Lunch and Tomatoes!

Look at this lunch! Yummie! About 300 Calories!

I took a Flatout and spread some Bolthouse Blue Cheese on it. I topped it with 2 slices of deli ham that I ripped into pieces, fresh spinach leaves and 1/4 cup of part skim mozzarella cheese. I toasted that in the toaster oven for about 6 minutes. Done! Yum! Easy!



Today, I bought 80 pounds of Organic Roma Tomatoes that I am going to turn into sauce and can! That is my project for tomorrow....I will update and post pics!

I also made these amazing frosted pumpkin cakes that i found on Pinterest...the kids LOVE them! I substituted an equal amount of applesauce in place of the Crisco. I also added a dash of cinnamon to the frosting.

 

More Tomorrow! Stay Dry!

 

Organizing 101 and Homemade Instant Oatmeal...

Getting Organized and Homemade Instant Oatmeal!

 

Well, with both kiddos now in school full day the house is too quiet. Whaaat??? Did I just say that! It is, it's the truth. I miss them making even the smallest of chores take double the time! I have to play music all day just to feel like someone else is here (other than the 2 guinea pigs!). Each day I leave the bus stop thinking what am I going to clean out today. I have 3 goals for each day.

1. Clean something out, get organized.

2. Exercise so I can reach my goal to lose 10 more pounds.

3. Shower!

I plan on doing those three things even on the days that I work the evening shift. I am hoping this blog (and the husband!) keeps me accountable.

 

I tackled the dreaded pantry Friday....

 

 



Not too bad. It doesn't look like all those fancy pinterest ones but at least it is organized. Let's see how long it lasts! Finally got rid of the leftover sandy half eaten beach/pool snacks, YUCK!

Today.....

 

Friends, I might not be able to come up for air during this tackle! My recipe books. Ugh....why does someone collect EVERY SINGLE RECIPE that looks remotely good even though she knows she will NEVER make it? Clutter, get out! I have so many magazine pages and recipe books I am running out of space. Who am I kidding, I have NO IDEA what recipes are even in those books.

 



Wish me luck! I will post pics! It might take a week, but I will nail this task and move on to the next....the cabinets!

 

Until next time, I will leave you with a recipe for Homemade Instant Oatmeal. It is much better for you than the store bought packets and it looks so cute sitting on the counter. I have made this for years, it is my daughters favorite anytime of the day!

 

 

Homemade Instant Oatmeal:

2-18 ounce containers of Organic Quick Cooking Oats

2-3.2 ounce envelopes non-fat Dry Milk

1.5 cups packed dark brown sugar

 

Directions:

In a large bowl mix all ingredients well. Try to smash as many of the brown sugar balls as you can. Transfer to an airtight container. I always put it in a large cookie jar on the counter with a one cup measuring scoop inside.

 

For Breakfast:

Scoop one cup of mix into bowl. Add a little less than one cup of hot water depending on how thin/thick you like your oatmeal. Let it sit for a few minutes....enjoy!

 

 

 

I hope you get at least one of your goals accomplished today! Please share!

 

 

 



 







Starting Again.....

 

Hello! Well, it has been quite some time....summer was very busy with a lot of vacations (see pics below!) and sports and fun! Kids are back in school and mama is back on track! I started the week off great! Exercising, setting new goals and purging and restocking the pantry and refrigerator. I made smoothie freezer packets, and salads in a mason jar! So....here I go again, ready to lost 10 more pounds and get back to blogging. Write ya soon!

 

 

 

Bald Head Island, NC

 

Niagara Falls, Canada

Poconos, PA

Corolla, Outer Banks NC

 

Yeah! I did it!

Yeah! I did it! I came in second place at work in The Biggest Loser Competition! I Lost 17.6 pounds in 16 weeks!

It might not sound like much....but I only have 14 more to go! I am more than half way there!

I am so proud that I have stuck with this exercise thing for this long! I have never done that! It has been very easy for me to get a 30 minute treadmill workout in, for 3 days a week! No pressure, no guilt!

