NaBloPoMo 2016

For all of you who weren't sure what day it is today... It is November 1st.  For many, this means that they are recovering from a sugar hangover from a night of overindulgence of Halloween spoils, for some it means it's the Day of the Dead.  For me personally, (as my friend Steve so kindly reminded me today) it is the first day of a month long writing bonanza known as NaBloPoMo.

  

What exactly is NaBloPoMo you ask?  NaBloPoMo stands for National Blogger Posting Month... or something along those lines.  It is basically when a bunch of Bloggers pledge to attempt to post a blog posting every single day of the month.  This process hopefully will help the creative ideas flowing in regards to writing as well as is a good test of determination.

We all know I have really sucked at writing blog posts lately.  The last time I posted was when I was starting my new job - about 4 months ago.  So why would I attempt to write everyday for a month when in reality I can barely even post quarterly?  Well... Steve made me do it.  Just kidding.  I figure it is something different and fun for to do, and if I miss a day, while attempting not to, it hopefully will give me the motivation to post slightly more frequently than once every 4 months.

So you have the what and the why.  And the where is right here... on this blog.... daily....

That's all I've got today... but stay tuned for more tomorrow.

Menu Plan Monday 07/25/16 thru 7/31/16

I realize it is Tuesday... Not Monday... so I am a day late.  But in my defense, the past weeks have flown by.  In the past month, I have resigned from a job I worked at for almost nine years, started a brand new job and have worked there for over two weeks now, as well as been attempting to keep up with kiddos and soccer, swim lessons, as well as trying to plan a wedding (my own - for those who may not know - the wedding is next year).  The past several weeks have been a whirlwind of unplanned thrown together last minute meals.

Needless to say, they have been more calorie laden then necessary.  In the past few weeks between the stresses of changing jobs and the meals we've been eating, I've put on a few pounds.  My beautiful sister-in-law suggested that I try e-meals for some of our meal planning.  Her and my brother have been happy with is so far, and they have a variety of meal plans (i.e., kid friendly, low carb, low calorie, clean eating, etc.) to choose from.  There was a two week free trial, so we are giving the low calorie plan a whirl this week.

So here it is - the meal plan for the week:

Monday, July 25, 2016

Beef and Black Bean Taco Salad w/Corn Salsa*

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Molasses Flank Steak w/Mango Salsa*
Broccoli

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Packed Lunches/Leftovers

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas*
Salad

Friday, July 29, 2016

Ham & Cheese Hash Brown Waffles*
Scrambled Eggs
Strawberries

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Raspberry Glazed BBQ Chicken Thighs*
Brown Rice
Broccoli

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Leftovers

All of the meals above with asterisks are ones from the e-meals plan.  All of the meals this week (at least the e-meals) are under 450 calories.  I am planning on making a few modifications to some of the meals to fit my families preferences (i.e., no mushrooms or peas in anything) but overall the recipes should be followed pretty closely.  Depending on how my family likes the meals on the menu this week and possibly next, we'll decide whether or not to continue with the e-meals plans after the trial has ended

What's on the menu at your house this week?

3 Day Refresh - Day 2 and Day 3

The other day, I was talking to my 10 year old son about making healthy choices when eating and how it is important to eat our vegetables.  I mentioned broccoli in particular during this discussion knowing that my son is at least willing to eat it most of the time.  He proceeded to tell me that he cannot eat broccoli.  He indicated that "Broccoli looks like trees, trees produce oxygen, and I need oxygen to breath.  We should just eat meat."

By the end of Day 2 of the 3 Day Refresh - I was right there with him on his ideas of becoming carnivores.

One thing I don't care for with the 3 Day Refresh program is while they include protein drinks, there is no meat at all included in what you can eat throughout the program.  Saturday night, while my family ate delicious  Thai Peanut Stirfry, I ate a measly plate of green beans.  Only 6 ounces of green beans to be precise.

Sunday morning, the final day of the 3 day program, I was exhausted.  I drank my morning Shakeology and just moped around the living room all morning.  By lunch time I was starving.  As much as I do not enjoy being a quitter, I do not like being hangry even more.

I ate nachos for lunch Sunday afternoon.  They were glorious.  And I had spaghetti and meatballs with garlic toast for dinner. It was pretty darn amazing as well.

I don't know what my results truly would have been had I finished the 3 Day Refresh, but as it stood, I lost 1.6 lbs.  I think I am going to attribute this to eating less than 1,000 calories for two days in a row, not the miraculous power of the 3 Day refresh.

While this product may work for some (power to you). I am going to be taking Beachbody up on their 30 Day Money back Guarantee on this particular product.

2 Weeks Notice

Have you ever done something, that while you know is what you need to do and is the best decision you could make for yourself and your family, it was really hard and fraught with emotional turmoil throughout the decision making process and the follow through of the decision?

