Weed your Garden

The last few weeks have been a series of ups and downs. I am not quite ready to disclose every detail of what is going on, so the following is just what I have learned in the last month or so.

As winter turned to spring, the children and I decided to plant a garden. We ordered garden pots for the back yard and a myriad of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Thus far, we've harvested potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers. We have poppies, morning glories, mums, and a few other flowers that we can't remember the names for. As the days have passed I have found myself asking God for the answer to one question; how are we going to do this? Every day I was left without an answer or so I thought. Each time I asked I found myself outside, looking at the blooms in our small garden. The little patch of beauty was being choked by weeds. I would look at them and say, "I need to weed my garden." I would then return indoors and go about my day or evening. Last night as I questioned my path, I once again found myself looking at my little garden. This time, I grabbed the shears and my gloves and got to work weeding and watering my garden. As I removed patch after patch of overgrown weeds, I realized how many blooms were hidden under the madness. That is when it hit me. The answer to my question of how we are going to get through the next few months. We need to take care of our garden. We need to take out the weeds before they cover the blooms. We need to add good soil and lots of water so that the blooms can be healthy and thrive.
I have pulled the weeds from my garden, I've added good soil and I will water my little patch of beauty every day. I will take joy in the blooms that appear and I will nourish my family with the fruits of my labor.

Now I will apply the same theory to my life. I will remove the weeds from my life. The weeds that cast doubt on my decisions, because what I am doing doesn't fit in with their lives. The weeds that can't see past their own insecurities. The weeds that are always negative.

I will add good soil to my blooms to nourish the positive relationships in my life. I will water the blooms that offer encouragement and advice. I will spend time in my garden with the blossoms that offer support and a safe place to cry. Above all, I will appreciate the beauty of my garden and learn to trust which plant is a weed and which is a flower.

My advice to others is, look around you. If you are surrounded by weeds, pull them. If you are surrounded by flowers, nourish them and appreciate them. 

Two weeks of eating at home....

then three weeks and then an entire month! That is my short term goal for this!
We spend way too much money eating out and in turn, we end up tossing so much food out. I aim to end that cycle in May. Every dollar and every meal will be planned. By the end of summer I hope this is a regular occurrence.

Two weeks of dinner plans are as follows:

Monday: Lasagna with meat sauce and cottage cheese with a salad of romaine lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers
I make my own spaghetti sauce and I use ground turkey instead of beef in this meal. I also used lactaid cottage cheese and shredded cheddar instead of shredded parmesan cheese. It was pretty good and I will work out the kinks later. The kids and the husband had crescent rolls, I skipped those. :)

Tuesday: Baked pork chops with long grain and wild rice. For this I will use boneless center cut loin chops and two boxes of uncle Ben's long grain and wild rice. I will use chicken stock instead of water and I will bake in a casserole dish at 350* for aprox 30-45 minutes. I will serve with steamed peas or green beans.

Wednesday: Steak quesadillas and re fried beans. This is my husband's request. I will use marinated grilled flank steak, shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese and whole wheat tortillas. I will make a large pot of pinto beans, for the re fried beans and to use later in the week with another meal. Fresh salsa and quinoa cooked Mexican style. (recipe to follow after experiment)

Thursday: This is leftover night or PB&J. This mom will need a break! haha Not to mention this is karate night and it is a family affair. So I know no one will want to cook when we get home!

Friday: Grilled BBQ chicken with roasted purple potatoes. The purple potatoes were in our veggie basket that we purchase from bountiful baskets, link to follow at the end.

Saturday: Hot dogs and baked beans. I like all beef Oscar Mayer dogs. I will use leftover pinto beans and turn them into honey BBQ baked beans.

Sunday: Baked potato bar. This was a solid hit the first time I tried it. Just take some large baking potatoes, add a whole bunch of toppings (cheese, steamed broccoli, red onions, sour cream, steak, chili, etc) and have fun.

Monday: Stuffed peppers and potatoes Au gratin. I use ground turkey for this recipe too. I will also steam and puree carrots and mix them into the meat balls.

Tuesday: Taco DAY! Shredded beef tacos. I will put a beef roast in the crock pot by 10 am, season it and let it cook all day. Prep all toppings and shred and the meal is ready. I will probably do a side of chipotle style black beans.

Wednesday: Spaghetti and meatballs. I make my own sauce, which will probably be started on Monday or Tues. I want to serve fresh steamed green beans with this.

Thursday: Left overs!

Friday: Grilled pork chops with mac and cheese

Saturday: Grilled chicken salad; also the husband's request. We are hoping to get some excellent veggies in our basket this week!

Sunday: Baked ham and a few trimmings.



Where we get some of our veggies http://bountifulbaskets.org/ (we are totally in love with this co-op)


Recipes, I cook on the fly. I don't ever write anything down (I know I should). I like to cook to my taste or to my whim. It makes cooking fun and it gives me something to look forward to at meal time!

We moved!!!

Yeah we moved! Like five months ago. I finally put a few more pictures on the wall. We planted two container gardens and we have something akin to a small green house in our living room.

It has been interesting to go from a cracker box sized house, to a house where we all fit! A few new pieces of furniture and there are only a few echoes left.

The kids have adjusted very well. They are in various activities and they are enjoying seeing the change in seasons. It was a long winter and we will be so very happy to see a green spring and summer!

Now it is time to adjust to shifting schedules and an always ringing phone. :)