Author: Lindsay Ingalls
Holiday Gift Guide | What’s On My Wishlist
While there really isn’t much that I need this holiday season there are a few things that are on my wish list. Most are consumable as I work to have less things but of course there are a few things like my favorite notebook that I just can’t give up and a few fun items that would be fun to add to my collection. So here it is my wish list – ENJOY!
Wild Friends Sugar Cookie Peanut Butter. I recently purchased a jar of this peanut butter at our local grocery store and our family polished it off in less than four days because it is just that good. That being said I wouldn’t hate to find my very own jar in my stocking along with a few of Wild Friends new Nut Butter Oats that I have been dying to try.
Conscious Ink Tattoos. While I would love to get a new tattoo that just isn’t in the cards right now but these temporary tattoos are the perfect alternative. Conscious Ink Manifestation Temporary Tattoos consist of a dream list of positive words, inspiring quotes, healing affirmations and empowering invitations. I just love that when I look down at my wrist (where I tend to place these) I can be reminded to Be Present, Breathe, Love, Laugh and so much more. I also love to share these with Edith who is all about the temporary tattoos right now.
Leuchtturm 1917 A5 Dotted Notebook. I am obsessed with notebooks and these are my absolute favorite. I have a handful of these books already that I have filled up with blog ideas and journaling and used for bullet journaling. Some people want bags or shoes in every color – I want notebooks.
Oat Mama Lactation Tea and Bars. Oat Mama was kind enough to send me a variety of their bars and their Chai tea and I have fallen in love. The bars are delicious and perfect for a busy mama like myself. The Chai tea is perfect with a touch of vanilla almond milk and I have been enjoying it most evenings. The problem is however I am almost out so if anyone wants to fill my stocking with tea and bars that would be great.
Splendid Spoon Cleanse. After the holidays I could use a Splendid Spoon Cleanse. I know I share about these all the time and it’s for good reason I love the soups and drinkable soups. I love to keep the fridge and freezer stocked with them so that I can have something easy to grab for breakfast or lunch (seeing a trend? Mom of three = need for quick, easy and healthy food options). While I usually have a few soups on hand I could really use a full week of cleansing for the new year. Also this is the perfect gift for someone who has everything or is more of a minimalist because it’s truly consumable (and delicious). psst you can save $20 on your first box with my link.
Sappho New Paradigm Liquid Foundation. I recently purchased the Alima Pure Liquid Silk Foundation and while I like it fine and will use it up I don’t love it. Prior to purchasing the Alima Pure I had been using samples of the Sappho New Paradigm Liquid Foundation and while I loved it the price tag was a bit higher than I was prepared to spend but now I am having a bit of buyers remorse. I loved the way the Sappho felt on my skin, how light it was in feeling but how great the coverage was and overall I just wish I had waited, saved a few extra dollars and purchased it for myself. So now I am doing just that… unless of course someone wants to buy me it for Christmas in the color Rachel. psst this foundation is natural, vegan and you can purchase your own sample here.
Savage Seeds – Moon Mama T-Shirt. If you know me you know how much I talk about my kids and parenting in relationship to the moon. So obviously this is the perfect shirt for me and I would love kid and baby versions for my littles.
Fresh Milk Made Here. I don’t have much to say about this besides the fact that I love it and need it for my office area. It’s just amazing. I also want this one as well which pairs well with the Moon Mama shirt above.
Honey Mama’s Chocolate. Last but not least I would love a package or stocking filled with Honey Mama’s chocolate. It is easily my favorite chocolate in the world. My entire family is in love with it so much so that we purchased four bars at the farmers market last week and all four were one within the week – oops.
What is on your holiday gift list this year?
This post is NOT sponsored however it does contain an affiliate link. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here on Running With Tongs at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
Salads To Cure The Post-Thanksgiving Hangover
After indulging in a variety of your favorite Thanksgiving foods your stomach might be craving something a little lighter however what about all those leftovers? These salads will help you use up your leftovers while also filling you up with greens because let’s be real as tasty as it is green bean casserole is hardly a green vegetable. If salads have you turning up your nose don’t worry there is a secret recipe at the end that will use up your leftover squash and still make you say YUMMMM.