Today was one of those days for me.  While I know that I am making a good decision, it was a tough one to make and it made today incredibly hard.  I gave my 2 weeks notice today at a job I have worked at for almost 9 years.  While working for this organization, I gave birth to my daughter (not at the actual location but at the hospital), I made numerous new friends, learned a various range of skills, transitioned from married life to single life, and became engaged to my fiance.  And today I told them that in 2 weeks time, I no longer will be apart of their organization.

Going into work today was hard.  I feel sad about the friendships I leave behind, and even  the job.  I did enjoy my job and loved the clientele we worked with.  The work had meaning and made a difference for the individuals that used our services (a transportation service for those that are disabled).   But it is time for a change.  The department I worked for has become like a family to me over the years and I will truly miss all of them.  Luckily, I have two more weeks with these individuals. Knowing that while many of them will still be apart of my life in some way shape or form but that they will not be in it daily is a change that will surely take some getting used to.

I have a feeling, that while I am looking forward to the new opportunities that I will be afforded with my future employer, the next two weeks will be hard - trying to say goodbye to a place that has been a part of my life for such a long period of time is not something that is easily done.

3 Day Refresh - Day 1

Yesterday was the first day of being on the 3-Day Refresh program.  It was not nearly as terrible as I thought it would be, but it certainly wasn't fantastic.

The main idea of the program is you follow a specific meal plan for three days, which includes a fiber sweep drink and a vanilla fresh drink (it's a high protein drink).  At the end of the three days, you are supposed to feel less bloated and "lighter" or something along those lines.  They recommend light to moderate exercise with the program, but nothing too hardcore.

I actually prepared the majority of my meals the evening before, so it would be ready when I left for work the next morning.  Immediately, upon waking up, I drank 16 oz. water. 

Breakfast
Shakeology with 1/2 banana

Mid-morning
Fiber Sweep

Lunch
12 medium strawberries
2 Tbsp. hummus
5 baby carrots
Vanilla Fresh

Snack
Small Red Bell Pepper
2 Tbsp. hummus

Dinner
Spinach Salad
Vanilla Fresh

In the morning, afternoon and after dinner a cup of green or herbal tea is "allowed" as long as it is an hour before or after any of the other meals or snacks.  For some reason the program recommends not having it too close to actually eating. 

The program also recommends that you drink at least 8 cups of water on top of the water that is included in the Fiber Sweep, Shakeology, tea, and the Vanilla Fresh.  This is a ton of fluids!

On the average day, in the recent past, I probably drink approximately 20 - 50 oz. of fluid a day - mostly consisting of Diet Coke and coffee.  Yesterday, I drank a grand total of 116 fluid oz. of liquid - give or take a little probably.  Needless to say, by the end of the day I felt like I was floating.  While theoretically I expected to be a little hungry due to the fact that there is a limited amount of food being eaten, I was pretty much full all day because my stomach was so full of liquid. 

 I literally felt like I was in the bathroom to pee all day due to the liquid overkill.  I actually kept track, because I'm odd like that.  I went pee at least 12 times yesterday over the course of being awake maybe 15 or 16 hours.  But, as this is a cleanse, I did not have an overwhelming need to poop myself.  So that was a definite plus.

Any who, the Fiber Sweep drink wasn't too bad.  It tasted citrusy and as long as it was chugged, very doable.  The Vanilla Fresh wasn't too bad either - if it was cold.  At dinner, I didn't add ice to it prior to drinking it and it was so bad.  Note to self, do not forget to add ice.

The worst part about today was probably not eating any meat.  I am used to eating meat at least in the evenings for dinner and so that was a little hard for me to adjust to.  I also didn't care for feeling like I was floating all day with the total amount to fluids the program recommends drinking.  But, I am sure that my body will adjust to that if I continue drinking a substantial amount of water.  Oh, and I miss my Diet Coke.

On to Day 2.

3 Day Refresh

I have to confess.  I have eaten a lot of junk food lately.  When I say a lot, I don't really mean a few pieces of candy here or there.  I mean regularly, I have not been eating my veggies (bad example for my kiddos there), I have not been drinking nearly enough water, and I definitely have been eating too many sweets lately (in the past week, I'm ashamed to admit, I have eaten 3 Cinnabon cinnamon rolls).

To remedy this, I have decided I am going to start working out regularly again and eating in a healthier fashion.  I am having engagement photos taken in approximately 3 months, and I certainly don't want to be bloated due to poor diet or carrying extra weight from the summer in the photos.  Last year, I was following the 21 Day Fix exercise and meal plan (I'll blog about this later, as I plan on following it again).  I've decided to start that up again, but I think I need to kick it off with a cleanse or something to get out of the habit of eating so much junk and to hopefully start things off on the right foot.  In comes the 3 Day Refresh.

