I'm up today and full of energy to get stuff done and prepare for a new week! Thank you so, so much again for your comments- there are some truly wonderful (intelligent, kind, thoughtful) people reading this blog and I'm so grateful for that. Truly thankful.
It's Saturday morning and I don't have a big post planned, but I have so much I want to do and want to share for a little bit of accountability.
Today I'm going to a seminar about local bee's with a friend and then going to her house after. This will include a little bit of bridal shower planning that I've got going on.
But before that, I want to really get a lot done in the kitchen. My goal is to create an environment for weight loss success. This will involve cabinet organizing, and food prep. I dream of being able to reach in the refrigerator and have lots of fixings for a salad at my finger tips.
Todays exercise will involve a visit with Billy Blanks and tomorrow we're headed to the gym for strength and the treadmill.
I want to do some menu planning for the week, some bread baking. I want a meal plan for the week and I want to make it as easy as possible for myself.
I want to start organizing the bedroom and start garden planning. Yes folks, this year (like the past two years) I'm going to have a successful garden. I will have a garden. I'm saying this over and over. I have NO idea how to garden and this is always so scary for me. I want to top this off by saying that I live in a town and I don't have a lot of yard space for such adventures. BUT, we do have small spaces that can be turned into a garden. Urban gardening in a small town. I want to do this for the food, but also for the exercise and the feeling of making it happen. Eating food that we grew, there is some sort of satisfaction in that. So planning is happening. Planning and learning.
What else? I have some freelance work to finish, and some jewelry orders to get out. Other than that I want to catch up my reading, and relax a little too.
Here's to a very good weekend! See you tomorrow...
Feel free to share your big weekend plans in the comments, I'd love to hear them.
I agree, I love how candid, real and approachable you are. I have no doubt, that while you may have been struggling to get started, once you find your groove you are going to do great. Hell, you are already doing great. Thank you for sharing.
Gardening is really fun and gives a great sense of accomplishment. I still don’t really know how to garden, but I have had a garden for the past few years and every year we’ve had lots of bounty!
I would suggest tomatoes, zucchini and lettuce because they are easy and give off a lot of veggies!
Yummy, nothing is better than fresh garden tomatoes! Good luck with your garden planning.
I have to admit I’m not a massive gardening fan! Lol but I wish you luck with it because you sound like you really want to make it happen!
As for weekend plans, not much…sleeping, feeling hungry haha… look forward to the next post
http://www.thatgirllooksamazing.com
Mavra xx
I know when I’m trying to be good about eating salads, I try to pick a theme for the week like Asian, Greek, Southwestern, Italian Chopped. That way, I can make myself a really interesting salad without wasting ingredients.
Food prep and kitchen organization is SO important when you’re trying to make good choices. Here are a few things I do:
cut up carrots, celery, peppers and keep them in a big ziplock so I can just grab those when I get that munchy feeling (or for lunches)
I make a huge pot of soup and freeze whatever I don’t eat over the weekend in Glad single servings containers. This makes lunches easy or a quick dinner a breeze.
I make (or prep) one or two meals for the first day or so of the week. I like to be able to come home from work and pop it in the over (then I work out while it bakes)….add a salad, and the meal is done.
Good luck with your week
Oh, gardening! I try every year to have a patio garden (blasted apartment living!) and have had some success, but not as much as I would like.
Since you’re pressed for space, might I recommend Square Foot Gardening? (http://www.amazon.com/All-New-Square-Foot-Gardening/dp/1591862027) My parents used this book (it’s been recently updated) for years in their tiny back yard, and they had bigger crops than anyone else I know. It’s an easy process to follow–designed for people who are not experienced gardeners, don’t have time to be in the garden all day, and for those who don’t have a whole ton of space.
We had our first garden last year. I was intimated to start, but knowing that I had nothing to lose, I went for it. I highly recommend the book Square Foot Gardening. It makes gardening super easy and simple and ours was successful. My husband (and kids) and I are excited to make it even bigger and better this year.
