Welcome to a new week! I’m focusing on quick, simple and healthy meals this week because I don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. The garden starts are almost all planted in my indoor greenhouse. Once I finish those up today I’ve got to get all the rest of my seeds in the ground and to whip our weedy garden area in to shape! So between that and getting my office cleaned up there’s just not much time left for the kitchen. And that’s OK. Some weeks are like this. That’s why I’m glad when we have help from stuff in the freezer!

We eat simple, (mostly)  healthy recipes that I can tailor to my restrictions of no corn, eggs or yeast. I also do limited dairy, wheat and oats.

What are you eating/cooking this week?

Key:

(F) from the freezer.

(WT) uses Wildtree products.

Sunday: Greek Chicken and hummus platter night.

Monday: Spaghetti (WT), green salad.

Tuesday: Chili (F), salad, fruit salad. Mint frozen vanilla chocolate chip Chobani.

Wednesday:  Meatballs (WT) (ground turkey), veggies, baked fries.

Thursday: Greek Chicken Salad (WT) (shredded chicken, quinoa, klamata olives, cucumber, tomato, green onion, lemon grapeseed oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, brine from klamata olives.)

Friday: Leftovers night.

Saturday:  Taco Salad (F – seasoned ground beef), fruit salad.

Shake (LS Vibe) or Detox Smoothie (for me)

Cereal w/fruit

Toast w/fruit

Steel Cut Oats w/fruit

Frozen Waffles w/fruit

Lunches

Leftovers

or

Salad w/Protein

Water with Life Shotz!

Snacks

Fruit

Veggies

Nuts

Sahale Snacks

Cheese Sticks

Plum Kids Snacks

Beef Jerky (homemade)

Chobani

Next week I am about to start a new chapter in my journey and I couldn’t be more excited. I’m going to be writing for a health and wellness company. Seriously, right?! What could be a more perfect fit. After hearing this news, I received a note from a co-worker (and she’s also a very good friend now too) thanking me for being an inspiring person. While I know that I strive to be inspiring, I’ve not giving much thought to what I may have actually inspired – because really, who’s going around taking a tally?

It’s through work that we came to know each other and find our very special friendship (Insert thanks to God here for creating this opportunity.). We both can be awkward and embrace that. We like being weird. We’re honest. We both like to write. And we have kiddos in the same age range that make our “Mom Moments” completely relatable. She’s inspired me to embrace my writing and creativity, write my 30 Days of Hope series, be at peace with my crazy addiction love of social media, and given me confidence in my ability to teach and help others.

I never really stopped to think exactly what I may have inspired her to do. Do you want to know? Here’s what her note said:

“Without you, I’d never have launched my Etsy store, lost 50 lbs or started writing my book. I’m forever grateful for your friendship and hope we remain close….”

I almost cried. Can you believe that? I helped someone turn a hobby into a side income stream, get healthier and reach for her dream. What an amazing feeling. And really, thanks should go to her for all the things she has inspired me to do. It’s like God put us in the right place and the right time to create a wonderful friendship that has enormous value and does good in both of our lives.

But without a thank you, we may not even realize the value of our friendsip. Thanking a person often gets forgotten in our busy hectic day – for both the little and big things. And yet, a thank you has the power to create stronger relationships and possibly change your life. A person who regularly shares thanks to those around him can motivate others to do the same. An environment where everyone gives thanks is a positive, rewarding and fulfilling place to be.

Consider all those you can thank in your daily interactions. Whether it’s the coworker who brought your papers to you from the printer, the person in the grocery store that let you know you just dropped your coupon, or someone special that has been inspiring you to start your dream, thank them today. You can give thanks in many ways. Smile and say thank you. Write a note. Write a card. Do something nice for them. Send an email. Or even just stop them during the day to thank them in person. And you can also pass it forward. You have no idea just how much your thanks could mean to them.

Welcome the opportunity to find thanks in any situation. I know I will be.

If you enjoyed this post, check out my series 30 Days of Hope.

