High Five for Friday

Hello Friday! Time for another High Five:

1. As of Tuesday I officially finished my first year of optometry school!!!  (Can I get a hallelujah?!)  It was hard and stressful at times (many times), but worth it. And it feels so good to be accomplished with this year. I'm looking forward to this coming school year (which is... just a week away) because we will begin clinic courses and start doing a lot more hands on learning. Plus, I have all this equipment I need to learn how to use!

2. Since we were feeling free on Tuesday after our last final exam, the girls and I went shopping.  It was great to just stroll around the mall without feeling like we were "wasting" time. I happened upon a rather fabulous dress that they talked me into buying. They had a lot more fashion input than Jesse normally does. :) I also rewarded myself with a little beauty product. (Not sure if I'm in love with it yet; might get back to you with that.)

3. The same night some of us also went to the Baron's baseball game. It's something Jesse and I have been saying we want to do, and since they were running out of home games for the season, we decided it was the perfect night to go. We enjoyed 50 cent hotdog night, along with some nachos, and of course good company! 

4. Last night we had a Google Hangout with Matt and Heidi to plan more of our New York trip. Tickets are booked for Broadway!!!!!!!!!!!

5. I've also been working on party planning for a game night tonight. Come back this weekend to find more about our Monopoly House Party!

Hope you are having a good week, too. Share some of your top moments below!

Meal Planning - How We Do It

How do you plan for dinner? Do you go to the grocery store multiple times per week?  Do you walk around the grocery store, randomly throwing food (and snacks) into the buggy, only to see a large total at checkout and you hope you've got what it takes to make a few meals during the week? This is what we used to do.  Every time we opened the fridge or cabinets I would say, "We don't have any food." When really, there was plenty of random food items in the fridge or pantry, they just didn't seem to go together for a meal.  With professional school comes extreme time management, and while I'm still not a pro at that, I think I've conquered our dinner mystery.

On a good week, this is what we try to do:

On Saturday or Sunday I sit down with my recipe binder. In it are recipes we know we like and some new ones to try in the future.  I've separated it out into categories, and when we find a new recipe we like, I type it up, print it out, and stick it in the binder (like the one you see above, and the recipes I share here on the blog). That way we don't forget about it!  Each weekend we pick about 5 meals out - some from the binder, some new meals, and some that don't require an actual recipe. Having the recipes at hand, even for more simple meals reminds me of all the ingredients I need and prevents me from forgetting to grab it at the store. We choose 5 because we usually eat at Community Group one night a week, and then we sometimes have leftovers for the other night or plan to go out.

Next, I make our list (no surprise there, huh?). I found this cute meal planning notepad in the dollar bin at Target a little while back, but before that I just used scraps of paper. I flip it over and on the back write out our 5 meal ideas. Beneath each one I write the ingredients I need to pick up (leaving off any that I already have).  I also make a list in the bottom corner of other things we need for the week - the usuals, like milk and bread.

Then I take it to the store with me, and mark off things as I go. This results in a slightly crumpled list, because I can still be frazzle-brained in the store, but it helps!  Now, here's the most important part:  only buy what's on the list! This is one of our main goals of meal planning - not just to plan but to $$$save$$$. And I promise it really helps.  I try, try, try to stick to the list, and when I do I notice the savings. We aim for only spending $60 a week on our grocery store total (including non-meal related items like cereal, milk, etc). It's often less than that because of pantry staples, etc. Let's do a little math:  60/5 = $12 a meal (assuming we're only planning five meals, but sometimes more for the same price goal).  That's $6 a meal per person.  I know you could eat out for $6 per person, but this is home cooked, and often times MUCH healthier.  Here's where I'll throw in another good point in meal planning:  by writing out what you plan to eat for the week you SEE what you're putting into your body and can account in advance for your servings of fruits and veggies. Or note that you've eaten red meat 4 out of 5 meals this week. (We aim for only one red meat, a couple of chicken, and maybe a meatless meal.) This can also help reduce your food waste (= money waste) by planning to use the same ingredient for more than one meal!  By no means are we experts at this yet, because we still throw away spoiled food, and we still eat out more often than we should, and we still don't always have enough fruits and veggies each day, but we try and we can only get better trying - and that matters.

