Working On The Simple Life

Things I Am Loving Right Now

2015-08-13T22:32:00.001-04:00

*airconditioning

*kids who do their chores

*the textbooks that came today at school

*the greeting my doggies give me when they have missed me

*having my elementary kids' paperwork completed

*a job I love

*my comfy bed

*my husband fixing things around the house- especially now that everything has decided to tear up at the same time

*my kids having a daddy who wants to spend time with them

The Long Hiatus Is Over!

2015-08-11T22:06:00.001-04:00

Well, while I was at work today in webpage training, I thought of this blog and showed it to a coworker (the mobile version). While looking at it, I longed to write on it! So here I am.

So much has changed in the two years since I last blogged. My hubby was deployed and came back. Our children have gotten older. I started a new job at a new school. One of our dogs, Brutus, was killed and we got a new pup, Thor. So many changes...

So while the title of this blog is "Working on the Simple Life" and none of what I said sounds simple, I am still searching and working on it.

Things I Am Loving Right Now...

2013-12-11T23:01:00.001-05:00

1. cozy Christmas throws to snuggle under

2. our new puppy, Marvel

3. our "old" puppy, Brutus

4. birthday week!!!

5. our little bitty Christmas tree for this year

6. watching the Duck Dynasty Christmas special with the kiddos

7. texting with my husband, who is 8,000 miles away

8. the big red picture frames with my kids' black and white pictures in them

9. the fact that we are two weeks away from Christmas!

10. warm, comfy sweat suits

Menu Plan for the Week of May 20

2013-05-20T22:04:00.000-04:00

Breakfast
pancakes (already frozen, just thaw)
oatmeal
Bavarian cream pastry (bought from a school fundraiser)
smoothies

Lunch
English muffin pizzas
almond butter sandwiches
leftovers from suppers

Supper
grilled ham and cheese with carrots and chips x2
whole chicken in the crockpot, roasted sweet potato wedges, salad
breakfast for supper: scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit
grilled chicken breasts, sautéed kale, baked sweet potatoes
grilled London broil, sautéed spinach, quinoa
beans and rice, a poor man's supper

Snacks
granola bars
carrots and hummus
string cheese sticks
Greek yogurt
fruit (apples, clementines, bananas, strawberries)
popcorn

Things I am Loving Right Now...

2013-03-26T19:44:00.001-04:00

*a lazy day at home
*the white chili we ate for supper (and the chicken was leftover from last night's supper!!)
*my leopard print robe
*my totally unplanned matching leopard print slippers
*fresh berries that were on sale
*queso fresco
*my oldest daughter and I just chatting
*cozy throws on my couch
*candles burning
*a clean kitchen
*folded laundry

Menu Plan for the Week of March 4

2013-03-03T18:00:00.000-05:00

Breakfast
slow cooker oats
green smoothies
baked oatmeal

Lunches
leftovers
homemade lunchables for the kids
smoothie pops
monster meatloaf and broccoli

Dinners
chicken fajitas with Ezekiel tortillas
chicken and broccoli stirfry with brown rice
slowcooked beef roast with sweet potato cubes and sauteed cabbage
scrambled eggs and bacon with Ezekiel toast
baked chicken with roasted veggies

Snacks
natural fruit roll-ups
greek yogurt
cheese sticks
apples, bananas, berries, oranges
carrots and hummus or ranch
Kind bars
homemade protein bars

Freezer Cooking Plans for March 2

2013-03-01T21:09:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow will be the first freezer cooking day that I have attempted in a while. I have put things in the freezer here and there but I really want enough fixed for a week or more so that we will eat at home each night. My goal this month in the food department is to buy quality meat and produce and eat them at home. I want to save some money...vacation time is around the corner :)
I guess really I could call tomorrow a freezer cooking/ prep day. I have some fruit veggies I want to get ready for the week. Clean eating doesn't happen here if I don't prepare for it!
Here is the plan:

cut and half strawberries
make hummus
cut chicken and season for fajitas and stirfry
cut onions and peppers for fajitas
make and freeze meal size portions of brown rice
boil some eggs for the next few days
season beef roast for the freezer
make pumpkin baked oatmeal, slice and freeze
make banana chocolate chip oatmeal, slice and freeze
make homemade protein bars

Hopefully I will have some little helpers tomorrow and hopefully I won't fizzle out before I get finished.

**some recipes adapted from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures, bodybuilding.com (Jamie Eason's recipes), and Biggest Loser recipes

What I Am Loving Right Now...

