Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites

I love chocolate.  I love peanut butter and I love bananas.  So when I came across a recipe for Frozen Banana Bites about two years ago, I was very excited.   I modified the ingredients from the original recipe some to fit what I typically had.

I started making these a lot when  I started doing P90X because each bite only has about 35 calories in it.  I tend to crave something sweet at night so one or two of these can really satisfy that craving without packing on tons of calories!   And they are SO yummy so it's a win-win situation.  

   Liam enjoyed helping me make some today!!!

Here are my modified ingredients: 

FROZEN BANANA BITES

What you'll need . . .

• 2 large bananas
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

 Yep, it's that simple...only three ingredients!!!  I followed the rest of the recipe exactly the same and they have always turned out amazing!  Enjoy!

Siblings.Best.Friends

I grew up in a big family.  I have three sisters and two brothers.  Almost everywhere we went people stared at us or made comments about how HUGE our family was.  I never really thought we had a huge family.  It was normal to me and I loved it.  

Growing up my sister Ruth and my brother Matthew were my best friends.  Ruth is four years older than me and Matt is two and a half years older than me.  We did everything together.  We were pretty much inseparable.  

I want the same thing for my children.  I want a big family and I want my children to be each others best friends.  I can already see this happening with Ruy and Liam and it makes me so happy.  I love watching them play.  I love hearing Ruy teach Liam new things.  I love seeing the love in Liam's eyes when he looks at Ruy.  I love hearing Liam call Ruy "Bubby".  I love that Liam wants to do everything Ruy does and I love that Ruy is trying so hard to be such a good example to him.  I love that they love each other.  

Getting My Body Back

One of my biggest goals this year was to get back into a workout routine and loose the last 20 pounds I had gained from my pregnancy with Alanna.  I had done P90X when Liam was 6 months old and continued with it off and on until I started Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred It a few weeks before I found out I was expecting Alanna. I believe I was on day 12 when I found out I was pregnant.  I tried a few more days of the workout but quickly realized I was not going to be one of those moms who could workout during my pregnancy.

I was 160 pounds after I had Liam and after doing P90X was 112 pounds.

1 week after Liam was born

1 year after Liam was born

It took me three months to loose the last 15 pounds I needed to loose and to drop from a size 6 to a 2.  P90X  is amazing.  I love the workouts.  They are fun and you burn a lot of calories.  I never felt hungry because I was eating about 1800 - 2000 calories a day.  I was also nursing so if I did eat a little more calories than that, it didn't really matter.  Nursing definitely helped the weight drop off.  I felt the healthiest and the most in shape I ever have in my life after doing P90X.

But then I got pregnant and gained another 35 pounds.  I have lost 25 pounds but these last 15 pounds just do not want to go away easily.  So I just started doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred It.  I finished up Day 3 today and to be honest... it is hard.  Even though it's only a 25 minute workout, it's killing me.  Taking a year off of working out does nothing good for your body.  I'm dying to be in shape again and to be skinny again but I forgot how hard you have to work for that.  Even though I gained the same amount of weight with Liam and Alanna, I started out 10 pounds lighter with Alanna than Liam which made a huge difference in how big my arms and face got.  I also lost the first 25 pounds in 4 weeks with Alanna.  It took me about 4 months to loose it with Liam.  I'm going to give working out prior to getting pregnant the credit for that. 

10 days after Alanna was born

Day 1 of 30 Day Shred It... 132 pounds.

I'm also using myfitnesspal.com to track my calorie intake.  I'm trying to keep myself at about 1600 calories while on this workout routine because you don't burn nearly as much on 30 Day Shred it as with P90X.  So you might ask "then why not do P90X again if it burns so many more calories?"  The answer to that question is because Alanna is only 10 weeks old and is still not on a regular napping routine.  Most days she is consistent but I can't guarantee it and it's hard to fit an hour workout in when you have to keep dealing with a newborn.  So my plan is to finish the 30 Day Shred it around the end of February and then to start P90X after that.

Another goal is to be able to run a 5K by the end of the summer.  I've never been able to run very well and I am determined to change that this year.  My brother is my inspiration for that.  He runs all the time and just last year did a 100 mile run that took him just under 24 hours to complete! 

