What would be a better Tuesday theme?

When I decided to "reformat" my blog, my intentions were to help me focus, to help me write, to give myself ideas, and to potentially drive up readership. That is really the least of my concerns. Well, the question is really "why blog if you aren't concerned with readership?" Currently, I want to improve my writing skills and then worry about readership.

There are articles that I have read to help improve blogging skills: 

1. How to title your posts to entice people to read your post.

2. Focusing on a single topic for your entire blog so you aren't picking up readers because of one topic and them losing them because you change your topics.

3. Include photos because people are visual readers - break up the paragraphs. 

All of this is meant to help people want to read what I write. However, it becomes less personal. When does my blog become more about you and less about me? Personally, I read blogs to look into the windows of other people's lives. I am a bit of a voyeur. I like reading memoir-style books. Yes, I do look at other websites that have a general focus because I'm looking for something specific.

So, with that, today is Tuesday and with my blog reformat I am considering Tuesday as "LinkLove" day. I'm not certain how long I will keep this Tuesday format. I am honestly not someone who searches for or frequents new websites. I have been a reader of the following blog for well over a year. I would say that the blogger an I are acquaintances. We were never close during childhood though we grew up in the same city and schools. We know each other through mutual friends. She allowed me into her life as a friend on Facebook but she made the decision to release her life from that social media website. Facebook is how I learned about her blog. Ever since then, I became a follower of her blog.

She writes about her mostly daily life. She is a strong young lady - she has faced some challenges in her life that I would not be able to see myself through. 

This is Joy. Her blog is Brand New Day.

Where is my Menu Plan Monday?

We are on vacation. we aren't really planning what we are eating. I am fresh off of my mini vacation-within-a-vacation to the beach with my girlfriends. So, in lieu of Menu Plan Monday, I am listing out my favorites and not-so-favorites of beach weekend.

Favorites
"Early" morning solitude and being able to read and relax
Slightly salty tinge to the air and the cooling breezes in the shade
Being with friends and enjoying food, drinks, & laughter with them
The cocoabutter scent of sunblock
Strangers willing to help out & friendly animals
Walking along the beach, wading in the water, and collecting shells, beach glass, and sand
Stars, clouds, sea birds, dolphins, & small sea cretures

Not quite as awesome
Mosquito bites
Sore feet
Hot & sticky sand
Pink skin and sunblock that doesnt seem to work when and where it should
Bathing suits that no longer fit

Pinterest recipes: Beach Cupcakes, Fishbowl drink; Pinnacle root beer "slush ice"; Austin street-style breakfast tacos. Look for links and recipes soon!

I finished my book yesterday morning and the last line resonated with me. "[...] I would always feel at home when I touched sand."  The Moon and More, by S. Dessen. Look for a book review soon!

MenuPlanMonday @ OrgJunkie

Week in Review Friday

I am currently at the beach and not very sure if or when this may actually upload. 

Last Friday was my and my husband's 10 year wedding anniversary. We packed up pur things and headed to Southeast Texas for our annual vacation to visit our family. Out of nostalgia, we had dinner at the restaurant we got married at. The flavors have not changed. Such memories!

Things that have happened since last Friday, 

On Saturday, we went to my cousin's wedding at a historic Masonic temple. We even got a tour and small history of the building and some Masonic information. It was rather nice to see and experience such an old building. 

Sunday was spent at an aunt's house for a weekly family lunch/dinner. We had hoagies and i made some yummy cheescake-stuffed strawberries.  

The majority of the week has been really low-key. Naps and reading are my favorite summer vacation activities. Ivy has been swimming every day. I am so happy the incident last fall did not deter her from swimming - she loves it so much. Her PawPaw is even starting to teach her how to swim. 

Thursday, we took Ivy to the Houston Zoo. Ryan and I had not been there since before we got married. It was really hot, especially since factoring the humidity that we are no longer used to. There was a small, childrens' splash/sprinkler park within the zoo. Since Ivy was hot and we had a spare change of clothes for her, we let her play and cool down before we headed back to our home-away-from-home. 

Today is girl's beach weekend getaway. I made cupcakes and got groceries and drove to the beach. I am currently pn the deck, alternating between sitting in the sun and shade, sipping a cola and reading my current book - The Moon and More. 

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Have a wonderful weekend -whatever you do!

