play time. So my compromise? It has to be a playground in the shade. HA!

Thank goodness for play areas that are in the woods! #itstoohot #isitfallyet #momlife #outdoorplay

A photo posted by Katie (@ktcupoftea) on Aug 16, 2016 at 10:23am PDT

4. Even though I’m not publishing blog posts, I’m sure planning them! I finally found some time to make a list of the blog post ideas I’ve had floating around along with items needed to do in order to complete them. I’m excited to have another 30 Outfits in 30 Days challenge in the works again!! Hooray!

5. Sweet Sibling Moment! I was trying to cook dinner, but William was feeling unsettled and hungry. So Elizabeth asked to feed him the last bits of his bottle. She was so pleased!

What was your highlight from the week? Can’t wait to hear about it!

I’m also linking up with Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre, 5 on Friday & Diary of a Real Housewife

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High Five for Friday #83 | A Week Full of Sweat

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // August 12, 2016 // 13 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

Today’s featured blogger is Jessie from The Acquired Sass! She’s a blogger from Pittsburgh who loves fitness, food and the everyday. Check out her latest post on budgeting! It’s full of practical tips that can help you feel a little more confident when adulting and doing the whole budget thing. Swing over and say hello!

How is it Friday already?? I swear, wasn’t it just the weekend?

1. Friends, there is a reason you overbuy holiday decorations, particularly when they go on sale. Friday I was just itching to celebrate the Olympics so I hauled out my 4th of July bin and grabbed some doodads to help us set up a fun Olympics dinner. I even got Elizabeth to tackle a few crafts, including an Olympic ring toss game. Also, I’m thinking craft paper and crayons need to be on our dining table all the time!

When it's been an extra trying day, you throw down paper on the table and decorate for an Olympics party! ???????? #gousa #olympics #olympics2016

A photo posted by Katie (@ktcupoftea) on Aug 5, 2016 at 1:45pm PDT

We also stayed up late to watch some of the Olympic opening ceremony. Elizabeth was so jazzed to be up late, but we all weren’t thrilled with the commercials. Unfortunately the late night on Friday made for an EXTRA crabby kiddo all day on Saturday, and, therefore, an EXTRA crabby mommy. I definitely didn’t want to be a parent that day…

2. Sunday we had back-to-back birthday parties on the other side of town. I tackled the first party as a solo parent and mercy! It was a parent fail morning. I completely forgot it was a swimming/backyard party and we arrived in entirely the wrong clothing. I forgot Elizabeth’s swim suit so she borrowed a pair of Cars underwear and wore that. I sweat and sweat and sweat in my jeans. Ugh.

Thankfully a sweet friend snapped AMAZING pictures at both parties!

3. Sunday afternoon was a pool party! This was Elizabeth’s first proper time swimming, so I brought a set of puddle jumpers (fancy word for “floaties”) for her. My husband and I both thought she SHOULD wear it, but we somehow thought the other was nonchalant about it. So she went straight for the kid pool without the floaties. And about 2 minutes later, she trips and is floating, in the water, face down!! So terrifying! I develop some sort of superhero speed and run, in the water, right to her and haul her out, well before the life guard gets to her. Thankfully she came up not even coughing! Just wide eyed and said “woah, mommy!”. She wasn’t phased at all, but Mommy and Daddy were…. we all needed a family “cool down” on the side of the pool before we let her go back in, this time WITH the floaties.

It makes you realize it takes just seconds for a little one to get into trouble in the pool. Thankfully I was staring at her when she tripped, so she was underwater for just a few seconds, but still. My husband and I were shaken up about it until we went to bed!

4. Monday I got my hair cut, and I went to a Great Clips! I was actually pleasantly surprised! I have a boring haircut as it is, so it’s not complicated. But I was in and out in 20 minutes and paid $18, which includes tip! Win! I really hate having to pay for shampoo and a scalp massage (which gives me the heebie jeebies) so I was thrilled with just a quick spritz with the water bottle, a cut, and go! If you watched my Instagram Stories you would have seen the cut. *cough go follow* But stay tuned next week for a NEW video for the famous Great Clips doo 🙂

5. This week’s workouts were SO intense. We had 2 days of 1,000 rep challenges… and I can barely move. Basically 10 different moves, and each move you complete 100 reps. So 1,000 reps total. BUT I’m proud to say I made it to 4 out of 5 days! 5am is STILL an awful time to wake up and go work out, but once I walk into the building it’s all fine. Plus, there is nothing more satisfying than coming home to a house where everyone is STILL all asleep 🙂 If you’re curious, I go to Burn Boot Camp. There are locations in several states, and it’s classes for women only. (Plus free childcare at some of the classes!)

What was your highlight from the week? Can’t wait to hear about it!

I’m also linking up with Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre, 5 on Friday & Diary of a Real Housewife

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High Five for Friday #82 | Puppet Shows + Mary Berry

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // August 5, 2016 // 16 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

Today’s featured blogger is Jean Claire from Vogue Happiness! Love her blog spirit! She blogs about all the things in life that makes her happy! You HAVE to check out her easy recipe for a cucumber salad. I’ve been craving this for weeks, and now it’s a sign I must make this. Swing over and say Happy Friday to Jean Claire!

