Remember our mystery tree?
Mystery solved: they’re oranges!
My mom brought one in the other day, cut it open and we shared it. Super sweet and delicious 
Maybe we should start watering said mystery tree?
Another fabulous baby meal:
Chicken tortilla soup from my friend Meara,
topped with a couple of corn tortillas, sliced up, 1/2 avocado and cilantro
+ salad and fruit
It was the last of the baby meals, and we are so grateful to have had our friends cooking for us for the past 3 weeks. Tonight, I’m back in the kitchen, but I’m going to take it sloooooow….
Whenever I go a little while without cooking, I always get nervous and wonder if I still remember how to. It’s silly, really. The same thing goes for fitness or teaching after taking a long break or hiatus (I hurt myself dancing in college and injured my knee a couple of years ago). I would go back to dance after winter break and wonder if I would totally forget what I was doing, and yesterday we were listening to Zumba music in the car –I pretty much always have salsa or reggaeton playing- and I was thinking about how nervous and excited I’ll be to teach again. In the meantime, I’m definitely enjoying the daily walks/chat seshes with my friends <3
Today we’re off to the mall- see ya later with a Family post!
Have a wonderful day.
xoxo
Gina
Something to read:
Can you make exercise a habit?
Not so extreme school lunch makeover
Burn more calories in your yoga class
For fun:
{ 58 comments… read them below or add one }
The picture of “how we feel, how we look” made my morning! Thanks!
Totally awesome – I would absolutely LOVE to have citrus trees in my backyard!! Of course, I’ve seriously thought of moving to Georgia to have my own orchard of peach trees. I can’t think of anything more heavenly.
*sigh*
Nice to have the break from cooking – you’ll get back into the cooking swing with no problem-o!
Laughing at that Zumba picture. So, so very true!
I spot Bella eyeing your soup bowl
can’t blame her, it does look amazing!
That is so cool that you have an orange tree! I remember when my family spent a summer in Australia, I couldn’t believe how people were just letting the oranges in their gardens fall to the ground. They grow like crazy there!
Is there any way you can share the recipe to that amazing looking Tortilla soup!?!
Have a great Tuesday!
Zumba picture = 100% true!! LOL.
I love the article on cuddling! I am a big cuddler
I definitely feel less stressed and relaxed.
and orange tree, how nice!
Omg, that pic cracked me up, I MUST post it on my fb!
Gina, you are such a rock star! I envy your citrus tree. Some day, I want to live in a climate that would allow citrus trees to produce fruit in my back yard.
Thanks for the dailySpark shoutout, too!
That’s a wicked surprise to have an orange tree! I wish I lived in a climate that could randomly grow fruit trees.
Love the Zumba pic!
hope you share some of those slow cooker recipes!
An orange tree in your backyard? How awesome is that!!!
I’ve been wanting to tell you that I tried Zumba for the first time a couple weeks ago and FELL IN LOVE with it. You were one of the big inspirations that made me want to try it and I’m so grateful! It’s the first kind of exercise I’ve really ever tried, and I’m SO GLAD that I did try. I can’t imagine ever giving Zumba up now!!!
Is there a recipe for that soup?! Looks DELICIOUS!
What a perfect tree to discover! It’s orange season and they are really delicious right now.
I totally know what you mean about nerves after long hiatuses. I didn’t bake for about a month and when I busted out the measuring cups and flour again I was convinced it would be an utter fail. It worked out fine, though, like most things we worry over!
I looooove the slow cooker, but have NOT dusted mine off for a while now….jeez, I should do that!!
xxoo
Hahaha that Zumba image is SO true! And I love that final dance scene from Step Up 2! I recorded it when it was shown on TV a while ago and still haven’t deleted it because I just like to watch it from time to time haha. I am such a sucker for high school dance movies!
I get the same way when I don’t do anything for a while; I worry I’ll forget. Such a weird anxiety, because I almost always just slip right back into it!
Oooh, an orange tree — how exciting!
Love that Zumba pic, haha!
Ohh that looks like a delicious meal! Those baby meals are so sweet and how great that they make them healthy and homemade! I’m definitely impressed! And I get that way too! Whenever I haven’t done something in a while I get nervous that I won’t remember how/won’t be as good! It’s silly but true for me too! PS Love that picture– I def feel like that first picture!
Oh my gosh, I LOVE that ‘how we feel/look’ picture. To be honest, I don’t really care how I look, because Zumba makes me feel so awesome!!
amen
Wish we had some more baby meals. Would’ve meant a whole lot less trips to Jack in the Box (that’s what happens when hubby “cooks”). Fortunately my bro-in-law moved in, and he is a very effective cook!
