Slumps and Faves
I was in a little bit of a slump yesterday.
I loved hanging out with my little sidekick after work
but after she went to sleep, I had a decent amount of time to be productive before bed. I just wasn’t feelin’ it.
So instead, I painted my nails
and watched Glee, which ended up being a horrible choice. What happened to it? Glee used to be SO good. It’s dead to me now.
I think part of the slump could be related to the fact that I haven’t been cooking real dinners much at all this week. Liv is the only one who has had real meals and mine have been even more all over the place than normal, mostly due to the Pilot’s work schedule. It’s hard to motivate myself to make legit dinners when he’s not here, especially when it’s been a long day and the last thing I want to do is cook. Definitely going to make it more of a priority next week.
(Thank you to nana for supporting my tamale obsession)
The weather could have something to do with it, too- it was super sleepy and cloudy yesterday.
I guess we all have “off weeks” every now and again, eh? Anyone else feeling a little slumpy?
(Bell, who always manages to have a kick in her step. She also sleeps 18 hours a day haha)
Here are some of the things I’ve loving this week:
-Blueberry goat cheese. My only conundrum, which isn’t really a problem, is that I don’t know what to pair it with. I’ll just break off a giant chunk and eat it plain, which is why I had to use a Google image instead of the one in our fridge, which has been squeezed like a tube of toothpaste and rests in a Ziploc baggie in the cheese drawer.
-Justin
My #2 favorite almond butter never fails to disappoint. I love the texture and it’s been especially fabulous in almond butter, jelly and banana wraps (just spread almond butter on a tortilla, jelly, a whole banana and roll up)
–This piece about military wives. I don’t like to use my blog to vent or complain -it’s a positive place- but having a husband who works long hours, when his life is often is in his hands can get a little intense sometimes. Reading that piece was a nice little virtual hug.
-New book on the reading list! I finally finished the Handmaid’s Tale- it took a little longer because I googled the ending and wasn’t in such a hurry to finish it after that- but am excited for my next book. I only read for about 15 minutes before bed each night, until I get sucked in.
*
I read Violets of March and absolutely loved it- I have a feeling this one will be the same way. What are you reading right now?? I always love your suggestions.
-Your awesome pics <3
@jacwheeler made not one, but two, absolutely gorgeous DIY holiday wreaths
@joyceTIU breakfast cookie– the classic never dies 😉
@mylife102 after rocking out the most recent ab burner!
and the tempeh taco lettuce wraps by @soyaetchocolat
I have a block on tempeh destined for taco glory.
This morning, Liv and I are hanging out before heading to lunch with Kyle, then tonight, I have a yoga date with some friends.
See you later today on the fashion page! Here’s to a no-slump Friday 😉
xoxo
Gina
*Amazon affiliate link
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I get a slump week every 28 days. 😉 This was the week for me so Wednesday was a get into pjs the second I get home day, but I did force myself to go to BodyPump yesterday! I was actually thinking of you, Gina, because this blog helps to put me in a “no excuses” mindset. Obviously all of us ladies go through our lady times and they make us two shades of crazy. However, in the past couple of years I have come to care so much about my health, being fit, and getting wedding day ready. On the days that I just need a rest I will take it but I’m no longer going to block out the entire week like I used to as an excuse to not work out.
**No one tell my fiance I wrote this because I still refuse to cook during this week!** 😉
Here’s a thought on your blueberry goat cheese. I read a blog where someone was enjoying “breakfast salads”. I could see the goat cheese paired with a baby spinach salad with fruit and nut components and maybe a homemade maple poppyseed dressing or something along those lines. I could also see that goat cheese morphing into some type of grown up style grilled cheese or bruschetta with some sweet/savory type components. Now I am hungry.
I think we’re all entitled to a slump day once in a while. I frequently use my lazy time to paint my nails too! Helps me not munch on cookies or something just because I feel low.
Thank you so much for the link to the beautiful piece on army wives. I think I have said this before, but reading your blog has made really opened my eyes, or I suppose to be more accurate, made me really think about the many, many challenges military families face. I am constantly amazed by your positive attitude in supporting your husband, and inspired to do better myself though my challenges are different (and in many ways much smaller).
