Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for Mar 18 - Mar 24)

Last week we had way more leftovers than I thought we would so we decided to scrap our meal plan and pretty much eat leftovers all week to get control of our refrigerator.  The only night we cooked dinner was yesterday so that we could start restocking the fridge for this week.  It was nice to pretty much have the week off from cooking and we still had a pretty good variety of food.

This week is super busy for us but I am determined to stick to our plan this week.  I have already shopped for the whole week and will be doing some prep today to get us in a good place for the week.  We have something pretty much every night this week since soccer is starting up for the boys.  And I'm subbing every day this week since I took most of last week off and will be off all of next week for spring break.  My eating hasn't been great this month so I'm trying to reign it in for this week before next week of birthday/Easter/spring break fun.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Steak on the grill, leftover asparagus and green beans
Monday - Sausage Lentil Soup (carryover from last week)
Tuesday -Taco Tuesday!
Wednesday - Korean Style Lettuce Wraps
Thursday - Tortellini Soup
Friday - Sour Cream Noodle Bake for the boys, I'm going out to dinner with friends!
Saturday - Fish Tacos


Water flavor - Lime.  While I loved the sweetness of the mango water last week, I'm back to citrus because I have a few limes to use up.  This is the end of my citrus overload so I'm hoping to go back to more sweet water after this week.

Overnight Oats - I haven't even thought about these yet so I'll do it on the fly.  I have enough for two days leftover from last week because I made a lot and we had a few days that we didn't eat them.  For the rest I will use my normal recipe and then added flavors to it.  I still have homemade applesauce so that will be two batches this week.  I will also do two batches of chocolate with butterscotch chips because it's Adrian's favorite.  That will probably be it for this week and I'll watch how quickly we eat it this week to see if I need to make more later in the week.

Use it Up - Last week was all about leftovers and we did a great job of cleaning out both refrigerators.  I spent Friday shopping to refill them so I don't really have a plan to use anything up this week.  But I'm hoping to not have to go shopping until after spring break so there will be a lot of using up what we have next week for sure.

Lunches - I'm planning on having salads this week because I accidentally bought too much Romaine lettuce this week.  I didn't know we had 3 heads & I bought my normal 6 heads at Costco on Friday.  So I'll be using that up this week.  I also volunteered to bring dinner to two different friends this week so I'll be making them Chicken Taco Casserole.  I decided to make a third tray of this for us too.  This will be for lunches or if I just can't get it together to cook one night!

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 3/9 - 3/15)

Friday (3/9) Finally, we all got a good night of sleep!!  We got AJ up and out to school and then Adrian headed to work.  The other boys slept in a little, then got up and go ready for school.  Zak was super easy to get ready because it was pajama day for him so he got dressed last night.  After I dropped everyone off, I headed home for a rare day off.  None of the subbing jobs really fit with my schedule so I decided to stay home and get some stuff done around the house to make the weekend easier.  I was super productive while everyone was at school!!  Before I knew it, it was time to pick up everyone for the day.  I finished a few more things around the house while they played video games and we waited for Adrian to get home from work.

I decided early in the day that I didn't feel like cooking dinner, or eating what we had planned.  So we ordered Jets pizza and Adrian picked it up on his way home.  The boys were super excited to have it tonight, it was a surprise for them.  After dinner, we got ready for our date night.  When our sitter got here, we headed out to see "An American in Paris."  It was just an OK play, we didn't love it.  The dancing was great, but a lot of the dancing scenes went on for a long time.  The scenery was amazing, we enjoyed watching all of the creative things that they did.  We still think a bad night at the theater is better than a great night at home.

Saturday (3/10) We slept in a little but then I had to get up and get moving to teach my Zumba class at the Y.  I had over 30 people in class again this week and we had a great time!  After class, I quickly ran to Kroger to pick up a few things and then headed home to get ready to head to my brother's house to visit with him and my parent who are in town for a quick weekend visit.  We spent the afternoon hanging out, playing games, eating and drinking.  It was a very relaxing day and so nice to be with family.  We stayed a little later than we expected and the boys were ready to go straight to bed when we got home.  I also went right to bed, probably because I had a lot of wine during the day.  It was a great Saturday!!

