'Tis the Season

Happy Sunday everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend and not eating too much Thanksgiving leftovers! Thankfully, I live with a bottomless Thanksgiving pit and he's taking care of the left overs in our house.
Oh! Here's a tip to help with after Thanksgiving bloat: Wear you husbands/boyfriends sweats and you may feel like you could eat more! Kidding, but really I've kind of taken oven Robbie's super comfy sweat pants.

This was our first year hosting and cooking. We invited a bunch of Robbie's friends from work. Most of them were single airmen living in the dorms. It was really nice having people over. It kept my mind off being away from home for the first time. We all packed into our small kitchen and had a huge meal. 

Thanksgiving is Robbie's moms favorite holiday and so I had to use all her recipes. I wanted Robbie to feel like he was at home with his mom's cooking. We can say I was feeling the pressure! By the time Thanksgiving came I had asked her 34643 questions, and I may or may not have called her while she was sleeping to ask about the Mac n cheese Thanksgiving morning. :) We're only 8 hours ahead of AZ time...whoops. In my defense, it was an emergency. We only had one close call. I made the sweet potatoes the night before and they just didn't taste right to me. I sent Robbie to the commissary an hour before they closed Wednesday night so I could remake them, and I'm so glad I did. They were a huge hit! 

I am definitely thankful for this guy. 

He helped me clean up all the mess after everyone left and did the majority of the dishes for me. Sweetest husband ever. Then on Friday he brought in our Christmas decorations and got the tree up. 

I just love it! It fits perfectly in our big front window. I can't wait to go to one of the Christmas markets and pick out a new ornament. It is mine and Robbie's tradition. 

Here are a few more of the decorations we set up around the house yesterday. If I took pics of them all you might think Santa's work shop is right here in Italy. Or that I'm overly obsessed with Christmas...#guilty 😳. 

Even Z&Z are in the spirit!

I hope you're all enjoying the remainder of the weekend and ready to start Monday strong. If you have too many temptations around the house don't hesitate to give them away. I threw half a pie away yesterday because I didn't want it in the house anymore! Keep your goals at the front of your mind and get thru December without adding on any lbs. It's all about balance! 

Now, I'd love to hear your Christmas traditions! Comment on the page or here :) 

XOXO,

E 

Everything turned out great! 

Recent Travels

Wow, I can't believe we have been here in Italy for 3 months now. It has seriously flown by. I am trying to take advantage of every traveling opportunity while we're here.
Robbie's schedule allows us to go somewhere once a month or so. He works 6 days on and 3 days off and his days off cycle. This allows about one "real" weekend off a month. I think it is perfect because we are able to save our money the rest of the month for our one trip a month. We have been doing day trips so far and I think it is so awesome that we can see places within one day and then be back in bed in our Italian home!
Here is where we have travelled in the last 3 months:

Venice

Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest (my birthday)

Lugano, Switzerland

Such pretty fall scenery! Coming from AZ I am not sure I will ever get used to it

It was a pretty foggy, fall day in Lugano!

Pisa & Florence

Because you HAVE to take this pic while in Pisa! haha

Beautiful cathedral in Florence

I loved the ancient statues. Such amazing history 

And yes, we ate great food everywhere we went. I usually plan my treats around traveling if that's what we're doing that weekend. I pack lots of healthy food for the bus ride and then when we eat out I try something new. This past weekend in Florence I tried Gnocchi with gorgonzola cheese and pears. YUM!
I am so lucky I get to go to new places and experience new things with my best friend :)
I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the photos from our recent travels!
I love keeping you updated on not just fitness but life too :)

XOXO,
E

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

Before I share this awesome recipe, I just want to take a moment to say thanks to our awesome military.  My husband and I have been on our own journey with the Air Force for almost a year now. I am so proud to be an Air Force wife but to also be able to meet other military members and wives on a daily basis. It is a huge family that I am so blessed to be apart of, so THANK YOU and happy Veterans Day!

