2018 Resolutions 3 Months In

I have been working on my resolutions for 3 months now.  In case you have not read that post or have forgot my resolutions while accomplishing yours they are:


For 2018 I am working on the following:
1.) Minimizing our possessions
2.) Spend more time present with friends and family
3.) Finish the backyard and spend a huge amount of time out there with the boys.
4.) Read the stack of books next to my bed
5.) Hike more
6.) Bike ride a lot with the boys now that I have a helmet.




Progress on #1 is going WAAAAAYYYYY slower than I hoped. We have passed on, traded and sold a lot of the larger items we wanted to get rid of. I have also made many trips to the thrift store with boxes of donations. There is still a ton of stuff that needs to get out of the house. This weekend I plan on dropping stuff at various charities and getting by the kids resale shop. This will still leave a large box of stuff I am working on trading and selling. I also have a lot of stuff still to go through and hopefully get rid of.  Lately I have to keep telling myself that it is a year long resolution and speed is not everything. It will get taken care of. 

Progress on #2 is going better. I no longer say no right off the bat when we are invited to do things. The stuff from #1 is going to be there when we get home so it will not hurt to go have fun with friends. 

Progress on #3 is just getting started since the weather is warming up. I spent several hours over the last couple of weekends working on clean up. The back yard is like the house and I somehow want it to magically come together in an instant but it just takes lots of labor initially. 

Progress on #4 is slow but I knew this one would be. I am on the last of the library books I kept checking out on a loop. I have been looking to see if some of the stack are available in audio form from the library as this will enable me to breeze through them faster. I have only moved one out of the stack thus far but I am optimistic that much progress will be made. 

Progress on #5 has not happened yet but I do have plans for tomorrow night which I hope work out. A state park within a short distance of us is doing a guided night hike tomorrow night. 

Progress on #6 is in progress. The boys have been riding more and Phillip has even gone out on the tandem with Clark but I have not got my bike out yet. 

 

Second Week of March

This is spring break week for my boys but alas not for me. It also marks another week closer to the CSA beginning which is something I am infinitely excited about.

Sunday March 11th:
Breakfast: Donuts
Lunch: Burger and Fries with friends
Dinner: Stir Fry using leftover beef from tacos.

Monday March 12th:
Breakfast: Donut
Lunch: Leftover Tuscan bean soup, watermelon and some chips.
Dinner:Going out to eat did not work as planned so I made cheesy pasta with broccoli and diced ham.

Tuesday March 13th:
Breakfast: Bowl of cereal
Lunch: Soup and Salad provided by work for birthdays
Dinner: Italian Chicken and Vegetables Sheet Pan Dinner from Yellow Bliss Road

Wednesday March 14th:
Breakfast: Donuts with the boys
Lunch: Chicken tenders and fries
Dinner: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork from A Mind Full Mom with corn and black beans

Thursday Mar 15th:
Breakfast: Toast with butter and jam
Dinner: Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake from Tasty Kitchen but I used the leftover pork instead of chicken. and the leftover corn and black beans.

Friday Mar 16th:
Breakfast: Toast with butter and jam ( blackberry from the farmer's market)
Dinner:

Saturday Mar 17th:
Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls
Dinner:

First Full Week of March

March started with a bang, the weather is all over the place and I am trying to complete a ton of projects. In all the chaos I pre-paid for a CSA share that will start on the 24th and managed to go grocery shopping.

Sunday Mar 4th:
Breakfast: Donuts
Lunch: Potluck at church
Dinner: Grilled cheese for all but Phillip, I made him a grilled turkey and cheese


Monday Mar 5th:
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: pot pie and blackberries
Dinner: Chicken Florentine Gnocchi from Serendipity and Spice with a side salad. This came up a lot runnier than I thought and really was not for me. The boys  did not think it was horrible but also did not rave about it. It will not be in regular rotation.

Tuesday Mar 6th:
Breakfast: Bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: Gyro with a friend
Dinner: BBQ pork, cinnamon apples and 5-minute Parmesan Ranch Broccoli from Yellow Bliss Road. 

Wednesday Mar 7th:
Breakfast: Bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: Pot pie and strawberries
Dinner: Smashed potatoes and Rustic Chicken with Garlic Gravy from Seasons and Suppers. I trimmed the recipe in half and you still would really need to love garlic to eat this recipe. We liked it and Phillip was really happy to have some gravy.

Thursday Mar 8th:
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: Chicken fried chicken and okra with a friend
Dinner: fish sticks with homemade shells and cheese.

Friday: Mar 9th:
Breakfast: Bowl of cereal
Lunch: bean burrito and small nacho with friend
Dinner:Tostadas rather than tacos that were originally on the menu.

