May Goals

Personal

• Read the Bible and Pray, Daily 
• Journal
• Go on a 30+ minute Walk and do squats, at least 3 times a week
• Drink 8+ Cups of Water a day
• Get "ready" in the mornings (4-6 mornings a week)

Relationships

• Go on at least 2 dates with Jason
• Follow The Love Dare book
• Pray for Jason and Gavin specifically, every day
• Have a Family Picnic at the river
• Take Gavin to a park
• Write a letter to someone, just to tell them I'm thinking of them
• Call someone to tell them I'm thinking of them

Household

• Make a list of ingredients (and recipes) I need for homemade skin care - budget
• Start organizing/tagging items for July consignment sale 
• Implement a new chore schedule
• Deep clean and organize master bedroom

Home School

• Take Gavin to the Library once a week (preferably on Story Time days)
• Go on (at least) one Spring Scavenger Hunt
• Concentrate on Math Readiness
• Concentrate on Reading Readiness
• Learn about the Solar System
• Learn about Time
• Go to the Museum (at least once)
• Start Handwriting

Misc./Baby Prep.

• Start on Baby's afghan (crochet)
• (Paycheck 5/1) Buy a diaper bag, diaper pail, baby wipes, shelf, baby hangers and Sleep-style nursing bras
• (Paycheck 5/15) Buy either breast pump and milk storage bags or Oils and Butters to start skincare

Meal Plan: 5/1

Below is a general idea of what we will be eating over the next 2+ weeks. Several of these meals are planned to last through the entire month.
I will be making several of these meals in bulk and freezing them for later use. :)


Breakfasts

Coconut Yogurt and Fresh Fruit
Cereal/Granola (I will be making enough granola for the month)
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Milk
Scrambled Eggs and Sauteed Veggies
Bananas with Nut Butter (and/or Granola)
Oatmeal (will have enough for the month)
Smoothies


Lunches

Scrambled Eggs, Sauteed Veggies, Toast and Fruit
Sandwiches with Fruit or Veggie Stix (will have this twice a week)
Salad and Homemade Crusty Bread
Spinach-Artichoke Dip with Homemade Crusty Bread
Chik'n Lettuce Wraps (on homemade wraps)
Homemade Bean Dip and Chips (will have this once a week for the month)


Dinners

Homemade Pizza (once a week for the month)
Pasta with Marinara Sauce (once a week for the month)
Pasta with a white sauce (once a week for the month)
Salad and Homemade Crusty Bread
Fajitas on Homemade Tortilla Wraps
Eggplant Burgers (once a week for three weeks - already in the freezer)
Steamed Veggies or Stir-Fry over Rice, and Apple-Chicken Sausage for Jason (once a week for the month)


Snacks/Desserts

Fresh Fruit
Veggie Sticks and Hummus
Homemade Crackers
Apple Sauce
Homemade Coconut Ice Cream
Homemade Lemon Cream Bars

Berry-Lemon Coffee Cake

Berry-Lemon Coffee Cake by Jessica Lynn

Enjoy!

Grocery Haul - April 1/2

Just a video of the groceries we bought for the first two weeks of April.

Mini Reviews:

• Cliff Bars & Z Bars - Really tasty. Lots of flavor varieties and just sweet enough without being too sweet. Will repurchase.
• Pure Bars - Filling but not heavy and flavorful, but not too strong or too sweet. I would repurchase, but only on occasion because they are kind of expensive (about $1.50/bar)
• TJ's Organic Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats - I found these to be kind of hard and dry, but my son really enjoyed them and I think they're a good alternative to traditional rice crispy treats for vegan kids.
• TJ's Traditional Style Fat Free Refried Beans - A good, typical, canned refried bean. I would repurchase, but I wouldn't make a special trip for it.
• TJ's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - Way too sweet for a semi-sweet chip. Don't plan to repurchase these.
• Inner Peas - These are SO good! They're like a healthy cheese puff, minus the nasty, chemical cheese flavor. Will definitely repurchase. And honestly, I would make a special trip for them.
• TJ's Whole Wheat Bread - Fresh, soft and filling. I would repurchase.
• Organic Brown Rice Pasta Fusilli - I love that this is GF, and you can't even tell!
• Blueberry Muesli - My son really enjoyed this, however, I found it to be very dry and bland. I wont be repurchasing.
• Joe's O's - TJ's brand of Cheerios. Really nice with a little honey drizzled over it and some organic soy milk for breakfast.
• TJ's Dried Apricots - Very moist, juicy and sweet. I would repurchase.
• TJ's Organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chips - A fairly typical blue corn tortilla chip, but they're organic and not overly salty.
• TJ's 12 Grain Mini Snack Crackers - These were nice to snack on, but nothing extra special. I would repurchase, but wouldn't make a special trip for them.
• TJ's Banana Chips - These were sweetened, and in my opinion they were too sweet, so for that reason I wont be repurchasing them. I would purchase their unsweetened variety to try.
• TJ's Chicken-Less Strips - My husband said he really liked these. My son didn't seem to mind them. And I did not like them at all! I guess it's the soy protein aftertaste I was picking up on, but the flavor did nothing for me. If my husband requested them, I would buy them again, but for me, I would not repurchase.
• TJ's dairy-free cream cheese - My husband really liked this. To me, this again had the same plastic-y taste that most vegan cream cheese alternatives have. I may or may not repurchase this.
• Lightlife Smart Dogs - My son loves these, and meat eaters have told me they couldn't tell they're vegan.
• TJ's Tuscan White Bean Hummus - My husband and son both really enjoyed this! I however did not care for it at all. I felt the "white bean" flavor was too overpowering. I would repurchase this only if my son or husband asked.
• TJ's Vegetable Masala Burger - These aren't my favorite burgers, but again, my son and husband really liked them. And they have a really good list of ingredients. I would repurchase.
• TJ's Organic Baked Tofu, Savory - A delicious and perfectly acceptable sandwich meat alternative! Will definitely repurchase, and would make a special trip to get it.
• TJ's SoyCreamy Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert in Cherry Chocolate Chip - This is a good ice cream alternative. However, it does have that soy aftertaste, which I'm not fond of. I would like to try their Vanilla flavor.
• Mochi Ice Cream, Green Tea - My husband really enjoyed these and wants to try the other flavors.
• TJ's Organic Soy Yogurt, Vanilla - This was a descent dairy-free yogurt. Again, it had that soy aftertaste which I really don't care for. But my son really liked it. I might repurchase. Wouldn't make a special trip for it.
• TJ's Soy Yogurt, Strawberry, Peach - These were rich and creamy with just enough flavor. Perfect for a snack or breakfast, and I didn't find them to have that annoying aftertaste that most soy products do. I wouldn't make a special trip, but I would repurchase.
• Silk, Unsweetened Organic Soymilk - We really like the taste this gives, especially for cereal. It taste just like "regular" milk, in my opinion. 

What We Ate - April 1/4

A video of most of the meals we ate the first week of April.