Sunday (3/11) Daniel had a rough time sleeping again so he ended up in bed with me around 4 in the morning.  We were up for a bit but he finally settled down and we both went back to sleep.  Then he and I slept until 10am!  Although with the time change our body felt like it was only 9am.  I hate this time change every year and I'm sure this week will suck because of it!  We missed church since we all slept in and didn't get moving very quickly.  I made chocolate chip pancakes for everyone for breakfast and then we started to get a few things done around the house and prep for family dinner with my brother and parents at our house today.

In the afternoon, Adrian took the boys to the Y for their last swim class of this session.  They all did great and both AJ and Daniel will be moving up a level next session.  They came home right around the same time that everyone else got here too.  We had another relaxing day chatting, watching sports and watching the kids play together.  We had a delicious dinner and awesome crumb cake for dessert.  The boys were upset when my parents left, but understand that this was just a quick trip.  After everyone left, we got the house back in order and relaxed a little before heading to bed at our normal time in hopes of starting the week well rested despite the stupid time change.

Monday (3/12) It was back to our regular schedule today.  It was rough getting everyone up and out to school because they were all tired because of the time change.  I finally dragged everyone out of bed and got them to school on time.  Since I was tired, I decided to skip Body Pump and take some time to work around the house.  Then I headed to the Y to teach my Silver Sneakers class and then headed up to my brother's house to pick up my parents.  Since everyone else was at work and school, we headed out to Melt for lunch.  My sandwich was delicious & so filling!  I ate half for lunch and half for dinner.

After lunch, I dropped them off at the airport before heading back to pick up all of the boys from school.  We relaxed for a little bit and then had leftovers for dinner before heading out to Scouts for the night.  I took Zak to his Lions meeting where they made tote bags for their scout stuff and practiced tying knots with Twizzlers.  Adrian took AJ to his Boy Scout meeting where he helped set up their calendar for the next few months.  He is super excited about all of the things they have planned!  As soon as we all got home, we got the boys ready for bed, watched a few comedies and headed to bed ourselves. 

Tuesday (3/13) This morning wasn't quite as rough as yesterday, but there was still some complaining and dragging feet as we got ready.  Everyone got up and out on time and after I dropped everyone off, I headed to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  I got upsetting news when I got there that one of my participants passed away.  I will be praying for his family, especially his wife who is also a student.  After two great classes, I headed out to run a ton of errands.  I got a bunch done and got home just in time to get AJ off the bus and pick up the other boys from school.

When I got everyone home, I unloaded all of the groceries and then relaxed for a bit.  Then I got the boys through their homework which including deciding on AJ's choices for his first year of middle school next year!  He is super excited to join the band and learn to play the trombone.  We had leftovers for dinner again tonight before I headed out to the church to work as the facility rep for the evening.  I got home just in time for bedtime for the boys, then Adrian and I had a snack, watched a few shows and went to bed.  This time change sucks!

Wednesday (3/14) The time change hit hard today!  We were all cranky and exhausted today.  But we managed to get up and moving and get everyone where they needed to be on time.  After I dropped everyone off at school, I ran to the grocery store to finish up the shopping for the week.  Then I came home to have a quick lunch before heading in to sub as the music teacher for the afternoon.  I had all kindergarten classes, including Zak's class.  They were pretty confused about why I was there, but they pulled it together pretty quickly.

After school, I ran home with Zak and Daniel to pick up AJ and get ready to head to the Y for my Zumba class.  We had an awesome class and I felt great when it was over, ready to take on the rest of the night.  We ran to the library to return a few things and then headed home to get thru dinner (more leftovers) and homework.  Adrian had Bible study so he headed there after work.  He got home just in time to help with bedtime.  We finished cleaning up the kitchen and then settled in to watch Survivor before heading to bed for the night.

