Menu Plan Monday #13

This week's menu is comin' atchya a little late today...with the time change and having the sun up so much later I have been in a groove to move, move, move my little behind and am not having the want I normally do to sit down and write! But, I did a bunch of meal prep and have a plan in my head, but should get it down on "paper" so I don't forget!

Workout Schedule:

• Sunday: rest day; did a little biking, a little walking, some stretching and that was about it.
• Monday: 2.5 mile run, P90X3 Isometrix and PIYO Sweat
• Tuesday: 3 mile run, T25 speed, T25 ab intervals
• Wednesday: Start the day with Blogilates 100 Burpee Burnout, sightseeing day so lots and lots of walking and biking, end the day with T25 Stretch
• Thursday: Quiet apartment workout; PIYO Drench
• Friday: 4 mile run, at the halfway mark will be at a park so will do a little bootcamp of squats lunges, jumps, pull ups, etc., evening P90X3 Yoga
• Saturday: Rest, sightseeing day, stretch

Goals:

Last week:

• cut final bit of added sugars {my one cube of sugar in coffee is all that is left *le sigh*}-done! :D
• no processed foods {gotta get off the cereal, which is a recent reintroduction and I do not feel well after eating it}-done! :D
• finish Hawaii section of scrapbook-Work in progress!
• get balcony set for spring-cleaned it off, still need to find furniture.
• organize craft supplies...don't have many but the few I do have are a bit out of control ;)-completely forgot about this lol
• make packing lists and itineraries for Berlin and London-work in progress
• keep up with A to Z Challenge-work in progress haha..didn't completely keep up last week, but I am still posting, so as long as I get them all posted within the next month I will be ok with that. 

This week:

• Finish the rest of the Hawaii Scrapbook
• Get the lists and itineraries finalized
• Keep going with the A to Z challenge
• Remember to take my camera on our sight seeing tours this week because we will be seeing some amazing things and I would like higher quality photos than my iPhone photos.

Breakfast

• Sunday: cereal
• Monday: oatmeal and hard boiled egg whites
• Tuesday: apple cinnamon oatmeal
• Wednesday: Toast with peanut butter and bananas
• Thursday: apple cinnamon oatmeal
• Friday: Toast with peanut butter and bananas
• Saturday: Big breakfast scramble with lots of veggies, toast, and apple slices

So, today I made this amazing oatmeal with water, oats, peanut butter, ground flax seeds, honey, cinnamon, butter and a touch of milk..it was amazing and pretty much all I want to eat now, I will post the recipe over on Instagram tomorrow so make sure you follow! :D

Lunch

• Sunday: at a party so snacked on pot luck snacks
• Kiddo and hubby: all week they will mostly take a variation on hard boiled eggs, half a sandwich, cheese cubes, fruit, raw veggies, and lunch meat.
• Monday: Chicken legs, broccoli, and a little spaghetti
• Tuesday: Same as monday, but with mushrooms
• Wednesday: sight seeing day, eat out
• Thursday: Mushroom egg white omelette with brown rice
• Friday: Leftovers
• Saturday: Eat out, sightseeing day...late lunch/early dinner

Dinner

• Sunday: Cereal (lame, but after food prep and a variety of foods to choose from I let the kiddo pick what she wanted us to eat since hubby was at work and she chose cereal haha)
• Monday: Spaghetti with broccoli
• Tuesday: Leftovers-attending a going away party, so will be pot lucking it again
• Wednesday: Rotisserie chicken, brown rice, squash
• Thursday: Tacos (regular for hubby, will freeze half, lentil tacos, will freeze half for the kiddo and I) served with cucumber/tomato relish
• Friday: Soup and paninis
• Saturday: Will eat a late lunch/early dinner so will snack in the evening

Snacks

• over night oatmeal
• hard boiled eggs
• string cheese
• carrot slices
• apples and peanut butter
• toasted almonds
• peanuts
• homemade bounty bars (for that sweet treat)
• Banana cappuccino
• Tea

So, this is what my week looks like. How is the time change affecting you? One of my Australian friends was complaining about how dark it is getting and how drained she feels, yet I am total opposite being above the equator! How about you, where are you and how is the time change treating you?

P.S. I'm linking up with Mommy Run Fast, Jill Conyers, and I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Weekend Update, Goals, & Menu

Wow! Working my way to a full year's worth of meal plans on here, hard to believe!

Also hard to believe we are so far through July!

