I Love Cooking

I’m happy to say that week two of my Fall Challenge is off to a much better start. If you missed my week one challenge update, you’ll want to check that out, here: Fall Challenge: Week One Recap.

Yesterday, I reached my water goal and I tracked my nutrition. I made a roast with mashed potatoes and vegetables for dinner, which was amazing! I love cooking, and even more so this time of year.

I also made an apple pie this past weekend for a family event. We finished off the last of the pie last night, which was tracked and ended up topping out my nutrition range for the day. 

I love to cook homemade goodies for my family, but I try not to have things like pie on hand too often because my self-control is very limited right now. It’s a balancing act, for sure!

Fall Challenge: Week One Recap

Hello, and happy Monday! I'm going to be honest with you. The first week of my challenge could have been considered a warm-up. I didn't meet my goals, but I also didn't completely throw in the towel. I'm going to celebrate the little wins! For Lauren, and whoever else is joining this challenge, I hope you can find some little or big wins to celebrate as well!

Week One Goal Progress

• Drink 90-120 oz of water daily

My water goal was met 3/7 days. I did make sure to drink at least 64 oz. on the other days!

• Walk for 90 minutes/week

I completed 60 minutes of walking, outside. It felt so good! 

• Track nutrition daily

I tracked my nutrition 2/7 days. This was pitiful, and a major area of improvement for the week ahead! I did, however, make some amazing homemade meals this week which tasted way better than eating out! (Little wins)

• Blog weekly challenge updates

This is my update for week one!

Weight-Loss Goal

Last week, I weighed in at 233lbs and this week I weighed in at 232lbs. I only lost a pound but I'm happy to have lost it because I didn't put in my full effort in week one. Looking to buckle down more this week!

7 more pounds to lose in 24 days. Let’s do this!

Fall Challenge (Oct 20 - Nov 20)

Hello! It’s Monday, October 20th and I’ve decided today is the day to set some new goals and give myself a deadline. 

I’ve decided to challenge myself for the next 31 days. For reference, I’ll call it my Fall Challenge.

Fall Challenge Goals

• Drink 90-120 oz of water daily

My water goal is set to daily, with a range of 90-120.

• Walk for 90 minutes/week

Preferably my activity goal of walking for 90 minutes a week will be done outside. If it’s done on the treadmill that will be okay, too.

• Track nutrition daily

I decided to make my nutrition goal more about consistency. That’s why the goal is to track “daily” instead of a goal for staying within my nutritional range. This will help get me back in the habit of tracking while also providing grace if I go over my desired nutritional range. The goal is to simply track it. The desire is to meet my nutritional range more often than not.

• Blog weekly challenge updates

Blogging weekly challenge updates will help me to stay accountable, and keep the challenge fresh in my mind!

Weight-Loss Goal

Today, I weighed in at 233 lbs. I’m hoping that by completing the challenge goals, it will help get me down to 225 lbs by November 20. That’s 8 pounds in 31 days. Let’s do this!

Busy Season

Happy Thursday! How are you doing? I’m hanging in there. It’s been a busy season, but this season is about to change a bit soon. 

Our oldest daughter has been going to basketball 5x/week since mid-August. When there is not a game, there’s practice. I was hesitant about this at first because I value balance in all things, but it’s been good for her. She has improved in her skills and confidence!

Since we are often at basketball games in the evenings during the week, my work schedule has been a little different each week. I have been scrounging for work time in my little bit of free time these past few months. I am very much looking forward to getting back to a more predictable evening work schedule in a few weeks as basketball season comes to a close.

It’s also been book fair season for me! I’m the Scholastic chairperson for our elementary school and we decided to host our fair mid-October instead of mid-November this school year. This will be my seventh book fair that I’ve hosted for our school! The book fair takes a lot of thought and careful preparation. I’ve been training someone to take my place as far as all the prep-work goes next school year which has been bittersweet.

This past weekend my sister came into town and brought with her this cute glass from where she’s currently stationed. It was so nice to have some sister time, and also so hard to say goodbye!

I’m working on keeping balance in my diet as best as I can which has helped me to maintain my weight. I’d love to get into a better routine to kickstart my weight loss again soon!

What I Ate Monday: Sept 29

Hello! On Monday, I took a picture of everything I ate throughout the day and so I wanted to share it with you!