#hopeeveryday

Happy Mother’s Day! I hope you have the most fantastic day today.  I skipped last week’s menu post as I was off doing Bloomsday. So much fun. I put together a weak menu plan last week — that ended up not even getting followed all week. Oiy! I’m ready to get back on track with this week’s menu.

We eat simple, (mostly)  healthy recipes that I can tailor to my restrictions of no corn, eggs or yeast. I also do limited dairy, wheat and oats. You’ll see some repeat items from recent menu plans that we just never got around to eating.

What are you eating this week?

Key:

(F) from the freezer.

(WT) uses Wildtree products.

Sunday: Mother’s Day Lunch – so light a fend for yourself dinner.

Monday: Meatloaf (WT) (ground turkey), herb-roasted potatoes, broccoli.

Tuesday: Tilapia Foil Packets (WT), green salad.

Wednesday:  Leftovers.

Thursday:  Grilled chicken (WT), Mediterranean Dip (I like Greek 7-Layer Dip as an easier name… easier to spell anyhow!), Fruit Salad.

Friday:  Moroccan grilled chicken wings (WT), quinoa w/dried cherries and pistachios, green salad. Mint frozen vanilla chocolate chip Chobani.

Saturday:  Dinner out or BBQ night.

Shake (LS Vibe) or Detox Smoothie (for me)

Cereal w/fruit

Toast w/fruit

Steel Cut Oats w/fruit

Frozen Waffles w/fruit

Lunches

Leftovers

Salad w/Protein

Snacks

Fruit

Veggies

Nuts

Sahale Snacks

Cheese Sticks

Plum Kids Snacks

Beef Jerky

Chobani -  loving the Coconut Flip. It’s like eating ice cream.

Hello! Have you started planting yet?! We planted our first seeds last weekend. Sorry no pics. The rest of the garden is still a mess with weeds because we need to get our tiller serviced. And I’d probably have to take a week of vacation to pull all the weeds myself. No one needs to see that mess. And I’m sorry to our neighbors who can see over our fence. I promise in the next few weeks it will start looking more like a garden and less like a weed factory.

I am so excited to share with you the new garden layout! After reading an article in Mother Earth News I decided to switch from long rows to small garden beds. Theoretically there should be less surface space to manage the weeds. This is to be determined in actuality. If you are interested in using my layout to use as a base for your garden planning I have the Excel file available for download at the end of this post.

Aside from the seed-tape planting last weekend (lettuce, radishes, green onion, some herbs) I still need to get in gear. I was up this morning making more seed-tape for flowers and herbs. And tonight I’m stopping to get organic starter soil because this Saturday I’m planting all my indoor starts.  It has been really nice the past week – almost summer-like weather in fact. But I know better. Don’t you fall prey to this teasing warmth. It’s never truly safe to plant starts outside until after Memorial Day in our area. So if you’re wondering why I am just now planting my starts – it’s because I’m not going to plant them outside until the first weekend in June. That will give them almost a month of starting indoors, with the last two weeks of acclimation to the outdoors.

Why did I plant my seeds outdoors last weekend then? Because those crops, for me, do best straight in to the ground and are cooler-weather loving crops. They’ll do just fine germinating and taking off during May — which is often filled with warm days and cold nights, and sometimes a few frosty mornings.

Hope your garden season is off to a great start too. Questions? I’m no Master Gardener but would be happy to share any of my knowledge from my trial and error backyard gardening. Just comment or contact me through any of the social media sites to the right.

HAPPY PLANTING!

You may have noticed there wasn’t a Weekly Menu post on Sunday. That’s because I was off doing Bloomsday! (Also because this week’s menu that I made yesterday isn’t very exciting! It doesn’t warrant a day late post.) Bloomsday is the United States’ largest timed road race, with more than 50,000 runner/walkers. My time? Awful. Seriously. I think it was the slowest one I have done. (I’ve done it three times.)

