Joyce Moulton's Buffalo Chicken Muffins

Buffalo Chicken "Muffins"

Ingredients:

1lb lean ground chicken breast

2 (1/3 cup) cage free organic egg whites

½ cup oats

Finely chopped  adult carrot

Finely chopped teenage celery stalk

Finely chopped green onion

(optional: handful of chopped baby spinach leaves)

2 tbsp. Franks Original Red Hot sauce

2 tbsp. Trader Joes List Chili  Pepper Sauce (adds even more flavor without the sodium!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray

Scoop desired amount into each well (roughly 2.5 oz per “muffin”)

Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are brown and chicken is cooked through

10 Servings (one 2.5oz muffin)

66 Calories, 11 Protein, 5 Carbs, o .8 Fat

Recipe Courtesy of: Joyce Moulton (Ponytail Power)

Happy 30th to Me!

On February 28^th I celebrated a pretty significant milestone in my life (at least I think so). I turned 30… the Big Three-Oh… the Dirty Thirty! FINALLY!

I’ve been struggling with the idea of turning thirty for a while now, but now that it’s happened, really what difference does it make? Truthfully I feel like people think you’re more of an adult when you aren’t in your 20’s anymore. That somehow those extra 365 days from 29 and 30 actually makes a difference between who you were and who you now are.

Brian and I (along with S, B & C) already have a vacation planned for the middle of March that was meant to be my birthday gift from Brian, but because he spoils me so, he knew I’d also want a party! For the weeks leading up to my birthday he’d been working with my mum, sister and a little input from me to put together a pretty spectacular party. When he asked me what type of party I wanted, I waffled – at first I wanted an 80’s themed roller-skating party, but then we found out you can drink and skate so that was out; then I thought maybe bowling would be fun because you can definitely drink and bowl but then we saw the price and that was out too; we finally settled on a fancy-schmancy cocktail party hosted by Brian at my parents’ house.

With the help of a family friend (who just so happens to be a caterer) we put together a menu of delicious “pickies” – scallops wrapped in bacon, chicken & beef skewers, wonton wrapped shrimp, stuffed mushrooms, a cheese platter and a crudité. All my favorite things. THEN, just a week before the party, Sarah asked me what we were thinking about for dessert. Have you honestly ever been to a party (weddings included) where people actually eat the cake? Probably not, so we knew that wasn’t the route we wanted to go. We thought maybe we’d ask Hannah to make cupcakes, but being on such short notice I didn’t think it was fair to ask. Sarah mentioned the idea of a chocolate fountain, reminiscent of the one we had at our wedding. I couldn’t have come up with a better option. We were able to locate a company called Dolce Indulgence, near my parents’ house that rents them (including the chocolate and skewers for up to 50 people) that happened to have one available for the day of the party – problem solved! Although it was pointed out to us after the fact that because we didn’t have a cake we also didn’t sing Happy Birthday! Oops!

Then came the issue of what I was going to wear. Now, I know for some people that probably sounds so materialistic, but honestly the biggest reason I wanted a fancy party was so I could get dressed up! Everyone else could have come in jeans for all I cared as long as I was dressed it didn’t matter to me. I immediately went to my Facebook friends to ask opinions of where to go and someone suggested Rent The Runway. I’d heard of the company before but never had a reason to use them so hadn’t looked into it. But as soon as I did I knew I would be renting a dress. Why bother going out, spending $50-100 on a dress you’re going to wear once and then hang in your closet and never see again? I was able to browse thousands of designer dresses from Badgley Mischka to Kate Spade before I settled on a TIBI navy-blue long-sleeved backless sequined number. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. The dress retails for $385 but I rented it for under $50! It arrived the day before the party and it was PERFECT! It was exactly what I was hoping for! I paired it with a gorgeous pair of earrings from Francesca’s Collection and a pair of hot pink pumps from my mother’s massive shoe collection. I’d had my hair done that afternoon at Dellaria in Danvers and felt like a princess.  And of course I had the best looking date there!