Alright, now on to this fabulously guilt free, gluten free pancake recipe (say that 10x fast)! I am always experimenting in the kitchen and honestly there are so many ways to make an awesome pancake. Whenever I find one that I really like I have to share it.
 I have been experimenting with following the Paleo diet about 85% of the time, but here and there I add in things that make my meals not by the book paleo. The awesome thing is that you can find your own shade of whatever diet you like. You don't have to go 100% to be happy with a diet. So find what works for YOU. Take bits and pieces from this and that and make it your own. Anyways, I will blog about finding your own way of eating another time.
Now on to the recipe!

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1/5 c oat bran
• 1/4 c almond meal flour
• 1 whole egg
• 1/2 c liquid egg whites
• cinnamon to taste (I like a lot)
• 2 packets stevia 
• 1 tsp baking powder

Topping:

• 1/2 of a small apple chopped up into small pieces
• cinnamon to taste (again I shake, shake, shake)
• 1 tsp coconut oil 

Directions:

• Put the oat bran into a bowl and add enough hot water just to cover the oats. Mix with a whisk. It should be thick.
• Add the whole egg and liquid oats to the bowl and whisk.
• Add the almond meal and whisk.
• Add the cinnamon, stevia and baking powder and whisk (the mixture will be pretty liquidy and not like a traditional pancake consistency)
• Spray a skillet with non stick spray and put on medium heat.
• Make a medium-small sized pancaked and COVER w a pan lid. This allows the almond meal to cook in the middle.
• Once you see bubbles popping up you can remove the lid and wait for the bubbles to continue to where you can flip. 
• Flip the pancake and cook the other side.

Topping:

• Place the chopped apple in a bowl and sprinkle the cinnamon on top.
• Add the coconut oil to the bowl
• Microwave on high for about 2 minutes. The apples will shrink and make it's own syrup.

Place the topping on top of your pancakes and I personally add just a little bit of sugar free syrup (honey, agave syrup, pure maple syrup are other options) and sugar free cool whip and bit more cinnamon (again…totally optional). 

Let me know if you try these out! Super easy and a great fall breakfast. I personally paired these w pumpkin spice coffee. Yum! 

November Goals & A Killer Hammy Workout

It's November 1st and time to set some goals. Halloween is over and all that candy you eat is in the past  and you still have time before Thanksgiving. I plan on definitely indulging in a yummy Thanksgiving meal especially since it's the first year we'll be cooking dinner by ourselves. I am going to try to make all his mom's recipes bc we have been spoiled with her cooking for years. I feel the pressure! haha.
I have some extra specific goals this month because I am doing a last minute photo shoot with an amateur photographer here. She just needs experience and wants to do some boudoir style photos. I figured why not? Might as well help someone out and keep myself on track!

So here are my November goals:

1. Drink at LEAST a gallon of water 
2. No sweets or eating out until Thanksgiving 
3. Morning cardio 3 days a week 

Yep, just 3. I am already training like crazy so just upping my water and watching what I eat should do the trick! 

Today I trained hamstrings and booty and man am I DEAD. It was a pretty challenging workout and I wasn't even sure if I could complete it but I managed and man I am glad I did. I usually do 5 sets of 20 to get to 100 and it's tough but not like this. Because you are doing 10 reps you aren't resting between each exercise, but only a few seconds between sets. 

It's really important to perform proper form so I am including links to videos. 

Here is what you'll need:

• A bosu ball
• A kettle bell or dumb bell
• Weighted barbell
• The top of a step
• A high stack of steps 

10 rounds of 10: 

Stiff leg dead lifts 

Regular dead lifts

Sumo dead lift 

Single leg dead lift- Step on top of the single step and extend holding the kettle bell or dumb bell past the step to get a really good hamstring stretch. In the video they use 2 dumbbells and no step but I used one heavy kettle bell and if I was reaching back the left foot I would extend with the right arm past the step. 

Step ups- 10 each leg (really high) 

5 rounds of 20: 

Hip thrusters with the bosu ball 

Good mornings with weighted barbell 

What are your November goals?