Thursday (3/15) Everyone seems to be in better spirits after a great night of sleep.  We all got up and out on time this morning.  After I dropped everyone off at school, I headed to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  We had so much fun in both classes, lots of laughs this morning.  After class, I had a meeting with my manager there where I got a great report on my classes.  I have a few opportunities to pick up some subbing there so I will be doing that in the future.  After that, I headed to see my friend Bridget who is in cosmetology school.  She needed some practice so I went in for a new haircut.  And she did a fantastic job!!

After that, I headed home to get a few things done and get ready for a busy night.  Adrian came home early so that he could watch the OSU basketball game and  I left soon after he got home to go teach my corporate Zumba class.  Then he fed the boys and took them all to the park because Daniel had his first soccer practice tonight.  He did great with his new team and coach and is super excited about the season!  Zak and AJ played on the play ground until I got there when AJ and Adrian headed home to watch the end of the OSU game (they won - yay!)  I finally got home with Daniel and Zak and had my dinner and then we started our night routine.  We got the boys to bed and watched a few comedies while checking on the basketball games.  We both were ready for bed early!

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for Mar 11 - Mar 17)

We had another great week last week sticking to our plan.  We did veer off on Friday because I didn't feel like cooking so we ordered pizza.  We went to my brother's house on Saturday and enjoyed a delicious pasta dinner with him and my parents.  Then they all came over here today, which is why this post is so late tonight.  We had a big family dinner and I showed my brother and mom how awesome my instant pot is.  I roasted a full chicken in it and it was delicious!

This week is another busy one for us.  And it starts with us having overstocked refrigerators so we're starting with at least one day of leftovers, possibly two.  We have stuff from last week, pizza and stuff from tonight.  I do have chicken thighs out that I was supposed to cook on Friday night so I will make those tomorrow with some of the sides from today.  And then after Tuesday I will reevaluate where we are with leftovers.  If we're back in control, I'll follow this plan.  If we still have a bunch, I'll have a third night of leftovers and bump something to next week.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Roast Chicken, Brussels Sprouts Salad, Baked Ziti, Bacon Ranch Potatoes (from a box) and Roasted Asparagus and Peppers
Monday - Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs with leftover sides from today
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Sausage Lentil Soup
Thursday - Fish Tacos
Friday - Out to dinner because the boys will be at parents night out at the high school
Saturday - Messy Lasagna - Adrian will be cooking because I have a Zumba jam until 5pm.  He made this and wants to make a few tweaks (using sausage instead of ground beef & adding a little more spices)

Water Flavor - Mango!  I'm so excited to have something different than orange.  I finally used them all up last week.  I have some limes I need to use, but I'm going to take a break from citrus for a week and pick up some mint to go with the limes for the next week or two.

Overnight Oats - I already have these set up for the week.  I used my normal recipe and then added flavors to it.  I did one batch of regular which I will add strawberries to in the mornings, two batches of banana chocolate chip, two batches of apple pie and two batches of chocolate with butterscotch chips.  We should have enough for this week because we didn't eat them today.  I made chocolate chip pancakes for the family instead and they were delicious!!

Use it Up - This week is all about leftovers.  I also used up all of an open box of pancake mix today as well as two boxes and bacon ranch potatoes that I got for free over the holidays and didn't know when I would be able to use.  Other than that, I'm also not buying any fruit in an effort to use up what I have.  And I have some celery that I need to use which will go into the soup on Wednesday and then I hope to use the rest as snacks since I don't have a lot of fruit.

Lunches - I hard boiled eggs and made protein ranch dressing so I can have salads all week.  I also have some chicken left over from today that I will probably throw in salad all week.  And some taco meat that I will use up if no one else does.

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 3/2 - 3/8)

Friday (3/2) Whew, we made it to Friday!  We barely got up but we did manage to get everyone to work and school on time.  Once I dropped the boys off to school I headed to the Y to sub two classes for my friend.  I taught Zumba Toning & a quick 30 minute Zumba class.  Both classes were super fun!  Then I quickly got changed and headed back to the school to sub for the afternoon.  It was wear your favorite super hero shirt day so I decided to participate in the fun:

After school, I picked up Daniel and Zak and we headed home to meet up with AJ.  The boys immediately started playing video games and I allowed it so I could sit down and rest for a bit.  I cooked a quick dinner then headed to the church to work as the facilities manager for the night.  I was regretting agreeing to work until 9pm, but I survived.  When I finally finished at work, I ran to Meijer to finish my food shopping for the week and then came home to watch a few shows before heading to bed.  I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, which never happens.


