Meal Planning Sunday

Another successful week of meal planning last week.  Was able to stick to the menu the entire week and had some new and tasty dinners.  I'm excited to plan this week's menu because hubby has a new work schedule with some days off during the week!  He has agreed to do the cooking on his days off so that I don't have to worry about it after work.  He'll even be going and picking up the kids early so I have one less thing to worry about.  I love that man!

Sunday - Leftovers - we have so much in fridge right now and it needs to be cleaned out
Monday - Doc's chili & baked potato
Tuesday - 3 packet pot roast, egg noodles and steamed broccoli
Wednesday - Hubby's delicious chicken rolls, mashed potatoes, & steamed asparagus
Thursday - Steak, rice & green beans
Friday - Going to order something for delivery or pick up...possibly Chinese food
Saturday - Asian Meatballs, steamed rice & broccoli

I'm on the lookout for a tasty and flavorful recipe for beef strognoff..so if anyone has a good one please send my way...

Tasty Thursday

I just have to share with you a recipe I made this week for dinner.  I made a Crock Pot Kalua Pork on Tuesday and it was amazing.  The kids & hubby just devoured it.  Pinterest is really making my meal planning life easy and tasty.  I took it from skinnytaste.com and did not adapt it at all.  It is a recipe with only three ingredients but it does need to cook in the Crock Pot for 16 hours so I was up at 2:30am to get it started.  It was so worth it.  I served it with steamed white rice and steamed broccoli.  No complaints were heard from the dinner table.

Crock Pot Kalua Pig


Adapted from SkinnyTaste


Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Servings: about 8 • Serving Size: 4 oz • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 4 pts

Calories: 160 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 24 g • Carb: 0 g • Fiber: 0 g • Sugar: 0 g



Ingredients:



3 lb pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed

1 tbsp liquid mesquite smoke

1 tbsp coarse sea salt

Directions:



Place pork in the crock pot and stab it all over with the tip of a knife. Rub sea salt all over pork. Drizzle the liquid smoke all over and set crock pot to low; cook about 16 hours.
 
Remove from crock pot and place on a large platter. Remove any fat you may have missed and shred pork with two forks. Discard liquid reserving a little as needed to keep pork moist.

Classic's

This year I plan on reading at least six classic novels.  I am an avid reader and often times find myself reading novels that are currently on the bestseller list.  There is nothing wrong with that and I will most likly continue to read those books but I also know there are some amazing classic's out there that I have not read yet.  I am going to start with the following:

Their Eyes were Watching God -Zora Neale Hurston

An African-American woman in 1930s rural Florida finds freedom and self-knowledge through a personal journey encompassing three very different marriages.

Beloved - by Toni Morrison

Morrison’s heart-breaking novel tells the story of a woman who escapes from slavery to freedom in Cincinnati but remains haunted by her daughter’s murder.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Tess is ruined when her father’s vanity forces her to seek the favors of rich relations, and her life becomes a study in the grim reality of her times.

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

This dramatic story of Paris and London during the Reign of Terror contains some of Dickens’ most memorable characters—Madame Defarge with her knitting and the self-sacrificing Sidney Carton.

Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton

An unhappy couple attempts suicide but find a far worse fate in this tale of irony and retribution in rural New England

The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck

This Pulitzer Prize winner follows Wang Lung’s family from their early struggles to live off the land to their final disintegration as they move to the city.

For your viewing pleasure is another work day outfit:

Sweater, pants, necklace - NY & Company

Shoes - JC Penny

Getting physical

Just like my meal plans I think I need to write down my workout plans/goals for the week.  It seems to be a big help in keeping my accountable to what I'm doing or supposed to be doing.

Monday - 3 mile run
Tuesday - 2 mile and strength training targeting legs/abs
Wednesday - 3 mile run
Thursday - rest
Friday - 30 mins strength training targeting arms/abs
Saturday - 4 mile run
Sunday - rest

Honestly looking at this schedule I'm already looking forward to Thursday and Sunday...(just kidding kinda).  This week should be a good week to get back into the routine of using my lunch break to get to the gym.  Also I'm restarting Hal Higdon's half marathon training for beginners because I have a little over a month to bring down my time from the Las Vegas Rock n Roll run.

Lucky you get to see what I wore to work on Monday.  Please excuse the nearly naked boy but he insisted on being held while hubby snapped a picture.

Sweater - Kohls

Pants & Necklace - NY and Company

Shoes - JC Penny

I wasn't wearing the shoes in the picture above because I left them in my car and didn't feel like going out to get them for the picture.



Back to Reality

There is just something about the new year that puts me back in perspective on what I'm supposed to be doing and brings me back to reality.  I have really slacked off these last few months.  I've hardly exercised, I've hardly kept to my meal plans or cared about what kinds of food I was eating...and 15 pounds gained is what I have to show for it.  Which means I've got a total of 30 pounds I now have to lose again.  For me that means I've got to get back to basics and will be counting calories and getting back to the gym during my lunch hours.  I have only four goals for 2012 and they are all easily attainable. 
(1) Run four half marathons which are the following:
Prevention half marathon series - San Diego
Rock n Roll - Seattle Half
Disneyland Tinkerbell Half
Fourth run still to be determined

(2) I am going to learn how to crochet this year.  I know it sounds silly but it's something I've wanted to do for quite some time now

(3) We are going to buy a house this year.  Our lease is up in August and there is no way I'm going to renew and live in an apartment another year.  My kids deserve to have a backyard and to grow up in a neighborhood

(4) There always popular lose weight resolution.  I lost over 20 pounds last year but gained 15 of it back so now I need to get rid of 30 extra pounds to feel happy with my body

I'm also going to take more pictures for this little blog of mine.  It will help me see the results of weight loss as I go along as well as it will keep me out of jeans and t shirts all the time.  Here is what I wore to work on New Year's day...since it was Sunday and a holiday I went a little more casual than what is normally allowed.

My Inspiration via Pinterest

Sweater - NY and Company (At least 5 yrs old)

Dress, tights and boots - Target

Necklace - Nordstrom (similar)

Cute little necklace up close

Meal Planning Sunday

January 1, 2012...wow where is the time going?  Seems once your family starts growing and you have kids the years fly by.  New year with new goals so I know that I need to be very diligent in planning out my meals and not deterring from them much...

Sunday - Chicken enchiladas and black beans

Monday - Chicken parmigiana, roasted asparagus and whole wheat pasta

Tuesday - Crock Pot Kalua Pork, steamed white rice and broccoli

Wednesday - Broiled pork chops, green beans and mac & cheese

Thursday - Smoky Country Style Ribs, veggie and mashed potatoes

Friday - Grilled chicken, baked potato & veggie

Saturday - Homemade pizza

Meal Planning Sunday

The holidays are finally winding down and I am so happy for that.  Shopping is done and after this weekend all the gifts will be wrapped.  We plan on having a low key Christmas and I will only have to cook dinner for the four of us.  As much as I like entertaining and having family over I'm kind of glad I don't have to do a big tada for the holidays.

Sunday - Roasted chicken, mashed potatos and steamed broccolli
Monday - Spaghetti, garlic bread and salad
Tuesday - Taco Tuesday
Wednesday - Doc's Chili & Jalapeno Cornbread
Thursday - Grilled cheese sandwiches and soup of choice
Friday - Family will go out to dinner - I'm thinking Chili's
Saturday - Leftovers