A Spirit of Gratitude: March 2017

 March brings its own reasons for gratitude.  Warmer weather (for some of us).  The first day of Spring.  The first flowers blooming. It's all good! 

I Am Thankful For:

My mom's birthday

The grand kid "playing guitar" for me

A trip to the zoo

A movie and dinner date with my 2 favorite guys (aka: the Man of the House and the Male Offspring)

Spring time Oreos with bees on them!

Not eating any of those Spring time Oreos
The grand kid making pizzas

Losing 7 pounds!

A Bird in the Window is Worth...

We have this silly little bird who comes each day and sits in our kitchen window sill. 

Sometimes he'll just sit there, cocking his little head as he seems to watch us.  I imagine it's sort of like a reverse zoo. 

(Bird: "Look!  Human's in their natural environment.  Ooooh... is it feeding time?  What do they eat? What's that one over there doing? Humans are so funny!)

He doesn't just sit though.  Sometimes he taps at the window.  A lot of the time.  Several times a day he's out there just tap, tap, tapping away. 

It started during the last cold spell when we had a bit of snow.  The Man of the House thought maybe he was cold and wanted in.  I tried explaining to him that he definitely didn't want to come inside as this is the territory of a grumpy cat who would love nothing more than to get his paws (and claws) on a feathered friend. 

I worry he's going to hurt his little beak.

Sunday Inspiration: Spring is Coming

When It's Just Not Worth It

So, the other day I had to make a grocery store run to pick up a few items.  Which doesn't sound very exciting, I know...  stick with me.

On this particular day, I was also tired.  And grumpy. And by the time I got out of the house, finished up at Hobby Lobby, and made it to groceries, it had been several hours since I had eaten.  This is the perfect storm to create a major weakness in those of us trying to eat healthier.  Mo matter how determined we might pretend to be most of the time. 

By the time I had every item on my list loaded into the cart, my grumpy/tired/hungry side had me convinced that I deserved a treat.  Definitely something chocolate.  And preferably something involving pastry.  Because my grumpy/tired/hungry self knows I love a chocolate donut.  (This is also common knowledge to all my other selves)

As I was already away from the bakery section and up near the registers, I thought maybe I would grab one of those little packages of mini donuts.  Yes, the prepackaged ones with the fake, waxy chocolate frosting.  Don't judge me, please. 

Fortunately, there was some tiny, rational part of my brain which managed to briefly seize control long enough to read the label.  And almost passed out when I saw the calorie count was over 400!! Yikes! 

A choice had to be made. On one hand - I really wanted that chocolate donut.  On the other hand - over 400 calories??

Maybe a simple little Twix would be a better option...  A peek at the front of that label informed me I was still looking at over 200 calories.  *sigh*  Better.  But not great.

I'll have you know that I left the store that day with out a chocolate treat.  Because when faced with the numbers, I just couldn't. The sugar war rages on.  But this particular battle is going down as a win.

(I now realize that the story never really did get much more interesting following that first sentence.)

Let's Make Plans

As y'all probably know by now - I'm a list maker.  I love a list and I make them for, well... pretty much everything!

One of those lists happens to be a weekly meal plan. It's a handy little tool which I highly recommend!  It assists me with everything from making my grocery list to staying on track when I'm trying to eat healthier.  I also try to post the meal plan on the fridge to help reduce the endless question "Mom, what's for dinner?"

Every week, I sit down on the day before grocery shopping day and make my plan.  Here's a sample (this week's actual plan)

Sunday:

Breakfast: 2 whole grain waffles, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 sliced nectarine
Lunch: 

Dinner:  Eat out

Monday:

Breakfast:  2 eggs, whole grain toast

Lunch: Deli style tuna sandwich

Dinner: Spinach Lasagna

Snack: 2 graham crackers w/ 1 tbsp nut butter

Tuesday:

Breakfast:  Whole grain English muffin w/ 2 tbsp nut butter, banana, 1 cup almond milk

Lunch:  Turkey taco salad

Dinner: Sirloin Tacos

Snack:  1/4 cup homemade trail mix

Wednesday:

Breakfast:  Chia seed pumpkin muffin, 1 cup grapefruit, 1 cup almond milk
Lunch:  Chinese chicken salad
Dinner: seared tuna, steamed broccoli, brown rice

Thursday:

Breakfast:  breakfast burrito

Lunch: Minestrone soup, 1 whole grain pita

Dinner: Spaghetti squash w/ tomato sauce and ground turkey

Snack: 2 oatmeal raisin cookies, 1 cup almond milk

Friday:

Breakfast:  Strawberry, banana, cocoa smoothie

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner:  Veggie burger with whole grain bun, sweet potato "fries"

Snack: 1 orange, 1 oz dark chocolate

I then make my shopping list based on the meals I have planned.  It certainly helps keep me focused when I'm shopping so I don't fill up the cart with junk food! 

 Until recently my meal plans only included dinners.  But I have found that by including lunches and dinners I do a much better job of  making good choices about lunches and snacks instead of just grabbing what's quick or whatever junk I'm craving.

Do you make a meal plan?

Sunday Inspiration: The Rains in Early Spring

Sunday Inspiration: Morning Light

Currently... March 2017

Normally, about this time of year I would write something about looking forward to the start of Spring and warmer weather.  But let's be honest... around here it's felt like March (or maybe April) since January!  For all of you who have actually experienced a winter this year - I hope you are looking forward to warmer weather and Spring days.

March is looking rather quiet right now.  I'm very much ok with that considering how quickly the first two months of the year flew past.  It will be nice to pause and take a few deep breaths.  Of course, one never knows what might pop up out of the blue!

Before that has a chance to happen, let's take a quick peek at what life looks like right now.

READING:  "Still Life" by Louise Penny.  Some time back, a dear friend sent met several books in this series.  Which have been sitting on my nightstand for months.  Time for that stack to move, so I am placing them high on my To Be Read list for this year.

EATING:  As of yesterday - I am reducing/eliminating refined sugar.  So far, I am struggling.  Sugar has a serious hold on me.  It's going to be tough to break this.

WORKING ON:  A lot of Spring and Easter items for my Etsy shop

ENJOYING:  Quiet time in the afternoons.  Each day, I am trying to be intentional about making a block of time when I turn all my electronics off and I take a little while for myself to sip a cup of tea and read or crochet. 

ANTICIPATING:  Um... good question.  I can't think of any specific thing I'm  looking forward to at the moment.  Just a general sense of looking forward to making plans for the Spring and Summer.

FEELING:  Like I really, really, really want a cupcake. Or a donut.  (Did I mention that I'm off sugar?)

What are you up to Currently?  Leave a comment and let me know!