Farmhouse Friday, February 17, 2023

 Good Friday Morning!

Well, that week went by fast!

We are still in the thick of remodeling the bath, entry and laundry area of our house.  We "had" to take a few days off this week.  Which allowed me some time to do laundry, attempt to clean up the "dirt/dust" and think about what I want to actually take back into that space.  Not all that was in there!!!!

In my theme for the year "free in '23" I've been working on managing my time better.  There are many reasons that I could say here as to why I can't do this, but truth is, they all sound like excuses.  So, I will move forward and say, I have been getting back on schedule this week.  I started in January really and have been adding 1 thing a week to my morning schedule to do instead of looking at my phone.  I now have 7 things I try to do first thing in the morning.  I feel so productive!  They are things that are for me...not anyone else...or my business...things I do to make my day go better.

I came across that quote this week.  Boy, if that ain't the truth!  

Speaking of "free '23" - I also had a friend through 4H send me a dozen or more pictures and wanted my opinion on value.  Now, you know, I like to help people....but, I do this for a business.  So, I called her and told her I would be happy to list those items for her in my business group for this %.  Well, she said "of course!  Let's do it!"  I also had consignees, that I had picked up items from over the years to sell, contact me this week.  I told them that I now rent an office, gave them the address and told them my hours.  Guess what, they delivered!  That is how I want to do this, pick up and delivery at my office.  

Do you watch any YouTube channels?  I do...  Have you seen the ones "what a family of 8 eats in a day?"  Well, I thought I would do...."what I eat on Noom in a day."  I happen to think about this the other day, that I've lost and gained these same 30-50 pounds at least 6 times in my married life.  Granted 2 were pregnancies, but still!  So, I'm on to the 7th time....I hope I can find a happy, healthy place and not focus on a number! 

Oh, before I share photos of my day....I was involved in a discussion recently with some experts in their field (farming).  Anyway, the topic of "sharing what you know" came up.  Of course, I was already thinking of a future blog post (still working on it - haha) and I was thinking about all the Insta sham and Fake book posts .... I don't know why, but those things drive me batty.... NO ONE can do all that!  Any who.....if there is one thing I do know about, it's how to lose and gain weight....I laughed and laughed thinking about it.  So, I shared some of my meals on Insta...with tips.  So here goes.....

Breakfast: "green eggs" (1 egg, 2 whites, spinach, scallons, peppers), bagel thin, with a smear of pesto, 2 pinches of grated cheese.  A glass of ice water with splash of orange juice.  

Tip:  Add flavor without all the extras, pesto was amazing and I only needed a tiny taste.  Use the bagel thin it's 1/2 the bread.  Make your plate look special.  We eat with our eyes as well. 

(BTW, look at my hen's cute eggs!)

Get the taste of the juice while drinking more water.  

Mid Morning Snack:  warm, honey, nut pears

Spray a pan with cooking spray, add sliced pears (fruit) sprinkle with cinnamon and pinch of salt.  Flip and reapeat.  When soft, add some finely chopped nuts (smaller makes it seem like more) a drizzle of honey and 1 small pat of butter, yes eat butter it's better.    Tip:  When you want a treat, but don't want to cheat.

Lunch:  Plan, plan, plan.  I picked up my granddaughter so I packed a lunch to eat while I waited.  Now, I would rather have ran to a drive thru, but what was that quote....what we don't change....

I used a high fiber wrap, filled with a chopped veggies, 5 black olives, 1 baby bell cheese, sprinkle with italian seasoning and drizzle with dressing....I didn't miss the "meat" - so good!  

Supper:  I had a round steak cooking in the crock all day with homemade mushroom gravy.  I added 1/2 a jalapeno pepper diced so small it just melted into the gravy.  So good.  Served over rice and tossed side salad.  My tip here would be, don't skimp on flavor and measure what you eat.  A 1/2 c rice is satisfying.  I also used my salad plate instead of my dinner plate - made it look like more.  I save my milk for meals like this and I add ice so it also looks like more.  

Treat after....

These 3 ingredient cupcakes Lauren (she is 5) made all by herself.  It's 3 mashed bananas, 2 eggs and 1 box of any cake mix.  The frosting she wanted and it had chocolate chips in.  

Tip:  when you stick on program, you can have a little treat and still stay on track.  I ate all of this and was still within my caloric "safe" zone for the day.  

My meal and food choices on weekends are more free range, but I am mindful of what it is I am eating.  I still track it even if it is an awful big calorie number. 

O.k. off to work today at my office.  I added a Saturday morning pick up for the next 2 weeks.  My plan is to devote 1 whole Saturday to that soon.  Have a great weekend.  

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.