PS: Welcome to Mommyhood, Joy! (She had a bouncing baby boy during the wee hours of June 11.)  I am posting from my phone and lacking a nice "easy button" to post a link to her blog. 

TCOY Thursday

What do you do to take care of yourself? Do you need to recharge? How do you do it?!

TCOY = Take Care of Yourself. Sometimes I need a reminder to take care of myself. I get so wrapped up and stressed that I don't do anything for myself to calm down. I started TCOY when I actively used LiveJournal. I am amazed it still exists! I had a set list of things to include in my TCOY posts.

I welcome you to TCOY Summer Edition!

Book: I am currently reading "The Moon and More" by Sarah Dessen. The plot takes place in Colby, the fictional beach town of South (or North?) Carolina. As I haven't fully read the book, I cannot review it yet. But the story is that a girl is working for her family's beach property rental agency the summer before she goes to college. She meets someone making a documentary film and she starts to question her "permanent vacation" life. Dessen is one of my favorite authors. I like her writing style and that all her stories, while separate, all fall in the same universe. I think some of her characters find themselves in other books. This book is perfect right now because it is a summer/beach theme.

Music: I usually have a summer playlist. But right now, I'm totally digging on the original songs that were featured in Pitch Perfect. Titanium and Bulletproof are at the top of that so-called list.

Movie: I haven't seen any movies lately. The new Superman is coming out and I don't know if I'm seeing it. I will probably end up watching Dirty Dancing at some point before August. So, this category is a bit of a bust. So I'll throw in a random!

Food: Tomorrow, I head off to a weekend beach getaway with some girlfriends to celebrate our birthdays. My role is host, bartender, and chef! I will me making beach theme cupcakes, build your own nachos and hot dogs. As far as tasty beverages go, I am looking forward to piña coladas! 

Random: I love to do my nails. I may have a small, yet growing, addiction to fingernail polish. I am currently sporting Naughty Nautical by my favorite brand - Essie. It is a soft turquoise with a minuscule glitter shimmer. It is perfect for this time of year. 

How do you Take Care of Yourself?

Wordless Wednesday: Summer Vacation Part I

Ten!

Things get lost in Internet space. I had this post written and published. I don't know where it went.

Our ten year anniversary was on the 7th.

We look so young! We were young!

(We still look and are young.)

Oh the many events in our ten years!

College graduations and certifications.

A major move.

Three careers.

Two new cars.

One child.

And one... house on the way.

I cannot say it has been easy. We have had our rough patches. But we came through them.

We met through high school. We hung around the same group of people but we didn't interact much. I knew he was the quiet type. He was a year older than me and was in the same graduation class as my brother. Right after they graduated, we started dating in 1997. However, I had known him since 1994.

We got married in 2003. And the rest is... history

I don't think I would be who I am without him. 

I Have this.... Thing

I have a thing for lists

I am a list maker. I thrive on writing things down. I am bombarded with things that I need to do or to remember. Writing a list helps me remember what has to be done. I take pride and joy at completing the tasks. I feel accomplished when I physically mark items off the list. It's almost a thrill seeing my pages scribbled like this. And a bunch of scribbled paper wrinkles ever-so-satisfyingly in a spiral. 

Technology is helpful in that I can have a small, legible list in my hand/pocket/purse. It's also helpful to have the gentle reminder of a chirp or a buzz on my phone. I just don't feel the sense of excitement of tapping a check box that I do with scratching items off on a pen/paper list.

The only complaint I have is that it hurts to write. I don't know what happened but my index finger on my dominant/writing hand hurts. It feels as though it is in constant need of popping.

Thinking Ahead

There are things that I want to get out of my head. Just so I can clear it out and focus on something. Today, I'm thinking about summer. It's a week away. And like every summer, I plan things out. You'll see a few lists pop up here depending on what's happening in my life at that point.

Today I'm thinking ahead about chores. I really fancy the idea of tackling chores on scheduled days. I think it would really help me out in the long run to have scheduled chores instead of one big cleaning day every month or so.

I've seen a few blog(gers) that have similar ideas or schedules. I will include my references at the end of my post. I'm also adding in blogging days as well. I'm trying to rev up my writing skills. Those are indicated with this dark blue color.

Here are my plans...

