Important Announcement

Hey everyone.  I know I’ve been absent for a long time.  I apologize for this.  I always swore I wouldn’t be one of those moms who let motherhood push everything else to the back burner… but that’s exactly who I became.  Little man needed my attention more than I ever imagined.  He’s a handful.  A wonderful handful.

I am, however, getting back into blogging.  Not here or on my recipe blog.  They’re still pushed to the side indefinitely.  I have started my own photography business, and will be blogging on my very own awesome website, pamsmithphoto.com.  It will feature my photos – either from adventures or photoshoots.

I’d love to reconnect with you all!  I really miss the blogging community.  So, please head over and give me a follow and a comment letting me know so I can return the favor.

Hope you all are well.

Menu Plan Tuesday: Whole30 Week 4

It was a long weekend (President’s Day and a snow day today), and I totally forgot yesterday was Monday.  I’m sure you were all wondering where I was.  Or not.  I normally would’ve just skipped posting this week’s menu plan, but it’s the very last week of my Whole30!

I’m starting to really believe I can finish this.  It hasn’t been easy, but I’m so close, just six more days!  Next Tuesday I get to eat whatever…. not that I’ll eat complete junk, but I won’t have to watch every single ingredient.  I’ll be able to grab lunch with a friend without having to pack my own salad dressing or research every option available.

After this, you get a break from my obsessive Whole30-ness.  I’m sure you’re all relieved about that.  I might, possibly, do another one after March with a friend.  We’ll see how that goes.

Breakfast:  Coffee with Cashew Milk, Eggs with Shredded Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, and Salsa Chicken

Lunch:  Leftovers or Steamed Vegetables with Turkey Burgers (No Bun)

Snack:  Apples with Almond Butter, Cashews with Freeze Dried Fruit

Dinner:

1. Crock Pot Chicken with Potatoes and Steamed Veggies
2. Chicken and Vegetable Soup
3. BBQ Chicken Over Sweet Potatoes
4. Egg Roll in a Bowl
5. Salsa Chicken over Sweet Potatoes (No Corn or Black Beans, Sugar Free Salsa)
6. Shepherd’s Pie
7. Almond Crusted Pork Chops with Steamed Veggies
8. Pork, Potatoes, and Green Beans (Olive Oil Instead Of Butter, Homemade Seasoning)

Want some non-Whole30 meal ideas?  Check out The Vampire Diet!

What are you eating this week?

Menu Plan Monday: Whole30 Week 3

Today is day 16.  That means I’m over the halfway hump and it’s all downhill from here.  I’m really starting to believe that I can and will finish this.  I can make it 14 more days, no problem!

This last week was rough, though.  I was very, very aware of all the foods I couldn’t have.  I did some reading, and it’s pretty normal for that to happen.  According to the official timeline, I should be hitting the boundless energy/Tiger Blood stage right about now.  Fingers crossed it happens pretty soon.  It might have already happened, and my complete lack of sleep the past two nights is negating it.

I guess I should stop rambling now and get to the point of this post: the menu plan.  I’ve been trying to get this posted all day, but Grayson hasn’t let me.  He’s sleeping now, but he’ll probably wake up any minute.  That’s how it always goes, right?

Breakfast:  Coffee with Cashew Milk, Eggs Scrambled with Salsa Chicken, Spinach, and Shredded Sweet Potatoes

Lunch:  Leftovers or Steamed Veggies with Turkey Burger (No Bun)

Snacks:  Apples with Almond Butter, Dried Fruit, Pecans

Dinner:

1. Almond Crusted Chicken with Garlic Green Beans
2. Hamburger Soup
3. Sweet Potato Sloppy Joes (Mashed Apples Instead of Sugar/Honey)
4. Italian Crock Pot Chicken Soup (With Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, and Spinach)
5. Pork Chops with Roasted Vegetables
6. Pork Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
7. Amish One Pan Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet

I only have one more week (and one day) of Whole30 menu planning after this… then I’m not sure what will happen.  I actually have a lot of anxiety about it.  Daniel and Trinity expect me to jump right back in and make normal food.  I feel like I should slowly reintroduce stuff.  Maybe I should do mostly eating like this and a few days of ‘regular’ food.  I don’t know!  Having an anxiety disorder is not fun sometimes.

Want more menu planning goodness right now?  The Vampire Diet has some yummy (non-Whole30) things planned!

I hate to ask… but what are you having this week?  I’ll probably be jealous, haha.

