Menu Plan Monday - Clean Eating Challenge

It's Menu Plan Monday and the girls at work have issued a two week clean eating challenge. There's so much information out there on this super trendy topic that TPB and I decided to make it as easy as possible and use - pretty much word for word - the Eating Clean Plan from Melissa of Bless This Mess.  If you're like me, just dipping your toe in the water, she has a great attitude and plan that makes it seem not completely impossible.

My FitBit is officially lost, but part of the work challenge is at least twenty minutes a day of cardio. I'm totally auto posting this, but hopefully I dragged myself onto the elliptical this morning. Fingers crossed.

This couldn't come a moment too soon. We've fallen off the wagon, hard, and the numbers on the scale are creeping back up. I've been cooking mostly healthy dinners and eating steel cut oats for breakfast a lot of mornings, but lunch and all my in between "cheats" are a problem.  My brother and his family have booked their tickets for July 4th, and we will practically be living by the pool that weekend. No one wants to see me in a bathing suit right now, so I've got to get it together.

PS...please don't write and tell me what is wrong with this plan or how it is not really "clean eating." I don't care. It's a step in the right direction, and we can fine tune the details once we get a routine going again.

My user name on My Fitness Pal is QJ2013 if you want to be friends.

MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

• Sunday - MUS'GO - everything in the fridge MUST GO!
• Monday - Healthy Tetrazzini with Chicken and Broccoli
• Tuesday - Quick and Easy Stir-fry
• Wednesday - Whole Wheat Overnight Pizza, mixed green salad
• Thursday - Grilled Honey Lime Chicken Breast with Fresh Corn and Zucchini Succotash
• Friday - Perfect Baked Potatoes with Spinach Cucumber Strawberry Salad (salad from Cafe Johnsonia)
• Saturday - Black bean burgers (Back to her Roots) on whole wheat buns with perfect oven fries and/or spicy baked zucchini wedges (Cafe Johnsonia)

What's on your menu?



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Menu Plan Monday - Cooking for My Boy!

It's Menu Plan Monday and Deuce is home for spring break. I pretty much let him plan the menu this week since all he asked for was to sleep and eat home cooked food.

My FitBit has been tragically lost.  I was sewing on Saturday and then left to take Grace to see a lacrosse game. Based on my phone records (I had to call TPB just as I was leaving the neighborhood because I forgot something) I know for a fact that the last sync was right as I was leaving the house. I have checked the whole house, car, garage and driveway. I even went to the lacrosse game and walked through the parking lot with my phone searching for the signal with no luck. Where could it be? I feel certain that it would have synced again on the walk from the car to the game if I had made it any further, and yet there aren't that many other places it could be. I'm so sad!

My user name on My Fitness Pal is QJ2013 if you want to be friends.

MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

• Sunday - Sunday Dinner at the grandparents
• Monday - Sweet and Fiery Pork, oven roasted green beans, brown rice
• Tuesday - Risotto, Pea and Sausage Soup; homemade bread
• Wednesday - Sausage and Peppers on hoagie rolls
• Thursday - steaks on the grill, twice baked potatoes, Caesar salad
• Friday - out with friends
• Saturday -lasagne, mixed green salad, bread

What's on your menu?



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Menu Plan Monday - Time for Corned Beef and Cabbage!

It's Menu Plan Monday and St. Patrick's Day. Hope everyone is feeling lucky today!

On St. Patrick's Day I always put a corned beef in the crock pot. I don't have any fabulous recipe - I generally just throw the thing in my crock pot early the morning on top of a bag of baby red potatoes and let it rip. I can't bear the thought of boiled cabbage, but it's delicious sauteed in some garlic and olive oil. Easy dinner and everyone is happy.

Last week at work was jam packed with special events and all the prep for them, which translates into quick lunches and too much cake. Also, I barely moved from my desk, so I think my FitBit actually fell asleep for a little while there!

My user name on My Fitness Pal is QJ2013 if you want to be friends.

MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

• Sunday -  Crock Pot Carne Guisada (we didn't get to this last week)
• Monday - Corned Beef, potatoes, sauteed cabbage
• Tuesday - Glazed Salmon with Spiced Carrots
• Wednesday - Zuppa Toscana, homemade bread, mixed green salad
• Thursday - leftover buffet/YOYO
• Friday - pizza, mixed green salad
• Saturday - prom night! out to eat after the picture party

What's on your menu?



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#NQDSI - It's National Quilting Day

 

Did you know?

The third Saturday in March is National Quilting Day.

The NQA is offering a free stashbusting pattern call Stash Attack.

This calls for a Sew In! We'll meet on Twitter using #NQDSI. You can also use TweetChat to follow the conversation.

In the spirit of the day and because I want to try this cool tool on InLinkz, I'm making a group linkup. Add your link any time for your #NQDSI blog post, giveaway, or special podcast episode.

