Sunday!
Usually our Sundays start with a rush to throw some food in our mouths and rush out the door late to church again. I was sooo glad to have plenty of leftovers from Saturday’s breakfast to cover us for Sunday. We again had fresh fruit, apple muffins, blueberry pecan muffins, breakfast sausage, pumpkin pancakes, and eggs. Just as good for round 2!
Yay for Saturdays! Yes I know, I probably say that every Saturday.
On this particular Saturday our house guests got to hang around a little later so instead of fast muffins, I went all out. We had fresh fruit, apple muffins, blueberry pecan muffins, breakfast sausage, pumpkin pancakes, and eggs. It was a great way to start the day and so nice to share it with new friends.
Our house guests are still with us so we planned ahead with more muffins for breakfast. My kids begged for apple muffins and since I love them as much as they do, I had to make them! Dang, they were good….
For lunch we had the rest of my meatloaf cake. Even though I made a 3 pound cake we finished it off way too fast. Next time I will be taking it up a notch to a 4 pounder. Continue reading
Isn’t it crazy how you can stay home aaaallllll day and yet still be busy as anything from sun-up to sun-down? Today, that was us. We have a family staying with us for a few days, starting tonight, from Dallas. They are here to participate in the Houston homeschool speech and debate competition. We had a lot of work to do to get the guest room ready for them… after we finished school. Who knows how long cleaning a room full of toys and dress-up clothes (and then the aftermath that leaves in other rooms) takes for most people but for us, it takes hooouuuuurrrrsssss. We had to cancel a playdate just to make sure to get it done, but it was worth it. I’m loving my clean and organized guest room!
Before we started all this work, we started with a delicious and filling breakfast of chorizo and eggs. Too bad we don’t have any left now. (sad face) I am looking forward to my baby doctor visit next week so we can stop by the Whole Foods down the road and get more chorizo!
The week finally caught up to us today. We all stayed in bed cuddling, eating almonds and pecans, for a while and then slowly made our way to the kitchen. Shiloh was soooo excited when she started smelling the chorizo cooking, although not as excited as me. We have really missed our chorizo and ate it like crazy people this morning. Can’t wait to have it again tomorrow!
Not long after breakfast it was lunch time. Still in our pj’s we sat down for a oldie: Sweet Beef Scramble. So delicious and perfect on this cold day as we cuddled up in our pj’s to enjoy lunch. Continue reading
We are in full swing school, work and life over here. How bout you?
Today we started our day in the word, learning about how to know what the truth is in various circumstances and the only true place we can find the truth, the bible. It was cool to see the kids really understand what they were learning and we got into a long discussion about this and more. It was yet another reason I love being home with them, to be able to explore these truths and dig deeply into them alongside my kids.
After bible time we had some eggs and sausage with a side of frozen blueberries. My kids favorite snack right now is frozen blueberries and I have to admit, they really are good. Sort of like nature’s dippin’ dots. Oh yeah…
No matter how hard I try, Sunday mornings still end up with us rushing out the door to get to church in time. I don’t know how that happens!
Thankfully, this morning I had the perfect amount of waffles left over for pumpkin waffle almond butter banana sandwiches… and Brandon finally got to try some! They were just as big of a hit as last time. And guess what, we kind of got to church on time! LOL
After church we went out with some new friends, soon to become great friends, for lunch. We went to a restaurant where not only kids eat free, they have at least one thing on the menu that we can eat and feel good about. Hey, one is all we need!
We were having such great conversation that I forgot to take picture (darn it) but I can tell you it was all good food. The ordering part was pretty funny though. Our waitress certainly earned her tip! “Can I order the appetizer bowl of guacamole without chips but lots of veggies instead? Can I also please order the kids fajita with no cheese, no tortilla, no rice, and no beans? Can I also order the mixed fajita plate for 2 with no cheese, no beans, no cheese, no sour cream, no tortillas and a whole lot of guacamole? Thanks.” I tried not to laugh. It was super tasty and super good for us.
