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snowy hike
January 4, 2021

New Year, Same Everything Else

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Welp, we made it, friends – it’s 2021! I hope you enjoyed the little look down 2020 memory lane via my most popular blog posts from 2020 blog post!

Even though closing the door on 2020 and starting 2021 changes absolutely nothing, it’s still kind of nice mentally to have that year behind us. And it’s also exciting to be in the year that we will complete our family. <3 

We made it back to DC from PA (where we were for pretty much all of December with Matt’s fam) last week on Wednesday. It’s nice to be back – the snow was pretty but I was very ready to be able to go for walks without snow pants and in warmer temps. 😉 

snowy hike

Speaking of which – walking in the snow is such a workout! We did a little one mile loop around a frozen lake a couple times and I was so exhausted afterward!

snowy hike

Beautiful out there. 

snowy stream

We had some yummy meals before leaving PA – one was a turkey bolognese spaghetti night with a side salad:

pasta with turkey bolognese sauce and salad

And another night Matt grilled us some salmon, sweet potatoes, and Matt’s dad made his delicious caesar salad. The homemade dressing is so good, I have to get his recipe! 

salmon with salad and sweet potatoes

Since getting home on Wednesday we’ve just been laying low. We have been doing a ton of stuff around the house, doing a billion loads of laundry, putting away Christmas decorations, I’ve been getting some work done, etc.

We also ordered Riese a big girl bed, which will come next week! We wanted to get her out of the crib sooner than later so it would feel less like a direct “the new baby is stealing my bed” type situation.

Next steps are to slowly start getting baby boy’s room together… right now it’s a guest room, so we need to sell the dresser and bed in there, move the crib over, and get him a little dresser and something to hold his books/toys. It’s a quite small room, like Riese’s, so we need to be smart about how we organize everything!

Anyway! Back to food. I got a rotisserie chicken for us when we got home and we had that for a bunch of meals with a brown rice/lentil mix (one of those 90 second microwave rice packages), string beans, guacamole, black beans, and hot sauce. 

rotisserie chicken, black beans, brown rice and lentils, string beans, guac, hot sauce

I ended up having the leftover rice and beans with a fried egg on top for breakfast the next day. When in doubt, throw an egg on top!

I’ve also been really into eggs in my oatmeal – that’s one of my favorite tricks for making high protein oatmeal. We had this a lot in PA because it’s easy to make a few servings worth on the stove. You can’t taste the eggs, they just make the oats creamy/pillowy!

oatmeal with eggs plus snowy woods

My last breakfast of 2020 was avocado toast (<- lots of topping ideas in that post), though. I have this at least a couple times a week, usually as my “second breakfast” mid-morning. It’s just so yummy and easy!

avocado toast with strawberries

As for New Year’s Eve, it was extremely low key – we stayed home and I had a super hard time deciding whether to wear leggings, sweatpants, or pajamas to NYE on our couch. 😉 Crazy to think just last NYE we were in Aspen!

I ended up deciding on sweatpants, in case you’re wondering, and it felt like the right call. In a turn of events that surprised neither of us, Matt made it to midnight and I went to bed at 9:30. Sorry I couldn’t hang, Matt!

For dinner on NYE, I was testing out a new recipe that I’ll be sharing on the blog on Wednesday – Instant Pot Vegetable Soup! It’s kind of like my Easy Minestrone Soup recipe, but minus the pasta and made in the IP of course. Stay tuned, it was yummy!

veggies sautéing in instant pot

And in the meantime, if you got an Instant Pot (<- affiliate link to the one I have, 6 quart version) for Christmas or already have one and want recipe ideas right now, check out this post: Healthy Instant Pot Recipes. 

making vegetable soup

We had the soup with a side of grilled cheese and it was yummy and easy. The leftovers have been good, too – we mixed them up and added some of the leftover rotisserie chicken (<- more ideas on what to do with leftover rotisserie chicken) plus some pasta to make it heartier. 

It was rainy on January 1 so we hibernated and did housework all day and played with Riese – we got this hand me down “Gumball Grab” board game from a neighbor whose kids outgrew it and Riese is really liking it. It’s fun that she’s old enough to play games like this with us now! 

gumball grab

She’s in hardcore “Three-nager” mode right now though, y’all, and it’s a LOT. Sooooo many tantrums (so intense they literally sound like exorcisms, not joking) and so much whining/sass.

I’m nervous about going back into the workweek situation with no childcare and no naps. I know we need to try to implement a quiet time routine in place of nap but we haven’t made it happen yet… need to steel ourselves first for the battle of wills because she does NOT want to stay in there by herself during the day. 

