Another week of Menus

My oldest son and I are going through an allergy elimination process that requires us to avoid one specific allergen for a 25 hour period.  My son can't have eggs Friday to Saturday night ... or anything made with eggs ... or even been near birds or down blankets.  He isn't a vegetable fan and I'm a bit baffled as to what he'll be eating.  Help!

Here's what the plan is for everybody else ...

MONDAY:  Chicken Penne Pasta (missed it last week)

TUESDAY:  New Mom Casserole:  4-6 raw chicken breasts, new potatoes, green beans (fresh or canned-really any green veggie would work. Broccoli is good, too). Arrange in 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with a packet of Italian dressing mix and then top with a melted stick of butter. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

WEDNESDAY:  Spaghetti and Meatballs

THURSDAY:  Waffles

FRIDAY:  Take-out

SATURDAY:  Birthday Cake with a side of Pizza!

SUNDAY:  Tacos

What are you eating?

Menu Monday

I made tomato sauce today.  Again.  That's all.

MONDAY:  Mac and cheese (from the box ... sauce days do not involve cooking much else)

TUESDAY:  Crock Pot Little Smokies - not sure if I'm going to use BBQ sauce or grape jelly yet (going to a crock-pot pot-luck)

WEDNESDAY:  Chicken penne pasta

THURSDAY:  Eggs and cinnamon roll cake

FRIDAY:  Take-out

SATURDAY:  Homemade pizza

SUNDAY:  Tacos

There you go.

Mondays and Meals

I should have looked at my meal plan before 3 o'clock in the afternoon ... I guess we won't be having french dip sandwiches made in the crock pot for dinner tonight!  HA!  That's the beauty of my plan, I can switch it up at the drop of a hat.  We'll be having either last week's baked oatmeal or this week's German Pancakes instead.  Although a storm is brewing, so maybe I'll make some cauliflower soup ... Either way, I'd still rather have a plan to deviate from, than no plan at all.  Do I sound like a broken record yet?

Here is my plan (before I forgot to look at it this morning!):

MONDAY:  French Dip Sandwiches

TUESDAY:  Crock pot Jambalya

WEDNESDAY:  Lasagna Spinach roll-ups

THURSDAY:  German Pancakes

FRIDAY:  Tacos

SATURDAY:  Pizza

SUNDAY:  Grilled Cheese sandwiches

Come on, share!  What are you eating?

Meal Plan Monday

So what if I only followed my meal plan 4 out of the last 7 days ... I had a plan!  When dinner time came, life was beautiful!  I didn't have to stress or be creative.  I just had to do.  And I choose to stray.  One night we needed to eat up leftovers and another I had spent the day dealing with 30 cups of shredded zucchini (canned into yummy zucchini relish) and wanted absolutely NOTHING containing zucchini for dinner!

This week I have a lot of busy nights.  I think I have one or two things going most evenings and, for some reason, people like to plan things at dinnertime!  Planning ahead is important for me or else we'll just be eating a lot of pancakes and eggs!

Here's what I'm planning:

MONDAY:  Hot Dogs (last summer bbq)

TUESDAY:  Sweet and Sour Chicken and fried rice

WEDNESDAY:  Chicken Nuggets and crinkle fries (Momma's going out with friends!)

THURSDAY:  Baked Oatmeal

FRIDAY:  Tacos

SATURDAY:  Homemade Pizza

SUNDAY:  Dinner at my mom's house

What's on your plate?

Go, you Chicken Fat, go!

I have lots of goals.  Mini-goals, long-term goals, New Year's Resolutions ... I like goals.  I like aiming for something.  I LOVE evaluating my progress.

Evaluating my weight loss progress has been easy ... I haven't done much.  (I didn't say the evaluation always makes me happy.)

When I weighed myself Friday, I was 3.5 pounds heavier than my wedding day.  I was 7.5 pounds heavier than when I graduated high school.  I was 17.5 pounds heavier than my driver's license says I weigh. (A number that I made up when I renewed in my early twenties and have never bothered to change - it certainly wasn't true then - I'm pretty sure I'm a lot closer to it now than I was back then!)

A friend invited me to join a FaceBook challenge from today until mid-December.  The person/people who reach their goal (or get the closest) wins a prize.  I hesitated to join because I haven't lost any substantial weight in a year, but, in the end, that's why I joined.  I need something to get me progressing. 

