DIY Microdermabrasion

This is a great mommy time because all of us mom's would love to find the time to go to the spa and get facials. This is a great easy DIY for that to happen with out leaving the comfort of your home. All you will need is: 3 parts baking soda 1 part water to form a paste. Apply the paste in a circular motion and rinse. You don't want to do this everyday because it will dry out your skin but once in a while is always great. It gets the dead skin off your face and leaves it with a natural glow. I will be using this DIY again. For more tips like this check out the tab above (Pinterest Tips)

Bubble Bin

You may be thinking what does this activity have to do with fitness...the answer is simple the amount of arm workout that you can get from playing during this activity. We used a whisk to play with No Time For Flashcards for this great sensory activity.
which brought a little of workout into this activity. I think most of mine came from moving out of the way from the kids getting me soaked. I did this activity with my 2 year old and the 18 month old that I watch a couple days a week. They loved this so if you have little one bored at home while the older ones are at school this is a great easy activity. Thank you

We did this activity inside but next time we will be diffidently going outside....this is messy with little ones but easy to clean up its just water and soap!

What you will need:

• A container to hold water
• Dish soap
• Food Color (optional)
• Whisk
• Water Toys if you would like

What to do:

Add the soap and water to the container. That's it simple now it's time to the kids at it to make some bubbles.

Hope you guys have fun. Don't forget to share pics of your bubble bins on Instagram we will love to see them!

For more great ideas like this checkout the kids activity tab above or my Pinterest board

  Follow Kristina Morud's board Things to do with the Kids on Pinterest.

Zucchini Pizza Bites

This is a great recipe for a quick lunch with the kids. I have been making these while we have been trying to eat clean. My 2 year old loves these and it's great because he doesn't even know its a veggie!
This great recipe came from The Comfort of Cooking. Thank you so much for this recipe its one of my go to easy lunch.

Zucchini Pizza Bites:

Ingredients:

• 2 large zucchini's cut into 1/4  think rounds
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/4 cup marinara sauce
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
• Mini pepperoni (Optional)
• Italian Seasoning for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Rub olive oil on both sides of the zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil on high for 2 minutes on each side.
2. Once finished broiling add sauce, cheese and toppings to the zucchini. Then broil again for another 2-3 minutes. Be careful they can cook fast so just keep an eye on them.

Enjoy!

For more recipes check out the tab above or check out my Pinterest board
Follow Kristina Morud's board yummy food to try on Pinterest.

August Workout #3

Happy Thursday!
Today I have a great little workout that you do at home while watching your favorite tv shows. All you need is a little floor space to move and thats it no equipment!!!!
Remember if you are on this new journey of eating right and working out and need that support feel free to comment or contact me because im doing this journey too!!! Your not alone :)
Hope you enjoy it!!!

DIY Detox Bath

With school season here and kids bring home germs this is a mommy time you will want to keep in mind. When I start feeling sick or even if my kids have been sick I do this. (I don't give my kids this bath I take one myself so I don't get sick)
This pin that I found on Pinterest is a great read on why and how detox baths work by Healthy Living check it out its very interesting.

DIY Detox Bath
What you will need
Bath tub
Hot water
2 cups Epsom salt
5-10 dropsLavender essential oil (I didn't have any so I used my lavender Epsom salt)

Before starting make sure you don't eat before or after this bath.

What to do:
1. You want to make the water hot you want to build up a sweat to get those nasty toxins out of your body.
2. Put the salt and oil into the water
3. You want to get most of your body into the water and sit and relax for 20 minutes.
4. When you stand up please go slowly because you might be light headed so use caution.
5. You want to rinse  off in a cool shower. Be careful of soaps and shampoos because your pores are open. I just rinse off with the cool water.

Hope you enjoy this mommy time helpful like have.

Marshmallow Shooter

This get up and moving activity is perfect for the whole family. When I was looking on Pinterest for fun activities I came across a marshmallow shooter which brought back so many childhood memories when our family would have marshmallow wars. So there was no doubt that we were going to make these.

Thank you Real Simple for this great activity. You will be running around which is the best exercise for the whole family. 

If you don't want marshmallows all over the place you can replace them for the pom poms that you can find at craft stores. The activity called for a plastic cup but I didn't have any so I replaced it was a piece of the pool noodle that I had cut up for the quite block activity that I posted a while back. You can do what ever you want.

What you will need 

Cup or pool noodle

Marshmallows or pom poms

Balloon 

Duct tape

Scissors

What to do:

1.) Cut 1/2 inch off the top of the balloon. 

