Garden Updates, Greenhouse, Flower Planting, and a Pantry Challenge

Hey everyone!

How is your new year going so far? We’ve been busy as usual and trying to get as much done as we can before the summer comes… although these lower-than-normal temperatures have been making that a little difficult.

Our gardens are still going and we are so thankful for that as we have really been enjoying the food that we are getting from them. Up until a week ago we still had tomatoes and green beans… the tomatoes don’t look too happy at the moment and the green beans are a little sad too but I think they might pull through when we get past these crazy temps.

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Chicken Salad Tostadas

This recipe came about during a pantry challenge night… we were using up some leftovers and things that needed to be eaten from the pantry. I have incorporated several of these pantry challenges into our Perpetual Meal Plans to help us use up things in the fridge so they don’t go to waste!

We had made some chicken salad from some leftover baked chicken for lunch and still had plenty left over. There were also some soft avocados, refried beans, and some old corn tortillas that needed to be used up. (I had bought them for a different recipe and never made it.)

Mr. Awesome just kept layering things on his tostada and it was so GOOD that we will definitely be repeating these! Tostadas can be made with so many different things so don’t be afraid to get creative and make your own version!

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I don’t have enough time to get it all done!

How many times have you said this or thought this? How stressful does it feel when you feel this way?

Maybe it’s not that you don’t have enough time but maybe you have too much to do, too much to take care of, too many unnecessary obligations. When you have young kids that time can slip by all too quickly and in the blink of an eye your toddler will be towering over you with keys in his hand.

I know that things can get really crazy, really quickly around here and I’m sure it’s the same in other homes as well. The past week was a train wreck with us being sick and not being able to do many of the things we had planned to get done so now we are almost a week behind already for the New Year!

Continue reading “I don’t have enough time to get it all done!”

Large Family Organization: Getting Started with the Pantry

I thought I had done a post on this but I wasn’t able to find it… there’s no telling what happened as our internet does some really crazy things around here. I know that ‘Getting Organized’ is usually at the top of many people’s New Year’s Resolutions and it is definitely one of our major goals for this year.

If you’ve been following our blog for any length of time you probably know how crazy the past several years have been. We downsized, with 6 kids, to a 600 square foot cabin. After saving up and getting things in order we decided to purchase a home to go next door on some property that Mr. Awesome had.

Continue reading “Large Family Organization: Getting Started with the Pantry”

Meal Plan: June 30 – July 6, 2019

This is our basic meal plan for the week. Sometimes we will switch the days around if I forgot to set something out or put something in the crockpot. Please feel free to use this or change it around to suit your family’s needs.

I have started trying to do easier meals on days that I have square dancing obligations. This helps me to be able to put a nice meal on the table without feeling guilty about having some much needed ‘Mommy Time’. Some of these meals may also help with those that have busy or irregular schedules due to work or extracurricular activities.

I do have ‘Snacks/Desserts’ listed as well. I always try to keep a bowl of fresh fruit out on the counter or table for the kids to snack on. Sometimes I will make a special snack or treat for us to enjoy.

We have also been using the Trim Healthy Mama books to try to convert some of our favorite recipes to be healthier. Meal planning really does help keep this tired Momma from completely losing her sanity. It also helps when I can quickly locate the recipe and ingredients I need for grocery lists and meal prep. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the supplements and such that we are using. You can always buy them a few at a time or many of them can be substituted or even omitted, if necessary.

Some recipes are from the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook and the  Trim Healthy Mama’s Trim Healthy Table. These will have a link to the product on Amazon as I can not post the recipes online without prior permission. In many cases, I have tried to tweak our recipe to be more in line with THM but I can’t guarantee that they would be 100% on the plan but I can say that they are healthier than their previous versions.

I do still have a lot of recipes that I need to convert so this will be a bit of a process for us as well. Some recipes are better as they are and we will try to make them work as best we can. I know the kids need a few extra calories and nutrients so we do usually have a few extras (like bread and rolls) that us grown-ups will need to exercise caution with but other than that it has been pretty easy to follow along with this plan so far.

I know the THM plan says that you may not see any weight loss at first but that your body will be healing from the inside. I know that we are eating much healthier than we were before and I’ll try to be content knowing that we are getting healthier one meal at a time.

I also love to utilize the grocery pickup services from Walmart and Sam’s Club not to mention that Amazon Prime Deliveries can make life so much easier as well.

Scroll to the bottom of the page for Meal Prep Ideas to make this week a little easier.


Sunday 

Breakfast:

Banana Crumb Muffins or Banana Nut Muffin (S) p. 277

Scrambled eggs

Lunch:

Super Simple Egg Salad with or without bread

Sliced Cucumbers

Dinner: ++

King Ranch Cauliflower Chicken

Green Beans

Baked corn tortilla chips

Snacks/Desserts:

Popcorn

Fruit


Monday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook and the  Trim Healthy Mama’s Trim Healthy Table both have some great ideas for cereal alternatives you can make at home.

Lunch:

Scrambled Egg Sandwiches w/Cheese

Veggies

Dinner: ++

Creamless Creamy Chicken Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook p. 78

Rice

Pan Fried Green Beans

**(This is usually a fairly quick meal to put together as we have a class/dance in the evening)

Snacks/Desserts:

Fruit

Cookies (** I will try to make a few extra to take along for refreshments at the dance.)


Tuesday

Breakfast:

French Toast

Lunch:

Soup

Oven Toasted Cheese Sandwiches

Dinner: ++

Upside-Down Meatloaf

Super Yummy Caulitaters

Salad

Snacks/Desserts:

Boiled Eggs

Fruit


Wednesday

Breakfast:

Basic Muffins or Blueberry Muffins with Lemon Glosting (S) p. 364

Lunch:

PB & J sandwiches – Use the Peanut Junkie Butter recipe (FP) p. 481

Fruit

Dinner: ++

Poppy Seed Chicken

Brown Rice

Veggies

Rolls w/butter (As long as you aren’t on the weight loss plan. I am working on a few bread recipes because I know it is one of the hardest things for me to give up.)

Snacks/Desserts:

Muffins

Fruit


Thursday

Breakfast:

Protein Power Pancakes (3 variations) or Trim Healthy Pancakes or Waffles (E) p. 259

Blueberry Syrup (with healthier options) or Pancake Syrup (FP) p. 480

Lunch:

Leftovers

Dinner: ++

Free Day (July 4th)

**Cook extra for tomorrow

Snacks/Desserts:

Holiday Themed dessert

Fruit


Friday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook and the  Trim Healthy Mama’s Trim Healthy Table both have some great ideas for cereal alternatives you can make at home.

Lunch:

Tuna Salad Sandwiches w/or without the bread

Veggies

Dinner: ++

Leftovers

**(This is usually a fairly quick meal to put together as we have a class/dance in the evening)

Snacks/Desserts:

Cookies (** I will try to make a few extra to take along for refreshments at the dance.)

Fruit


Saturday

Breakfast:

PB Toast w/ Fruit

-or-

Stuffed Mushroom Omelet

Super Simple Sauteed Spinach

Lunch:

Hot Dogs

Veggies

Dinner: ++

Breakfast for dinner

Snacks/Desserts:

Banana Splits

Fruit

++I have a few kids who seem to be going through growth spurts right now and are always HUNGRY. I have been keeping a pot of beans, blackeyed peas, or another vegetable as a side. I also have been buying a few extra snacks like fruit, veggies, yogurt, etc. 


Meal Prep Ideas

You could also mix up the pancake and muffin batters the night before to make your mornings a bit easier.


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 –Thank you!