Saturday (3/3) We all got to sleep in a little this morning since we didn't have any commitments.  I was thinking about going to a class at the Y but decided my body needed rest instead, so I rested.  I spent the whole day catching up on stuff around the house that I needed to do while the boys played together.  In the afternoon, Adrian and Zak headed out to his first Pinewood Derby.  He didn't do very well, but he had a blast and thought it was the most fun day so that's more important.  After the Derby, Adrian dropped Zak off at home and then headed out to the All Star celebration for his Crossover basketball team.  I'm glad he was able to coach this season even though none of our boys played.

When he got home, we continued working around the house and trying to finish up the boys' homework.  We had a nice dinner together and then settled in for family movie night.  It was Zak's pick and he picked "Aladdin" (with a little help from me).  None of the boys had ever seen it and it's one of my favorites.  I found out halfway thru the movie that Adrian had never seen it either!  Everyone loved the movie, I'm so glad we watched it!  I'm hoping to sneak in a few more Disney classics this year on our family movie nights.

Sunday (3/4) Another morning sleeping in for all of us!  Adrian and I actually slept later than anyone.  Daniel came up around 8:30 and asked us to get up because "they have been downstairs alone for a while."  It's so nice that they can get up on their own now!  We had a relaxing morning and then headed to church for second service.  The kids were in service with us this week and Zak freaked out and would not go into service.  So after fighting with him for a while, I left and came home with him.

We went back to pick up the other boys after service and all came home and had a quick lunch before Adrian and the boys headed out to swim lessons.  I worked like crazy around the house while they were gone and just about finished up my list.  When the boys came home, they finished up their lists and then played video games for a little bit before I headed out with them to martial arts.  I enjoyed watching them practice tonight.  Adrian finished up his list while we were gone and then cooked delicious crab legs for dinner.  We finished up the night with some TV time, a little bit of the Oscars and early bedtimes so we're ready for another busy week.

Monday (3/5) Today we thought we were getting back to our normal schedule but AJ woke up and got sick.  So Adrian decided to take the day off to spend with him so that I could still do my full day.  I got the other boys up and ready for school and dropped them off.  Then I headed to the Y to take Body Pump and teach my Silver Sneakers class.  After class I quickly changed and headed to the school to sub for the afternoon.  I had a fun time with my class and finished a little early so I grabbed the boys and dropped them off at home.  Then I headed back to the Y to teach my Zumba class which was a ton of fun!  I came home and Adrian was cooking our dinner so I got to relax a little before enjoying a delicious meal.  AJ was feeling better so he and Adrian went Boy Scouts while I stayed home to do homework with the other two boys.  When they got home, we got everyone to bed, watched a few comedies and headed up to bed.  Hoping for a more normal schedule tomorrow!

Tuesday (3/6) We all got up and out on time again today.  Daniel and Zak both had special days at school so they had special things to wear.  Zak is celebrating Dr Suess week and today was "Green Eggs and Ham Day" so he wore a green shirt.  Daniel had a field trip to AEP (our local electric company) and he wanted to wear a shirt that had to do with energy.

After I dropped everyone off at school, I headed in to teach my Silver Sneakers classes.  We had so much fun, as always.  Then I headed in to sub an afternoon at the school.  When school was over, I picked up the boys and we headed home to meet AJ here.  They started a game where they do all kinds of exercises everyday so they headed upstairs to play that and I enjoyed 30 minutes of blissful silence.  Then as soon as Adrian got home, I headed out to do our grocery shopping for the week.  I was in and out in under an hour which was awesome!  I came home to taco Tuesday dinner cooked by Adrian, that's three nights in a row that he has cooked and not me.  We enjoyed dinner together, did a few things around the house and then settled in for a little TV before bed.  Everyone seemed pretty tired tonight so an early bedtime was necessary.

