Tag Archives: shopping

Old Mother Hubbard

Posted in Health and Weightloss by

Ok so I’m not old and my last name isn’t Hubbard, but one thing I do have in common with this English nursery rhyme is that my cupboards sure were bare!

[That and she obviously had a dog with an independent and mischievous personality, which I totally do too. Smoking a pipe? Standing on his head? Reading the news? Yes, I can absolutely see Samson doing all those things along with stealing money from my wallet and taking CJ’s car for a joy ride. Then he’d come back home, give us this look and hope he could get away with it.]

Anywho, I digress.

As I was saying, our cupboards were in fact very bare and when that happens, so does another phenomenon – I eat like crap. That’s right, I totally blamed my poor eating on our pantry. Take that! Ok so my poor choices are part of it too but the fact of the matter is that when the selection at home is limited, I have to get creative when making meals/snacks and I tend to get lazy and just grab junk. Or eat out, which is neither friendly to my waist or wallet.

My main goal was two-fold – 1) get items that can be used in a variety of ways, thus giving me lots of options, and 2) buy healthy foods. Oh, and for the sake of our budget, keep it under $100. In particular, I wanted to buy items that I could take to work, so they had to be portable. What can I say, I spend almost half of my waking hours during the week at the office and I want to make sure I have healthy foods to eat while I’m there.

So, I made a list, checked it twice and then headed out to the store! [I also grabbed my coupons because it was double coupon day at Hy-Vee! Booya!]

2 hours later, I was back home and very happy with my haul. Not only did I meet my 2 goals but the grand total of the bill came to $98.97! Go Sarah, go Sarah, it’s your budget-day, go Sarah!

Here’s what I got as far as healthy items for me to take to work (meaning, I won’t show you pics of the dog bones I got Samson or the Ziploc bags that were purchased):

Frozen/Refrigerated items

  • Salad mix
  • Sweet Potato Fries (we had these for dinner last night and they were awe.some.
  • Edamame
  • VitaMuffin Tops (double chocolate of course)
  • Chocolate Milk (a childhood favorite)
  • Laughing Cow Light French Onion cheese spread (mmmmmm)
  • Cottage Cheese
  • Healthy Choice Steamers (for when we don’t have any leftovers for me to take)

Not pictured (because I forgot about them – oops!)

  • Carrot chips*
  • Sharp Cheddar cheese  

*Yes, I know that buying carrot chips as opposed to whole carrots is more expensive, but for me, it’s worth it. I am not a fan of the orange veggie so anyway to make it EASY for me to eat them is good. These chips are the perfect size/shape for throwing on a sandwich/burger or dipping into dressing or peanut butter (yes, carrots in PB. Sounds gross but it’s de-lish!).

The reason you don’t see a lot of fruits on the list is because CJ had gone out the day before and gotten some already. Apples, oranges, strawberries and pears – oh my!

Dry goods:

  • Pop-Secret HomeStyle microwave popcorn (snack bags)  – hands down, my fav microwave popcorn. It has that salty buttery taste that reminds me of what mom used to make!
  • Triscuit reduced fat crackers
  • FiberOne 90 calorie bars – Chocolate Peanut Butter

Not pictured:

  • Nilla Wafers
  • Cheese-its
  • Tortilla Chips

Doesn’t seem like a lot of food (sure seemed like more in the cart and as the total was being tallied at the cash register!) but the possibilities are endless! Cottage cheese and pears! Carrot chips and peanut butter! Triscuits smeared with the Laughing Cow cheese!

Here is how my menu looked today:

  • Post workout drink: Small glass of chocolate milk (fact: chocolate milk is just as good, if not better, at helping you recover from a workout than Gatorade or water due to its high carb and protein content. Plus it tastes way better and makes me feel like a kid again!).
  • Breakfast: oatmeal with strawberries
  • Mid-morning snack: apple and FiberOne bar (not as good as it looks on the package but still tasty)
  • Lunch: big salad paired with one of the Healthy Choice Steamers
  • Mid-afternoon snack: microwave popcorn
  • Dinner: Chicken and broccoli Mac n’cheese with a veggie/fruit and bread
  • Evening snack: 2 Girl Scout cookies (we have like 10 boxes of these so it is my duty to eat them up)

Pretty good, eh? And tomorrow will probably be something totally different, with no repeats. Gotta love that!