I'll be posting my results and an "after" picture once I complete the 30 days.  I'm only on day 3 and have already lost 2 pounds.  My legs and arms are sore but it feels good to know that I am getting stronger and healthier.  If you want to join in with me, I'd love you to!!!  It's always helpful to have a support group.  So ... who's with me???? :)

my sick baby girl

I could tell something was just not right.  You were not your normal self.  You would not stay asleep after I laid you in your crib.  You were unsettled and only wanted to be in my arms.  I kept you wrapped in my arms all night, snuggled close to my chest.  I could smell your sweet breath, hear your soft breathing, feel your tiny body next to mine.  You awoke more than usual that night and I understood why in the morning.  You are sick...with watery eyes, a runny nose, and a fever.  My heart aches watching you be in pain.  You struggle breathing, especially when nursing, choking and crying.  You try to smile at me but it turns into cries.  You are so sick my sweet baby girl.  You spend all day in the Ergo where you can be upright and in my arms.  You have barely opened your eyes in two days.  You just want to sleep.  Your tiny body is exhausted from fighting this cold.  I pray you are better soon... I miss your sweet smiles and coos.

2/52 "Our Life" Project - Surprise

"Liam look out the window!!!  It's snowing!"  A "surprised" look came over Liam's face as he looked out the window at the snow.  "That's snow" he said.  "Do you want to go outside with Bubby and play in it?"  "Yeah!!!"  After eating breakfast, getting a diaper change, getting dressed, and getting into his snow pants, coat, hat, gloves, and boots ... Liam followed his big brother outside into the snow... excited as ever!  You would have thought a foot of snow was on the ground when in reality it was only a light dusting.  He did not remember snow from last winter so it was like a whole new adventure for him.  It's wonderful how children see such beauty in the little things.  My children are a constant reminder of how I need to slow down and just enjoy every part of life. 

A Good Day.

Yesterday was a pretty good day.  I told the boys once Ruy got some school done, we would go to Chick-fil-a for ice cream since Ruy had done so well on his last spelling test.  They were both very excited!  Ruy worked hard on school and Liam had fun doing his "school" as well.  He likes sitting at the table with us and playing with play-doh, coloring, building blocks, and doing "math" as he calls it, which is really just a bunch of scribbles on paper. 

I enjoyed a cup of coffee while helping Ruy with his schoolwork.

 

 Ruy took a little break and helped Liam with some coloring and then we all started dancing to the music we were listening to.  

I love these little moments that I get to enjoy with the kids each day.  I'm really trying to soak up every day and every moment.  Too often I get caught up in laundry, cleaning, paying bills, or worrying about what I'm going to make for the next meal but my goal this year is to try to slow down and just enjoy my kids while they are little.

After Ruy did some of his school we ate lunch at home (trying to cut back on eating out).  Liam entertained us with his silliness.  He loves to do "stinky face".  He made this up a few months back.  He just takes his hands and squeezes either his own cheeks or someone else and says "stinky face".  It's so funny.

After lunch, we headed out to Chick-fil-a.  Baby girl looked pretty adorable in her bonnet.  Ruy picked it out for her to wear.

I didn't feel like bringing my big camera into CFA so I just settled for my point and shoot Sony to get a few quick pictures of the boys enjoying the ice cream.

They were pretty happy.  After ice cream, I let the boys play for about an hour in the play area before heading home to enjoy the outdoors.

 

We finished up school after playing outside and then ended the night with a great time at our Small Group from church.   I'm pretty lucky to get to spend every day with my three loves.  :)

Alanna.Two.Months

Two Months 1-14-14
10 lbs 8 oz - 22 inches

You still sleep most of the day but you are able to stay awake for 1-2 hours at a time now.  You nap in your crib most days for 2-3 hours at a time.  You nap in the ergo at least once a day.  You go to bed in your crib at night but after 3 hours you spend the rest of the night snuggled next to mommy.  You love your pacifier.  You smile all the time now, even when I am nursing you which can get kind of messy.  You try to talk by making the cutest cooing sound ever.  You can hold your head up for a few minutes at a time now.  You still do not like being on your tummy.  You spit up very often.  You still smell like a newborn...I never want that smell to go away.  You had your first shot.  You cried...I almost cried.  You cry tears now.  Your cry is so soft and quiet though.  You celebrated your first Christmas.  You are growing out of your 0-3 month clothes.  You are quiet and sweet.  You are the most beautiful girl.  You are my world. 

Alanna.One.Month

Alanna will be two months old on Tuesday and since I'm going to be doing a monthly post on her progress,I thought I would do a post on her one month before doing a post on her two month. 