OK... off the soapbox...

Next, I fill in each day with its meal. I try to base this on the ingredients for the meal and how quick I need to use them before they go bad.

Then I hang it on the fridge with any recipes that go along with it so everything is ready to go each night, and I'm not searching for or looking up a recipe.

10 Reasons to meal plan:
1) can plan your own HEALTHY meals
2) lets you track your meals and food choices
3) lets you track how many times you eat out
4) saves you time at the store
5) saves you money by only buying the things you need
6) saves you money by eating what you buy and not letting it go to waste
7) keeps you sane
8) keeps you full
9) gives you an answer when husband says "What's for dinner tonight?"
10) a full husband makes for a happy husband... at least in this house

High Five for Friday

Let's back up a little bit since I haven't been keeping up so well with the High Five...

1. Last week Jesse was in Pittsburgh for a work conference, which left me home alone, which I don't like hate. I always think the worst things are going to happen while he's gone - robbery, car trouble, who knows. But, of course, I lived through it and the worst thing that happened was that I had to kill a roach.  To be frank, I was in the bathroom, it was on the toilet paper roll. Needless to say it gave me quite the scare!

2. I received my first equipment batch that we ordered for school! It was quite exciting, and since Jesse wasn't home Maggie quickly became my first "patient."  (She cooperated better than expected!) I don't know what to do with much of it right now, but our courses next semester will have us using all of it, and I can't wait!

3.  This week, I spent some time baking and made chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting for Community Group. They were quite tasty (especially with a tall glass of milk) and I had fun playing with different ways to frost them.

4. Most of you know I was never the sporty child, I don't really like to sweat, and if you leave me long enough outside in the heat I will probably get cranky.  But, I know I need to get out and exercise to maintain good heath, increase energy, and de-stress. Plus my life is quite sedentary - sit in class, sit and study, repeat. Thankfully my friend Ronda is prepping for a 5K, which motivated me and Kelsey to join her yesterday at the park. We decided accountability is key, so hopefully we can keep each other off the couch. :)  Plus we get some girl time in together!

5. The most exciting news happened yesterday!!!  We booked tickets to go to NYC!  AAAAaaahhhh! (I'm SO excited!) Matt and Heidi were planning to go and invited us along. We played around with the idea for a while, and when plane ticket prices dropped some yesterday it was time to act, so we decided we were in and hit submit! I cannot wait to explore New York together!

Community Group Game Night

This past Friday, our Community Group hosted a church-wide family game night. Well, really, it was open to anyone to come have a good time.  We did a good bit of planning a couple of weeks ahead of time, coming up with decoration ideas, snacks, and the layout for the night. Now, many of us in our group love to play board and card games. It's quite the regular occurrence after we wind up Bible study... or randomly during the week. Our group leaders, Mike & Kelsey, have even made several games and are in the process of having them printed onto real boards and cards, and they will soon pursue support and funding for publishing them! (Keep up with their progress on their facebook page, Two Penney Games, and expect BIG things from them - they are amazingly awesome!)

So, with all that being said, we had some great expectations for this game night we were throwing. It was announced at church the Sunday before, we arrived at the conference room and got it all ready and pretty, and then we waited. Some of us were nervous that no one would show... or 'too many' people would come. We didn't know what to expect.

We built a mountain of games for people to choose from then take to a table to play together.

We combined efforts to create a yummy spread of snacks, including game-themed food such as a checkerboard of sandwich squares topped with tomatoes and olives as playing pieces, and some Scrabble cookies (made my yours truly).  The foods had cute game-related labels such as "Battleships and Dip" for chips and dip, and "Apples to Apples" on the fruit tray.

And then people came! And we were very excited! It was a great environment to mix and mingle with other people and get to know others in our church that we might not have met yet. It was truly a fun night for everyone of all ages!