The 3 Day Refresh is a Beachbody product.  Am I a coach and trying to promote the product because I will make commission off of it?  No.  (Just a note, I have friends who are Beachbody coaches, and they promote the products because they work for them, not because of the commission).  Do I know if this product will work for me?  No.  But, according to the testimonials it works.  And according to some of my Facebook buddies, it works.  So we will see.  Worse comes to worse, there is a 30-day money back guarantee (minus s&h of course).  

I plan on starting the 3 Day Refresh on Friday, then following it up with starting the 21 Day Fix on Monday.  The 3 Day Refresh is basically three days of veggies, fruits and healthy fats with a fiber drink, a high protein shake and shakeology.  The product guide recommends light to moderate exercise, so I probably will just continue with my normal weekend activities and not add any exercise into my regime until Monday when I've complete the cleanse.

I plan on sharing my experience with this product, so you can share in my possible hunger pains - as well as to hold myself accountable to the plan and to share whether or not the 3 Day Refresh even worked for me.

So let's do this.

The First Weekend of Summer

This weekend marks the first official weekend of summer vacation for my two munchkins.  It is hard to believe that the next school year will be my son's last year of elementary school, with his sister just barely trailing behind him.

This summer we have lots of plans.  Between swimming lessons, soccer and the occasional baseball game, we are hoping to keep busy making lots of great family memories.  

Yesterday, we started the weekend right by just lounging around the house and as my son stated, "relaxing with some books."  Both kids watched television and sort of unwound from the school year.  Today, we went to our families house and had a picnic lunch and swam in the pool.

This summer is starting out on a good note!  What about you?  Any fun summer plans?

Bathroom Breaks and Creatures of the Night

Before signing up to be a parent, I knew that there were going to be some interesting stories and situations that should arise due to having children.  Growing up I tortured my siblings at times and them me.  My parents have an endless array of stories of when I was young and mercilessly taunted and teased them and just in general did things that made no sense to the adult mind.

Listening to my parents tell stories of my siblings and I from when we were younger, it makes me think of the great stories I will have to tell when my kids are adults.  To share with possible future spouses, or just to bring up good memories around the dinner table with them.

This is one of those stories...

My son, since day one, has always been a character.  He is so sweet and sensitive, but sometimes just does the most random things, particularly during the middle of the night.  Since he was little, he has had night terrors and frequent bad dreams.  He actually still frequently sleeps in my bed when he is scared.

The other day was no exception to this.  It was probably about midnight when Ashton woke me up because he said he had to go to the bathroom.  While normally he doesn't wake me up for something as minor as a midnight bathroom break, he indicated he was scared and requested that I accompany him to the door of the bathroom (for those who don't know me personally, the bathroom is literally across the hallway from the bedroom).  So I got up, walked him the 4 or 5 footsteps to the bathroom, and opened the door for him.  I then asked if he needed me to wait for him and he said no, he was good do go.  So I returned to bed and went back to sleep.

The next sound I hear is one of tortured desperation pleading for me to return to the bathroom.  The fear was thick in his voice as he tearfully begged for me to return to my post in the hallway.  Since I had already made myself comfortable in bed, I hollered across the hallway asking what he needed.  He said that there was a spider the size of his big toe and he couldn't make it back to bed.  I told him to jump over it to the bedroom.  Much to my dismay, his insistence that I help him only increased.  So I got up and walked over to the bathroom and looked up to see one of the funniest sights I have seen in awhile.

My eight year old son, who had chosen to wear footie pajamas to bed that night, was standing on top of the toilet, hunching his body in on itself as though he was terrified for his life.  It reminded me of those ladies you see on television standing on a chair, just scared as can be, because of a mouse running around on the ground.  His legs were squeezed together with his arms holding himself. 

I immediately looked on the floor of the bathroom to see this mega spider that threatened my sons well-being.  Surprisingly, I couldn't find it.  My son points down at my foot and there it is.... The spider of all spiders.  Glaring up at me with it's eight ugly eyes. 

The spider was located in the hallway.  At least three full footsteps from the toilet where my son quivered in fear of a nickel (possibly even dime sized) creature.  I quickly grabbed a shoe from the hallways closet and swiftly dealt justice to the beast that would threaten my son's toes (toes that were covered with pj footies).

Ashton insisted I carried him back to bed in case there were more soldiers awaiting him in the hallway.  So I picked up my 65 lb. son, red faced and teary eyed, and put him back into my bed.

He slept with one eye open the rest of the night.

Time to Begin Again

Normally, I wouldn't condone airing personal business on a blog where people you might actually know may actually read it and then have knowledge of all of your personal "dirty laundry."  And I'm not exactly going to air all of mine out as you may have assumed by reading the first line of this post.  So what exactly am I even talking about?  I am talking about new beginnings and change.

The fall is about to start (I know it is still technically three weeks-ish away but that is relatively close) and autumn always feels like the beginning of a new period to me.  The beginning of school, the beginning of the fiscal year (for those who start it in October), the beginning of a series of holidays that revolve around food (hello Halloween Candy, Thanksgiving Turkey, and Christmas Cookies) and this year, for me, the beginning of a new life.  What exactly does that mean?