Menu Plan Monday: Whole30 Week 2 (again)

Week 2 again, guys.  I’m so annoyed at myself.  As awesome as the Chili, Chocolate, and Homebrew thing was, I still can’t get over the thought that, if I hadn’t cheated and had to start over, this would be my last week.  I’d be thisclose to being done instead of being only a third of the way in.  Hopefully this thought will help me stick with it… especially with all the Valentine’s Day desserts and chocolates and such being posted all over social media.  I guess this is what I get for being a (past/on hiatus) food blogger.  I’m friends with a lot of other foodies.

I keep thinking that I could cheat a little – eat a truffle kiss –  but I’d really only be cheating myself.  I want to see if this fabled ‘Tiger Blood’ feeling toward the end is real… and I can’t know for sure if I cheat.

So, I’ll stick it out.  Besides, I have some yummy food planned for this week!

Breakfast:  Eggs with Shredded Sweet Potato and Ground Pork

Lunch:  Leftovers or Chicken Breast with Steamed Veggies

Snacks:  Apples with Almond Butter, Freeze Dried Fruit

Dinner:

1. Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken over Sweet Potatoes with Steamed Veggies
2. Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
3. Mexican Stir Fry over Cauliflower Rice
4. Sweet Potato Chili
5. Egg Roll in a Bowl
6. Italian Seasoned Pork, Potatoes, and Green Beans (with Substitutions to Make it Compliant)
7. Burrito Bowl

Want some yummy non whole30 foods?  Head over to The Vampire Diet!

The BBQ chicken is in the crock pot right now, and it smells amazing.  I cannot wait to nom on it tonight.  What are you making?

Weekly Photo Challenge: Depth

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Depth.”

I have missed participating in these weekly photo challenges. I really haven’t been photographing anything except Grayson for a while now, and I need to find my creative mojo again. Hopefully this will help.

This week’s prompt is Depth. They’re looking for photos that demonstrate depth, literally or creatively.  I had to dig back in my archives due to the lack of current creative photos.  I found a few I’d like to share.

Is this really deep or is it just an optical illusion?

I found this sign hilarious. It was along a trail in Alaska.

That valley is pretty deep. This, again, is from Alaska.

Avery found this heart leaf. The depth of field is very small. Get it? Yeah.

What photos do you have in your archives that demonstrate the word Depth? Head over to The Daily Post to participate.

Menu Plan Monday: Whole30, Week 1 (again)

I had a great time at the Chili, Chocolate, and Homebrew thing at UUCDC on Saturday for Daniel’s birthday.  I definitely broke my Whole30, though.  To be completely truthful, I was bad most of the week leading up to Saturday.  I knew I was going to cheat on Saturday, and that made my motivation to stay on track go out the window.

I know what the guilt of cheating feels like now, so I hope I do better this time around.  I have identified more of my issues…  I have a hard time staying on track when having a meal out.  I also have problems with lunch.  I don’t usually have a lot of time to cook something (Grayson is teething and starting his 6th developmental leap… life hasn’t been easy lately).  I’m hoping that doing a bunch of prep at the beginning of the week, so I can just reheat it, will help.

If I happen to be out and about with you during meal time, please don’t let me cheat.  Ha.  I need to be held accountable and reminded to stay on track, apparently.

Breakfast:  Eggs with shredded sweet potatoes, salsa chicken, and spinach

Lunch:  Leftovers or chicken breast with steamed vegetables

Snacks:  Blood oranges, bananas, a small amount of nuts, freeze dried fruit

Dinner:

1. Meatloaf with Green Beans
2. Egg Roll in a Bowl
3. Lemon-Garlic Chicken, Green Beans, and Potatoes
4. Italian Crock Pot Chicken Soup (With Spinach and Carrots Added)
5. Squash and Turkey Chili (based on my Butternut Squash and Black Bean Chili Recipe)
6. Italian Seasoned Pork, Potatoes and Green Beans (with substitutes to make it compliant)
7. Superbowl!  Wings, Veggies with Compliant Dip, Fruit

For some regular menu planning, check out The Vampire Diet.  She makes some yummy stuff!

Maybe I’ll post something not Whole30 related this week.  I’m seriously getting sick of hearing myself talk about it.  I can only imagine what you all are thinking.

So… tell me… what are you having for dinner this week?

Menu Plan Monday: Whole30, Week 2

Well, week 1 on the Whole30 was pretty interesting.  I failed to remember that I had to plan for breastfeeding.  That’s at least an extra 500 calories per day.  The first few days were rough, and I ate a bunch of nuts to satisfy my all day hunger.  I woke up on day #3 with hives up my arm.  Apparently I’m allergic to large quantities of tree nuts.