Breakfast was one of my favorites! I had a slice of rye toast and an egg with mushrooms and capers. This flavor combo with the capers is a must-try!

For lunch, I was in a snacky mood. I had a few ounces of fresh mozzarella with some salami and chips. Then, I had a couple pieces of Hershey’s chocolate to satisfy my afternoon sweet tooth.

For dinner, we had leftover tuna noodle casserole from my mother-in-law. 

In the evening I had some apple straws and later on I made myself a quesadilla.

I didn’t count calories for the day as I would like to be doing, so this was just a day full of intuitive eating. If I had to guess I’d say I was within 1400-1800 calories for the day. What do you think?

A Monday Morning in My Life

Happy Monday! I had to take the rest of last week off from blogging because I wasn’t feeling well, which made everything a little backlogged in our life. I’m feeling much better now!

This morning, I got myself and my girls ready for the day. Piper caught the bus first, and then I drove Laney to pre-k. After that, I went back home to get some of my volunteer and work stuff done. I create a book fair volunteer sign-up for the fair coming up next month, and started recruiting for volunteers on our PTO page. Then, I spent an hour catching up on some work emails.

After I picked Laney up from preschool, we visited “swamp road” where she likes to talk to the turtles and geese. It’s so beautiful and peaceful there!

When we got home, I made a snacky lunch for the two of us. I put some laundry in the wash and then snuggled with Laney on the couch while I wrote this blog post from my phone.

My Monday morning was pretty great, and I hope yours was as well!

What I Ate Tuesday: Not Feeling 100%

My breakfast from yesterday morning, pictured below, might not look very appealing but it was actually delicious. I was fighting a cold yesterday and so I was extra tired in the morning. I was going for something quick and tasty!

The pumpernickel and rye bread was prepped with a bit of butter and was all warmed up. So good! The sausage patty was local and bought from an Amish grocer.

For lunch, I had leftover potatoes and green beans from the night before with a chicken breast and slice of Munster cheese. This cheese is my absolute favorite and I don’t know what took me so long to find it!

I love it when we have some leftovers in the fridge to add to lunch! It was so filling and came together super quick!

For my afternoon snack, I had a yogurt and some alphabet cookies because we don’t have many sweets in this house and this was the best I could do at the moment.

For dinner, we had mashed potatoes roast and vegetables from the slow cooker. This really hit the spot since I still wasn’t feeling 100%. A warm meal and eating around the table with my family was exactly what the doctor ordered for me in this busy season we’re in!

After dinner, we went to Piper’s basketball game. I was completely wiped out when we got home because of whatever sickness I’m fighting. So, I didn’t have an evening snack and went right to bed for the night.

I’m still not feeling great today. I’m feeling so dry and congested. I’ve got a constant mix of water and Gatorade zero in my water bottle. One benefit is that reaching my goal of a gallon of water each day has not been a problem lately!

Dinner Meal Plan + More Often Than Not

Yesterday was a success! I ate within my nutritional range and drank between 90-120oz of water. I didn’t go for a walk, but I still have the rest of the week to fit in some walking. I’d prefer to walk outside and it was raining for most of the day yesterday. If the weather doesn’t end up cooperating I will walk on the treadmill.

I wanted to take a picture of everything that I ate but I didn’t have my phone nearby most of the time when I was eating and so it didn’t happen. Maybe I’ll take some pictures of what I eat today! I love to do that so I have examples to look back on.

I know it’s Tuesday, but it’s not too late to share my dinner plan for the week, is it?

Monday - Fish + Broccoli + Mini Potatoes

Tuesday - Roast + Veggies + Mashed Potatoes

Wednesday - Chicken Sausage + Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

Thursday - BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches for Life Group

Friday - Homemade Pizzas

Tonight we have a basketball game for Piper and it’s actually a home game! So, it will be nice to have dinner cooking away in the slow cooker. I’ll just have to make sure I make the mashed potatoes in time for when she gets home from school. 

Since it’s a home game we should all be able to sit at the table together for dinner! Some nights that doesn’t happen but it’s important to us that it happens more often than not!

A Shift Needs Made

A shift needs made; a shift in the way that I care for myself; a shift in the ranking of my priorities. I don’t know why self-care is always the first thing to go out the window when things get a bit wild around here, but it is often the case. 