There was a photobooth, which the kids LOVED.

(the testing photo)

Every 30 minutes Kelsey led a "Minute-to-Win-It" style game where several people would compete, in sometimes slightly embarrassing situations, for prizes. Activities included moving an Oreo from your forehead to your mouth using only your face muscles, stacking 6 dice on a popsicle stick held in your mouth, shaking ping-pong balls out of an empty Kleenex box above your rear tied around your waist. 

Watch Jesse win the "Nose Dive" game:

It was a fun-filled night, and a great way to connect with people and the community. Hopefully we will do it again soon!

Favorite Things - Bath & Body Works Scents

I'm quite the sucker for things that smell good - whether that be a candle, a Scentsy bar, or hand soap.  Now you all know that I am also a sucker for things that are cheap, so it may be surprising that I "splurge" on Bath&BodyWorks hand soaps instead of the cheaper stuff.  They just make them smell so stinkin' good! (Oxymoron, I know, but I speak the truth.) Plus they often run them 6 for $20. (I'll also wait until I have a $10 off $30, so I buy the soaps for $20 then pick out another item or two that totals to $10. So I'm basically buying the soap, what I "need," and get the other things free! You gotta work the system, folks! Oh, and usually a $10 off $30 prints of the bottom of your receipt if you do a quick survey, and it doesn't expire. FYI.)

There are a few soap scents I make sure to always get in the 6, and then I try to change it up with some new scents on occasion. I also like to pick up scents for the holidays or seasons. Just one of those small things that makes my heart happy - like the smell of spices in the fall, pine at Christmas time, or honeysuckle in the spring/summertime.

Here is a list of my favorites, in no particular order. I prefer the foaming soaps over the regular anti-bacterial soaps. If I were picking out 6 scents, these would be the ones:

Kitchen Lemon - my absolute favorite for...can you guess?... the kitchen!

Dancing Waters - a wonderful, clean scent that's nice any time of the year.

Aqua Blossoms - another clean, calm scent that we like to use in the bathrooms.

White Citrus - again, another clean scent (can you detect a pattern here?), but with a crisp citrus overtone.

Kitchen Apple Mint - this is a new favorite of mine. Thanks to a sweet gift this one made it into my home and will now be quite the contender with Kitchen Lemon for the kitchen sink.

After typing this, I realize this list seems kind of boring, but these are the top picks. Usually I will grab three or four of these, depending on my mood, and grab a couple of new scents to try. Others that make it in the line up are Caribbean Escape, Coconut Lime Verbena, Sea Island Cotton, and Island Breeze. While looking on the Bath & Body Works site they seem to have several new summer scents I would be interested in trying too!

I think the foaming soaps seem to last longer than the regular pumps, and you can get every last drop out of them too. The bottle will look empty for weeks and I can still pump out enough foam to lather up!

Do you have a favorite scent from Bath & Body Works?

High Five for Friday

It's been a few weeks since I've kept up with the Friday High Five. We've had plenty going on, I just haven't taken the time to blog about it.

Here's the quick highlights of this week:

1. Last Friday Jesse had an eye exam at my school's clinic. He loves Indian food, but it's not my favorite, so we don't eat it often.  I like to try new things, but I also don't like to order something from a menu and be disappointed by it. Thankfully an Indian restaurant downtown, Sitar, has a lunch buffet that we went to on our way to his appointment. I was delicious! Any culture that eats every bite of food with bread is doing something right, in my opinion.

2. Every Sunday through the summer the Magic City Jazz of Birmingham does a free night of jazz music in one of the parks across town. We've gone to three of them so far. It's nice to get outside and relax with friends. You're not expected to be quiet, so you just get to laugh and talk with friends with some awesome music in the background. Or be like us and take games like Phase 10 or Uno!

3. Jesse hung his hammock up across our little porch this week for the first time. He's had it quite a while, but hasn't had the chance to hang it yet so he decided to give it a try on our porch railings. I was concerned at first, especially when we both got in it together, but it's holding nicely. He's been out on the porch reading and relaxing quite a bit this week. I tried it out one day after school before he got home and was asleep in about 10 minutes! It's the perfect nap spot (and nap-inducing spot)!

