Friday Favorites

Favorite Pins from this week:

LOVE this wood wall! And all the white - gorgeous.

Source: notesondesign.tumblr.com viaKathryn on Pinterest

Beautiful spring flowers.

Source: scarletstable.com viaKathy on Pinterest

Faith. JUMP!

Source: wordsoverpixels.com viaTracey on Pinterest

Totally cool!

Source: pinterest.com viaKathy on Pinterest

Dreamy.

Source: 500px.com viaRegina on Pinterest

Great idea.

Source: anothershadeofgrey.blogspot.com viaKathryn on Pinterest

I'm listening. Really need you this week.

Source: Kathryn on Pinterest

Happy Friday everyone!

What's for Dinner?

On Monday night I made a Butternut Squash Pasta dish that was, how shall I say this...not that great. If you REALLY REALLY love butternut squash, and could sit down and eat a bowl of it, then this dish would be right up your alley. However, I don't live down that alley! We all struggled through it, and finished it (even the girls!) - real troupers we are :)

So last night I needed something to make up for the Monday disaster. This one was delicious and so easy to make - double whammie! It is definitely going in the recipe folder.

Lemon Ginger Chicken Thighs (from BHG)

...except I used limes, 'cause that is what I had...so, this is my adapted recipe...

Lime Ginger Chicken Thighs

Ingredients 

4 small limes1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
2 tablespoons honey 
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce 
8 chicken thighs with bone (I only had 6 in the packet I bought and it worked out fine)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Sliced green onions and lemon wedges (optional) 

Directions 

1. Finely shred peel from two limes and juice all limes. In bowl combine the lime peel, ginger and salt. In another bowl combine lime juice, honey, soy sauce and 2 Tbsp. water.

2. Rub lime peel mixture under the skin of the chicken thighs (actually, I cut off all the skin and just rubbed the mixture all over the chicken legs). In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Place chicken, skin side down, in the hot oil. Cook 7 minutes or until well-browned; turn chicken and add lemon juice mixture. Reduce heat; cover and cook 14 to 18 minutes longer or until done (180 degrees F.). (If you don't have a lid for your pan you can use a mesh splatter thing - I don't know what they are called! - and put foil on it)

3. Transfer chicken to plates. Skim fat from pan juices, if desired. Drizzle chicken with some of the pan juices. Top with green onion and serve with lemon wedges.

I served this with a fresh salad and some leftover spiral pasta from last night. The salad consisted of baby spinach, cherry tomatoes cut in half, cucumber, corn kernels, and a little drizzle of ranch dressing (very little). The chicken was awesome! and so was the salad :)

And on another note: Fitness goals so far this week have been met! Monday was yoga, Tuesday a rest day, and Wednesday a run (on the treadmill) and abs! Okay, maybe not earth-shattering, but a start. That's a third of the week down, got to keep it going.

 

Motivation

Just because we all need a little extra motivation on a Wednesday...to get over the hump!

 No more excuses!

 

Just Do It!

 

Drink More Water.

Get out and run.

And a link to a great blog I found, for some inspiration:

This post from Unconventional Kitchen - figure out WHY you want to do this, and WRITE IT DOWN.

Here are my top 5 WHYs:

1. To help stop the pain in my hip and back
2. To fit my clothes better
3. To feel better about myself
4. So I can take my kids to the pool/beach/lake AND swim with them
5. To get healthy 

Also, make a PLAN. Write down the plan you have for this week - workouts and meals. Make it easy to reference - this will make is easier to stick to!

Here is my exercise plan for this week:

Monday - Yoga (check)
Tuesday - rest day :)
Wednesday - Run, Abs
Thursday - Exercise DVD, Yoga
Friday - Walk, Legs, Exercise DVD
Saturday - Exercise DVD, Arms
Sunday - Walk, Yoga

We will see how I go. Ahhh....positive thoughts, positive projection!

Good Luck!!

Easter Inspiration

Planning out a few things for our Easter celebration - here are a few pins from my pinterest page:

I think the girls would love to have their nails painted like this. I don't think I could manage the sweet little bunnies and chicks, maybe just the dots.

Source: catchmyparty.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

Aren't these cute felt Easter eggs adorable! I would love to have time to make a few.

Source: flickr.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

This is so perfect for Easter lunch.

Source: celebrationsathomeblog.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

This one would be a great project for the girls to do.

Source: bhg.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

We did something similar to this last year, and it was adorable. Must find it and set it up again.

Source: bhg.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

So there you have some sweet Easter inspiration. You can also check out my pinterest board - http://pinterest.com/kathryncox/easter/ - for lots more ideas.

Spring Flowers

What a nice way to start the week back to school, after Spring Break, with pretty flowers in the bathroom. Who is ready for the beautiful spring weather to start? I think this lime-y green might be my "spring" color this season :)

 

We had a mixture of relaxing moments and "GET.IT.DONE" moments over our Spring break. Still organizing the kitchen. Got the carpets cleaned. Re-positioned some things in the playroom, and tidied the girls' bedroom! 

The girls and I also started our dollhouse. We are converting/"renovating" an old bookcase into a dollhouse for their mini-American Girl Dolls. The girls picked out all the "wallpaper" and "carpet" and some furniture. I'll share next post :)

Back to work, and school. Today is so peaceful...I mean, lonely without them ;)