I am writing today to say that my health is in fact a priority that I am going to no longer neglect, and I’m going to make the necessary shift to make that the case moving forward.

I did think about this earlier in the month but I honestly didn’t feel like I had enough bandwidth to make the necessary shift in my mindset and routine at the time. 

A lot has shifted in the past month within our family routine with school, sports, and work. Now that we’re all settling in to all that is new to us in this season, I am ready to start shifting my mindset and routine in the right direction for my health, as well.

This week, I’m going to make it a goal to eat within my nutrition so range; drink 90-120oz/water each day and go for a walk at least 3x this week! I’ll check back in to share my progress!

A Long September Update

Whew. It’s been about a month since I’ve posted, and what a month it’s been! The start of school is always a bit of a whirlwind and takes some time to adjust. I feel like we’re pretty much as adjusted as we’re going to get at this point!

Piper started 5th grade and is thriving! She loves her teachers and always comes home with a smile at the end of her days. This has been very refreshing and a relief!

Piper is also playing basketball this season and so she is on the court 5x/week either at a game or practice which has had our family running around quite a bit. Last week we had 3 away games and I think we’re starting to get in the swing of it all. We have a bag we pack for Laney with things to keep her occupied while hanging out in the bleachers during the games. It’s been busy but also fun and rewarding to watch!

Laney is in PreK 3x/week and I am usually working remotely during that time. Laney loves her preschool, and she is learning so much already! She started the school year in a wrist brace and is already out of it and doing well!

So much has happened in the past month! I know I won’t be able to cover everything but I will share some pictures of a few of the things we’ve done!

Earlier in September we made a trip to the spillway to feed the fish. We went to the Cleveland Zoo! We had a fun fair week in our hometown! Piper walked in both the fair parade and homecoming parade. My husband and I just celebrated 16 years of marriage this weekend, and we went to the pumpkin farm for a day of fun with our family today!

It’s been a fun and full September, and we’re all looking forward to a fun Fall together as well!

An Unexpected Break

Just popping in real quick to say that school is starting back up now and summer break ended in an unexpected way.

Our youngest took a tumble while playing and sustained a nursemaid elbow and buckle fracture in her wrist this past weekend. She is so strong. It’s been a few days and she’s still in the wrapped splint and sling she got from the ER. She likely won’t be casted until after 7 days to make sure all the swelling is down, according to our children’s hospital. It’s been a hectic end of summer break, and I wish she could be seen earlier. We’re taking good care of her in the meantime!

The Weight of Goodbye

Happy Thursday! The weight of getting ready to say “goodbye” to summer break has been heavy on my heart all week, as you can likely tell from my recent posts.

I just love our slow summer mornings together, and the ability to go with the flow of wherever the days adventures take us. We’ve been blessed with an incredible summer, which is why it must be so hard to let it go.

This morning, my 4 and 10 year old daughters helped me make chocolate chip zucchini muffins — a sign of Autumn nearing. 

The morning was cool and crisp, but still warm enough to be outside in a tshirt and shorts. I know this because my girls let the chickens out this morning and were running around the yard with them in such clothing.

I’m not sure where this day of adventure will take us. My youngest asked to go to the zoo one last time, and my oldest wants to go to the amusement park. Either way, the day will end with my oldest daughter’s annual vision appointment, and back-to-school night to meet her new teacher. 

This will be Piper’s last year in elementary school and my heart is heavy knowing we have that “goodbye” coming up sooner than I can imagine. At the same time, I know we will be ready when the time comes.

Summer is Beautiful

I’m experiencing some end-of-summer blues so, I’ll be sharing a random assortment of pictures taken in the past couple of weeks to try and keep the memories.

This week we went to a local sunflower field and were captivated by the beauty!

 

School clothes shopping was so fun this year! Piper and I went out to lunch together and spent all afternoon shopping around.

Beach night with friends, on such a beautiful summer evening!

My first sunflower of the season!

A random find at a playground.

Harvest goodies from the garden, and our best garlic haul ever!

I’ll forever be nostalgic for hanging sheets on the line.

My early morning garden buddy, with the sound of crickets and chickens in the background.

The last color sheet for the library summer reading program!

Another beautiful garden haul.

Summer is beautiful, and we’re going to miss it!