But you know what I realized? That’s fine. Because I had so much fun. We stopped and took pictures along the way. We stopped so my friend’s daughter could get Otter Pops (PS those kids selling them are making a killing at 50 cents a pop!) And we stopped so my friend and her daughter could get snow cones too. We talked. We laughed. We did some excellent people watching. And we walked a 12K at the same time. How awesome is that?! Who cares what my time was. (I’m over it. But if you do want to know, anyone can actually go look it up by first and last name, or bib number, on the race website.)

It really brought home a lesson that I think it applicable in all areas of life from personal to professional. It’s not always the speed at which you travel, it’s the experiences you have while on your journey. Don’t get so caught up on on how fast you get there that you miss the perfect moments along the way. Well, unless you are in the Olympics. Then you need to completely ignore what I just said. But seriously, slow down and enjoy your life because time is the one thing you can never get again. When a moment is gone there is no way to get it back.

That being said, I do have one goal for the race next year: to run all the way up Doomsday Hill without stopping. This year I only made it one third of the way before stopping to walk (and to stop for Otter Pops). Goals are good. They keep you motivated!

Cheers!

Hello May! Here are my goals for the month. I’m using Evernote and Pinterest to help me organize and keep track of my goals. And this big desktop calendar (pictured above), that I got for free in my Fall school supply shopping deals, to plan them out. I created 2013 I’m Trying This boards on Pinterest. I made one for each month and am going to pin things to each  month that I want to try. (Come on over and follow me on Pinterest to see what I’m planning!) Here’s the link to May’s board: http://pinterest.com/saveliveeatlove/2013-i-m-trying-this-may/

I color coded things to help me know things I may need to get things from the store for (pink), activities I am doing with others (blue), blog related items (orange) and things I will be doing on my own (yellow). My bigger tasks are at the bottom on the to do list so I can fit them in around when other smaller activities are going on.

Here are my May goals:

Home Management: Continue organizing recipes using Evernote, Work on Home Management Binder, Clean Office (work in progress), New weekly schedule planning.

Garden: Plant seed tape crops, start veggies and flowers inside, egg carton seedling starts, herb pots.

DIY: Thanks a Latte Cards, I Love You Because Board, Wall Art.

Reading:  Start Book, Everyone Communicates Few Connect. Read all the magazines I get in the mail.

Recipes:  Research freezer meals, Frozen mint yogurt,  Mediterranean Layered dip, Greek Yogurt Pizza Dough, Quinoa with Pistachios and Dried Cherries, Peanut Butter Protein Bars, Halibut with Mango Avocado Relish, Homemade Fruit Leather, Tomato Fennel Gratin. (All from Pinterest)

Fitness/Health: Continue detox treatment plan, Work on my weight loss and train for  Color Me Rad, Walk Bloomsday.

Spiritual: Choosing Gratitude 30-day lesson plan.

Rocco: homeschool preschool 3-4 times a week, melted crayon art project, DIY constellation project, plastic bottle flower art.

Marriage: Go on one date.

Technology: Continue reading HTML coding book.

Blog: Garden posts, HOPE post, Weekly Meal Plan Posts.

Crafts: Measure Window for Curtains, Sew (repair) Pants.

Other: Mother’s Day Fun, Birthday parties.

Can you believe April is over? It seems like March just ended. And the weather here still feels more like March than April. I made it through a lot of my April goals. The ones I didn’t I am moving to May. I’m really happy with my progress on this month’s goals. I got a lot done and read some great books.

How am I doing my goal planning? I’m using Evernote and Pinterest to help me organize and keep track of my goals. And this big desktop calendar (pictured above), that I got for free in my Fall school supply shopping deals, to plan them out. I created 2013 I’m Trying This boards on Pinterest. I made one for each month and am going to pin things to each  month that I want to try. (Come on over and follow me on Pinterest to see what I’m planning!) Here’s the link to April’s board: http://pinterest.com/saveliveeatlove/2013-i-m-trying-this-april/ 

I color coded things to help me know things I may need to get things from the store for (pink), activities I am doing with others (blue), blog related items (orange) and things I will be doing on my own (yellow). My bigger tasks are at the bottom on the to do list so I can fit them in around when other smaller activities are going on.

