Maybe it's just the crazy amount of "things" we got for christmas, or the mess that my daughter makes in my house on the daily, but i am so overwhelmed with the amount of personal belongings throughout our house. Does anybody else ever feel this way? Like you can never keep the house clean for more than a day because of all the stuff?! My plan in january is to completely binge through my whole house and get rid of anything that has not been used within the past year. 

I have made a list of goals i would like to accomplish throughout 2017, short term and long term. I used to think New Years resolutions were bologna because nobody actually ever follows through with them. But now that i am a mom and wife, i think goal setting is completely rational to tackle tasks that may seem far fetched. 

This list may seem like a lot to some, or nothing to others but i feel it is a good amount of goals to work on throughout the next year. I am so excited to donate so many items in our home that we don't use. It is going to take a load off my shoulders and make so much more free space from clutter!

Getting started: 

• Make a plan and a list!
• Start with one resolution at a time. 
• Start with something easy, like running for 5 minutes the first week, 10 minutes the next week, etc. Slow and steady wins the race.
• Put your list of resolutions somewhere you can see them every day. Examples: Refrigerator, bathroom mirror, nightstand, etc.
• Make a routine. Want to workout but don't have the time? Set your alarm an hour earlier and go to bed an hour earlier. 
• Track your progress
• REWARD YOURSELF!

Did you ever eat your grandmother's carrot cake as a kid just for the cream cheese frosting? I remember secretly taking a swipe of frosting right off the top of the cake hoping nobody would notice once the slices were all dished up.

If you're anything like me and LOVE carrot cake, or at least cream cheese frosting, but hate the guilt of eating it, I have found the BEST recipe! I stumbled upon a carrot cake protein pancake recipe on Pinterest and KNEW that my long lost childhood memories of eating carrot cake frosting had been fulfilled! You can find the blog with the recipe here. 

I gave this recipe a shot after my gym session with Ben & Jerry ( my biceps 😉) and HOLY MACARONI!!! This recipe completely exceeded my expectations of "healthy" pancakes! And filled my muscles with some glycogen and protein! Score! Double wammy there folks.

This recipe will definitely be going into my recipes for next weeks meal prep, which i might possible share as well. The icing on these cakes are what takes this recipe to home base. Using real cream cheese is always a winner in my book. 

DIRECTIONS: Add all pancake ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Cook in a skillet on medium heat until bubbles form in batter. Flip pancake and cook through. 

Mix together ingredients for icing and microwave for just a few seconds until melted. Spoon over cooked pancakes and ENJOY!

NUTRITION INFORMATION for pancakes ONLY: Calories:333 Fat:13.4G Carbs: 33G Protein:19.5G

After eating these scrumptious pancakes, Ava and i headed into her room to pray and sing a song before bed. I had to capture this moment to always remember how sweet she could be as an almost 2 year old. She is always quick to fold her arms and close her eyes, but this is how she does it. Hey, I'll take what i can get! She is such a smart little lady and is already learning to serve the lord.