Family Friendly Meal Plan Week #2

Here is my Family Friendly Meal Plan. 

I hope you can find some inspiration!

Monday: Teriyaki Chicken Casserole

I love this recipe so much I sometimes replace the soy sauce for Panda Express Orange Chicken Sauce. I love the stir fry frozen veggies that come with watercress the most, but they are hard to find in my small town. If I"m lucky they have them in stock. 

Tuesday:  Enchiladas 

For the enchiladas I like to add Hatch Green Chiles in the glass bottle (they are the best!) I have substituted Sour Cream with Cream Cheese before. My kids actually prefer the Cream Cheese over the sour cream. I usually use whatever is on sale or whatever I have on hand. 

Wednesday: Baked Ziti 

My kids love this! My oldest boy loves this, it is his favorite, well its a hard choice between this and lasagna. We use Jennie O Turkey instead of ground beef.

Thursday: Vegan Tex Mex Egg Roll

I haven't tried this one yet but it looks yummy to me. Hopefully it's a hit in my family

Friday: Date Night! My husband and I usually go out to eat somewhere and leave the kids with good o' Mac and cheese. It is a treat for them, it gets them excited for us to go on a date, instead of being sad we are leaving. It especially helps my 5 and 2 year old.

Saturday: 

Lunch: Pizza (Frozen) at least til basketball season is over. 

Dinner: Pot Roast and Pasta Salad

Sunday:

Lunch: Rhodes Rolls and Leftovers

Dinner: Roast Beef Tacos

Photography | Learn How to Take Better Pictures | Adventure Awaits

Learn How to Take Better Pictures 

One of my goals this year to to learn how to take better photos. I love to take photos and videos of my kids and although my phone takes pretty good pictures, I would love to go out of my comfort zone and learn some more tips and tricks. I have a Cannon camera and I want to learn all the different things it can do. 

I found this Photography Super Bundle. It's an online Photography classes bundled together. It's  $1,228.98 worth of products with a 96% Discount. If you want to get the bundle plus cheat sheets it is only $59.97. The cheat sheets will get you the information you need in a fraction of the time. So if you are super busy and don't want to spend too much time watching videos this is the bundle you will want. If you want to save even more you can get the bundle without the cheat sheets for $49.97.

The Photography Super Bundle has partnered with over a dozen world-class photography instructors to teach you the secrets of taking amazing photos.

There are 21 eBooks, eCourses, and more. 

Here is what you will learn:

• Shoot stunning natural light portraits (forget about flash!)
• Give your images an attractive, consistent look with 50 different Lightroom presets
• Photograph candid vacation or travel memories in a meaningful way
• Capture your baby’s cutest expressions fast and never miss the moment again
• Frame or stage beautiful photos by understanding patterns, symmetry, leading lines, curves, shapes, depth of field, long exposures and minimalism. 
• Discover the features that make your phone such an amazing compact camera
• Take advantage of advanced techniques if you own a DSLR camera (Canon or Nikon!)
• Get your photos organized and printed without spending hours at the computer 
• Edit your phone photos with free and cheap apps 
• And more!

Editing (3 products worth $159.00)

Album Templates by Birdesign (Templates) $105.00

Beautiful customizable photoshop album templates.

The Beauty: Portrait & Lifestyle Lightroom Presets by Ellie Moreno (Presets) $29.00

This series consists of 50 presets that can give your images a sharp look and a contemporary fashion mood, whether you are shooting portraits or scenes of everyday life you can apply the effects contained to give a consistent style to your images.

The Insta 25: Lightroom Presets by Laura Orlando (Presets) $25.00

A collection designed to effortlessly edit your photographs in just one click - whether it's for a family photo album or a Facebook moment, you'll be happy & confident in showing off your photographs.

Lifestyle Photography (5 products worth $476.99)

Beginners Guide to Memorable Vacation Photos by Courtney Slazinik (eCourse) $97.00

Learn how to capture candid vacation memories in a meaningful way.

• How to Get Flattering Photos with Your Baby by Vicki Knights (eCourse) $15.00
  Get 3 tips for flattering photos, including how to avoid the dreaded double chin. 
• How to Photograph Your Baby's First Year by Niki Strbian (eCourse) $149.00
  All you need is your baby and a phone.
• The Wanderlust Photo Lab by Addie Gray (eCourse) $197.00
  Finally get off auto mode and take great travel photos.
• So You Want to Be a Wildlife Photographer? by Will Nicholls (eBook) $18.99
  An in-depth, beginner's guide to wildlife photography that will help you decode this challenging genre of nature photography.

Lighting & Composition (4 products worth $181.98)

Shoot Stunning Natural Light Portraits by David Molnar (eCourse) $147.00

A 2 hour video course designed to be the only course you need to turn professional with your portraits.

• The Authentic Portrait: A Parent's Guide to Documenting Childhood by Katie Donnelly (eBook) $15.00
  The easy guide to get you started making amazing portraits (and documenting those fleeting childhood moments) of your kids.
• The Compelling Photograph: Books 1 & 2 by Anne McKinnell (eBooks) $19.98
  Designed to teach a combination of camera skills, the elements of good image design, and creative photography techniques to give you a solid foundation on which to base your vision.

Organization (2 products worth $86.00)

Photo Organizing for Absolute Beginners by Melissa Shanhun (eCourse) $47.00

Wish you could find any photo instantly? Forget the mess of folders - use automatic tools to manage your photos, in minutes not hours.

The Ultimate Guide To Organized Photos by Brea of Capture Your Days (eBook) $39.00

• Learn a FAST and SIMPLE system for getting your photos organized and printed without spending hours in front of your computer.  