Here were my April goals:

Home Management: Continue organizing recipes using Evernote, Work on Home Management Binder, Clean Office (work in progress), Clean Playroom (work in progress). New weekly schedule planning.

Garden: Make seed tape. Make recycled newspaper potting plants.

DIY: Homemade Magnet Board, Thanks a Latte Cards, Coconut Sugar Scrub, I Love You Because Board.

Reading:  Brand Thinking, Heaven is for Real,Choosing Gratitude. Read all the magazines I get in the mail.

Recipes:  Research freezer meals, Thai Salad w/Peanut Lime Dressing (use rice noodles!), apple snacks, Greek salad dressing, Cilantro Lime Jalapeno Chicken salad, Roasted Asparagus, Frozen mint yogurt,  Mediterranean Layered dip. (All from Pinterest)

Fitness/Health: Continue detox treatment plan, Work on my weight loss and train for Bloomsday and Color Me Rad, Try Oil Pulling.

Spiritual: Start Bible Study Lesson Plan with Rocco.

Rocco: homeschool preschool 3-4 times a week, salt dough art project, melted crayon art project, DIY constellation project.

Marriage: Go on one date.

Technology: Continue reading HTML coding book.

Blog: 30 Days of Hope series, 3 other posts, Weekly Meal Plan Posts.

Crafts: Measure Window for Curtains, Sew (repair) Pants.

Other: Develop vision statement, mission statement and core values.

#hopeeveryday

Well, I can’t believe it. Together we’ve traveled through the last 30 days of HOPE. Today is the last day. Only on in this series though. HOPE is all around you in many ways, every day.

I’ve enjoyed this journey together to understand how HOPE is present in each of our lives all the time and how NECESSARY it is to our future. I know I have learned things about myself during this series and I hope it has been likewise for you.

Please feel free to visit this series any time you need encouragement or to send to a friend who needs the inspiration of HOPE.

I’m also excited that this was my first time ever to do a 30-day series on the blog! It’s a big commitment and I am so elated that I successfully completed it. I will be planning another one for the summer. Stay tuned!

And remember…

Have HOPE Every Day.

#hopeeveryday

Read more of 30 Days of HOPE:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

Day 23

Day 24

Day 25

Day 26

Day 27

Day 28

Day 29

Image source: http://pinterest.com/pin/3940718396399360/

Have HOPE Every Day.

#hopeeveryday

Read more of 30 Days of HOPE:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

Day 23

Day 24

Day 25

Day 26

Day 27

Day 28

Now back to what we’re eating: our weekly menu. We’re cooking simple, healthy recipes that tailor to my restrictions of no corn, eggs or yeast. I also do limited dairy, wheat and oats. We ended up not eating a few of last week’s dinners — having just salad or something instead. So in the true spirit of making the most of what you have, you’ll see some repeats from last week (again!).

Key:

(F) from the freezer.

Dinners

Sunday: Taco Salad – meat (F).

Monday: Chicken Fajita Bowls with peppers, onions, beans and rice.

Tuesday: Sloppy Joes (F) over brown rice, veggies and salad.

Wednesday:  Pork Loin (F), roasted herb potatoes, veggies.

Thursday:  Soup Night (from the freezer)

Friday:  Rodeo Meatballs, quinoa, veggies.

Saturday:  Grilled chicken, Mediterranean Dip (I like Greek 7-Layer Dip as an easier name… easier to spell anyhow!), Fruit Salad.

Detox Smoothies (for me)

Cereal w/fruit

Toast w/fruit

Steel Cut Oats w/fruit

Frozen Waffles w/fruit

Lunches

Leftovers

Salad w/Protein

Snacks

Fruit

Veggies

Nuts

Sahale Snacks

Dried Plantains with Sea Salt

Cheese Sticks

Plum Kids Snacks

Beef Jerky

Chobani - so excited to try the new Chobani Flip!