Mid week menu plan

 It's definitely been a fly by the seat of my pants menu plan this week. But, checking the freezer & going through what's available in the fridge always helps.

My friend & I did takeout on Friday night, and then a dinner out on Saturday & Sunday, so no meal planning was involved.

On Monday, I came back & had no plans, so Nick picked up takeout Greek food for the two of us, while M ate leftovers (his preference). 

I got it together yesterday, and defrosted the beef & broccoli dish, cutting up fresh broccoli to steam at the end of the warming of the beef, which made the recipe much fresher tasting. No one likes mushy broccoli.

• Wednesday - as for today, I've defrosted the white beans & sausage dish that we both really liked from last week.
• Thursday - there is taco meat in the freezer, so I'll be pulling that out & Nick will have tacos, and we will have taco salads
• Friday - I also discovered orange chicken in the freezer, so that will be the plan

I will plan a proper meal plan for next week, including Thanksgiving! What's on your Thanksgiving menu?

Zion, St. George and Las Vegas

 As I mentioned in a previous post, a friend and I met up for a very impromptu trip. We hadn't seen each other in 10 years, and it was so fabulous to catch up! It felt like no time had passed & it was so wonderful to spend time together.

We also had an absolute blast, and so many laughs that I spent chunks of the trip crying with laughter. I've missed her so much. 

We met up in Las Vegas, spent a night there, and then headed to St. George, where she has a vacation condo. We hiked one day at Snow Canyon, and another day at Zion. Zion in the fall was breathtaking. (Photos below). We also got lottery permits for Angels Landing, so we did part of that hike. I stopped where the chains drop off & there's a sheer vertical on both sides. I'm not afraid of heights, but that was a definite no for me. There are no photos anywhere near Angels Landing, because I had both of my hands very tightly wrapped around the chains! :-) 

Here's how much the trip cost:

• Flights to/from Las Vegas  = $100 seat selection fees + $485 on a gift card (pricey, as they were very last minute)
• Rental car - my friend covered this
• Hotel in Las Vegas - I used comps to cover the hotel & parking fees
• Two lunches & one dinner in Las Vegas for both of us - largely covered by comps, minus tips & drinks for the road trip to St. George = $124.76
• Two dinners in Utah =  $97.85 (I treated for one, and paid for myself for the other)
• I bought groceries & supplies for breakfast/lunches while hiking = $104.84
• Airport snacks = $12.39
• Lyfts to/from the airport (M ended up not being able to drive me) + while in Las Vegas = $151.40 (could have saved a bit by parking at the airport, but trip was very last minute!)
• Angels Landing permits - $12
• Park entrance fees = covered by my friend's park passes 
• Souvenirs at Zion (for me + Nick)  = $103.97
• Lodging in St. George = stayed at my friend's vacation condo

Total spent for 5 day trip = $1192. It worked out so well, as my friend had the condo & already had a rental car, and I was able to use the comps in Las Vegas. Overall, it was an incredible trip and one we will definitely be repeating!

Are you afraid of heights? Here's a quick overview of Angels Landing, if you're not a hiker. 

Frugal Friday

 It's definitely not going to be a frugal week here, because I'm joining a friend on a very last minute (planned this week) hiking trip. We will be staying in her condo, but the trip involves a flight & sharing the cost of a rental car, so definitely still some expenses. 

Saving on things we buy

• Uploaded a couple of digital offers at the grocery store and saved a couple of bucks. Also added the receipt to iBotta & saved another $2.50.
• Reached out to Sam's roommate's mom (she's booking his holiday travel) to coordinate their flight times. This means they can share an Uber to the airport, which will save ~$50. 

Earning money

• Transferred $22.38 from iBotta to my savings account. Not a lot, but I'd rather cash it out, as some of these programs devalue points & earnings over time. 
• Signed up for a user study and earned $75/day on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday (three hours/day). 

Avoiding spending

• The only time M could take me to the airport was several hours before my flight, so I agreed to get to the airport *very* bright & early to avoid the cost of an Uber. 

Eating what we have

• M bought oat milk at Costco, and it wasn't the regular kind. I tried it, not knowing there was a big difference, & I'm really not a fan. It's Costco, so these are two large containers. I've been using 1/2 of my preferred brand, and 1/2 of the watery Costco version, to avoid waste. I'll be happy to see the end of that second container!
• The pomegranates are absolutely fantastic right now, and they have been a delicious dessert in the evenings. 
• I went out to a goodbye brunch for a friend that's moving, and brought home leftovers. Those served as my lunch the following day. 
• I fed myself, Nick & M after the user study on Tuesday, and then Nick let me know he was having five people over for a physics study group. So, I got busy finding other things they could all eat. They finished the ramen from the pantry, and ate a bunch of chicken tenders I keep in the freezer for just such occasions. 
• We've been buying the big containers of spinach from Costco, and it's always my goal to use it up before it gets slimy. I've been looking for recipes that use it up, and so far, so good. We've only had to toss a small amount. 
• I finally used up the cranberries from the freezer to make M cranberry muffins. Bonus that I used up some expired orange juice & yogurt that needed to go as well. 