- Roasted Butternut Squash (delicata or kabocha would be great as well)
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Dried Cherries
- Hemp seeds, crushed hazelnuts or almond flakes
- Greens of your choice - I recommend organicgirl PEPPERGREENS
- Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar or Lemon
- This is a super easy salad to assemble especially with leftover roasted veggies. Simply toss your roasted veggies, dried cherries and hemp seeds together and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar or lemon; alternatively one of the organicgirl Salad Love dressings would be a great addition.
- 1 Delicata Squash, washed, cut into rounds and seeds removed
- 1 box organicgirl PEPPERGREENS
- 1 Gala or Fuji Apple, thinly sliced
- 1/4-1/3 cup Walnuts
- 1/4 cup organicgirl Salad Love Lemon Agave
- Maple Tahini Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 3 tablespoons Tahini
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 3 tablespoons water
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the delicata squash rounds on the pan. Spray the squash with a light coating of coconut oil spray (optional) and season with salt and pepper. Place sheet pan in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes; until the squash is cooked through. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet before adding to salad.
- While the squash is roasting make the tahini sauce my simply whisking everything together.
- Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat just until they start to get a little bit of color. Remove and allow to cool.
- To assemble: Divide the greens between four different plates, top with a few slices of apple and squash. Drizzle a tablespoon each of the lemon agave dressing and the tahini sauce over the salad. Crush a few walnuts between your fingers and sprinkle over the salad.
- Delicata squash skin is super tender so there is no need to remove it just give it a good wash.
- Feel free to serve this salad family style by placing the greens in a large bowl, top with apples, squash and walnuts and dress just before serving.
- Toss the apple slices with a bit of lemon juice to prevent browning.
My Go To Matcha Latte
With three kids and a baby who is protesting sleep I depend on my coffee in the morning to get me going. When it comes to the afternoon however I like to make the switch to tea because I find it gives me a boost without giving me the jitters, anxious feelings and doesn’t keep me up all night. Lately, I have been going for a creamy matcha latte. I love how green and earthy it tastes and I find that it gives me an energy boost while also helping me to feel calm and focused.
So what makes my matcha latte so special? I say the cinnamon! Who knew matcha and cinnamon could taste so good together?
1 tsp matcha
1 tsp maple syrup
1 spoonful artisana organics coconut butter
4 oz homemade plant milk
4 oz hot water
Big dash of cinnamon
I blend mine straight in my breville frother but you could use a handheld frother or add to blender.
What is your go to afternoon beverage? have you tried matcha?
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here on Running With Tongs at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
Setting Intentions For The Day & Low Sugar Morning Challenge
Life has been hit with a state of chaos. The change of the seasons, new rhythms for the day and of course the weekly changes that come with a new baby. This month I am focusing on setting mindful and healthy intentions each and everyday to help calm the chaos. Setting small intentions each morning can translate into a calmer, more positive day.
This week instead of heading to the kitchen and opening the fridge and cupboards 10x trying to figure out what I’ll have for breakfast and end up gulping two mugs of coffee and eating the crusts of my kids toast I am making my life easier and starting my day with a Splendid Spoon smoothie.
For the next five days I will be enjoying a Splendid Spoon smoothie that I can easily grab from the fridge and sip without having to do any of the work. Instead of chaos I am being intentional with my choice to have a breakfast that is low in sugar, filled with fiber and rich in protein and healthy fats.
What do I hope to get out of this challenge?
- Steadier Blood Sugar Levels. Have you ever been around me when my blood sugar plummets? You have a cranky mama on your hands.
- More Energy! Being a mama to two small children and a baby is exhausting (especially when the baby doesn’t want to sleep) so I can use all the energy these days.
- A More Intentional Day. Did you know just by starting your day off with positive intentions you are setting the stage for your entire day. So positive, intentional morning means that you are more likely to make healthy, positive decisions throughout your day.
If you’d like to join me in 5 Low Sugar Mornings leave me a comment below! I’d love to hear about your experience and why you want to challenge yourself!
