My Reading Corner

I needed a place in my home to call my own.  I needed a quite place to read my bible.  I also love to read so I also needed a place to keep and read my books.  I finally made myself a reading corner in my bedroom.  I'm so excited!  The chair is thrifted from the Goodwill, so is the side table.  The floor lamp and pillow are from Target.

3 point breakfast and smoothie debate

So filling. So yummy.  Some people that do Weight Watchers put the smoothies in recipe builders and count points, not me. Fruit is zero. In a smoothie it still has all the fiber. I never put more than I know I could have eaten in my smoothie, if I ate it instead of drinking it.  I just count what I add. Today I added Almond milk ( 1 cup 2 p+) 1 banana and a handful of blueberries and strawberries.
My omelet had 3 egg whites, jalapeño, onions, tomatoes, 1 slice of turkey (4 slices are 1 pp) and zucchini. I also cooked some extra zucchini on the side.
This breakfast was so filling and so yummy.

Themed Menu Planning Works for us!

So after struggling with menu planning and basically just not getting it done.  I decided to do Theme based menu planning.  My kids seem to always want to know what are we eating?  I would get frustrated with them and just say "you'll see"  or "food"  I don't know why but that really irritated me.  Well I decided to combine the fact that they do want to know what's to eat, with the foods that they like and came up with a menu plan that works.

Basically, I decided each day of the week we will eat the same things.  The menu will be familiar and it will be much easier for me to grocery shop.  Now I am someone that likes to try new foods and cook different things.  This menu doesn't mean I could never do that but now I have my basic guideline.  I decided I would let Sunday's meal be the one where I may try something different.  I do still have a set meal for Sunday but it will also be a flex meal if I decide I don't want to cook that.

Here is our meal for the week:  I have breakfast and lunch as well.  They tend to be repetitive so here is dinner.  We follow a Pescaterian diet.

I write it out in such a way that reminds me what I need for each meal:

Monday - Rice, beans, Salmon, salad, veggie
Tuesday- Chipotle night (like the restaurant) White rice, black beans, salsa, guac, chips, tortilla, lettuce cheese
Wed- Taco night, crunchy taco, lentils, salsa, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, raw onions, rice, beans
Thurs- Salmon, potato, salad, veggie
Fri - Shrimp Fajita night, refried beans, rice tortilla, onions pepper, salad
Sat -  Pizza night (homemade)
Sun - Haitian Meal or Flex Meal

When I write veggie it's any vegetable I choose, beans are usually black or pinto.

Hope this helps someone with their menu planning.  Theme based is great.  The kids get excited.  Especially on Shrimp Fajita and Pizza Night!

Book Review: 20,000 Days and Counting: The Crash Course of Mastering Your Life Right Now

This is a book everyone should read and can read!  It's so short.  I read it in an hour.  However the information I took away from it is invaluable.  The book is about taking into account how many days you have lived and have left to live.  It's about facing each day with excitement, living your life with Gods purpose in mind and realizing you only have two choices in life yes and no.  I believe everyone should read this book and get motivated to positive actions in their life right now.

Book Review: What happens when women say yes to God: Experiencing life in extraordinary ways

This is a great book for a bible study or someone that wants to become more obedient to God.  It gives practical life examples that you can relate to.  I would recommend it as a great way to explore the question of are you "Saying yes to God"  in your life and in all situations.

Book Review: Half of a yellow sun

I have a goal to read 48 books for 2013.  I'd like to read a mix of non-fiction and fiction books.  Here is the first book I have completed in 2013.

Half a yellow sun 
author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This book is about the Biafran civil war in Nigeria from 1967-1970. The story focuses on 3 main characters.  There was a lot of political reference that made it difficult for me to follow.  At first I thought I didn't like the book, however I became deeply engrossed in the characters and what was going to happen.  The book was a mix of emotions.  I thought the it was very well written.  I really enjoyed it and would recommend it. I would categorize it as a character based historical novel that is informative, hopeful and sad.