I am no longer married.

This statement in and of itself sounds foreign coming from my lips.  Over this past summer, my ex-spouse and I went through a divorce.  I'm not going to air the details, as that's what I mean about not airing my dirty laundry; simply rest assured that my ex and I are working diligently to be successful co-parents to our children and that included in that is getting along amicably and handling the situation as adults.  Now is the time for me to remember who I am and remind myself of how amazing a person I am, with or without someone else standing by my side.

As part of my new beginning, I may start blogging again.  I say may, because I am going to do what feels right to me in the moment and what I have time for.  So if I have to choose between reading one more book to one of my kids before bedtime, or typing out a blog post, there really no competition on which one will happen... (for those who weren't sure though, of course the book with my child).  But if I have a few spare minutes or if the mood strikes me, then I would like to think that even if no one reads the post, what I have to say and think are important enough to record in a written form.  Even if it is sporadic and may have no entertainment value at all.

Blogging of course is not the only new beginning I plan on undertaking this autumn, I do have a few other things that I am attempting to undertake:

-This autumn I am working on remodeling the master bedroom of my home.  A popcorn ceiling is being removed, walls are being painted, and carpet is being ripped out replaced with laminate flooring.  This project has already been going on for a couple of months, but I am not mechanically inclined and am doing the project by myself (with the exception of minor help and advice from my dad).  I am looking forward to how amazing this room will look when it is completed, even if it may take forever to actually get done.

-I've joined the gym again.  The last time I actually was a member of the gym was about three years ago.  While I am not a huge fan of getting sweaty and lifting weights, I know that for me to be the best me I can be for my kids, I need to take care of my own health.  While I'm not looking to lose weight and become a professional body builder... I do want to be able to keep up with my kids as well as be able to actually manage the minor tasks around my house that require a little bit of heavy lifting.  I figure what better way to stay health than to make it a goal to physically stay active a few times a week at least.  Especially since I lead a fairly sedentary lifestyle due to my job.

-I plan on reading more books and trying more recipes.  This seems a little like a silly goal, but reading and cooking are two things that I really enjoy that I haven't made time for lately.  Keeping them in the front of my to do in my spare time hasn't happened and it something that should. 

I'm sure there are other things that are beginning again this fall for me and my family, but this is just a starting list.

I love autumn.  The changing of leaves, the crisp autumn air, the beginning of so many new and wonderful things.  The autumn is really just a transitioning period for the weather and so many other things; and for me this year:

It's a time to begin again.

Menu Plan Monday 09/23/13 to 09/29/13

Another week has gone by and I haven't disappeared off the face of the blogosphere.... as of yet.  I actually feel pretty accomplished this week that I've actually managed to post something that I had meant to post (Orange Glad Review), as well as I'm posting my menu plan at the beginning of the week (Tuesday is still the beginning of the week, sort of ☺).  This week we have a lot going on.  There's the school's open house, parents coming over for dinner, appointments to be kept, as well as most important of all... Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is out on Friday.  Dinner's this week are going to be fairly quick and to the point.  Here's what we've got cooking.

Monday

Leftovers

 

Tuesday

Chicken Pitas

Fresh Fruit

 

Wednesday

Tortilla Soup

Chips

 

Thursday
Meatball Buns
Noodles with Marinara Sauce
Salad

Friday
Tacos
Refried Beans
Rice

Saturday
Lasagna
Garlic Bread
Salad

Sunday
Leftovers

Need help with ideas still?  Check out tons of other gals menu plans at Laura's Menu Plan Monday.  You're sure to find something that will spark some creative dinner ideas!

So what's cooking at your place?  Do you have certain dishes that are go to meals when you are busy?

Orange Glad - September 2013 Unboxing

Recently, I've become slightly addicted to monthly subscription services.  I actually receive three of them at this point, although the Orange Glad Dessert Subscription is really on a trial basis at this point, this is the first month I've received it. 

 

Orange Glad is an organization that just recently began.  September is only their third month that they've been in business.  Orange Glad is a company that had a brilliant idea to deliver delicious confections to people's doorsteps.  The idea of home delivery, while not revolutionary (tons of companies deliver stuff to people's houses all the time), has been taken to the next level when they brought about the idea of delectable treats being delivered without having to get up off the couch to pick them up.  Absolutely brilliant in my opinion.

Anyways, as I stated before, September is sort of a trial month for me with this new confectionery treat box thing.  I thought I would give it a whirl, since I love sweets.  This month's theme was "cookies." 

The box arrived within a day or two of receiving the email from Orange Glad indicating it had shipped.  It came in a Priority Mail package that was stamped "Fragile:  I'm Perishable Keep Me in Shade."

 

Once opened, the goods were wrapped in tissue paper and confetti, as well as it had an ice pack in there to keep the items that could melt (chocolate) from doing just that.