Thanks, just thought I would share! Next post will be about a product that has given me a lot of energy lately and the motivation to keep on going! I am very excited to share it and hope you will all agree it is amazing! More later........

6 Hours...16 Meals...Day Three

6 Hours...16 Meals...
Day Three

Remember...today you have dinner almost ready! Turkey Burgers! So lets focus on breakfast and healthy snacks!

Printable Version
Link to Shopping List
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Step One=Blueberry Muffins and Raspberry Muffins
Get this started first thing and you can do the pancakes and french toast while they are cooking! Make according to package directions, or make your favorite homemade ones like I have posted here or you could easily turn my pumpkin bread into muffins! I just thought a good organic whole grain mix would be super easy for a morning of cooking!
Instructions:
Prepare muffins per the instructions on the box, bake. (While baking, start the pancake mix!) Let cool. Place half of each kind in a single layer in a ziplock or foodsaver bag and remove as much air as possible. Place in freezer for next week! Place the rest in an airtight container to use for this week!

Step Two=Pumpkin and Buttermilk Pancakes (breakfast that day!)
2 cups of your favorite buttermilk pancake mix
⅔ cup canned organic pumpkin
½ cup water (more if needed, adjust to thickness)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions:
For the Pumpkin pancakes, place above ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. For the Buttermilk pancakes, just make a large batch of mix according to instructions. Prepare griddle and cook pancakes, don’t forget about the muffins! Stop...eat breakfast! Put the pancakes on a cookie sheet in a few single layers separated by parchment paper on top of each other. Place this in the freezer until frozen. (move on to french toast while waiting) When frozen, place half of each flavor in a separate ziploc or foodsaver bag. Remove as much air as you can and seal. Place back in the freezer for next week! I put the other half of the frozen pancakes into separate airtight containers and put them in the freezer. This is what we use each morning and I will replenish this container with the ziplock ones. So far, we are two weeks into it and still on the 1st batch! The kids alternate between buttermilk, pumpkin and the french toast. Heat in microwave from freezer about 30 seconds to one minute. Or place in toaster oven!

Step Three=French Toast
One loaf of healthy bread! Syrup too of course!
6 eggs, mixed well with wisk
cinnamon
vanilla extract
Instructions:
Mix above ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Prepare griddle for french toast and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Dip both sides of a piece of bread into egg mixture and place on griddle. Place as many pieces you can on the griddle at once. Flip when browned on one side and brown the other side. Continue with remaining pieces of bread. Let cool. Stack in single layers separated with parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Freeze. When frozen, place half in a ziploc or foodsaver bag. Remove as much air as you can and seal. Place back in the freezer for next week! I put the other half into an airtight container and put them in the freezer. This is what we use each morning and I will replenish this container with the ziplock ones. Heat in microwave from freezer about 30 seconds to one minute. Or place in toaster oven!

Step Four=8 family smoothie packs & 3 single smoothie packs Day 3 (or make 9-10 family packs and no singles, or make all singles!)
You can use whatever fruit you like, but these are yummy!
2 large bags of organic baby Spinach (i promise you will not know its in there!)
9 large ripe Bananas, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
4 one quart packs of Strawberries, washed and hulled
10 cups of Blueberries, fresh (washed) or frozen
2 pineapples (yes, you will have to remove skin and cut these into cubes!)
1 cup quick oats
I added 1 T toasted wheat germ and ground flax seed to each packet (optional)
Gallon and sandwich size plastic baggies or foodsaver bags
16 ounce nonfat vanilla organic greek yogurt (this will get you started but I use 8 ounces yogurt for each smoothie mix)
½ gallon OJ and milk (this will get you started but I use 1-2 cups for each smoothie mix)
Instructions:
Prepare above spinach and fruit and divide evenly into 10 baggies. Add 2 T of quick oats and 1 T toasted wheat germ and ground flax seed to each baggie if you would like. Press the air out of the baggie and seal. Place in freezer. When you are ready for a family smoothie, place one cup of milk, one cup of orange juice and 8 ounces of the yogurt in the bottom of the blender. Omit the milk and add more OJ or vice versa if you want. Take a packet out of the freezer and place it in the blender. I let mine sit for about 15 minutes, but you don’t have to. Blend until smooth, adding more milk or OJ if needed and enjoy! This is packed full of veggies, fruit and protein for a great pre-game or practice drink! My kids love them after school, if it’s a busy evening, they will have this along with a healthy muffin or two to keep them going!