Phone Photography (3 products worth $88.00)

Create. Capture. Conquer by Kayla Marie Butler (eCourse) $22.00

Phone Photography - because the best tool is the one you have

iPhone Photography Boss: How To Get Amazing Pictures From Your iPhone by Snap Happy Mom (eCourse) $47.00 

Your iPhone is more than a point & shoot camera - learn how to use it like a boss and take amazing photos.

Picture Play by Jill Krause (eBook) $19.00

Learn how to use your phone and free & cheap apps to take and edit photos you will LOVE, want to print and share.

Using Your Camera (4 products worth $238.00)

Photography Start: Ultimate Training Guide for Beginning Photographers by Improve Photography (eCourse) $49.00

The ultimate training guide for budding photographers who want to master shooting in manual mode without thinking, capture tack-sharp photos every time, and want to learn to take advantage of the functions of their cameras.

The Capture Course: Photographing With Ease In Manual Mode by Lindsay Davenport (eCourse) $149.00

Will take you from clueless to confident in manual mode with your camera. 

The Ultimate Beginner Canon DSLR Photography Course by Rebecca McGonigle (eCourse) $20.00

Learn how to use your Canon DSLR camera and get the fantastic photos you have always wanted.  

The Ultimate Beginner Nikon DSLR Photography Course by Rebecca McGonigle (eCourse) $20.00

Learn how to use your Nikon DSLR camera and get the fantastic photos you have always wanted.  

My Workouts for the Week

This year I am really trying to lose some weight and become stronger Mentally, Spiritually, and Physically. I injured my knee back in July and I have to be really careful with it. I can't run anymore or put a lot of stress on it. When I do my workouts I have to do the low impact version. My injury held me back for so long. I couldn't do what I use to, so I didn't do anything at all. This year I am motivated and ready for a new start. Any exercise is better than none at all.

Tuesday Workout - I went on a 30 minute walk pushing my 2 year old in the stroller

Thursday Workout

 

Friday Workout

Free Family Friendly Menu Plan #1

Here is our Simple Family Friendly Meal plan for the week! I feel like as a Mom I'm always looking for meal plan ideas. I always get stuck in a rut and want to see what others are doing. It gives me inspiration.  So here is my plan. Hope this can help you.

You can find the recipes below:

Monday:

Hawaiian Haystacks 

Tuesday:

French Toast

Wednesday:
For our Hamburgers we use Jennie-O Turkey

Thursday:
Lasagna Recipe - Our family favorite

Friday: 
Date Night!

Saturday:
I just buy frozen pizza to have for Saturday lunch cause we usually have basketball games until noon.

Chicken Noodle Soup 

Sunday:

For the Rolls I use good of Frozen Rhodes Rolls

Pasta Salad

I used an instant to cook my chicken for the week. I makes my chicken so yummy and moist.

I have been meal planning for a year now and it is so nice. My husband and kids now know what we will be eating, so they won't be constantly asking! Well actually they still ask, I just have an answer for them now. It also helps when I shop. I know what to shop for and I don't spend an hour shopping with a 2 year old just to get home and still not know what to have for dinner. 

I have been waiting for the Walmart Grocery Pickup to open up in our area and 2019 was the year. It's is so amazing. It is so helpful, No more having to deal with a 2 year old crying cause she is starving or tired, or whatever it is. It is always something. 

I just go to my Walmart Grocery Pickup app, add all the ingredient that I need for the week and wallah, I"m done. Well almost, I just have to go to Walmart, they pack it up in my trunk and I drive home and unload the groceries into my home. Best idea ever!

It also helps with my budget cause I add what I need and then I can see how much I'm spending as I go. If I have any money left over after I buy what I absolutely need for my menu I can add treats and snacks for the family. This way I don't overdo it on the snacks and treats because I'm watching the money in the basket go up and up and up and think I better stop I'm at $100. I can also delete things when I realize I don't really need that!

If you haven't given Wal-Mart Grocery Pick-up a try and you have the service available in your area you definitely need to check it out. It is 100% free and so nice! You just need a minimum of $30 to check out. With a family of 6 that is not hard for us!

If you use this code and it's your 1st time trying it out you can get $10 off of a purchase of $50. 

TeeSpring Merchandise/ Cotton Field

I have been having a lot of fun creating designs for Merchandise on TeeSpring.
Here are some of my designs.

TeeSpring Store

This one was inspired by my small hometown. Cotton Fields are all around.

Joining the Keto Diet Craze after being diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease

I am 34 years old and have 4 Kids. I was diagnosed in 2018 with Hashimoto's. I had my 4th child in 2017 and I was feeling really down and depressed and just not myself even a year after having my little girl. I thought it was normal just postpartum blues but after a year I decided to go and get it checked out. My Mom had Graves Disease, my Maternal Grandma had HypoThyroid, and my Paternal Grandpa had HypoThyroid. I wasn't able to lose any weight, in fact I just kept gaining. The biggest problem was that I was ALWAYS Tired. I would take 2 two hour naps a day. After being diagnosed and put on Levo my energy is way up. I am only on 25 mcg, so not a lot. I finally feel normal now that its been two years. Gradually my numbers keep getting better and better and I haven't changed my dosage. I feel really blessed in the way. I however struggle with my weight. I went without sugar for a month in December and only lost 3 pounds. It is 2020 and I am ready for a change. I decided I would go on the Keto diet. I know there is a lot of controversy but I am going to at least give it a try, since nothing else it working for me. If you would like to follow me on my journey, I would love to have you! Here's to hoping that 2020 will be a good year.  We have chickens in our backyard and we are usually up to our ears in eggs so that should be helpful!

I found a couple of foods I want to try this week.
If you want to go all in you can get a custom Keto diet Here

Keto Pancakes:

Keto Friendly Cheesy Bacon Soup

Desert Adventure Shadow Dancing Hike