 

 

Here's what arrived in the box:

 

Kelly's Kookies:  Chocolate Dipped Macadamia Shortbread

 

This was honestly probably the tastiest shortbread cookie I have ever eaten.  It was melt in your mouth good.  It had butter overtones with just the right amount of chopped macadamia nuts.  The chocolate just completed the cookie.  This was definitely my favorite item out of the box.  This is an item I would purchase again.

 

 

Cinderella Cakes:  Oreo Cookie Cake Push Pop

 

While I love the idea of a push pop with cake and frosting type fillings in it (completely could eat and do other stuff without sticky cake fingers...), I was not so impressed by the execution of this particular item.  The chocolate cake portion of it was okay, the cake was moist and tasted like your basic run of the mill chocolate cake.  The Oreo buttercream was not my cup of tea though.  It had a strong smell, sort of like fake vanilla extract?  It also had a slightly off flavor, compared to what I would expect an Oreo buttercream to taste like.  I was not impressed with this particular item.

 



Cinderella Cakes:  Lemon Sugar Cookie

 

This is another item I was not incredibly impressed with.  While the item itself had okay flavor, it wouldn't be what I would expect if I was purchasing an item from a bakery.  Neither the cookie or the frosting had a tart lemony taste.  It was a very neutral lemon flavor.  The outside of the cookie was touted as being slightly crispy with a chewy middle.  I found that the cookie wasn't particularly chewy, regardless of whether it was the middle or outside of the treat.  This item wasn't bad, it just wasn't something I would go out of my way to purchase on it's own either.

 

Modern Bite:  Designer Chai and Almond Spice Cookies

 

The Designer Chai and Almond Spice Cookies were a pleasant addition to the box.  Per the information card that came with the box, they can be custom designed or have a logo added to the top of the cookie to match whatever occasion you are celebrating.  The flavor on these were perfect.  The chai and almond spice flavors had just the right amount of presence in the cookies to make them a delicious addition to any cookie platter.  This is an item I would purchase again.

 

JJ Bakery:  Almond Nougat

 

While the fifth item that was supposed to be in the box was an almond nougat, this particular item was missing from the box.  I did contact the customer support from Orange Glad and I was pleased to see that they were very quick about responding to the issue.  They have emailed me already and indicated that they would be mailing the missing nougat to me promptly.  As I am writing this, I haven't received the lost nougat yet, but I have confidence that it is going to be arriving any day now.

 

 

Overall at this point, I am not overly impressed with the Orange Glad box.  While I very much enjoyed receiving sweets in the mail, I really was only impressed by one of the four I actually received.  The box is normally $15/month plus shipping, so I'm not sure each item in the box was worth, flavor wise, about $4 (taking into account the shipping, and the item I did not receive).   

 

I'm thinking maybe I'll give them one more chance to impress me.  They did have great customer service (Thanks Angela from Orange Glad Support...heehee she had the same name as me), and sometimes these subscription type services have a down month.  The first two months they've been around, the snacks looked delicious...so possibly month four will be better than month three.

 

Here's hoping October is more impressive than September.

 

 

 

10 Days

As some of you may or may not know, I am eagerly counting down the days until the release of the movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2."  Not counting today..... there are only 10 days left!!!!!

Not sure what exactly this movie has in store for you?  Well... it has

 

 

Baked potato hippos

 

 

Mosquitoast

 

 

Berry the Strawberry... and so much more.

 

My kids and I are ready for this epic movie to be out already.  Only 10 days left.... until the wait is over.

 

Menu Plan Monday 09/16/13 to 09/22/13

So it's been awhile since I've even logged on to my blog here and posted anything... not necessarily out of lack of desire, but things have been a little crazy in my little corner of the world here lately.  So back in late February/Early March when I last posted, I had been working on my son's bedroom, beginning a new job position, and a ton of other projects I had going on around the house.  At this point, while some of those things have simmered down (my son's room is completed), other's have picked up in their places.

Since my last posting, I actually have returned to my old position that I had with my company.  While I enjoyed trying out the new venture, I felt that it just wasn't a good fit for me, and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to return to the position I had originally had with the company.  It has been almost three months since I've returned back and it has been incredibly busy, but it's been great to be back.

Other things that have been happening are of course wedding plans that are gearing up to be finalized (only about a month and a half till my little brother gets married), a baby shower is being planned (only about a month and a half and my bestie April has her first baby!!!!), tons of family will be in town soon, as well as the kids have been back in school the past month so things have been busy on that front as well. 

While you would think that since I have so much going on, now would be the time to shrink from my blogging, a friend at work, who apparently actually reads what I write on here, said something the other day about not posting in forever... and I realized, it has been a long time and thought maybe it's time to get back into the swing of things, particularly with the structure of the kids being back in school.