2.) Stretch the balloon over the cup/pool noodle. Once in place Tie a knot on the other end of the balloon.

3.) Tape the bottom of the balloon.

4.) Load the marshmallow or pom pom into holder once in pull back aim and shoot. 

Have fun!

For more fun activities check out the tab above or my Pinterest board Follow Kristina Morud's board Things to do with the Kids on Pinterest.

Clean eating Taco Lettuce Wraps

Happy Monday! Today I have a yummy recipe that my 2 year old loved to death. Who would have thought that a 2 year old would go crazy about Taco Lettuce wraps. The recipe that I found on Pinterest called for regular taco seasoning but I went on to fine a clean eating taco seasoning and found a yummy recipe that is our new Taco seasoning in our household. I found the clean eating seasoning on Get-fit-Naturally

Clean eating Taco Seasoning-
Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder

*This recipe does have a kick to it if you want to eliminate some of the kick leave out the cayenne pepper and add 1/2 tsp. of paprika. This is what I did for my seasoning.

Directions

Blend all spice together. Use about 1 tablespoon of mix per pound of meat.

Now for the lettuce part this recipe came from the Taylor house thank you for this yummy recipe that my family has fallen in love with during our new healthy lifestyle adventure.

This recipe is a simple and easy dinner to have ready in 30 min or less!

Taco Lettuce Wraps-

Ingredients:

Ground meat (turkey or beef)

Taco seasoning

Lettuce

3/4 cup water 

And your favorite taco toppings

Directions:

1.) Brown your meat

2.) Add your taco seasoning and water and Simmer for 5 minutes

3.) Using your lettuce as a boat add your meat and toppings.

And that's it you are ready to enjoy this yummy dinner with your love ones. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

For more recipes check out the tab above or follow my Pinterest board
Follow Kristina Morud's board Yummy food to try- Healthy eating on Pinterest.

Green Tea Lime Cooler

Today I have 2 post for you sorry that I missed Friday's post my little one was sick.

This is a yummy healthy drink that is an antioxidant-rich green tea perfect to sip on a hot summer day. This drink was very yummy and I will be adding this to a list of drinks. At first it was a little to tangy for me so I added more sweetener to it which helped a lot (2 packets). The recipe called for agave nectar however I didn't have any so I substituted it with Sugar on the raw. Thank you POP SUGAR for this great drink recipe.

Green Tea Lime Cooler
by: Pop Sugar

Ingredients:

• 1 green tea bag
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/2-1 teaspoon of Agave nectar or a sweetener of your choice
• Handful of lime

Directions:

1. Boil 1 and 1/2 cups of water. Add the tea bag and let steep in the water for about 5 minutes.
2. Add in lime juice and sweetener of your choice stir to mixed well.
3. Add a handful of ice 

Enjoy!

August Workout 2

As busy moms its hard to find time to workout. Today I have a quick morning workout that I found on Pinterest that I have been using for a couple weeks now. Hope you enjoy this workout and you feel great afterwards that you are one step closer to a healthy you.

Another thing as  busy moms we don't want to loose time with our kids by going to the gym. I found a great article on Pinterest about The best 6 ways to workout with your kids. I have noticed that when I do workout during the day my kids are right there next to me trying to do the same thing. This article brings to life that it's the small things in our lives that can be working out as a family:

• Going for walks
• Getting them to move (family bike rides)
• Walking the dog 

These are just a few of the things that have helped myself get those extra workouts with my family and help my 2 little ones be more active. For more great ways to workout with your kids check out the article you will enjoy it.

For more great workout tips check out the tab above (Pinterest Tips) or my Pinterest board
Follow Kristina Morud's board Workouts on Pinterest.

DIY foot soak

It Wednesday which means it's Mommy Time time.
With summer here we are all probably wearing our sandals and have noticed the dry cracked feet happening. Don't worry I have found a Pinterest tip that work amazing to get those soft feet back.

Warning! This mixture does work but if you would like you can keep the Apple Cider vinegar out and just use Mouth wash. I have done both ways and they work about the same. When I use the Apple cider vinegar my husband always says it smells like Easter in here...and it does a minty Easter. And it doesn't look pretty. The picture above is just mouth was. The one below here is with vinegar not so pretty.

Not so pretty and smells like a minty Easter egg!

What you will need:

1/4 cup Listerine
1/4 cup Apple cider
1/2 cup Warm Water

Mix all together and soak your feet for 10 minutes. When you pull you feet out you will see the dead skin peeling off. If you have really dry feet you can do longer. And use a foot stone to help rub away those dry spots.