• Sunday - Laundry & kitchen deep clean; Get ready for the week ahead
• Monday - Linens & towels laundry; Bedroom cleaning; Menu Plan Monday
• Tuesday - Floors & bathrooms; Resources
• Wednesday - Public areas (living room, entry ways, etc), Wordless Wednesday
• Thursday - Wrangling day (put everything it's place);  T.C.O.Y. 
• Friday - Plan following week's menu; Process paperwork; Week in Review
• Saturday - Grocery day; Errands; Family day

• Dailies: Make beds, wipe-downs, dishes, quick pick-up and laundry as needed.

Blog Planning Explanations:

• Menu Plan Monday - Linking up with OrgJunkie on a weekly basis to share menues with others
• Tuesday Resources - A few of my favorite blog posts or videos that I think deserve a bit of recognition - as small as my blog is.
• Wordless Wednesday - A few photos without explanation.
• T.C.O.Y Thursday - Take Care of Yourself - I used to write a weekly journal of things that help me take care of myself and thought they would be helpful to others. Inspiration for me and you!
• Week in Review Friday - I guess things that happen during the week. A more personal check in.

My Resources:

• HomeEc101: Weekly Chore Schedule
• 5-Day House Cleaning Schedule

Wordless Wednesday - A Day at the Lake

Counting Chickens

House Hunting

We are looking for a house. We put an offer on one house but it wasn't accepted. We've put an offer on another house, and it was accepted. We are starting to line things up! Next up comes the inspection and whatever else is next. Appraisal. Lots of finger and toe crossing. I really hope everything goes through and we get this house. I am ready for my own home. I am ready to paint and decorate and put my own personality into my living space. I want Ivy to have her own space too! And Pinterest. Oh, Pinterest. We have a lot of quality time together. I pin all kinds of DIY and decorating ideas.

I am not a believer in superstitions. I don't feel that if I announce things to the world, that everything will fall apart. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. I am not at fault. Yes, I am hopeful. Yes, I am daydreaming. Yes, I am planning. But my hopes, daydreams, and plans are not solidified on the one house. I would have these hopes, dreams, and plans regardless. It does not depend on the one house. I am a planning person. I thrive on lists and having 90% of things lined up in order and planned out. Don't worry, I do have a spontaneous streak. Sometimes I like to get up and go and do without having a plan.

Favorite Food!

Our favorite meal at the moment is salisbury steak. I don't know what got me in the mood for it, but I wanted salisbury steak. I found it on Pinterest, of course! I have modified the recipe and it was delicious!

Salisbury Steak

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• ⅓ cup bread crumbs 
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 egg
• 14 oz condensed beef broth - ish, a standard can
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp reserved beef broth
• 1 pkt brown gravy mix

Directions

1. Mix the beef, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and egg together and shape into 4-6 oval patties about ¾ inches thick. Cook patties in a skillet turning once until brown.
2. Add beef broth heat to boiling. Reduce heat cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove patties to a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
3. Heat mixture until boiling. Mix broth and cornstarch together to make a paste. Add to boiling mixture with a wire whisk and whisk until gravy begins to thicken. Then add the packet of brown gravy that has been mixed with one cup of water and add to the beef broth mixture in the skillet. Using the wire whisk again whisk the gravy until it is smooth and thickened.
4. Pour the gravy over the patties. Bake in the 9 x 13 casserole dish at 350 until bubbly.

(Recipe adapted from realmomkitchen.com)

Menu Plan Monday

We've been doing really well with menu planning. We have been doing what we can to reduce our food costs so we can save more money for a house. I haven't been posting every week, but we do it every week. That's what matters most.

Memorial Day is considered the start of grilling season and the unofficial start to summer. I really love having bar-b-que but since we are living in a strict apartment complex, we aren't allowed to have grilling equipment. I hope by next year that we will have a grill at a house. I also love fresh squeezed lemonade.

What are your favorite foods for summer?

Sunday - Leftover salisbury steak

Monday - Memorial Day treat - We picked up fried chicken

Tuesday - Buffalo chicken hashbrown casserole

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Ranch chicken

Friday - Salisbury steak & mashed potatoes

Saturday - Leftovers

(For more menus: Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie)

Blackberry Cheese Danish

Yesterday's berry picking led to today's berry-filled recipe. If you don't know this by now, I really like Pinterest and I find a lot of recipes there that I like to test out. I wanted to make a cobbler, but I don't think I will have the time to make it - unless we do another round of foraging!

Probably not the best photo of it, but we ate the whole thing, it was so good. I probably could've smashed the berries a bit but I wanted to see the berries as they were.