Here’s a stock photo of my fajitas to give you an idea of our lunch:
After lunch we interviewed a babysitter for the kids, cleaned up the rest of our Christmas stuff, got down all our baby girl things from the attic, and fell over exhausted. At 7 I realized I needed to feed the tribe and didn’t have anything ready and I was tiiiired. Soooo glad to be going by a meal plan which means I had all the ingredients for all those meals on hand.
I wanted to make the spaghetti casserole but my spaghetti squash was bad so I went for a bowl of spaghetti chili. I sautéed a diced sweet potato, 6 diced carrots, a diced onion and a package of chicken sausage, diced. I threw all that in with a large can of crushed tomatoes, some herbs de provence, garlic, salt and pepper. A few minutes later everything was hot and dinner was on the table. It was the perfect ending to a long day.
It’s funny how cooking at home and not giving yourself the option to run to a fast food restaurant (like we surely would have) changes the way you think about “fast food”. All of these ingredients were in-house and available to make a fast, healthy meal but I still wanted to run out and grab something that would have been awful for all of us. Why? Old habits die hard. The more important question is: did I? No. I got up, I threw some tasty ingredients together, and I made a homemade, delicious, healthy meal that everyone enjoyed.
It’s all a choice. What choices are you making?
It’s the weeeeeekend!!! Ahem…
I’m always glad to have some time to sit back and breathe and get ready for the next week, as I’m sure we all are.
For breakfast we still had leftovers of my ginormous Lagniappe Casserole so we warmed some up and ate it with grapes. Seriously, if you’re looking for an easy breakfast meal that will last for days, make this casserole- it works great.
We’re starting to make a habit of eating late and today was no exception. We spent the good part of the day un-decorating from Christmas and making our house look bare. So sad…
Jeremiah was eager to make us his “Crazalad” and that he did. He did a great job but by the time he was done it was 5 o’clock so lunch turned into dinner. Oops! We were pretty hungry by that point and it was so good that we ate the entire HUGE bowl. If you’re looking for a great lunch that everyone will love, you need to make Jeremiah’s crazalad. It is so refreshing and delicious, you will love it.
After dinner we went out with Jazz to do a little training and get him some healthy treats.
It was a slow, quiet day. Just the way I like it.
Breakfast this morning was a recipe I’ve been wanting to try. It’s my Lagniappe Casserole cajun style. I made it with crawfish tails, mushrooms and sausage- all the best ingredients of a New Orleans crawfish boil Deeeeelish!
For lunch we had leftovers of Paleo Crockpot Turkey Chili and it was just as good the next day. This is a good one to have the ingredients on hand for and will definitely be on my after-baby meal list.
Dinner was AMAZING. A while back I bought some veal from my local grocery store with no idea what to do with it, but it was on sale! I looked through my favorite paleo websites and found a recipe on fastpaleo.com, Veal Medallions with Lemon Butter, that I am so glad I went with. The whole family LOVED it and is already begging for more. Veal might very well become part of our regular menu!
We’re going strong over here and trucking forward! Everyone is feeling great and progress is being made.
Couldn’t ask for more….
We planned on having a casserole this morning but I really wanted to perfect my waffle recipe so we had waffles again! And yes, they were FANTASTIC!
For lunch today Jeremiah was eager to make us his famous homemade tuna salad that he is now calling “Shark Attack Salad”. It really was good and we finished the bowl quickly. This weekend he is looking forward to making us his “Tin Can Chili”. I love that he is excited to cook and come up with creative recipes and I am going to let him keep going as long as he wants. If you missed it, check out my post on Healthy Eating For Kids. One of the best ways to get your kids interested in eating healthy food is to get them in the kitchen. Jeremiah knows his way around the kitchen and is loving it.
Our whole meal plan was a little off today but hey, that is totally okay. Brandon got to hang out with his buddies on the Lakers (just kidding, but he did go to the game) so we went with leftovers of chicken salad, salmon cakes, and 1 muffin.
Fun times!
Sunday is a relaxed day for us. We always start with going to Sunday school and church. On this particular Sunday we all slept in a little late and made a mad rush to get to church on time. I scrambled some eggs in record time, threw an apple at everyone, and we were off. Not very glamourous, but it worked!
