Motivation for a Healthier Lifestyle

So many of us are trying to move towards a healthier lifestyle, and of course the New Year is a great time to start. 

Via

But really and truly, any time is a great time to start. 

Any movement is better than no movement. 

Each and every healthy choice is an improvement over an unhealthy choice. 

Via

I really wanted to bring the leftover meatloaf for lunch today. But one of the things that works for me when I am on Weight Watchers is to keep my points super low throughout the day so I can enjoy a 'normal' dinner in the evening and a glass of wine. 

I'm also trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my meals as I feel I stepped away from that for a little while. 

Via

So, despite the meatloaf craving I took the time this  morning before work to prepare a spinach salad: baby spinach, scallions, tomatoes, sliced boiled egg, crumbled bacon, and Gorgonzola. Light on the bacon (1/2 slice, crumbled) and light on the Gorgonzola. A drizzle of olive oil, some mango balsamic, salt and pepper. 

It's not meatloaf but it's a mighty good salad. And in the end, my body will thank me for it. 

Via

Since I was struggling with the battle of the meatloaf I know many of you out there who are also trying to embrace a healthier lifestyle may also be struggling. 

Together we can work to motivate each other. Together we are incredibly powerful. 

Little changes can make a big difference. 

Via

We can do this. 

We WILL do this. 

Via

We can do it together. 

Who's in?


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Mouth Watering Meatloaf

I think one of the most comforting meals on a cold winter's night is meatloaf served with mashed potatoes and gravy. It's one of my all time favorite meals. And it's one of my sweetie's favorite meals also so we both get pretty excited when I make it!

And I must say, I make a pretty darned good meatloaf. 

Not to toot my own horn or anything. 

Ok, maybe just a little. 

But look - see? Isn't your mouth watering just looking at this?

It wasn't always like that. I remember when I first moved out on my own many, many years ago I missed my mom's meatloaf something terrible. I thought, ok, how hard can it be? Get some chopped meat, add a bunch of stuff into it, and it's meatloaf. 

So, I bought some chopped meat, added all sorts of spices and herbs and steak sauce and who knows what else and popped it in the oven. 

And it was AWFUL!! Barely edible! I called my mom and she told me to keep it simple - meatloaf should be simple. And she was right. 

I made it Mom's way for a long time and then started playing with it just a little as I got more into recipes and cooking and became a full fledged foodie freak. 

Well, I'm going to share my recipe with you. 

It's not hard, and this recipe makes enough for more than one meatloaf, so you have some for the freezer. 

Ok, here we go. 

I started with 3 lbs of ground beef and 3 lbs of ground pork.  

I would buy the ground meatloaf mix at the market if they had it, but since they didn't I went this route. If they have the meatloaf mix, feel free to go ahead with that. You'll need 6 lbs total for this recipe. 

Mince one head of garlic and saute it in a little butter, just until golden. 

For onions, I used the onions I had saved from my onion-butter tomato sauce. 

Remember that recipe? For the simplest, most amazing tomato sauce? 

Well, if you make the sauce first, you can save the onions to use in your meatloaf, like I did! I had onions from 3 batches of sauce in the freezer which I thawed and then chopped fine and threw into the meatloaf. 

If you didn't make the sauce - first of all, why not? Second of all, you will need to chop two large or three medium onions fine and saute them until translucent. 

After the onions and garlic have cooled a bit, throw them in with the chopped meat. 

Whip up 2 extra large or jumbo eggs with 1/3 cup tomato paste, and salt and pepper to taste. I go light on the salt and heavy on the pepper for health reasons. 

Note: since I used the onions from the tomato sauce, I only used one egg and no tomato paste. 

Add 2 cups of seasoned breadcrumbs to the mixture. I added them dry because of all the moisture in the tomato sauce onions but if you are not using those tomato sauce onions you will want to soak the breadcrumbs in a cup of milk before adding to the mixture. 

Give it a good mix with your spoon and then you have no choice but to dig in with your hands. 

I don't like that part. But it's necessary, to feel the texture. The mixture should be moist but yet stay together. If it's not moist enough, add a little more milk. If it's too moist, add a little more of the breadcrumbs. 

I added a half cup of finely chopped parsley into the mix next and a little more salt and pepper. 

Another good mix with the hands and we're ready to form loaves. 

Look at all that goodness in there! 

I make my loaves large enough to feed 4 and a bit. 

The bit either ends up as second helpings or lunches. 

This meatloaf fed 2 of us at dinner plus 4 packed lunches. 