We chose to go with a black and white theme for the party décor. From the flower arrangements created by my in-laws to the balloons (all 42 of them) to the linens and straws everything was black and white. It was perfectly elegant. But knowing the crowd we also wanted something “fun” so we decided (or I should say I decided) that we needed to have a photo booth. Brian built a frame out of PVC pipe from Home Depot for about $10 and I purchased a piece of white fabric for less than that. I downloaded a party pack from Esty and had them printed on heavy cardstock at Staples. We secured them to black and white dowels and displayed them in the den. We set up my camera to take photos on a 10 second time delay and away we went. It was a “house rule” that no one could leave the party without taking at least one photo booth picture! It was such a blast the next morning to look back at the photos and watch the night progress from the very tame (sober) beginnings to the “Last of the Mohicans”!

All in all, the party was exactly what I was hoping it would be. I can’t think of a better way to ring in my new decade than to be surrounded by our closest friends and family!!

Six Month Update

We had Lucas’ six month check up on Wednesday the 5^th. 

I was convinced going into it that he was going to be well over 18lbs and 27in long. Boy was I surprised. Our little man weighed in at 16lbs 9oz and is 26.5in. He’s in the 32^nd percentile for weight and the 45^th for height… his head however is humongous! He’s in the 89^th percentile for his noggin – which isn’t a shock to me considering I had to push that thing out! Haha! The doctor said it’s just because he has such a big brain to fill with all sorts of knowledge!

Over this last month he has really started to come into his own. His personality is coming through more every day and he truly is the light of our life.

He has mastered the “multi-roll” and if I’m not paying attention can get from one place to another in seconds!! He can officially sit on his own – although if he gets too excited he topples over (because of his bobble-head). He is definitely teething and is putting every single thing possible, including his feet, into his mouth just to get some relief. He is fascinated by C and Berklee, always trying to figure out what they are doing and why he can’t do the same things yet. We’ve graduated from the swing (sad day) into the “circle of neglect” (or as we call it “his office”) and also the jumper. He absolutely LOVES to jump. Sometimes he’ll be crying because he’s hungry and laughing at the same time because he’s jumping. It’s a riot. He knows his name and will look at you when you call him. He can pass toys back and forth with his friends and loves anything that plays music – also not surprising given who his father is. His favorite songs are (in no particular order) “C is for Cookie” (we sing through each letter – A is for Auntie, B is for Berklee, C is for Charlie etc.), “The Wheels on the Bus” (he especially likes this if he’s in the Ergo and I bounce him “up and down” on the chorus), “You are my Sunshine” (I sing this to him every time he’s going down for a nap and at bedtime) and most recently “The Ants Go Marching” (and no not the Dave Matthews song)

But… the biggest difference between five and six months is that we tried solid foods for the first time! Lucas’ pediatrician gave us the go-ahead at his appointment but I had to wait because Brian was travelling and really wanted to be there for it (which I totally understand). We decided that carrots would be the first food he tried. Our doctor told us there is no set “color order” any more for solids (some people adamantly believe you have to start with orange and then progress to green and red) and that we could start with anything we wanted. He did suggest (as have Jami and others) that we start with a veggie first. If we started with fruit we’d be almost guaranteed that he’d eat it but then we might struggle getting him to try things that are less sweet. We waited until Sunday night to do it and it was hysterical. He’s just so curious about everything so the second he saw the bowl and spoon he immediately started reaching for them. I put the first spoonful in his mouth and his reaction was priceless! He scrunched up his nose and smirked as if to say “what the heck is this?” but then he couldn’t get enough of it! He of course painted the entire highchair with it but managed to keep himself relatively clean. It was such a huge milestone. I’ll admit I cried a little bit because as exciting as it is to watch him discover new foods it just even further proves how fast he’s growing! My baby isn’t so much a baby anymore!