XOXO,

E 

Happy Sunday!

Wow, it is already the second week of September! Can you believe it?

Fall is getting here and the Holidays are right around the corner. I personally love fall and the theme of  pumpkin EVERYTHING. So far I haven't really seen any pumpkin treats here. Not even at the commissary but they do have canned pumpkin so I will have to make my own treats. I am looking forward to moving into our house...yes we found a house! It is pretty perfect too. It is right here in Aviano and less than 10 minutes from base. Our hotel doesn't have an oven and protein pancakes are tough to make, but as soon as we move I will baking up a pumpkin storm! I also can't wait for my Keurig to get here so I can order pumpkin K-cups.

I also can't believe I have been here in Italy for over 2 weeks now. I still love it here and am just in awe everyday that I live here!

The last 2 weeks have been full of house hunting, appointment after appointment to get everything set up for the new house and getting the hubby to and from work. This will be my first full week here with him at work so I am hoping to stay busy. I need to decide what I want to do for work. I am up in the air because I want to be able to have the freedom of traveling when Robbie is off, yet be busy while he is working.

Last week I finally got aquatinted with the gym by our hotel and it was awesome. It felt so great to sweat and be sore! I have many fitness goals that I want to accomplish: building my legs/booty and getting some abs are on the list. I am trying to train 5-6 days a week and keep my diet clean all thru the week so that I am able to enjoy myself on the weekends.  I think it is so important to keep balance but always keep your goals at the front of your mind.

Oh and lastly, I am super excited to announce that my pups will be joining us next Friday! Thank you so much to everyone who donated and helped make it possible.

I'll leave you with some pics of our latest adventures

Lago Di Barcis- Such a beautiful lake. The water is so blue! 

Gorgazzo Spring 

Learning how wine is made at the winery

Purchased my 2 favorites from the tasting! One red and one white ;)

Basket Festival in Polcenigo

Fresh Fruit and Veggies set up at the festival

Dessert tables too...they love Nutella here! Some of the biggest jars I have ever seen 

Robbie's 1st real cannoli... I had a bite ;) It was ah-may-zing

Parade at another festival in Roverdo in Piano 

I am having a hard time uploading the pics so hopefully I can get more up soon!                              But until then, Arrivederci!!

First Days In Italy

I made it here Saturday evening Italy time and I have fallen in absolute love!!!

Aviano is so beautiful. The buildings are gorgeous and we have amazing views of the mountains surrounding us everywhere we go. The weather is perfect. It was 73 today and coming from Arizona's triple digit heat, I am loving it. 

Love this house by our hotel 

Beautiful mountains

The food...oh the food! Is absolute heaven! Robbie has already said he could live here forever just bc of the food. Lol 

My first night here we got pizza. I wanted to order something out of the ordinary so I went with a pizza that had potatoes and sausage on it. They have some crazy pizzas here, like French fries and hot dogs for toppings. Haha 

After dinner Robbie and I walked from our hotel to a cafe that has gelato. 

First Gelato

I really love where we are staying because it is close to the base but we can walk around to nearby restaurants. Our sponsors have to drive us around a lot because we are off base but they might have temporary housing available soon. 

The first night I was here I tried drying my hair with my blow dryer...bad idea! Although I had a converter it was not strong enough. I blew the whole hotel in .0765678 seconds lol. We were stuck in the dark and w no AC for the night because we couldn't get the breaker working. The next day was Sunday and the office worker was not in but luckily he came back that night and helped us. He took one look at my dryer and said," Yeah don't do that again". He was so sweet he even gave me a blow dryer to borrow that works over here. All the Italian people we have met so far have been really nice. They are all willing to help you pronounce the words and teach you things about Italy. 

Sunday we slept late. We didn't roll out of bed until 11! I never sleep that late but I was out all night. I didn't sleep much on the 10 hour plan ride to Germany and then I had a 5 hour lay over and I took a cat nap on the hour flight into Venice but I guess I caught my second wind because I wasn't that tired. I think traveling during the day and technically staying up all night (AZ time) and getting here in the evening helped me because the jet lag has not been bad and I've caught on to Italy time quick. 