An InLinkz Link-up

Want to share the linkup on your blog? Click here to grab the code.

Menu Plan Monday - Here Comes the Sun!

It's Menu Plan Monday and it is starting to feel like Spring here in Atlanta. The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and we're finally able to take the dogs for a walk without having to be talked into it. We had a crazy busy weekend full of birthday party/soccer game/Honor Chorus/Hunger Walk goodness, and another one next week, so I'm glad I got my menu planned ahead of time.

All that activity meant that my FitBit got a workout. Yesterday TPB, Gracie and I joined her class and 15,000 of our closest friends at the Atlanta Hunger Walk. It was 70 degrees and sunny - we could not have ordered up more perfect weather - and we racked up the steps and floors.

My user name on My Fitness Pal is QJ2013 if you want to be friends.

MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

• Sunday - Pizza Night!
• Monday - Filipino BBQ Pork Skewers, quinoa, mixed grilled vegetables
• Tuesday - Pollo Sabroso, yellow rice, oven roasted green beans
• Wednesday -Baked Pasta with Sausage and Spinach (we never got to this last week), mixed green salad
• Thursday - Crock Pot Carne Guisada
• Friday - Thai Shrimp and Pineapple Stir Fry over jasmine rice - this calls for chicken, but I'm making it with shrimp during Lent
• Saturday - Date Night

What's on your menu? For more ideas, check out my Menu Plan Mondays Pinterest board, where I only pin the recipes my family loves.

Going to Guild - Jodi Barrows of Square in a Square

Monday night was guild night, and Jodi Barrows of Square in a Square was our speaker. In many ways, she is the whole quilt package; she comes from a long line of quilters, has a great story, and is earning a living with her work.

She invented the Square in a Square ruler, a unique idea sparked by watching her grandmother make pie crust. She is the author of two novels (so far) based on her own incredible family history. Jodi is also an entertaining speaker, skillful educator, and prolific quilter.

Jodi hit the "great program" trifecta with her humor, useful information, and huge stack of quilts. She showed such a variety of patterns, sizes, and colors - from tee-niny mini quilts in dark Civil War tones to baby quilts in pastels to large, vivid patriotic quilts that would be perfect for Quilts of Valor.

We also celebrated the guild's 16th anniversary. It's hard to believe I joined nearly twelve years ago! We've certainly come a long way since those days, when members used to take turns presenting techniques or styles to the rest of the group.




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Menu Plan Monday - Full of Fail

It's Menu Plan Monday and last week was full of fail on the cooking and exercising front. I forgot to take things out of the freezer, I forgot to put things in the crock pot, and I never made the bread dough for soup night. There were a lot of sandwiches last week, despite my meal planning and shopping. It was like I had a mental block about it.

This week I'm going to try my mom's old advice about looking at tomorrow's menu while making tonight's dinner. Sometimes you just need to pull something out to thaw, but sometimes you can go ahead and make a marinade or even a whole crock pot dish for the next day.

My FitBit finally had a busy day on Saturday when TPB and I took George and Daisy on a long walk around the neighborhood and then I ran up and down the stairs to get the 50 floors badge. The scale isn't really budging at the moment, mostly due to the fact that it is always someone's birthday at work, and the lovely people there are so thoughtful to share cake with the receptionists. Also, due to the fact that I have no will power.

It was a long, crazy week at work, and my wonderful co-worker brought me some ice cream therapy. Have you heard the news from Ben and Jerry? Just FYI, it's awesome.

My user name on My Fitness Pal is QJ2013 if you want to be friends.

MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

• Sunday - Hamburgers on the grill (this is what I forgot to thaw last week - luckily it was sunny and 70 again.), Oven Roasted Potato "Fries"
• Monday - Crock Pot Kid Friendly Turkey Chili
• Tuesday - Baked Pasta with Sausage and Spinach
• Wednesday - Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken, Creamy Crock Pot Risotto
• Thursday - Chicken and Dumplings, mixed green salad
• Friday - Leftovers/YOYO
• Saturday - date night

What's on your menu?



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Another Little Quilt Swap 8 - Mail Time!

 

Guess what was in my mailbox yesterday! My quilt from ALQS8!

I was the lucky recipient of Marei's quilt (she's blogless, so I'm linking to the post about her quilt on the Another Little Quilt Swap blog.

I absolutely love it, especially since it's not a technique or style I've ever tried. I hope you can see some of the gorgeous texture created by her weaving, stitching and interesting fabrics.

This ladybug peeking out makes me smile.

Marei also included this great stitched card. I'm not sure if there are little seed beads or gems embedded in the fabric on top of the leaf or if she bedazzled it. Either way, it shimmers like dew drops on new spring foliage.

What a clever idea for when I want to include an extra special touch to a gift or occasion.

Thanks, Marei! I love it!




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