Church is always fun for the kids but, mommy fail, I forgot to account for snacks. Levi’s class was offering goldfish, Shiloh’s was cheetos, chocolate and apple juice, and Jeremiah was offered not 1 but 2 donuts. Sooo hard for them to resist! Next week I am planning ahead much better and bringing some irresistible snacks to church for everyone.
It was pretty awesome to really feel God at work this morning. You know those times where you know He is talking right to YOU and you know He is right there BESIDE you? Yep, that was my morning. It was so reassuring, comforting, and even overwhelming to know that He not only sees me but is for me. More about this in an upcoming post….
We didn’t get home from church until about 2 o’clock so our tummies were on the grumbly side by then. Thankfully, I had planned for Chicken Salad and it only takes a couple minutes to throw that together. I made a HUGE bowl of it and we gobbled it up in no time. Brandon and I were joking that it tasted extra good because of how hungry we were. Everyone had extra servings- Jeremiah had 4 rolls! It was pretty good if I do say so myself….
After lunch we wanted to hang out as a family and be active so we decided to go for a run/walk around the lake in our neighborhood. We actually did pretty good! Jeremiah and Jazz ran with me and Brandon, while we took turns pushing Shiloh and Levi in the jogging stroller. We probably ended up running about a mile in total which isn’t too shabby for an out-of-shape guy and a highly pregnant lady!
After our run we played on the playground for a while and then Brandon had a surprise for us. We went golfing! Well, kind of. He found a really cool area in our neighborhood where golfers practice their putting on a few holes. The kids were in golf heaven. We played “putt-putt” and laughed at them stealing each other’s balls until it got too cold. We will definitely be back to play again. What a fun, FREE thing to do as a family. What fun things can you do with your family?
As I’ve said before, our weekends are much less scheduled than the weekdays. This weekend I had hoped to make Turkey Curry and Salmon Cakes but we had so mammy leftovers, both meals weren’t needed. I took a poll and was met with an outstanding vote for the Salmon Cakes. I forgot how easy these are to throw together and had them on the pan in about 5 minutes. Levi helped me to stir the huge bowl, I warmed up some frozen green beans, quickly tossed together the dill dressing (because you can’t have Salmon Cakes without dill dressing) and we were set for dinner! GOSH, WAS IT GOOOOOD!!!
You would think it was a gourmet meal but rest assured it was super quick, super easy, super tasty and if that doesn’t convince you maybe Shiloh will. As we were eating she tells me with excitement, “Mommy! You can make this everyday! It’s the best food ever! And I’m serious!” Haha! Yeah buddy, it was that good.
First week of 100% Paleo in the bag! I think we are over the hump of feeling bad and heading into the clear headed, feeling great stage. Brandon said yesterday how weird his head felt and came to realize, it was because it felt GOOD! Haha, I guess it’s been a while. Bring on week 2 and if you need a little guidance when it comes to some healthy meals, check out our week 2 meal plan.
It’s Saturday! Which means we started our day veeerrrryyyy slowly and breakfast turned into brunch. Good thing it was so good! I brought out some pancake stuffed sausage muffins from the deep freezer and threw those in the oven, quickly shredded and cooked up some sweet potato hash, and fried up some eggs perfectly. Dang, this was a good breakfast. When Brandon finished he said, “That was the perfect breakfast. I don’t feel like I missed out on anything or want anything else. That was perfect.” Score one for the little wifey!
Our day was not much to talk about. I did laundry while Brandon and Levi napped, Jeremiah rode his bike with a friend, and Shiloh went to her new friend’s house for a play-date. A very relaxed, simple and easy day. Just the way we like them.
We skipped over lunch, enjoyed a couple of oranges, and moved right on to dinner. I had a meal scheduled but since we had so many leftovers (yay!) available we went for a hodgepodge. Brandon grilled the remaining salmon, everyone picked which leftover they wanted, and I added asparagus to every plate. Doesn’t our paper plates, plastic forks and delicious food look pretty?! Haha, I thought so.
