It's the Weekend | Number Thirteen

I didn't do a weekend post last week...Oops. But, here we are again, and it's Saturday and another weekend is already here. I feel like I blink and it's another week lately. I probably say that in every one of these posts, but seriously. Where is time going? Marin was up nice and early today so she joined me for my quiet time. That's always fun. 

I've been in full prep for maternity leave mode. I've been organizing cabinets. I've been creating lists. I've been getting the nursery slowly finished and am thinking about what needs to go in my hospital bag this time around. I am due in a few weeks and I'm trying to prepare myself emotionally and mentally for leaving work for a really long time. It's messing with my head lately. It will all be fine, I am sure, but 12 weeks is a long time. It will be fall by the time I fully return. I'll be working part time from home for a good chunk of it, but still. It's weird being away from anything for that long. 

Ryan and I are celebrating 8 years of marriage in 10 days as well. We are trying to figure out even a night have a date night. Life is super crazy. I've been daydreaming about taking a big trip once we hit ten years. I want to be on a beach for at least a week. No kiddos. Lots of margaritas and some good beach-y reads. That's all I want. We have 2 years to plan and save but of course I'm already thinking about it. It gives us something to look forward to. 

Anyways, here's some link love for the week....

A Summer Reading List.  Sometimes I need to not read parenting books and dive into a delicious novel. 

I've always dreamt of owning a breakfast place. Breakfast is where it's at. 

I'm always working on our budget. Here are some budgeting methods to swear by.

Last time I had a baby, it was in the dead of winter. Now, it will be summertime. Here are 6 heath benefits for getting babies out in nature. 

I love snacks. These energy balls aren't bad for you and sound delicious. Even Marin would eat these. 

Our cat has single handedly destroyed our sectional in our family room. He's lucky he's a part of the family. I'm dreaming of a new sectional that's kid and cat friendly. Someday, maybe. 

I like meal planning. Here is a podcast about it and how to meal plan with your Bullet Journal. 

Have a great weekend! 

It's the Weekend | Number Eleven

The current chaos of the nursery and my mind. 

We've made it to another Saturday. I'm officially about 7 weeks away from meeting our new little dude. I'm getting more pregnant and tired by the day but I know that it will all be worth it in the end. But, I am pretty ready to no longer be pregnant. We are on the home stretch and I'm just trying to get everything in as much order as we possibly can. I've been planning my leave at work. There's a number of things around the house that need to be done or just forgotten about. We went to a birthing class last night with our doula and everything just keeps getting more real. 

This week, I've been reading a lot of things for mothers due to the fact that Mother's Day is tomorrow. I'm always looking for clever parenting hacks or ideas. I've been reading a lot about screen time and how it affects our children or how we need to get outside WAY more than we do now. 

Here's what I've read this week: 

Celebrity mom's talk about their mothers. 

One of the books I posted about last week is on sale on Kindle for $1.99! 

I'm always looking for clever DIYs for parenting. Here's some great ones. 

I think about our budget a lot, especially with a new baby on the way. Here are 5 ways to save 100 dollars this week. 

Kid's should play outside more and here's how to do it. 

Meal planning has become a part of our home. I'm always looking for cheap, easy recipes. 

A new donut shop opened in our town and my pregnancy cravings might get the best of me. 

Postpartum depression is a big deal. This mom's post is a must read. 

Have a great weekend! 

WHOLE ME | WHOLE 30 WEEK 4

I survived my first Whole 30. I ate some cake today for my birthday. I was ok with that. I made it the 30 days. I did it. 

The last week of the Whole 30 was a bit of a blur to me. I didn't do very well with taking photos of my food. I did take some photos but as far as what I ate everyday, I can't really remember. I just remember that I ate clean and compliant to the plan and that's all that matters. Here are a few meals that I remembered to take a picture of....

I stepped on the scale the day after and was pleasantly surprised with the number I saw on the scale. I am closer to my goal weight. One step at a time. One pound at a time. 

I am taking every day now after the Whole 30, one day at a time. One meal at a time. I know now what I can eat that doesn't make me feel like crap. I know what can help me reach my goal weight. I also know that for my sanity, I can't be that strict all of the time and need to drink some wine every once in a while. But, my relationship with food is so much better than it was before. I am eating to live, not living to eat. That is where I need to be. 