2013-03-01T10:38:00.000-05:00

unexpected snow days from school with snow falling but not laying (so I can drive easier lol)
dusted furniture in my living room
my kids helping me with household chores
Fridays
three day weekends!!
family movie nights
my kids being super excited about family movie night
my son's clean room
my girls cleaning their room
a warm bathroom to take a shower in
time to cook ahead for the week
hugs from my kiddos
clean laundry

Menu Plan for the Week of February 25

2013-02-24T20:07:00.001-05:00

Breakfasts
green smoothies
baked pumpkin oatmeal
chocolate almond banana oatmeal
cold cereal for the kiddos

Lunch
turkey meatloaf and broccoli
almond butter and peach sandwiches on Ezekiel bread
homemade "lunchables" with ham and turkey for the kids
leftovers from dinner

Dinner
chicken fajitas with Ezekiel tortillas and pinto beans
pinto beans and rice
bbq chicken and roasted sweet potato cubes
scrambled eggs and bacon, Ezekiel toast
thyme-rosemary baked chicken and sauteed cabbage

Snacks
carrots and hummus
larabars
homemade protein bars
matcha green tea
trail mix
strawberries
apples
navel oranges

What I Am Loving Right Now...

2013-02-21T21:44:00.000-05:00

Donut House Decaf in my Keurig

$1.25 for 1 lb. cartons of fresh strawberries

matcha green tea as a mid-day pick-me-up

my new highlighted hair

my recliner

Words with Friends

the 93 my daughter made on her last math test

the art projects that my other daughter makes for her daddy and me

my son's hugs

how my kids love reading

having my husband at home

HGTV

laughing with the kids in my classroom

my grandmother's doll sitting on my end table

Menu Planning for the Week of February 11-Clean Eating and Mostly Paleo

2013-02-10T12:59:00.002-05:00

Breakfast
green smoothies for hubby and me
Kashi cereal for the kiddos
strawberry and cream cheese wafflewiches for the kiddos
some recipe of baked oatmeal
slow cooker apple cinnamon oatmeal

Lunch
homemade lunchables for the kiddos
baked potatoes for the kiddos
soup for the kiddos
leftovers for hubby and me

Dinner
shrimp scampi and roasted broccoli
stuffed peppers and roasted carrots
meatloaf and bacon green beans
garlic pork chops and pistachio "couscous"
orange-rosemary chicken and roasted asparagus
steak burritos and spicy avocado salsa
chicken curry stew and roasted cauliflower
cashew-crusted chicken and zucchini ribbons

**many of these meal ideas came from emeals.com healthy breakfast, healthy lunch, and paleo menus

I'm Back!

2013-02-10T12:29:00.003-05:00

Wow! I logged on the old blog this morning and found myself looking at a publish date of May 2012 for my last post! Has it really been that long?
Well, I am back and I hope to begin posting regularly or semi-regularly again. :)

Menu Plan for the Week of May 21

2012-05-20T14:20:00.001-04:00

Okay, this is the last week of school!! No more packing lunches for two whole months!! YAY!!!
Update on the freezer/pantry challenge: we are spending WAY less at the grocery store each week and we are using up some of our freezer stockpile--just seems like we have way more food than I ever realized!!!

Breakfast
peanut butter banana smoothies (freezer-still haven't used them)
pumpkin baked oatmeal
oatmeal
eggs and turkey sausage (freezer)

Lunch
turkey and cheese sandwiches
ham and cheese sandwiches
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
frozen meals
chicken noodle soup (pantry)

Dinner
grilled London broil (freezer), Normandy veggies (freezer), white rice (freezer)
spinach pizza (freezer)
grilled chicken breast (freezer), spinach artichoke pasta (freezer)
shredded bbq chicken (freezer), creamed corn (freezer), baked beans
baked tilapia (freezer), quinoa (pantry), Normandy veggies (freezer)
beef and bean burritos (all ingredients in the freezer except beans)

Mother's Day 2012

2012-05-13T20:53:00.001-04:00

This is how I was greeted this morning: english muffin with an assortment of toppers and a banana. The coffee came right after this.

Happy Mother's Day!!

A Family 5k!

2012-05-13T20:42:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, my kids and I ran (and walked) our first 5k together. Races are something my husband usually participates in, but I did this one. My girlies are a part of a girls on the run type program at school that I have been helping with (I am by no means an athlete!). Since I have been there, little man has been too (and I think he looked more forward to running practices than any of us!). He actually finished before any of the rest of us in our family. I was about 10 minutes behind the kiddos but not long ago I could never have imagined doing something like this!! DD10 actually ran this race last year. This was the first 5k for DD8 and DS7.
I am so proud of all of us!

