Thursday, January 23, 2014

friday senses

a peek at our week

wishing: for snow!! I have finally fallen completely in love with winter, and it hasn't snowed in weeks. We've been up skiing on the weekends and loving every second......but we really do need a good storm so we can keep this up......
ski day // the little red houseIMG_912ski day // the little red house0ski day // the little red houseski day // the little red house 
feeling: happy! it's my birthday tomorrow......the big 3-1. You guys, thirties are so much better than twenties, I can't wait for this new year.
schooling: I didn't realize how much I missed school until these last few weeks! Learning, reading, highlighting, quizzing.......I love it. We'll see how I feel in a few weeks though.....I have two tests and a paper due next week......gulp.
just-a-little-bit-dreading: writing my English paper this weekend. It's been years and years and years since I had to write a paper about a topic I didn't choose.......and it's....hard. Wish me luck.
flipping through: my sis-in-law gave me this Williams Sonoma Slow Cooker Cookbook . It is not your typical "open a can and dump it in" slow cooker recipe book--the recipes are fresh and full of flavors. I'm anxious to try these recipes out--I'll let you know what I find.
wondering: I'm working on another organic post (remember THIS ONE a few years ago?) I want to cover a few more areas--do you have any questions about eating organic? Ask them here (or leave your advice-the more the merrier) and I will see if I can include it in my post.
flashing back: My homemade yogurt recipe is making the rounds on the Internet right now, and I think I need to make another batch with our milk from down the road. homemade yogurt
Step by step on how to make yogurt (in your crockpot!) HERE

watching: I saw this quick video on the food industry the other day and found it very informative--you should take a look. We hear about these topics so often, but this breaks it down and makes it very easy to understand. 3 Lies about Food You're Used to Hearing and Might Even Believe:
Check it out HERE
asking: do you meal plan? I have always been terrible at it....what are your secrets? I need to be better organized in the kitchen with my busy schedule right now. Help me out!
snacking: What are your favorite portable (and healthy) snacks--either homemade or purchased? I'm looking for some ideas to add to my usuals to keep me alert and awake the days I'm at the school all day. Can I tell you one of my favorites? Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Larabars.  I've made a few different "bars" before (Mexican Chocolate, Peanut Butter), but if I don't have time to make anything, these Larabars are my favorite.

Kale and Carrot Juice // The Little Red House
juicing: the juicer is still working full time. Lately for me, the stronger the juice, the better. This concoction is KALE-Y. Probably not for beginning juicers, unless you just love kale. Kale has a pretty strong flavor, and it also adds a texture to juice--a little bit thicker than most.
*saute your kale pulp and eat it with a fried egg!
*want this juice a bit sweeter? add an apple
*not sure about kale yet? start out with 1-2 pieces and build up
Kale and Carrot Juice
5 pieces of kale
5 carrots
1 lemon, peeled
1" piece of ginger

What are you juicing this week?
(see my giant juice post HERE)

Happy Weekend!

12 comments:

julie said...

Happy birthday you sweet and inspiring girl!

alison said...

Wishing you a wonderful birthday weekend! As always, your posts are full of simple inspiration. :)

eden greer said...

Happy Birthday!!!

When you bake do you use organic ingredients? if so, which are the best ones to use in a tight budget?

Sini │ my blue and white kitchen said...

Happy Birthday! I don't meal plan. I'm really terrible at it - plan meal 3 days ahead is the MAXIMUM I can do. I live downtown so it's not really a problem. I love to get inspired by the day at hand...but to be really honest with you, sometimes I really do wish I was a meal plan hero.

Emily said...

My meal plan secret: I like to have one or two days of the week that stay the same every week. Otherwise I get overwhelmed. (Example: Friday Night=Pizza Night) I've heard of "it's Monday, it's spaghetti" and Saturday night breakfast burritos as well. It just gives your brain a day off. Good luck!

Anna Scandinavian Cottage said...

Dear Sheena!
Two days ago I completed my first run in 20 years, and all thanks to you lady! It's been so inspiring to read your blog for the past two years and now, finally, I've decided to do it! I've started the C25K plan and I'm going out there again this evening :) I've been reading about women who say it was so painful that they could hardly run for 1 kilometer and I'm thinking 1 Kilometer! Wowsers, I can barely rum 100 yards without fainting! But I did it, I ran the the first step in the program! I'll let you know in 9 weeks how I'm getting on.
And once again, Thank You!
Anna in Copenhagen, Denmark

Theresa said...

Happy birthday!
I'm terrible at meal planning too. We usually just go off the cuff. This week we planned on making mozzarella one night and using it on pizza the next night. But that gallon of milk is still sitting in the fridge 5 days later waiting to be made into cheese...

I like taking carrots to snack on. They're crunchy to keep me awake, but they're not salty or sweet, so I still feel clean after eating them, plus it's hard to eat too many of them. After a few, I tire of them and I can keep working without eating. Fresh fruit is portable too...apples, oranges, plums. Anything that won't get smashed in my bag. Hard boiled eggs pack well. They're full of protein and energy.

Sarah Beth said...

I'm so excited for you being back in school! I'm sure you're killing it. And don't worry about the English paper. You'll hear Mrs. Susag in your head as you write. At least I know I still do when I help people edit their papers. ;)

Anonymous said...

I second what Eden asked. I'm also wondering what the hard science between organic vs. conventional is. I sometimes choose organic for produce or when I'm feeling in the mood or when it's a good deal. But I can't justify it for everything when I'm on a tight budget. How do you choose? Thanks so much.

Kristen said...

Hi There,
I am new to the blog.. I do meal plan with a full time job and two munchkins if I am not religious we don't eat right. My secret is really to start thinking about it around Thursday and make the menu and post it on the family white board. Then I make the list of the ingredients needed,plus the things we need every week for lunches and snacks and then make the list for the grocery store and farmers and then do the shopping on the weekend. It keeps us all sane with work, school and sports. I feel better too because we all eat healthier.
Kristen

Courtney said...

I do meal plan. I don't like to though, so I do it a month at a time so that I only have to do it 12 times a year ;). I'm not too strict about sticking to it, but it saves me extra trips (and money) to big stores like Costco. It also helps me to know if I need to prep something the night before, like soaking grains or beans, thawing frozen food such a meat or chicken, or making bread like sour dough that requires planning ahead. With four kids going here and there, I can plan quick meals of leftovers on days that I know that my time will be limited.

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