One Month 12-14-13

 8 lbs 3 oz - 20.25 inches

You sleep most of the day.  You love your pacifier.  You love baths.  You do not like being on your tummy.  You love being carried in the ergo.  You smile a little bit.  You celebrated your first Thanksgiving.  You are quiet and sweet.  You are the most beautiful girl in the world.  

BATH TIME

Bath time....

 

His little laughter as he splashes in the water.  His little fingers and toes all wrinkled up from being in the water too long.  His sweet smell of baby shampoo. 

His little voice saying "Mommy I'm cold...need my towel".  His sweet little arms wrapped around me as I dry him off. 

His little feet sticking out from the towel after I have wrapped him up.  His beautiful curls.  His soft little lips giving me kisses.

Bath time... I never knew how wonderful it would be once I had children.  I wish I could pause time and keep them this little and innocent forever! 

"Our Life" Project 1/52 - Balance

I decided to join in with Annie from "Paint The Moon" on her "Our Life" project.  Each week has a theme and you take a picture each week to represent that theme.  Each theme is open for your own interpretation.  This weeks theme was "balance".  As I was thinking about all the different things in life that I am balancing right now, I looked out the back door and saw Ruy riding his bike.  He just learned how to ride it back in November.  He has loved it ever since he conquered his fear of riding!  I am so proud of him, so I thought for this week I would post a picture of him "balancing" on his bike! 

Alanna's Birth Story

It's hard to believe it's been almost two months since Alanna was born.  She is growing so quickly and I love her more and more each day!   After having two very difficult births with my first two children, it was wonderful to have an amazing birth experience.  So here is her birth story as I can remember it.  If you don't like reading about blood clots, and other such things that occur during labor... this post may not be for you!  If you love child birth as much as I do though, Enjoy! :)

Thursday 11-14-2013:

 I woke up at about 6AM from a contraction.  It felt stronger than the braxton hicks contractions I had been having over the past few weeks.  I decided if I got another one like that, that I would start timing them.  A few minutes later I felt wet and thought maybe my water had broken.  When I got up though, something came out of me and I started to panic a little bit.  When I checked, a huge blood clot had come out.  I immediately called my midwife and waited for her to call me back.  By this point it was 6:30AM.  Nathan was at the fire station so I called him to tell him what was going on.  He called his part time job and let them know he wouldn't be coming in to work because he was going to be having a baby!  My midwife called me back and said that she wanted to wait about thirty minutes and see if the bleeding would stop.  If it wouldn't stop, then she would want me to come in to make sure Alanna was doing OK.  At 7:30AM I called her and told her the bleeding was light but hadn't stopped.  She told me to go ahead and get ready to head to the hospital to meet the midwife that would be on call since she was getting ready to leave.  Nathan got relieved from  the fire station and got home around 8AM.  We packed up the last few things we needed, and got to the hospital around 8:50AM.   

Jean (my midwife), met us around 9:20AM and took me back to check Alanna's heartbeat and see if I was dilated any.  Alanna's heartbeat was fine but she was a little concerned about how it looked.  At 10AM when she checked me, I was 5 centimeters dilated.  Jean said I wouldn't be going home since I would be having Alanna in the next few hours!  I was sent to room 202 and hooked up to an IV since I had tested positive for Step B and then hooked up to the monitor since I was having a VBAC.  I was so excited that Alanna was going to be there in a few hours but I started stressing out pretty soon after getting into my room.  I hate being hooked up to the monitor and the IV.  And I hate the hospital gowns.  All of it was making me feel like a crazy person.  Every time I went to the bathroom, I had to take the IV stand with me and then the monitor would fall down in the way and all the gooey stuff would get on my legs and my gown would start to fall off.  My hair was also in my face and driving me crazy.  My contractions at this point weren't even that painful but I was beginning to feel like I couldn't possibly make it through the day.  Nathan texted Selina (my sister and one of my best friends) at that point and told her he felt like I needed her there.  Kim (my best friend and also photographer for Alanna's birth) arrived around 11AM to take pictures of the labor process and to make sure she didn't miss the birth!  Selina arrived around 12PM.  She braided my hair for me, and helped me get some makeup on so I felt a little more human.  

My sister Selina.

