Easter: Day 31

Today we had another family day. We enjoyed a lot of snuggling in bed and then had a late yummy breakfast.  I made the simplest homemade biscuits that tasted great!  Click here 'biscuit recipe' if you want to try them.  We also had turkey bacon...since it was a holiday I decided to ignore the fact that I recently read an article that said processed foods have a correlation to cancer.  We love bacon, so I think  we will reserve it for holidays only. It was nice outside with little wind, so we went for a family hike and brought along our morning coffee.
Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs,  3 biscuits, 4 pieces of turkey bacon, and an orange juice and coffee
We skipped lunch but I did munch on some chocolate easter candy, I kept going back to the bag...so lets say 2 large handfuls! I also had another rice crispy treat.

I decided to go with a simple Easter dinner.  We don't have family near us so for most of the holidays except for Thanksgiving (which we spend with great friends) it's just us.  So I cooked a pork tenderloin.  I had just grabbed a seasoned one at Wal-mart, turns out that I grabbed the peppercorn and garlic one....and boy was it peppery.  It was way too spicy for all of us.  We mixed it in with the potatoes to help with the spice.  But never again will I buy that one.
Dinner:  Mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, and peppery pork tenderloin.
Dessert:  5 peeps

Lazy Day: Day 30

Today was beautiful and relaxing.  We took the boys to two Easter egg hunts today.  We also treated ourselves...yep..the yummy scone I always talk about and my favorite coffee.  We really went to two different coffee shops to get exactly what we wanted.  This of course was our second breakfast.
First breakfast:  Berry flake cereal
Second Breakfast:  yummiest chocolate chip scone and best coffee ever

I was so full from the scone.  I'm pretty sure my stomach has shrunk a bit and I'm not nursing as much so I'm still adjusting to how much I should eat.  I took a two hour nap with my toddler, he wasn't feeling well.  It felt nice to lay in bed with the curtians open and have the sun hitting my face while I napped and read.  I snacked quite a bit today.

Snacks:  A handful of bunnies,  4 peeps, and 3 rice crispy treats!

As for dinner...I totally forgot to take a picture.  I think I was so hungry from not eating lunch that it wasn't until I was on my last bite that I remembered that I hadn't.  We had meatball subs.  I really tried to cut down on the bread tonight.  Trying to make up for all the treats I had today.  I'm so glad Easter is tomorrow.  My family really enjoys treating themselves during holidays...and holidays to us start days in advance.  For example we have birthday Months...not weeks or days but totally celebrate birthday month...it can get treat dangerous!!

Dinner:  Half a whole wheat hoagie bun with 5 meatballs (no add cheese) and a spring mix salad with honey mustard

Family: Day 29

Oh hello doughnuts!  Even though my husband has some things to finish up before being completely done with his PhD; today we pretended that all was done.  We snuggled in bed as a family until the boys were going stir crazy.  The two of us stayed in bed reminiscing of when we didn't have kids and could read books and drink coffee in bed; mean while hearing our toddler in the kitchen unrolling the foil and wax paper and emptying out a box of zip lock baggies.  There's alway a price to pay if I stay in bed longer.  We decided to finally get up out of bed at 7:30am (yep that's sleeping in) and all go get doughnuts.  I hate to admit it but I ate 3!  
Breakfast: A chocolate glaze, blueberry, and coffee role, & iced coffee

We went to a near by zoo today and then to their town playground with the boys.  It got a little chilly so we had a picnic in the car.

Lunch: Whole wheat bread, turkey breast deli meat, and swiss cheese.  A handful of strawberries and grapes.

So my greatest Easter candy weakness are peeps.  I love peeps.  My husband thinks they are horrible.  That just means more for me.  I've held back but finally broke down and bought them yesterday at the store.  Holidays treats are the hardest for me to control.

Snacks:  3 handfuls of jelly beans and 5 peeps

We needed a quick dinner so I heated up the frozen pizza we had in the freezer.  I ate way too much of it!  Tomorrow is suppose to be beautiful and we hope to go on a hike, maybe I can work off some of today's food.  
Dinner:  Spring mix salad topped with light honey mustard dressing and 2 1/2 large pieces of pepperoni pizza.

