Married life Push-up Challenge

Beau and I got the great idea that we should do a push up challenge! 

Our Challenge: 1 push up + 1 more every day

We will do it together everyday and hold each other to it! 

 It's been a lot of fun doing this challenge with him and we are not near done yet! Our goal is to do 100 push-ups continuously so we are working our way there by adding one everyday. We started on April 1, 2014 with one push-up. At first it felt silly because we were already used to doing at least 15 continuously. We laughed and it has brought us closer, it's something we look forward to, not really the push-ups so much as the feeling of our arms burning together and laughing about it!

 Accountability is a great thing in fitness and in life! Find a challenge or make one up, like we did, and do it with your spouse or your best friend. It builds healthy habits and builds your relationship too! Good luck!!

Tonight's dinner made with love...

Hey! I just had to write this right now because I'm jazzed about a tasty quinoa pilaf I just made!!

my quinoa creation:

Ingredients:
 cup dry quinoa
1 can chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon pink sea salt
ground black pepper
1/8 garlic powder (not garlic salt)
splash of olive oil


Directions:
Rinse quinoa well in a fine mesh strainer rubbing gently (do this for longer than you think you should...like 2 minutes) I know it's like "nah dawg I'd rather skip that" but it will turn out bitter if you don't rinse it. toss some olive oil onto a skillet and toast/dry the quinoa. Add seasonings (rosemary, garlic powder, salt, pepper) Put chicken broth in a medium sauce pan add the quinoa and seasonings put the lid on and bring to a boil, once it's boiling set the timer for 15 minutes. After it has cooked for fifteen minutes turn of heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and enjoy!


Fun facts about quinoa (as told by me): It's pronounced Keen-wah... ancient grain... healthy... lots of protein... delicious... fun texture... many flavor options... it looks neat when cooked... fiber... I want to make it for breakfast...i think i'll stop now.

*1 cup of quinoa dry will yield 3 cups wet


I paired this with lemon infused boiled chicken breast, which was slightly lacking in flavor but was still good. I simply boiled boneless skinless chicken breasts in water with fresh lemon juice and lemon pepper seasoning. I enjoyed the subtle flavor of lemon on the out side of the chicken breast but it was very faint and once chewing the chicken it mostly tasted like plain 'ol chicken breast so this one needs some tweaking ;) That's the fun in cooking though trying new things and learning.

Kirby is 1!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRBY!!!!

Kirby was adopted to our home when he was eight weeks old. Ever since June of 2013 he has blessed us with his cuteness, his sweetness, and his playfulness! He loves to talk to us with his meows and he purrs when we wake up in the morning. He has given us lots of laughs and he is a great addition to our little family!

We love you Kirby!

Boxed Brownies Transformation!

It seems like every time I go to our local grocery store the first thing I see is boxed brownies mix and Oreos. It's like my eyes zero on their target, anything chocolate! haha! So anyways, I try to keep one box of brownie mix in the pantry at all times just in case ;) When I asked my handsome hubby this morning if there was anything I could get him from the store, he said "we ran out of chocolate almond milk yesterday" and then he mentioned that the last two bananas we starting to look pretty old. I offered to freeze them for smoothies but he said "how about making some banana bread instead of freezing them this time?" I deliberated and I was like: "ok, sure!" (it's weird to quote myself lol!) I reminded him that we need to finish the brownies we had already made a few days ago (that are now sitting on the counter getting old) and it's a beautiful thing that us ladies can do, we can have a conversation that flows over many topics changing the subject with ease but our men just don't think in this way. In his brilliance he exclaimed, "Banana Brownies!" this is where this post gets fun! 

disclaimer* baking is not my strong suit, I would much rather saute something, or boil it, or grill it, but when it comes to baking I usually don't get it right. These turned out good though, so if you are among the baking challenged this is a no judgement zone and feel free to give these a whirl because they are easy to make!  

here's what I did! 
Easy Banana Brownies: 

Ingredients: 

1 box of brownie mix 

2 ripe bananas  

1/2 cup (divided) mini chocolate chips

these are the items the box suggests:

1/4 cup water (I used 1/4 cup milk instead, mine is on it's final week so I'm trying to use it up) 

1/2 cup oil (I used canola oil)

1 egg

Directions:

pour the brownie mix into a mixing bowl. mash the two bananas with a fork in a separate bowl. lightly whisk in the egg, milk, and oil into the bananas. Using a mixing spoon make a well in the center of your brownie mix to pour in the wet ingredients. pour your banana mixture into the well and stir until incorporated. fold in half of the chocolate chips. grease your pan and pour in the mix. top with the rest of your chocolate chips. bake at 350 or according to your brownie package. also refer to package for baking times per type and size of pan you choose. 

These Brownies turned out super moist and fudgey! To cut out some of the moisture you could play around with how much oil and water/milk you add since the bananas are a wet ingredient. next time I think I will lessen the oil for sure but I did love 'em how they were. 
**baking is not my forte, I only use boxed stuff and even boxed cakes prove to be too much of challenge for me. haha! My cookies from scratch never turn out right, either fluffy cakes or completely flat (like my gingersnap fail post from Christmas) So please feel free to comment and send some baking tips and encouragement my way. Thanks!

love, Cait