Monday, September 30, 2013

31 Days of Eating Home Cooked Meals: Week 1 Dinner Menu

Tonight is the eve of eating whatever is left in the pantry that's processed or that I may not buy again, so enjoy it. Tomorrow is October 1st the start of a new era in the Pangburn household. I guess it's weird to start on a Tuesday, but it is technically the first of the month. I'm excited to see how it all turns out.

I'm starting with one week. Just get through this week and the possibilities are limitless, I tell myself over and over again. My friend Nicole, at The Fresh Kitchen, has given my a dinner meal plan for this week. It is simple and fresh. I can't get it wrong! Breakfasts will consist of fruit, oats, and eggs. Lunches will be leftover pork loin in the freezer, that I had cut and divided into portions and what veggies I had that her meal plan did not call for.

WEEK ONE:
Tuesday - Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

Wednesday - Tuna Pasta and Roasted Broccoli

Thursday - Spanish Tortilla and a Side Salad

Friday - Curried Coconut Tomato Soup and a Side Salad

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - Coconut Red Lentil Soup

I'm looking forward to each one of these meals. Tomorrow is a new day and a new beginning. Feel free to try out these recipes and let me know how they turn out.

Tonight it's all about processed foods and chilling while we watch Criminal Minds. We have a slight obsession with this show. I had a box of  Blueberry Struesel Muffin Mix and they will go great with a cup of coffee and an episode of Criminal Minds.



I am going to update Facebook daily on my progress. I'll come in at the beginning and the end of each week with a blog post on my success or failure. Super excited for this new adventure into the domestic domain.

3rd times a charm, right?

I sure hope so. I have tried twice to do a whole month, roughly 30-31 days of eating only home cooked meals. I started with a bang September 1st but couldn't get through the week without picking up some take out. So around 9 days in I decided to start over! Also, a huge failure on my part. I kept it going for nearly another week before succumbing to dining out/in. I am determined to do this, but I have to many guidelines. A friend of mine at 2 Kids on a Couch started the challenge for herself and her family. I though it was a great idea so I told her I would do it as well. She was very successful and has a great system. You can read all about at her blog. I on the other hand had NO system. NO plan. So disaster was inevitable.

I have a plan this time. With the help of a friend from college, at The Fresh Kitchen, I have a plan. I'll touch more in detail on how awesome she is later. This month of October will be about learning to cook easy, basic meals with fresh ingredients. I need to learn the basics.

I would love to hear your thoughts on eating at home and how you do it. I would like to hear from you if you struggle with it as well. I like to know I'm not alone. Please join the challenge. 2 Kids on a Couch is going into her second month, strong! My friend at The Fresh Kitchen, joined the challenge in September and kept to it! She didn't blog about it, but she did. Check out her blog, she has some amazing recipes up there. I think another friend from college is joining the challenge too. Her blog is My Life: A Work In Progress. Check her out. She does reviews and giveaways. Her blog is always a good read.

Well, here we go again!

Monday, September 23, 2013

EOHM Update: It's only been TWO weeks?

So I just realized that it's only been two weeks since we started over and we've done horribly. I need to learn to cook Mexican food because it is my husband's and my weakness. It's been 14 days and we've dined out at least 4-5 times. What is wrong with us?! I'm trying to figure out why this is so hard for us. I have had a few bad days due to health issues, but I don't think we are truly committed. We need to try and finish our the next 16 days without dining out or ordering out. On days that I do cook every single meal, we feel so accomplished. I keep telling myself that if I were only feeling better this would be a problem, but the truth is there will always be that next obstacle! There will always be a reason to falter. Well, I really want to stick to this challenge.

I do think that poor planning on my part is the main reason I haven't followed through. Half the time I shop without a plan. I go down every isle in the grocery store with out direction or purpose. I think I should plan my meals way in advanced and only buy for the meals. I need to come up with a game plan. I need a definite menu plan for 6-7 meals a day. Breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and right before bed snack. My husband is trying to put on muscle and I'm eating for two. My daughter is just always hungry. I have 7 days left in this month to plan properly and execute said plan. I'm going to research recipes and techniques for making meals ahead.