Saturday Mar 10th:
Breakfast: cinnamon rolls
Lunch: Worked in the yard for 5 hours, did not have a formal lunch
Dinner: Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup from Foodie Crush and buttered bread. I originally intended to get a good sourdough from the farmer's market but I never made it so we had buttered sandwich bread.  This soup was really good and will be lunches for me for a few days.

Last Week of February, First Days of March

The last week of the month is always putting together random ingredients and hoping great meals come out of it.

Sunday: These 2 helped me make some no bake cookies and dark chocolate pumpkin bread. Due to all the baking I just did not feel like making a huge dinner. I baked the last frozen pizza that was still hanging out in the freezer.

Monday: Creamy Spinach and Tortellini Soup from Life Made Simple which Phillip really liked. I was on the fence and may still be as to my opinion.  

Tuesday: Paleo Slow-Cooked Italian Pot Roast by Trina's Paleo newbie , garlic butter asparagus, ranch carrots. I was out of fresh mushrooms so I used some dehydrated and just upped the liquid.

Wednesday: Bulogi Korean Beef  by Copper House Happy using the leftover roast and steamed rice. I put a smidge too much ginger in this time.

Thursday:  Pigs in a blanket with homemade shells and cheese. 

Friday: One Pot Thai Chicken and Rice Dish by Chew Out Loud. I used up the leftover chicken I had in the freezer and leftover rice. 

Saturday: Sooo when it was time to cook dinner I could not remember what I was planning making the lettuce wraps from. After much staring in the fridge, freezer and pantry I went with meat loaf muffins, roasted potatoes and sauteed asparagus.  I also had started eating before I remembered to take the picture.

Books Feb 3rd Through Mar 6th

The effort to read the stack next to my bed has brought up a lot of vintage books from authors I have not previously read. I am choosing to listen to as many as I can since this goes much faster for me that reading print books.

First up this month on audio was The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie. I have always loved Agatha Christie but had not read this one before or this series for that matter. The vintage feel of this was great while it was a bit confusing as first. This book is not told from the view point of the investigator which was something different. Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene Brown was next and I surprisingly liked this more than a previous one by this author. It as the last was really short but heavy on subject matter. Another vintage book was up next. I chose Cover Her Face by P.D. James  an author I had never heard of until a collection of short stories was published last year. This is an author that I enjoy and will likely listen to a lot more of in the coming months. Still in the vintage vein and one I heard recommended on the What Should I Read Next podcast was up next. My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse was that recommendation. I did not think it was the best thing ever but it was an easy and relatively short listen. The next book I listened to was also a recommendation from What Should I Read Next and an author I had not heard of previously. This book was stellar and Still Life by Louise Penny will lead to me reading all of her books in this series. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman was started honestly at the recommendation of a friend and it's sheer popularity. It started with me really not liking Ove but by the end I loved this book! My only "complaint" is that it seemed to wrap up really neatly in the last couple of pages.


In Print I finished 2 books during this time span. I am down to just 3 more library books before reading from the stack ( at least the ones I can not find in audio).  Dirt is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child's Developing Immune System by Jack A. Gilbert, Rob Knight and Sandra Blakeslee. Maybe I like this book so much because it confirms my suspicion that we are to concerned with germs as a society. Our systems need a little dirt and a lot of microbes. I love biographies and auto-biographies which help lead to the next book, that and my favorite book is Where the Wild Things Are.  There's a Mystery There: The Primal Vision of Maurice Sendak by Jonathan Cott was extremely interesting. Despite one of his books being my favorites I did not know anything about the author prior to this book. It was a great mix of his life, remembrances from friends and art work.

Third Week of February

Sunday: The boys requested spaghetti and meatballs for dinner so that is what we had.

Monday: Chicken Pot Pie from Footeprints using leftover chicken, end of some frozen peas and corn.  I did not check on it in time and it was a bit brown.

Tuesday: Dinner out with my honey!



Wednesday: Pork Roast from the crock pot, steamed broccoli with cheese, and sweet potato fries.

Thursday: Instead of taquitos we had tacos. I did not get a picture of the food but got a picture of the one in the family who loves tacos.  Used the leftover pork up .

Friday:  Forgot the picture until I was almost done. Bacon, pancakes and scrambled eggs.

Saturday: 5 Ingredient Bacon Asparagus Pasta from Gimme Some Oven.  I used chicken stock instead of the wine and leftover bacon. 

Second Week of February

Sunday: Used leftovers to make tacos tonight. Clark wants me to take a picture of his food now when I take a picture of mine.

Monday: Mongolian Beef from Dinner Then Dessert with steamed rice . This was tasty but I hate frying in the house so it will not be in regular rotation.

Tuesday: 20-Minute Skillet Tuscan Tortellini from Chew Out Loud.  Lot soupier than the recipe appears, also it was not as flavorful as I hoped. The few minutes everything is in the pan together is just not enough for the flavors to meld.