I’ve had a slump in the dinner meals this week too! I didn’t plan ahead and just picked up random food from grocery so my meals haven’t been as great as usual. And that blueberry goat cheese is calling to me! I like you have a problem with just eating it from the package and usually crumbling up a mess on a counter somewhere. Yumm. Happy Friday!
Have you had Justin’s Vanilla Almond Butter yet? It’s a Whole Foods Exclusive, and it’s the most delicious thing ever.
I second that! I’m embarrassed to say how quickly my jar disappeared.
You still seem pretty productive! If that’s your slump week then your productive week’s must be insane.
And I want that blueberry goat cheese…
Suggestions for goat cheese:
• spread on a gluten- free bagel
• use it for stuffing in a crepe
• pancake topping
• pair with graham crackers
• stuff chicken with it and make a yummy savory blueberry sauce to go on top
• top a fruit salad with it
I agree that it’s hard to get motivated for meals when your cooking for one. I’ve had some very sad wierd meals at times when my hubby is at work. One night I had full intentions of making a yummy salmon salad. I realized I had no salad greens and nothing else seemed appealing. I had made my son a big batch of butternut squash baby food so guess what I had? Salmon and puréed butternut squash! It was actually pretty good. It was just a little wierd to know I was eating my baby’s food.
Hope you have a little more kick in your step today 🙂
I’ve been having a slump week too. I live in Canada and when I wake up to go to work it’s dark and when I get off at 5 it’s dark and it’s definitely affecting my mood.
That blueberry goat cheese looks amazing!! I’d prob just eat it with a spoon. Nothing says you HAVE to pair it with somehing! Just enjoy! 🙂
I’ve been in a slump too this week! Something about wanting my life to be somewhere that it’s just not right now…wishing for things in the future and to have more than I currently do. Trying to reign it in and be present more and focus on all the good things instead. Hoping to regroup this weekend. It helps to know someone else is in a funk too 🙂 Virtual hug to you!!
I believe we allllll have slump weeks….er…days 😉 Hang in there! The sun will come out (tomorrow)…haha
I’d put the blueberry goat cheese along with roasted beets on some type of crostini, maybe even drizzle w/ a little maple syrup?
I totally agree about glee. I used to watch it all the time and now I don’t care about it at all. Disappointing.
I am also reading Blackberry Winter right now and can’t put it down. I do get stuck in a state of humdrum especially when my husband travels.
Totally agree about the weather! I hate when it’s cloudy and rainy, it makes me want to sit and do nothing. It’s hard to get yourslef motivated to cook, when it’s only you that has to eat…much easier and less messy to just have a bowl of cereal!
I would definitely make a “breakfast grilled cheese” with that blueberry goat cheese!
I’m a huge tamale fan too… living in CA, they are so much easier to find than in FL. Love it 🙂
dude. i’m on it. 🙂
Thank you for sharing the military wives piece. My husband was deployed the first 5 months of our first pregnancy, left for a few weeks after our wedding and will now be gone the last part of the pregnancy. I’m fortunate enough to have family here, but still hard when all you want is your rock. I can completely relate to that piece the planning the wedding while he was over seas, praying he would make it home and we wouldn’t lose the deposit and have to reschedule. I still find it funny to call myself a military wife, but its what I am and what defines much of our lives. We definitely treat everyday like he could leave tomorrow. I vividley remember every single time he has told me he is leaving… I remind myself he wouldn’t be able to do his job with out me and I am just as important piece to our military as he is.
It’s amazing what overcast and rainy weather can do for energy levels! But at least your weather is still warm – it’s in the 30s and 40s here now. Brrrrrrr!
Ever since the clocks changed here and the weather’s gotten chilly, I just CANNOT get motivated. I usually run after work, and now it’s dark and cold when I get off. The only way I’ve been running at all is by taking my dog around the neighborhood, since she’s always, always over the moon with the idea of a run in any weather!