I spent the remainder of the week eating carrots and snap peas all day everyday.  I realized I was experiencing a drop in milk supply when Grayson started getting mad while nursing.   That wasn’t something I foresaw happening, and I needed to nip it straight away.  Lots of sweet potatoes, eggs, and healthy fat later, I think I’ve fixed the issue.  Now I have to make sure I’m getting enough calories everyday.  So, I’m adding lots of starchy veggies and proteins to my daily intake.  Hopefully that solves the issue.  I’ll gladly take any recommendations.

I’ve been bad about the gym this past week, too.  Apparently that was a good thing, though, because that would’ve meant even less calories for Grayson.  I didn’t feel comfortable going to the gym with hives all up my arm and chest.  It took a few days to clear up.

I’ve also realized that I planned this at a really bad time.  This weekend is Daniel’s birthday and a Chili, Chocolate, and Homebrew event that I’ve been looking forward to forever.  I learned about it two years ago after it took place; last year there was a big snowstorm and we couldn’t make it.  So, I’m going to break my diet for that.  I’ll restart the next day at day 1.  It sucks, but I really want to complete this challenge AND have homemade chocolate and chili and beer and yum.  I’ll keep to it this week for practice with getting enough calories so I’m even more prepared when I restart next week.

Enough blabbing, though.

I totally forgot to plug the crock pot in yesterday… so, I made last night’s dinner tonight, and we went out last night.  Also, it’s just going to be the kiddos and I for dinner this week.  That means lots of leftovers and more meatballs.  The kid loved them!

Breakfasts:  Eggs with Approved Sausage, Shredded Sweet Potatoes, and Spinach; Coffee

Lunch:  Leftovers or Chicken with Steamed Veggies and Sweet Potatoes/Red Potatoes

Snacks:  Nuts (In Moderation), Blood Oranges, Freeze Dried Apples, Bananas

Dinner:

1. Slow Cooker Chili Verde
2. Crock Pot Salsa Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Steamed Veggies
3. Asian Meatballs with Green Beans
4. Crispy Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Broccoli
5. Leftovers
6. Chili and Chocolate Festival – No Cooking
7. Sweet Potato Sloppy Joes (With Apples to Replace Honey/Sugar)

Want more menu planning awesome?  Check out The Vampire Diet.  She’s not Whole30 compliant, but she makes some delicious stuff.

What are you guys eating this week?

Menu Plan Monday: Whole 30, Week 1

Yes, I’m still alive.  My world has been overtaken by the most adorable little boy, who is now 7 months old.  That means I haven’t updated this blog in 6 months.  I’m sorry I fail.  I’ve missed you guys, and I’m hopeful that you all have missed me.

Isn’t he adorable?

I’m slowly getting my life back to normal, though.  Well… as normal as possible with a new addition.  I’m finally able to get back to the gym.  It’s been a battle because Grayson refuses a bottle.  That means I’ve been his only source of food until now; he’s finally showing some interest in solids.

I’m also trying to conquer my PCOS.  It’s nice to have a name for the mystery illness, but it still sucks.  With this comes insulin resistance and hormone imbalances, both of which hinder weight loss.  The only real way to alleviate the symptoms?  Lose weight.  Ha.

Of course the medication they usually prescribe is not recommended while breastfeeding.  Just my luck, right?

That just leaves diet.  I wasn’t sure where to start because I’ve heard a lot of different things: no dairy, no carbs, no sugar, no this, no that, blah blah blah.  I have a few friends who were talking about doing the Whole 30 program this month.  After some research, I decided to jump on the bandwagon to see how it affects my PCOS.

So, starting today, I’m committed to 30 days of no alcohol, dairy, grains, legumes, added sweeteners, carrageenan, MSG, sulfites, or overly processed foods.  It’s a huge undertaking, and I need as much support as I can get.  That’s why I decided to dust this blog off and post:  it’ll help keep me accountable.  Plus, menu planning will help me stay on track.  Plans are awesome.

Breakfast:  I had a plan to make fancy breakfasts ahead of time and just reheat them.  I failed at that.  So, I’m just having eggs, chicken, and veggies, pan fried in coconut oil… and black coffee because black coffee > coffee with coconut milk.

