It’s hard to believe this is the last full week of March already! I’m thankful that it is ending better than it started. At the beginning of the month I was still taking my anti-nausea meds some days, and I could only manage a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Today I had salmon and roasted beets as part of my breakfast. My husband’s birthday is two weeks away, and I already have his gift bought. This is also the first time in about four months that I have my meals planned before Sunday morning! I’d say things are improving.

This week will be fairly busy. Today is church. I have a chiropractor appointment tomorrow (finally!!!)  I should also get to a local meat market since we hardly have any meat in the house. Both kids have Kindermusik. I have to get groceries. My mom’s group is having a mom’s night out that I’m hoping to go to.

I hope I have time this week to continue to organize and clean the house. Right now I’m working on my daughter’s room.

I really need to get going in the kitchen as well. It’s hard to find snacks for myself since I haven’t done much baking in so long. So I would like to make muffins, scones and graham crackers this week. I want to make gummies for the kids as well.

Now it’s time to get on with my busy week. Here’s what’s on our menu. Eet smakelijk!

**********MENU**********

S (church, puree vegetables, make gummies, bake muffins)
L – cp ham steak, cheesy mashed potatoes, peas
D – squash and sausage soup, TBD muffins

M (chiro, Heffron Farms)
D – sloppy joes, beans, french fries

T (AKM, RKM)
D – (prep ahead) – cp 7 layer dinner

W (groceries, MNO)
D – chicken and broccoli w/ quinoa, applesauce

Th (make graham crackers, dance, soak flour)
D – (early) – crockpot sausage and vegetable medley

F (make scones)
D – soaked date scones (trying a gluten free version), bacon, omelette, fruit salad, roasted asparagus

S ()
D – fish sticks, french fries, roasted cauliflower

Good morning. We’re half way through March already! Time sure goes faster when you don’t spend all of your time on the couch. It also helps that the weather is finally changing. It looks like more 40’s this week!

Last week we kept plenty busy. My husband and I even got to go out sans kids for the first time in about six months!! That was a nice treat. I went shopping for spring/summer maternity clothes. My generous family gave me money for Christmas and my birthday so I could enjoy picking out some new clothes. Now I need nice weather so I can wear them. We also had a fun family celebration for my birthday. I did end up making pie. I’m glad I did. We’ve all really enjoyed it.

This week is pretty busy. We have milk pick up. I have a psychologist appointment. I have a prayer friend event with church. We have co-op pick up. I also have a MomBreak meeting.

I *think* I’m finally feeling somewhat normal. Not 100%, but close. 17 weeks was the magic number with my other kids. Today is 17 weeks!! I’m starting to have a bigger appetite finally. In spite of that, I still weigh 2.5 pounds less than when I got pregnant. So I’m doing my best to keep eating. At least I’ve gained 5 pounds back that I had lost. I’m trying to make sure I get enough protein and calcium as the baby’s bones are being formed.

I’m not sure about kitchen projects this week. I have a running list of things I’d like to make when I feel up for it. Maybe I’ll try to cross one or two off this week.

Now on to the menu. We hardly have any meat in the house right now. So it’s hard to plan meals. I’m glad we have co-op pick up this week. I know we’ll get some meat in that order. I need to figure out where we want to order some beef and pork from! I miss having my freezer stocked.

What’s on your menu this week? Eet smakelijk!

**********MENU**********

S (church)
L – cp chicken breasts w/ vegetables
D – misc./leftovers

M (milk, Dr. V.)
D – (prep ahead) – goulash, corn

T (AKM, RKM, bowling)
D – (prep ahead) – cp split pea soup, TBD

W (co-op, WT)
D – (separate) – crockpot pork and beans, corn muffins

Th (dance)
D – (early) – crockpot meatballs, vegetables, rice

F (MB)
D – pancakes, sausage, fruit salad, roasted asparagus

S ()
D – pan-seared salmon, roasted potatoes, roasted cauliflower

It’s that wonderful time of year…when we lose an hour of sleep. At least my kids shouldn’t be up early today. Hopefully my body will cooperate with the time change. So far I don’t think baby likes Mommy being up so early.

