5 thing Friday - meal prep, bowl dinners, smoothies, lawn care, photinia

Nothing much exciting around these parts lately.  Which is not a bad thing.  I am continuing to focus on healthy habits, so that's taken up most of my brain space.

On Friday mornings I food prep for the weekend.  I'm trying to add in some variety, but also keep it simple.  If I figure out the magic formula, I will report back!  Food prepping keeps me out of the hospital cafeteria, which is marginal quality and expensive.  It also keeps me from being so hungry at 8:30 p.m. that I can't be a rational human.

'Tis the season of bowl meals!  A layer of salad or quinoa or rice topped with a protein, veggie, dressing or sauce, garnish with avocado and/or a bit of shredded cheese.

They have the benefits of being easy, tasty, and storable (in case we are not all ready for dinner at the same time).

Breakfast smoothies are not my favorite thing, but it makes for an easy meal if you are getting worn out on eggs or oatmeal.

This week I used a protein shake as my liquid and added chia, with frozen spinach and frozen banana, just blended up in my cheapie blender.  It wasn't bad, but I was roaringly hungry by noon.

The heat index in Austin yesterday was 114 degrees, but did that stop me from stopping at Home Depot for some sod, lawn soil, and mulch?  No.  I am determined to continue working to make the yards and landscaping pretty.  One small step at a time, especially in this heat.  I am putting off mowing the grass until next week.

Back in April, Scout and I cut most of the limbs off the photinia as it was diseased and looked terrible.  I've since done a little reading on the subject and happened upon a homemade fungicide recipe that should help as it has decided that it really wants to live.

It looks pitiful.  This wall is where I keep the bins, and the whole area kind of looks like hell.  But I will work on this area a bit more in the fall.  Incidentally, this is the space where all the rocks that I pull out of the landscaping go...I quit tossing them in the trash bin and now just chuck them over here.  We're gonna call this whole area a work in progress...

Gina

Monday menus #77

 I'm trying hard to improve my physical (and mental) health and to that end, I have made some big changes in how I go about my day.

yellow bell pepper with whipped cream cheese and two eggs - delish

Have I lost a lot of weight? Why, no.

BUT, I have increased my fruit and veggie consumption, decreased alcohol/beef/butter/fast food, and changed up my meals schedule so that I'm not having dinner at 8:30 p.m.

Monday - kitchen closed

Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Summer Salads (romaine, chicken, pico, avocado, black beans, lemon dressing)

Wednesday - Ravioli with Marinara, zucchini or yellow squash {on call tonight}

Thursday - Alamo Bowls with Poblano Sausage (brown rice, corn, sausage, pico, cheese) {mow the yards, on call tonight}

Friday - Tuna Salad on whole wheat toast, watermelon chunks {replace air filters, virtual meeting with dietician}

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed

Gina

5 thing Friday - cicadas, the deck, waterworks, walking, habits

Weather permitting, I've been sitting out in the backyard in the mornings, sipping my coffee and listening to the birds.  Occasionally I will work the Wordle puzzle.

But I'm also trying to just sit in the moment and notice things.

Like this. What tha...

Calmly watching this little guy pop out was interesting.  I don't know if I have ever seen this.  Happy Birthday!  

We've had quite a bit of rain the last couple of days.  I'm so glad I crossed "deck maintenance" off my list of things to do early in the week.  Day one I scrubbed it.  Day two I put a coat of deck seal on.  Day three we got rain.  The water puddles instead of sinking into it, turning the deck green and rotting the wood.  I noticed a bit of warping on a couple of boards, and I'm annoyed we didn't seal it to begin with.  It was just one of those things that took a backseat to Highlands.  

I turned on the faucet a couple days ago and water and air shot out of the base of the sprayer and underneath the sink!  But, something different also happened.  Instead of me losing my mind and crying, I calmly emptied the cabinet, grabbed a couple of towels to mop up water, and poked around to discover the spray nozzle was coming unscrewed.  I have more faith in myself that I can handle things lately.  Its a good feeling.

I have upped my walking to a 20-25 min. stretch at a time, 4 days a week.  It seems like its getting easier.  {Its like there's a general trend here.  I like it.}

Along with changing up when and what I eat, I am cutting as far back on salt as I dare.  Each small new-ish habit takes a bit of getting used to, but like I've said before, habits aren't preferences just because you do them.  The trick is adding habits that increase your quality of life.  Not the other way around.  Sometimes easier said than done.

Gina

Monday menus #76

A couple year ago, a friend suggested these hanging crystals as a way to create tiny rainbows of happiness on the wall.  She said she recommended them as a mood booster. 

At each new season they land in a different part of the room, and whenever I walk into my bedroom and they are spread out over the wall, I pause and smile at them.  And now, I can recommend them, too!

Monday - freezer clean-out surprises because I am off today {catch up on leftover items to do from last week}

Tuesday - Curry Chicken Quinoa Bowl (seasoned chicken breast cubes, sweet potato, green bean, purple onion) {virtual doc appt early a.m., scrub deck today}

Wednesday - Teriyaki Salmon Salad Bowl (salmon, mango, avocado, romaine)

Thursday - Spanish Chicken and Beans with brown rice {seal the deck}

Friday - Mexican Pork for tacos (marinated pork, pico de gallo, monterrey jack cheese), corn off the cob {mow yards}

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed

Gina

5 thing Friday - books, tennies, stitchin', turquoise, fly trap

The Goodwill where I shop is tiny, but has such a good selection of all kinds of books.  And the people that work there are friendly.

Yesterday I spent $8 on four new-to-me books.  Two bucks a book is not terrible, especially for the ones that made it to a bestseller list.  I would rather read a paper book in my hands vs. using the Nook, or listening to a book on tape.  And it gets me out of the house, which is no small thing.