Plus a little for the furballs. They're good girls. 

I also got 3 more for the freezer out of this batch, same size loaves. 

How awesome is it to have a ready to go meatloaf in the freezer for a busy day!

Right before I bake it I brush a little BBQ sauce over it. 

Bake at 375 for about an hour (for this size loaf) and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing. I usually finish making the gravy while the meatloaf is resting, using the pan juices and the water from the potatoes as my base. You can find the basics of making gravy from pan drippings here.

I serve my meatloaf with gravy, mashed potatoes, and peas. 

Because my sweetie likes to mush the peas into his mashed potatoes. 

He's weird like that. 

Add a glass of good Cabernet Sauvignon and I'm in heaven. 

All for less than $2.00 per serving, which includes the gravy, potatoes and the peas. 

Not too shabby!

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Mindful

There have been a number of bloggers out there writing of "words" they select for the year ahead. Honestly, I never do that, and I had no intention of doing it this year either. 

Until I read Stacey's blog post yesterday.  Have you met Stacey over at Poofing the Pillows? Not only is she a kind and wonderful person but her blog is ever so inspiring! 

Stacey wrote a post about her word of the year for 2016. And at the end she asked her readers to share their word of the year. 

Immediately my thoughts went to "mindful."  And that word stuck in my brain and lodged itself there, good and proper. 

And I woke up thinking about it this morning. 

Isn't that what I've been trying to do with my goals for 2016? To sum it all up in one word, am I not trying to be more mindful? 

Mindful of what I eat. 

Mindful of my body and it's needs. 

Mindful of knowing exactly where my food comes from. 

Mindful of living a more simple life, bringing it back to basics. 

Mindful of taking time for me. 

Mindful of my spending. 

Mindful of the earth and how we respect it. 

Mindful of the people around me and their thoughts and feelings. 

Mindful of the beauty to be found all around me in simple, everyday moments. 

So I guess I officially have a word for 2016. 

And you know what? I'm excited!

It's a very, very good word. 

Mindful. 

Change is Good!

It's the very first Monday after the new year and when I woke this morning the sun was streaming through the windows in the most gorgeous way. 

The sunshine in this house drew me in the very first time I toured and I believe I fell in love immediately. 

The sun was shining on all the areas I "de-Christmasized" over the weekend. In between bouts of nausea. 

I was a busy girl despite the nasty bug that tried to get me down!

The dining room table is no longer stretched. As a matter of fact, I removed both leaves for now....just for a change. I love a little round table, it's my favorite kind. It feels very cozy having a meal at a small round table. 

And yes, those most certainly are my fall pumpkins and squash that were on my center island in Autumn. I will cook them this winter at some point. 

During Christmas they hid under the guest bed. The dust bunnies kept them company. 

The top of the bookcase once again holds plants and candles in lieu of Santas. 

The tree stays up, as is tradition in our family, until at least January 6th. Which not only is Little Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany but is also my dad's birthday. 

A holiday in and of itself. 

The mantel has been stripped of the twinkly stars and stockings and has been left with winter greens and my red wooden wreath and cones. They, of course, also look like Christmas trees.....when it's Christmas. 

When it's not Christmas they revert to cones. 

Because I said so. 

No more Christmas linens....but I did keep the red going for now. I will lighten up at a later date for a change of scenery but for now the red just feels warm and welcoming. 

Because, baby it's cold outside!

The bottles at the bar no longer sport scarves, hats, and sweaters. 

Except for one. Mr. Maker's Mark still has his sweater and earmuffs on. 

He's special. He's sweetie's favorite. 

The snowmen are gone and the colorful bottles have returned to the kitchen windowsill. They just make me smile. 

The little birdbath I hung outside the kitchen window is frozen solid now. Poor birdies. The creek at the end of the driveway is still running, though, so the critters are ok for water. At least for now. 

A few more days like this may change that. 

My farm animals have returned to the stove area, dangling their little legs over the edge. 

Anyone for a cup of tea?

I hung up this absolutely adorable winter dishtowel from World Market - they seriously have the cutest dishtowels ever! 

Did I mention I might have a slight obsession?

And this little guy, who was a gift from my younger daughter, keeps my glasses handy next to the stove...and brings a smile to my face every time I see him. 

Change is good. 

Today is a good day. 

Prepping for My No Spend Month

I'm overwhelmed by the amount of folks who popped in to read my post on my very first "no-spend month" ever - thanks to all of you who came by! And a special thank you to each of you who left me a comment - I really do cherish all your sweet comments and I look so forward to reading them every day!