So there you have it... a short summary of the past half year and what I've been up to.  Of course due to this hectic schedule, I've of course been keeping up on the whole weekly menu planning thing.  I can't stress enough how helpful it is to come home from work and just know what is going to be made for dinner already.  Here's the plan for this next upcoming week:

Monday

Grilled Bratwursts

Fruit or Salad on the side

 

Tuesday

Homemade Pizza

 

Wednesday

Crockpot Sweet Potato Chili

Homemade Corn Bread

 

Thursday

Chicken Fajitas

Refried Beans

Rice

 

Friday

Leftovers

 

Saturday

Slow Cooker Bacon Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken

Baked Beans

Vegetables

 

Sunday

Leftovers

 

So what is your family having for dinner?  Do you make a plan, or just make something on a whim last minute?  For more ideas on how to answer the ever present question (at least from my kids) "What's for dinner?", check out Laura's Menu Plan Monday at her blog.  She's got some great ideas along with a handful of other gals who have some tasty dishes planned for the week!







209 Days

It's happening.

 

 

Only 209 Days left and counting.

Menu Plan Monday 2/25/13 to 03/03/13

Hello, Happy Wednesday!  This week already has started and I feel like I've had to hit the ground running.  Work has been incredibly busy, as usual.  Home life has been decently busy as well.

I'm mid-way through re-decorating one of the bedrooms in our house for my middle child, Ashton.  Needless to say, I've been dragging my feet on it a bit and he has been chomping at the bit to have it done.  At this point, it's painted.  The trim still needs to be painted a complimentary color (the walls are a sage-y green), a dresser still needs to be purchased, and everything of his still needs to be moved into the new room.  While I would love to say this is going to be done this weekend, in all reality, it may be another week or two. 

Other than that, things have been pretty copacetic around here.  Menu plans really have been non-existent the past few months.  This  has really made dinner more stressful than it needs to be, but I haven't had the motivation to really do anything  about it.  Hopefully starting to write more on the blog again will give me the jolt I need to break out of this rut I've been in.

So here goes nothing, our first menu plan in practically forever....

Monday

Tacos

Rice

Refried Beans

 

Tuesday

BBQ Chicken

Baked Potatoes

Veggies

 

Wednesday

Leftovers

 

Thursday

 Pancakes
Eggs
Bacon

 

Friday

Pork chops
Sweet Potatoes
Veggies

 

Saturday

Beef and Rice Casserole

Veggies

 

Sunday

Hamburger Helper

Veggies

Biscuits

 

Nothing fancy.  No bells or whistles this week.  I decided to keep it pretty simple so that hopefully I'll have time to work on some house projects (my sons room is still waiting...).  For more ideas on what to have for dinner, check out Laura's Menu Plan Monday at her blog.  She's got some great ideas along with a handful of other gals who have some tasty dishes planned for the week!

 

So what's your family having for dinner?



Cake for Breakfast - French Toast Cupcakes

 

Breakfast is one of my all time favorite meals.  There are so many ways to mix it up and keep it fresh.  There's pancakes, eggs, omelets, crepes, and french toast. 

French toast is probably a favorite out of the bunch.   It can be jazzed up with different flavors such as vanilla, hazelnut, and peanut butter, to name a few.  It also is delicious just as it originally is, without any added bells or whistles.

That being said, I really love dessert.  Dessert is my favorite meal of the day.  My husband always gives me a hard time about the order in which I eat my meals, insisting I set a 'good' example by eating my dessert after I eat the actual meal.  Picky, picky.

With that being said,  I thought the only logical thing would be to make a dessert that (at least flavor wise) would fit into the meal category. 

After scouring the Internet for different breakfast flavored recipes, I settled on French Toast cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting.  I actually used two different sources for the recipes for the cupcake and the frosting, the original sources are noted by the recipes.  They turned out magnificent.  The kids liked them, and I really enjoyed them.  They were so delicious!  While we (we being my children) won't be actually eating these little cakes for breakfast, they certainly remind me of breakfast and the tasty french toast we often enjoy at our house.

French Toast Cupcakes
recipe from Life Is Better With Cake Blog

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 lg. eggs, separated
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting - recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a muffin pan with paper cupcake liners (the original recipe says approx. 12 cupcakes for are produced from the recipe, I ended up with about 21).

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar.  Mix on low until it is just incorporated, and then raise the speed to high and mix for about 10 minutes until the butter and sugar mixture is nice and fluffy.

While the butter and sugar is mixing, combine the rest of the dry ingredients into a bowl.  Whisk them together and then set aside.  In a separate bowl, combine the milk and vanilla, and then set aside.

Add the egg yolks one at a time to the butter mixture, waiting until the yolk is completely mixed in before adding the next one.

Next, reduce the speed of the mixer and alternately add the flour mixture (3 additions) and the milk mixture (2 additions).  Add just a little of each at a time, waiting until it is fully incorporated before adding the next.  Once all the milk and flour have been added, speed up the mixer until the batter is smooth.  Transfer the batter into a separate bowl.