I hope this helps make life easier! At least one month of it! I will post meals and recipes using all of these items next week. I will also post my version of easy mac and show you how to make and freeze pizza dough for a super easy weeknight meal!

6 Hours...16 Meals...Day Two

6 Hours...16 Meals...
Day Two

Printable Version
Link to Shopping List
Link to Menu
Step One=2 packs pulled pork (plus dinner for that day)
I love to use this for my Egg Roll Wraps or for my Shredded Pork Tacos, or just for pulled pork sandwiches topped with coleslaw and baked beans!
Instructions:
You marinated the pork overnight, now just preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Place pork and marinade in a roasting pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with foil. Let it cook for about 6 hours. Turn it occasionally, baste it if needed. Turn down to 225 degrees after about 3 hours. (Move on and do all the other steps while this is cooking!) Watch it carefully so it does not get over cooked, turn it down if your oven gets too hot. All ovens are different. You want to be able to put a fork in it, twist it and have the pork fall apart. Uncover for the last 30 minutes. Once you do this one time, you will be a pro and you can leave it in the oven all day without fussing. I usually do this on the grill for the smoker effect! Shred pork while still warm with 2 forks or in your stand mixer. Pull meat out of liquid and divide into equal portions and place into ziplock or foodsaver bags, remove all air and place one bag in refrigerator and the rest in the freezer.
I am going to use this one for my meal for tonight, so I added soft taco shells, organic nonfat plain greek yogurt, lettuce, tomato, shredded cheddar cheese and salsa to my grocery list for my meal.

Step 1.5=Pineapple Coconut Popsicles
I just decided to make this on day 2 because it is a light day! These will be good for dessert. I found the recipe here on pinterest. I added the stevia to make to make them a bit sweeter and the next time I make them i would definitely add a few strawberries or blueberries to the mix....maybe whatever fruit i have laying around! If you have some, do it! I made these in small mason jars and that was a mistake because they were too big to eat right! Just use popsicle molds....
Instructions:
Place ingredients below into a blender.
1 15 ounce can pineapple chunks, in juice
Pint of Strawberries or Blueberries only if you have them!
1 banana
1 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 packets Stevia sweetener
Popsicle Mold
Blend until smooth in blender. Pour into molds and freeze!

Step Two=3 packs ground turkey breast sausage (homemade)
Instructions:
If you want to grind your own turkey breast, do so now. I have the link to the pork sausage here, it’s the same thing just use the turkey breast. A 5 lb boneless skinless turkey breast was used for sausage and burgers if you want to grind your own. Make sure you divide it into 3 lbs and set aside 2 lbs for the burgers.
If not, just place the ingredients below in a very large mixing bowl.
3 lbs ground turkey BREAST
1.5 Tablespoons chopped ORGANIC fresh sage
1.5 Tablespoons chopped fresh ORGANIC thyme
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
½ Tablespoon Nutmeg
½ Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper (optional, i did not use this but some people like their sausage spicy)
Mix well with hands. Shape into three tight, equal logs and place on parchment paper or butcher paper. Wrap tightly. I also wrapped mine with a layer of plastic wrap. There ya have it! Freeze all 3 or keep one out for breakfast dinner one day this week?? When you are ready to use, thaw, slice as you would a log of cookie dough. Place in frying pan sprayed with cooking spray and brown. I sometimes brown it like hamburger meat for putting into Stuffed Peppers or as a pizza topping.

