chapters picks

After my weekly Monday lunchtime yoga, I stopped off for a latte and blueberry bar at Starbucks at Chapters and got sidetracked by all the fun things in the store right now... I'm not a big fan of apologizing for poor pics all the time, but it's warranted here: I was using my poor 'ol BlackBerry. Here's what I found:

Cute eh? Happy Leap Year Day!
-Steph

a menu from pinterest

Over the weekend, I found an ebook I've been slightly obsessed with since called One Bite at a Time by Simple Mom Author & Blogger Tsh Oxenreider. She goes through 52 projects (some bigger than others) that will help you simplify your life. I'll be honest, I don't feel that overwhelmed about things in general (I know, I know, wait 'til I have two kids!), but I just love reading about organizing (I could definitely use some organizing ideas) and life tips in general.

One of the bites (no pun intended!) she offers is around meal planning. I've tried this before, but haven't really stuck with it. My main goal for doing this is to get our food spending under control. I feel like I spend a lot on food.

Tsh mentioned that she goes through her Pinterest food board for menu planning ideas, so I thought I'd have a little fun with that this week.

Here's what I did: Every week, I get a fruit & veggie box delivered to my door, so I waited for the email to tell me what I was getting in my box; then went to my food board on Pinterest to see what I could find to make as part of my meal plan. The goal here is to only get what I need for these particular recipes at the grocery store. I tend to keep a good bulk of pantry items so I also considered those items in my search.

After I found a dish, I added it to my google calendar to keep track of what I'm making. I also added reminders about other things I need to do the day before like soak beans for the quinoa wraps and the sweet potato burgers.

Here's the menu I came up with for the week:

Monday:
Whole roast chicken, potatoes and 'The Best Broccoli of your life'

Source: amateurgourmet.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Tuesday:
Southwestern Quinoa Wrap with a salad. We have some leftover chicken from last night so I'll add some of that to the wraps tonight.

Source: epicureanmom.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Wednesday:
Lemon Quinoa Cilantro Chickpea Salad with pork loin chops

Source: thediva-dish.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Thursday:
Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with Avocado & mixed green salad

Source: kblog.lunchboxbunch.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Friday:
Gnocchi With Roasted Cauliflower

Source: realsimple.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

I realize this all may seem a bit nerdy, but honestly I felt more organized the minute I started working on it. Now I know I have everything in the house to make these menu items so I don't have to stress about what to make as the dinnertime draws closer. Plus, who doesn't love an excuse to go to Pinterest? ;)

How about you - have you found any good tips when it comes to meal planning?

dream room

Source: lauraleeclark.com via Brooke on Pinterest

When it comes to finding a dream room, honestly I never know what I'm looking for in totality. I love certain aspects of some rooms, and certain aspects in other rooms.

I think this is the room. I have no idea why - it just spoke to me.

Yes I know that is extremely cheesy.

And it's all white & beige which is very impractical to have with kids. But I just love this room. It feels rustic and modern at the same time, while super comfy.

Man my tastes have changed over the past few years!