Monday, July 30, 2018

Farm Fresh Meal Plan | July 30th

Our Weekly Meal Plan (Whole30, Paleo)


Last week, I used eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes from hubby's farm in a few dishes as he has quite the eggplant production this year.  I also pickled some eggplant and made another batch of dill pickles using a recipe from Serious Eats.  (Love that site!)


Monday - Southwest Chicken Salad after Lincoln's final tee ball game of the season!

Tuesday - Paleo Stroganoff

Wednesday - Sheetpan Eggplant Parmesan with Pasta

Thursday - Eggplant and Scrambled Egg Hash

Friday - Flounder, Black Beans, Veggies,* and Bulgar

Saturday - Breakfast: High Protein Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Lunch: Sandwiches

Dinner: Leftovers

Sunday - Leftovers

Also, has anyone tried a meal service like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh?  I'm trying to evaluate if something like this would be helpful after the twins arrive or if a meal planning service like Paleo Plan would be better.  I'd love your thoughts!




Have a great week!





Find previous meal plans here.
**Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie for Meal Plan Monday**

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and then purchase a product, I may earn a few pennies for referring you to the site.  

Monday, July 23, 2018

Farm Fresh Meal Plan | July 23rd

Our Weekly Meal Plan (Whole30, Paleo)


Last week, I used eggplant from hubby's farm in a few dishes as he has quite the eggplant production this year.  I'm expecting the same this week, but I really need more eggplant recipes.  We were not fans of the eggplant parmesan last week.  I canned another batch of pickles, this time adapting an recipe from Serious Eats.  I'm labeling each batch to compare and find our favorite pickle recipe.


Monday - MIL is bringing BBQ for after L's teeball game

Tuesday - Leftover Bowtie Pasta with Farm Fresh Tomato Sauce* and Baked Eggplant*

Wednesday - Leftover Orange Sriracha Drumsticks with Stir Fried Veggies* and Rice

Thursday - Seven Spice Roast Beef with Veggies* and Fruit after t-ball

Friday - Flounder, Black Beans, Veggies,* and Bulgar

Saturday - Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs

Lunch: Sandwiches

Dinner: Leftovers

Sunday - Leftovers

Also, who has Joanna Gaines' cookbook, Magnolia Table??  I know it's not Paleo, but I really want it!  I just think it needs to sit next to my Pioneer Woman Cooks and Pioneer Woman Cooks Dinnertime.  What do you think?
Image result for magnolia table cookbook
Source: Amazon

Image result for The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Source: Amazon
 
Image result for The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime
Source: Amazon
  Have a great week!





Related Post: Healthy Cheesy Potato Soup


Find previous meal plans here.
**Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie for Meal Plan Monday**

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and then purchase a product, I may earn a few pennies for referring you to the site.  

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Viking Themed Nursery Ideas and Inspirations

Every baby has a theme.  Little Prez had a farm theme, Little Princess had a mermaid theme and Little Viking has a corresponding theme!

His nursery theme is . . . Vikings!  I wanted something unique, masculine, and adorable.  I really like the adventure themed nurseries I've seen on Pinterest, but it seems like the adventure theme is just a bit too common at this point for me.  So, I decided to take a Norse spin on the adventure theme and use a Viking Nursery Theme.

Viking Themed Nursery Ideas
Be Brave Print

Viking Ship Bookends

I think this was the first Pinterest picture that came up with my first search, and even though I probably will never buy these awesome bookends, I think they are perfect for a shelf or top of a dresser in a Viking themed nursery.


Viking Ship Sheets

Hanna Andersson Viking Themed Nursery Sheets

There is a crib sheet set available in the boat fabric that I'm very tempted to buy even though it's a bit more than I would usually spend on crib sheets.  (Okay, maybe I've never even bought a crib sheet that wasn't at a garage sale, so maybe that shouldn't count.)


Waves Area Rug

And I just adore this waves rug!  It comes in a variety of sizes both rectangular and round, but I think the round version just works with the round waves for a Viking themed nursery.

Wave Rug for Viking Themed Nursery


Viking-Inspired Sleigh Crib

This sleigh crib from Pottery Barn just says Vikings to me, but unfortunately it's not longer available.  I did find a similar one from Bratt Decor on Amazon.  You can check it out here.

Viking Sleigh Crib for Viking Themed Nursery
Pottery Barn Larkin Sleigh Crib


Viking Ship Mobile

Viking Ship Mobile for Viking Themed Nursery

There are several versions of this Viking ship mobile available from a variety of websites, but this is one is my favorite, by far, because of the navy striped sails.


Be Brave Viking Wall Print

And last, but not least, this Be Brave print is super cute and is the perfect color scheme as well.  Unfortunately, it is no longer being sold at the Etsy shop where it originated, so I may try to make one on my own!

Be Brave Print for Viking Themed Nursery


Viking Pillow

And I almost forgot this adorable pillow from Hanna Andersson.  The red doesn't quite fit with my blue and grey them, but I really like this little guy!