This past weekend looked like this (what few pictures I took)

I started Saturday out with some Insanity, then we just relaxed all day it was really hot so we worked some around the house then just rested. Sunday though it was rainy so I made that bad ass piece of blueberry coffee cake, we biked to a movie during a reprieve of the rain, after we came out it was POURING buckets so we grabbed some Chinese (I guess that was the cuisine) then biked home where my amazing husband put my purse UNDER his shirt for the ride home so it wouldn't get wet! That folks is true love! ...and that is how I will end my weekend <3 p="">

Last week's Menu Plan Monday post I listed a few goals here was my success with them:

• Follow workout schedule-Met with success! This one is always pretty easy for me though!
• Get stuff moved over to new apartment-DONE!  Everything is unloaded and put away...old apartment is even cleaned out! WOOHOO!
• Follow meal plan-Met with SUCCESS! It has been a REALLY long time since I have been able to say this....and because I followed my workout schedule and my meal plan I am feeling AMAZING!
• Get in green smoothies & one salad everyday-IMPORTANT!-Here is where I wasn't as successful as I wanted to be. I was great when it came to salads I really got one in everyday, sometimes twice and really enjoyed them. I tried several different green smoothie's everyday and this goal helped me realize one thing...I really just do NOT like green smoothies no matter how hard I try! Oh well, I love green juices and salads so not liking one thing doesn't really bother me. At least I learned something about myself ;)
• Get back on to working on my Index Card a Day project-No success here at all lol I was so concentrated on making sure I worked out, got everything done around the house, stayed active during the day getting sun and bike riding, and looking for real life jobs that this feel by the way-side...good thing there is this week!

Goals for this week:

• Continue being successful at last week's met goals: following meal plan, workout schedule, and eating my salads
• Be a bit more organized and prep food for the week, including healthy snacks
• Return to Index Card a Day Project
• Start my book for the around the world reading challenge

One of my goals this week is to be a bit more organized...especially when it comes to having snacks handy. I don't like to buy a ton of pre-made snacks and going out gets expensive like I mentioned last week...so, here is what I'm doing for this week:

P.S. After you read my meal plan make sure to visit Org Junkie for other meal plans ;)

Snacks 
(make on Monday)
Carrot Banana Granola Balls
Chocolate Chunk Muffin Tops
Banana Fudge Pops
Ham, Veggie Cheese Kabobs  and Garlic Parm Chickpeas (will put these together in tupperware/baggies as a grab and go snack)

Breakfast:
Raw Buckwheat Porridge (MWFS)

• For the teenager: cereal with banana

Egg sandwiches with sweet potato fries (T,TH)
French toast with sausage (Sunday treat)

Lunch:
Creamy Veggie Casserole (I will be making quite a few changes to make this "real food" friendly, will post what I come up with) (MWF)
Homemade Spaghetti-o's with mini chicken meatballs and salad (T, Th) (will prep all at the beginning of the week so it is easy to dish out and reheat
Saturday we will do a late lunch/early dinner as we will take a trip over to the beach so long as it is nice and let the kiddo do some surfing and then we will head over to a place called the Safari Club and get some charcoal BBQ (this will be a HUGE treat it is so hard to find charcoal BBQ/smoked food over here)!
Sunday: See what leftovers we have...if none then will do some ham and cheese crescent rolls with salad

Dinner:
Monday: (Meatless) Soup and baked potato
Tuesday: Shredded chicken quesadillas with corn and salad
Wednesday: Chicken nuggets and honey glazed carrots and fruit (recipe from the Fresh 20 cookbook)
Thursday: Chicken wings/cauliflower "wings" with salad and corn/sugar snap peas
Friday: Homemade calzones with salad and a movie
Saturday: hopefully the weather is good so we can get BBQ at the beach!
Sunday: Chicken alfredo (I will adapt this for me somehow to make it healthier), with homemade garlic bread, and salad


Since moving to Europe my love for cooking has really come back full force and I am loving it! I went through such a lull there where I just was not motivated, but being motivated and feeling good has been amazing! Do you ever go through "funk" periods where you just can't seem to be productive? What do you do to get out of it?

I hope everyone has a great week! HAPPY MONDAY! (Yeah, you should be awake now ;))

Goals, menu, and workouts-Oh My!

What a fun weekend we had! We started out Friday night with an impromptu date night where hubby & I totally dressed it up and went out for some great pasta, wine, and then walked all around downtown and even some in the red light district. It was packed, the weather was nice, it made for the perfect date night!

The sunset from our train station. There was a storm moving it but it never did anything!

Saturday we got some bikes so we could finally be proper Dutch expats! They are fantastic and I couldn't be happier about them! After that we went downtown as a family just before the Netherlands world cup game and it was totally packed but so worth it to be around all the people. We ate at this great sports bar then grabbed Sundaes at Ben & Jerrys! ;) 

(Those are like the Fort Knox of locks...hopefully our bikes will be ok!)