Turns out that my cheapie tennies (on the left) were to blame for some recent foot trouble.  The foot doctor recommended a few brands, but I had already ordered the Altras, and Amazon would not let me cancel the order.  I also have a pair of Brooks coming...  Might just keep both pair, dunno, will compare.  Its not like this is the last pair of tennies I will ever buy and a spare pair might be nice.

A sweet kit sent to me by a friend who loves to stitch.  I had the very small hoop in my stash, so it got a couple light coats of the gold spray paint and a ribbon from my trims box.  Might be time to make a few more to give as gifts.  I think this one is destined for The Girl's tree.

A couple of years ago, my mother was pestering me every time we talked, wanting to buy me a stained glass window.  I have just never been interested in owning one, and I have no place to put it.  I said "you know Mom, you could gift me the turquoise pendant I have never seen you wear".  She had no memory of it and at the time we couldn't find it in her jewelry box, which in hindsight, is odd.  But I did eventually come to own it and it reminds me of when I was 13 and OBSESSED with turquoise jewelry.  I wore it yesterday and thought of her, nothing new there.

What a gross photo...

The Season of Flies is upon us, and since I want to sit out on my patio without being swarmed I have refilled my fly jar and hung it nearby for the all the flies to come enjoy.  It smells like decomp, but within days is FULL of dead flies.  Refills are cheap.  I am a fan.

Gina

Monday menus #75

Last year I just let Father's Day slip by quietly.  I didn't have an agenda with that - I hope my (adult) kids spent some time that day thinking about Mark. But I'm done orchestrating their relationships to each other.  My goal is to encourage, not facilitate.

This year I suggested to Scout that he arrange a sibling day on June 16.  And I will tell all of them I am off Sunday afternoon and wouldn't it be nice if we could share a meal and some happy memories together?  Father's Day may feel hard to them, but losing the father of my kids was an earthquake in my life, too.

Monday - kitchen closed

Tuesday - Korean Beef Bowls with cauliflower rice and green beans {need to get an oil change on Subie}

Wednesday - (crockpot) Lemon Pepper Chicken Drums, chopped salad {podiatry appointment, clean the A/C coils}

Thursday - Cheese and Black Bean Enchiladas, corn on the cob {taking some of Mom's things to my sister}

Friday - Lemon Alfredo Chicken, skinny mashed potatoes, peas {clean outside windows, go get some mulch, meet with dietician}

Saturday - kitchen closed

Sunday - Most likely I will order food to go.

Gina

5 thing Friday - eating, sleeping, gardening, cleaning, letting go

I've been doing a pretty good job feeding myself lately. 

I don't consider any foods really off limits, but I am making healthy swaps and limiting portion sizes for things I don't swap.  Example: Cowboy Beans - serve a smaller portion, include a big green salad with strawberries and a spinkling of queso fresco - easy on the dressing.

Along the same lines: Tacos al Pastor on carb sense whole wheat tortillas with a tiny amount of cheese and sour cream, black beans on the side.  Also:

*dinner before 6:30 p.m.

*15 minutes of exercise 4x weekly

*putting up electronics 1 hour before bed and reading a book

*drinking minimum of 60 ounces water daily

I cringed when I saw myself in the mirror one morning wearing men's boxers, a ratty tee, mismatched socks.  So I took myself to Kohl's and bought two sleep sets (yes XL as I want to be as comfy as possible)  All the boxers went to the garage - some for painting shorts, the rest to Goodwill.  I used a 30% sale and Kohl's cash so I spent $20 and that included a placemat for the patio table.

Mowing has become the summer beast.

Yesterday I mowed and edged both yards, sprayed Weed and Feed, raked, swept, and cleaned up the patio.  It was my eat out day for lunch and I wanted to feel good about my Chik-Fil-A!  Seriously though, I am proud of myself for managing these tasks.  A lot of the green you see in the photo above may be weeds, but they're MY weeds.  Those shrubs?  I planted them.  The newly painted house?  I arranged it and paid for it.  If everything here is my responsibility, then I get to pat myself on the back for keeping this ship afloat.  Amen!

While I was out there, I used the last of the all-purpose cleaner to scrub and rinse the trash and recycle bins.  10000% improvement in air quality on this side of the house, ha ha.

I also hauled a giant paver from the back yard, for the yard waste bin to sit on.  It was ridiculously heavy.  But I wasn't using it for my backyard hose anymore, and this will keep the bin from sitting in mud when it rains.  Because there's just pretty much weeds over here, anyway.

I have asked Mom's executor, via his paralegal, to stay on top of her homeowner's insurance, pay her bills and taxes, etc., etc.  And you know what?  I'm over it.  As my sister pointed out "no one seems to be bothered by it, why should you stress out about it? It would be nice if you let them know again, but really you shouldn't have to. You did what you could, we can only hope that he does the right thing.  And that the house doesn't burn down." And she's right.  I need to loosen my grip and let go.  Mom would never have paid her taxes late, and would be horrified at her insurance being late but at the end of the day, its too late for me to help her.  So I will let it go.

My connection to her is my love for her, and my memories - not my insistence the executor does the job.  I think she would be proud of my perseverance, courage, and honesty. 

Gina

Monday menus #74

 

Monday - kitchen closed

Tuesday - Tacos al Pastor, black beans {eye doctor appointment}

Wednesday - Poblano Sausage and Brown Rice Skillet with peas and carrots (just enough for three people with no leftovers) {mow the yards}

Thursday - Chicken and Spinach Bake {window cleaning day if it isn't raining}

Friday - Lean Burgers, skillet sweet potatoes, onions and peppers {trim some bushes}

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed

Gina