We talked to his doctor at his appointment about his development and the doctor said he’s right on track. He’s doing everything he should be at this age and that he’s “perfect.” When we were discussing food he reminded us that “Food before one is just for fun” and that the majority of his nutrition is still going to come from breast milk. He also said the best time to experiment with foods is once in the morning and once at night – between nursing sessions. He said if we fed him immediately after I nursed him he’d be too full and wouldn’t take the food and if I waited until immediately before nursing he might be too hungry and frantic to really want the solids. So we’re going to try to schedule it so that I nurse him at 6:30am and then daycare will give him 1.5oz of carrots (or whatever he’s eating) between 8-8:15an then a bottle at 9:30am. We’re still trying to figure out the nighttime session though because typically he nurses at 6:30pm and again at 9:30pm but I’m not sure I want to be giving him solids at 8pm.... we’ll figure it out soon enough!

It’s still so crazy to me that we’re already discussing food schedules! I literally feel like I just gave birth to this little guy and now before I know it he’ll be walking!! It’s the most cliché saying ever but time really does fly. So, I’m still trying to absorb every move he makes and take as many pictures as I possibly can so I don’t forget one single minute of his life! There are days I find myself missing the tiny baby I brought home in September but then I look at the little boy he’s becoming and I just melt!

We leave for our first family vacation on March 19th so I probably won’t blog much during that week but I’m excited for that adventure! It’s going to be interested traveling with two small children (S, B & C are coming too)!

I just can’t wait to get out of all the snow and cold! Stay warm!

I'm SPONSORED!!!

I’m a SPONSORED ATHLETE!

Wow! I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to say those words. In my experience the majority of sponsored athletes (at least in the bodybuilding world) are at the Pro level of competition. I’ve watched many of my friends earn their pro-status over the last three years and quickly thereafter secure a sponsor. I didn’t make it to that level in 2011 and when I stepped away from the stage I didn’t think the chance for a sponsor would ever be a reality.

My very dear friend, and WNBF Figure Pro, Courtney McDonald is a three time sponsored athlete (Athletic Xtreme, Swole’s Gym & No Surrender). She has been in the pages of magazines, on radio and television programs and recently taken part in a very special ad campaign. In my mind those are the people that get sponsorship opportunities, not the new mom who hasn’t stepped on stage in three years.

So when I got the email late last night with the words “We would be interested in having you on the team” I practically fell over! I had, on a whim, applied for sponsorship with Athletic Xtreme, honestly never expecting anything to come of it. I told them my story, how I’ve always been athletic but could never find my niche. But then I was introduced to bodybuilding and everything changed. I got pregnant, continued to live a healthy lifestyle and am now ready to reclaim the body I once had… something about all that connected with them. Maybe it’s because my “journey” is going to be different than any other athlete they currently sponsor, or maybe I just have a really good way with words … who knows? Either way, they chose me! And I couldn’t be happier!

When I told my husband that I was sponsored his first question was “What does that mean?” … after we talked about it a bit, he was just as excited as I am, if not more so. He knows how much the bodybuilding world has changed me in so many ways and how much I long to get back on stage. But he also knows that right now Lucas is #1, that I’m not quite ready to commit to what an “on season” entails. He knows I’m happy where I am and how I’m progressing. I know with his support no matter what choice I make will be the right one.

I have no doubt that AX would like to see me step back on stage at some point in the near future, but I also know from what Courtney has told me, they support their athletes in all their endeavors. They have Cross-Fitters, members of our Armed Forces, Spartans, Powerlifters – you name, AX sponsors athletes across a broad range of industries.

I’m so excited to have this opportunity to promote Athletic Xtreme as I embark on a different sort of journey than many of my teammates, and I’m thrilled that they have chosen me to be a part of their family!!

I’m just a mom who wants to be as healthy and happy for my son as I possibly can. If I can live my dream of being in the fitness industry at the same time then I’m even more blessed than I already was.

Thank you to Athletic Xtreme, Brandon, Zach and the rest of the AX family for welcoming me with open arms! I promise you won’t be disappointed!!