Sunday hubby and I had a birthday party to go to for a guy he works with. It was super fun...it was at the Rijksmuseum...they hired a tour guide and we learned so many interesting things! Tour guides are totally worth it when they know what they are talking about. Since we bought museum cards while we were there I can't wait to go back, there are a few paintings I want a closer look at! Then we had a nice dinner as a family and went on a very long bike ride and taught the teenager how to lock up her bike properly!

How was your weekend? Were you active?

Goals for this week:

• Follow workout schedule
• Get stuff moved over to new apartment
• Follow meal plan
• Get in green smoothies & one salad everyday-IMPORTANT!
• Get back on to working on my Index Card a Day project

Last week I didn't write down my goals so I sort of lost sight when we got busy. I kept my clean eating up most of the time and enjoyed how busy we were settling into our new life and then end of school.

Now for what you really came here for....

Go check out more menu's over at Org Junkie!

Breakfast:

Egg white scramble with tomatoes and spinach & half a spelt bagel with avocado (MWF)

• Teenager has two scrambled eggs with tomatoes and half a bagel with butter

Seeded spelt toast with avocado, Green smoothie (T, Th)

• Teenager will have cereal with banana slices

Saturday: omelets (egg white for me) with ham, bacon, cheese, and veggies (everyone will have something different), with coffee and toast

Sunday: Blueberry coconut coffee cake breakfast bars with coffee

Lunch: 

Spinach apple tuna salad with green tea green smoothie (M-W-F)

• Teenager is at her friends most of the time this week they have lots of plans but if she is home she will do ham sandwich with spinach, peppers, cheese

Sweet potato with bbq chickpeas and a spinach salad (T, Th)

• If the kiddo is home she will just eat this with me

Saturday: (this may or may not happen depending on what time we eat breakfast) Chicken sausage coins with potato/sweet potato fries

Sunday: (again may or may not happen depending on when we eat breakfast) Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

Dinner:

*We won't be eating out all this week, my goal is to cook everyday

Meal 1: Baked eggs with potatoes 

Meal 2: Tacos/Taco salads...I think this is one of my most favorite meals when I cook it ...I love a homemade taco salad

Meal 3: Cheese chicken finger crescent rolls, fruit

Meal 4: Bacon cheese potatoes/sweet potatoes with burgers

Meal 5: Raclette: leftover chicken/burgers cut up and seasoned, potato pieces, veggies, bread to dip in the cheese from the raclette (I will have to take a picture it is similarish to fondue but you don't dip directly into a pot)

Meal 6: Grilled steak bites with spinach salad and brown rice

Meal 7: Smoked sausage & potatoes au gratin

We are trying to eat a home more as one thing about living in The Netherlands is food at the grocery store is really cheap, but food out in restaurants is ridiculously expensive and the service is frustratingly bad. Plus, the amount of people they try to squeeze into a dining room or on a patio is a bit ridiculous. So, we will be homing it and enjoying it!

Hope you all have a great week! 

Menu Plan Monday

Wow, it has been a long time since I’ve written a Menu Plan Monday post! 

I will be honest, I actually stopped meal planning completely there for a while. Shockingly, it is working for us! We haven’t been eating repeat meals and I am cooking much healthier…I’m pretty much back to a mostly vegetarian diet, very little meat at all for myself and I feel so much better. I just don’t think I do well on meat haha

Anyway, even though I haven’t been doing formal meal planning that isn’t to say I am completely without a plan at all. What I have been doing is making a list of snacks and things we want, fruits and veggies we like that are in season and I buy enough on Monday to get me through the week and on Thursday night after dinner when the market is cleared out I head back up and stock us up for the weekend. Living in Europe we only have one small drawer for storing pantry items right now & our fridge and freeze aren’t anything to write home about. So, this is the outline of my plan for this week (the last week of school…finally!) :

I will be linking up at Org Junkie!!!

Breakfasts:

Oatmeal with lots of fresh berries, banana pancakes, eggs & coconut quinoa patties

Saturday-omelets with sausage/coconut quinoa patties, melon or peaches

Sunday-Treat day…will be something homemade...not quite sure what yet...maybe french toast or some very vanilla vegan pancakes & some sausage...

Lunches:

Leftovers, salad, veggie sandwiches on whole wheat, soup

A few days this week the teenager will be out of town with school so she will eat out those days, then on the last day of school after our conference I will take her out somewhere special to celebrate…maybe the restaurant at the library because it has an amazing view.

