day 1, meal 3

apples with almond butter & honey.

day 1, meal 2

this is so much yummier than i expected. just some avo slices, lime squeezed over them and a drizzle of olive oil. loved it!

day 1, meal 1

wicked intentions for a lovely new year

one thing up front. i might (will) post things here and then two posts later i will repeat the same thoughts or ideas because i have an awful memory. deal with it.

sooooo. i don't like the word resolutions, i don't like to look at myself as a problem. i like to classify them as intentions, that's probably obvious.

i spelled out my main intentions in the last post but since then i found this detox in whole living magazine and i am going to do the first 7 days. i've come to realize and accept that i need to set realistic goals, which for me have to be small. i can't commit to the 28 days because i am not confident that i would succeed. 7 days, i can do. and the first 7 days are the hardest, IMO. it's cutting out caffeine (we haven't discussed my extreme love and dependence on my morning cup, 3 cups, of coffee), soy, wheat, dairy, eggs and peanuts.

i feel like i need a jump start and i think that would be a great beginning. i might even go on to week 2 but for now, it's 7 days for me. i tested one of the recipes from whole living, a two bean vegetarian chili. it was pretty fabulous, even with butternut squash. hubs and b1 loved it, that is saying alot.

i'll try and post pics of my six meals a day, let's see how i do.

more wicked lovely intentions

wow, how much do i stink at this blogging thing?

i swear i write out posts in my mind but it's so in the moment that later i often feel silly feeling how i felt earlier. if only i could transmit the thoughts straight here from my mind. scary thought, and who knows - that might just be possible someday.

in my random nature, here's what's on my mind.

*i am still desperate to be crafty. i need to work within my limited ability. accomplishing small projects brings me joy. doing something i wanted to do just for me, is rare. recently i made paper stars and am working on flower fairies this evening.

*i need to stay on top of menu planning. it feels good to make a menu, shop for groceries based on said menu and never be stumped for what to cook (thus ending up eating out, we've had vietnamese sandwiches for dinner one too many times)

*meditation. ha! can't remember the last time i carved out a few moments to sit in silence and just breathe. it is one of my greatest intentions though and my husband has expressed an interest. partnering up would be a dream, even though we've had major blowouts with one another recently

*exercise. ugh. why can't i just be one of those people who can't live without it, who are driven to it and thrive from it. i want to be one of those people. there are many excuses......mainly time. but i know i can make it happen and that i need to. i've gained back about 10 lbs. i don't want to talk about it.

*peaceful parenting. i feel like i am getting caught up in life. the days are long but the years are short, gretchen rubin says so! i feel like i need a method of staying present, mindful and absorbing the joys (along with the, let's face it, plain shitty, days). i am losing opportunities being frazzled, getting upset, not taking the time to turn something into a game or a lesson. i want to return to that state. THAT is the mom i am in my heart and i need to return to being her in every moment.

*blogs. i am enchanted with so many blogs these days. from vegetarian cooking, to baking, to crafting. i'm loving them. and i want to start sharing them.

so this is where i'm at. i'm also going to place an intention to post something once a week here. i don't know if anyone has ever seen this blog, but for me, i need this. if you do stop by, could you say hello so i know someone is out there?

why can't i just do it?

i haven't meditated, i haven't exercised. i know there are moms with more kids than me. maybe with kids AND a job. maybe with a husband who travels regularly. and i know they blog. i have all these ideas and INTENTIONS, but then i actually FORGET about this blog!

i might be overthinking it. no one is counting on me to make something of this, so i'm just going to put things out there and hope eventually that things come together.

maybe this can be an alternative for therapy. this is where i'm at. it's my birthday. i usually bake myself a cake but didn't have time. i spent my morning at the mall with my kids. my husband has been out of town for the past week. we had subway for dinner.

my goals for this week are to create a healthy menu for the week. our oldest is a vegetarian. he chose to give up meat when he was 3. hubs and i have joined him but never consistently and neither of us have even lasted a year. we're trying again. hubs says we will have a meat free thanksgiving, we'll see.

so far my menu intentions are: chile relleno casserole, homemade pizza, tuscan chickpea soup, nutloaf. maybe a white bean chili. i am also hoping to make enough homemade crackers for the week.

i want to complete week 1 of c25k again. i want to do a sensory tub for b2 and b3 and fill it with shredded paper. i'd like to sew one headband.

there are so many craft projects i want to do. i don't follow directions well and my sewing skills are non-existent. i desperately want to learn to make a few pieces that i love and make tons of them in cute patterns.

wish me luck this week. i'm a year older which is kind of like new year's day for me. i think of all the things i want to do but haven't. i want to stay mindful of my goals and intentions and not get caught up the busyness of the day.

i want to keep up this blog!

meat free sloppy joes

this picture totally does not do this dish justice. i should have taken it open faced. this recipe has such great flavor and i was surprised as soon as i bit into it. i doubled this recipe thinking i'd be able to freeze half, that did not happen!

a little background. my 8 year old son is a vegetarian. has been since he turned 3. we were eating burgers and he asked where they came from. not one to lie (no promises of santa, tooth fairy or easter bunny, in our house), i told him they came from a cow, the kind that say moo. they live on a farm and then they die and are cut up for food. he said 'that is disgusting.' he never ate meat again.

my husband and i have gone thru phases of not eating meat but neither of us have lasted longer than a year. we are now 3 weeks meat free and are trying to maintain it for good. we are planning our first meat free thanksgiving too!

by the way, the buns are also homemade. i've been having a lot of fun baking bread lately!