The Modern Day Mom

Find out more about the Spring Chick Challenge 2012 by visiting Real Chicks Getting Fit

It was a challenging weekend for me.  On Friday my husband had a doctor's appointment in the "city" which is an hour and a half away, so instead of just going into town for a doctor's appointment we made a full day of it.  We left our house around 7:30 AM with kids in tow, went to the doctor, took my youngest son to the eye doctor, went to the mall, went grocery shopping, and didn't return home until after 10 PM at night.  Since we were gone all day we ended up eating out twice, McDonalds for lunch and Outback for dinner.  It was easy to avoid the calories at McDonalds by making smart choices, but Outback was a bigger challenge for me because we don't eat there often I wanted to treat myself.  I ended up going with a small steak and a baked potato.  I should have done the steak and a salad but....Oh, and the bread, yeah that was a problem...

On Saturday morning we went to …

Join us for Menu Plan Monday atI'm An Organizing Junkie
I think I am just going to rename my menu planning posts Menu Plan Wednesday instead of Menu Plan Monday because I just can't seem to get it together on Monday's to get my menu plan up.  Although in my defense I have had my menu plan in my head all week, I just have gotten a chance to blog about it.
Last week's new recipe for us was the Chinese Honey Chicken that I found through Pinterest a while back. I must say it was AMAZING!  We all really liked it, although I did sweeten up the sauce by adding more honey than it called for and a little bit of brown sugar.  It will definetly be a recipe we keep around, but it won't be one that we use when we have to get supper done in a hurry.
I also got in a little baking this week (Yes, I know I am on a diet!!!).  I had about 3 bananas that were going bad (see I have been eating bananas!) so I used them to make theClementine Bakery's Banana Cake from The Wednesday Chef.…

Check out the Spring Chick Challenge 2012 on Real Chicks Getting Fit.

This week has been better than I expected it to be food wise.  My only really "bad" day was yesterday when we treated my daughter to a special lunch at a Chinese Buffet.  I ate non-fried foods, plenty of vegetables, and tried to maintain portion control.  I had only one plate of food, and drank water with lemon instead of a soft drink.  I am not sure how I did on calories, this is one area where I am going to have to work on as we do enjoy eating out quite a bit.  I am also suppose to attend the same Chinese buffet next week with Little Man's class to celebrate the Chinese New Year.  Maybe I can do some research to make some good choices on foods when we go then.

Other than that I have maintained my calorie count on a daily basis, and sometimes have struggled to get the 1200 calories needed for the day.  As I am eating more fresh fruits and vegetables I am finding that I am eating more food with less c…

Join us for Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.
So I know it's Wednesday, not Monday, and that I am a little behind the ball here but I felt the need to complete a meal plan for the week no matter how late in the game it is.  I really need to get back in the habit of meal planning.
Last week went really well, even with me being on a diet.  With several of the dishes I just made adjustments to the recipes for my portion of the meal.  On the night that we had tacos, I had a huge salad with just a little bit of meat, and no taco shell.  On the night that we had theMonterey Chicken (which my family LOVED) I just covered my chicken breast with a little bit of salsa instead. 
On a side note, it felt really good to have a menu to follow last week and have everything I needed to cook supper on hand.
Here's what I have planned for this week: Links to recipes are in gray
Monday - Chinese Honey Chicken (New Recipe), served with white rice
Tuesday - French Toast with Bananas and W…

As I said in my weekly menu planning post there are going to be big changes around here this year.  One of those big changes in going to be me! 

When I first found out I was pregnant with my daughter I weighed 105 pounds, and the day that she was born I weighed 179.  After she was born I dropped down to 135 only to get pregnant with my son.  After the birth of my son I was never able to lose the weight again.  In addition to that my uncle, and both of my grandfather's passed away.  My husband was in a car wreck, and is now on permanent disability.  For an emotional eater this was disaster. 

I am now at 195 pounds (gulp!) and know that I have to lose the weight now.  I know I will never reach that 105 pounds again, nor do I think I should, but I would love to make it to 135 pounds. 

But I am tired of living like this:



So I am going to join the Spring Chicks Challenge 2012 at Real Chicks Getting Fit.  The challenge runs from January 2nd to March 19th.

This week is all about setti…

Join us for Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie
It has literally been months since I have done an official meal plan.  My grocery budget, and family have noticed.  When I started my Etsy shop in October it took off like gangbusters (no complaints here, believe me) and I found myself just trying to get all of the holiday orders completed with no time to do any meal plans, much less cook.  So with the beginning of the new year are coming some new changes. 
The first, meal planning is going to be a priority.  When I don't make meal planning a priority I find I spend more at the grocery, can't figure out what to eat for dinner, and often end up just ordering out. 
Next, I have gotten away from using new recipes and cooking from scratch.  In the past I have always tried to cook at least one new recipe a week.  I haven't tried a new recipe in a long time.  So trying at least one new recipe a week, and cooking from scratch are going to be a priority again.
Three, I hav…