You can follow my entire journey over on my Insta-Stories and I’ll be sharing my full challenge experience on the blog next week.
Save $20 off your first Splendid Spoon Plan.
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here on Running With Tongs at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support
Weekend Links & Three Things I’m Doing For My Health
It’s finally the weekend and I am planning on catching up on some sleep and enjoying the only date night that Neil and I have all month. This week while good has been exhausting and I can’t wait to relax. Hope you all have a wonderful week!
Three Things For My Health
- I am doing barre3 for 10 minutes per day. Also I am attending a free class next week to push me out of my comfort zone (aka home) and to meet some new moms/women!
- I am challenging myself to start my day with a Splendid Spoon Smoothie next week. I am focusing on keeping my breakfast protein rich, full of healthy fats and low in sugar. I’ll be sharing more Monday. My hubby is doing a Splendid Spoon cleanse next week – would you like to have him share his experience in a guest post [not sponsored he purchased his own cleanse]?
- I am taking my vitamins/supplements everyday and committing to turning to my essential oils to boost my immune system, combat feelings of stress and boost my mood. Why essential oils? Because they work. They enhance my quality of life and I notice a distinct difference when I use them myself and with my family.
Weekend Links
- You should make this lasagna this weekend because it is amazing!
- If you need something new to binge watch this weekend I recommend – Manhunt.
- Ready to green up your home? Marley’s Monsters just released their holiday line. I love the facial rounds and will be stocking up on napkins and un-paper towels soon.
- This sweatshirt is my absolute favorite because it’s super soft, easy to nurse in while not being a nursing top and comes in regular women’s sizing and plus size. I may have just ordered two more. I have been wearing it a lot with these jeans which are super soft, the perfect rise for a mom who bends over all the time and they are fun to dress up or down.
- I have been hiding the bags under my eyes with this RMS Un-Cover Up and it works like a dream. Would you like to see an update makeup and/or skincare routine?
- Needing a great red lip? I highly recommend this one from ILIA.
Share a link to something you are loving or lusting after right now; or something great your have read, watched or ate!
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here on Running With Tongs at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
Postpartum Fitness
I’m officially four months postpartum and while I had hoped to write about all the things I am doing to stay healthy and fit while being a WAHM/SAHM to three children the reality is I am still working on finding my fitness. I always say that with most things it’s not that you don’t have enough time to do something it’s that you aren’t making time and over the past four months I haven’t been making time to workout out. So when I came across a list of postpartum fitness plans that I made months ago I thought it was finally time to share them and to actually follow my own advice.
Listen to my body. This is the one plan I actually followed through with. I listened to by body during the first six weeks of postpartum and didn’t push my activity level. If I was feeling exhausted or any sort of pressure around my pelvic floor I took that as a sign to slow down and I did. I ended up with the quickest healing I have ever had and I really attribute this to taking things slow this time around. Allowing myself to heal.
barre3 Online – 10 minutes/day. Okay so I re-activated my subscription at the start of this month and I have only done two sessions. So this is currently one of my top goals especially since I plan to attend The Mom Edit barre3 event in less than two weeks and I would like to make it through the entire workout.
Find Mama & Baby Yoga Class. This is one of those things that I think the time has passed. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a weekend class and since I am home with my bigs during the week I couldn’t attend a class. That’s okay though- can’t win them all!
Daily Walks With Kids. This is one that I feel like I am failing at the most. I really need to get outside and walk with the kids everyday (weather permitting). The fresh air, the time in nature is something we all need so this combined with the barre3 online are my two main focuses.
Get A Gym Membership. Okay so technically I have a gym membership but it’s at my husbands works which takes me anywhere from 20-90 minutes each way to get there so I honestly just don’t go. I could go on swim class days but just haven’t – so that being said I should. I am considering getting another membership to a closer gym but I have my insecurities about this which I’ll share in a later post.
So that is it. My November goals are to do 10 minutes of barre3 per day and walk with the kids most days of the week. I also want to spend more weekend time out in nature with my family.
