My fifth baby, my daughter Victoria, was born on July 9. I had waited a very long time for a baby girl… after having 4 boys, it’s been truly a blessing and a dream come true for me to have some pink in this house!

When I found out I was pregnant with Victoria, I knew it would be my last pregnancy. This time around, pregnancy was just different. I tried really hard to eat healthy and stay active throughout my pregnancy, but it was tough for me. This time around I was very tired throughout my whole pregnancy (probably from chasing 4 little boys!). I couldn’t sleep well. I craved certain foods (not healthy ones!). It was a very different experience for me. I also have had a VERY tough time bouncing back to the “old” Audrey. I had a c-section with Victoria, so I needed to wait a solid 6-8 weeks before my doctor gave me the green light to work out again. I haven’t been able to get myself in a solid healthy routine since having her, and it’s something that I am now committing myself to do.

It’s been 7 months now since having Victoria and I still don’t fit into any of my jeans. It didn’t bother me throughout the August, September, October, November or even December… but now it is. I’m sick of wearing my leggings all the time. I’m sick of wearing my big maxi dresses. The time is now to get back into my skinny jeans!

I’ve partnered with Ziploc® to take on challenges. The Ziploc® Fresh 180 program helps people find fun, simple, encouraging ways to make healthier lifestyle choices for themselves and their families. The “Feats of Fresh” challenges get people to experience how Ziploc® can make a positive difference in their lives. To be honest with you, this couldn’t have come at a better time for me.

I’m making a change for the fresher and Ziploc® is helping me. I’m determined to get into my “Skinny Jeans” by April, and I know that I will be able to do it with some fresh and healthy eating, while making sure I’m staying active and fit. The active and fit part is easy for me because we have a treadmill at home. I’ve been walking/running 30 minutes 5 times a week and doing ab work and yoga in the morning.

It’s just the eating that I need to stay on top of for myself.

Fortunately, with Ziploc® products, I’ve been able to keep myself on target. When I was pregnant, I would just grab food whenever I was hungry. I didn’t portion out my food or measure it because I (truthfully) didn’t have time. I also just kept using the “I’m pregnant, I can eat what I want” excuse. Even though it wasn’t all bad, it wasn’t all good and I would eat, eat and eat! And guess what? I kept doing that even after Victoria was born! I can’t do that anymore, especially now since I’m 7 months out from having her! I literally needed to change my eating and create some food eating goals. Veggies, fruits, proteins, calcium, and balanced meals. This is what I needed in my body.

My goal is to keep myself accountable and stick with this. Since I’m busy and always on the go, I’ve really had some fun prepping food ahead of time for myself so I won’t get too hungry while I’m out. It’s really been about being smart with food. Did you know that you can actually lose weight by eating more frequently? Eating healthy foods more frequently throughout the day can help you lose those annoying extra pounds.

Here are 5 ways I’m changing my eating habits and making sure I’m eating more healthy foods:

1. I love fruit! I could eat fruit all the time. When I buy fruit now at the market, I come home, clean it and then I immediately portion it out in Ziploc® Sandwich Bags. This way it makes it easy for me to grab one when I’m heading out to drop the kids at school, heading to a meeting or off to the gym!

2. My husband has been making lots of healthy soups on the weekends – veggie soup, chicken soup, barley soup, split pea soup. It’s something he loves to do. I’ve been portioning out a cup of it and popping it in the Ziploc® brandTwist ‘n Loc® containers. I love the containers because they have measurements written on the side. I also love that I can pop these in the microwave, dishwasher and freezer! Makes my life so easy and it’s wonderful to get an easy, fast lunch.

3. I’ve been adding veggies as a side to my lunches and dinners. I love having tuna for lunch and chicken for dinner – they are truly my staple meals. With Ziploc® brand Zip ‘n Steam® I can toss my favorite veggies into the steam cooking bags and then pop into the microwave. I can add veggies to any meal in minutes and I LOVE that!

4. I’m OBSESSED with the Ziploc® brand Snack Bags! I can’t get enough of them! I love portioning out nuts, crackers, pretzels, raisins, granola, Cheerios, you name it! I take all my dry snacks and pop them right into these snack bags. They can easily be tossed into my handbag, diaper bag, swim bag or work bag. I love that everything is right there and done for me. I don’t have to worry about carrying around gigantic baggies of snacks, everything is portioned out and easily packed.

5. One thing I love for our whole family are Ziploc® brand VersaGlass Containers®. I can pre-portion foods and heat them right in the containers. My sons LOVE pasta, so it’s easy for me to make pasta ahead of time and then heat up when needed. It saves us time and also cuts down on the temptation to do fast food for them and me!  Also, with the larger ones I can easily stack them in my fridge with anything in them – fruit, veggies, yogurt, cheese, etc.

So this is what I’ve been doing throughout the last month. I’ve REALLY been trying hard and I’m excited to see the results.

Those Skinny Jeans in my closet?

Yeah. I’m coming for you.

Disclosure: Sponsored posting with Ziploc® brand.