Meal Prep

Meal Prep is crucial to success in following any type of nutrition program. It also will save you money because you will frequent the stores and restaurants less often. Honestly, my biggest trick to saving money on food is by preparing it myself. Moving out to the semi-country where there are few excellent restaurant choices close by has really helped me save my pennies.

When I first started meal prepping it would take me hours. I would match my meals to what was on sale at the stores and try to get the most bang for my buck. It was very tedious and I dreaded it. I have come to learn where the best deals usually reside (Aldi, Sam's, and Wal-Mart) and don't really look at store ads anymore. Instead, I buy the best deals when I see them on sale and utilize my freezer!
I always leave a little extra space on my list for when I get to the store and discover our favorite yogurt is BOGO or Chicken is only $0.99 a pound.

Now, I sit down with my spiral bound notebook and my favorite cookbooks. I list out the days I am planning for and how many meals/snacks I need for each day. The first thing I do is shop my pantry and freezer. I build my meals around what I already have. I also take stock of items we frequent (peanut butter, honey, oatmeal, salsa, etc) so that we never run out. If I need an ingredient that is out of the ordinary, I try to find more than one recipe that uses said ingredient, so that I use it all up and nothing goes to waste. I typically plan for one to two weeks at a time. If my family LOVES a meal, I add it to my master list and after doing this for several years, we have a pretty great running list. Because I like to cook and try new recipes, I usually allow for one or two new recipes every two weeks.

Shrimp and grits, veggie blend, and watermelon

I write out all the meals/snacks for each day and then add the ingredients to my shopping list. I try to put meals with fresh ingredients during the earlier part of the week just in case those fresh fruits and veggies run out before I can get back to the store. I hate running out of things before the next big trip. But, with a family of 7, that is bound to happen. Good thing there's a Publix on the corner when milk is low and we don't need anything else.

How do you Meal Prep?

No Bake Energy Bites

Sometimes I just want to pretend like I'm eating cookie dough. I cannot be alone!

No bake energy bites are a great solution to this problem. I don't even bother rolling them up. I just slap them in a container and eat them straight from the container. I allow myself a spoonful (or two) a day. It is a great way to satisfy those time of the month cravings. I know you know what I mean!

I found the recipe I use HERE at Gimmesomeoven. I love that there are so many variations and you can pretty much use what is in your cupboard and get something pretty yummy and cookie-dough-esque.

Banana Boats

Watch out! Here's a dessert coming at you that is FAST, DELICIOUS, and, WAIT FOR IT, NOT A CHEAT MEAL! (Unless you really want to hold 10 mini-marshmallows against yourself.)

Ingredients:

Yellow bananas (I prefer mine to be just ripe, not spotted)
walnuts, or preferred nut
dark chocolate chips
mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350.
Slice bananas lengthwise, keep peel on.
Stuff with chocolate chips, nuts, and marshmallows.
Wrap with tin foil, leaving a pocket of air at the top!

Bake for about 5-7 minutes. Serve immediately by digging in with a spoon.

Easiest clean up ever! This dessert is my new favorite!

16 Months

Just shy of 16 months, Weston simply fell (as babies turning into toddlers do) and received a buckle fracture in his left arm. We really didn't think anything of the fall because he falls A LOT! But the next day, he was so fussy and Jared felt he was favoring it. I set him up to climb the stairs to see if he could use his arm as usual. He couldn't. He kept falling on it. So, instead of going to church, I drove to the ED of the Children's Hospital in Orlando.

Aunt Stacey heard about where we were and surprised us. She even took care of lunch! I love her so much. I'm sorry, she really is the best sister in the world!

When we got their I couldn't quite identify where I thought the injury was. Weston is super cautious and doesn't love new people or doctors. So, he was very much complaining and uncooperative. They x-rayed his upper arm and shoulder and didn't find anything. The doctor was fantastic because after it came back clear, she talked more with me about why I thought something was wrong. She ordered x-rays of his lower arm and found the buckle fracture just above his wrist.

We went to Trader Joe's after our appointment with Ortho. Matt here was the first to sign his cast.

They sent us home with a soft cast and said that we would report to Ortho in a week and probably wouldn't need a hard cast. Well, I guess Ortho saw it differently and we left that appointment with a hard cast. The bigger kids were thrilled and couldn't' sign it fast enough.
Weston is really developing his sweet and funny personality. He loves to laugh at his siblings and talk to our animals. He especially loves the chickens and being outside. We continue to be so happy he is in our family!

His little cast is pretty cute!

In the Morning I'm making WAFFLES

We love Waffles! Waffles are a rare treat around here. They take forever to make because our waffle maker came free with our George Foreman grill and only makes two waffles at a time! Here's our family's favorite waffle recipe as adapted from the America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. We double this recipe!