Blah: Day 28

Not sure what happened today.  I think it was the nice weather we had yesterday and today rainy and cloudy.  Whatever it was...I started my day off with a scone.  It was actually quite disappointing.  The little coffee shop I go to has so much better/fresher scones than Starbucks.
Breakfast:  Venti coffee light and sweet and a cinnamon scone

I went to the grocery store today. I usually go to a regular grocery store but today decided to go to Walmart.  Walmart is significantly cheaper and every so often I go there, but once there I remember why I don't go every week.  It kind of turns into a black hole and I get sucked into all the things I think I might need...cleaning supplies, beauty products, cheap clothes for the boys...and then all the crazy people.  I always have some incident at Walmart, today was not any different.  As we are about to go to the checkout my oldest son says "mommy I have to poo poo".  I think GREAT, we are at Walmart (which equals gross bathroom), I forgot the wipes in the car, we've been walking around here like zombies for and hour and half and all the meat is sure to go bad soon, and if I leave my cart outside the bathroom while my son takes his 15minute poop...will it still be there when I return. I took a deep breath and said "ok, lets go to the bathroom".  So the large stall was full so he went in a little one.  Mean while I had my youngest asleep on my chest in the baby carrier.  When it was time for me to wipe him...I couldn't quite reach, we had to stand with the stall door open and I wasn't doing the best job and then my toddler's sleep head falls back and hits the toliet paper dispencer....all I could think was 'is this really my life???'.  We finally finished up and headed to the checkout.  So after leaving the twilight zone of Walmart, we were starving so I stopped at Sonic and treated myself to a cheery Dr. Pepper and a burger...it was just one of those days!

Snacks:  I had a handful of strawberries and grapes, and a couple handfuls of bunnies

Since we had eaten lunch so late we just had a quick dinner after the boys went to bed. Dinner: Chicken patty with spring mix, swiss cheese and ketchup

Sunny Day: Day 27

Late Post:
Yesterday was sunny and beautiful!  We spent most of it outside, went to brunch as a family, and my husband and I got to go on a date!  Loved the whole day!
Breakfast: Half egg and cheese on chabatta bread and half whole wheat pancakes and of course yummy coffee.

We spent a million hours at the park, skipped lunch but made it to town for ice cream.
Snack:  Mint chip kiddy cone

We finally decided we were starving by 2:30 so I made us all chicken wraps.

Late Lunch:  Chicken wrap, spring mix salad, mustard, and cheese

We were in a rush to get out of the house to go see Louie CK, so we skipped food.  We did get a chance to grab a drink at a bar.  I had a pear sakatini!  Delicious.  I also had a beer at the show.  We didn't eat out, everywhere was crowded and closing since it was a Wednesday.  My husband grabbed some McDonalds, I resisted the urge to get something at the drive through and just ate a few things we had at home.  So glad I didn't eat a yucky burger!
Late Dinner:  Bowl of strawberries and grapes, cheese tortilla with whole wheat chips and salsa.  Also a few handfuls of jellybeans

Snack-attack: Day 26

The days are getting longer!  Which is good, I forget how much I love being outside in the late evenings of Spring and Summer.  However, my oldest kid is on Spring Break, which means I have no break throughout the day.  My husband and I had them bathed, dressed for bed, and already fed by 5:30.  Then we patiently waited as the sun slowly....slowly went down, if it's not dusk, it's not bed time to my boys.  We stayed home all day which is out of the ordinary for us.  We played outside and went for a walk but were close to the house.  Also at my house all day was easter candy.....well I gradually took care of that problem!
Breakfast:  Coffee and a bowl of Cheerios

Since we did hang around all day I decided it would be good to go ahead and cook the two whole chickens that I frantically bought at the grocery store, once I realized I'd lost my list.  One I boiled on the stove (will use the stock sometime this week).  The other I roasted in the oven with some carrots.  It's amazing how easy it is to cook a whole chicken.  I don't know why this amazes me...but it does and I'm glad I do it.  I kept my word from yesterday and stuck to eating a salad for lunch.
Lunch:  Spring mix, red onion, roasted chicken, a pieces of swiss cheese, tossed with light honey mustard dressing

Over indulging is a danger I face when I stay home and/or have easy access sugar around. Hence the line of snacks
Snacks: cup of grapes, handful of bunnies, 3 handfuls of Reeses (husband ate the rest), 2 handfuls of jelly beans, and half an apple!