For others

• Continued volunteering for the college students I'm mentoring. 

What about you? Any wins to share? 

Last minute trip planning

First up, I wanted to share another recipe that we liked. I made the chicken sausage white bean skillet last night, and it was so easy & simple. Highly recommend. We followed the recipe exactly, although we did top ours with fresh basil (lots in the garden) & will likely increase the spinach next time around. It was a great fall/winter dish. 

One of my favorite things about not working over the past few months has been last minute travel. It was my goal to "say yes" to lots of opportunities (when feasible) & just enjoy catching up with lots of people. I'll do a recap at the end of the year, but I'd definitely say I've achieved this. 

On Saturday, I texted an old friend to check in, and we set up a time to talk on the phone. I hadn't spoken to her in six months, & it was so fabulous to catch up. She mentioned that she was doing a last minute trip to her vacation house in St. George (near Zion National Park) & asked if I wanted to join. We haven't seen each other in 10ish years. Yes, please!

I'm flying into Santa Ana tomorrow, she's picking me up (she's there for work), & we're driving to Las Vegas. We will have dinner & stay the night in Las Vegas, and then carry on to St. George. We plan to hike & catch up. I'm excited my hiking boots are going to get another opportunity for use! We'll do the reverse on Monday, driving back to Las Vegas & flying home. 

I found a free night at the Aria in my email, so we will stay there & have dinner. 

I'm so excited to catch up with a friend I haven't seen in forever, and hiking is always one of my top ways to spend time together. 

When was the last time you said yes to last minute plans (travel or otherwise)? I confess to being a huge planner, and not being particularly spontaneous, so this is a work in progress for me. 

Menu Plan Monday

 Another Monday has made its way back around, and it's menu planning time. 

• Friday - salmon + gyozos (discovered we had three bags in the freezer)
• Saturday - leftover garlic noodles with beef & broccoli (this recipe was great, btw)
• Sunday - Swedish meatballs (carryover from last week) 
• Monday - chicken sausage & white bean skillet
  
• Tuesday - tacos (meat from the freezer)
• Wednesday - leftover Swedish meatballs
• Thursday - leftover chicken sausage & white bean skillet
• Friday - TBD. Maybe pizza

What about you? What's on the menu for the week at your house?

Fitness recap for the week

Like everything else in life, I find it helpful to track & recap, looking for ways I can improve. My goal for November is to lose 2 lbs, & continue to build & grow my fitness, while trying to improve my flexibility. I'm always also looking to maintain balance, get plenty of sleep and manage my overall stress (important for lupus).

Here's what happened this week.

Workouts:

• Sunday -  60 minute workout class + 4 mile walk with a friend who was in town
• Monday - yoga 
• Tuesday - 60 minute workout class
• Wednesday - 7.5 mile hike 
• Thursday - 60 minute workout class + 1 hour of pickleball
• Friday - 60 minute workout class
• Saturday - 4 mile walk

Average daily steps for the week = 13,952

Average calories for the week = 1522

Weight = no change

How I feel about the week: Tuesday wasn't a great eating day. I mostly skipped dinner & had Halloween candy & wine. Surprisingly, until that point, I'd eaten almost no Halloween candy (a vast improvement over prior years), but things went off the rails a bit on Tuesday. I pulled things together & avoided candy for the rest of the week. On Monday (yoga day), my steps were crazy low, but that sort of averaged out with the long hike on Wednesday. Overall, I feel pretty good about the week, all things considered.

Goals for this week:

• Drop the average daily calories down slightly (I have a VERY low resting metabolic rate), under 1500
• Avoid sugar entirely
• Maintain everything else

What about you? How are you doing with your health & fitness? Anything you want to work on? 

Saturday things

I'm so happy that my sister & her partner are visiting Sam today, on Family Weekend. We thought about going, but it's so close to Thanksgiving. 

I'm going for a walk this morning, making muffins & helping Nick with some college tasks. That's my to do list for the day.

Here are a few things that are making me happy right now:

• We are having stunning fall weather. It's going to be 70 today, and the leaves & the sunshine are *chef's kiss*. It's gorgeous & makes it really fun to be outside.
• I have amazing friends, and I've been making new friends through my workout class. I'm trying to expand my circle a bit.
• M & I are in such a good place. We always get along well, but there's something really special about having someone who deeply knows you & supports you through ups & downs. 
• DS17 made me laugh so hard yesterday. He's making posters for his cheerleading friends for their senior nights. The slogans he came up with (tied to the names) were hysterical, and he invested a lot of time in drawing pictures. He's a riot. I love how he supports his friends.
• M & I are playing a lot of rummy, and have bets going. We have to track them, because so much betting is occurring that neither of us can remember who is ahead & who "owes" who. 
• I joined a book club & am going to start reading a new book today. 