I can do this. You know what they say... "try, try again". Well, this will be my third attempt. If anyone has any advise or ideas...PLEASE send them my way. If you would like to start with me in October let me know. I think I'll make guidelines for myself. I'll think of them and post them tomorrow.

I CAN AND WILL DO THIS!!!

Monday, September 9, 2013

Starting Over #EOHM

So I decided to start over. Last week was tough. We dined out 3 times! Awful. Just awful. Since September is shot, we decided to revisit the challenge with a slight change. Instead of eating only homemade meals for the month of September, we decided that we would only eat homemade meals for 30 days, starting with today. I fail a lot. I make promises I can't or don't keep. I disappoint myself and others often, but there's always grace. I pick myself up and try again. So, here's another chance to try again. The first attempt I put too much pressure on myself to get it right the first time. Be perfect, I told myself. This time I'm taking it easy and going simple. No complicated menus. If we eat the samething every day so be it. Oatmeal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and chicken and rice for dinner every single day will be boring, but it's a start.

I would like to invite you, my readers, to join me. I like accountability and the more the merrier! I will instagram all meals and snacks using hashtag #EOHM to help me stay accountable. You can LIKE my FB page A Girl Of Many Hats for daily updates. I will update the blog once a week with a recount of that week's triumphs and failures.

Let the challenge begin! Again!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

EOHM Day 3

Today was a near success.

Breakfast:
My super quick & simple take on Mediterranean burritos & rolled oats. I scrambled eggs with a little butter, onions, red & green bell peppers, & tomatoes. I filled the best flour tortillas from HEB with the scrambled eggs and topped with feta cheese. Other then the butter, cheese, & veggies, I did not season the eggs. The rolled oats were doctored only with a bit of brown sugar.


Lunch:
For my daughter and I, lunch consisted of an assortment of fruits, veggies, & spreads.
• Greek yogurt
• Grapes
• Cucumbers
• Apples & peanut butter
• Leftovers from the night before
My husband was unable to stick to the pact for lunch today due to an unavoidable situation at work so he ate fast food.
**I forgot to take a picture of lunch

Midday Snack:
Flour tortilla with feta and avocado


Dinner:
I'm very proud of dinner tonight! We had grilled pork chops, steamed green beans, & baked sweet potatoes. The pork & beans were not seasoned. The sweet potatoes had a tiny bit of butter & brown sugar.



All in all I'm happy with the outcome of the day & can't wait to do better tomorrow. 

Monday, September 2, 2013

Eating Only Homemade Meals All of September!

HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!

So a friend of mine on Facebook stated that her and her family had made the commitment to not dine out or order in for the whole month of September. I thought, "What a great idea!". So after talking it over with my husband we too made a commitment to each other to do the same. As an accountability measure I decided that I would blog about it. I have a lot going on right now; doctor appointments, I'm starting a new and FREE Zumba Fitness class at our church, I'm pregnant, I'm working toward becoming a sales director in my Mary Kay business, a vendor fair that I'm helping organize, and I'm in charge or participating in several ministries/events at our church. As usual I have too much on my plate, by my own choice, and need a way to stay accountable.

This is really what this blog is all about, my struggles and victories of being a Girl of Many Hats. So, y'all help me be accountable, please!

Day One
Major FAIL. We decided to do this the night before and hadn't gone grocery shopping. The first of September was a Sunday, which is our busy day of the week. I luckily had food for breakfast, but had to buy lunch and dinner because we had to hit three different stores to purchase food for the next couple of weeks. We only had enough time to drop of the groceries at home before heading right back to church for choir practice and evening service. So Sunday was our mulligan. Our only mulligan. No more.

Day Two
Success! All three meals and snacks were homemade. We had to go to the Kia dealership to have the oil changed in the car, so I packed drinks and snacks so we wouldn't be tempted to hit up a vending machine or fast food window!



I'm looking forward to the next 28 days.

Good night!