Menu Plan for the Week of May 14

2012-05-13T20:19:00.000-04:00

Well, the pantry challenge at my house is in full swing! I had to make a quick trip to Walmart to buy a few things yesterday and to Ingles earlier in the week to buy a few items. We've actually done a lot less grocery shopping than usual.
Here is what is on the menu for this week:

Breakfast
peanut butter banana smoothies (frozen)-didn't get to last week
eggs and turkey sausage (frozen)
waffles-bought this week for quick end-of-the-schoolyear breakfasts
oatmeal
peanut butter toast

Lunch
frozen lunches-some were bought this week
white chili (frozen)
taco soup (frozen)
chicken noodle soup (pantry)
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (pantry, bought some more bread for the week)

Dinner
turkey and black bean burritos (frozen and pantry)
shredded BBQ chicken, creamed corn, and black beans (frozen and pantry)
baked tilapia, rice, and Normandy veggies with pesto (frozen)
veggie burger and creamed corn and spinach cheese bites for the kids (frozen)
grilled London broil with creamed spinach and rice (frozen and pantry)
leftovers

Photography

2012-05-07T20:03:00.001-04:00

I have been taking a digital photography class and had a blast! I had to chase this ant down to get this pic. Autofixed it on picasa and found a spider's web!

This one was super close-up. I think it is a leaf.

Look at the hairy leaf!

An awesome honeysuckle!

Notice the heart that the honeysuckles are making :)

Menu Plan for the Week of May 7

2012-05-06T15:39:00.000-04:00

We are super busy this week. I am finishing up on a digital photography class, we are doing girls on the run, girl scouts, 4-H, and end of grade testing this week! Whew! It makes me tired just typing all of that!
I just finished inventorying our freezers and have decided that we can do a pantry challenge this month--freezers are full. I hadn't realized that we had so much food in there! It's been a while since I menu planned unfortunately.
So, here's the plan...

Breakfasts
oatmeal packets (pantry)
banana peanut butter smoothies (freezer)
whole wheat cranberry bread (freezer)
scrambled eggs (fridge) and turkey sausage links (freezer)
homemade waffles and biscuits with honey (freezer clean-out)
Ezekiel English muffins (freezer)

Lunch
various frozen lunch meals (freezer)
peanut butter sandwiches (pantry, might have to buy some bread)
chicken noodle soup (pantry)
taco soup (freezer)
garlic and olive oil pasta (pantry)
turkey and ham sandwiches with American cheese (fridge and pantry)

Dinner
turkey tacos, black beans (freezer and pantry)
chicken and rice bake (freezer) and sauteed spinach (fridge)
grilled tilapia and normandy veggies with pesto (freezer)
spinach and cheese bites (freezer), white rice (freezer), and green beans (pantry)
grilled London broil (freezer) and spinach artichoke pasta (freezer)
turkey burgers on flat bread rolls (freezer) and baked beans (pantry)

Snacks
pretzels (pantry)
protein bars (pantry)
go-gurts (freezer)
spinach artichoke dip with pita bread (freezer)
blueberries (freezer)
Kashi granola bars (pantry)
applesauce (fridge)
cheese sticks (fridge)
fruit leather strips (pantry)

Feeling good about this! :)

Menu Plan for the Week of February 20

2012-02-19T21:08:00.001-05:00

Monday: stuffed peppers, quinoa, Normandy veggies with pesto

Tuesday: fish, baked sweet potatoes, Normandy veggies

Wednesday: San Diego grilled chicken, brown rice, green beans

Thursday: breakfast for supper---eggs, turkey bacon, toast

Friday: bean burritos, veggies

Saturday: steak and Normandy veggies

Sunday: something simple or leftovers

Menu Plan for the Week of February 13

2012-02-12T21:31:00.000-05:00

Valentine’s week! It’s gonna be a bit hectic in our house—hence the uncertainty of the menu

Monday: eating out with the in-laws

Tuesday: maybe fondue night?

Wednesday: taco salad with black beans

Thursday: spaghetti and meatballs, salad

Friday: something simple or leftovers

Saturday: grilled chicken and Normandy veggies with pesto

Sunday: baked tilapia, Normandy veggies with pesto, baked sweet potato

Freezer Cooking Results for February 11

2012-02-12T18:44:00.001-05:00

I finally had time to do a little freezer cooking yesterday. Sorry I don’t have any pics. I got a late start on my cooking and forgot to take any.