This week is somewhat busy. Today we have church, and my husband has an orchestra concert. We have Kindermusik, grocery shopping, dentist (me…boo) and a MomBreak steering team meeting.

I’m still not feeling good enough to do much around the house or in the kitchen. So no big plans for this week. I should make a special treat for Friday…since it’s my birthday. But we’ll see if I have the energy or not. Sweets still don’t sound that great to me anyway. So it would be more for my family than for myself.

I had my thyroid levels checked yesterday. There have been no improvements in the last couple months. In fact my levels were a little worse. So now I wait to hear what the doctor recommends.

Here is what’s on our menu this week. What are you eating? Eet smakelijk!

******MENU******

S (church, concert)
L – leftover corndogs, french fries, beans
D – (prep ahead) – cp ham steak, potatoes, carrots

M ()
D – squash and sausage soup or TBD

T (AKM, RKM)
D – (prep ahead) – cp pork chops, rice, broccoli

W (grocery shopping, dentist)
D – (prep ahead) – hamburger corn bake, applesauce

Th (make dessert?, dance)
D – (early) – cp 7 layer dinner

F (MBST, birthday)
D – take out or TBD

S ()
D – TBD

It’s March!! Finally. Yet I still don’t feel great, and the weather is still very cold and snowy. That’s not what I expected. All in good time.

Last week was somewhat busy…but not super productive. I had high hopes of getting things done. But my body did not agree. This week is another busy one. Hopefully it will be more productive as well.

We have church, Kindermusik, a check up with my OB, a doctor appointment for my daughter and MomBreak. I’m so excited I get to hear my friend Donielle from Natural Fertility and Wellness speak (and spend some time chatting with her too)!

I don’t have any big plans in the kitchen yet. I hope that soon I’ll have the energy to start experimenting and baking again. I could make a new batch of gummies, some kind of breakfast baked good (muffins or banana bread), pudding (if we have enough milk) and cookies.

I’m so excited that I finally finished my last post for 2013! Come back tomorrow to check it out! I was amazed at how difficult it was to write it. But I’m glad I did. Now I can finally focus on 2014 and the rest of the year ahead.

I might try working with my son a bit on expanding his pallet starting this week. He has become quite picky over the last year. With his allergies on top of it I struggle to feed him healthy, nourishing food. So I’m going to take my own advice for a picky eater and see how it goes.

Now to figure out meals my family can and will eat for another week. What’s on your menu? Eet smakelijk!!

******MENU******

S (prep lunch, church, make pizza crust, make gummies?)
L – cp chicken and vegetables
D – homemade gluten free pizza w/ pepperoni, sausage, peppers, onions and olives

M (make cookies, soak beans)
D – tacos

T (cook beans, prep dinner, AKM, RKM)
D – (prep ahead) – cp chili, TBD

W (make pesto, Dr. E.)
D – pesto chicken pasta, garlic toast, roasted brussels sprouts and cauliflower

Th (Dr. M., dance)
D – (early) – macaroni and cheese, beans

F (MB)
D – bacon, scrambled eggs, baked apples, broccoli

S ()
D – gf corn dogs, french fries, guacamole w/ chips

Welcome back. It’s the last week of February! I’m so glad this month seemed to go by much faster for me than January did. I’ve been looking forward to the end of February since the middle of December. Why? Because I knew I’d be in the second trimester and starting to feel a little better.

And I am! Today is 14 weeks (and I certainly have popped!). I’m just starting to improve each day. I’ve been off my anti-nausea medication for three days now. I still have a ways to go before I feel “normal” and have my full appetite and energy. But it feels very good to be moving in the right direction. I’m already so anxious for it to be March. And I’m anxious for nicer weather. But it looks like that might not come for a while yet.

It looks like we’ll end the month with a busy week. Today is church, and we are going to a hockey game (probably…we’ll see how I feel). We have milk pick up, Kindermusik, grocery shopping and dance.

I didn’t end up doing much baking last week. It doesn’t look like there will be much time for it this week either. But I do need to make a batch of mayonnaise, gummies and chocolates. Abram has been seeing us eat Valentine’s chocolates every day. And he’s not too happy that he doesn’t get any. So I need to make some he can eat today.