Wednesday (3/7) Today started very early when all three boys were up with AJ getting ready for school.  We got AJ out the door and then we relaxed a little before I got the other two boys ready.  After I dropped them off at school, I headed into AJ's school to sub for the afternoon.  I actually was subbing for his homeroom teacher so I got to spend some of my time with his class.  They were super well behaved and I enjoyed spending time in the classroom with them.  I had another class as well since they switch classes and that one wasn't quite as easy, but still fun because I knew about half of them.  After school was over, I drove AJ home and we relaxed a bit before it was time to pick up the other boys.

We picked up Daniel and Zak and Daniel was excited to share that he had clipped off the chart for the fifth time this year and was recognized by the administration with a medal and a picture with the Vice Principal.  We are super proud of how well he's doing in 3rd grade!  We headed to the Y so I could teach my Zumba class, while the boys hung out in childcare.  After a fun class, we ran a quick errand, then headed home.  When we got home, I realized I had set up the timer on the slow cooker wrong this morning and our dinner wasn't ready.  So Adrian and I threw pasta together for dinner and then I made leftovers with the chicken when it was finally done.  After dinner, Adrian headed out to Bible study while I got the boys thru homework and ready for bed.  Adrian got home in time to help with bedtime and after we got them settled, we watched Survivor together then headed to bed.

Thursday (3/8) Another early morning for us when everyone was up early again.  Daniel had me up before 5am, he just wasn't able to go back to sleep.  So we had a lazy start to our day before getting everyone out to school and work.  Shortly after AJ and Adrian left, I saw that the roads were super icy and traffic was horrible.  Thankfully they both got to school/work safely, although it took Adrian over an hour to get downtown.  I got the other boys to school on time and then headed in to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  They were smaller today, probably because of the weather, but we still worked hard.

After class, I rushed over to the school to sub for the afternoon.  I was two different teachers this afternoon and both classes were a little rough, but I survived.  I picked the boys up after school and we headed home to meet AJ.  I rested for a few minutes and then got ready for a busy night.  I had a Zumba class to teach and then a Scout committee meeting.  I got everything together and headed out when Adrian got home.  It was a busy but productive night for me!  Adrian had a great night playing with the boys and also got them thru homework and did some clean up around the house as well.  I got home just in time for bedtime for the boys.  After we got them down, we were both so exhausted that we made a quick snack, watched Big Bang Theory and headed up to bed.  It has been a long a busy week!

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 2/23 - 3/1)

Friday (2/23) We finally reached Friday!!  This week was long and exhausting but we made it.  We all got up and moving and everyone got to work and school on time.  I dropped everyone off at school and then came home to do a few things around the house before heading into school to sub an afternoon assignment.  I caught up on some laundry since I was way behind on that from the week!  After we all got home from work and school, we got ready for a busy night that had us all going in different directions.

I left first and headed to the church to work for a few hours as the facility manager.  While I was there, Adrian got everyone else ready.  AJ was picked up by his friend David and went to an event at his church called Christians vs Romans.  The adults hid a glow in the dark cross and the kids had to try to find it in the dark.  He had so much fun and I'm thankful his friend invited him to the event.  Then Adrian got everyone else ready and he headed out to Zak's Cub Scout pack lock in at the church.  He dropped Daniel off to me and headed to Zak's event.  They had a blast playing with the other kids until the wee hours of the morning (I got a text at 1am of them trying to sleep!)  They had snacks, video games, movies and board games.  I'm so glad they were able to do this event!!

While everyone else was out, Daniel and I had a date night.  He hung with me at the church until my shift was over, then we headed to Red Robin for dinner.  We had so much fun talking, laughing, doing the hidden picture on his place mat and of course eating!  When we were finished we came home and watched a movie together, Monsters vs Aliens.  It was pretty cute.  Daniel really liked it!  He liked it so much he wouldn't go to bed until is was over.  It was a late night for us as well, but well worth it for some time together.

