Menu Plan Monday

Today's to-do list

Take N back to school.
Menu plan for the week; clean/re-organize refrigerator
Knit
Crochet

My To-Do List...

Today's To-Do List...

Breakfast; Scrambled eggs with ham and cheese (done)
Knit
Crochet
Pick up N's Rx, newspaper (done)
Christmas Baking/Candy Making
Clean off mantle; decorate (done)
Sew up N's laundry bag (done)
Clear off/organize computer desk
Clean off microwave/baker's rack



...And What I've Done.


Started a new scarf using 'Nature's Brown' Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool. Knitting a simmple K2, P1 pattern with 21 stitches and size 8 needles. Planning to make this for God-daughter, Jenn, for Christmas.
Today has been a favorite kind of day. After a quick ride to the pharmacy, I've been spending my day at home. The mantle has been dusted and my 'Santa' decorations have been put up. There's a fire in the fireplace and my family is all home. There's plenty of left-overs and some Turkey soup in the fridge. Napping boy, husband watching football on tv, N on the love seat in front of the fire doing school-work before going back to college tomorrow. Lots of knitting for me. A perfect day. A cup of turkey soup sounds good right about now...

Thanksgiving ain't what it used to be...

My favorite Holiday memories are my childhood memories. I'm the youngest of 7 with my 4 oldest siblings already teenagers when I was born. I was an aunt by the time I was 5. Except for one sister, who moved to Washington state with her Navy husband when I was about 10, everyone lived fairly close by. I loved those Holidays when my siblings would come back home with my nieces and nephews. The crowd seemed to get bigger every year. The house was really too small for all of us but we didn't care. As time went on I married and had children of my own, my nieces and nephews married and had children...
As we all know, nothing stays the same forever. Family dynamics change, some Holidays are spent with in-laws... My father has since passed away and my mom lives in a small apartment. She now waits for invitations from one of her children for the Holdays, and this year she'll be spending Thanksgiving with us along with one of my sisters and her son; it'll be a party of 7 and I'm looking so forward to it :)
I make a very traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I don't really experiment much with my recipes; I save that for other times...

So here's what's on the menu...

Roast Turkey
Stuffing
Baked Ham
Mashed Potatoes; Gravy
Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Baked Ziti
Cranberry Sauce
Dinner Rolls
Dinner Rolls

Options

I consider myself a very healthy eater. Not a vegetarian, but I eat very little meat, and it's usually chicken or fish. My favorite meals are made up of mostly vegetables, a healthy high-fiber carb, and a protein. I try to get my protein mainly from eggs and legumes. No doubt about it, the fat in meat definitely enhances the flavor of a meal. What I've been doing a lot of lately is sauteing(sp?) a lot of my food in healthy oil and spices. I find this compensates for the flavorful fat in meat, but is healthier.
I have always loved cooking and making a lot of meals from scratch. I try to bring very little processed food into my home, and recently I've really kicked it up a notch. Since September I've lost close to 20 lbs. I'm hoping to lose another 15. Surprisingly, I'm not finding it all that difficult; there are so many options out there. The most challenging thing about it is that I'm also cooking for the rest of my family who have different diet needs and likes.
But for today, this is about me... <3
Again, I'm so inspired by all the options out there when it comes to eating healthier. I just recently found this site and am excited to try many of the recipes here. There's an endless amount of website's and blogs dedicated to healthy eating.
I've been losing my weight by counting every calorie. A big challenge has been when it comes to carbs. After reading the nutrition facts of so many different products, I found Joseph's. Their items are the most nutritious (high-fiber, low-calorie) of their kind I have found. I just now went to their site so I could link it here. I'll definitely be going back to search for recipes. I also saw that they have an on-line store.
With a little searching, which I'm actually finding fun, many healthy, tasty , options can easily be found...

My first post...

Hmmm...
Where to start?
Living in a house with people who have different diet needs is something I've been dealing with lately. I, myself, have been on a low-fat, high-fiber weight-loss plan. (I've actually already lost about 20 lbs and am trying for another 15).
My son is having digestive issues that we are trying to figure out, which needless to say has been very stressful. We're thinking it may be IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and hoping it's not anything more serious... We're in the middle of finding a diagnosis, but in the meantime being really careful what we feed him; high fiber and staying away from dairy products.
My daughter, who's away at college, but comes home often on the week-ends, likes a healthy diet, but really has no restrictions.
My husband, on the other hand, is pretty much a meat and potatoes guy.
Many days I'm preparing more than one meal to please everyone. I love cooking and putting meals together, and most days this is not something I mind. But some days it's not so easy...
I'm hoping that this blog will serve as somewhat of a food diary for me and my family. And if anyone gets ideas or inspiration here, that would also be great...