After dinner, instead of parking ourselves in front of the t.v. we voted on what board games to play. We finally decided on Uno Attack and Sorry. It’s fun when all the kids can play, and pretty much understand what they’re doing. Even Levi knows his colors and can somewhat count, so playing with him is pretty comical.
Another day another dollar….er, well- at least another day, right?! Here’s to another great day tomorrow……
The days are flying by already!
I got my nerve up and weighed myself this morning, mainly out of curiosity after all my Christmas goodies, and guess what? I lost 4 pounds of sludge in 3 days! Am I trying to lose weight? Heck no. Am I trying to be healthy and fit? Absolutely!
Already the heartburn that I was having, making me pop Tums like m&m’s, is almost non-existent. My tummy is soft without bulging intestines (and yes I could feel them) due to eating gut irritating foods. My body hurts, in a good way, from doing the crossfit challenge and I’m excited to end this pregnancy on the right foot, with the hopes that I will get back into great shape soon after my baby comes, with the help of the work I’m doing now.
It’s a journey for sure, and I am glad to be on it.
Okay: breakfast! A simple, scrumptious meal of sweet potato hash and eggs over easy… with a side of avocado. I seriously ate at least 4 times the hash pictured here. It was soooo good I couldn’t help myself. My poor kids wanted more but I had already eaten all the extra! Oops.
Lunch was leftover Sausage and Cabbage Delight and was just as good as the day before. What did you expect?
We watched Ice Age tonight and ate a hodge-podge of leftovers and fruit while we did. We had a little of each of these meals left so we all chose one with an apple and a slice of pineapple for dessert.
A casual day of eating surrounded by a lot of school, house-cleaning, and playing outside with friends.
Does our day revolve around food? Not at all. Is the food we eat delicious, filling, and making our bodies work at their best? Yes.
And we’re loving it.
Today was a day of leftovers and how nice it was. I regularly and purposefully make large meals so that leftovers will be in abundance. With homeschooling, keeping our house in order, and not wanting my mountain of dishes to turn into Mount Everest, leftovers can be a lifesaver. Thankfully, our breakfast and lunch, following the meal plan, were leftovers and it was great.
Breakfast was the rest of our Lagniappe Casserole.
Today was our first day back to school and thankfully it went well… it just took forever. Getting the juices flowing after so much time off is not the easiest for any of us. At one point, when Shiloh finally got what I was trying to teach her, she yells out “My brain is finally working!!!” These kids are too funny.
For lunch we pushed school aside and had a choice between Spicy Shred and Sawsage-n-Peppas.
According to our meal plan, dinner was supposed to be salmon and veggies but my mommy-brain was working overtime today and I forgot to thaw the salmon. Sooo…. that will be dinner tomorrow. To save the day I quickly (like in 15 minutes, boo yeah) made the Sausage and Cabbage Delight I had scheduled for tomorrow. Worked great and tasted dee-lish. Looking forward to salmon tomorrow!
We had a simple eating day that was highly productive and ended with a prayer time at our new church. The kids really enjoyed learning in their classes and we were told what every parent loves to hear, that Jeremiah did a fantastic job answering questions and paying attention in class. Makes my heart soar! Brandon and I joined our church family in prayer and it was a great time of getting grounded and focused on what really matters. What a wonderful way to end the night… well, almost. We had a little more to do when we got home.
Day 1 of our Crossfit Challenge! My butt already hurts ( and we finished less than an hour ago) and I am eagerly looking forward to continuing this challenge and the results it will bring. I did not do the sit-ups but had a fun time watching Brandon do his.
Yay for day 2 being in the bag!
Wow. Was your day as hard as ours? Because our day was hard!!!
Nothing major happened or didn’t happen but the temptations were soooo strong that both Brandon and I were craving something sweet. What did we do about it? Brandon ate an orange and an apple today, I had an apple. It was like a bowl of fruity ice cream without the guilt yet all the deliciousness.
I have a feeling these 30 days are not going to be the easiest but… I also have a feeling they are going to have amazing results. We committed to these 30 days and we will absolutely succeed. We just might have a breakdown or two before we finish. Haha, just kidding…. kind of.