Saturday (2/24) Adrian and Zak got home super early and everyone else woke up soon after.  We relaxed for a little bit and then I had to get ready to teach a Zumba class.  While I was there, Adrian went to coach his last basketball game for the Crossover season.  The boys went and hung out with him at the church.  After we all got home, we had a quick lunch together and then I headed out to a Zumba jam.  I had so much fun dancing with my Zumba friends and learning 5 new songs!  They were all high energy and I was super sore and tired when we finished, but also so happy.  I came home and made dinner and then pretty much lounged around the house for the rest of the night.  We watched some TV, I ate a lot and we headed to bed early.  Such a fun Saturday!!

 

 

Sunday (2/25) We all slept in today, the long week finally caught up with us.  We had a relaxing start to our morning and then headed out to the second service at church.  I was volunteering in childcare so I hung out with Zak and Daniel in their room while Adrian went to service.  We came home and got ready to head to swimming together as a family.  All three boys are doing great and both Daniel and AJ can move up a level for the next session.  We came home after swimming and did a quick change to get the boys ready for Martial Arts.  I stayed home to get dinner together and do a few things around the house.  The boys were super excited to come home and show me they finally got their uniforms tonight!  We had a family dinner of meatballs subs, finished up the rest of our stuff for the weekend and got ready for another busy week.  We all headed to bed early to try to stay rested for the upcoming week.

Monday (2/26) Back to our normal routine today!  This will be the first full week we've had in quite some time between holidays and snow days.  We all got up and out on time this morning and headed to school and work.  After I dropped everyone off, I headed to the Y to take Body Pump and then teach my Silver Sneakers class.  After the two classes, I ran a few errands and then came home to set up dinner since we had a busy night.  I picked up the boys and we headed to the Y for my Zumba class.

We ran home after class and had a quick dinner before heading out to Scouts.  Adrian took AJ to his Boy Scout meeting where they set up new patrols for the next few months.  I took Zak to his Cub Scout pack meeting where all of the boys learned about people with disabilities.  I was able to teach all of the boys the Scout Oath and Scout Law in sign language as part of the lesson.  Daniel came with us and played video games during the meeting.  When we all got home, we did our normal night routine and headed to bed.

Tuesday (2/27) Another day where everyone was up and out on time.  It was hat day for Daniel and Zak and they were both excited to wear a hat to school.  After I got everyone else out and where they needed to be, I headed out to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes and then did a quick change and headed in to sub in the school.  I was supposed to be off for the day, but they really needed help so I went in and had a great day with my class.  I picked everyone up from school and we headed home to finish some homework and have dinner together.

After dinner, we headed up to the school for the district wide art show.  Each boy had a piece in the show so we had fun trying to find their art while also looking at the other art from friends and other students in the district.  We were successful in finding all three boys' art work and soon after we did, Adrian met us after his final basketball practice for the season.  The boys showed him where their art work was, as well as some of our favorites, while I snuck out to do some grocery shopping.  Adrian took the boys home and started getting everyone ready for bed.  When I got home, we got them settled in bed, watched a few comedies and headed to bed for the night.

 

Wednesday (2/28) We were all up and moving early today because I was subbing a full day today.  Adrian and I got AJ out on time and then I got myself and the other boys ready.  We got into school a little early so I could get set up for the day.  I had a great day with my class, they were very well behaved and I got thru everything the teacher left for us.  I also got to see AJ at the school because his class came over for a field trip to the art show.  He was there while my class was at lunch so we go to walk around for about 20 minutes together looking at the art.  It was a fun treat for both of us!

 

When the day was over, I picked up Daniel and Zak and we rushed home to pick up AJ and head to the Y for my Zumba class.  It was a full day so when we got back from the Y, we had dinner, finished homework and just hung out.  Adrian had Bible study so he headed there straight from work.  He got home just in time to help put the boys to bed and then we watched the premier of the new Survivor series.  We already have favorites and were happy with the people who were eliminated first and second!