Step Three=1 pack of 4 ground turkey breast burgers plus dinner for Day 3 (homemade)
If you are grinding your own, the 5 lb breast from above is enough for the sausage and the burgers. If not, just place the ingredients below in the large mixing bowl you used for the sausage.
2 lbs ground turkey BREAST
1 packet hidden valley ranch salad dry dressing mix
¼ cup egg beaters or one egg
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use weight watchers)
Mix well. Shape into burger patties. Place the amount you need into ziplock or foodsaver bags and remove the air. I have a family of 4, so I placed 4 burgers in each bag. I put one four pack in the freezer, and one in the refrigerator for tomorrows dinner. I added burger buns, lettuce, tomato and burger fixings along with organic potatoes to my grocery list for my meal. I am going to make Plain Turkey Burgers, Coleslaw and Baked Fries.

 Okay...theres day 2! Not so bad right! Sounds like more work than it actually is! Day 3 is mostly breakfast items....so get ready for bed early!

6 Hours...16 Meals...Day One

6 Hours...16 Meals...
Day One

Printable Version
Link to Shopping List
Link to Menu

Step One=2 packs of shredded organic chicken
6 boneless skinless organic chicken breasts
This will vary depending on how much you think you will use, make more if you think you will use it. If the chicken is on sale, buy it all! I was able to get 2 baggies full of shredded chicken out of 6 boneless skinless breasts. I love to use this for my Egg Roll Wraps or for my Shredded Chicken Tacos.
Instructions:
Place chicken breasts in saucepan, cover with water. Boil for 15 minutes or until no longer pink inside. (while you are waiting for this to cook, do STEP 2) Drain. chicken. While still warm, shred with 2 forks. I always put the warm chicken breast in my kitchenaid mixer with the paddle on, turn it to low for about one minute and bingo....perfectly shredded chicken. Either way is fine! Divide equally into ziploc or foodsaver bag, remove as much air as you can and place in freezer.

 

Step Two=1 pack of 4 marinated organic chicken breasts (plus dinner that day)
8 boneless skinless organic chicken breasts
2 packs plus ingredients for marinade. I like to use italian dressing dry packet with oil and vinegar.
I put one for each family member in a pack, adjust this to your family size and purchase what you need. Again, if chicken is on sale, I would buy it up and freeze more. I made one pack for the freezer and kept the other pack in the refrigerator for dinner that night. I also added green beans and organic short grain brown rice to my grocery list for my meal and will grill the chicken.
Instructions:
Prepare marinade to instructions. Place marinade in a ziploc or foodsaver bag. Add chicken. Remove as much air as you can and seal. Place one in freezer and one in refrigerator.

Step Three=2 packs of meatballs
each pack had about 15 meatballs, you can smaller or larger packets if needed
2.5 lbs organic grass fed ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
2 T Garlic Powder
2 T Italian Seasonings
¼ cup egg beaters or one egg
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Place above ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix well. Shape into meatballs. Place on a large jelly roll sheet (cookie sheet with rims) that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 20-30 minutes until brown. (while you are waiting for this to cook, do STEP 4) Let cool. Divide evenly into ziplock or foodsaver bags and place in freezer. When you are ready for this meal, just place them in a saucepan with pasta sauce and heat through. Use for meatball sandwiches or spaghetti and meatballs!

Step Four=2 packs of 4 hamburgers each
again...you can make smaller or larger packets if needed
2.5 lbs organic grass fed ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
¼ cup egg beaters
2 t Worcestershire Sauce
½ packet onion soup mix
Instructions:
Place above ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Shape into hamburgers. Place the amount you will need for a meal into ziplock or plastic bags. Place in freezer. When you are ready for this meal, you can just put them on the grill frozen, or take them out an hour ahead of time. I like to pair these with a salad and or coleslaw and fries and previously posted.

OK..so that’s almost it for Day One. Pretty easy right! All that is left to do now is get that pork tenderloin marinated for tomorrow.

You MUST marinate it overnight. So place all of the ingredients below in a ziploc baggie (or a large roasting pan and cover) on day one and you will be ready for day 2.
4 large pork tenderloins
1 head of minced garlic
¼ t dried cumin
1 T dried oregano
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup OJ
¼ cup fresh lime juice (2 limes)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)

Well, there you have it! Dinner is grilled chicken tonight and you won’t even have to fuss or worry! All the prep work is done. Throw it over a salad or make rice and green beans! See ya tomorrow!