I thought I was the only person who’s eaten bananas in tortillas!
Slump week, yes. Got dumped after 5 years, car broke down, got sick and had to reschedule a test, failed said rescheduled test. It can only get better, right? Right?
oh man. i’m so sorry to hear about all of those things 🙁 thinking about you- hope next week is a thousand times better.
Hang in there name twin. The pain is temporary. I’m rooting for you 🙂
I get in slumps sometimes with my food too! I tend to teat the same thing over and over again until I am sick of it! Love Justin’s almond butter too! Definitely one of my favorites!
I just finished reading The Fault in Our Stars, and I cried the entire way through it (well, I was crying when I wasn’t laughing hysterically. This book made me feel like I was manic depressive). I cannot recommend it highly enough!! I haven’t shut up about it all week.
TOTALLY get slump weeks. My favorite way to get through them is to hug my dog/play with him/walk him a lot, use a lush fresh face mask, eat some good, healthy food, and watch Downton Abbey. Problem solved 🙂
Sorry to hear about the slump, girl, but it’ll pass soon- they always do. I definitely find myself slumping every now and then, especially if the weather is bad or I’m lacking in sleep. And omigosh can I ever relate to just not being in the mood to cook dinner. I only have myself to cook for and I’m almost never willing to put in the effort when I get home from work so dinners are often a frozen pizza, waffles, or cereal 😆
Hope you’re feeling better!
We had the same TJ’s goat cheese this week, and you know what we paired it with? More goat cheese. Delicious.
a girl after my own heart 🙂
Why did you google the end of Handmaid’s Tale? It’s such a great piece of literature!
because i HAD to know if her daughter was still alive
Slumps are normal, no big thing. I’m in a weeks-long slump because I’m trying to save money for a very expensive move…so, I haven’t made a real meal in a few weeks. Feels strange.
Also, I’m not a fan of this “Read more” link at the bottom of your posts! Can we go back to the old way where we can just read the whole post without clicking through?
I ditto that!!! I always get sucked in and have to go find where I was! Not a huge deal but thought I’d second the motion lol
I loved Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn if you haven’t read that one yet. It really sucks you in! I just downloaded this one to my Kindle, sounds good 🙂
I second the recommendation of Gone Girl. It’s a really engaging story about a woman that turns up missing, told from the point of view of the husband who is under suspicion and her diary. So good.
Also, State of Wonder by Ann Patchett is fantastic. It’s about a pharmacologist who gets sent deep into the heart of the Amazon to check up on the progress of this intense old lady doctor that is working with a team of doctors and scientists on a fertility drug. They have discovered a tribe of people whose women stay fertile THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. The last person that went to check on them died under mysterious circumstances. It’s a great read.
You have go to try trader joe’s ginger snap and goat cheese. ITS AWESOME. best combo.
Liv is getting soo big! I just bought TJs cranberry got cheese and love it on top an arugula salad With balsamic glaze…obsessed right now with the combo
As we hit month ELEVEN of my husband’s deployment… that military wife post was both wonderful and incredibly depressing. Because it makes me realize that the end of this deployment isn’t the end of this lifestyle.
I got that goat cheese and had the same problem! It’s amazing tho! I ended up making a baby spinach salad with the cheese cut up (I frose it a little to make it easier to cut) and sweet and salty roasted pecans. Amazing!
that sounds INCREDIBLE
If you haven’t already you need to read Sarah Jio’s The Bungalow too. I couldn’t put it down it was that good. 🙂
I loved loved Violets of March, too. I think part of that (okay, a lot) had to do with it being set, and that author living on the island I grew up on. It’s such a small island and for it to be publicized like that was pretty cool but I also loved how she was able to capture its beauty and magic..
I haven’t read any of her others but would like to!
PS-that’s so cool that you have French readers!!
another ps–I was just thinking it would be really cool if you did another day in the life post next week !!
