Meal Plan~ Labor Day

Okay, let's try this again. Today (Saturday), we followed the meal plan. *round of applause please.  We ate tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch (the boys also ate baby Lima beans). For dinner I make a pork loin in the oven with carrots, onions, and potatoes. It was so good I will insert a picture:

Anyways, this is Labor Day weekend so I am NOT looking forward to grocery shopping tomorrow, but it is a necessary evil. Here is my meal plan that I WILL follow!

For Breakfasts: Oatmeal, Raisin Bran (my personal fav), English muffins with egg and turkey sausage, or waffles.

Sunday:

• Lunch: Leftovers... we have plenty!
• Dinner: Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, and asparagus

 Monday: 

• Lunch: Grill Food! Burgers and hot dogs with baked beans and mac&cheese... America! 
• Dinner: Shepherd's Pie (with ground turkey)

Tuesday:

• Lunch: Broccoli Mac&cheese
• Dinner: Leftover Shepherd's pie

Wednesday: 

• Lunch: Prorogues/ homemade pizza... quite a combo, I know.
• Dinner: BBQ Chicken sandwiches, broccoli, and mac&cheese

Thursday:

• Lunch: Crab legs and corn on the cob (the boys will prob not eat sandwiches #pickyeaters )
• Dinner: Torteloni & peas

Friday:

• Crazy day at Emmett's school and my work... we will probably grab lunch somewhere 
• Dinner: something quick and easy like PB&J with yogurt and fruit

Meal Plan FAIL!

It wouldn't be unusual for us to have to adjust our meal plan a little... Things come up, no big deal. This is the first week in the history of our family that we have literally not made one dish from our meal plan. My awful week began with getting sick.  I missed work Tuesday and was still worthless Wednesday. I was in survival mode all week and it's been rough. I really couldn't even tell you what we ate this week but I faintly recall my husband making pasta at some point. 

... Here's hoping next week goes a little more smooth. 

-Destinee

Case of the Sundays...and my Meal Plan

You know those weeks that are so stressful and awful that Sunday is hard to enjoy because you know tomorrow is Monday. =(
I literally spent my entire day doing load after load of laundry, picking up the boys' snacks off of the floor, and doing dishes. It was glamorous.
We ate really crappy during my crappy work week so I sat down to do some meal planning. I am missing those days when I had a freezer supply of "lazy night" or in this case "crappy week" dinners. I see a meal-prep day in my near future. For breakfast we do a lot of waffles, oatmeal, or eggs. Here is what I have come up with for this weeks lunches and dinners:

Monday:

• Lunch: tilapia and steamed veggies
• Dinner: Left-over pizza (don't judge)

Tuesday:

• Lunch: Shrimp and potatoes
• Dinner: Pork Loin with potatoes and carrots

Wednesday:

• Lunch: Tacos 
• Dinner: Grab night (husband is working 

Thursday:

• Lunch: Grilled cheese and tomato soup 
• Dinner: BBQ chicken sandwiches, corn, and mac&cheese

Friday:

• Lunch: Left-overs
• Dinner: Swedish Meatballs, asparagus, mashed potatoes. 

Let's see if I can stick to my plan... pictures to follow =)
-Destinee 

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Between myself,  my messy toddler, and a husband that changes clothing five times a day- I have a LOAD of Laundry ;)
I was tired of trying to get 'deals' on detergent only to find that it made us break-out and we would have to go back to a free-and-clear anyway. So I finally decided to take the plunge into homemade laundry detergent, and I couldn't be more impressed. I did a bunch of research and watched a lot of YouTube videos and finally just decided to combine a bunch to make my own recipe.
Here it is:

1 Cup of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 Cup of Borax
1 Cup of Oxi Clean
1 Cup of Downy Unstopables
1 grated bar of Fels Napthia (I used the shredder on my food processor)

I found all of these items at Walmart including the glass jar, which looks nice, is completely optional, and only cost $5.

Here is a close look at the soap if, like me, you have never heard of it before.

Combine all ingredients in a Gallon-sized baggy, zip closed, and shake it shake it shake.
Pour into the container of your choice and you're in bid-ness.

 

Use between 1-2 Tablespoons in each load, depending on the soil level and the efficiency of your washer. Enjoy clean clothes and saving money =)

Operation Organization~ Pantry

Although I dream of someday having a GIGANTIC walk-in pantry with endless shelves and storage... for now I have two cabinets. Yes, I can fit a ton of food in them.. but right now they are a hot mess!

I already had all the organizing tools from previous pantry-cleaning attempts, the only thing I bought for this project is chalk-board stickers (from Martha Stewart at Staples) and I had a 40% off coupon, so they cost only $8 for two packages. I bought the chalk pen from Amazon and I don't particularly care for this one, but it works.

 

I used my new Chalkboard labels to replace the existing labels that were slightly faded... Plus, I like the look and versatility of the chalkboard labels. =)

 

I love these Rubbermaid containers. They come in two sizes for just a few dollars at Walmart. I have had them for years and while they hold up well they don't like the dishwasher. =/

 

 

Here is look at the finished bottom cabinet. I have also purchased new stacking Tupperware to replace the bin of mis-matched containers. =)

Here is the top cabinet! I love that I can now find everything easily and I have so much more space! =)

 

 

Total cost for this project: $8