Today I spent part of the day prepping for my no-spend month. I would have done this prior to January 1st if I didn't come down with that nasty bug. So my month will begin tomorrow morning and go until the morning of February 4th, to make it a full month. 

It is what it is. 

In order to get ready to lock up my wallet for the next month I took stock of what I needed from the grocery store and made a trip to stock up. 

My veggie tower is full of fruits and veggies that will hopefully get me through a good part of the month. 

The Veggie Tower in August

I didn't get a pic of the veggie tower today as it's so dark and cloudy here and it's been flurrying on and off all day. 

The veggie tower is stocked with potatoes, yams, onions, pears, a pineapple, 2 cantaloupes, and bananas. 

The crisper drawer is also full with baby carrots, green beans, red cabbage, endive, radicchio, baby spinach, scallions, lemons, limes, and peppers. 

I have lots of garlic in the pantry from both my garden and the last farmer's market. 

I stocked up on dairy - we're all set for organic milk, cream, sour cream, cheese, butter, and yogurt. 

Our eggs come from a neighbor and I always have plenty. 

The freezers and pantry are full. 

The bar is well stocked. 

I ordered more food and treats for the pups as well as their flea and worm medicines. 

I made sure I am all set with contact lenses and solution. 

My back up supply of vitamins are on their way. 

I even made a special trip to our local Ace to make sure I had enough black oil sunflower seed, safflower seed, and suet for my little critters. 

I even bought a few extra light bulbs. Just in case. 

Last stop was to the gas station where I topped off the tank. 

I am going to try not to have to go to the market at all for the next 30 days if at all possible. If I do need to go it should only be for a few fresh fruits. 

I'm ready - bring it on!!

My Very First No-Spend Month

I wanted to write this post to launch on January 1st but since I've been under the weather it got pushed to the back burner. 

Oh well....can't be helped. 

Anyway!

I first read about the idea of a no-spend month last January from Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick. I was very intrigued!!  However, it wasn't the right time for me to try it at that point. I was waiting to close on my new house and shopping all the good after-Christmas sales in preparation. 

And then it was moving day. And gardening season. And a million projects to get settled into the house. 

And then the Christmas shopping began. 

So....my no-spend month trial was put on hold. 

But I knew, come January 1st I was going to give it a go. Perfect timing, right? Because, let's face it, we all spend more in November/December than we normally would. 

So here we are, 2 days into January. And granted, I haven't spent anything yet. 

But I never got to start off the way I planned, because I was stuck in the house in my jammies with a nasty virus. 

So, tomorrow I will hit up the local market for the few necessities that are on my grocery list, fill up the car with gas, and launch my no-spend month....three days late. 

My plan is simple - I will only spend on absolute necessities for the rest of January. 

That means basically fresh produce and dairy. And perhaps a loaf of bread here and there. 

I will shop the freezer and the pantry for the rest of my groceries. 

Naturally, I'll have to pay all my bills, and if anything urgent comes up I'll have to weigh the situation. 

But I really think I can do this. It will be a good test in living simply for a month and being resourceful. 

My pantry is stocked, my freezers are full, and I believe I have all the beauty, health, cleaning products, and paper goods I will need for the next month. 

The Very Best Veggie Lasagna Ever

I will combine errands to try not to have to put gas in my car for a month. 

And I will ignore all the after-holiday sale emails that have been bombarding my inbox. 

Have you ever tried a no-spend month? If you did, I'd love to hear some of your tricks!

And some of your biggest hurdles. 

Wish me luck!

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Not the Best Start to the New Year....

I wanted to pop in an wish all my wonderful readers a very happy and healthy New Year!

Via

Unfortunately, on New Year's Eve morning I woke up with a terrible virus and it's kept me down for the count for the past two days. 

Needless to say, it was a very quiet New Year's Eve celebration for me - I was home in my recliner in my jammies watching the entire first season of Downton Abbey, which I can now say I am completely and totally addicted to - uh oh!

Via

In addition, my daughter and I watched the entire first season of Grace and Frankie - have you seen this show yet? I'm totally hooked!

Official Trailer for Grace and Frankie

Two amazing actresses - Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin - how could you go wrong?

All in all, despite being a rough start to the New Year, it turned out quite well after all because I got to spend some quiet at-home time with my daughter (who was also sick.) 

And we found two new shows that we love. 

Which, considering how little TV I actually watch is both a good thing and a scary thing!

I hope your 2016 is off to a fantastic start, no matter what way you rang in the New Year. 

Cheers!