Dinner was strange.  I didn't feel like making rice or making chicken noodle soup so I pulled out that stuffing package left from Thanksgiving again (it's gone now).  Dinner:  Turkey stuffing, roasted chicken, carrots, and broccoli

Heavy Food: Day 25

Today my husband and oldest son went to the city for the day.  I was totally planning to treat myself to breakfast or lunch but for some reason, it just didn't work out.  Instead of going out for breakfast after dropping the boys at the train at 7:30am, I remembered I had a bagel left at home from the weekend.
Breakfast:  Everything bagel, egg, cheese, and ketchup with coffee

I ran errands after breakfast until about 2pm.  I had skipped lunch which wasn't good because I had stopped to buy Easter basket fillers and of course I opened the candy!  By the time I made it home I was starving and ate a big plate of leftover spaghetti, it was more turkey meat and sauce than noodles.
Snacks:  3 handfuls of starburst jelly beans, and 1 handful of reese candy eggs
Lunch:  Spaghetti leftovers (turkey meat, kalamata olives, marinara sauce)

 The other night I had soaked some black beans and yesterday I cooked them and put them in the fridge.Before picking up the boys from the train around 5:30 I whipped together a quick dinner of black bean soup.    I only ate about a ladle and a half of it because my belly felt like lead.  The bean soup was a new recipe, I think it is a keeper.  Click here if you want the simple recipe 'Bean Soup' .I added chili powder and garlic powder.  I really ate some heavy foods today...feeling kind of yucky!  Planning to have salad as one of my meals tomorrow to make up for the heaviness of today.
Dinner:  Black bean soup topped with a little cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and purple onion.

Steak: Day 24

Another fun family day.  We did another Easter egg hunt, but this time at a horse farm, the boys loved it.  My phone wouldn't let me take any pictures because it was full.  So I didn't get a snap shot of the yummy blonde brownie I ate from the bake sale at the hunt.  Since Easter is sneaking up, treats are starting to sneak into my house and into my mouth!  I at about 8 pieces of various chocolates that came out of eggs.  What happen to putting stickers or fake tattoos in the eggs?  My kids don't need chocolate...I don't need it either!

My breakfast was a little disappointing...but the good side is my hubby let me sleep in....I'll take that over pancakes, well most days I would.
Breakfast: A bowl of Cheerios with a sprinkling of sugar and my coffee

The egg hunt was at 12:30 so we were all starving by the time all of the activities were over.  We needed to do some errands in a town close by and decided to treat ourselves to lunch there.  One of our favorite places to eat out these days is the Texas Road House.  Not because we are from Texas or that the food is the best ever, but because it's loud so it's no problem bringing the kids, it has animals on the walls that my toddler can point at and make sounds to (so I can eat), and the best reason...you can get a steak with two sides for $8 at the early bird special.  Yep, we are the early bird special people! I do love the food too.  For years I wasn't a big steak fan, sure I'd eat it, usually dipping every piece in ketchup.  It wasn't until I accidentally was given a rare steak that I realized my love for it.  For me now the bloodier the better!  It's amazing how much flavor gets cooked out of it. No need for ketchup.
Lunch:  A rare 6oz. steak, mashed potatoes, and fresh buttery veggies, and a cherry lime-aid

I was still full from lunch, so after putting the boys to bed I just heated up a bit of last nights leftovers.
Dinner:  One sour cream enchilada, toped with salsa, and a few whole wheat tortilla chips
Dessert:  A handful of chocolate chips

Family Dinner: Day 23

Today felt like a Saturday! Our family got some good quality time together, which was much needed!  I made one of our usual weekend breakfasts.  We went to a Easter egg hunt at 10am today, still snow on the ground but it was fun.  Even though I didn't get the treat of brunch I did get to enjoy a yummy coffee (no pic).  
Breakfast:  Everything bagel with egg and cheese and later a coffee
Snacks: 5 little chocolate kisses from the boys Easter eggs and when we got home I had a banana.
Lunch:  Chicken patty, swiss cheese, and a small salad with honey mustard
The other day I had bought a bag of breaded frozen chicken patties for my husband for lunch.  This is not something we usually have in the house but he wanted something quick, easy, and substantial for his lunch so I thought these would do the trick.  They came in handy when we came home today from the egg hunt and wanted something fast.