Saturday-Grilled cheese or chicken nuggets/veggie nuggets or leftovers

Sunday-Eggs or whatever is leftover

Dinners:

Monday’s I try to go meatless, plus we have a meeting to get the keys to our permanent place so-grilled cheese with soup and salad

Tuesday-taco’s with corn and salad

Wednesday-Chicken/vegetarian patty sandwiches with salad and beans

Thursday-Chicken satay with baked potatoes/sweet potatoes and zucchini….I will use up the beans from Wednesday night to put in my potato in place of the chicken

Friday-Royal burgers/black bean burgers (royal just means egg on top lol) with potato wedges/sweet potato wedges and sugar snap peas

Saturday-Not too sure on this one yet…I’m thinking spaghetti….one I will serve traditionally over pasta but for mine  I will julienne some carrots and zucchini and serve the sauce (just crushed tomatoes & tomato paste seasoned up) over that.

Sunday-We may eat out-if I can find somewhere we all are agreeable to- if not though I’m thinking stuffed squash and some shrimp, then for the husband some corn and chicken wings

So I will say I will probably change around the order in which these happen. I will also make a few extra black bean burgers to freeze so I have some for lunches and other dinners. I am sort of in a rut and things seem the same because I am mostly only cooking from the stovetop. Remember this post??? Well, the oven thing still sucks and I really don’t know how to use it all that well and I can’t wait for our bed to be delivered so we can be in our new place with an oven that works, an electric grill, and English TV.

I know, first world problems, don’t feel sorry for me.

So, what are you cooking up this week?

PS: I post lots of food stuff over on Instagram-follow me! :D

Menu Plan Monday-Fresh 20 Week 1 +workout ideas!

Goedendag! Welkom op mijn tweede menu plan maandag in Amsterdam!

Just a little Monday morning fun for you all! Seriously though, this is my second menu plan from Amsterdam. So far we are absolutely loving living here. It has been a real dream come true for all of us. There are some things we are still getting used to...check out last Thursday's post on a few culture shocks we are dealing with ;) One thing we have noticed though, the weather here is crazy! One minute it will be cloudy, next it is pouring, drizzling, then sunny. We did have to deal with a big thunderstorm last Friday night. The lightening was too extreme for me to get a video of it, but I did get this from the other day:



So random rain, then it was sunny again! Anyone who has ever lived here is it always like this or is this unique to the area? Also, when the heck is it going to get warm?! I'm freezing my wee little tushy off!

Org Junkie Link-Up & Nomday Monday

Prior to leaving Vancouver I had bought the Fresh 20 cookbook. I'd looked at The Fresh 20 meal plans for years, but never wanted to invest in them because, well, my husband is wicked picky and quite frankly I don't want to waste the money on something I wouldn't use. But, a cookbook I can work with I can make my way through with no pressure and mix and match recipes if needed. 

The recipes in the book seem fairly "normal" and easy. For this first week's meal plan I only have to make a couple of changes so not bad.

Breakfast Options:

• eggs, salad, and half a yam
• egg "burrito" (stuffed with ham, cheese, tomato)
• fruit salad with nuts
• sweet bread with pb & sprinkles
• overnight oatmeal

Lunch Options

• salads: chicken, tuna
• lunch meat roll ups
• egg pizzas
• grilled cheese
• leftovers

Dinner-Fresh 20 based

• Potatoes (regular & sweet), peas/mixed veggies, cheese, salad
• Parmesan chicken nuggets with oranges, honey carrots, salad
• Korean style short ribs with cabbage salad (hubby will have corn for his side)
• Coconut curry style fish/omelette for the hubby
• Eat out (will probably do a late lunch/early dinner at a new place)
• Pan seared chicken Panzanella (this is like a salad)/Will serve hubby the chicken with a side of cucumber/tomato relish
• Tomato soup and grilled cheese with leftover salad

Super easy meal plan and best thing is everything is cooked on a cooktop only a few little things using the oven. Coming up I will be discussing my oven woes, or lack there of so the fact these recipes use the cook top vs oven is a huge plus for me. Also, in the front of each week's meal plan there is  prep for the week! It totally takes all the guess work out of getting the food ready so your cooking time is cut short! Super awesome!

Now this week along with making sure we are eating really healthy I am of course focusing on my workouts as well. I finally got some new running shoes and a new yoga mat so I'm super stoked to use them this week.

Since I got new running shoes I will be focusing on running more. I decided instead of killing my legs right off the bat I would do the C25K programme to get me back in the saddle.

Then, each day I will do one of these workouts:

• Monday: run +fitness blender barre workout
• Tuesday: Cardio barre
• Wednesday: run +barre workout for butt and thighs
• Thursday: Floor Barre
• Friday: run +The look good naked barre workout
• Saturday: Ballet body sculpt
• Sunday: The teenager has cheer for four hours on this day so I will fit in a nice walk and some stretching somewhere...maybe they can spare a corner of the gym for moi. ;)

If you want to join me in my workouts for a little accountability find me on FB or leave a comment here and let me know! I am always happy to have a virtual workout buddy! 