I’m really, really, excited about my now full cupboard. What can I say, I dig food. And more specifically, yummy, easy food.

I also had a productive weekend in the de-cluttering department but more to come on that tomorrow. If I revealed everything today, you all might fall over and die from sheer excitement. And I don’t want to be held responsible for that (Death by Blogging).

So, come back tomorrow and until then, healthy eating!!

If you liked this, you might also like:

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week

Don’t Call me Late for Dinner

Hate the Grocery Store

Shop

Posted in Miscellaneous by

Every year, around this time, I start to get the itch. No, I’m not talking about some kind of personal problem (because you know if I was I’d say it outright. I don’t have any issues with talking about private stuff! TMI? Puh-shaw!). I’m referring to the need…the need for speed – shopping!

As the weather starts to turn and Spring shows it’s pretty face, I get very disenchanted with all the clothes in my closet and immediately want to donate them all and start over with a whole new wardrobe. It’s like, ok, enough with the turtlenecks, sweaters, cardigans and boots already. Let’s bust out those cute T’s, shorts, capris, and best of all, strappy heels! But not the same old spring/summer clothes that I’ve worn year after year – I want new stuff!

I rarely go shopping and buy clothes for myself. Every once in a while I’ll buy a shirt here or a pair of jeans there, but there has to be a good reason for it. I can’t justify buying new clothes when we’re trying to save for a new house, pay off bills, and take care of our daughter unless it’s absolutely necessary. My most recent purchase was a new bra and I only bought that because the old one wasn’t giving me the support I needed (see what I mean about TMI?). My next most recent purchase before that was a dressy cardigan and tank to wear to the office Christmas Party.

I would love – LOVE! – to have someone give me a shopping spree and tell me to go buy whatever I want, wherever I want. Target? Kohls? Pish-posh! Go to Ann Taylor, White House | Black Market and Banana Republic. Buy yourself some clothes that not only look nice, fit right and are of the latest styles, but are also made well so they last forever. And while we’re at it, here’s a personal stylist too. And make-up artist. And hair stylist. And personal chef. And Jillian Michaels to give you that 6-pack you’ve been wanting.

What? Might as well ask for what I really want! Oprah, if you’re reading this (and I mean come on, you know she totally is), please make my dreams come true!

In the meantime, I’ll have to be content to wear my same old clothes and try to think of new ways to wear them. Look out officemates, you might see me mixing plaid with polka dots or green with purple just to liven things up a bit!

Thanksgiving

Posted in Holidays and Seasons by

I am exhausted. These last 2 days have been packed full and I am feeling it. I’m not complaining though. I absolutely LOVE this time of year and this is a good kind of exhaustion.

CJ "yamming" it up!

It started Wednesday evening after I got home from work. We did our usual family stuff and then after Munchkin went to bed, CJ and I got busy cooking. I made mashed potatoes and CJ made candied yams. It was really fun to be in the kitchen cooking together. We haven’t done that in a while. Usually one of us cooks while the other entertains/watches the kid. So it was nice to have that time together. After the food was prepared, we played Wii for a couple of hours. Haven’t done that in a long time either. Seems like there’s not enough time to play anymore. Nothing like the impending holidays to bring out the kid in you!

Thursday all the family gathered at my parents house (CJ’s dad joined us as well). We ate and played games and napped (well, the guys anyway) and ate some more. There was interpretive dancing (of a cat…long story and I do have video but promised my mom I wouldn’t post it), booty shaking (this was me), Lego building, football watching and at the end of the day, when we were home and tired, lots of snuggling.

Our little fashionista!

Thanksgiving is my absolute most favorite holiday for 2 reasons: lots of yummy food and a kick-off of that magical feeling in the air that comes with the holidays. I also love the time to stop and reflect on what I’m grateful for. There really are too many things to name so I’ll hit the highlights – my wonderful husband, my amazing daughter, my loving family and supportive friends, having a great job, being healthy and happy, and just having an overall awesome life. I am truly lucky.