Here’s the stats:

4 meals worth of beef meatballs

2 meals worth of taco meat + another meal worth not frozen

2 meals worth of San Diego chicken ( a recipe that I used to make when I did the Biggest Loser diet a couple of years ago)

12 oatmeal waffles for kid breakfasts

prepped 4 lbs. of strawberries for breakfast and snacks for this week

prepped cauliflower for snacks for this week

Blueberry Peach Baked Oatmeal

2011-12-29T18:33:00.001-05:00

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have gorged myself for the last couple of months. I have been on the see food diet—see food and eat it! I realize that I need to do better and with the new year coming up in a few days it seems like the natural time to be the change I want to see! I was reading the latest issue of Healthy Cooking magazine and found an article about the Comfort Food diet. I had never really heard of it, but several recipes sounded yummy—especially the blueberry peach baked oatmeal. My family and I have been eating a lot of baked oatmeal since school started thanks to the abundance of good recipes on www.lynnskitchenadventures.com. We’ve tried double chocolate baked oatmeal, banana baked oatmeal, pumpkin baked oatmeal, and peanut butter baked oatmeal. So, really it seemed natural to try the recipe from the Healthy Cooking magazine. I did modify their recipe some because I was missing several ingredients, but my version was scrumptious!! I also think this would be heavenly with raspberries or blackberries instead of blueberries !

3 cups of quick cooking oats (original recipe called for old-fashioned oats)

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed ( I added a little less)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon (not in the original recipe)

2 egg whites

1 whole egg

1-1/4 cups light vanilla soy milk (original recipe called for skim milk)

1/4 canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 can sliced peaches, drained (we just left them in slices but you can chop them if desired)

1 cup frozen blueberries

1/3 cup chopped pecans (original recipe called for walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. In small bowl, whisk together egg whites, egg, soy milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together. Stir in blueberries and peaches. Place mixture in a 13x9 inch pan, sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Add the pecans to the top. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes.

Spoon baked oatmeal into bowls and add a splash of soy milk. ENJOY!

Menu Plan for the Week of December 26

2011-12-26T18:19:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas. I know our family sure did. We started some new traditions this year since my dear husband had to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. We had eaten a traditional Christmas dinner on Friday and Saturday night, so I made some homemade lasagna Saturday night and put it in the oven last night. It was so yummy—and it was red, so I think it was pretty festive! lol! I think I liked it so much I want to spread out the festivities with our families every year!! Anyhoo, on to this week’s menu plan…

Monday: leftovers—lasagna

Tuesday: leftovers—whatever’s left

Wednesday: grilled London broil and veggies

Thursday: grilled chicken and veggies

Friday: bean burritos

Saturday: homemade pizza night-maybe

Sunday: something easy—with spinach (because I do not like collard greens) and black-eyed peas

This post is linked to www.orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan for the Week of December 5

2011-12-04T21:43:00.001-05:00

Monday: my chicken casserole, veggies
Tuesday: grilled chicken, rice pilaf, veggies
Wednesday: turkey and bean burritos
Thursday: crescent chicken
Friday: eat out for my birthday
Saturday: pizza night
Sunday: leftovers or soup

Menu Plan for the Week of November 28

2011-11-27T21:40:00.001-05:00

So…it’s been a while since I posted my weekly meal plan. I have been meal planning…the plans just haven’t made their way to the blog…After our feasting on Thanksgiving and living on the leftovers of that feast for the days after, I have decided that I want to cook again lol. Seriously, after all the cooking we did for our Thanksgiving meal, I thought I would never cook again (and it was potluck!). We did all the deserts and my husband and I came up with some pretty lofty plans that included two different cheesecakes , a gingerbread cake, a spice cake, and a trifle---all from scratch. I’m tired just typing that! Having typed all that, I don’t think that any of these meals are going to seriously strain me in any way. The spicy refried bean soup is a recipe I just came across and it looked so good on the blog I decided we needed to try it. The ingredients were cheap and I love a bean soup-yummy!

Monday: Spicy refried bean soup

Tuesday: scrambled eggs and hashbrowns

Wednesday: turkey burgers on whole wheat buns with sprouts and avocado, roasted sweet potatoes

Thursday: crescent chicken, creamed corn, green beans

Friday: homemade pizza night

Saturday: Christmas party

Sunday: some sort of soup or chili

This is linked to orgjunkie.com