I hope you all have a great week!



Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.

Menu plan Monday +workout planning

So, ladies & gents...I just finished P90X3!!! I have more coming on that soon, but I did finish it just this past weekend. Overall I am happy with my results as I feel a lot stronger and tighter, but I will be honest I didn't really watch what I ate, so my results aren't 100% what I wanted...yet!

So, this menu plan focuses on clean, healthy eating for myself and my family of course. I am really changing how we are eating simply because the way we've been eating just doesn't work for us. None of us feel amazing so I am going back to my trusty clean recipes that work. Sorry pinterest, but those greasy awesome casseroles I've been making just aren't working...

I'm linking up my menu this week here:

Org Junkie

Breakfast:

M-W-F: Big ass pancake with sunbutter and half a banana 

Tu-Th: 2 egg omelette with mushrooms, onion, spinach, avocado, and cheese and a slice of ezekiel bread with coconut oil & some gingerbread spice

Sat & Sun paleo donut holes with fruit

Lunch:

Monday: Leftovers

Tu & Th: Salad (chicken or tuna) with hard boiled eggs and avocado

Wed & Fri: Quinoa salad (throw in some black beans, onion, spinach, tomato)

Sat & Sun: Leftovers, omelettes & toast, or subs and salad-this will really depend on what we have time for we may just grab lunch at a food truck or something as we will be at a cheer leading competition 

Dinner:

Monday: Coconut crusted chicken strips,  zucchini fries, corn for the hubby

Tuesday: Tacos (we will do veggie & traditional)

Wednesday: Burgers with mushrooms, onions, and sugar snap peas

Thursday: Caramelized chicken/chick pea patties, with zucchini & mushrooms and french fries for the hubby

Friday: Homemade pizza (will do traditional and a zucchini crust) with salad

***this weekend will be super busy so these two meals are play it by ear, we may eat a late lunch so these may be moved to next week****

Saturday: Stuffed chicken breasts/chickpea patties with sugar snap peas and corn

Sunday: Homemade hamburger helper (this I make two of, one a regular and one with black beans and no meat) with salad  

Workouts

Now, since I am done with X3 I am in maintenance mode for a while. I originally planned to run the Seattle Rock & Roll Half on June 21st as mentioned back in January, but we've had something come up that is interfering with that, so, I am coming up with my own schedule. I know over the last year or so I haven't done much to lengthen my muscles so that is what I am focusing on. So there will be a lot of stretching and a lot of running.

Monday: Massage therapy day, X-Stretch from the original P90X set

Tuesday: 1 Mile Run, 1 Mile walk, Insanity Cardio Abs +foam rolling

Wednesday: Core Cardio and Balance

Thursday: 2 mile run + X3 yoga +Foam Rolling 

Friday: Insanity Cardio Recovery

Saturday: 100 Burpee Burnout +Hiit Jump Rope Workout

Sunday: P90X Stretch

I included a lot of stretching this week since I had my massage therapy appointment the girl told me it will be most beneficial if my workouts this week included lots of stretching, so that is what I am doing! 

What are you doing for workouts this week?

5 Ways to Make Your week smoother +Menu Plan Monday #42

Week days are hectic. Whether you are a stay a home mom/wife or if you work inside or outside the home weekdays are very, very busy. In order to keep my workouts, healthy eating, and house in order there are five simple things I like to do on Sunday:

• Wash all my workout clothes. 
• I read an article about this a few years ago when I was still working. It really does help to keep me on track and to get up on Monday and workout. If I have to dig through and search for a dirty workout outfit it just sort of lowers the morale.
• Gather the family to make sure anything they may need clean for the week such as work pants, work shirts, etc are in the laundry and ready to be washed and/or dry cleaning is by the door and ready to be dropped off. 
• Write your meal plan and go grocery shopping.
• For a lot of people this is difficult, but I find you have a basic outline of what you will eat & have the food in the house you are more likely to eat that food then stop for a fast food option.
• Some easy ideas for breakfast options are egg muffins, homemade muffins, cut up fruit, smoothies, granola and milk, overnight oats. 
• Prep the food.
• For exmaple, if you have salads planned for lunches and as sides for dinners make a very large salad for the week. Cut up toppings for sandwiches, go ahead and start marinating some meats if you wish. Cook up your breakfast options or prep them & have them in the fridge.
• I label any leftovers in the fridge for lunches and who will be taking them.
• Make a list of activities going on that week, phone calls that need to be made, and errands that need to be done.