Anyway, yesterday was lovely weather-wise so we got out for a little family walk outing in Old Town, Alexandria. The sunset was amazing, isn’t this gorgeous?

sunset in old town

It was fun wandering around along the waterfront, too. It was 50 and partly sunny and so nice to get some fresh air! 

view of the water in old town alexandria

Matt and I attempted to get in a run yesterday (with Riese in the jogging stroller) before our Old Town outing but it didn’t go super well – I was really hoping that I’d be able to keep running longer into this pregnancy than I did with Riese, since it’s winter vs. summer for my second trimester this time and the cold makes it way more manageable, but the second we started running it just didn’t feel good.

I kept getting what felt like a stitch in my belly and it just didn’t feel right, so I stopped. I was feeling pretty down and frustrated to be honest because mentally I could have really used some endorphins. I’m jealous of those who are able to run during their whole pregnancies but need to accept that at 20 weeks now running is just not what my body wants me to do.

Sidenote if you are running right now, though, I have an app rec: Just Draw It. It’s a really cool route planner/distance finder for runners, walkers, bikers, etc. and you literally draw on a map with your fingers to find the distance. It’s really cool and free, too. I like it better than Map My Run!

Anyway, at least there are a lot of other fitness options available to me right now, though, like walking, hiking, at-home yoga, strength training, modified boot camps, etc. And Matt and I actually just bit the bullet and after months of thinking about it we ended up getting on the wait list to do the 30 day free Peleton bike trial at home. I’m excited… it comes in mid-February. Wish it was sooner but it will be fun to try it out and see if it feels like a good fit for us, because we are going to need something to get us through this winter without in-person fitness classes an option and outdoor cardio options more hit or miss with winter weather!

And that’s all I have for you today, my friends! Lots of all over the place rambling to kick off the new year.

By the way, some of you on Instagram have been requesting more Intuitive Eating-related blog post content to counteract all the diet messaging now that it’s the new year, so I wanted to re-share a couple of my older posts that might be helpful/interesting as we continue into January! 

