Menu Plan Monday

I will be finishing this week's meal plan on Wednesday after I finish my shopping, but here is what I have for the beginning of the week:

Breakfast
Turkey Bacon Melt
Scrambled Eggs and Yogurt
Blueberry Cheese Cake Smoothie
Oatmeal

Lunch
Easy Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Peas
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Asiago Cheese and Spinach Pasta Toss

Dinner
Creamed Onion Bake and Grilled Chicken
Salsa Rice and Steak (Balsamic Marinated)
Italian Zucchini Cresecent Pie
Salsa Chicken Tortillas
Blue Cheese Burger with Grilled Pineapples
Hamburger on Rice
Caldo Verde Soup with Salad

Menu Plan Monday

Last week's menu was pretty basic since I did it mid-week. We didn't get a chance to try everything so some will be continuing on to this week.

We did LOVE the Honey Lime Enchiladas from the Good Things Utah show. They were delicious! Spicy and sweet at the same time. And, of course, steak is always nice - especially when you get an awesome deal at Buy Low.

So here is the agenda for this week :

Breakfast
Oatmeal and Scrambled Eggs with Veggies
Pancakes with home-made strawberry freezer jam :) (Tuesday is National Pancake Day!)
Turkey Bacon Quiche (Eating for Life)
Eggs, Toast, Oranges
Turkey Bacon Melt (Eating for Life)
Blueberry Cheesecake Smoothie
Yogurt and Waffles

Lunch
Tomato Bacon Tarts


Dinner
Chicken Fried Rice
Twice Baked Potatos with Green Salad
Albacore Tuna Cassrole (Eating for Life)

Snacks:
Hard boiled eggs and oranges

Half Baked!

I am just past the half way mark with this pregnancy and suddenly it seems to be going way to fast! Here is my baby bump at 20 weeks.

Luckily I have a small increase in energy now which is good because there is a lot to get done before Baby Boy Parker arrives - for example - picking out his name! Any good ideas? Nothing is standing out to me so far, but we do have a couple names on our list - Cortland, Kyler, Broden (Brody), Grayson, Lincoln, and Aiden.

I've returned to my old Ebay surfing habits to find some outfits for the little guy (so sad to pack up all of Lily's ward robe. I didn't realize how big it was!). I am happy to say that there are DARLING clothes for little boys out there - just don't outbid me for them!

I'm also starting to stock our freezer with freezer meals for after he comes and that last month for when I probably won't feel like cooking. Any favorite freezer recipes that have worked out for anyone?

And one of my major goals is to get Lily and myself on a better routine together. I've been looking at different toddler activity blogs and found lots of good ideas. I like what I have found on letteroftheweek.com and the ideas from Tot School. And we will definitely be starting the flashcards from You Can Teach Your Baby to Read (as soon as I get my stock pile up). Anyone had fun or success with these? Lily LOVES learning new things and I know would enjoy these things.

Menu Planning Monday

I am a little late this week. We got back from North Carolina Monday and are just getting settled in. Here is what is on the menu this week. My inspiration came from some of the recipes on Good Things Utah and Oprah.

Dinner
Twice Baked Potato Boats
Baked Nachos
Chicken Fried Rice
Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
Zuchinni Casserole
Beef and Broccoli
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Bake

Lunch
Tomato Bacon Tarts

IT'S A .......!

BOY!

For Baby #2, we are evening out our numbers and joining the blue team!

Although we truly wouldn't be surprised if we found out next month it was a girl. The boy parts looked like an umbilical cord to me and Johnny swears he saw three lines. We can't verify this because the technician forgot to record the gender part of the ultrasound. So we are pretty sure (and excited) about a little boy, but thinking there is a very slight chance for girl :).

I'll scan in the ultrasound pics so you can see for yourself.

Anyways,we are pretty excited about Baby Boy Parker. I already have a list of boy names at least a page long and I am only to the H's in the name database. I actually had more boy names that I liked this time so it will be fun to put one to use!

Here are a few tidbits about the pregnancy so far:

• Everything looked perfect on the ultrasound! He is even measuring one day ahead of schedule.
  
• I have more cravings this time around. They change every day. The list includes: mustard (which I have always hated), strawberries, and bacon.
• I am 19 weeks and I have only gained 4 pounds. (very excited about this, but I didn't start at my ideal weight anyway so I am not supposed to gain as much)
• This little guy is a mover! He likes to kick Lily. Hopefully he is just saying hello, and it isn't a sign of things to come.
  
• My blood pressure is staying low! Woohoo!
• Between my research study appointments and my regular appointments - they have gotten my blood on the first try at least half of the time - major miracle for me. (I have been drinking water and exercising like crazy to enlarge my nonexistent veins!)
  

Menu Plan Monday

With a new baby on the way, I am making more efforts to become better organized. I realized that if I am this scatter brained with one - I am going to be in trouble with two! For about a month I have been doing weekly menu planning with the help of orgjunkie.com and savvyshoppdeals.com. I am happy to say that we are eating better and, surprisingly, for much cheaper! Planning our meals around the weekly sales has been pretty fun. For the first time I stuck to our food budget and we've actually started to build our food storage. I decided to put my weekly meal plan on line (if only for the easiness of having all the links in one place). Undoubtedly, we probably won't stick to it 100 percent, but I'll let you know what we like!


Breakfast
Honey Nut Cheerios and Strawberries
Oatmeal
Toast and scrambled eggs and yogurt
Tropical Banana Nut Parfait


Lunch
Egg Salad Sandwich
Zesty Corn Quesadilla
Rice and Lentils
Sante Fe BLT

Dinner
Stove Top Easy Brunch Casserole
Peach/Strawberry Fruit Pizza with Veggie Eggs and Bacon
Stawberry/Mozzarella Salad with Seasoned Chicken
Cheeseburger Pizza (we love this one and it is slightly healthier than it sounds)
Pasta and Vegetables with Cilantro Sauce

For more great recipes go to orgjunkie.com

At least one of us looks cute!

I am almost 19 weeks and still haven't gotten my cute baby bump yet! However, Lily seems to have given herself a cute little bump of her own. We have been talking to her about the baby growing in my tummy and I guess she decided that she was going to have one of her own :). She likes to talk to my tummy and the baby. I asked her what we should name the baby and she has changed her mind from Bruce and moved on to Elmo, Goofy, or Minnie.


And this is how I found her sleeping the other day. She had fallen asleep on the couch and slipped partially off. She slept that way for another ten minutes!