5 Things: Fitness Favorites Go Wii

October 5, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

Today I received a review copy (at no cost) of Harley Pasternak Hollywood Workout and it got me thinking about my favorite Wii fitness games that I haven’t used in months…okay maybe more like a year. Now that I have this new game to test out I am really excited to get back to my other favorite games (all of which I purchased myself).

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | This isn’t your traditional Wii fitness game but it is super interactive. I love the bobsled and my absolute favorite is the ski jump. Neil and I love to play this game and compete against each other.

Wii Fit | This was the second Wii game that we purchased with the balance board. Although I don’t use it as much any more I used to use this almost daily and my favorite activities were soccer heading, ski slalom, the plank challenge and the jackknife challenge.

Wii Fit Plus | When we originally purchased the Wii we bought the balance board and Wii Fit and really like it so when Wii Fit Plus came out we got ourselves a copy as soon as we could. I liked Wii Fit but the Plus is so much better. I love the yoga and strength exercises the most and I love that they suggest combinations of yoga and strength moves to do together.

EA Sports Active | At one point we were going through a Wii fitness craze in our house and so of course we had to get EA Sports Active. I really like this one because it creates 20 minute circuit routines for you and has a 30 day challenge (which I plan to try again in the upcoming months). I just noticed that there is an Active 2 ….hmmm might need to get my hands on a copy.

Wii Sports | This game came with our Wii and honestly is probably the most used out of our collection. I absolutely love the golf and the boxing. The boxing really gets my heart rate up and is fun to do. Just talking about it makes me want to start the game upright now.

What are you favorite Wii fitness games?

The New Date Night (We Need Your Help)

October 5, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls 5 Comments

Now that E is in more of a consistent nighttime routine and we aren’t spending 60-120 minutes trying to soothe her to bed and bounce our brains out (so over the exercise ball) we finally have time for ourselves. During the week we we end up filling our time trying to catch up on work or cleaning but on Friday nights we are free to take the night off from our chore and work duties.

That being said we don’t really have the money to spend on a sitter and to go out to dinner so we have decided to have date nights in. That being said we need ideas! We were thinking about having every Friday night be dinner and a movie night but we need ideas for movies and meals to go with them. Our only requirements are that they have to be movies that are already out on DVD or Netflix and meal ideas have to be relatively budget friendly and vegan(izable).

So what are your suggestions? What is a good movie you have seen lately or a recipe that you think we should try? Or do you have a good themed movie and meal idea? Send your ideas our way and we will feature a new date night each week!

Naturally Family Best of September

October 4, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

Edith: Two Months- I really can’t believe that Edith is now two months old. She is no longer a little newborn baby and she is growing like a weed. It’s amazing how each week she becomes more interactive. She is starting to coo and babble and is all smiles now. Keep reading…

i miss sleep.: Over the past week there has been a huge change in Edie’s sleeping and it is hitting us hard over here. Edith has been pretty consistent with her sleeping patterns since day one. Around 80% of the time we spend 30-90 minutes getting her to sleep and then she sleeps 4-5 hours, nurses, sleeps 1.5-3 hours, nurses, 1.5-2.5 hours, nurses, lounges and sleeps 30 minutes -1.5 hours. Keep reading…

Creating a Pregnancy Book: I knew from the beginning that I wanted to document my entire pregnancy with photos and weekly blog posts. I started to take photos around week twelve and write weekly blog posts around week 14 and by week 30 I decided I really wanted to create a pregnancy photobook. Keep reading…

{Recipe} Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms

October 3, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms

This recipe is wonderful because it can be used in so many ways. I love to toss the mushrooms with pasta or top a veggie burger. You could also toss or top your favorite grains or protein. Or keep it simple and just eat them on the side of any of your favorite dishes.

Serves 2-4

INGREDIENTS

3/4 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb portobello mushrooms, halved and sliced
1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 scallions, thinly sliced, greens & whites divided

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven 475F
Toss mushrooms, salt, black pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and whites of the scallion together and pour into the roasting pan.
Spread into one even layer.
Bake for 20 minutes and then toss and bake for 10 more minutes.
Serve over your favorite protein or grain or toss with pasta.

Care Package Swap | Spabettie

October 2, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

Yesterday my package of goodies from the RWT Fourth Annual Care Package Swap arrived from Kristina (Spabettie). Here is a look at the goodies:

She did a good job didn’t she?? I am so excited to try the chocolate sauce and the chocolate bar and I love all of the owl goodies. Oh and not photographed was a bag of pizza flax crackers that Neil and I devoured upon arrival of the box.

A big thank you to Kristina!

{Recipe} Chocolate-Coconut-Walnut Cookie Pie

October 2, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

Chocolate-Coconut-Walnut Cookie Pie

I had a hankering for pie and cookies the other day so I decided what better way to combine the two cravings than making a cookie pie? Plus rather than having to scoop out a bunch of individual cookies you save time and have one tasty giant cookie to share. Also the baked cookie pie freezes really well so you can save some for another day when that craving strikes again.
Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil, liquid
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup evaporated cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 flax “eggs” (1 flax egg = 1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
2/3 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F.
Brush the pie pan with a layer of coconut oil.
Whisk together the flours, coconut, soda and salt.
In an electric mixer beat together the oil, sugars, flax “eggs” and vanilla with the whisk attachment.
Reduce speed and slowly add in the flour mixture just to combine.
Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Pour mixture into the pie pan and press down into an even layer.
Bake for 22-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack until completely cool.