Lunch:  Leftovers or salad with spinach, lots of veggies, chicken, and oil and vinegar

Snacks:  Bananas, Blood Oranges, Nuts

And….. dinner:

1. Salt and Vinegar Chicken (with thighs instead of wings) with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli
2. Crock Pot Chicken with roasted broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots
3. Chicken and Vegetable Soup (homemade broth, leftover chicken, onions, snap peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, anything else I can find to throw in…)
4. Slow Cooker Chili Verde
5. Italian Seasoned Pork, Potatoes, and Green Beans (with Ghee instead of butter and homemade Italian Dressing Mix without sugar)
6. Asian Meatballs (I’m subbing the fish sauce with coconut aminos because I didn’t want to buy a big bottle of approved fish sauce for one recipe) with Green Beans
7. Hamburger Soup

If you’re looking for more menu planning goodness, The Vampire Diet is your gal… although her plan isn’t Whole 30 friendly.

What I need from you guys is periodic check ins.  Ask me how it’s going, if I’m sticking to may plan, what I ate that day, how a recipe turned out, stuff like that.  If I feel like no one cares, I might just cheat.  I’m going to try not to, though.

Also, if you notice something on my list that isn’t necessarily Whole 30 approved, please tell me!  I’m a n00b, so I might miss something in an ingredient list.  I actually bought nuts for snacks without realizing they were cooked in soybean and peanut oil.  So, yeah.  Thankfully I noticed before I started the program.  That could’ve ruined things!

So….. what have I missed in the past 6 months?  What’s new in your lives?  I’m pretty active on Instagram and Twitter; add me!

Phone Pics of Awesome, June 2014 Edition

I promised that I’d get this post out this week, and I finally found time to do it.  Grayson has been a grumpasaurus this week.  I think he’s going through a growth spurt.  That means we’ve been cuddling a lot, which leaves little time for blogging…. or much of anything.

Thankfully he’s taking an epic nap today.  I’m caught up with laundry (I’ve been working on this between naps and playtime all day), dishes, showering, and (soon) blogging.  I’m hoping I can get dinner prepped before he wakes up, too!

Needless to say, most of the photos I took this month are of Grayson.  I tried to pick a variety of other photos to share here, though.  That way you don’t get too bored.  Here’s my June in review via cellular phone photos:

Last belly photo! 39 weeks, only a few days before he was born.

This is my favorite rose bush.

Baby wearing at its finest 😉

He was one week old in this photo.

He was not excited about the car seat 😉

I love baby feet!

First photo of the siblings together ❤

Birthday Girl, The Big 1-4!

Evil Kitten McNugget

Pirate Charlie

My awesome friend made him this hat. Isn’t he adorable?

This photo appeared in the newspaper 😉

Daniel’s first father’s day with two kiddos ❤

There’s a reason we call her ‘stalker kitteh’.

Spike loves the Boppy!

Trinity at her 8th grade Promotion Ceremony.

Best Fortune Ever!

The lilies are taller than Trinity!

…but I’d kill for the Atlantic!

Grayson, all ready for his first trip to the beach!

He’s so itty bitty ❤

Tiger Lily

Handy Man Spike

I do love sunsets.

There’s my photo in the bottom left corner!

I love him.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s super baby!

Spike thinks the baby seat is his new bed.

We went to the Cape May Zoo!

Grayson has been making this confused face since he was a day old. I love it!

If you’d like to see the rest, head over to my Instagram (@pamasaurus).  There’s lots more Grayson photos there, guys!  A few of you have been asking for them!

Hope your June was as awesome as mine!

Menu Plan Monday #95

I have been MIA for a while.  I’m sorry.  I’ve been a bit busy with an itty bitty.  I cannot believe he’s a month old already!

Isn’t he adorable?

I’ve also been drowning a bit in postpartum depression.  Thankfully, New Jersey thinks postpartum depression is srs bsns.  So it was caught early, and I’m already starting to feel a lot more human again.  I’m even trying to get back into a routine.  That routine includes menu planning and blog posting.

So… here’s a blog post about my first menu plan since May.

1. Vegetarian Cheesy Rice
2. Kielbasa Mac and Cheese
3. Italian Pork, Potatoes, and Green Beans
4. Hamburgers with Cheesy Vegetables
5. Freezer Meal (I still have 4 left.  I’ll just grab whichever one I want that night)
6. Chicken and Rice
7. Meatloaf with Mashies

For more menu planning ideas, check out The Vampire Diet.  Also, I post yummy recipes over at Om Nomalicious.

What’s on your menu this week?

 

I know I owe you guys a June phone pic post.  I’m going to get it up at some point this week.  Promise.