Another big part of yesterday was scouring the Black Friday ads. My sister and I hit the stores early every year. It used to be we’d go out to get all the great deals. Now we just go for the fun and excitement (and still some good deals). It’s our thing and I like that we have this tradition.

I was up at 2:45 a.m. this morning and out the door by 3:05 a.m. Usually we have a list of 4 or 5 stores to hit and some that we have to get to early for some kind of doorbuster. This year it was narrowed down to 2 stores and there really wasn’t anything spectacular we had to have. I did have my eye on a digital camera so we started at Wal-Mart so I could get it (and I did)!

The first year we did this we met at Younkers at 4 a.m. (that was back when the doors didn’t open until 6 a.m.). We wanted to get some gemstone jewelry that was advertised for $15 each. It was COLD that morning and I was all bundled up in a big poofy yellow coat. My sister almost couldn’t find me because I was like a little Eskimo. When the doors opened it was a mad dash and I literally had to shove people out-of-the-way to get to what I wanted. The jewels were all gone in a matter of minutes. Another year we split up and I went to Best Buy while she went to Shopko. I got to BB a couple of hours before open and the line was already wrapped around the building. Some people had even camped out.

This year was very tame. No elbowing or shoving or madness. We didn’t even have to wait outside because Wal-Mart is open 24 hours so we could go right in. We hit our 2 stores and were done by 7 a.m. Easy peasy. We both commented that we felt the tiredness more this year. Not sure if it’s because we’re getting older or that we have families now or what. It was still a ton of fun.

Now it’s time to get the house ready. Tonight before bed I’ll pull out all the Christmas decorations (won’t put them up until Sunday). Tomorrow is the Family Cookie Baking Extravaganza! This is where my mom, sis and I get together and bake a gajillion Christmas cookies. It will take us all day. I’ll try to take pics of the creations because they are all pretty and yummy!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Cheers to you!

I hate the grocery store

Posted in Family, Isabella/Munchkin by

But I love all the food I come home with!

Grocery shopping is something I dread. I don’t like dealing with the crowds or waiting in line at the checkout or scouring the shelves for something I can’t find. Plus, the cheap skate in me sees dollar signs as I continue to fill up my cart.

To counter that, I clip coupons. Yes, I’m a coupon clipper. I don’t go crazy like some women do. I simply check the Sunday paper looking for deals on things which we normally buy. A coupon is not a savings if it ‘tricks’ you in to buying something you wouldn’t normally get.

Anyway, today I realized that I needed to bite the bullet and go. Our cupboards were getting bare and Munchkin was running out of some essentials too. So I began the process: 1) take a quick inventory and make a list of what’s needed 2) go through cookbooks and plan meals for the week. Add necessary items to the list. 3) Go through coupons and see what can be used. 4) Pack Munchkin in the car and hit the road!

I have a routine once I get to the store too. Start at produce and work my way across the store, checking off items on my list as I go. I try to stick to the list and the coupons but I occasionally add extra things. I’m also starting to “stock up” and add items that we use regularly that we might not need right away, but if it’s on sale, makes sense to grab.

Today I had Munchkin with me. She is actually a really good shopper. She sits in the cart and pretty much watches everyone. Sometimes she is antsy so I always have a good supply of toys/snacks with me to keep her distracted. Today she was in to the whole “experience” so as we walked down the aisles, I pointed out things to her that she would recognize. “Peaches!” “Red apples!” “Crackers” We got stopped by no less than 3 people telling me how cute she is. She simply flashed her best smile at them and giggled. What a charmer!

Most of the time the overhead music sort of fades in to the background for me, along with the other white noise like people on their cell phones, the chop of meat on the butcher block, the squeaky wheels of the carts, kids screaming for mom, and the beep of the cash register. But today I really noticed it because Munchkin noticed it. She was cart dancing! She would bop her head, shimmy a little, and swing her feet. It was so darn cute! That in turn made me want to dance so we moved up and down the aisles, shaking to the beat.

I was able to get lots of yummy healthy options for us to have on hand. When I got home I went in to organizational mode and started putting things away, while also tossing old items. The cupboards not only look full, but also neat and tidy!

Right now I have some chicken noodle soup in the crock pot, simmering. Dinner will be that with some whole wheat rolls and brownies or cupcakes for dessert. Yum!