Nathan helped me get my own gown on so that I didn't have to wear the terrible hospital gown.  Then we spent the next hour just talking and laughing in between contractions.  At 1PM Jean checked me again and I was dilated to 6 centimeters.  Alanna had improved at this point and Jean was no longer concerned about her movement.  At 2PM my contractions went from 7-10 minutes apart to 3-5 minutes apart and got much stronger.  I no longer was laughing and joking around but having to start focusing on getting through the contractions.  Jean stayed in the room with me almost the whole time after this point which was wonderful knowing she was so supportive.  I tried a few different positions to help get through the contractions but the most comfortable one was straddling the ball.  Nathan sat in front of me facing me so I could hold onto him during a contraction and Selina sat behind me, massaging my lower back with the awesome coconut lotion that Kim brought (it heated up when she massaged my back and it felt amazing).  

My husband is an amazing support during labor.

My sister has coached several of her friends through natural births.  It was amazing to have her there with me!

We all took guesses as to when Alanna would be born.  Jean said 7:30PM, I said 8PM, Selina said 6:30PM, Nathan said 4:35PM, and Kim said 5:20PM.  Jean broke my water at 3PM to help make things move faster.  

 I hate the feeling of the warm water running down my legs.  It stresses me out so bad.  By 4PM I remember feeling like I couldn't take much more of it.  I thought I would deliver around 8PM and the thought of four more hours of contractions was exhausting.  Soon after that I started to get really cold and shaky.  I felt nauseous so Nathan got a bowl ready for me in case I threw up.  I kept putting a blanket around my shoulders and then throwing it off when a contraction would come.  

 Close to 5PM I threw up.  Selina told me that I had to be getting close to being ready to push because throwing up and being shaky were all signs of going through transition.  Jean asked if I wanted her to check me because if I was at 9 centimeters I could start pushing.  When she checked me she said I was at 9 centimeters but the cervix was in the way still.  She told me to do a small push to see if I could move the cervix out of the way.  I did one push and she said to do one more.  After the second push, the cervix moved out of the way and she told me I could start pushing her out.  I didn't realize I would be pushing so soon.  I thought I would have to wait until I reached 10 centimeters.  After the first push she said she could see Alanna's head.  I only pushed for about ten minutes and then I felt her head come out and then the rest of her body just seemed to slide out.  She was born at 5:19PM.  Kim had been so close to picking the right time...only 1 minute off!! 

 It burned so bad while I was pushing.  It hurt so bad, I kept yelling "it hurts, it burns".  It felt better to yell during the contractions but I did try to breathe through the times I wasn't contracting.  When I pushed her out, they put her on my chest.  It felt so good to finally hold her.   

She was so beautiful.  I looked up at Nathan, he was crying.  

 He wanted a baby girl so bad.  He was so happy she was finally here.  I kissed her for the first time... she was so soft and smelled so good.  I nursed her for the first time and then gave her to my husband so that the nurses could weigh her.

Obviously not happy that she was under the bright light, away for her Mama.

  My mom brought the boys to the hospital around 7:30PM.  Ruy brought Alanna her pink elephant and Liam brought her pink bear.  Ruy was so excited I could tell he was trying not to smile and Liam just had the biggest grin on his face that I have ever seen.   

They both were so happy to see her for the first time.  It was such a sweet moment.  They both kissed her and just kept smiling.  Ruy and Liam loved holding her.  Liam kept trying to take her back from Ruy saying "it's Liam's turn".  Ruy kissed her when he was holding her and said that she smelled like money.  He looked up at me and said "mommy I wish we could take her home tonight".  It was so sweet to see how much they both loved her right away.    

Liam's first time holding Alanna.

Ruy's first time holding Alanna.

Nathan and I felt so happy and blessed that evening!  It was truly one of the greatest days of our lives!!!

Our first family photo after Alanna's birth.

 I am so thankful for the wonderful experience I had with Alanna's birth.  Nathan and I prayed so long that it would be and God answered our prayers.  I am thankful for my best friend Kim being there for me to take all the beautiful pictures of my labor and Alanna's birth.  It was amazing not having to be stressed about who would be taking pictures of her for me.  I was able to just relax and focus on delivering her. It was her first time photographing a birth and I am so happy I got to share that with her! I am thankful for my sister Selina being an incredible support through labor and spending hours massaging my back through contractions.  I am thankful to my mother for watching Ruy and Liam while we were at the hospital.  It was my first time being away from Liam longer than six hours. I was nervous about that, but my mom is amazing with them and Liam didn't even cry when they had to leave the hospital.  It is wonderful to have someone you can trust with your children.  And most of all, I am thankful for my husband.  He is so strong during labor for me!  He is my rock and I would not have been able to make it through without him!