My recipe was adapted from http://www.laurenslatest.com/easy-blackberry-cheese-danish/

1can crescent rolls

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup fresh blackberries

Icing:

1/2 cup powered sugar

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1/8 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375F.  Mix together cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla and flour. Open can of crescents and align the dough into a rectangle. Press the edges together. Spread the cheese mixture along the center of the dough. Top with berries. Fold the sides of the dough over the cheese and berries. You can get fancy and slice the sides of the dough to make pretty designs or you can be lazy and just flap it over. Either way, it gets done.

Bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes.

Combine powdered sugar, cream and vanilla. Once the Danish is fully baked, drizzle the icing on top. Then hold on to your seats because you're going to finish the whole thing before it even has the chance to cool down. 

My modifications: I halved the Danish recipe because we are just two people (Kiddo isn't into eating this type of stuff yet). We don't need that much. I just baked the rest of the dough as they were intended. Maybe I would mash the berries a bit next time and reduce the cheese mixture ratio. It's very rich. 

Berry Nice!

Last week we went to the lake. The weather had been sunny and breezy so I suggested that we take a picnic. Husband agreed so we set about our business of picking up our mostly weekly lunch from Five Guys and headed out to the lake.

I spied a mom with her two kids with plastic bags bending over picking stuff up off the ground in the bushes. At first I thought they were being awesome by picking up trash but I didn't see anything and they were still picking. My gears started turning.

So we ate our lunch, nearly being blown away by the strong gusts of wind. Afterwards, we started walking and as I was looking down, I found them. Wild blackberries. My mind wrestled with me for a moment. "Are they safe to eat?" Let's see... They're growing naturally in their season without the use of fertilizers, pesticides, steroids, chemicals, chemicals or other chemicals. What about bugs? What about them, flick them off. So I picked one, inspected it, popped it in my mouth, then proceeded to have a food-gasm. Yum!

I ran and took care of business... I threw away our picnic trash and found a bag. I started picking and just could not stop! Even Husband and Baby started picking them! Once we got home, I washed them and put them in the fridge.  I made every excuse to visit said fridge. The berries were gone the next day.

A week later, today, was a repeat of last week except no picnic. We planned to pick berries today and went out early to beat the heat. It was cloudy, a little moist from recent rains, a breezy. I was prepared with a decent bag and we just started picking. The berries this week were even better and bigger. The bushes grew and the berries ripened some more. I'm going to make a Danish in the morning with these berries. I am also sharing some with my co-worker. 

After our berry-picking, we went to the store. A single cup of blackberries is about 4 dollars! And I bet they taste horrible! Mine were free and in abundance and organic. I also saw some strawberries being grown in a planter at a restaurant. This has gotten me thinking... If they grow here naturally, can I grow them myself? I've been researching this and I plan on trying it when we get a house.  

All of this reminds me of when I was 8 or 9 years old. I was outside playing at the church I went to and I remember I picked blackberries and brought them home. My mom let me have some biscuit dough in my attempt at making a personal pie with the berries. It didn't turn out so good. I had no idea how to make a pie. I also remember picking berries at Aunt Carol's house too. Good times.

Go pick some wild berries!

Going Hunting

Alternate title: 1953

We waited until we got and signed our contracts before doing anything official. We started the pre-approval process and are on the hunt for a HOUSE! After ten years of apartment living and finally settling down, we are ready to have a housssssse.

I want a big house. It has always been a childhood dream. Brick. Pool. Ponies. Yup.

Rooms. I want rooms. I want a room for Ivy, of course. Any open space would be hers. The houses we look at have a spare space that could work as a playroom. But then extra bedrooms... I dream of my own personal space. A pseudo-chameleon of spaces, if you will. A craft room. A large walk-in closet for myself. A home office. I also dream of a guest room for visitors. That'd be nice. "That'd" looks tremendously weird. Anyway, that'd be a fourths room, counting the master of course. 

I want a largish back yard. Kid(s) and dog(s), you know? Kids now spend too little time outside. However, I know Ivy loves being outside so I want that for her. I want a pool. I love swimming and so does Ivy. It would be nice, but it isn't absolutely necessary.

Anything else, Lena? Mmm, I don't kno......

A big kitchen! I lo-... We love to cook! Storage! Organization! Appliances that work!

AAaaaand speaking of cooking.