Anything you want to share that's making you happy today?

Frugal Friday

 It's Friday again! Here's a roundup of a few wins for the week. 

Saving on things we buy

• I needed a variety of pantry staples that I was out of, so decided it was a good time to hit up Safeway & use a $25 gift card I earned via Fetch. I also took the time to download two $1 off coupons in their app. I bought: stone ground mustard, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, whipping cream, a bag of potatoes, & a bunch of celery. I spent $4.74. This was still a lot for what I got, but those pantry staples can be quite expensive, so it was a good time to use the gift card. I rarely shop at Safeway, unless they have a particularly good loss leader. I also uploaded my receipt to Fetch, saving a bit more, as they have a Safeway receipt offer.  
• With Sam at an out of state college, we've had a lot of flight expenses. Southwest is almost always quite a bit cheaper than Alaska. Costco was selling Southwest gift cards for $429.99 for a $500 gift card. I bought the limit of 5. I used my Costco credit card, which saved $43. All told, I paid $2149.95 for $2500 worth of gift cards, then minus the additional $43. 

Earning money

• Sold a pair of work pants I bought & didn't wear before I stopped working. Made $20 on eBay. One more item out of the house!
• A huge one - finally sold our extra car! This *almost* covers the cost of our property taxes, so that's a big win. 

Avoiding spending

• Charged our car for free at M's office. This is something we do weekly, but I often forget about the savings.

Eating what we have

• We've been using up peppers (purchased for fajitas during my parents visit) in salads
• Eating lots of pomegranates from our tree. They are delicious!
• Ate leftover french dip sandwich for lunch (this was from our Halloween dinner out)
• Rescued a potato soup fail by pureeing it, adding more cream & sour cream & thinning it out a bit with milk. While not exactly what I'd envisioned (my fault, I added too many other veggies), it's definitely passable. 

For others

• Very minor, but picked up some leftover trash on the pickle ball court, after we wrapped up our game. Someone else had left it behind, but it's nice to keep the courts clean for everyone. 
• I picked up glass beer bottles left behind on the soccer field. This is especially dangerous, as the bottles break, glass gets into the turf, and it can really injure the kids. 
• Continued to do calls & volunteer for my high school students. 

How about you? Any wins to share?

One week into November

 I'm trying to really focus on my goals this month, after a not so successful October. We're one week into November, and here's how things are going. 

Financial:

• Achieve savings goal. If we sell a car, that will get added on top of the savings goal.
• Mini freezer clean out:
• Eat 1/2 of the pizza in the freezer
• Use up the cranberries
• Sell the white car - yay! Sold!! 
• Sell fitness watch

Family:

• Help Nick with final college application & scholarship essay
• Sort out plans for winter break
• Finalize all travel plans for Sam -- all flights are booked. Need to sort out a shuttle. 
• One fun activity with the boys, while Sam is in town for Thanksgiving
• 2 dates with M - we played pickleball over the weekend. 

Fitness:

• 15 strength workouts - I've done a total of 4 so far. 
• Follow the No S diet 15 days & track calories daily - I've tracked my calories daily, and had two No S days. 
• Schedule MRI
• Lose 2 lbs

Personal:

• Complete daily tasks 20 times (meditate, language lesson, journal) - I've had 6 so far. 
• Get together with friends - yes, hiked, met a friend for coffee, met another friend for a walk, and pickleball with another friend today. 
• Declutter 25 items - 11/25
• Network 2x
• Continue exploring jobs. - oh yes. 
• Spend time on volunteer role - yes. 
• Come up with more structure in my daily routine

As for today, here's what's on the plan:

1. Workout class
2. Pickleball with a new friend
3. Vacuum
4. Trim some bushes in the yard
5. Work on job applications
6. Make cranberry muffins
7. Work on the menu for next week
8. Plan for the weekend
9. Daily activities (language lesson, meditate, journal)
10. Look into guitar lessons & a class at the local college
11. Call to set up MRI

What about you? How are you doing with your November goals? 

Wednesday Happenings

First of all, what is happening with recruiters? I've had three calls scheduled (this is over several months) where recruiters just don't show up. No reschedule, no cancellation email, no apology. It's so unprofessional. I get that things come up, but as someone who has interviewed hundreds of people over the course of my career, I've never bailed without notice or an email. So bizarre. Anyway, suffice it to say my interview yesterday didn't happen. I had one hilarious situation where an exec was reaching out to my LinkedIn, really wanting me to apply for a role. 1) I'd already replied. 2) the recruiter blew me off not once, but twice for a call. When I let him know about #2, he was mortified. I let him know, because clearly the recruiter was disappointing plenty of potential candidates out there.