To add another touch I added lotion to my feet to lock in that moister to keep them softer for longer.

Hope you enjoy this mommy time tip

For more check out my Pinterest board.  Follow Kristina Morud's board Health and Beauty on Pinterest.

Ring Toss

This week I have a twist on one favorite child activity that everyone loves. Why just play regular ring toss when you can play GLOW IN THE DARK RING TOSS! This has been a favorite in our household this week. To go along with fitness month this gets you up and moving with the kids. And while you are waiting for your turn you can walk in place or any kind if exercise you would like to do. Between helping my 2 year old I didn't get much that in which is ok cause I was still up and moving with him.

All you need for this:
A piece of paper
A paper towel roll
Tape
Glow stick (2 sticks= 1 ring)

What to do:
1.) Place the paper towel roll on the paper. Tape the roll in place.
2.) Make your glow sticks into rings
3.) Start tossing away

For more great kid activities check out the tab above or check out my Pinterest board.Follow Kristina Morud's board Things to do with the Kids on Pinterest.  

We would love to see your pics on Instagram!

Balsamic Pork Chops

Happy Monday!

To continue our health month I have a delicious recipe to share today. We made these last night and everyone loved them! And the best part they were part of clean eating diet that we have been trying to follow for a month now.

Thank you The Gracious Pantry for posting this recipe.

Don't let the vinegar in this recipe scare you. When it cooks with the oil it creates a nice glaze on the pork chops that isn't a potent vinegar flavor. That was my husbands fear when I told him what we were having for dinner. But when he was eating it he was surprised at how well it was. The best part about this recipe my whole dinner was ready in one Doc McStuffins (30 minutes)!!!

Clean eating Balsamic Pork Chops

Ingredients:

2 breakfast-cut pork chops (about a scant 1/2 inch thick)

2 teaspoons olive oil

6 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil and add the garlic first, then the pork chops.
2. Brown the pork chops on both sides, then add the balsamic vinegar.
3. Continue to cook until the pork chops are done (at least 165 F.).
4. Serve with a veggie and grain of your choice.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did! 

For more yummy healthy recipes check out last weeks recipe Skinny Stuffed Peppers or my Pinterest board. And remember to check in next week for a new recipe.

Follow Kristina Morud's board Yummy food to try- Healthy eating on Pinterest.

Skinny Colada

Here is our fist healthy cocktail.  It's a popular summer time cocktail...skinny pina colada! Thank you Carrots'n'cake for this yummy recipe on Pinterest.

This cocktail is light and delicious. Great for summer time BBQ's or just sitting on your porch with a great book.

Skinny Pina Colada
Makes 1 cocktail

• 2 oz coconut rum
• 5 oz coconut water
• 2 oz pineapple juice

1. Combine all ingredients into a cocktail mixer with ice.
2. Shake and strain into a glass filled with water
3. You can garnish with a slice of pineapple if you would like.

Drink and enjoy!!!

For more drink recipes check out the tab above or my Pinterest Board Follow Kristina Morud's board Drinks on Pinterest.

Workout #1

For the month of August I have decided to make Thursdays about Fitness. For a month now I have been challenging myself to become healthier for me and also for my family. At first I had the mind set it was all about eating right. But after a while I have found out its getting up and moving + eating right = the road to that dream body that you want.

Even though summer is coming to an end I find it's kicking my butt into better gear. In a year I will be back in Maryland for the first time in 7 years. I want to look and feel my best! I have a long road in front of me to get healthy but I'm determined to get there. And if you are looking for help to getting there yourself I hope this helps you and for support feel free to contact me or leave a comment. With a support team everything is possible.

Getting up moving
In everyday task you are burning calories and with every little movement those calories add up with out even stepping a foot in the gym. With money and time so tight there is no time for a gym for this Momma. Skinny Mom has a great article that opened my mind to just how many calories you burn doing everyday task such as:

• If your kids have  Wii Dance party next time join in with them you will be surprised in just 30 minutes you can burn 150 calories. Not only are you having a fun workout your also having some mommy time with your kids.
• Who hates grocery shopping? I know I do especially when I have both kids. But did you know from just pushing the cart you can burn 243 calories in 1 hour! 
• Vacuuming is something we all have to do 2 or 3 times a week but next time just remember for 20 minutes you are burning 56 calories.

for more check out Skinny mom for more information. You will be shocked at what you learn. I know I was. It was a eye opener to get up and get moving.