I find these five simple things really help the week go smoothly. I rarely get a hon/mom, where is my ____________. But, it is there responsibility to get it to me, I just usually have to give a gentle nudge of "hey, get me your ______________'s you may need clean for the week. Also, with having breakfasts prepped ahead of time & lunches labeled in the fridge if we are running behind it is super easy to grab everything and get out the door.

Now for the weekly menu:

Breakfast options: egg frittata, paleo pancakes, paleo muffins, omelette for Saturday and Paleo Pumpkin Poppers for Sunday

Lunch options: chicken/tuna salads, leftovers, Sunday will be a brunch of scrambled eggs, bacon, and leftovers

Dinner:

Monday: bacon wrapped pork tenderloin with onions/mushrooms, corn and peas

Tuesday: burger for the hubs, fish for the kiddo & I with corn/broccoli/potato wedges

Wednesday: Pizza pasta bake with veggies and salad

Thursday: BBQ chicken sandwiches with salad and leftover veggies

Friday: New Restaurant Friday: We will finally be eating at the Calabash Bistro...almost beginning to think it wasn't meant for us to eat there! o_O

Saturday: Cheese burgers with salad

Sunday: Steak and shrimp with broccoli/corn/leftovers

This week I was looking in my freezer and pantry and going through and trying to clear them out. Every now and again I like to use everything up and restock so I know it is all fairly fresh.

What do you have planned for the week? We are in the countdown to Spring Break! Just 10 days until we leave for our vacation! Yipee!

Linking up at: Org Junkie, and Mommy Run Fast. 

Menu Plan Monday #41

Hello! Today is Monday, March 3rd...Sunday, we spring forward...my favorite time of year! I really enjoy the extra sunshine, how the hours of sunlight get longer. With the renewed "longer" days, in yesterday's post I decided to reevaluate my goals from January 1st and see what I have accomplished so far and what I need to work on. 

One big thing I need to focus on is nutrition. With this week's meal plan that is just what I intend to do! 

If you need a little help with meal planning, the very first blog post I ever did on March 1st, 2013 was all about getting started with meal planning. Go here to check it out! 

So, anyway, on to the menu! This week is going to include a lot of sugar detox friendly recipes, fermented foods because for good digestion I am trying to get those in, and of course will be high in protein to fuel me for my super tough P90X3 workouts.

Breakfast Options

• Leftovers
• Cereal
• Coconut yogurt parfait with paleo granola
• Paleo granola with keifer
• Eggs with homemade hashbrowns and avocado
• Sunday "Treat": Paleo Pumpkin Spice poppers and applesauce or I may try this fermented applesauce if I can get it together today to start it.

Lunch Options

• Leftovers
• Tuna salad with my awesome homemade dressing
• Chicken salad with my awesome homemade dressing
• Tuna salad on zucchini chips
• Chicken and cheese bites with homemade potato chips
• Baked potatoes/sweet potatoes with broccoli and a little parm

Dinner

Monday: Sausage and peppers with broccoli and applesauce

Tuesday: Pizza Spaghetti Pie with salad

Wednesday: Crock pot pulled pork waffle sliders with salad and applesauce

Thursday: Caramelized baked chicken  with broccoli, corn, and strawberries

Friday: New Restaurant Friday...Finally trying Calabash Bistro since we changed it last week.

Saturday: Chicken fried steaks with salad

Sunday: Homemade pizza with salad

Snacks

• Shakeology
• Leftovers
• Hard boiled eggs
• Zucchini chips with hummus
• Paleo granola
• Fruit

So, this being said, my top 3 goals I'm focusing on this week are:

1. Nutrition and exercise
2. TEFL Certification completion
3. Flossing everyday

What are you munching on this week? Are you doing any goal focusing?

By the way, I am linking up at Org Junkie, and Mommy Run Fast. 

Menu Plan Monday #40

Happy Monday y'all!

I can not believe the weekend flew by so fast! It was a super fun, relaxing weekend though. 

Friday we had our New Restaurant Friday at Pizzeria Ludica. Afterword we came home and had a riveting game of Mario Party! It was a lot of fun.

Saturday hubster & I hit the town looking awesome...the only person caught on camera though was me...

The top right is early in the day...the flakes turned from small and light to large and fairly heavy-the picture captures it perfectly. None of it stuck luckily. I was fairly unmotivated to do my last workout for the week-Warrior-but, I managed and was super happy after I did it. I mean who wouldn't be happy with that shoulder?! Last, hubs and I were board after a day of cleaning and purging while it snowed so after the teenager left for her sleepover we got dressed up and had a nice dinner down at the Tap & Barrel at Canada Place...Tap Greens with grilled chicken breast is the best thing on the menu!

Sunday, was a seriously lazy day. 