Today we went to the right start briefings the Air Force provides to get us started here. It was just a ton of info on health care overseas, house hunting, getting an Italian drivers license etc. It was information overload. Tomorrow we should get our licenses. Although, I am pretty scared to drive here. The Italians drive really fast and will just go around you if you're going to slow. There aren't many street lights but round abouts which I hate. I told Robbie I'll just ride my bike everywhere! Haha hopefully I get used to the roads here. 

We are very anxious to start house hunting. There are so many adorable homes to look at. We should hopefully be doing that Wednesday and Thursday. 

I am missing my puppies like crazy and hoping they will be joining us soon! 

I have spent the first 2 days just enjoying myself and the food. I love that we do a lot of walking tho. Today I still didn't get to the gym but I kept it healthy and we didn't eat out at any Italian places (even tho Robbie tried for gelato lol). I plan on indulging and trying everything just not everyday! I can't wait to be active here! It is just so amazing! 

Here are some more pics from the last few days of EATING! haha
#noguilt #noshame

Bruschetta verde on top and rosa on the bottom. Both amazing! 

Cream puffs covered in chocolate Mmmm I'm salivating just thinking about them!

We did not think this pizza was going to be SO BIG! lol we were shocked when it came out. This was my second night here lol yes pizza 2 days in a row!

Pretty sure it was bigger than my head! haha

But so good!

Yes we had left overs and they have the cutest pizza boxes! haha

 Robbie's tortellini panchetta Mmmm

See I did eat a healthy meal out haha and the spinach was delicious!

They give you water in a glass bottle when you order it and it is not too cheap! lol the wine is less expensive haha & that was the best parm I have ever had

Well I will bore you all with more pictures later! Tomorrow we should be house hunting and I can't wait!!

Ciao,

E 

Getting the Pups to Italy!

So today I started my day with some fasted cardio and came home to make an amazing breakfast. We have a lot of food we need to eat within the next week.
I can't believe we leave next week to begin our adventures!
I am so excited but completely overwhelmed.
We bought our first set of luggage yesterday and miraculously we are fitting all our stuff so far! The military trained Robbie how to pack like a boss! haha

Although, the excitement is def setting in I am beginning to feel a little sad about my last week in AZ for a while. I have lived here almost my whole life and haven't done much traveling so this is going to be a total change! I have never lived away from my parents (no more than an hour anyways) or my nieces and nephews. Most of my siblings live in state as well.
I am learning that the Air Force is going to a great replacement family for when mine isn't there to help. I have already connected with so many wonderful people thru social media who are willing to help us.
We heard from our sponsors this last week and they sound like they are going to be awesome and help us every step of the way. It is so amazing the bond the AF or military in general feels towards other members. It is making the transition easier and def less stressful.

However, we have one small problem. Our puppies.
It has ALWAYS been our plan to bring our pups over to Italy and never thought it would be an issue. Unfortunately, we found out that there was never spots reserved for our pets to fly with us out of Baltimore on the military plane. Therefore, we have to try to send them by different means. We found this out just earlier this week and have been scrambling to figure out what to do.
We have no one to watch our babies while we get the money together to send them over at a later.
Going thru a company or separate air line from us is going to cost over $2k.
I am the type of person who HATES asking for help and especially in the money department.
But I am DESPERATE. We really do not want to have to rehome or surrender them to a no kill shelter.
If anyone can donate to our cause that would be amazing. I will work even harder to make this page more amazing for my followers and be forever grateful.
Or is anyone has any kind of advice on getting them there in a cost effective manner ASAP that would also be great.

Here is the link: http://www.gofundme.com/3vj9p0

I would also like to thank Danny-J from the Sweaty Betties for being one of our supporters. It mean more to us than you know!

Thank you everyone!
Esther