I’m hoping to get some more posts up this week and finish my 2013 updates. Then I can finally move on to 2014!

Have  good week. Eat some good food. I’m using lots of recipes from my site this week. Eet smakelijk!

*****MENU*****

S (church, make mayo, make chocolates, hockey game)
L – sweet and sour meatballs, cheesy mashed potatoes, squash
D – at the game

M (milk, make gummies)
D – hamburgers, onion rings (gluten free version), beans

T (AKM, RKM)
D – (prep ahead) – cp corn chowder, TBD

W (groceries, WT)
D – chicken and vegetable stir fry over rice

Th (dance)
D – (early) – cp tomato soup, grilled cheese

F ()
D – homemade pizza

S ()
D – salmon cakes, homemade potato chips, roasted brussels sprouts

Good morning. This is an exciting week. Why? I will be leaving the first trimester (yeah!). And the weather is starting to change. We might have a couple 40 degree days!! It’s like a heat wave. Sadly it will come with rain…and then get cold again and freeze. But I’m excited for some warmer weather. Spring is coming.

We really don’t have too much going on this week. Monday and Tuesday are winter break, so no school. We still have Kindermusik, dance and MomBreak.

Last week we managed to make some special Valentine’s Day cupcakes and heart-shaped pancakes. I don’t have any big baking plans this week. But I know the kids are anxious to do more baking with me. Maybe we’ll make a batch of graham crackers or muffins.

I’m still not feeling great, but am noticing minor improvements. I was able to do some decent house cleaning yesterday. And we even went out to eat!

I also had bloodwork done. Just standard pregnancy stuff. Everything looks great.

Hopefully this week my kids will give me a few minutes to write so I can post my health update. It’s been fun to look back at last year and see just how much things changed.

For now it’s time for the menu. What are you eating? Eet smakelijk!

*****MENU *****

S (church)
L – cp beef roast w/ vegetables
D – leftovers

M (make graham crackers, no school)
D – hot dogs and brats, french fries, beans

T (bake bread?, no school, AKM, RKM)
D – (prep ahead) – chicken noodle soup, bread

W (co-op)
D – (separate) – tater tot casserole, applesauce

Th (dance)
D – (separate) – beef and bean burritos

F (MB)
D – sausage, chocolate chip scones, smoothies, sauteed zucchini

S (nephew’s birthday party?)
D – at party or grilled steak, baked potatoes, broccoli w/ cheese sauce (on side)

I made it. I made it through yet another week. And now I have to plan meals. I really don’t want to think about food. In case you missed my little secret, go check out why I could care less about food right now. But my family must eat. So I’ll do my best. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I’ll be feeling better and be able to start eating better.

Our week isn’t too busy. Both kids have Kindermusik. I have to go grocery shopping. I have a MomBreak steering team meeting.

Last week I made homemade gummies for the kids. They always love it when I do. The one problem…a huge batch is already gone. We’ll see if I have enough energy to make another batch this week. I love having them on hand since they are so healthy. I also made myself some squash scones. I figure it’s at least a little bit of vegetable I’m consuming. Since Friday is Valentine’s Day I told the kids we might be able to make cookies or cupcakes. I hope I can actually do it now. I would love to make either granola bars or breakfast cookies that my son can eat. We’ll see what time and energy allows. I think that’s it for kitchen projects this week.

Last week I finally pulled out the box of maternity clothes. So this week I get to wash them all. And see if there is anything I can wear yet! Today is a big day for me. 12 weeks! Quite a milestone.

I hope to work on my health update this week. There is so much to tell!! Be on the lookout.

Here is this week’s menu. As usual right now I’m going for simple and tolerable. How about you? Eet smakelijk!

****MENU****

S (church, make gummies)
L – cp pork chops, noodles w/ gravy, broccoli
D – (separate) – pizza, grilled cheese

M (make breakfast cookies or granola bars, put away laundry)
D – lasagna, beans

T (AKM, RKM, orchestra, make chicken broth)
D – (prep ahead) – cp roast chicken w/ vegetables

W (Meijer)
D – sloppy joes, salad

Th (bake cookies/cupcakes, dance)
D – (early) – beef and bean burritos

F (MBST)
D – heart -shaped pancakes w/ strawberry topping, scrambled eggs, roasted cauliflower

S ()
D – grilled steak, baked potatoes, broccoli w/ cheese sauce

Happy Groundhog Day! I’m praying for an early spring this year. Until then we keep plugging along. And I hope my children don’t get lost in the snow.