Ingredients:
1 Cup all-purpose flour (unbleached)
1 Cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP flaxseed meal
2 large eggs, separated
4 TBSP (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 3/4 Cups buttermilk (or whole milk with a dash of lemon juice)
Pinch cream of tartar

Heat waffle iron according to its instructions.

Whisk together flours, salt, baking soda, and flaxseed meal in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, butter, and then the buttermilk. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.

Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour buttermilk mixture into the well and whisk very gently until the buttermilk mixture is just incorporated (lumps are your friend). Toward the end of mixing, fold the whipped egg whites into the batter.

Following your waffle iron's instructions, spread the appropriate amount of batter (I use a large cookie scoop) onto the waffle iron and cook until golden brown. Repeat until batter is gone and the waffles are piled high.

We serve ours with fresh fruit, peanut butter, and maple syrup. This time I tried out some Trader Joe's Cookie Butter and it was pretty much the bomb.com!

Back to School 2016

The three big boys started back to school this week! We do miss them, but the routine school brings is always welcome. I am so proud of my boys and I think we're going to have a great year!

Landon is a Kindergartener this year and I cried, of course! I feel like we were just having picnics on the front lawn and now he's a big, independent boy. He is such a social fella that he is loving school and has already made friends with EVERYONE!

Chicken Raising

Raising chickens is hard work! Stinky too! We had a tragedy a couple weeks ago when some sort of predator got in our hen house and killed and stole a chicken! It was so sad and Grayson was heartbroken. My dad came to the rescue and we spent some time fortifying the coop. Then, just last week we got our first eggs! They are delicious and so cute and little right now. We sure love our girls.

My Story

I feel like we are writing new chapters to our own individual stories every day. I never thought in a million years that I would become part of  a network marketing company. Honestly, it is one of those things I would normally turn up my nose at.
Something about Beachbody was different. It felt different. It made ME different.
My coach, Amy, challenged me to share my story in a video blog (VLOG). It was scary, but I did it.
Now, I share that with you. Thanks for letting me into your world. Make it a great day!

Click HERE to watch my VLOG.

Macaroni and Cheese

I cannot begin to describe the love I have for macaroni and cheese. When food is associated with a wonderful memory, it is hard to stop eating it. My nana always made macaroni and cheese at holidays. It was so very delicious and my family continues this tradition of having macaroni and cheese at family parties and holidays.

I wanted to try a variation of the Macaroni and Cheese recipe in the FIXATE cookbook. I didn't follow it to the letter, but I did use it to inspire my personal recipe. The results was pretty good and my children went in for seconds and thirds! That's when you know you have a winner.

Macaroni and Cheese

1 box cooked whole grain pasta (penne, elbows, rotini, etc)
Steamed broccoli (I used half a family-sized frozen bag)
Cooked chicken breasts, cut up into bite sized pieces (I poached some chicken tenderloins or you could use a store-bought rotisserie chicken)

For the cheese sauce:
Melt 4 TBSP butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add 3 TBSP whole wheat flour and whisk well.
Slowly add 3 Cups unsweetened plain almond milk, whisking it in (I usually use whole milk, so this was an experiment. The taste was great, but the consistency was more like Alfredo sauce. I will need to try again and see if I need to cook it longer next time.)

Stir often until mixture thickens, comes to a boil. Off the heat, add 1 tsp Sea Salt, 6 shakes of black pepper, 2 shakes of cayenne pepper and stir. Slowly stir in 16 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used the white kind today).
Stir in cooked noodles, chicken, and broccoli and stir to coat and warm through. Serve immediately.

French Onion Soup

I absolutely LOVE soup! Jared doesn't really care for it. But sometimes I like to make a dinner I am really excited about. Next time, though, I'm making this and saving it all for me! The family didn't love it, but I really LOVED it. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I served it with a garden salad. 

French Onion Soup (modified from FIXATE cookbook)

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 medium onions, sliced

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 dash Himalayan salt (or sea salt)

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

6.5 cups low-sodium beef broth

4 slices low-sodium sprouted whole grain bread (or whole wheat bread--No HFCS)

4 Tbsp shredded Parmesan (or Gruyere) cheese

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

2. Add onions, cook, stirring frequently for 8-10 minutes (or until translucent).

3. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute (or until tender).

4. Add bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes, or until onions are a soft brown color.

5. Add 1/2 cup beef broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; gently boil fro 2-4 minutes (or until almost all liquid is absorbed). Remove bay leaves.

6. Add remaining 6 cups broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and gently boil for 13-15 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to broil.

8. Place bread on a baking sheet, top with cheese, and broil 3-4 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and brown.

9. Evenly ladle soup into four serving bowls and top with bread.

2 Green, 1 Yellow, 1/2 Blue, 1/2 tsp