My goal ... reach that elusive driver's license weight.  I can only imagine what that would be like.  My-freaky list-making-record-keeping-self knows that I weighed that amount in 8th grade ... that would be 21 years ago, people.  I certainly wasn't a "skinny" girl back then, but I'd love be that skinny now!

Meal Plan Monday

Ahhh, my menu planning is back in swing.  I've mentioned before, I plan out a month at a time and I've got my plan through September.  It is LOVELY!  After a couple of months of "what should we have for dinner?" at 4 pm, I'm ticked to have my groove back!

I'm really hoping to fill my freezer with meals this month as well.  When one of my recipes is a good freezer meal, I'm hoping to make two ... one to eat that night and one to stick in the freezer.  I've done this before and it works really well for me.  Now to somehow convince my husband that I need a FoodSaver???

I need to plan my own lunches better as well.  I've learned that if I don't have something easy to just grab and eat ... I probably won't eat lunch.  That is weird for me because, in the past, I've been opposed to leftovers and a big fan of sandwiches.  Right now though, I just want something I get eat quickly and get on with my day.  This week I intend to make a great big pasta salad with turkey and fruit and veggies in it, smothered in a low-fat coleslaw dressing.  That will be my lunch for several days.

And, because I know you've all been waiting for it most of the summer, I give you ... my Meal Plan Monday!

MONDAY:  Meatloaf (from the freezer) with parmesan squash bake

TUESDAY:  Zucchini Lasagna

WEDNESDAY:  Mac and Cheese (I want to try THIS recipe)

THURDAY:  Zucchini Frittata

FRIDAY:  Fast Food Friday

SATURDAY:  Free dinner at the park (for Tomato Days) or Papa Murphy's Pizza (got a coupon)

SUNDAY:  Zuppa's Cauliflower Soup

Anybody want to guess what veggie my garden is producing a ton of at the moment?

What are you eating?

Linked for fun Menu Plan Monday

It's so quiet here ...

There is rarely a quiet moment at my house.  Four boys will do that to you.

This blog has been quiet a lot this summer.  I like to think that is because we are all out doing and being and enjoying.  I know I have done and been and enjoyed a lot this summer.  Our school system starts tomorrow and it feels like a good time to get back into the blog world.

Summertime means lots of relaxing and, sadly, I relaxed my meal planning.  I thought I was saving myself stress or work by not planning.  I don't know why.  I know better.  Dinner time has been so much more stressful because I didn't plan.  We've eaten way more fast food and take-out than normal.  We've had fewer well balanced meals and I've been more grudging about meal prep. 

Summertime also means late nights with lots of movies and late night chats.  Staying up late makes it really hard to get up early to exercise.  As a result, I wasn't nearly as faithful at working on my fitness goals as I should have been.  I didn't do a single 5k this season.  My family did do a charity walk, but, that's the thing, we did the walk part, not the 5k run. 

My summer wasn't a complete waste fitness-wise.  I ran a PE camp for kids ages 3-12 and absolutely LOVED it.  I had from 5 to 9 kids in each camp and we ran and played and laughed and learned about being healthy and strong.  I did an 18 mile hike over the course of 3 days pulling a handcart in the rain/wind/heat of Wyoming ... and at the end of each day, I felt like I could keep going.  And, I'm down a few pounds today from what I weighed at the beginning of summer.

Somehow, I stumbled on a group on Facebook a couple of weeks ago called "Project GET HEALTHY."  A challenge started last week with the goal to spend 28 days focusing on 3 health and/or fitness goals.  I signed right up.  I needed some more motivation to get me back on track from my enjoyable, yet routine-less summer.  I set my three goals ... very basic goals, but things I'd let slide a lot:

1.  Drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water each days.
2.  Exercise at least 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes.
3.  Track my food and keep my caloric intake within the guidelines on LoseIt.com (for me to reach my weight goal, it suggests 1400 calories daily, plus calories for exercise)

It's been pretty easy to focus on just these three things.  I have loftier goals ... longer work-outs, cutting out processed foods, eating more vegetables, making my meal plans again, etc ... but I'm just focusing on these three for now.  I don't feel overwhelmed.  I don't feel discouraged.  I know these things will get make me healthier.  Will they help me lose weight?  Possibly.  Will they make me more conscience of my health?  Definitely.

What are you working on?  What small goals do you have to become more healthy?  What changes are you making as you send your kids back to school and embrace the routine that comes with that? 