I'm on the lookout for more inspirations and products for my Viking themed nursery!  Can't wait for my little Viking to arrive in a few days!








Monday, July 2, 2018

Farm Fresh Meal Plan | July 2nd

Our Weekly Meal Plan (Whole30, Paleo)


Last week, we tried to use lots of farm fresh veggies and we have more farm fresh veggies on the menu this week from Song of the South Farm, my hubby's market garden.  I'm making a big batch of zucchini muffins to freeze this week, so we'll have some quick breakfasts already baked!

peppersMonday - Scrambled Eggs and Country Potatoes*

Tuesday - Couscous Salad* with Quesadillas

Wednesday - Brats and hot dogs with cucumber salad*

Thursday - Cheesy Potato Soup*

Friday - Potluck with Friends

Saturday - Breakfast: Oatmeal

Lunch:  Sandwiches

Dinner:  Company's Coming...Gorgonzola Alfredo Pasta with Chicken and Eggplant*, Salad*, and Strawberry and Blueberry Trifle*

Sunday - Lunch:  Sandwiches

Dinner: Seven Spice Roast Beef with Veggies and Fruit


Have a great week!





Related Post: Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie Recipe


Find previous meal plans here.
**Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie for Meal Plan Monday**

This post may contain affiliate links.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

July Goals: Mission to Financial Freedom


Time for an update.  I missed June, but here's where we stand on May's Financial Goals.

May 2018 Financial Goals
  1. Add at least $500 to our emergency fund. - Done
  2. Pay at least $500 extra toward student loans. - Done
  3. Update our budget. - Done, but no budget meeting
  4. Stick to or be under budget for the month.
  5. Start couponing again for diapers and other essentials.  Garage sale more? - Nope
  6. Work on starting or improving a revenue stream.  Side hustle, woohoo! - Nope
Summer is always a weird time for us financially because I am on a nine month schedule and my hubby's businesses only generate revenue during the academic year as well.  I also teach summer classes for extra income, but I don't know from summer to summer how many classes will be open for me to teach.  Usually, I teach two classes per summer.  This summer, I have three, which means extra income to put toward our goals.  This next year, my husband will be opening a CSA (community supported agriculture) business, Song of the South Farm & Market Garden, so we hope to have more consistent summer income from that new venture starting in 2019.  **fingers crossed**

July 2018 Financial Goals

1. Add at least $500 to our emergency fund. 

We are expecting twins in September, and because it's a high risk pregnancy, we have spent a lot of time at the doctor's office getting ultrasounds to check the boys' progress, which means we are also spending quite a bit of money on those ultrasounds and visits that are not part of the normal pregnancy costs.  

I've also read that giving birth to twins is on average 5x more expensive than giving birth to a single baby, and that families have been bankrupted by having complications with twins right after birth.  So I definitely want to make sure we have set aside some funds for medical bills when the time comes.  We are obviously praying that we make it to the magic 37 week mark and don't have any complications, but many twins arrive much before that and must spend time in the NICU.  So far, our insurance has been great, but I'd rather be at least a little prepared, just in case.  

2. Pay at least $500 extra toward student loans. 

Yep, same goal again as May.  We have cut our student loan balance in half in the past few years, but haven't been as diligent in the past year as we should have been.  I'm torn between putting more money in our emergency fund for the twins and paying off loans, but at this point, I think we need to balance the two because interest adds up so quickly.  Especially on graduate student loans.  

Image result for student loan meme
Source: Memedroid

Related Post: Like a Gazelle

    
3. Update our budget and have a budget meeting.

Our budget is pretty consistent each month with the biggest variables being costs for electricity and food.  We spend less on gas in the summer because my husband doesn't have to commute an hour every day, but our biggest downfall lately is, you guessed it, restaurants.  I've been super tired during this pregnancy, and it's so easy to just pick up pizza or go out and have someone else serve us dinner.  But, it has to stop.  For real.  NO MORE EATING OUT!  



4. Stick to or be under budget for the month.

May the odds be ever in our favor.


5. Start couponing again for diapers and other essentials.  Garage sale more? 

Garage sales are hard work here in South Carolina where roads make no sense and it takes 15-20 minutes just to drive between sales, so garage sales may not be in my future, but I'm going to start monitoring for sales with essentials like kids' clothes.  

Couponing may be possible, it just seems to take so much more time.  Why?  Who knows.  Probably because of the three screaming children running circles around me.  Ha!  At the very least, I'd like to get a diaper stash started for the twins because nobody likes running out in the middle of the night for more diapers.


6. Work on starting or improving a revenue stream.  Side hustle?


Does selling used kids' clothes to Once Upon a Child count?  I don't think so, but that's the most progress I've made on this one.  Maybe this month we can brainstorm better ideas!

Related Post: Three Crazy Ways to Make Extra Money


You can read more about our Mission to Financial Freedom HERE.


What are your financial goals for the month of July?


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