I mentioned in one of my posts how I'm addicted to family dinner books that are accompanied with recipes.  The one that I've like the most so far is  "The Family Dinner:  Great Ways to Connect with Your Kinds, One Meal at a Time" by Laurie David.

When reading these books I have to ignore the fact that the women writing them are famous/rich for example Laurie David is Larry David's ex-wife and the woman who wrote "Dinner A Love Story" use to be someone high up in the magazine Real Simple.  When they talk about hiring a Danish cook to help them or rave about their simple recipe for rack of lamb, it reminds me that I don't have the means that they have and I shouldn't hold myself up to expectations that I just am not able to meet.  So, I can't have a beautiful gourmet dinner on our family table six nights a week.   But I can aim for three!  The Family Dinner book really inspired me to take the extra step in our family dinners.  We always eat at the dinner table together as a family if we are home.  But the book makes you take it a little farther than that and gives great suggestions on how to make dinner more special esthetically and emotionally.  I just took on a few of David's ideas and our family dinners totally transformed.  We enjoy them more and don't just eat the food I cooked in six minutes and then get up.  Now that my husband is done with dissertation I can get back to our special dinners 3-4 times a week. The pitcher of water is a suggestion by her.  It's amazing how that one gesture can make the dinner seem more special.  My oldest son loves to have the fruit that is in the water for dessert, he thought of this on his own!
Dinner: Sour cream chicken enchiladas (will give recipe next time) and a giant salad.  A beer (no pic)
Dessert: Weight Watchers ice cream cone

That Lady: Day 22

Today's main goal was to get grocery shopping done and for husband to finish his dissertation.  Both were accomplished!  I took the boys early to the bounce place in the mall to get some energy out before going shopping.  We grabbed breakfast and snacks for the boys from the target grocery area; not the best selection.
Breakfast: 4 mini blueberry muffins and a Starbucks Coffee. I also had a few handfuls of bunnies (the bunnies are on sale for 2 boxes for $4 at Target, that's a great deal!)

So, I'm 'that lady' at the grocery store that looks half out of her mind with crazy kids.  I always get one of those gigantic grocery carts that has the car at the front.  My four year old sits there while my toddler sits near me.  My boys pretty much eat their way through the grocery store.  They start in the berry section, then to the bananas, and of course we always grab a muffin.  We make our  way to the fish man (not sure what his official title is)  he so kindly takes a lobster out to let my boys look at it every time.  Really so nice of him.  I try to do the parameters first at the grocery and then hit the middle quickly where all of the processed food sits.  It's an aim of mine to have more fresh food than boxed/canned food in my cart or in our bellies each week. This is a difficult task.  Today was a normal grocery experience, until I lost my grocery list!!  We were just finishing up in the meat section.  I must have dropped it along the way.  I totally rely on the list.  My four year old at this point had exited the giant car and was playing some kind of hop game on the tiles and my toddler was begging to be nursed.  I tried my hardest to remember what was on the list, I grabbed cereal, peanut butter, and spaghetti noodles and then went into survival mode.  I went back to the meat area, grabbed two whole chickens on sale.  I decided that with two chickens we could make just about anything and be fine.  So I have to sit down tonight and figure out our meals for the week.  There is going to be a lot of chicken!

We got home from the store around 2pm so we just snacked a bit, kind of a strange mix yogurt and eggs.
Lunch:  Fat-free vanilla yogurt with fresh raspberries and a hard boiled egg.

Dinner was simple and fulfilling.  Dinner:  Spaghetti with marinara sauce and kalamata olives sprinkled with mozzarella.  A mixed green salad with light ranch and croutons. I also treated myself to a raspberry wheat beer.