Things I Am Loving Right Now...

1. cozy Christmas throws to snuggle under

2. our new puppy, Marvel

3. our "old" puppy, Brutus

4. birthday week!!!

5. our little bitty Christmas tree for this year

6. watching the Duck Dynasty Christmas special with the kiddos

7. texting with my husband, who is 8,000 miles away

8. the big red picture frames with my kids' black and white pictures in them

9. the fact that we are two weeks away from Christmas!

10. warm, comfy sweat suits

Menu Plan for the Week of May 20

Breakfast
pancakes (already frozen, just thaw)
oatmeal
Bavarian cream pastry (bought from a school fundraiser)
smoothies

Lunch
English muffin pizzas
almond butter sandwiches
leftovers from suppers


Supper
grilled ham and cheese with carrots and chips x2
whole chicken in the crockpot, roasted sweet potato wedges, salad
breakfast for supper: scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit
grilled chicken breasts, sautéed kale, baked sweet potatoes
grilled London broil, sautéed spinach, quinoa
beans and rice, a poor man's supper

Snacks
granola bars
carrots and hummus
string cheese sticks
Greek yogurt
fruit (apples, clementines, bananas, strawberries)
popcorn

Things I am Loving Right Now...

*a lazy day at home
*the white chili we ate for supper (and the chicken was leftover from last night's supper!!)
*my leopard print robe
*my totally unplanned matching leopard print slippers
*fresh berries that were on sale
*queso fresco
*my oldest daughter and I just chatting
*cozy throws on my couch
*candles burning
*a clean kitchen
*folded laundry

Menu Plan for the Week of March 4

Breakfast
slow cooker oats
green smoothies
baked oatmeal

Lunches
leftovers
homemade lunchables for the kids
smoothie pops
monster meatloaf and broccoli

Dinners
chicken fajitas with Ezekiel tortillas
chicken and broccoli stirfry with brown rice
slowcooked beef roast with sweet potato cubes and sauteed cabbage
scrambled eggs and bacon with Ezekiel toast
baked chicken with roasted veggies


Snacks
natural fruit roll-ups
greek yogurt
cheese sticks
apples, bananas, berries, oranges
carrots and hummus or ranch
Kind bars
homemade protein bars

Freezer Cooking Plans for March 2

Tomorrow will be the first freezer cooking day that I have attempted in a while. I have put things in the freezer here and there but I really want enough fixed for a week or more so that we will eat at home each night. My goal this month in the food department is to buy quality meat and produce and eat them at home. I want to save some money...vacation time is around the corner :)
I guess really I could call tomorrow a freezer cooking/ prep day. I have some fruit veggies I want to get ready for the week. Clean eating doesn't happen here if I don't prepare for it!
Here is the plan:

• cut and half strawberries
• make hummus
• cut chicken and season for fajitas and stirfry
• cut onions and peppers for fajitas
• make and freeze meal size portions of brown rice
• boil some eggs for the next few days
• season beef roast for the freezer
• make pumpkin baked oatmeal, slice and freeze
• make banana chocolate chip oatmeal, slice and freeze
• make homemade protein bars

Hopefully I will have some little helpers tomorrow and hopefully I won't fizzle out before I get finished.

**some recipes adapted from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures, bodybuilding.com (Jamie Eason's recipes), and Biggest Loser recipes

What I Am Loving Right Now...

• unexpected snow days from school with snow falling but not laying (so I can drive easier lol)
• dusted furniture in my living room
• my kids helping me with household chores
• Fridays
• three day weekends!!
• family movie nights
• my kids being super excited about family movie night
• my son's clean room
• my girls cleaning their room
• a warm bathroom to take a shower in
• time to cook ahead for the week
• hugs from my kiddos
• clean laundry

Menu Plan for the Week of February 25

Breakfasts
green smoothies
baked pumpkin oatmeal
chocolate almond banana oatmeal
cold cereal for the kiddos

Lunch
turkey meatloaf and broccoli
almond butter and peach sandwiches on Ezekiel bread
homemade "lunchables" with ham and turkey for the kids
leftovers from dinner

Dinner
chicken fajitas with Ezekiel tortillas and pinto beans
pinto beans and rice
bbq chicken and roasted sweet potato cubes
scrambled eggs and bacon, Ezekiel toast
thyme-rosemary baked chicken and sauteed cabbage


Snacks
carrots and hummus
larabars
homemade protein bars
matcha green tea
trail mix
strawberries
apples
navel oranges

What I Am Loving Right Now...

• Donut House Decaf in my Keurig
• $1.25 for 1 lb. cartons of fresh strawberries
• matcha green tea as a mid-day pick-me-up
• my new highlighted hair
• my recliner
• Words with Friends
• the 93 my daughter made on her last math test
• the art projects that my other daughter makes for her daddy and me
• my son's hugs
• how my kids love reading
• having my husband at home
• HGTV
• laughing with the kids in my classroom
• my grandmother's doll sitting on my end table

Menu Planning for the Week of February 11-Clean Eating and Mostly Paleo

Breakfast
green smoothies for hubby and me
Kashi cereal for the kiddos
strawberry and cream cheese wafflewiches for the kiddos
some recipe of baked oatmeal
slow cooker apple cinnamon oatmeal

Lunch
homemade lunchables for the kiddos
baked potatoes for the kiddos
soup for the kiddos
leftovers for hubby and me

Dinner
shrimp scampi and roasted broccoli
stuffed peppers and roasted carrots
meatloaf and bacon green beans
garlic pork chops and pistachio "couscous"
orange-rosemary chicken and roasted asparagus
steak burritos and spicy avocado salsa
chicken curry stew and roasted cauliflower
cashew-crusted chicken and zucchini ribbons

**many of these meal ideas came from emeals.com healthy breakfast, healthy lunch, and paleo menus

I'm Back!

Wow! I logged on the old blog this morning and found myself looking at a publish date of May 2012 for my last post! Has it really been that long?
Well, I am back and I hope to begin posting regularly or semi-regularly again. :)