This week is a bit busier than the week’s we’ve had lately. We have milk pick up. Both kids have Kindermusik (last week one was cancelled due to weather and we didn’t go to the other because of a dead car battery). I have a doctor appointment. We have parent teacher conferences and dance. And we have a MomBreak meeting. Hopefully this week my daughter will actually have school every day too. Last week she had three snow days.

I don’t have any big kitchen plans this week. Although it would be nice to make some kind of muffin or cupcake that my son can eat. And I’d like to make a batch of homemade gummies. My kids haven’t been getting much gelatin in their diets lately.

I have a lot of updates coming in the next few weeks. I’ve got a lot to talk about. So I’m breaking it down into three or four separate posts. Be on the lookout.

Here’s what’s on our menu this week. I need a lot of prep ahead meals for our busy schedule. What are you eating this week? Eet smakelijk!

****MENU****

S (church)
L – cp roast beef with potatoes and carrots
D – pizza, cheese and crackers, chips, beans

M (milk)
D – macaroni and cheese, broccoli

T (AKM, RKM)
D – (prep ahead) – cp 7 layer dinner, applesauce

W (Dr.)
D – chicken nuggets, peas, seasoned rice

Th (PTC, dance)
D – (prep ahead/early) – cp meatloaf, baked potatoes, carrots

F (MB, basketball game?)
D – pancakes, bacon, sauteed zucchini, mixed berries

S (clean)
D – TBD

Finally, the last week of January! This is starting to feel like the eternal month of winter. It looks like this week will be more of the same…cold and snow and cold and snow. I am so anxious to be able to get outside when it’s nicer weather. But it could be quite a while before we can do that.

This week isn’t too busy. Kindermusik starts again for both kids. I should go grocery shopping too. We’ll also be getting together with family on Saturday to celebrate my dad’s birthday.

I need to make a new batch of gluten free bars and mayonnaise this week. My daughter keeps begging for cupcakes. We’ll see if we have time for that.

Here’s what’s on the menu. What are you eating this week? Eet smakelijk!

****MENU****

S (church, soak flour)
L – cp pork roast
D – leftover spaghetti

M (make gf bars, make cupcakes)
D – hot taco rice

T (AKM, RKM)
D – (prep ahead) – TBD w/ leftover pork

W (make mayo, co-op, WT)
D – TBD casserole

Th (groceries, dance)
D – (early) – tater tot casserole, applesauce

F (hockey game)
D – salmon cakes, fries, peas

S (basketball game)
D – at game?

Welcome to the new site!! You’ll have to bear with me while I figure out how to use WordPress. Hopefully at some point I’ll get the site looking a little more to my liking. But for now I’m sticking with simple.

This week is another relatively slow one. Tomorrow there is no school/no work. So we get a three day weekend. Friday I have a MomBreak meeting. That’s about it.

Last week we finally got our new oven. So far I’ve only used it to bake corn muffins. Hopefully this week I can try it out a few more times. I need to make some gluten free bars. I should also make some more snacks and breakfast foods.

I think my thyroid medication is finally doing something. I haven’t had any leg swelling or pain in a long time. So hopefully I’m getting closer to my ideal dose. I have to give it another 6 weeks before I get my levels checked again.

On to the menu. What are you eating this week? Eet smakelijk!

****MENU****

S (church, soak flour)
L – cp chicken with potatoes and vegetables
D – misc. leftovers

M (no school, make bars)
D – hamburger corn bake, applesauce

T ()
D – salmon cakes, tater tots, broccoli

W (co-op, WT)
D – cp split pea soup

Th (dance)
D – (early/separate) – cp pork chops, potatoes, vegetables

F (MB)
D – pancakes, scrambled eggs, peaches

S ()
D – TBD