Clear-the-Fridge Fuel, Baseball Burnout, & Navigating "What Comes Next"
If I’m being completely honest, this week’s meal prep was an absolute "clear the fridge out" effort. My energy was sitting at about zero, but I know myself: if I don’t prep food, I won’t eat food. Either I’ll skip meals or grab low-quality quick fixes, neither of which supports how hard I've been working in the gym or with my clients.
So, instead of overcomplicating things, I put together a low-effort, high-protein lineup using what was already sitting in my pantry and fridge.
Low-Energy, High-Protein Meal Prep
For Me:
Bougie Egg Salad Toast: Hard-boiled eggs, diced sweet pickles, Dijon and yellow mustard, a quarter cup of cottage cheese (for extra protein and creaminess), and a tsp of drained chili crisp—served over high-protein Lewis toast.
Crockpot Chicken & Pepper Jack Dip: Leftover salsa chicken from quesadilla night, topped with on-sale Boar’s Head Pepper Jack habanero cheese. Melted and scooped up with tortilla chips!
Yogurt & Berry Bowls: Fresh strawberries paired with Aldi's plain Greek yogurt and chocolate peanut butter protein granola.
For Nights with the Boys:
BLT Night: Snagged Boar's Head manager's special bacon, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and good bakery bread.
One-Pot Italian Sausage Pasta: Quick pre-game dinner on Thursday using light tomato sauce and Italian sausage.
Weekend Eats: Ham and cheese biscuits, Dollywood cinnamon bread (my oldest loves cooking, so we're spending time in the kitchen together!), and Pizza & Movie Night.
School Lunches: Easy turkey sandwiches paired with cucumbers, bell peppers, grapes, apples, and mandarins.
The Reality of Baseball Season (And Energy Drain)
Looking back at last week, it was technically a four-day week, but it felt like fifty!
Between heat-rescheduled back-to-back games Wednesday night (finishing around 9:00 PM), another late game Thursday, Friday practice, and a Saturday game, it was a lot. I absolutely love watching my boys play and thrive on the field, but by midweek, my gas tank was empty—especially with Wednesday being our transition day.
Despite the fatigue, I managed to keep the wheels turning: workouts were hit, clients were taken care of, sleep was prioritized, and I even got more efficient at editing videos and making recipe cards for the site. Boxes were checked, even if I colored outside the lines a bit.
The Mid-Life Shift: Decisions, Independence, & "Holding the Football"
Beyond the daily hustle, I’ve been spending a lot of time reflecting on where I am and where I want to go.
I recently met with Chase to look at my financial future. Making those major decisions entirely on my own—without the setup or safety net I had during my marriage—is genuinely scary. The weight of that sole responsibility is real. I can handle a budget, trim costs, and find deals, but the concept of investing and retirement planning was never a language I understood, let alone spoke. And in that realm, I had just finished my annual phone and internet price comparisons and switching services so I moved on to auditing my home, auto, and health insurance policies to see where there are potential savings without compromising coverage.
At the same time, I’m working on a 3-month, 1-year, and 5-year business plan to expand my fitness and supplemental coaching services while studying for an additional personal training certification. All elements that I know I enjoy but have no clue where my next step will land.
For a long time, I was on autopilot. Going all the way back to grad school, someone else held the metaphorical football on the stand so I could step up and kick the field goal. Now, I’m learning how to set up the stand, hold the ball, and make the kick all by myself (and yes, sporting isn't my wheelhouse either, and yes, the kicker does have someone there to assist, but still I'm coordinating who my assists are).
What I Know for Sure:
I need real, tangible impact. That's what I loved about my pediatric research work—watching behavior changes trickle down from doctor to parent to child. I see that same real-time transformation in my personal training clients now - and I'm not just talking about their bodies.
I cannot do the 9-to-5 bureaucratic corporate path. I don't do well kissing ass or working within someone else's rigid box. And this type A, eldest daughter doesn't do well being micromanaged.
The trade-off is total accountability. Being self-driven means the successes are mine, but so are the failures.
I'm trying not to scatter my energy across 50 different directions at once. I want to build my career, support my boys, and nurture my independence incrementally—filling up each bucket without completely draining my own tank like I did in the past.
It’s a process of asking, "Do I like this? Do I not like this?" and figuring out how Point A eventually gets me to Point C. It takes time, but step by step, I’m working through the alphabet.
Not a lot of flowery pictures or rainbows - but the myspace, dear journal, this is what's going through my head and heart this week. If you made it through all that fun, this week's spin class is going back a few decades, to the 80s, with a Stranger Things-themed ride. It'll be tubular.
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