I tried another new recipe, care of Pinterest of course. Salisbury steak, which was easy and yummy!

Recipe forthcoming.

Have a night! I am.

Happy Mother's Day

Today, and this whole weekend to be honest, has been pretty relaxing. I was able to sleep in both days (but didn't mean to yesterday). I took a big nap yesterday and had a catnap today. Saturday must be explained away as a muscle spasm requiring medication. I'm still feeing twinges today. Boo to that! We also ran errands yesterday.

My wonderful man made me my breakfast choice of strawberry and chocolate chip pancakes. Ivy gave me some sweet little gifts too! A photo book from this past year with pictures of the three of us and a new bottle of nail polish. I think someone recognizes my near-obsession.

Both days we spent some time at one of the local parks where Ivy played until she wore herself out. She sure has been touchy-feely lately. I love to snuggle with her! The funniest thing... Today she just pushed her hand through the bottom of my shirt sleeve to the neck and just stayed there. Skin on skin contact was needed, I guess. She also used to slide her hands down my "fugg" boots during the winter.

What a cutie!

Anyway, it was a nice little holiday and a wonderful weekend all-around! I hope your Mother's Day was nice!

Running Wish List

Nope, this isn't a Wish List that is continually updated. It's literally a list comprised of what I want for running. Technically, all you really need to run is a working pair of legs. I've got that. These are the things I would like to have to make my runs more enjoyable.

• An armband for my iphone - I like to listen to music while I run. It helps pace me and I like to have something energetic to keep me motivated. I have a decent pair of earbuds. But I also need to make a good playlist.
• Shorts - The Nike Tempo shorts are what's popular right now. I have one pair and they're comfortable. They have a convenient pocket in the back and are of a decent length. I like that I'm able to be comfortable and modest at the same time. I want more so I don't have to wash my shorts every other day. I'm kind of tired of that already - just 4 days in.
• Shirts - The shirts that I currently own are thick, stiff, t-shirts. They don't do a real good job of wicking away sweat and they cling to my skin making it uncomfortable. The friction of my arms rubbing up against my skin and shirt chafes me too. I'd like some lightweight shirts that cling without being tight or creating heat.
• Decent running shoes - I saved this one for last because this topic is rant-worthy. I cannot just pick up a pair of running shoes. First, I have to scour shelves and shelves of stores. My feet are small. Almost embarrassingly small. I wear children's shoes. If you want to get technical, I am pretty small and my feet are proportional. I'm okay with that. What I'm not okay with is how limited I am. Even though I'm small, I don't want to add to my childish appearance with glittery, floral, Barbie shoes. Running shoes are difficult to find. A few years ago, I achieved this by going to my local running store (Run On!) where they fitted me with some shoes that fit my feet, are made for running, and don't look like kiddie shoes. I need to get some more as the pair I have are worn out. They're 8 years old.

I'm sure there are other things that I'd like. But for now, this will do. I won't be able to make any of these purchases any time soon. We have some big plans for our money.

Running!

I did it! I finally got up off of my butt and committed myself to start running. I meant to last week. I meant to in April. I meant to start during spring break. I meant to on January first. I meant to last November. I meant to. But I just didn't. Today, that changed.

I have several reasons why I'm running.

Mental health - The proverbial 'They' aren't kidding when they say exercise makes you happy. I will mentally benefit from this because I do suffer from depression. Running in the past, I know I felt very happy. I am hoping this works for me again.

Physical health - I am not the healthiest of people. My weight has been going up and down, but mostly up. I know that running will help maintain my weight, if not decrease it. I am also hoping this will help with pain I have in general. I have scoliosis and deal with back pain and muscle spasms daily. I also have arthritis in my knees. Again, when I ran in the past, I was not suffering any pain. I really don't know how it's possible, but running helped!

Awareness - I am running for my aunt who is battling breast cancer. I dedicated my Color Run in April to her. There are other health concerns I am running for, too. Heart disease, diabetes, and anything else I believe is an important health concern. I want my runs to be charitable, to profit someone who needs it. The Color Run, while a for-profit organization, donates to causes such as the American Heart Association.

Couch to 5K - I walked a 5K four years ago for the local zoo. I didn't participate in any more running events because I was pregnant and life got busy. Once I found out about The Color Run, I signed up to be notified when the registration opened for the local event date. I signed up and participated and had so much fun. Life is still busy but I am making time for running. I signed up for The Color Run in November. Since TheThree-year-old seemed to like the finish party, I plan on taking her with me - especially since her birthday will be right around the corner. It will be like a giant birthday party!

