Dessert First

I didn't get to finish cooking my last two meals as my child is particularly active and has more waking hours, but on Saturday I cooked another Baked French Toast , Chicken Divan, and Double Chocolate Trifle.

Thankfully I have plenty of other meals stashed so I'll have variety this week even though I only cooked 1 entree. Hey, at least I did a dessert...that was most important!

(notice the spooned part in the back)

Earth Day

So today is Earth Day, but does anyone think it's suspicious that this week's been a "Crunchy Week"? Monday was 4/20...Tuesday was Free Cone Day @ Ben & Jerry's...and Wednesday is Earth Day. Is Woodstock this weekend? Hehe...

It's Gonna Be A Great Day

...because today is FREE CONE DAY at BEN & JERRY'S!

They sure know how to brighten up someone's day... mannn, Ben and Jerry are two cool cats =)

Food In My Tummy

Publix had a sale on boneless, skinless chicken breasts ($2/lb) so Saturday I made a couple more chicken dishes:

• Easy Breakfast Casserole with hashbrowns, eggs, cheddar & maple sausage (easily 10 servings)
• Beef Chimichangas (4 servings)
• Pecan Crusted Chicken with Broccoli and Couscous as a side...the chicken dish is just so-so, see below (7 servings)
• Baked Barbeque Chicken with Potato Salad & Baked Beans as side dishes (5 servings)

I'm learning which kinds of dishes are best right out of the oven, which ones freeze well, and which ones I should only refrigerate. The below Mexican Chicken and Poppy Seed Casserole are both great for freezer meals. I'll have to see what else works after this week.

The Times They Are A Changin'

My front bedroom has undergone change many times. And one of my favorite furniture items is a salvaged mantle; this rustic piece has been repurposed many times.

See the difference from this post HERE

To the change now HERE

Yes, it's the same room...from a guest room to Mason's nursery! Check out the full nursery pics HERE.

Ho Ho Ho Green Giant

The Green Giant sells us packaged frozen vegetables, telling us this is a fresh, healthy way to fill our nutritional needs for an often unappreciated food group. General Mills even commercializes the brand in a way to caricaturize an actual vegetable, appealing to both children and mothers alike. The Giant is tall, strong, and healthy because he's eating his fill of veggies...the Green Giant brand. When in reality, it's vegetables that are processed from their original form losing nutritional value for the sake of convenience. It's not that they're entirely bad for you, but Green Giant doesn't necessarily disclose the negative aspect of joining Team Green.

Again, overall the Jolly Green Giant is for good...it's just that FRESH would be best.

I'm convinced that's what the IRS is...a Jolly Green Giant. Overall, their primary purpose is to collect tax payers dollars (our income) and infuse these monies into government spending to pay for things we all commonly use. However, they try to mask under this charade of a good, healthy form but nonetheless they're a green money-grubbing government institution that hides the fact that incomes are taxed in great disparity AND are often wasted through the inefficiencies of our bureaucratic system.

So this year, did you see any GREEN or did the Jolly Giant take you by surprise?

What's for Dinner?

Saturday I was able to prepare enough food for 23 servings...that means TWENTY-THREE MEALS which is a little more than 1 whole week's worth (eating 3 square meals a day).

Being a single mom has enough daily challenges-preparing meals has certainly been a big one. I can eat with one hand while balancing Mason with the other, but it's near impossible, and unsafe, for me to cook while holding him as well. So this past weekend I planned to put Mason down for a long nap (3 hrs) and went about like a mad woman cooking 4 different dishes, storing them, and putting some in the fridge and others in the freezer for later.

I cooked Poppyseed Chicken Casserole, Red Curry Chicken with Rice, and then two of my recipes were from this Blog...can't wait for my yummy meals!

Baked French Toast

Mexican Chicken

Psssst, I cooked 12 cups of rice in the mix for all of the dishes...that's a whole lotta rice!

Get Going

Alright...it's the countdown! Twenty more lbs to go...

I started running with the stroller last week and hope to continue this week as weather permits. I didn't expect that something on wheels and a 10-lb baby would create so much resistance when running, but I'm certainly giving my arms a workout as well.

The goal this year is to get through a 5K and a 10K with Mason in tow! Then next year, I'll tackle a half marathon...maybe a marathon sans my little Mister.