Sharing a comparison between Pilates and yoga, and which one I like more 😉 

Hi friends! Happy Monday! How was the weekend? I hope you had a great one! We officially have spring fever over there. I want to replant the garden – I let everything outside die when I was dealing with the great eye saga – and clean everything, while the kids are already begging to jump in the pool wearing their pajamas.

I’m enjoying this short-lived sweet spot of weather before it’s a thousand degrees by walking and hiking as much as possible!

For today’s post, I wanted to chat a bit about Pilates and yoga, and the diffferences between these two popular low-impact workout options.

In the world of mind-body fitness, Pilates and yoga stand as two prominent practices, each offering a unique approach to physical and mental well-being. While they share some similarities, such as emphasizing breath control and mind-body connection, there are distinct differences between the two. There are nuances of Pilates and yoga, which make them super special, and I wanted to chat about muscle engagement, styles, advantages, and considerations for incorporating them into your fitness routine. As always, talk to a doctor before making any fitness or nutrition changes!

Pilates vs. Yoga: Understanding the Difference and Benefits

Muscle Groups Targeted:

Both Pilates and yoga engage various muscle groups, albeit with different emphases. Pilates primarily targets the core muscles, including the abdominals, obliques, and lower back, while also engaging muscles throughout the body to improve strength, flexibility, and stability.

On the other hand, yoga encompasses a broader range of muscle groups, including the core, arms, legs, and back, with different poses targeting specific areas depending on the style practiced. I feel like both are great total-body workouts, but Pilates definitely includes more core work.

Jumpsuit is here!

Styles of Pilates and Yoga:

Pilates comes in several forms, with the most common being mat Pilates and equipment-based Pilates using apparatus like the reformer, cadillac, and chair. Mat Pilates focuses on bodyweight exercises performed on a mat, wherea

These buttery, not-too-sweet cookies with a mild lemon flavor and a sweetly tart lemon glaze have been a hit with everyone who tries one.

Glazed Lemon Cookies

In my family, we’re all big fans of lemon desserts. From the best lemon bars you’ll ever taste to the lemon angel pie we make every year, lemon ice cream to lemon sorbet, lemon cheesecake to glazed lemon pound cake, there aren’t many lemon desserts that won’t make me smile.

Sometimes I like that pop of tangy citrus flavor to pretty much hit me in the face. Other times the lemon flavor sneaks in quietly and works its magic that way. These lemon cookies are a quiet kind of magical treat.

This is a mild lemon cookie, perfect for pairing with a cup of tea in the afternoon. If you want to kick up that lemon flavor, a bit more lemon zest will do the trick and a bit of lemon extract will boost it even more. Feel free to adjust the amount of lemon to deliver the lemon cookie you will like best.

Lemon Cookie Recipe

You’ll need the following ingredients to make these cookies:

• sugar
• lemon zest
• butter
• egg
• vanilla extract
• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• salt

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Quick and Easy 15 Minute Chicken Stir-Fry [+ Video]

Looking for quick dinner ideas for tonight but only have 15 minutes to whip together a fresh but easy meal? Try our quick and easy 15-minute chicken stir-fry and ditch the grilled cheese.

I always thought that life was busy with kids and that it would slow down a little once they were in school and I was alone at home to get things done. I laugh out loud at my naive self. You don’t get more done with kids in school, you become a taxi, a tutor, a teacher, a maid, a lunch lady, a soccer mom, a shopper, an errand runner, a project planner, a nurse (because heaven knows once they start school they bring home every germ in the world) — and the list only goes on and on. But this Quick and Easy 15-Minute Chicken Stir Fry recipe is totally attainable even with all of that work.

Creating This Quick Dinner Recipe

Between packing and unpacking lunches and backpacks and making sure everyone gets out the door on time with all homework finished, there isn’t a lot of time left for meal planning. And we know you’re in the same boat as us.

I thought I made quick and easy dinners before, but we’ve stepped up our game. Who’s got time for a 30-minute meal on a day when 3 kids have to be in 3 different places all over town between 4-4:30?!

Cade called to see if I needed anything from the store, and when I told him a super quick dinner idea I could make before the girls had dance he showed up with Yakisoba noodles he found in the produce department and that only require a quick rinse in warm water to eat, and all the veggies for a chicken stir-fry.