In an effort to stick to a budget this month, I have started to meal plan dinners for my family. We just went shopping today for the first two weeks and came in under budget. Eating healthy can be affordable. Really. 

I will probably do another Whole 30 this fall. Now that I've made it through one, I can do another. I just need a bit of a break for a little while. The strange thing is that I already kind of miss it. Who knew? 

I am so thankful for this meal plan. It really did change how I view food and how I view myself. It will be nice to not have to have something special made for family gatherings. I am also looking forward to eating a meal at a restaurant again. 

If you want to change your body and how you think about food....do a Whole 30. I promise you won't be disappointed. 

Weekly Lovelies: Currently Clicking Week #4

Each and every week I try to gather up some of the places I've been clicking on out in the good ol' inter webs. There's so much out there, so much to weed through. But, this is where I've been clicking this week....

1. I've been researching more about Doterra oils. I'm currently curious about daily routines with the oils. Here's one, another, and another. 
2. I'm dying over these kitchens. Someday. 
3. I'm still obsessed with how other people do weekly meal prep. Once I go back to work, this will be a must to incorporate into our lives. Here's an example, another, and another. 
4. I like learning new things. I like growing in the knowledge that I have about things as well. This website is doing just that. I think it's just so cool. Sometimes you don't need a college class, sometimes you do. 
5. This post would have been helpful when I moved 1200 miles away from all of my friends and family. Sometimes making new friends is hard! 
6. As a mom, I'm really not loving pumping breast milk for my kid. Sometimes though I have band practice or something for work and someone else is watching her. Thus, I must pump. Here are a few tips on pumping: one, two, three. Even though I really don't like it currently! One thing is certain: I need to drink way more water! 

Prep During Pregnancy: Freezer Meals

I am planner. Most people that are close to me know this to be true. Most people that aren't even that close to me probably know that to be true as well. I plan. I make lists. I like to be prepared so I don't end looking like an idiot somewhere down the road. It's how I've always been. 

While pregnant, I became fairly obsessed with planning out certain areas of our lives once baby arrived. (I know all of you seasoned parents are probably laughing at that...) I constantly was on Pinterest (follow me if you'd like: here), pinning freezer meals and grocery lists, what to pack in my hospital bag, the minimal necessities for a newborn, etc. The list goes on and on. Seriously, what did we do before Pinterest? 

A few weeks before Marin arrived, I gathered up some recipes from Pinterest and from my normal cooking routine and planned a day where I would create as many freezer meals as possible. I knew that once baby arrived, the last thing I would want to do is cook a bunch of stuff. I also knew that I needed these meals to be decently healthy and clean because I would love to actually fit into my pre-pregnancy pants at some point in the next few months. 

I made a list. Ryan and I went to the grocery store and bought all of the supplies, which ended up being quite affordable. I wish I would have kept the receipt as a reference. 

The next day, we got home from church, and I placed all of my cooking ingredients and supplies out on the counter and went to town. I created freezer meals for about 3 hours but ended up with probably one or two month's worth of freezer meals. 

My feet hurt. I sweat up a storm. I rocked out to Pandora in my kitchen while my cat tried to avoid the kitchen and the crazy, list-making, pregnant lady. 

Here are the meals I made this time around. If I found the meal elsewhere, I will link to the recipe I used. 

Tortellini Bake: (my own creation) 

Jar of Tomato Sauce

Chicken Sausage

1 Bag of Frozen Broccoli

Shredded Mozzarella (Reduced Fat) 

Shredded Sharp Cheddar (Reduced Fat) 

1 bag of Frozen Tortellini

Italian Seasoning to taste

Directions: 

In a glass baking dish, place tortellini in dish. 

Cut up the sausage into bite size pieces, place over tortellini. 

Spread out bag of frozen broccoli, layering over tortellini and sausage. 

Do the same with the jar of tomato sauce. 

Add italian seasoning

Cover with mixture of mozzarella and sharp cheddar. 

When ready to eat: 

Let thaw

Preheat over to 400

Cook for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted

Enjoy! 

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

1 ½ pounds chicken breasts

1 (16 oz) bag frozen broccoli florets

2 (16 oz) jars Alfredo sauce (I use light)

1 large green pepper, chopped

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and mix together.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. 

