Sunday, January 30, 2011

Meal Plan - Week of 1/31

It's seven thirty and I'm sweatin' bullets.  I've looked at what feels like a gazillion recipe sites, blogs, magazines, and cookbooks and I have YET to come up with this week's meal plan.  Why hasn't this gotten any easier?  It's got to, right? (Side note...I just checked out three more sites...still nothin')

Monday - Bow Tie Pasta with Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce
Tuesday - Turkey Dogs and Oven Baked Fries
Wednesday - Chicken Parmesan Paninis
Thursday - Veal Stew and Baked Sweet Potatoes
Friday - Creamy Chicken Lasagna

Note there is a lot of chicken this week...guess what has been on sale lately and in my freezer? :)  Cheers every one - have a great week!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Making Progress

As I posted earlier, I am making it my business to put a little fun back into my life, to get my bucket list started, blah, blah, blah. 

Fun....check.  Work on bucket list...check!  (You can see her progress by clicking on the link on the right side of the page.)  Yes, I actually accomplished a little bit of both this week.  Yay me!

Fun Stuff
I enjoyed a "mom's night out" on Friday. Yes, you heard me right.  Yes, this coming from the one who is usually ready to go to bed around 8:30.  And yes, I HAD SO MUCH FUN.  I got together with girlfriends from my "old job".  Gals I have known for a long time...oh how times and things have changed.  We played Pokeno and talked and laughed and ate (and drank a little - drank, drunk, drinked?) and laughed some more.  AND - wait for it - I didn't get home until midnight.  Yep, you heard me right.  But I handled it like a champ.  Of course, it is 9:00 as I'm writing this and all I can think about is going to bed ;-) 

I also started a MeetUp group for working / commuting moms in my area.  So far I've had two people join.  My sweet neighbor whose arm I didn't have to twist too much at all, and another person who saw my ad for the group.  So excited to see if it will get off the ground.  If so, more fun to be had!

And perhaps, the most fulfilling fun of all was when Big B and I took Little A to Monkey Joe's today.  I know what you're probably thinking..."she had FUN at Monkey Joe's with all the screaming and the running and the jumping?"  Trust me, that is what I thought when we first walked in.  But I have to say, Little A is a bit of a daredevil when she wants to be.  And to see her jump and hurl herself down a slide as fast as she possibly can is the best - that smile makes it all worth it.  Not to mention the fact that she is fast asleep because of said screaming, running, and jumping!

Can't wait to see what fun we can muster up next week...cheers!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Meal Plan - Week of 1/24

Here we go again.  I have spent so much of my weekend "worrying" about this meal plan.  You see, I am in SERIOUS save money mode.  So I have challenged myself this week to eat only what we have on hand in the freezer and pantry.  The only things I am going to buy at the grocery this week are orange juice and eggs.  That's it.  I cleaned out my pantry and fridge yesterday and realized that I have enough food to make a week's worth of meals and then some, and that includes sweet treats.  My only worry is that I really don't have a lot of fruits and vegetables, but I think I have enough to manage.  We shall see!

It is not lost on me that dried beans are not only healthy, but very budget friendly.  After the dust settled, I realized I have pintos, black beans, great northerns, lentils, AND split peas.  I think we have enough beans to conduct our own symphony ;)  That being said, I soaked the pintos last night, cooked them this morning, portioned and vacuum-sealed them, and put them in the freezer.  I see a lot of soup in our future.  Good thing, because this winter has really gotten the best of me.  Come on spring!

Monday - Pulled Turkey BBQ Sandwiches with homemade BBQ Sauce and Homemade Sweet Potato Fries
*I use this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe utilizing whatever seasonings I have on hand!  I pull it myself and make the sauce too (I always make that one up as I go and it's always good!)
Tuesday - Turkey Fettuccine Alfredo with Sauteed Green Beans
*I will use leftover turkey and repeat this meal from last week (minus the broccoli)
Wednesday - Pasta e Fagioli
*I will adjust this recipe slightly by using the pinto beans I cooked and I will use the mini corkscrew pasta I have on hand.
Thursday - Homemade Chicken and Dumplings and Green Beans                                                    *Mmmm....I can't wait for this one! 
Friday - My first official Girls Night Out of the year!!  Since it is payday and the start of a new allocated spending period, I am pretty sure Big B and Little A will enjoy a little father / daughter dinner out.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week - cheers!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

There's a Hole in My Bucket

Do you remember that Happy Days episode when The Fonz tried to say I love you and it sounded more like I lu...I luuuh... I luuuhhv yew?  Well, that's how I feel about admitting this little nugget.  I have bu...I have buuuck...oh alright already - I have Bucket List envy!

Wow, that's a load off.  It's embarrassing really, but I just can't help it. Every bucket list I've ever read is so creative, so full of cool and exciting ideas, challenges, hopes and dreams. And I've got nuthin'.  Nada.  Zip.  Zilch.  Heck, the first thing on my bucket list is to CREATE A BUCKET LIST! How sad is that?  What is wrong with me?  I think need to get out a little more. 

I hope you will share your list - I really do find them fascinating.  And I will be wracking my brain for the next few weeks to come up with my own list - hopefully :)

 Cheers!

Share Your List!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Meal Plan for Week of 1/17

I have a confession to make.  I hate meal planning...there, I said it.  It's like a chore for me.  But I have to admit that it does the job I expect it to do, which is to save me a lot of time during the week and save me a lot of money.  So with my admission now floating around out there in blog land for all to see, here is my plan for the week.

Monday - Honey Chicken Stir Fry
** Update - the Honey Chicken Stir Fry was good, but there was just not enough sauce for our family.   We love us some sauce!!  I will double the sauce ingredients if I decide to make this again.
*Tuesday - Alfredo Light
Wednesday - Mexican Chicken Stew
Thursday - Turkey Dogs and Homemade Onion Rings
Friday -  Oven Roasted Chicken and Green Bean Casserole

*Tuesday night is Big B's "dude night", so a meatless meal is great for just us girls!  And just in case you are wondering, I just now (literally) decided that I am going to live a little, go a little crazy, and just NOT plan meals for Saturday and Sunday.  How's that for living on the edge?  A girl's gotta have a little fun, right? :-)
 

Cheers!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Out with the Old, In with the New

Needless to say, it's been a while.  I won't go through the laundry list of excuses as to why I haven't written in a while.  All I can say is life got really busy and I got really tired.  Have you ever gotten to the point where you are sick and tired of being sick and tired?  Well, that was me, so I sort kinda took a break.  So tired in fact that I actually went a couple of months last year without going on...FACEBOOK.  Oh gasp, the horrors!  My friends just couldn't believe it.  To use one of my favorite pop culture phrases from the last couple of years...I just wasn't that into it!

But here we are, heading into the new year and I feel a little inspired.  This is the year I turn - wait for it - FORTY.  Sigh.  Not that I think of it as "old", as a matter of fact I think it's pretty cool.  I just think back to when my parents were forty and thinking it was old.  Mature even. And let me just say that I don't feel the least bit like a mature adult.  I mean really - does that EVER happen?  I know you are but what am I?  But I digress...

In this year of Eleven (one of my favorite numbers) I am not going to make resolutions.  Why set myself up to fail?  BUT, I am going to live life a little more, keep in touch a little more, and have a little more FUN.

Cheers to the new year!