Clean the mixer bowl out and then put the egg whites inside.  With the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed.

Fold the egg whites into the batter until just incorporated. 

Pour the batter into the lined muffin pan.  Fill each cup about 3/4 full. 

Bake until the cupcakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (I baked ours for about 30 minutes, but I think 27 would have been sufficient).

Remove the cupcakes from the oven, cool completely, then frost.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
slightly adapted from The Cupcakery Blog

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
Pinch of salt
1 tsp. maple syrup
2 tsp. maple extract, more or less to taste
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Beat together the cream cheese, butter, and salt until creamy.  (I actually softened my cream cheese and butter in the microwave for a few seconds as I forgot to set it on the counter prior to making the frosting.  I also forgot to add the salt as the original recipe suggests, and the frosting still tasted delicious, in my opinion).  Add in the maple syrup and maple extract (again, here, I actually didn't use maple syrup, I used Mrs. Buttersworth.  Not sure if this makes a huge difference, but my family thinks real maple syrup is too sweet and I didn't want to purchase a whole bottle for just one recipe).  Beat this mixture until the extract and syrup is fully incorporated.

Add in the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, until all of the sugar has been add in.  Mix the frosting on high in between additions.  Mix until the frosting has a light and fluffy consistency.

Frost cupcakes.

When I made these cupcakes, I simply garnished them with some edible grayish pearls.  They also are delicious when garnished with bacon "sprinkles."  I just wasn't in the mood to cook up any bacon when I made these though.

Enjoy.

It's Been Awhile

Do you ever feel like everything is crazy and that you have no time for pretty much anything but the basic functions such as eating, sleeping, working, etc.?  I sure hope so, because if I am the only one, that would suck, as well as make me feel pretty darn pathetic.

It only has been about a three months since my last post, but whose counting, right?  Go ahead and call off the search parties... I'm back.  I unsuccessfully attempted NaBloPoMo, have celebrated Thanksgiving, done Christmas shopping, baked many cupcakes, cookies, and desserts, as well as have celebrated Christmas with family since anyone has last heard from me.  I've also changed jobs, and done many loads of laundry, rang in the New Year, and probably numerous other things that would generate various degrees of interest.

So what exactly has been preventing me from posting these last few months?  Not exactly any one thing in particular.  It more has been a zillion little things that just form a unsurmountable obstacle when it comes to my time and my energy.

The holidays have come and gone.  While I absolutely love the whole holiday season, I am thrilled it has finally passed us by.  I really enjoy being with family, and just the whole spirit of the season, but the amount of stress I create for myself is not something I will miss. 

A little less than a month ago, I changed jobs at work.  While I am thrilled to be doing something different (I loved my old job, but sometimes you just gotta mix it up), it has been a rollercoaster of busy.  The transition from my old job to my new job has been a stressful one.  I think the ride will finally be over, as they have finally gotten a replacement in my old position and so I will not be juggling new and old responsibilities anymore.

Now that things seem to be settling down a little bit, I am hoping I can focus more on things that I want to focus on.  Some of these things include my new job, some projects I have around the house, my blogging, and of course spending time with friends and family.

Some things I am looking forward to this year include my kid's birthdays (which although are not for another two months, I already feel like there is some pressure - self induced, of course - to plan some sort of party or something), the new job - and the opportunities it will bring, my baby brother's wedding, and the Revenge of the Leftovers.**

(**officially, I believe that the name of the movie is going to be Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, or something along those lines, as well as the release date has been changed to 09/27/13**)

Anyways, this post really has no specific point, other than pointing out that obviously I'm a slacker who hasn't written anything in a few months.  As well as to be an opportunity to write about my excitement over a children's movie that comes out in 217 days.  (Only 5 days until the first trailer **jazz hands**)

 I cannot wait.

Maybe the Creator's of Zombieland were right...

There have been two articles recently that have stuck out like a sore thumb to me. 

An individual from Texas has started an online petition to secede from the union.  While this really is not new news, I mean pretty much every time an election finishes, someone starts one of these petitions because they are unhappy with the outcome of it, but this time they actually got enough 'signatures' to get a response from the White House.  I believe that the actual limit is somewhere around 25,000 signatures within 30 days is needed to get their official response.  Even then, I believe they can opt out of responding if they wanted, I mean, they are the government.  This whole situation completely reminds me of the Family Guy episode where Peter starts his own country and calls it Petoria.

I wonder what they would call Texas if they started their own nation? 

 

At this point, It looks like Texas has over 100,000 signatures.  While this sounds like a lot it's only approximately .4% of their population.  In fact, their petition is starting to look a little silly as Austin and El Paso have both put in petitions that they would like to stay part of the US.  I seriously am doubting the validity of any single state seceding from the Union.  It didn't end well for Petoria, so I have my doubts of it ending well for any other single state. 