Wednesday: Pizza as I forgot we had an appt to get our taxes done. 

Thursday: Wild Mushroom with Beef Stew from Girl and the Kitchen with egg noodles. 

 
Friday: Roasted Chicken with Crispy Garlic Ranch Potatoes from The Real Food Dietician. I did not get a picture of dinner this night. We liked both of these items although I could have easily just used a packet of ranch on the potatoes rather than essentially making it from scratch.

Saturday: Black Pepper Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry from Savory Spice rack with noodles. I thought it was way too tangy but Phillip liked it. I still think if I make it again I will cut the vinegar.

Grocery Total for Feb

Hoping to stay out of the stores for the rest of the month as I know I am over budget already. I  did the pantry challenge for 2 months and pretty much depleted everything so my list was long.

First Stop was

Sprouts:

3 pints blackberries: $2.64
~1&3/4lbs russet potatoes  $1.36
~1&1/2lbs small apples  $1.55

2 cases of Think Thin bars   $17.98

~1lb white cheddar cheese   $2.33

~3/4lbs whole cashews   $5.27

~2lbs bacon ends  $4.20
~3lbs ground beef  $9.36

4 muffins   $3.29
1 loaf garlic bread  $2.49

total:: $50.32


The Weekend Produce Pick Ups

Bountiful Baskets::

This was $49.55, I traded the cauliflower, bell peppers and green onions for some Kind bars.


The Farmer's Market::

This was $53.50 at the farmer's market.

Lettuce:  $4.00
Whole chicken: $22.50
2 lbs ground water buffalo: $17.00
Carrots: $4.00
2 bars of goat's milk soap: $6.00


To finish the weekend off I went grocery shopping during the super bowl. It was amazing as the store was nearly empty.

Winco Trip:

2 (6) packs of Pepsi   $3.96
1 (6) pack of ginger ale  $1.98
1 gallon hand soap refill  $3.88
4 gallons apple juice   $13.42
2 gallons milk  $3.48
1 gallon chocolate milk  $1.50
1 bottle kids bubble bath  $3.24
1 pk cotton balls  $1.43
5 sticks deodorant  $12.66
2 boxes of fruit snacks  $2.98
1 box cereal   $1.98
2 packs mandarin oranges $4.42
2 boxes granola bars  $3.96
4 boxes of cheese and crackers  $7.52
1 box snack cakes  $1.58
1 box toast and peanut butter crackers  $1.86
1 can refried beans  $.68
5 cans beans (various varieties)  $2.85
2 pkgs of snack sized boxes raisins  $3.16
2 jars  pasta sauce  $2.56
4 pkgs fruit leather   $1.76
2 cans tomatoes  $1.12
2 cans tomato sauce $.50
1 jar Nutella  $2.98
1 gallon vinegar  $2.28
3 pkgs ramen noodles  $.54
2 bottles W-sauce  $2.22
1 jar pickles  $1.94
2 pkgs snacking cheese $5.96
1 pkg mini pepperoni  $2.98
2 cans biscuits  $3.72
1 pkg yogurt tubes  $2.25
3 pkgs cheese sticks  $8.94
1 pkg sliced turkey breast  $2.68
1 pkg greek yogurt tubes  $2.56
2 yogurt jars  $2.68
1 pkg frozen broccoli  $1.14
1 pkg frozen corn  $1.13
2 pkgs shredded cheese  $2.56
1 pkg unsalted butter $2.34
1 pkg whipped cream cheese  $3.38
~1/2 lb sliced ham  $2.07
~1 lb sliced cheese  $3.22
1 box popcorn  $1.72
3 pkgs crescent rolls  $5.34
1 pkg fresh spinach  $1.78
1 lb bacon  $3.98
~1/2 lb onion   $.30
1 pkg OJ  $1.74
~1/2 lb sliced turkey  $2.74
1 (10) pack sugar free powerade  $5.58
~3 lbs bird food/squirrel    $1.33
1 can bean dip    $1.88
~3/4lbs penne    $.53
~1/4 lb suckers   $.69
~2 lbs pinto beans  $1.17
~1/4 lb garlic powder  $1.33
~3/4lb tortellini  $2.03
2 boxes band aids  $3.22
~3/4 lb pasta shells  $.86
~1/8lb dog chews  $.86
~1/4lb cinnamon candy  $.48
~1/8lb loose leaf tea   $2.06
~1/2lb gummy bears  $.58
~1/2lb gummy worms $.48
~1/2 lb grits   $.75
~1&1/4 lbs cashews  $9.52
~1/4 lb dried bananas  $.65
~1&1/2 lbs rice  $1.75
~1&3/4 lbs corn meal  $1.38
2 (8) packs powerade  $7.96
1 case dr pepper  $2.98
3 bags Fritos   $5.64
~2lb beef chuck roast   $6.14
~2lb pork roast   $4.21
~3lbs beef stew meat   $6.75
~2&1/4 bananas   $1.15
2 loaves bread   $1.72
1 pkg tortillas  $.98
2 pkgs mini donuts  $3.66
2 bags chips   $2.56
1 box taco shells  $1.28
1 pkg tostada shells  $.98
1 bag tortilla chips  $.98