We were woken up at 7 am to the cheering and hollering of many happy Canadians as Team Canada won the Gold in Men's Hockey...as you can see that was not our plan, but we rolled with it so we had some coffee, some cuddle time, some nap time. Cheerleading was mercifully canceled for the day due to snowfall warnings. Later in the day we whipped up some delicious cocoa and pretty much stayed in bed all day long. 

It was glorious.

Moving on though...through all that relaxation Sunday I still managed to get my meal plan done! YAY!

I'm linking up over at Organizing Junkie so stop by & check out all the menu's!

Breakfast Options

Cinnamon raisin bagels with coconut oil/peanut butter & fresh fruit

Green apple, pb, and half serving shakeology

Yogurt parfait

Lunch Options

Leftovers: paella, calzone, or soup

Shakeology

Tuna/chicken salad

Dinner

Monday: Kiddo will have pizza at girl guides, I will have whatever is left of the paella

Tuesday: Stuffed sweet potatoes and broccoli meatballs

Wednesday: Crockpot pulled pork with Italian coleslaw, carrots, and corn

Thursday: 

Friday: New Restaurant Friday-Calabash Bistro in Gastown. Was suggested to me on Twitter by another Vancouverite so can't wait to try it!

Saturday: Freezer meal for the little one while she babysits here at home; we are headed to game night at our friends house...hopefully if we all cook together will do some sort of kebab & sweet potato fries...(hint hint if you're reading this).

Sunday: Steak with sweet potato biscuits and peas

I am really looking forward to cooking my Sunday meal. I didn't get to it this last week because I was out of sweet potatoes and I was not going out in the snow to get them! But, this week it is happening those biscuits sound amazing. They are from my William Sonoma Steak & Chops book. 

What meal are you looking forward to cooking this week?

Menu Plan Monday #38 +being away from the child

Happy Monday y'all!

So, I know today many people aren't happy about waking up to, but I am waking up in England!

Crazy right?! This is my first time in Europe and I am enjoying every second of it and already can't wait to come back!

As excited as we are to be here it sadly has taken us away from our not-so-little-one for a few days. These times can be so heart-wrenching! I love her to pieces and hate to miss any time with her, but I do think in the long run it is good for all of us. About once a year we spend a week a part. The teenager usually goes to sleep away camp and to stay with family and the husband and I get some alone time. It gives the teenager time to bond with her grandparents, aunts/uncles, and cousins and to learn to sort of be on her own. It gives my husband and I, who never really had that alone time couples have in the beginning since we had her so young, time to focus on each other. In the beginning I think we are all excited to get away from one another since we spend so much time together, but by the end we are all ready for it to be over and to be back together!

So, I guess what I am trying to say is as precious as these days are with our young children if you want to get away, don't feel guilty there are a lot of benefits! This time around our daughter is staying with two of her friends who have two very different parents. One set of parents is about our age and as easy going as us, if not a little more easy going. The other set is an older set of parents who adopted their child and they are pretty easy going and enjoy giving the kids their independence!

I feel like these times away from us as few as they are have such a lasting impression and really help her to find out who she is as we aren't there to help her make decisions and aren't easily contacted at the drop of a hat!

Anyway...enough about my ramblings...let's get to what you are here for...

Tue

Org Junkie

This is yet another weird week for us. We are out of town at the beginning of the week and have to go out of town for a cheerleading competition at the end of the week!

Breakfasts: cereal with banana, shakeology

Lunches: Shakeology, sandwiches (pb&j & turkey on whole wheat) with salad/grapes

Dinner: 

Monday: Out of town, something around London-fish and chips most likely if I haven't had it yet ;)

Tuesday: Pick up from the grill at the market or order in pizza & salad from an organic local place

Wednesday: Broccoli/Cauliflower/Spaghetti squash cheese bake with salad

Thursday: Burrito cups: mexican flavored chicken breasts, black beans, cauli-rice, tomatoes, onion, and lettuce layered in a cup

Friday: Eat on the road to cheer compeition

Saturday: Celebrate V-day by checking out an awesome restaurant in Tacoma after the cheer competition with my honey

Sunday: Get a meal from the market or order in something from a local place.

It is proving to be a seriously busy week but I think we can handle it! February will be gone before I know it!

What I Ate Wednesday +my weekly review of X3!

Wow, hump day already!!! Hard to believe we are already halfway through this week!

This past week was a delicious one!! I will let the photos speak for themselves...

A lovely mocha from my favorite coffee shop in town...Blenz! They always do the cutest latte art! This was  a treat from my hubby after we had a little daytime date.

Breakfast hash with over easy egg

Sole with breakfast hash

Dates with peanut butter and coconut manna

Korean BBQ....yum!

I call this leftover soup...it's quite literally all leftovers. It's a carrot-cauliflower soup I made  and I threw in some leftover peas, leftover corn, and leftover fish.