 

This other issue, in my mind, is of utmost importance.  It appears as if the creators of Zombieland had it right when they showed Tallahassee not finding that little succulent creme filled yellow sponge cake we know as a Twinkie. 

 

 

According to the headlines recently, Hostess will be filing for bankruptcy.

 

 

What exactly does this mean?  Well besides the fact that over 18,500 employees will be losing their jobs, the people who make not only twinkies, but also Ho Ho's, Ding Dongs, Snowballs and Cupcakes will no longer be doing just that.

 

If they were right about the Twinkies, what else were the creator's of Zombieland right about? 

 

 

Sources: 

1.  http://www.inquisitr.com/401979/texas-secession-petition-surpasses-100000-signatures/

2.  http://money.msn.com/top-stocks/post.aspx?post=6d7b095e-e558-4dc4-83e9-1859d177e676&ocid=ansmony11



Menu Plan Monday 11/12 to 11/18

 

Hello, and Happy Monday!  This past week has felt like it has been incredibly busy.  Looking back, it really doesn't sound like I had a lot going on, but it sure felt like it. 

Work has been super busy lately, just with the normal shuffle of the new month as well as people being on vacation, things have gotten just crazy.  Home has been busy too, just with trying to keep up with everything with the kids, the hubby, and just trying to keep it together.

Last week Ashton had his first grade nursery rhymes musical.  It was so adorable.  He sure makes me proud of him.  I also got some exciting news about my brother's wedding, you can read about that here.  And last but not least, I actual tried another craft that I pinned on pinterest (I know, amazing, since normally I just pin stuff and never follow through on it).  I didn't get any pictures of it, but if I get a chance, I'll do another of this particular pinterest craft to post here later this week hopefully. *crossing my fingers*

Anyways, here's what's happening for our evening meals this week:

Monday

Chicken Fried Steak

Mashed Potatoes

Veggies

 

Tuesday

Leftovers

 

Wednesday

Spaghetti w/ Meatballs

Salad

Garlic Bread

 

Thursday

Mac N' Cheese with Hamburger

Veggies

 

Friday

Meatloaf

Rice

Veggies

 

Saturday

Tuna Helper

Veggies

Biscuits

(Unless I find a recipe I want to test before Saturday)

 

Sunday

Chicken Bacon Roll ups

Noodles

Veggies

 

So what's your family having for dinner?  Have you found any new recipes that are keepers lately?

 

As always, linking this up over at Lara's Menu Plan Monday. 

 

Happy Menu Planning!



Chocolate Chip Donuts with Peanut Butter Glaze

I recently came across this recipe both on Pinterest and Strut Your Stuff Saturday for Chocolate Chip Donuts with Peanut Butter Glaze.  Since I saw this recipe, I have been thinking about making them pretty much constantly.  It has been a constant buzzing in the back of my mind for probably a good solid two weeks.

So this weekend, I broke down, went out and bought a donut pan, and actually made them.  I have to say that normally I am completely happy with the Pinterest recipes I've tried, I was a little disappointed in this one.

I should clarify that my disappointment was not in the donut.  The donut was delicious.  I was letdown by the peanut butter glaze.  I'm not sure if I missed a step in the whole process of making it, or if it turned out how it was suppose to and just wasn't as tasty as I thought it should be?  Who really knows.  I think I may be trying the glaze again to see if it comes out differently, especially since my glaze looked nothing like the one in the picture at A Kitchen Addiction's blog, where I got the recipe.

While I was a little dissatisfied with my results, the kids were very pleased.  They both thought they were very tasty, and Sydney loved decorating them.  She thought it was pretty fun to dump the sprinkles on them.

 

Ashton's exact words were that they were good, good enough to have again, but that he likes the store ones better. 

That being said, I think that there is room for improvement, although I'm thinking I may just need to practice up and try getting my glaze on again.

Any who, here is the recipe for these little guys, just in case you want to give it a go. 

Peanut Butter Glazed Chocolate Chip Donuts
From A Kitchen Addiction's Blog
Makes 6 donuts (per A Kitchen Addiction, the recipe doubles well)

For the donuts

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips in mine)

Glaze
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbs. creamy peanut butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in milk, vanilla, and egg until well-combined. (I ended up using slightly more milk than was called for, the batter was too dry at first)  Stir in chocolate chips.

Transfer batter to a pastry bag or gallon-sized bag with the tip snipped off. Fill donut cavities about 2/3 full.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until donuts just start to turn light golden brown. Do not over bake.  Remove donuts to wire rack to cool.

To prepare glaze, melt together butter and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes. Add milk and boil for another 2 minutes. Be sure to continue stirring.

Turn heat to low and stir in confectioner’s sugar and peanut butter until smooth. Keep over low heat while glazing donuts to prevent glaze from hardening.

Allow glaze to cool before serving.   Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Enjoy.