All posts by R.C. Liley

I'm an ex-mutual fund accountant who left the cubicle world to be a stay-at-home dad to my beautiful little girl, Avery, who entered our life on 11/15/13 and handsome little boy, Wes, who joined our family on 11/19/17. Also happily married to my wife, Kelley, as of 8/17/07. Sorry ladies... :) Fitness and nutrition is of the utmost importance in our family and we strive to reflect this in our daily life. I always prepare our meals at home and only go out if it's a special occasion, and even then I tend to not get much. Food should be fun and a joy to eat, not something quickly consumed from a fast food chain or scarf down before the next meeting. I have come from strictly logging high miles to train for the next marathon to keeping exercise varied and focusing more on strength. I still enjoy going for a run when I can, but nothing crazy, and I prefer hill sprints while pushing my daughter, Avery in the stroller. She loves it and I get a great workout! I want to show the world how to appreciate their body and feed it real, wholesome food while moving more throughout the day. In doing so, everyone would be healthier, happier, and we'd all live in a better place as a result. I blog mainly about my life as a stay-at-home dad and frequently include reviews, participate in campaigns, and share my thoughts on fitness and nutrition. If you ever have any questions or thoughts to share, please reach out as I'm always open to listening or helping others however possible. That is, when I have free time since Avery is and my wife are the number one priorities!

Monthly List

Monthly Memories Recap: Her First 2 Years

11/23/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

Now that we’re past the 2 year mark, I will be changing my usual Monthly Memories posts going forward. Still not dead set on how I’ll go about it, but I figured it would be good to put all of the past memory posts together.

This weekend flew by (as usual) and our one plan to go out to take family photos got nixed from a bad cold / possibly turned sinus infection. Her eyes keep getting crusty and looked so swollen all of Sunday. I think this pic pretty much sums up how she feels…

Poor girl, lucky she has an awesome Mommy who stuck by her side and gave her lots of love all day. She still gave it what she could and remained playful part of the day, and even enjoyed watching some “crazy football” as she is currently repeating a lot. That, and “blue plate tonight.”

Pretty low key weekend, as we prefer, minus the sick kid, so nothing else new to share. Hopefully I’ll be able to report our girl is fully recovered before Thanksgiving rolls around. Until then, on with the compilation of Monthly Memories.

Since there’s no memories post for the first 4 months, I’ll just share pics to see her progression from the start. Then, from 5 months, my first Memories from my Xth Month Since Going Dad post, we’ll go all the way to 24 months.

Newborn

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months

Avery and Mommy with our fat cat photo bombing

Wow, if you actually went through them all, thank you, for one, and I bet you’re a close friend/relative. Or just love seeing our precious girl, in which case I don’t blame you. 🙂

Now, if you’ll please excuse me, Thanksgiving is coming up fast, and I’ll be busy working on the few dishes we’re having at our tradition-in-the-making gathering. Hopefully with a healthy toddler tagging along as my official taste-tester.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Going Healthy, NuttZo

Healthy Single Serving NuttZo Oatmeal Cake Recipe

11/21/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

It’s pretty clear that the Going Family loves both NuttZo and Oatmeal, so it only makes sense to combine the two into a healthy, tasty and transportable treat. I’m not trying to win any creativity awards here, just make something the whole family will love and won’t take forever to put together.

And that’s just what I did. Voila!

The unfrosted version is better for transporting. Trust me.

Nothing fancy, but damned delicious. If you’re enjoying at home, why not put some healthy Greek yogurt frosting on that NuttZo-atmeal cake?

Need a better view?

Oatmeal Cake with Yogurt Frosting 2 — Topped with cinnamon and looking lovely. Make it go away…….via eating

I wanted a recipe for a super peanut buttery and healthy oatmeal cake, and am very pleased with the end result….so are Kelley and Avery!

NuttZo Oatmeal Cake

Ingredients

– 1/2 cup rolled oats

– 1 T melted NuttZo

– 1/4 tsp baking powder

– 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

– 1/2 tsp cinnamon

– 2 packets or 1 T stevia powder, 8 – 12 drops liquid stevia, or, if you want to use sugar, 1 – 2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar

– 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, pumpkin puree, or mashed banana (Plain yogurt works well too)

– 1/4 cup unsweetened almond or other milk of choice

– Small dash of salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together until well incorporated. Let sit 5 – 10 minutes to allow oats to absorb liquid

Pour into one of the muffin molds in a muffin tin, 1-cup ramekin (or use a glass baking dish like I used), or just spread flat on a baking sheet for a crunchy treat. Make sure you use non-stick bake ware, spread coconut oil, or non-stick spray before pouring batter into device of choice.

Cook for 25 – 30 minutes; the top should have a nice light brown and the whole cake will feel firm. You can set your oven to broil and let cook about 3 – 4 minutes for a crispier crust; reduce baking time by 5 minutes if you do this.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing.

For a quicker version, use a microwave-safe container and microwave mixture for 5 minutes.

What happens when you let your wife/kid try a "bite" — What happens when you let your wife/kid try a “bite”

This cake is bliss on its own, but try smearing more NuttZo or nut butter of choice on top for extra nuttiness! Or, get a little more creative with a banana and peanut butter mashed together and smeared on top.

Try your favorite spread and let me know what you come up with. Have fun with the flavors and making this cake.

What? You want to try the Greek Yogurt Icing? Ok, it’s extremely easy; just like this recipe…..

Greek Yogurt Icing

Mix 2 cups plain Greek Yogurt (non, low, or full fat will work) with one of the following to suit your preferences:

– 1/2 cup melted NuttZo, other nut butter, or peanut flour for peanut butter icing

– 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder (preferably organic and sweetened with stevia) and 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

– 1/2 cup chocolate protein powder (preferably organic and sweetened with stevia), 2 tsp cacao powder, and 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

– 1 very ripe mashed banana and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

– 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger and nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp cloves

I love the single serving recipes, but just double, triple, or quadruple the measurements to make more. This would be a perfect Thanksgiving breakfast you make in a hurry since we all know the rest of the day can get hectic fast! Try making the entire mix the night before so you can cook first thing in the morning.

Going Strong

A Full Body HIIT Strength and Cardio Circuit During Naptime

11/20/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Here’s a quick but efficient HIIT circuit I created to knock out during naptime. I love working out with Avery, but sometimes, you just need space. Otherwise, they’ll walk right into the dumbbells you are holding as you perform your workout. Not good for anyone!

You might need another pair of dumbbells for the lunges with a curl to overhead press, but work with what you have on hand. Hey, if your kid is awake, use them as the weight!

I put leg work first since legs are such an integral part of our body and literally carry us each and every day at work and at home. Treat them well, keep them strong, and feel awesome! Plus, you need to make sure you’re ready for an impromptu playtime session anytime, anywhere.

She wouldn’t let me cook, so I gave in for a little #playtime in the #kitchen. #daddysgirl #crazykid #toddler #loveher

A photo posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on Oct 8, 2015 at 12:33pm PDT

What I love about this circuit is that it can be tailored to any fitness level depending on the weight used, rounds completed, and intensity it’s performed. Even if you have only one set of weights, try completing the circuit faster than the last time.

With the colder weather setting in, I love having routines like this to satisfy my need for fitness while staying indoors. Give it a go and please, let me know what you think. Looks like Avery is ready to rock!

Guess that means no naptime…..

Ingredients

Directions

An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.