So what did we eat today? We stuck to the meal plan and had some delicious food. Breakfast was Lagniappe Casserole and enjoyed by all. I can’t wait to try it with different variations!
Lunch was Spicy Shred. I forgot how simple and quick this meal is, and how easy it is to make a whole bunch. I seriously threw this meal together and had it on the table in less than 15 minutes. Again, everyone ate it and enjoyed it. No complaints whatsoever!
Our dinner was a fun surprise that ended up being a bunch of fun. Our meal plan scheduled dinner to be sausage with onions and peppers. Of course, we had to make it a little more fun. What did we do? We grilled our sausages on a stick outside on the fire pit! The kids loved it and it somehow tasted all the more delicious. We got this fire pit from my parents for Christmas and have already used it twice with many more uses in our future. Sure beats sitting around the t.v., doesn’t it?
We ended our fun night with 5 small cups of mulled apple cider (our first time) and it was so warm and yummy and totally paleo. Aaahh….. so good. No, we won’t be having this very often but it was a fantastic alternative to the hot chocolate the kids had been begging for. What a wonderful first day of 2013. Bring on the rest of the year!
We did have one small “fail” today: we forgot to exercise! Oops. That’s okay. We had a highly productive day “spring” cleaning the house and getting ready for school to start again tomorrow. We plan on participating in Clean Eats in the Zoo’s 30-Day At Home Crossfit Challenge…starting tomorrow.
How did you do? No matter what, keep going. We got this guys!
We’re finally getting back to normal! Of course, our normal is a little off to begin with but hey, it works for us!
We ate breakfast this morning as an appraiser walked around our house. It was interesting to say the least. He commented quite a few times on how well my kids eat which was pretty funny. Levi probably ate about 4 or 5 eggs on his own and 4 pieces of sausage. You can only imagine how much the other two ate. It was a pretty darn good breakfast if I do say so myself. Plain old sausage and eggs. Haha.
Talk about a lack of energy today. After running around like crazy people for the last few days we are worn out today! No time to rest though. The appraiser is coming tomorrow and our messy house needs to get clean. Talk about a day of basic eating. Breakfast was fruit. Yep, that’s it, fruit. We have zero food in the house except for the leftover fruit we had brought with us to Houston. So we ate fruit.
Last night I defrosted some frozen spaghetti chili to last us the next couple days, perfect plan. I always think spaghetti tastes even better as leftovers, and it really does.
Time to go home! We’re on our way back to NOLA today. This will be our last drive “home” to New Orleans although we will absolutely be coming back to visit. Especially when we finally get our diabetic alert dog we will be coming back to show him off to all of our amazing supporters. I can’t wait for that day!
We started off with a great breakfast of eggs and bacon. The kids took it upon themselves to make a “fruit cocktail” for all of us. They were too cute.
Today was a day of waiting….and waiting…..and waiting some more. I’ll tell you what, being under a massive amount of stress and eating only whole30 approved foods is NOT easy. As we sat in our realtors office and drooled over the jar of cookies, and the jar of candy, and the other jar of candy, and the pitcher of pink lemonade, it was NOT easy! But we did it. I will say that it is easier to make the right decisions when your whole family is making the same decision. If my kids were eating candy while I tried to have self-control on my own, that self-control would turn into a deep lack of self-control quickly. When all of us are saying no we all are strong together. Doesn’t get any better.
Breakfast this morning was a sausage, eggs and fruit. A simple, healthy way to start off the day, complete with salsa in our eggs. Hey, we’re in Texas!
Day 2 of house hunting! We looked at 12 houses yesterday and looking at 12 more today. Making sure we have covered our bases for sure. Thankfully, we are eating well and my ginormous box of homemade trail mix has been serving us well.
Brandon’s best friend from college lives here in Houston so we’ve been staying with him and his precious wife Ashley…and their 2 adorable children. It’s been a blast and they’ve gone out of their way to have whole30 approved food available for us.
Breakfast this morning was eggs with salsa, sausage and fruit. Oh yeah, and coffee! Wonderful breakfast with wonderful friends.
