As I have mentioned before, we always do a very low key Valentine’s Day. We never buy each other crazy expensive gifts or go to fancy restaurants. We always cook in (usually lasagna), and we have even been known to set a limit of $5 for gifts, ha!
Orange Chicken
So I have to be honest, finding new healthy recipes are getting harder and harder. I need food to stay full longer and not feel hungry an hour later. Well I found this recipe and it sounded amazing. I love Asian food, but it is hard to find healthy food because most of what I love is fried. This sounded perfect. BUT I must admit, it doesn’t have enough flavor to me. I may try it again, but use something other than orange juice. We will see.
Our New Barstools
After our kitchen renovation this spring/summer, we have been in need of new barstools. We had to get rid of our old ones because now we have a counter height bar, and those were too tall. We have been using counter height barstools from our bathroom, but we only have two and they are uncomfortable. Melody has really been wanting to eat at the bar with us, so we have been having to us a dining room chair which isn’t ideal.
February 2019 Disney World Planning
Well we just got back from a trip to Disney World. Imagine that? Or at least I feel like that is what most people say, ha! I will say, this was our last family trip we have planned to Disney for awhile. Melody turns 3 in May, and she will have to pay after that. And we want to take a few bigger trips to other places. Now in a year, we will see if that statement holds true, ha. This trip is just the three of us. And it is the first trip we aren’t having to make time to visit with anyone else, so our break day was actually a break day at our resort. It was weird. Anyhow, check out all the planning that went into our trip below!
Splenda Sugar Cookies
So since Brad was diagnosed diabetic, we have altered our way of living. I have also been trying to general eat better and lose weight myself. Well we have tried to find lower carb food and desserts. One alternative we made was splenda sugar cookies. Personally I do not like splenda. I prefer sweet and low. I think every person has their preference on sweeteners though. Anyhow, we made these and Brad and his family really likes them. I will say, they are not THAT much lower in carbs than the real thing though. They are probably far less in sugar, but our doctors said to focus on carbs not sugar. Anyhow, Brad does like these, so we will make them again I am sure.
My Weight Loss Journey Part One
For as long as I can remember, I have always struggled with my weight. As most teenage girls, I was very self-conscious, and I always thought I was “fat”. Even though looking back, I was far from it. And I saw a post on instagram one day that said “I wish I weighed what I weighed when I first thought I was fat”. So much truth in that statement. I was never skinny or even super small, but I was healthy.
The Happy Planner 2019
So Black Friday 2018 cost me a lot of money to me & my big ideas! I found two planners and lots of accessories to go along with my planners. I already told you about my 2018 planner and how it worked for me. Now I want to share all of the planners and accessories I bought during that sale, and I want to share with you my experience with my new planner for 2019. I wanted to spend a few weeks working with it to see how it was going to work best for me.
Baked Zucchini
I have a few zucchini recipes here on the blog already, but this is probably one of my most favorites (grilled zucchini is my absolute favorite). This is a very similar recipe, but I did add some garlic and pepper too.
Unboxing the Resort MagicBand
I recently wrote a post about unboxing the AP MagicBand, so I found it only fitting to do a post about unboxing the resort MagicBand. These should be the only two cases (as of now) that you receive a MagicBand in the mail free from Disney. They come with a resort reservation since they are your room key, and they also come with your AP. You can obviously order them separately too, or you can buy other colors while at Disney World. Unfortunately if you buy a ticket, you do not receive a MagicBand. We just use bands we already have in those cases.
Silhouette Cameo Projects Part Three
So here is part three to my Silhouette Cameo projects (here you can find parts one and two). I have made lots of things for Melody for school, finally decided to add some vinyl to some clothes I have had for a while, made some Disney shirts, and some Christmas bags! {I have made a lot more with my machine, but I try not to duplicate things. So if I have spoken about it in a previous post, I did not include it} Check it all out below.
Salsa Fresca Chicken
I found this recipe one night while skimming Pinterest for some dinner ideas. I liked that it was a chicken dish, but it was something different and pretty easy. Brad claims it was his idea (Remember salsa fish?), but this is different and better in my opinion. Next time I would make fresh pico de gallo and invest in the cilantro. Brad isn’t a huge fan so I didn’t get any. But it was definitely missing it.
My Birthday!
My birthday this year was super special. Brad always outdoes himself every year. I honestly am not sure how he will top this year!
Melody's Nighttime Routine
I haven’t written about Melody’s schedule in quite a long time. I feel like things haven’t changed too much, and yet it has changed so much, ha! Well I thought I would at least share our nighttime routine. I may share her daily routine soon.
Cashew Chicken Bake
A while back, Brad traveled out of town for a week for work. I always try to go out or cook things he normally would not eat. Well one thing he absolutely hates is peanuts. Well any form. So I found this cashew chicken recipe. It seemed like something I would never cook for him, and it seemed like something I could eat on for more than one night while he was away. I did leave a few things out as always though.
Unboxing the AP MagicBand
So I have been a Walt Disney World Annual Passholder for two years now. Once you activate your AP at Disney, you can then order a complimentary MagicBand. Of course this is a bummer if you were hoping to use the MagicBand and the AP slider on your first trip as a passholder. I suppose they do this because when you buy an AP, you don’t have to activate it for around 10 years. At least that was the expiration on my last one before I activated it at Disney Springs. And I guess there is the change they will change MagicBand styles or even have a whole new system in 10 years.
The Happy Planner 2018
I know, I know, it is 2019! But I wanted to share with you the planner I used in 2018. I am using the same brand of planners for 2019, but I am trying out a different style. I want to use it a few weeks before I tell you all about it so I know how it works for me! So let me share with you my 2018 planner and how it evolved over the year!
Turkey Sausage Balls
Since I am allergic to pork, I had to find an alternative to the classic sausage balls I made. I decided to try turkey sausage. I wasn’t a fan of ground turkey as a substitute in things. I always preferred ground chicken. But I like turkey bacon, so I thought it was worth a shot. And to be honest, I actually prefer it to pork sausage. It isn’t as greasy and has a much better overall taste. If you google turkey sausage ball recipes you find a lot of different ones. I kept mine simple. I simply used the classic recipe and just switched out the sausage. And to make it a bit less in calories, I also use fat free cheese. However, I do NOT add tabasco sauce to it anymore! I honestly forgot I did before, ha! So if you are looking for something a bit healthier, or just want to try something new, try this!
Disney Mobile Ordering
When we went to Disney back in September, I used Disney Mobile Ordering for the first time. I haven’t had a need for it honestly. On our trips prior to this one, we always had the dining plan, and they were not accepting the dining plan as a form of payment on those trips. Dining plans are accepted now, and we happened to be using a credit card on this trip anyhow.
Dance 2018 Part Two
It is crazy how much Melody has learned in dance over the last few months, even since my last post about her starting to dance. They have not started to learn their spring routine yet, but they are learning some of the basics and how to follow instructions. Melody seems to be doing better and better. She is becoming a little less timid about “performing” alone. And at home she knows all about ballerina arms and dance, ha! Here are some more pictures of the rest of our 2018 during dance.