He rinsed the noodles and chopped the broccolini and peppers. I opened the matchstick carrots, the pre-sliced package of crimini mushrooms, and cut the baby bok choy open. Two minutes was all it took, and I bet you could find a package of stir fry-veggies that would cut back on your prep time even more. 

In a measuring cup, we threw together a little sauce for it all and opened up a package of already cubed chicken from the meat department (which does cost more, so next time we will just use our own. But hey, convenience on a night like that was important). 

What’s in This Easy Chicken Stir Fry Recipe? 

For this quick and easy dinner recipe, you’ll need: 

• Cubed skinless chicken breasts
• Yakisoba noodles
• Cooking oil
• Your favorite stir-fry vegetables (I’ve shared ours in the recipe card below)

We opted to make a quick homemade s

Fluffy Cheesecake Fruit Salad [+ Video]

This cheesecake fruit salad is awesome for a side at a potluck or BBQ or even as a dessert! Plus it’s so easy it’s foolproof! The perfect summer salad!

Ummmmm I could eat this berry cheesecake salad recipe for the rest of my life and die happy. Seven years ago we posted this recipe and I’ve been waiting all winter for berry season to hit so we could bring this recipe back to the front for everyone to enjoy.

It’s sweet deliciousness. It seems a little wrong to take all of those healthy berries and turn them into a calorie fest with everything you put in this dish, but guess what, WORTH IT!!

Seriously, you should all make this on a perfect sunny day and eat outside with the family. Or maybe take it to a BBQ so everyone can ask you what the amazing recipe is.

Cheesecake Fruit Salad Ingredients

This fruit salad recipe is so versatile. I’m going to list out the ingredients that we love, but know from the start that you can totally swap out different fruits or flavors of yogurt. Here is what you will need:

• Instant Cheesecake Pudding: You want just the pudding powder to add that yummy cheesecake flavor.
• Cool Whip: adds sweetness and creaminess
• Strawberry Yogurt: adds more fruity flavor and creaminess to the salad
• Bananas: cut into 1/2 inch slices
• Strawberries: stem removed and sliced
• Raspberries: left whole but rinsed
• Optional: Blueberries, Blackberries, Peaches, Cherries or Grapes
• Graham Crackers: If you really want to make this salad taste like a true cheesecake, add crushed up graham cracker.

PRO TIP: After trying many different combinations of fruit in this recipe, I’ve decided my favorite concoction is fresh bananas, fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries, fresh raspberries and fresh blackberries. So fresh! Haha!

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to Make Cheesecake Fruit Salad

One of my favorite things about this side dish is that it couldn’t be easier! Just two quick steps and you have a delicious fruit salad.

1. In a large bowl, mix the pudding powder, whipped topping and yogurt together.
2. Add the fruit and carefully fold it into the creamy cheesecake mixture. Then let it chill in fridge until it’s ready to serve (at least 30 minutes).

These instructions can also be found in the recipe card below where you can also print or save the recipe.

Watch How This Fruit Salad is Made…

Hi friends! How was the week? I hope you had a great one. What’s going on this weekend?

We have a birthday party, a night out with friends, and I’m teaching a barre class.  I also can’t wait to crawl into the sauna blanket this afternoon; it’s a little chilly today. I’ve love to hear what you have going on!

I was also thinking of doing a spring challenge, similar to Spring Shape Up but with MORE. Wellness tips, fitness programming, live calls, free, the whole deal. Let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in doing and we can start later this month!

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party (on a Saturday! Yesterday ended up being wild, but I still love doing this particular post each week). This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

Friday Faves 4.5

Life:

Easter fun! We had an amazing Easter weekend here at home after our San Diego and Disneyland trip last week. Saturday night, the girls and I went to mass, and Sunday morning, the Easter bunny made a stop at our house.

He brought new swimsuits and candy for both kids, a drone and a stuffed animal for one kid, skincare and lulu for the other. 😉

We had a lovely breakfast at my dad’s house with his side of the family and we finally got to meet the newest member of the family, Hudson! He is snuggliest sweetest little guy… and is NOT helping my current baby fever. (Team Two and Through, but I’m struggling with this right now lol.)

Classic Easter pic:

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