Good luck with the gardening! You’ll have to keep us posted on how it goes, it’s always something I’ve wanted to do, I just don’t think I have the green thumb. I couldn’t even get herbs to grow! Anyway, hope you have a fun and relaxing weekend!
“I dream of being able to reach in the refrigerator and have lots of fixings for a salad at my finger tips.” Good luck with that. I find that a good main-dish salad requires a lot of different ingredients, most of which have a short-shelf life. What I like to do when I’m in the salad zone is to make a non-lettuce mix for about 3 days: grate carrots, chop pepper, cucumber, tomato, slice olives, one or two whatever else. Then each day I take out a portion of that, chop the lettuce fresh and add a protein and dressing. Otherwise the lettuce wilts and the protein gets weird. It’s just easier to chop up a bunch of stuff at once than to take 7 vegetables out every day. If I eat the first serving the same day, the mix stays good for 2 more days. Then the 4th and maybe 5th days I have a non-salad meal before making another batch. Especially in the winter, I can’t have salad every day.
I also buy a lot of frozen vegetables, especially the stir fry mixes, since they 1. do all the prep and chop and 2. defrost quickly either on the stove or microwave. I’ve even taken a bag of broccoli right out of the freezer, let it defrost on my desk in the morning, and just heat up with seasonings at lunch.
I’m planning on making this weekend a success too! I thought I didn’t have time for a workout, but instead of sitting on the couch and watching a movie with my husband tonight, he was on the couch and I was on the bike trainer
Prepping and planning ahead works wonders. Tomorrow is my grocery morning and prep afternoon. I try to plan some quick meals for weeknights that I have some time, and then make some slower meals on Sundays for other weeknights.
Hope your Sunday goes just as well as your Saturday!
Jessica
on youtube there is a girl that lives in boston i think. downtown. she gardens and is the queen of making a little space go a long way. you can find her by putting garden girl tv in the search. try that and you should find her. and hoop houses will extend your growing season too. luck!
Sadly, I’m stuck working all weekend, but I have grand plans for next weekend (maternity clothes shopping, self-indulgent resting/reading time and picking a few new recipes to try).
Loser For Life had a great post on making salad kits (and they looked delicious!). They could be more enviro-friendly by using tupperware to store the kits or reusing the plastic food storage bags. I’m also a big fan of a veggie-dominant soup (Ellie Krieger’s tuscan vegetable soup on FoodNetwork.com is a great one and I have an awesome recipe for butternut squash soup on my blog) with some homemade whole grain or rye bread. The nice thing about soup is that you can make a pot and freeze it in single serving sizes to grab on the go. (Or eat it all week for lunches.)
Oh–here’s the salad kit link:
http://www.loserforlife.com/2011/01/how-to-make-salad-kits/
Weekend plans include setting my fitness goals, going to the gym and taking Sunday off to enjoy coffee and the paper in bed. Monday is a new day for me and I want to thank you for your “It’s time” post it changed my approach and thought process about my goals.
It sounds like you have started in a positive direction with a definite plan for your success. You are an inspiration. Thanks!
I just wanted to say i love how your blog is so candid and real. Ill be following it and i love the recipies and cant wait to try some.
Did an awesome yoga workout today and it made me feel great! Wanted to pass on the great workout vibes and wish you luck on your day today!
HEY I write a blog too about how to alter your clothing after you have lost weight…check it out and please leave me feedback….
http://www.whatwouldrobinwear.blogspot.com/
Robin
I am now your follower, please follow me as well!!!
Good luck with the garden. It can be hard to have a good one when you live in town. I used hanging planters to help save space.
I pre-prep vegetables but don’t mix them until I want them. I find they last longer that way. I haven’t found this to be particularly inconvenient or wasteful, and it definitely makes it easier to eat salad regularly. I also store them in containers instead of bags to prevent bruising, which helps them last longer. Sturdier lettuces like romaine and butter hold up better than iceberg.
But, really, how long does it take to chop a few vegetables? You’d wait much longer than that to have a pizza delivered, and it doesn’t require any effort to speak of. (Ditto sandwiches: I can make a healthy sandwich in far less time than it takes to order out or even reheat a processed, sodium-heavy, frozen dinner.)