Have a happy friday <3
Same! I read 15-20 minutes in bed, and then drift off….I couldn’t get enough of this Trilogy by Jennifer Donnelly. I did not speak for 3 days till I finished it and that means something!!! 😉 http://www.jenniferdonnelly.com/tr_home.html
I bet blueberry goat cheese would be good on a whole grain cracker of sorts maybe with something like chutney? Or a date? My aunt always pairs goat cheese with chutney and it’s pretty bomb. And I totally know about the globby toothpaste mess that goat cheese packages turn into!
I’m in a slump myself today – my kid’s been napping and napping and I can’t bring myself to do anything productive. Sometimes, I think our brains just need a day to turn off and reset so might as well take it for what it is and enjoy some peace. 🙂
I’ve been in a slump lately too! When it starts getting dark so early I get sad and it makes me not want to do much. I need to make sure I get a workout in today! That post on military wives was so touching, hats off to you, I don’t know how I’d survive that.
I love that blueberry goat cheese! So good on a mixed green salad with a sweet balsamic vinaigrette.
I’ve also used in leu of plain goat cheese in this recipe: http://matkonation.com/en/recommendations/my-top-five-la-restaurants-chickpea-pancakes-with-honey-and-goat-cheese-recipe/
…WHICH IS SO GOOD! If you’re in the LA area- make it to this restaurant. You won’t be disappointed.
My husband thinks me wrapping bananas in tortillas is strange. I love it and was sure I had invented it. Knowing I am not alone in that habit makes my heart happy. 🙂
I almost always lose all motivation to cook when the husband won’t be home for dinner. Least week he was out of town on business and my daughter and I ate the most random Hodge podge leftover creations the whole time!
Can’t wait to read that book I’m in line at the Liabary for it, did you read her book the bungalow highly recommend it! They finally opened a TJ’s near me and I’m addicted, just made my first cup of candy lane tea and its so good!
I am super prone to slumps! I have an unrelated comment though. Didn’t I read something on here a while back about dry brushing? I tried using the search but can’t find it. Please send link if I am remembering correctly. Thanks!
I’m the same when my husband’s gone – the will to cook and even eat go out the door. It’s more like force feeding myself whatever simple thing (grilled cheese sandwiches on repeat) I can muster up the will to make. And, I can so relate to the slumps. They come and go for me, too. Right now I’m in the midst of moving, which is a pretty big transition, so I’m a little slumpy myself ;). The good thing is that the slumps always eventually go away – sometimes it takes a day or a week or even a month, but they always end. That’s the beauty of health and fitness being a lifestyle – it’s about the average over long periods of time, not the occasional slumps here and there. 🙂
You could pair your blueberry cheese with water thin crackers?
I was in a bit of a slump yesterday as well until I remembered that it is almost the holidays and I get to spent countless hours with my family which brought me right out of my funk. 🙂 Whenever I get flavored goat cheese (love fig flavored!) I always spread it on Ezekial/ brown rice tortillas or have it with Mary’s crackers and fruit. So good!
I also have a tamale obsession but have a hard time finding tamales that are made without lard in the masa. Are the tamales your nana gets made with lard? If not, do you know what he uses instead?
I definitely agree that Glee just isn’t the same anymore. Such a bummer 🙁
I’ve been having a slump month! My In laws were tragically killed in a car accident last month. 🙁 I’m still in such shock about it. My heart is broken for my husband and my 6 month old who will never know her grandparents. :(. I haven’t been commenting much, but I’m taking the advantage to read your blog while Elliana naps! it is a nice distraction. Your blog posts help me remember to take care of myself while I’m taking care of my husband and daughter during this difficult time. Thank you 🙂
I have had my share of “slump” days as well… I think as the days get shorter (and really dark where I am!) and with the anticipation and planning of the upcoming holiday season, you just need to give yourself a break. You have to remind yourself that you deserve it (and this is coming from a fellow Type-A that has started to relax a bit) 🙂
I need that goat cheese!! And as a girl who was formerly a Air Force gf until an unexpected breakup after his most recent deployment, I can appreciate that mil wife story you shared.
Oh my gosh! My picture is on your blog! What a honor! Thank you!! 🙂
Oh and thanks for the recipe, my sister and I really enjoyed it!