4. Number four is for the 4th of July! My mom's side of the family gets together at her sister, Vera's, home each year. While our hotdogs and hamburgers got rained out, we had a delicious pot of chicken and dumplings, ham, potato salad, broccoli salad, and baked beans. And of course just as many desserts! Most of the family was there, and it was SO good to hang out with them for the day!

5. My parents, already nearby for the 4th, stayed with us last night and today. We drove downtown to watch the fireworks with them and our friend Mike. One of the big fireworks shows in Birmingham is done from the Vulcan, which sits on top of a mountain overlooking much of the city. It made for a great view of the fireworks! We also did a little shopping and eating as usual while they were here.

From Our Kitchen - Lasagna Cups

I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Kevin&Amanda, who I came across long ago through recipe hunting. They are actually Auburn alumni, and even more ironically, they got married at the same park in Auburn that we did. I discovered that while searching to see ways other people may have decorated it, and I happened upon their wedding pictures which is how their blog began. Anyway, you can hop over there to see all of her beautiful pictures of foods and her amazing travels, along with free font designs if you're interested in that. You can find her original post about these lasagna cups HERE, but I'm also going to do a step by step cook-through below.
We like pasta dishes around here. They make an easy, filling dinner for a busy week day. Plus they are usually cheesy (which I love) and often involve garlic bread (which I also love). Not the most nutritious,  but we won't go there.
I've had this recipe "pinned" for a while and finally made it a couple of weeks ago... and then again this week. But that's the great thing about this recipe - the meat mixture makes 4 batches, so it's even easier and quicker to make the second... third... and forth time!

MINI LASAGNA CUPS --------here we go!:
(very slightly adapted from Kevin&Amanda)
Click HERE for my printable recipe version!

First, brown your ground beef and pork, then divide it into four portions. You will only use one portion for this recipe. Bag and freeze the other three for another round of these cups or for other sauces/meals.

Take one portion and add your pasta sauce to it. For the record I should state that for pasta dishes I'm not the biggest fan of jarred sauce.  I guess my palate was spoiled with a mama who always made her spaghetti sauce! But for this recipe, you probably won't want to make a whole batch of sauce to only use one cup of it. I chose a roasted garlic infused sauce to add another punch of flavor since the meat is not seasoned very much.

While the meat is browning, you can prep other things. Spray a muffin tin - I used my Misto (mentioned in THIS post)!

Scoop out your ricotta cheese and mix in Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Also, go ahead and shred the cheese of your choice.

Now you're ready to assemble!
You will make two layers of each ingredient. The easiest way for me to do this without running out at the end was to divide my meat and cheeses into two parts in their corresponding bowls, and I knew I could only use half for each layer.

Start by placing a wonton in each cup, pressing it down to make a well to fill.

Then add a spoonful of ricotta...

then a spoonful of meat mixture.

Sprinkle on a little cheese, and you're ready to do it all over again!

Place another wonton wrapper on top, giving them a firm press to make another pocket to fill. Don't worry, these won't overflow. Add more ricotta..

..then meat and cheese. Now they are ready to go into the oven for 10-15 minutes - really just until the cheese melts and the tips of the wontons are golden. Use this time to make a side, like our salad we had!

Did I mention how easy this is? You can wait until your husband walks in the door from work to start this meal, and he can even take a (quick) nap while you're whipping up supper! Jesse has this part down pat:

Close-up shot so you can see all the ooey-gooey-goodness of these lasagna cups:

Note: Wonton wrappers can usually be found in most supermarkets near the produce section. My package looked like this, and had enough wrappers to make 2 recipes of these cups. They are the perfect size for placing in a muffin tin without having to cut them down to size.

This recipe is definitely going into our regular rotations!  I'm excited that the last several new recipes I've tried have been successful and delicious enough to make again and again.