Serve with cooked fettuccine noodles and green salad

Hearty Beef Stew

1 pound beef stew cubes

4 carrots, sliced

4 red potatoes, cut into large cubes

1 package dry onion soup mix

2 cans 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (10 oz) package frozen green peas

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed. When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 7-10 hours (or HIGH for 5-6 hours).

Both of these recipes are from Six Sisters Stuff. 

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch slices

1 can (28 ounces) whole stewed tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup nonfat, low-sodium chicken broth

1⁄4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Combine ingredients minus broth and add to gallon Ziploc bag. Freeze. Thaw add broth and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Serve over hot rice. Serves 6-8 people.

This recipe is found at Loving My Nest. 

Chicken Enchiladas 

3 chicken breasts

1 cup chopped onion

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

10-12 flour tortillas {medium}

2 cans of red enchilada sauce

1 can black beans

How to Make It:

Take the raw chicken breasts and place them in a pot of water, boil for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.  

Once the chicken is cooked remove from pot and shred {I use two forks and pull it apart}. Set aside.

Drain and rinse the can of black beans.

Mix the beans, chopped onion, shredded chicken, 1 can of red enchilada sauce, and the shredded cheddar cheese in a bowl.

With a spoon fill each flour tortilla, roll them up, and place them with the seams down in an 8x8 baking dish {don’t forget to spray your pan so you don’t stick!}. There should be enough to make three 8x8 pans.

Pour the second can of red enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle some cheese over it.

Thaw when ready to eat. 

Preheat oven to 350

Bake for 25 minutes.

For the life of me, I can't find the original link to this recipe. So sorry! 

Chicken Taco Chili 

1 can No Salt Added Black Beans

1 can No Salt Added Kidney Beans

1 can Rotel (tomatoes/green chilies) 

1 can tomato sauce (the smaller can) 

1 packet of taco seasoning (try to find one that isn't packed with sodium.) 

1 bag of frozen corn

A few frozen chicken breasts (I use the smaller tenderloins) 

A few dashes of chili powder

A few dashes of Cumin 

Directions: 

(This is the original recipe, not already frozen. Just toss the contents of the freezer bag into the crock pot.) 

Place beans, corn, tomato sauce, and rotel in the crock-pot. Stir in the packet of taco seasoning. Add chili powder and cumin. Stir, stir, stir. 

Place as many frozen chicken breasts that can fit on the top of the chili. Don't stir it. Put the lid on and cook on high for about 6 hours or so. You want the chicken completely cooked. 

Once the chicken is completely cooked, remove the chicken pieces from the crock-pot. 

Shred the chicken. Once that's done, dump the chicken back in the crock-pot. Stir the chicken thoroughly into the chili. Let it simmer for a while longer. 

Serve and enjoy! We usually put a little bit of cheese on top and dip corn chips in the chili.

I blogged about this recipe already. It is adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe. Read my post here. 

Turkey Burritos: (my own creation) 

Lean Ground Turkey

2 Cans of Pinto or Kidney Beans

2 Cans of Black Beans

1 Can of Rotel

Reduced Sodium Taco Seasoning

Chili Seasing

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Reduced Fat Shredded Mexican Cheese

Directions: 

In a pan, thoroughly cook the ground turkey. 

Once cooked, add cans of beans and can of Rotel

While simmering, add seasoning. 

To assemble burritos, scoop contents of pan into individual burritos, add some cheese, roll up in tin foil and free. 

Let thaw a bit before reheating when you are ready to eat! Add salsa if desired. 

Pre-made Smoothies 

I also created individual ziploc bags for smoothies. 

I added some frozen fruit (low sugar) which included mangos and pineapple. 

I sliced some strawberries and whatever other berries I had on hand. 

Add a few spoonfuls of greek or low fat yogurt. 

Add a few handfuls of spinach.

When you want to enjoy the smoothie, just add a liquid of your choice: Milk, Water, Juice, etc. 

Blend thoroughly. 

This idea was from A Beautiful Mess. 

Alright then! That is a very long post but now I know that we have quite a stash of meals waiting for us in our freezer in our garage. Good luck!