And that Zumba picture is exactly why I have such a hard time enjoying Zumba. I know I look like a freak, and I can’t get over it (even though everyone else is just as freaky as I).
it doesn’t matter, though! it’s just for fun
Glad you were able to reap the bounty of that tree…wow, that orange looks gorgeous! I used to have a lemon tree in my backyard. The house was built in 1923 and the tree was planted then and that tree had about 250 lemons on it, year round. More than I could ever use!
After taking breaks from anything, I think a few butterflies are warranted, i.e. teaching fitness classes. But you’re a natural in the kitch and teaching; enjoy being back among the dirty dishes
That Zumba pic hit the nail on the head!! LMAO
Rule # 1 about cooking, if you mess it up add some more stuff till it tastes good 
That’s what my Gram always said.
man, i would kill to have an orange tree in my backyard! mmmm!!
Your food pics always have a way of making me crave healthy food! You do a great job making it look so delicious.
I love that “how we feel/how we look” photo!!! I may have to use that!
I get the same way about teaching zumba – the other night I put in an old old old song that I haven’t done in about 8 months. When the music started playing, I had a mini panic attack and thought I had forgotten all the moves…then my body just started doing them without me even thinking!
I’m sure you’ll be just as awesome as ever!
thank goodness for muscle memory
So jealous of your orange tree!! I’ve always wanted to live somewhere where fruit would grow in our backyard…
Oranges! Yum!
Also, do you have any favorite healthy go to slow cooking recipes?! I feel its a great invention but all the recipes I find are not too kind on the waist
i have a couple on the recipe page- sweet potato and black bean chili and eggplant curry are my faves
I can’t wait to have our very own home and have fruit trees and a veggie garden!
How cool to have an orange tree! We didn’t realize it when we moved into our house (since it was december in MO), but in the spring we found out that we have a peach tree, a cherry tree, two apple trees, AND a pear tree! I love all the free fruit
Avocado in tortilla soup is one of my FAVORITE add-ins ever.
LOVE that zumba picture – so true! Hope everything’s going well with you and the little one
thank you!
So jealous of your orange tree – that’s so awesome! I’m sure you will get right back into the swing of things once you start back up!
I like that Zumba flatters curvy girls. The movements of it just look way more sexy when you have hips.
It totally cool that you balance your fruit bowl with mini kit kats. Nobody is judging..
I haven’t had a stove for a week and I kind of feel the same way. haha. I will be able to try it again on Wednesday hopefully!
Hahaha! That Zumba picture has made my day so far – I can totally relate!
Gina, would you post some of your favorite slow cooker recipes?? We were given one when the boyfriend and I moved in together but it’s still living in the box because it makes me nervous. Chopping veggies, potatos and meat and tossing them in a pot…can it really be that easy??
yes! just add some seasonings and water/broth.. it really is that easy
my faves are sweet potato and black bean chili and the eggplant curry (both on the food page)
xoxo
So doing this this weekend! When my boyfriend says “thank you for dinner” I’ll say “the fitnessista says your welcome”, lol.
That is so awesome that you have an orange tree! I hope you’re planning on making some freshly squeezed orange juice with all those oranges!
an orange tree– how awesome! Enjoy your evening!
I love reggeaton! I think our playlists would be very compatible.
Good luck getting back in the kitchen, I’m sure you’ll be just fine.
Wow that “how we look…how we feel” picture is totally me. I do Zumba at home and I was feeling myself the other day. Then I caught sight of myself in the mirror and I busted out laughing. I look like the ultimate do do bird. But it doesn’t matter because it’s fun.
I’m sure your food will be great. Just imagine how much more creative you’ll become now that you will have to start thinking up healthy meals for the little one in the future.
haha, I am totally the same. I always feel like I am going to “loose it” when I take some time away from anything. fact is, you are amazing, and I doubt that you could loose your skills. Your crock pot meal looks lovely, and I LOVE that picture at the end.
I love hearty soups. Excited for you to get cooking again!
Oranges? That reminds me of Sevilla, Spain. There are oranges growing along the boulevards, but it’s apparently illegal to pick them, but rightfully so — they add such a cute twang and authenticity to the city.
That Zumba graphic is the best thing I’ve seen in a while. Totally posting it on my studio’s fb page–I think it will make a lot of people smile and breathe easier about their shaking skizzles. Perhaps it is even preferable to Zumba like Ace Ventura in a tutu–whatever floats your boat!
I’m so jealous of the fruit tree in your yard!
I so love your eats. You often give me inspiration
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed the Zumba picture! I made it a week and a half ago as a joke for my friend who drug me there. I had no idea it would go viral!! HAHAHA!
You are amazing!!! Is there a source I can link to for the picture, or at least put your name??
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100472318936030&l=6af962e2e5
Here’s the original post on FB. My name’s Alisha Koch. Thanks so much for sharing! I’m tickled at how many people find this as funny as I did. I’m sure the toddler thought I was nuts – I was literally laughing out loud as I edited the photos together. =D