Hey y’all & happy Friday. It has been a crazy 2 weeks here at the Muse household and while I’ve been trying to juggle summer-time fun, getting tasks done, and adjusting to new schedules/routines I decided to take a week away from the blog to catch up on life & also decompress a bit. Last week was crazy & fun and this week has been busy, but also very relaxing at the same time, so I am very excited to share today’s recap with you all! I hope that each of you are doing well and have enjoyed y’all’s summer as much as possible.
After I left you guys last recap, Mila and I got ready to go to her first dentist appointment. We were meeting Jordan for him to take her to get her teeth checked & cleaned for the very first time. She did an awesome job, but wasn’t the biggest fan of the fluoride lol!
Later that evening I made a spicy fettuccine Alfredo & Caesar salad. This meal was a big hit & I was so excited when Mila asked me to fill her plate with even MORE salad. This girl was a total champ at trying new foods this summer.
Mila & I enjoyed a slow Friday morning having some breakfast together & then heading to the rink to skate for a bit. Mila got better & better each time her and I took the ice this summer. I’m so happy that she enjoys doing something that I have loved my entire life.
We spent that Friday evening at my parents house enjoying card games & Lupe Tortilla’s fajitas. It’s always a fun time having game night’s with them.
I’ve been enjoying a meal with animal protein about once a week & these beef fajitas were delicious, but I have noticed a huge difference not eating meat nearly as often. I’ve noticed that the meat doesn’t always end up tasting as good as I once remembered & it has also been causing acid reflux almost every time I eat it lately (sorry if that’s TMI for you lol). It’s crazy how quickly your body can change & adapt to new ways of eating even after a short period of time. I am still working to figure out which foods make me feel my absolute best & I have definitely found some favorite meals, veggies, and fruits along this journey so far, but I’m excited to continue evolving and trying new things all while focusing on my overall health, but also my happiness.
It rained most of the day on Saturday so Mila, Jordan, and I enjoyed a relaxing day at home eating comforting foods & watching movies. I whipped together a super easy meal of butter noodles & ranch style beans to eat for dinner and then the three of us watched “Now You See Me 2.” It was definitely a nice & cozy evening together.
Sunday was one of my oldest friend’s bridal shower. It was so great being able to get out of the house & spend some time with some of my favorite gals that I grew up skating with. It’s so crazy to see most of us getting married, doing amazing in their careers, and others also having little ones on the way. I am very grateful that skating brought me these wonderful friends & I feel very blessed that we have remained close after all this time and are able to celebrate these special milestones with each other.
We met my grandparents for dinner at Walk On’s Bistreaux to celebrate Jordan’s upcoming birthday. We all split an appetizer of boudin balls & I enjoyed a giant Caesar salad for my entree. Mila also requested that I share a picture of the delicious spaghetti she ate as well.
Monday, July 27th, was my husband’s 27th birthday (his golden year)! It was sadly super hard to plan something for his birthday this year with everything that is going on during this crazy pandemic, but I still wanted to try and make his day as special as I possibly could. I woke up early to make him some avocado toast with scrambled eggs on top to take to work with him & also left him a little birthday note.
I also had a little surprise for him later that evening. I managed to get together both of our immediate families & a couple of our good friends to join us at one of Jordan’s favorite restaurants to celebrate his special day. It was a super fun evening filled with laughter, our loved one’s, the Astros, and delicious food. It was a huge hit & Jordan seemed to love it, so that made me very happy. I also loved how his Astros themed birthday cake turned out from Nothing Bundt Cakes. Jordan is a mega fan of their red velvet cake with chocolate chips.
Tuesday started off a little rough waking up to several cancellations from my students & then also a full day of rain. I ended up coaching for a very short period of time in the late morning and then took Mila to paint at Potter’s Wheel with her cousin, Ella, in the afternoon. They were so cute together telling each other stories, painting their pottery pieces, and saying that they missed each other so much. Trying to find fun things to do this summer during a pandemic while also trying to remain safe has been a very tricky task, but I was happy with the safety measures that Potter’s Wheel were taking and we were also the only one’s in the shop painting that afternoon, so it was perfect!