Oh, and I will have my menu posted here again next Monday.  I'm ready for it!

It's not happening...

I've made a few miscalculations in my goal for running the July 4th 5K.

Can I run 3 miles straight? Yes.
Can I do it in a fairly decent time? Not really sure, but I'm thinking 36 minutes isn't too horrible.
Can I do it out of doors on asphalt? Oops. No.

I truely didn't comprehend that road running and treadmill running are two completely different animals. Due to little kiddo's at home and Dennis' early work schedule, in order to run it has been the treadmill or not at all.

Last week (before excuse #2 which I am getting to) I took my run outside for just 1 mile. I had 15 min to run down to my sis-in-laws house, change her sprinklers (she was out of town for a week) and run back home. I knew I could leave my kiddos unattended for that long without one of them bossing the others to death, but couldn't push it much longer. So, I ran. And I suffered shin splints and the sorest muscles I have had since week 3 of the couch to 5K. I couldn't believe the difference, and the poor run time. I couldn't figure out how to pace my mile. I took off running, feeling good and then after block 1 realized that I couldn't keep up that pace. So I slowed down, too much. Back up again, back down. How do you keep a consistant pace? I obviously need some advise. So ladies, help me out here!!

Excuse #2:

This is the view I see from my driveway. That is the Seely Mountain fire that has currently burned 20,000 acres and is 10 miles from my home. Our little valley is filled with smoke. We are having to stay indoors for the most part and breathing isn't fun. None of us have asthma or allergies, and it is still hard on our throats and lungs. I'm not wanting to get outside and breathe heavily in this.

So, I'm sticking with the treadmill for a while longer.
I'm feeling like a wimp. A slightly relieved wimp. I'm a touch frightened of making a fool of  myself.
I'm also feeling a bit empowered. I haven't reached my goal. This means that I can't quit running yet. I have to keep going, because this is one goal I WILL achieve.

Edited Friday July 7:     Just so you know, it was a good thing I had decided to not run. Monday the 2nd Dennis came home from work sick. (This NEVER happens. I think this was the second sick day he has taken since we've been married)  Things got more and more painful for him and I took him to the Dr.  Turns out that his appendix didn't like him anymore. He had surgery Monday evening and was released from the hospital Tuesday just before noon. I stayed over with him while Grandpa had the kids. By the time I got him home, went and got his meds, and finally took a shower it was way past time for me to get some sleep. We didn't even get up until 8 am on the 4th - missed the race entirely. Oh well.  I know there is one coming up around Halloween!!

Two Weeks Down

Last week I began the Couch to 5k program again.  It's been a lot easier to get back into running than I expected.

I have to admit that the hardest part of picking up my running routine again lies in the fact that I have to run early in the morning or not at all.  By 8 a.m. it is over 90 degrees outside and it doesn't cool back down to 90 degrees until about midnight.  And I really don't think I want to run at midnight.  There are bats outside.  They freak me out a bit.

Now that I've completed two weeks of my challenge I'm happy to report that I've run/walked 6 of my 100 mile challenge.  Only 94 to go.  Still not sure how long this is going to take me, but I'm hoping for about three months or so.

It's slow, but it's progress.

My Newest Challenge

I've decided to return to Blog Land.  I've written on my personal blog for two days in a row (my newest record) and it's time to get back onto this blog as well.

So, in keeping my tradition of using this blog to write about the challenges and (eventual) successes of being healthy and losing weight, I am prepared to issue a challenge.

The last nine months have wreaked havoc on my body.  To say I've gained a little weight would be an all out lie.  True, I had a baby, but my philosophy during pregnancy is

So I've got lots of extra poundage to lose.

Luckily for me, my baby girl turns 6 weeks old this week and so I can begin exercising again.  Plus, I told myself that I get to continue eating like junk until Sarah turns 6 weeks old and then I have to begin being conscious about my food again.

So this week I change my eating habits back to healthy and start exercising.  Of course, my abdomen is still a little tender.  Three c-sections will do that to you.  I plan to start out slowly but I still needs me a challenge.  And here it is....

The 100 Miles Challenge

I want to walk (and eventually add in running) 100 miles before Labor Day.  I think I can do it.  You're welcome to join my challenge if you'd like.  See how long it takes to run/walk 100 miles.  I hope to report regularly to keep myself in check.