Hello August! (Anyone else pining for Fall yet??) Anyone REALLY excited for the Olympics? I’m hauling out the USA gear for dinner tonight and we plan on staying up a little to watch the opening ceremonies (until we doze off…)

Anyway, this week it was another fun week full of fun memories!

1. My birthday was on Sunday and it was a nice, quiet, chill day. I love OTHER people’s birthdays, but don’t really care about celebrating mine. Must be a summer birthday thing. But we went out to eat, I made my husband run to Costco for a birthday berry pie (their berry pie is so yummy!) and I watched The Great British Bake Off. I’m obsessed! Anyone else watching it? And can I be friends with Mary Berry? (Or at least get invited over for tea and dessert?)

2. So I got over my cold, but then Elizabeth and William both picked it up. Mercy. They both seemed to be better yesterday, so fingers crossed it’s over.

3. I finally had a moment to snap some 2 month pictures of William. They were all so adorable! Thank goodness for the rapid picture taking mode, though! I got up an update on the blog this week, so check it out!

4. Anyone else enjoying the new Instagram Stories thingy? Even though I JUST started using SnapChat (and understanding it) I really like having all the social media features in one app. And plus, I was thinking Instagram was getting too upidty. Everyone was obsessed with only posting “pretty” pictures… but I always thought of it as a fun behind-the-scenes platform. Now I’ve got the best of both worlds! (You can follow me on IG @ktcupoftea). I did put up on SnapChat some videos of Elizabeth doing my makeup. It was hilarious! It needs to be a formal video. She basically told me she was making me look like a raccoon… which was accurate.

5. Yesterday we had a fun morning! Our local library hosted a puppet show and it was a hoot. It was at the downtown library branch, which we hadn’t been to before, and it was nice to check it out before going to the puppet show. Elizabeth had a great time!

Just a girl, her monkey, and some library puzzles.

What was your highlight from the week? Can’t wait to hear about it!

I’m also linking up with Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre, 5 on Friday & Diary of a Real Housewife

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William’s 2 Month Update!

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // August 3, 2016 // 15 Comments

Pinch me. How is William already 2 months old?

Although, if I’m honest, some days it feels like the longest 2 months of my life….

But this last month has been the month of smiles! If you can make it to baby smiles than all will be alright.

I feel like I’m just about there as far as feeling like I’ve got a handle on things. It has taken much longer to get used to 2 kids… thankfully William is an easy going baby and doesn’t mind being out and about, because Elizabeth has got to get wiggles out and I need mommy play dates. (Play dates are really for moms, didn’t you know that?)

Height/Weight: We just had his 2 month appointment today, so he’s now 11 lbs 6 oz and 22″. Basically, he’s gained 2 lbs and grew an inch since his last check up. (I’ve been using him for squats, so I KNEW he was heavier!)

Routine: William’s personal preferences are settling in now. He’s a Wake, Eat, Play kind of guy. He is also going about 1.5 hours between eating and sleeping.

As of yesterday, here’s his current routine.

6:30am – Wake up and bottle, and then awake
8:00am – Nap
10:00am – Bottle
11:30pm – Nap (usually in the car seat because we’re out doing things)
1:30pm – Bottle then a mix of awake and dozing
4:00pm – Bottle, then I hurry to make dinner!
7:00pm – Bottle and then bed. William and Elizabeth head up at the same time for bed time.
2:30am – Wake up and bottle, then right back to sleep (in theory)

Sleeping: Things have gotten better in the sleep department! Naps during the day are becoming more consistent and reliable. And bed time is also going well. I’m not ready to call “he’s sleeping through the night” yet BUT we have a few days of that middle of night feeding happening at 1:30am and then a few days randomly at 4am. So I’m hoping we’re almost there!

I’m finding he also now needs to be swaddled. At first this was a no go. He HATED it! But now his arms have a mind of their own and he needs a swaddle just to fall asleep. It’s too hot here to use the velcro versions but yet he wiggles so much with a blanket swaddle. Oh well…

Eating: This kid is eating us out of house and home… I’m now making 5-6 oz of formula for each bottle. I’m just about ready to haul out the larger bottles to accommodate! Wild.

He’s still a major spitter upper. Just a few days ago he spit a 1.5 ft stream! DUCK! This week he’ll get an ultrasound to see if he does in fact have pyloric stenosis or not. If not, then we just get to do laundry twice a day! If yes, he’ll need a minor surgery… so we’ll see. He was prescribed Zantac at his 1 month appointment to see if it was reflux and it seems that it is not. So it’s either pyloric stenosis or just his version of normal spitting up.

Sizes: William is officially in the 3-6 month clothes. And those are fitting him just about right. I’m going to need to hit up the consignment shops soon to keep this kid clothed!

Milestones: Oh so many fun ones!

Smiles are now the normal thing!
William is also starting to make those adorable gurggly baby sounds.
He adores Elizabeth!
William finally enjoys being in his bouncer seat and doing a little play time.
I think he had his first cold last week (thanks Big Sister). Poo!

You can also catch up on the other month updates, take a peek at my latest diaper bag backpack, or read William’s birth story!

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