From Moderne Burger...So tasty.

Another tasty bit from Moderne. Make sure to read about our experience there!

Relaxing morning with my Shakeology and working on coming up with some new projects!

Noodle-less Mongolian BBQ.

Now, to work all this delicious food off I had to work hard. This last week I was mostly in the transition week of P90X3, and I just entered into block 2! I had to change from doing the Classic Version to the Lean Version because the classic was too pull up heavy and I still have an injury I am recovery from. So, here is my week in workouts:

Wednesday Accelerator (super fun, but way more work than I thought it would be lol)

Thursday: Pilates X (super core work, I forgot how hard Pilates was)

Friday: CVX (this is one of my favorites!)

Saturday: X3 Yoga...originally wasn't feeling well, but after having some shakeology and I nap I dug in and got it done, was a fantastic workout and I felt amazing afterward!

Sunday: Rest day

Monday: Accelerator

Tuesday: The Warrior

Up on deck today: X3 Yoga....this is my absolute favorite!

What did you do to work your body this past week?!

Now, I know a bunch of y'all are stopping by from What I Ate Wednesday...make sure to say HI! These are my most viewed days usually so I'd love to get to know you all! :) Click over on the right and find me on FB and stuff so we can chat! :)

Menu Plan Monday #37 +a lesson on patience

My teenager has had three, count them three cheerleading competitions this year. In one they came in 2nd place, but it was out of two...so essentially last.

The next competition they came in fifth...out of fifth. I was really upset for my daughter because she was trying quite hard. She was very upset.

Pyramid from 2nd Compeititon

But, she stayed positive. She worked hard, she encouraged her teammates even when she was getting some negative text messages this past week like, "ready to lose Sunday?" Despite this she worked on her balance, she was moved to point for a portion of the routine, she stretched daily, and worked on not saying anything negative...even after practices that were hard she would tell me it was one of the best practices she'd ever been to. Well, Sunday comes and the negativity of her teammates seemed it increase despite them being excited to perform. She went in with a fierce attitude and practiced hard before going out on to the floor in the performance centre. She kept a huge smile on her face, she picked a judge and did what all good cheerleaders do...smiled her biggest smile and showed as much personality as humanly possible. My little ham even gave a cute little wink at the judges! So, these girls performed their hearts out, hit just about every stunt as far as I could see, moved their little booties during their tumbling passes, and danced their little hearts out at the end. This resulted in them competing against the exact same five teams from the last competition and them going from last place to first place! I couldn't be more proud of these little ladies and their ability to pull together and work hard.

Here is my little ham loving her medal. She even took it to school to show a couple of her teachers that know about her cheering.

So, life throws us lemons many times throughout our lives. We can either get hit in the head with them or make it a goal to become a better catcher and learn to juggle. I think my kiddo's positive attitude despite not having the best start to the season is an amazing trait! I hope it is one she never loses!

Anyway, enough about  my bragging...here's the menu for the week.

It's short and sweet, we are out of the country at the end of the week so I will have tons of food to post about when we get back at some point next week. May be early in the week, may be late in the week will just have to see how the trip goes and if we can squeeze anymore time out of our little trip!

I chose to use this banner this week for the Org Junkie Link-up because we are having a serious cold snap up here in BC! We have been super lucky and temps have been around 40 Fahrenheit, but now it is only in the 20's Fahrenheit! But, I have some seriously healthy meals designed around this weather that also uses up our leftovers before we head out at the end of the week!

Menu Board Tutorial

If you haven't made one of these...do it! It is the best ever and when I use it...I always stick to my menu!

Breakfast: Shakeology, eggs and veggies, cream of wheat

Lunch: Shakeology, leftovers

Dinner:

Monday: pork chops, brown rice/cauli-rice, peas

Tuesday: Chicken fried rice using the leftover rice/cauli-rice, peas, carrots

Wednesday: Chicken and cheese omelettes with bacon and any leftovers from the previous night and veggies

Thursday: Chicken and cheese quesadillas with leftover veggies (most likely carrots....hope we don't turn orange! haha ;))

Friday: Will eat a late lunch/early dinner at the airport after check-in....most of the decent looking places are prior to security so it won't be anything too exciting, classic pub fare no doubt...how to keep that healthy will be a fun challenge! ;)

Saturday: Somewhere fun and exciting in our destination city

Sunday: Again will no doubt be somewhere fun and exciting in our destination city...cannot wait to try some traditional local fare! 

What all does everyone have planned for this week?

Me, I am heading to the doctor, then off to buy a new planner, then the rest of my week will be filled with cleaning, stocking my Etsy store, working out, and packing for our trip!