Mila & I went to skate together on Wednesday morning & then met Jordan for lunch at Hopdoddy. We tried out their Impossible Burgers & split their parmesan truffle fries. It was all so delicious!
We met Jordan’s sister, Brittany, at a nearby Tex-Mex restaurant for dinner & I ate some cheese quesadillas.
Mila had a wonderful sleepover with her aunt BB on Wednesday evening after dinner & they made the most delicious looking pancakes together Thursday morning. Also, I absolutely love the Christmas music playing in the background of Mila’s cooking tutorial lol.
We had a fun evening at the pool on Thursday & enjoyed some yummy plant-based burgers with all the fixings!
We had a fairly relaxing Friday. First, I took Mila to skate so that she could show Jordan & her Mom all of the cool tricks she learned throughout the summer with me. Next, Jordan, Mila, and I stopped by a nearby Chili’s for some grub. I enjoyed some cheese quesadillas with chipotle ranch. Lastly, we spent the evening at the apartment chillaxing & watching movies together.
We enjoyed a super fun Saturday by checking out an open house and spending the rest of the day at my parents house eating delicious food, watching movies, and playing Phase 10! My dad ordered these amazing bruschetta toasts to be delivered. One of the them was Caprese toast with mozzarella, tomatoes, and vinaigrette & the other was an avocado toast with an avocado spread, corn, and parmesan cheese. We also had Freebirds for an early dinner. I always order a Freebird with a whole wheat tortilla, cilantro lime rice, black beans, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
Mila & I woke up and got straight to baking some chocolate chip protein muffins on Sunday morning. She did an awesome job being my assistant baker and the muffins were delicious. Jordan, Mila, and I enjoyed our food while we watched “Christopher Robin,” which is such a cute & heartfelt movie. I loved Winnie the Pooh growing up, so watching that movie as an adult brings me so much joy, plus it has such a great message about how important time with your loved ones is.
I didn’t get anymore pictures the rest of the day, but it was sadly the last day of our summer-time with Mila. We stopped by another open house in the early afternoon & spent the rest of the afternoon/early evening at Jordan’s parents house visiting with his parents, siblings, and grandparents before we all had to say “goodbye for now.” Even though it was a hard summer to plan the typical “fun” things to do, it was still a great time with our sweet girl. Her and I were able to enjoy so much one on one time and we had a blast getting to do things like Harry Potter Day, ice skating, pool time, Kindergarten prep, and so many other things. My hope is that by next summer we will be able to do more “normal” things like vacations, camps, play centers, etc. but we shall see how all of this craziness pans out. My heart goes out to everyone struggling with all of this uncertainty and honestly just a very strange time in our lives not knowing what the next steps are or making the right decisions. The more I think and pray about it all, I have come to realize that we truly are not in control of this and I just have to accept that things are strange right now, but that one day (hopefully) they will get better and knowing that there really isn’t a “right” or “wrong” decision either. Each of us have to make the best decisions we can based on our families & circumstances.
I took Monday for myself. I worked a little bit in the morning, got a chipotle bowl for lunch, snuggled with my kitties, accomplished some tasks I had gotten behind on, and enjoyed some wine.
I also kept dinner super simple & whipped together some spaghetti, whole wheat garlic toast, and Caesar salad + a second glass of Merlot while Jordan and I relaxed and watched “Dark” on Netflix.
Tuesday was a very exciting day for me! I finally was able to get my hair done for the first time in 9 months & I did something crazy…I chopped it off! I absolutely loved being able to get my hair to such a long & healthy length all on my own (no extensions), but after about 2 years of long hair and getting to the point where I would dread fixing it, I decided I needed a change so I went for an icy blonde, long bob and I am obsessed with it.