Thursday (3/1) We all got up and moving on time again today.  I got everyone out to school and work and then headed to teach my Silver Sneakers classes.  Unfortunately my busy week caught up with me and when I got there I realized I forgot my music.  Thankfully I had some Zumba music downloaded and we were able to use that to workout.  After class I once again headed to the school to sub a half day.  I picked up Daniel and Zak and we headed home to meet AJ.  They had a relaxing night at home while I went out to teach my Zumba class.  Adrian made everyone dinner, mac and cheese in the instant pot, and did a great job.  We were all exhausted so after dinner we watched some TV and all headed to bed pretty early.

Keeping Up With...2018 Goals (Feb Recap & March Goals)

February flew by in the blink of an eye!  It's probably because we had two birthdays and multiple weeks that were overbooked.  Plus a few holidays, snow days and lots of work for Adrian and I.  Wow, it was a short month but we certainly packed a lot in.  I also did great keeping on track with my goals, only missing a few things here or there.  Same as I did in January, I will talk a little about how I did with each of the 10 goals this month and then talk about my plans for March to stay on track.

1. Lose 50 pounds (Lost 10 pounds this year, Grade for Feb: A+)

• Meal plan each Sunday - Again, I did this each week for this month and wrote a blog post about it.  It is still helping us to eat healthy and stay on a budget for grocery shopping.
• Count calories for at least 18 days (taking off one week for birthday celebrations) - I tracked calories for 14 days this month so I'm calling that a win.  I'm still struggling on weekends but I am doing a little better. 
• Go to at least one class per week that I am not teaching - I killed this goal!  I attended Body Pump twice, Turbo Kick, Zumba with Nikki and a 4 hour Zumba jam.  I also taught barre & Zumba Toning twice which was a nice switch up to my normal workouts
• Lose 3 pounds - Done!!  I'm super happy with this because I ate a lot of cake, ice cream and pizza this month with my boys.

2. Read 20 books again (Read 3 books this year, Grade for Feb: B)

• Finish 2 books ("Wonder" & "The Bell Jar") - Done!!  I loved them both!
• Make progress on "Americanah" (read at least 5%) - I did not get this book in time to read it at all this month so I didn't make any progress. 

3. Watch 25 movies (Watched 5 movies this year, Grade for Feb: A+)

• Watch 3 movies - We watched Transformers 2, Transformers 3 and Monsters vs Aliens this month.  We are working our way thru the Transformers series and the boys are loving it.

4. Go on 12 dates with Adrian (2 dates this year, Grade for Feb: A+)

• Text our sitter to set up Feb's date to see Chicago - Done!  We didn't love the play, but we loved a night out.  Even a bad night of theater is still a good night.

5. Pay off 1 credit card and my student loans (Grade for Feb: B)

• Sub at least twice each week - I subbed about 6 days this month which was a lot because I had sick kids, snow days and holidays to deal with.  I also subbed a few classes at the Y for a little extra money too.
• Help Adrian work at least 3 hours of OT each week - Adrian finished with about 12 hours of overtime this month, exactly where we want him every month.
• Spend as little as possible - We did pretty well except for a few out of the ordinary expenses like a new tire for Adrian, both birthday parties and summer camps for all three boys.

6. Finish my CEUs for my YMCA certification (Grade for Feb: B)

• Attend one Zumba jam session - Done!!  It was awesome as always.
• Upload all of the CEUs for the jams I have attended - Big fail on this one, didn't do it at all.

7. Clean out the house (Grade for Feb: A)

• Spend 20 minutes each weekend going thru our loft - We did this 2 weeks this month and are making progress.  We will be converting it to a video game room for the boys.
• Finish sorting thru our DVDs - Done!

8. Keep up an active blog (Grade for Feb: A+)

• Meal plan posts every Sunday - Did this all 4 weeks and stuck to it most weeks, yay!
• Week in review posts every Friday - Did this all 4weeks too and they were busy weeks
• Blog about our Disney trip (I never had time to write these out) - I got fully caught up by writing 5 posts about our trip.  I'm glad I finally documented the trip.
• Monthly goal posts the last day of the month - Currently doing it!