Goals - I have a list of goals I want to complete (it needs to be revised) and I think doing a marathon is on that list. So, shortest of the long-term goals is to participate in more 5Ks. The next goal would be to fully run a 5K. Next would be to run a half marathon. And then the longest long-term running goal would be to run a marathon.

There you go! I hope you're in for the long haul with me!

Run for My Life!

I'm all over the place today!

It is a good morning. Is it going to be a good day? I'm in a good mood right now and I hope it sticks around. I know I'm in a good mood because I am planning. Excited planning! I'm feeling motivated. It all started last night. My only complaint is that I'm in some pain - neck and back.

• I cleaned - I just haven't been motivated (I'm taking that as a sign of a low). But I did all the dishes, cooked dinner, put all my clothes away, made the bed, did laundry and vacuumed. And, I'm planning a thorough cleaning either this weekend or during next week.
• I'm starting to plan for the annual girls' beach weekend with my girlfriends. I play host/chef/bartender. I really want to do some more recipes and some "activities".
• I'm really wanting to run. I participated in The Color Run 5K and I've signed up for the fall run. I need to get back into running. I ran a few years ago and that was the best I have ever felt - physically and emotionally. I was rarely even in any pain. I have also done some side research about being physically active and depression - I know I will only benefit from it. Plus, I would really like to start doing 5Ks on a regular basis.
• Vlogging - I know I'm not great at it. And I really dislike sitting around editing clips. I would love to just sit and do a one-take kind of thing. I have some ideas.

Another cycle

I cannot figure out what may have brought this on, but I am experiencing another mood swing down. Teeth clenched and scowling. I woke up like this. I would have thought that taking a half day and being away from work would benefit my brain, but no.

Because it is just sitting there in my brain, I am going to get this out there. I am not exceptional at anything. I'm okay at things, but not extremely talented. I live in the real world, okay? I have realistic expectations of myself. I've said that if I had tried harder, I would be taller. What am I good at? Mediocrity. I feel bad about this. I tend to make a joke out of it, but I really do wish that I had been really great at something. Dance? Flute? Cooking? Sewing?

I want to run. I'm stuck in this rut of feeling lack of motivation. And I feel ashamed that I am placing the blame on my mental instability. There are days that I want to just stay in bed. For months. However I know that if I actually got off my lazy, unmotivated, depressed ass, it just may help my brain. Is this to be my motivation? Run for my sanity? It certainly couldn't hurt.

Should I plow into the running scene with my mediocre gusto?

Stupid, but interesting dream...

Aliens (Giger's aliens) were taking over the universe. Earth as we know it is still green, rock, water and humanoid races living in houses. Technology is upped - hellooww flying cars! And I was piloting an awesome jet-car that looked like Batman's rambler. Monsters big and small walked peacefully among us, but were rare. I was stealing money and guns. I absorbed my loved ones, changed shape and could fly. At the end of this dream, the aliens were infecting humanoids and it came down to a complete shooting fest at my deceased aunt's house and I was wearing some weird prison/space suit. Saving the planet while simultaneously evading the law... WAKEUPTIME!

They're just getting progressively more vivid and strange.

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday Here We Go!

We have been pretty consistent with our weekly menus. Husband is in on the action and helps me plan for the week. Surprisingly, we don't have any Pinterest recipes this week. I am getting back into couponing and saving money where I can. Our favored market had a BOGO deal on two types of meat - pork loin and ground beef. So I got in on those deals. I had to repackage all that meat because it's just too much for 2.5 people. So in essence, I picked up about 10 meals for pretty cheap. Our menu this week features two of those meats. This week's BOGO was on chicken tenders. We eat mostly chicken so we saved for those dinners too.

Sunday - Chicken with couscous
Monday - Pizza
Tuesday - Tacos
Wednesday - Chicken parmesan with penne pasta
Thursday - LOs
Friday - Honey Apple Porkloin
Saturday - LOs

Tacos this week feature a non-packaged taco seasoning that is laden with extra chemicals or preservatives. I made my season myself. It's a recipe I've used before when I taught culinary arts. It was a success so I saved it. Look for that recipe here soon. Honey Apple Porkloin is a recipe that Husband found. There will most likely be a post on that later too.