My hair appointment took about 5 hours, so my sweet husband picked us up some veggie burgers from Whataburger on his way home from work for us to eat for dinner. We order the #1 with no meat & leave on all the veggies, add a slice of cheese, + mayo, mustard, and ketchup. It might sound strange, but it is so good.
I enjoyed a slow morning with my cup of coffee before heading to the dentist for a full exam. I was happy to leave the appointment with good news of healthier gums, no cavities, and cleaned teeth.
I spent most of Wednesday getting some chores & reading done while Minerva & her big belly snuggled next to me. I also devoured a delicious homemade pizza.
Once my belly settled from the pizza, I got in an outdoor bike ride in the excruciating Texas heat & a quick arm circuit inside.
My arm circuit included:
•3 sets of 15 bicep curls
•3 sets of 15 dumbbell shoulder press
•3 sets of 10 skull crushers (my triceps are weak y’all)
Lastly, I got cleaned up, put my night gown on, poured myself a glass of Merlot, and began prepping dinner. I was pleasantly surprised with how dinner turned out. I gave Jordan’s Stuffed Bell Peppers a spin and made a couple of swaps to make them plant-based. I used Beyond Meat Ground “Beef” & Tofutti’s dairy-free “cream cheese.” They definitely tasted different, but they were GOOD, so I’d call that a success. We ate our peppers while watching “Down to Earth with Zac Efron” on Netflix. We are both digging this show. It’s so neat to be able to follow along as they travel the world learning about different cultures, traditions, foods, and new ways of sustainability.
Yesterday, I woke up and enjoyed an egg bagel before getting ready to coach on the ice for a bit. My coaching attire has been looking a little different lately with a new accessory added to the mix.
After coaching, I got in a nice & hot 2 mile outdoor walk and met Jordan for lunch afterwards at Salata. I ordered a large salad with romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, black beans, red onions, boiled eggs, bow tie pasta, and Caesar dressing. It was sooo good & definitely hit the spot after a hot walk!
Once I got home I conquered a quick circuit that had my legs shaking like crazy afterwards (and very sore today lol).
Thursday’s Circuit:
•3 sets of 15 squats with a 5 pound dumbbell
•3 sets of 10 standstill lunges with 5 pound dumbbells in each hand
•3 sets of 10 sumo squats with a 5 pound dumbbell
When I think about what all I did in Thursday’s circuit, I think about how simple & what used to be “easy” of a workout that was and how much harder I used to work out when I was training as a competitive figure skater, but I have to remember to be kind to myself and recognize that I haven’t trained like I did when I competed for years now. Our bodies are constantly changing and we can’t expect something that used to seem easy to feel the same way when we’re older and maybe not as active. I have been learning & continuing to learn to be kind to myself & my body. I am also learning to recognize that even if something feels hard, I should just be proud that I am doing it in the first place.
I woke up this morning feeling oh so sore from that leg circuit I did, so I’m trying to decide what kind of movement I should do today to help ease the soreness. I will most likely take it easier today with a nice morning walk, some stretching, and maybe a little ab circuit. I’m currently finishing my morning cup of coffee as I wrap up today’s post and feeling very content going into this weekend. It has been nice being able to take this past week to do a bunch of things that bring me joy, catch up on things I needed to get accomplished, and also sit back and relax at certain times. I look forward to carrying all of that out this weekend as well & also getting to spend some quality time with my husband.
I hope that each of you have enjoyed this very long recap & I’m thankful for those of you who have made it this far in today’s post. I hope y’all have a wonderful weekend & I look forward to being back to write again very soon.
Questions for y’all:
1. What are some fun things you’ve done this summer during the pandemic?
2. What are your favorite plant-based recipes or food swaps?
Please don’t forget to leave your answers in the comment section below. 😊
XOXO, Paige.
Paige Muse 