Anyway, on to other things. 

I'm hiking with a friend this morning. We live near a nature preserve (one of my absolutely favorite parts of our location) & I have a great trail we take often. But, I found another loop of it (actually, Nick showed me a few weeks ago) that extends it a bit & ends with a gorgeous view. Maybe we will try that out.

I also didn't finish my volunteer work yesterday, so that's on the agenda for today.

And, job searching. I feel blessed that I've never had to job search like this before. I got my first job via an internship in college, and had a full time offer before I graduated. Then, when we moved to California, the company that hired M asked to interview me as well & I got an offer without trying. I swapped jobs within the first company I worked for, but that process was very easy & low risk. I do not enjoy the current job search process. I've made it to three final interviews where the company decided not to fill the role (very common right now, as companies are posting 3-4 jobs for every head count, and then seeing which they fill first & then cancelling the other roles). I'm also trying to make a bit of a pivot, industry wise, which is much harder than applying for the most logical next job from a resume perspective. Anyway, it's a lot of time & emotional energy. I have a lot of compassion for folks who are frantically job searching & are desperate to replace their income, because it's so rough out there. 

As always, plenty of yard work awaits me. And, maybe some muffin baking. Today feels like a day to make cranberry muffins (M's favorites), or, work through the glut of bananas. We're going to have to stop buying them. Nick eats maybe one a week. Definitely not enough to keep buying bunches. Maybe I'll buy the occasional solo banana at Trader Joes moving forward. 

What are you up to today? Inspire me with all of your fun or creative pursuits!

Distraction Tuesday

I'm trying to make sure I have plenty of healthy things to do today, so I don't doom scroll the news all day/evening. 

Here's what's on my list:

1. Sort out car title/transfer (we sold our extra car! Hurrah!)
2. Morning work out class
3. Daily chores (meditate, language lesson, journal)
4. Work in the yard for an hour
5. Get in 12k steps
6. Work on job applications
7. Puzzle or read
8. Come up with 10 things to sell or donate
9. Fill out coach's reports & complete all monthly tasks for volunteering role

What about you? What are your plans for today? Also, in the US, props to all of you who are poll workers, helping to ensure everyone can safely cast their vote!

Menu Plan Monday

 It's time to get back on the wagon with menu planning. October was a busy month with traveling, and having lots of house guests. We need to get back on track!

Here's what's on the menu for the week:

• Friday - ravioli (me) + leftover fajita chicken (M)
• Saturday - creamy dijon chicken
• Sunday - slow cooker potato soup
• Monday - leftover dijon chicken
• Tuesday - Swedish meatballs
• Wednesday - garlic noodles with beef & broccoli
• Thursday - leftover meatballs
• Friday - leftover garlic noodles

What about you? Do you have any new recipes on your list? The Swedish meatballs are new for us. I'm also looking forward to freezing the potato soup leftovers, so I can have easy lunches! I love soup for lunch in fall & winter. 

Sunday Happenings

Yesterday was a good day. I try & take at least one day a week to have a much easier workout (or, none at all, if we're traveling or the like.) I went for a morning walk, & then M & I played a quick game of pickle ball. It was very fun & the weather was perfect for both. It was super chilly for my walk, but the leaves were gorgeous. It warmed up enough for pickle ball that I played in a tank top & pants. 

I hustled home, and ate lunch & then headed off to watch Nick's soccer game. They pulled out a win, despite quite a few injuries and a few questionable calls. Nick gave me a ride home from the game, and we chatted about the fact that his club soccer season is ending in just a few weeks. Nick has been playing club soccer for 11 years, so this will be quite a milestone! I can't believe it. School soccer tryouts start tomorrow. You can't play games for both teams at the same time due to youth athletic regulations, so they are quickly winding down club soccer, so school sports can begin. 

I made a new to us recipe last night, and it was delicious. Highly recommend this creamy dijon chicken recipe. I chose it because it uses heavy cream, which I needed for a slow cooker baked potato soup recipe I'm trying tonight. And, we always have spinach to use up! 

As for today, here's my plan:

• Go to a workout class
• Make slow cooker soup
• Laundry
• Apply for two jobs
• Meet a friend for a hike
• Pay Nick's physics tutor
• Work with Nick on last college application
• Buy thank you gifts for the teachers who wrote Nick's college letters of recommendation
• Drop off Halloween candy at BN contact who is collecting it for a shelter
• Find 5 items to donate
• Talk to the boys about our plans for New Year's/winter break

What about you? What are you up to today?