  • Why I Don’t Recommend Whole30
  • Intuitive Eating for Runners
  • Intuitive Eating While Working from Home
  • How to Eat Intuitively – A Guide to Mindful Eating
  • Why You Should Throw Away Your Scale
  • What Causes Sugar Cravings (And How to Get Rid of Them)
- anne
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24 comments
  • Mandy January 4, 2021 · 9:19AM:
    Working with a three year old and no childcare is no joke! I don’t know if you shared exactly your plan but make sure your taking care of your mental health too by giving yourself a break! :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 4, 2021 · 11:23AM:
      Work in progress for sure, as I feel it is for everyone right now... oof!
      Reply
  • Molly January 4, 2021 · 12:23PM:
    I feel you on mourning the inability to run further into pregnancy. My little one is 10 months old now, but when I was pregnant I had grand visions of running to the end. Well, by mid second trimester I couldn't do it any more, and I was also pregnant during the winter. It just felt off. I was so sad and resorted to the elliptical for some endorphins. It must be extra difficult to deal with that right now during a pandemic when you can't go to the gym. Good luck, and as with all things, this will not be forever! :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 4, 2021 · 12:38PM:
      Thanks Molly - definitely working to remind myself that this is not forever! Hoping the Peleton will help with some cardio endorphins that are more pregnancy friendly... we'll see. :)
      Reply
  • Roadrunner January 4, 2021 · 12:42PM:
    Congrats on enjoying such a nice white Christmas, walks in the snow, and, now, walks in nearly spring weather! Sounds like you had a great final month of 2020 (good riddance to that year, though), pandemic restrictions notwithstanding. And exciting to hear about the transitions and preparations on the home front. Exciting months ahead for you and Matt and Riese!
    Reply
  • Jenn January 4, 2021 · 3:28PM:
    You'll love the PelOton as a way to connect with others. It's such a fun community.
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 4, 2021 · 4:14PM:
      I'm excited, everyone I know practically has it at this point it seems like and LOVES it!
      Reply
  • Claire January 4, 2021 · 4:25PM:
    I'm also currently pregnant and starting in my late 2nd trimester I had the same thing you mentioned- felt like a stitch on one side of my belly, more towards my belly button otherwise I would've called it round ligament pain! I find stopping to stretch my hip flexors and doing a few deep squats helps, as well as doing more walking intervals and also shortening my stride and trying to land more softly (hard to do with a growing belly!). Maybe this will help you out if you do decide to try any more runs! Congrats on the pregnancy and best wishes :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 4, 2021 · 4:40PM:
      Thanks Claire, I will give that a shot if I try again! Appreciate the tips! My stitch was in the same spot, closer towards the belly button, but on one side.
      Reply
  • Diana January 4, 2021 · 6:11PM:
    I hear you on the running! I’m about 2 weeks ahead of you and running these past few weeks hasn’t felt great. Actually feels ok during but not so much after, so I think it’s time to hang it up for the rest of pregnancy. However, we got a Peloton when I was about 10 weeks pregnant and I’m loving it! The bike still feels pretty good and there are a bunch of different types of classes depending on how hard/ easy you want to take it. Excited to hear how you like it. Also looking forward to seeing what you do with your nursery! We are expecting a boy too (our first baby) and have a general idea of the theme we’re going for but I love seeing what other people come up with!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 5, 2021 · 3:38PM:
      I'm excited to hear you like the Peleton and that biking feels good! I'm so excited to try it... wish it was coming soon!! And yes I will definitely share nursery pics once we have it organized!
      Reply
  • Mary January 4, 2021 · 6:25PM:
    Hi Anne! You once linked to your friend Jenny’s blog Calm the Chaos, and I have found it extremely helpful dealing with little kiddos (I have a girl and a boy 3 years apart). I bet she describes exactly how you may feel with sometimes!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 5, 2021 · 3:39PM:
      Yes! I still love her blog, it's incredibly helpful! I actually texted her a few weeks ago because I was completely losing it and she talked me off the ledge, haha. She's a wealth of knowledge and very kind, too!
      Reply
  • Carrie January 5, 2021 · 3:00PM:
    Anne, you will love the Peloton! My husband hates spinning classes so I wasn't sure it would make sense for us, but he loves the competition aspect (and not working out with a bunch of strangers). In case you aren't aware, Kristin McGee offers pre and postnatal yoga classes, which you should definitely check out. As for tantrums, Calm the Chaos has helped us a ton too! So thanks for that intro :).
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 5, 2021 · 3:40PM:
      Yay re: Calm Chaos! Matt is pumped about the Peleton... he was the one who finally signed us up for the trial because he has a lot of friends who love it! We figure even post-covid it will be great once we have two kids for one of us to quickly do a workout without it being a big time suck. I'm thinking it will be helpful for baby naptime workouts, too, when I want some cardio but can't leave the house!
      Reply
  • Kristin Albers January 5, 2021 · 3:04PM:
    I have a three year old too! BUT I have a two year old as well who seemed to take over her threenager phase for her : ) It is ROUGH. Check out streetparking! I know you are more of a social exerciser, but the community is really awesome! It is online programming with a group page that is very positive and always active. I made some really great friends through it. I signed up when gyms closed down in NY and I just could not get out of the house because of my kids. It has been life changing!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 5, 2021 · 3:40PM:
      Cool! I'll check it out, thanks!
      Reply
  • Haley January 6, 2021 · 1:52PM:
    Thanks for the honesty about Riese—always nice to remember that others don’t have perfect kids either! Best of luck navigating all you have going on! My second is three months and the transition from one to two was easier than expected.
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 6, 2021 · 2:03PM:
      Perfect kid does not exist! Especially at 3 years old ;) This age is very Jekyll and Hyde... soooo sweet one minute, crazy insane the next. That's good news about the transition, gives me hope!
      Reply
  • Semolina January 6, 2021 · 6:44PM:
    Thanks for recommending Just Draw It! It's exactly what I need and so simple to use. I'm not much into measuring/counting/keeping track, but occasionally want to know how far I biked or walked, and this app is perfect. I'm enjoying your mindful/intuitive eating content. I learned about mindful eating a long time ago and it helped me a lot. Glad to have some additional info.
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 7, 2021 · 10:42AM:
      Awesome, so glad to hear Just Draw It has been helpful, and that you've found the IE/mindful eating content helpful, too. Thank you for reading!
      Reply
  • Carrie January 8, 2021 · 3:52PM:
    That has definitely been the case for us! It's perfect to squeeze in a quick workout during an episode of Daniel Tiger too :).
    Reply
  • Ashley January 8, 2021 · 7:24PM:
    I just wanted to comment in solidarity that my son was TERRIBLE at age 3 (he's newly 4). It was pretty awful, so I empathize. We also had him at home for most of my maternity leave with our second, due to the pandemic and preschool being closed, so that was hard. He actually regressed a lot because he was used to being in school with friends and structure. But I think a lot of kids are like this at 3. I'm sure it's especially tough while you are pregnant! I was about to order that gumball game when I remembered that I have an 11 month old who puts literally everything and anything in her mouth. Fun times ahead for you all, too!! Congrats on your news, and happy new year!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 11, 2021 · 10:18AM:
      Oh man, I was just remembering the everything in the mouth phase and thinking about how many tiny piece games/toys we have all over the house nowadays... yikes!
      Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

When I’m not writing or cooking for fannetastic food, you can find me running, coaching nutrition clients, or on an adventure with my family. Feel free to reach out - I'd love to hear from you!

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