Typical Ramblings, Atypical Nonsense

Menu Plan Monday - March 28 - April 2

>> Monday, March 29, 2010

Happy Monday everyone! I hope that the past week was a good one for you and that you are entering the new week with great enthusiasm...I know I am! It's going to be a great week (attitude is half the battle right?).

This week I am adding in a menu for myself again. Not completely a raw menu but there will be some raw foods. I'm really excited about this because I think I have a do-able plan and I have some accountability for myself - it should be very helpful.

Here's this week's menu plan for your & my enjoyment:

Healthy Eating Menu for Mommy{Sunday - Saturday}
Breakfast:

Hot Pink Smoothie or Instant Dream Waker Oatmeal

Lunch:

Raw Salad (containing some legumes or lean protein if I desire)

Snacks:

Morning - Fresh Fruit
Afternoon - Green Smoothie

Toddler Menu {Monday - Friday}

Lunch:

Monday - Chicken nuggets and oven fries
Tuesday - Quesadilla
Wednesday - Pasta in tomato sauce
Thursday - Healthy Baby's First Pizza
Friday - Small Monkey Platter

Snacks:

Monkey Platter
Orange wedge & Almond milk
Yogurt and Graham crackers
Banana bread and Almond Milk
Bread sticks & Hummus Dip

Regular Cooked Menu {Monday - Friday}

Please note - I use organic, local ingredients when possible. Also the recipes usually call for all- purpose flour. I usually use a mix of 1/2 whole wheat & 1/2 white or just all whole wheat. Remember a recipe is just something to go by, feel free to change them up for health/your family's tastes.

Breakfast:

Monday - Oatmeal, juice or milk
Tuesday - Waffles, juice or milk
Wednesday - Homemade fruit bread, yogurt, juice or milk
Thursday - Oatmeal, juice or milk
Friday - Scrambled egg sandwich, juice or milk

Lunch:

Monday - whole wheat tortilla chips, chopped veggies & salsa, crackers and cheese, Clementine, popcorn, juice & water
Tuesday - Salad, strawberries, yogurt, juice & water
Wednesday - Egg salad sandwich, apple slices, celery with cream cheese, juice & water
Thursday - Salad, orange wedges, pretzels, fruit bread, juice & water
Friday - Turkey Salad Sandwiches, yogurt, veggie sticks & pieces of fruit, juice & water

Supper:

Sunday - Classic Roast Chicken, Brown Rice and Steamed Veggies
Monday - *Meatless Monday* Cheese Stuffed Shells, Garlic Breadsticks and Salad
Tuesday - Crock Pot Hungarian Goulash, Whole Wheat Egg Noodles, Roasted Green Beans
Wednesday - Crock Pot Pork Chops & Gravy, Butter & Garlic Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli
Thursday - Dinner & a Movie Night (Details on Friday) *movie is Wall-E*
Friday - Pepperoni Bread & Salad (this week I will make this lol)

Need more menu planning ideas? Then head over to Laura's @ I'm an Organizing Junkie. Also if your interested in more vegetarian, flexitarian or whole foods menus please check out Jenna's Mindful Menus.

Mamavation Monday - March 29, 2010

So if you've been a reader here the last few months you've likely read my posts about how I want to lose weight and get fit. I've been struggling with this for so long it seems like I will always be battling this issue. On Friday I saw a tweet from @ResourcefulMom recommending @bookieboo & #Mamavation for a Follow Friday. (If you don't twitter none of that will make sense to you - just stick with me here). So I checked it out and I really think this will help me succeed this time. I have had some great online cheerleaders and some people have said they would join me in getting healthy, but I've never had some place or way that I was really going to be held accountable. Now, I realize that I'll still have to do the work, but in order to be part of The Sistahood I have to do certain things each week. And if these girls are going to be checking up on me and expecting to see me post and go to chats then maybe, just maybe it will give me the bit of staying power to stick to my goals that I need.

If I get accepted into The Sistahood I plan on using the blog on the group to post some before, during and after photos, post my food journal and maybe even talk about how I'm doing or struggling as I go on this journey. I could post all of that here, yes, but honestly that's not what I set this blog up to be. I am considering starting a separate weight-loss blog but for right now I'm planning on just using the group.

My goals for this week:

Drink at least 2 litres of water a day
Mon, Wed, Fri - do interval training with #NEWO (No Excuses Workout DVD), or go for a walk - anything that gets my heart rate up.
Tues. & Thrus - do at least one 6 minute #NEWO (will also be taking E to the pool these days)
Follow my meal plan.
If I mess up do not beat myself up over it. This is a lifestyle change & it will take babysteps.
No pop at all.

Oh yes, have any of you heard of Earth Footwear? Wow! If not you have to check out their website. I just heard about them (yes, my rock is really big) and I would absolutely love to have a pair of their sneakers as I start my journey towards health and fitness.

If you're looking to get fit and get healthy I hope you'll join me & if not I hope that you'll at least be rooting for me to succeed this time. I can do this!

A Seed Has Been Planted

>> Sunday, March 28, 2010

Photo from: mlwhitt

In my post from a couple days ago I told you all how I had been reading over at (seed) and they were inspiring me. Well, here it is days later and I'm still being inspired by what I read. Last year I set up a square foot garden. Okay, so really I (I as in hubby) built the frame, I read a book about it but I was paralyzed by fear of not being able to do it "right", so that's as far as we ever got with the garden.

I've been thinking the last few days about that garden and how I really want to grow my own veggies this summer. Not just because it will be less expensive than buying then at the grocery or farmer's market. But also because I can grow them organically, they will be in my yard so our carbon foot print will be virtually nil. I think it's very important to buy local (when you can) because it supports local farmers but also because it's so much better for the environment. I truly believe that every small step we make towards preserving our plants helps. I want to be a good example of what I believe to my children. I can talk to them all day about things like this but if I don't actually do what I talk about, it's nothing more than words.

So this week I'll be getting out some paper and pencil and making some real plans for our garden this year. It doesn't matter if I don't do it exactly "right" or if only half of it actually grows. What matters is that I'll be taking another step in living an organic lifestyle that is not harmful for the environment. That's what is important. Thank you (seed) for planting a seed within me to make these changes and for keeping me thinking about what else I can do for my family and the environment.

This post was written as my entry in a contest hosted by Hip As I Wanna Be and (seed) to win a sponsorship to BlogHer 2010.

Small Talk Six: Puppy Love

>> Saturday, March 27, 2010

Want to join in? Go here to learn how and to view the weekly Small Talk Six topics for 2010.

Cathy from Let's Be Green Together, told me about this meme for Saturdays over on MomDot.com. I checked it out and knew right away when I saw the topic for this week that I wanted to play along. The topic today is “6 celebrities you had a crush on when you were a tween or teen.” In no particular order here are my 6 tween/teen heart-throbs:

1. Kirk Cameron - Yep, I even had a poster of him on the back of my bedroom door. He was hot in my teen mind.