Total ::     $234.40



Mrs. Baird's Day Old :

2 loaves bread   $1.50
1 loaf Artisan bread  $1.19
1 pkg donuts  $1.29
3 pkgs bagels  $5.00
 1 pkg hamburger buns  Free

Total::  $8.98



Kroger:

2 pkgs sliced ham  $3.98
2 pkgs sliced turkey  $3.98
2 cheese snacks $1.18
1lb bacon  $3.49
 1 snapple   $1.00
2 bottles deodorant  $5.18
2 pkgs starburst  $1.00
1 pkg peanut butter cups  $1.25
1 pkg donuts   $2.49

Total::   $23.74


Winco Trip #2::

1 lb strawberries   $1.98
1 bottle Dublin Root Beer  $1.28
~2lbs bananas   $.75
~1 lb asparagus  $1.00
1 pkg gum   $2.15

Total:  $7.16


Winco Trip #3:

~2 lbs bananas   $.83
~1lb asparagus  $.92
1 lb strawberries  $.98
1 gallon milk   $1.50
1 can refried beans  $.68
1 pkg cheese  $1.28

Total:  $6.19

Kroger Trip #2

1 dozen eggs  $1.79
1 head lettuce  $1.29
1 pkg tea bags  $2.97
1 pkg hair gel  $5.99
1 fruit deli tray  $9.99
1 bunch tulips  $4.99

Total:: $27.93


Grand Total for the month::  $461.77  WAYYYYYY Over budget!!!

Meals the First Full Week of February

I contributed to Bountiful Baskets and went to the farmer's market this past weekend so I have a ton of produce to work with. I will post the pictures here but break down the purchases on the grocery total post.

I did trade the cauliflower, bell peppers and green onions for some Kind Bars.

Sunday: Frito Pie using up a can of chili that was hanging out in the cabinet

Monday: Phillip is sick and wanted just steamed rice so I made that for him and the boys and I had sandwiches and fresh salad

Tuesday: Ground buffalo tacos with Mexican fried rice from Premeditated Leftovers. Tiny one was happy to get a chip taco as he calls them. I cut the rice recipe in half to make use of leftover steamed rice. I also used a partial can of rotel rather than tomatoes and green chilies individually. I will use the rest of the rotel and corn in the taco soup later this week.

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork from A Mind Full Mom , mashed sweet potatoes, sauteed mushrooms and a leftover bread stick.

Thursday: We had Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps from Domestic Superhero only I used the pulled pork from the night before and cooked on the stove top.

Friday: Taco soup using leftover ground buffalo, rotel and rest of corn. I also had a partial envelope of ranch dip mix from making ranch potatoes.

 Saturday: I was going to make corndogs but Phillip went by Winco today and they were sampling a marinade with sirloin steak so it came home with him and became dinner. Parmesan crusted asparagus and garlic toast. I am in love with the new Sara Lee Artisan breads for garlic toast.

Books Jan 11th Through Feb 2nd

I have been trying to race through a few audio books because as generally happens to me all the books I was wait listed for have come available at the same time. I made the decision when that happened to go shortest to longest so I could get through as many as possible before I had to request them again. First up was Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data,and What the Internet Reveals About Who We Really Are. This book is being ripped to shreds by readers and I can understand that. He really does not go far for source material or have independent studies but it was a quick and interesting read nonetheless.  I keep saying I am not going to continue the Stephanie Plum series as I feel the plot is stale but here I was checking out the audio book for Hardcore: Twenty-Four.  It was nothing new other than Diesel was back.  A quick listen that lead into A is For Alibi. This is one I had in the stack next to my bed needing to get to when I noticed it was available in audio. I went for the audio and moved the print book out of my stack. The first thought I had when I started this was people were going to think I just jumped on the bandwagon because Sue Grafton passed away recently. Really this book has been by my bed for ages and I have just never gotten to it. I started with the mystery stack so I am not off to the races.

There was only one print book that I finished during this time span and it was one of the last books I am allowing myself from the library. Away With Words: An Irreverent Tour Through the World of Pun Competitions was not what I thought it would be but I still thought it was interesting. I love a good pun and this book showed that I am not alone in this.

During this time I also completed a Kindle book from a self published author. Forbidden Temptations is a decent read that does not require a ton of thought on my part which is sometimes nice since I read and listen to a lot of heavy books.