Do you ever feel like you have no time to squeeze in a work out. Here is a quick one that I have fallen in love with. It's great for beginners to get in the routine of working out 2-3 times a week. It's so simple and you don't need a lot of space to do them you can do them during the commercial break of your favorite prime time show.

Hope you enjoy this workout! Next week I will be sharing a quick morning routine to start you day off feeling great!

For more workouts make sure to check out my Pinterest board 

Follow Kristina Morud's board Workouts on Pinterest.

DIY Deep Conditioning Hair Treatment

Today's Pinterest tip is a perfect Mommy time. As mom's we know your needs always put on the back burner or at least for the most part. I know it's this way at my house. When I found this pin from Discount Queens I was excited to give it a try. My hair has been so dry this summer so I decided to give it a try this week. And I'm so glad that I did my hair is so soft still 3 days later and I keep catching myself running my fingers through it. I will be doing this more often and it was so simple and your guaranteed at least an hour to yourself!

What you will need

- Hydrating Conditioner (Any kind will work I used 97 cent one and it was perfect)

-Plastic bag or shower cap (I used a plastic Walmart bag which worked perfect)

- Heated towel fresh out of the dryer

Before you start anything you want to make sure to place your towel into the dryer. The hotter the towel is the better this will work.

1.) Take a shower and wash your hair like normal. Once finished  you want to add the conditioner to your saturated hair. Apply all over but you want to make sure that you add a lot to the bottoms because that is where you hair will be have more dry spots.

2.) Once you have the conditioner all over your head you want to place your hair into the plastic bag and tie around your head. The tighter the better.

3.) Remove towel from dryer and wrap around the bag. Again tighter the better. Let sit for 15 minutes this is where I grabbed my book and didn't feel guilty about my alone time!

4.) After 15 min rinse out (I re-washed my hair because of the oils). And that's it you have saved a couple of bucks and your hair is soft and silky!

For more great Beauty tips make sure to check back next week or until then check out my Pinterest board

Follow Kristina Morud's board Health and Beauty on Pinterest.

DIY chalk paint

Hi everyone today's kids activity is a 2 in 1! You get to make it and then use it to get up and moving!
Today I'm going to share chalk paint with you thank you for this great pin. It's simple to make and you probably already have every thing in your kitchen. And make sure to make your self a color :)

Chalk Paint
2 tablespoons of corn starch
2 tablespoons of water
4-6 drops of food coloring

Mix everything into a little plastic bowl. Simple as that you are ready to go outside and enjoy some time with your kids!

Now you are probably wondering how is this getting up and moving playing with chalk. There are so many ways one way that I did with my kids is hopscotch. I made the board while the kids were drawing what they wanted and then started playing once it was dried alittle. When my kids saw me up and playing they decided to join in. We had a blast and with out thinking about it I got a good 30 min workout in the middle of the day!

Skinny Stuffed Peppers

Happy August everyone sorry I'm a couple days late. For this month I'm doing something different we are going to make August Family health month. I have noticed that a lot of my blog traffic came from the Ab Challenge post that I did a couple weeks ago. Make sure to check into the blog for more exciting tips:

Monday: Healthy family recipes

Tuesday: Activities to get up and moving with your kids during play time

Wednesday: Mommy health/beauty tips (cause we all need some mommy time!)

Thursday: New workouts to tryout during the week

Friday: Healthy drinks

Hope everyone enjoys this new month! Let's get started with our first healthy recipe that is super delicious. This stuffed pepper recipe comes from Gina's skinny  recipes. This is a family favorite in our household. For my kids they love the feeling more then anything so I leave the peppers out of theirs!

Skinny Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb lean chopped turkey meat
• 1 garlic, minced
• 1/4 onion, minced
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• salt to taste
• 3 large sweet red bell peppers, washed
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
• Olive oil spray
• 1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheese

Directions:

1.) Heat oven to 400°. 
2.) Spray a little olive oil spray in a medium size saute pan and heat on a medium flame. Add onion, garlic and cilantro to the pan. Saute about 2 minutes and add ground turkey. Season with salt and garlic powder, and cumin and brown meat for several minutes until meat is completely cooked through. 
3.) Add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of chicken broth, mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Combine cooked rice and meat together.

4.) Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove all seeds.

5.) Place in a baking dish.Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper half and fill it with as much as you can.Place all stuffed pepper halves on the baking dish and pour the remainder of the chicken broth on the bottom of the pan. 

6.) Cover tight with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes. 

7.)Top with shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy.

Hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we have for the past couple of months.

For more yummy recipes check out the above tab or check out my Pinterest page!

Follow Kristina Morud's board Yummy food to try- Healthy eating on Pinterest.