Having a hard time getting motivated today - glad my mile is done! And did a few calf raises and squats while I got the laundry going.... I need to focus on 15 minute stints of work or my days will disappear in a haze!
Last night I did my weekly goal assessment to see where I am and what I need to do to achieve them. Not too bad... got to spend some time yesterday working on my quilt strip and got the hand-quilting done! yay! (I haven't touched the thing since last JUNE.... but now for next week, I will assign myself the task of locating the rest of the quilt and figuring out what needs to happen next (not actually DOing it, mind you, unless the timing is right.... but having the step laid out and stuff ready will make it an item for the NEXT week :-)
Good to see progress..... 15 min daily on my entrance (out and in) saw two garden beds cleaned out and a small tree cut down and hauled off, baseboards, doors, woodwork, light switches and light fixtures cleaned, AND a horrible louvered door looks a lot more respectable. I'm amazed what I can do with a little FOCUS!
Pantry Purging:
Pantry Menus Week 3 -
If the item is in BOLD - that means I have it already.. the only groceries I am buying this month are perishables and really good deals on things we use a lot. I do have to chuckle a bit about these pantry purging posts.... I know that most of you, my readers, are MUCH more proficient in the kitchen than I. This is a true learning exercise for me and a great experience :-) Thank you for sharing my journey!
#1 – Random soup, bread and salad
Random Soup... okay random soup is primarily a veggie thing and SO easy! As you go through your week... dump all the leftover veggies & juices and brown rice in a container in the freezer. When you are ready to make soup... dump this into a crockpot. Add a can of diced tomatoes (petite diced for us!). Chop an onion, some carrots and the end of the celery stalks. What’s in your vegetable crisper? Chop it up and add it... Add all the odds and ends of veggies in your freezer – you know.. those little bags with a little bit left? Is there any cooked meat in there? Chop that up too...
okay.. now assess... is your combo more Italian? Mexican? Plain? Add a can of beans that will compliment your mix.. and then spices.... Italian = basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic... Mexican = chili powder, garlic, cumin... plain = bay leaf, thyme, poultry seasoning (for chicken or turkey)
I only skip potato – because I may want to freeze it again if I make too much and the texture of frozen potatoes is not so nice! That said.... if you have potatoes.... cook them separately and blenderize them and THEN add them. It makes a creamer soup that will freeze just fine... (No wonder my freezer is always full - I COOK for it!)
#2 – Meatball subs and cut veggies
(I found a bag of meatballs in the back of the freezer). Add these to the clearance hot dog buns I found the other day with a little marinara and mozzarella from the freezer.... and we are good to go.
BTW - I ONLY buy on sale IF I can schedule it in and have a purpose in mind! If I am not clear on what I will DO with a sale item - it's clutter! I don't care what the price is :-) I DO like a bargain - but that is exactly why I have to do a clean-out every few months!
#3 – Found a package of polish sausage hiding in the freezer... will add some of the potatoes I got on a BOGO last week and a head of cabbage
#4 – 2 packages of stuffing.... added ONE to some frozen chicken breasts and broccoli. Along with a handful of shredded cheddar and a little milk - it was an awesome casserole! Something new :-)
*****Thrive in Five Update*****
Daily Dozen exercises! LOVE this concept - I've sort of been doing it with my "20s". But I will change things up a little.... and follow Hannah's suggestions. I bought the ankle weights - and have found them a nice home in the kitchen so that I can wear the WEIGHTS while I work in there! Having 10 pounds around my ankles should keep the snitching and snacking to a minimum too! More leg work in the kitchen..... arm work too. I am still dealing with shoulder issues so no big weights for now - but I did grab 2 matching water bottles (20 oz bottles are a little less than 1-1/2 pounds each) from the fridge to do the arm exercises :-)
I find that attaching the exercises to an existing habit seems to help make them happen. I already have the habit of doing calf raises and squats while folding laundry (really :-) ) And the kitchen ones should come together nicely.... the floor ones I will have to work on because I am not ON the floor with kids any more. I'll report back on that as I find my groove...
The biggest difficulty I am finding with this program is that I live in the country and use up extra bandwidth (or air time or whatever you want to call it - it costs more!) downloading videos and audio. I don't do it for anyone else - even YouTube - but, Hannah - you are worth it!
What I am loving the most about this program is that it is helping me make the mental changes! It is easier and easier to make good choices as I feel better and more energetic.... but also as I remember that I am special - and I am worth the effort! And, just like I would NEVER be comfortable with MY CHILD binging on high-calorie, non-nutritive food.... I would get up and fix them something healthy! No effort would be too great to help nourish and nurture them..... so too - I should do for MYSELF. What am I doing standing at the pantry door trying to decide if I want to eat cereal out of the box because there are no chips in there?????
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