9. Play more board games (Grade for Feb: A+)

• Have one family board game night - We didn't technically have a family board game night but we played a ton of games.  I played a few with Adrian and with the boys as well.  And he played with the boys.  I'm calling it a win because we used our games.

10. Improve my classes (Grade for Feb: A+)

• Attend one Zumba jam session - Done!  And once again I loved it.  I added one song already and will add two more that I learned.
• Change ball exercise for Silver Sneakers classes - Done!  They are more challenging and my classes love them.

Here's what I'll be doing in March for these goals:

1. Lose 50 pounds

• Meal plan each Sunday
• Count calories for at least 21 days (taking off 10 days for birthday celebrations)
• Go to at least one class per week that I am not teaching
• Lose 4 pounds

2. Read 20 books again

• Finish 2 books ("Double Fudge" & "Heart of the Matter")
• Make progress on "Americanah" (read at least 10%)

3. Watch 25 movies

• Watch 4 movies

4. Go on 12 dates with Adrian

• Go see "An American in Paris"

5. Pay off 1 credit card and my student loans

• Sub at least twice each week
• Help Adrian work at least 3 hours of OT each week
• Spend as little as possible
• File our taxes and use some of our refund towards a credit card

6. Finish my CEUs for my YMCA certification

• Attend one Zumba jam session
• Upload all of the CEUs for the jams I have attended

7. Clean out the house

• Spend 20 minutes each weekend going thru our loft

8. Keep up an active blog

• Meal plan posts every Sunday
• Week in review posts every Friday
• Monthly goal posts the last day of the month

9. Play more board game

• Have one family board game night

10. Improve my classes

• Attend one Zumba jam session
• Figure out alternating Tues/Thurs workouts

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for Mar 4 - Mar 10)

We followed our meal plan from last week exactly!  Well, maybe not exactly because we flipped around a few meals.  But we made everything we were supposed to make last week.  And everything was delicious!  I stayed under my calorie goal every day last week and I'm feeling really great.  I hope to keep this up for the rest of this year, and longer.  It isn't always easy, but I know it's worth it.  There were many nights when I didn't want to cook, or didn't want what we had planned, but I forced myself to do it anyway.  We are both feeling better and we are saving money, win-win.

This is a weird week for us.  We don't have as much as we normally do but it's still a busy week.  And my parents are coming in for a long weekend so we'll be spending some time with them.  It's looking like only Saturday and Sunday because we have plans all day on Friday.  But it will still be nice to have a family filled weekend.  I haven't talked to my brother yet to make our plan, but I'm hoping to go to his house on Saturday for dinner, then have everyone here on Sunday.  I'm planning to roast a chicken in my instant pot so if we flip, I'll still be ready to go on Saturday.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Crab Legs in the instant pot & salad
Monday - Messy Lasagna
Tuesday - Taco Tuesday!
Wednesday - Salsa Chicken over Cauliflower Rice
Thursday - Pasta (tortellini & gnocchi with alfredo sauce)
Friday - Garlic Herb Chicken & Asparagus
Saturday - Hopefully out at my brother's

Water Flavor - Orange, hopefully for the last time.  I have four oranges left, but two of them don't look great.  If that won't fill the infuser, I have a few limes that I will add in.

Overnight Oats - I already have these set up for the week.  I used my normal recipe and then added flavors to it.  I made two batches of chocolate with butterscotch chips, two batches with homemade applesauce and cinnamon and one batch using mango flavored yogurt.  If that isn't enough for the week, I have black cherry yogurt to make a quick batch mid-week.

Use It Up - I am trying not to shop at all this week.  I'm using up all of the veggies that I have in the fridge this week (cauliflower, asparagus & salad).  I'm using meat we have in the freezer all week.  I'm doing some easy meals like tacos & pasta which also use up some things I buy in bulk when on sale.  And I had a few apples that were turning, so I cut them up for applesauce which we will eat as a side or use in our oats.

Lunches - I'm not making anything this week in order to use up what I have.  I will have either salads or sandwiches for lunch this week.  And Adrian and I will also use up the leftovers we have.  Next weekend I will be making a full chicken so if we have leftovers from that I will make chicken salad early in the week for next week.