After the birth of our baby Moshe 6 weeks ago, both Joshua and I got really motivated to start eating more healthy foods and less not-so-healthy foods. After giving birth, I finally got back on talking terms with our bathroom scale and faced the reality that my nursing baby needed me to be eating lots and lots of nutritious foods and my body needed me to seriously cut back on the desserts!

One of the ways we have incorporated more fresh veggies into our daily diet has been through lunchtime salads. Joshua takes a big salad to work for his lunch ("If that's all I have to eat, well, I'll eat it!"). I eat a big salad here at home for my lunch, taking bites in between changing diapers, washing little hands, nursing my baby, and rescuing children from disasters and emergencies.

If I had to do up salads daily, or even a couple times a week, there's just no way I'd find the time for it. I mean really, a granola bar (or even a big bowl of homemade granola with milk!) is just a whole lot easier.

So to make salads easier, Joshua and I have been making up a week's supply on Sunday evenings. This has worked wonderfully! I have no excuse to not enjoy a big salad every day, and it's just so handy!

This week, Ruth (2) helped me in the kitchen as I made salads. Joshua had been to Costco earlier in the day, so we had plenty to work with!

We recently got a salad spinner, and I must say it is a nice tool to have! The lettuce and spinach leaves get nice and dry and the lettuce keeps a lot longer in the fridge. In the past, our salads were always turning brown after 2-3 days. Now, I can keep a container of salad for 5 days without it turning brown, and even longer some times! Oxidized lettuce isn't harmful to eat, but it's not fit to serve to company, and it's just not as pleasant or enjoyable. (We have this salad spinner, only in white, and we got it at Costco.)

I love the carrots from Costco: $5.29 for a ten-pound bag! Since they're organic, I usually just scrub the carrots rather than peeling them, so there is very little waste from this big bag. I shredded some for salads and cut some into sticks for the children. I also went ahead and diced some to cook later this week (along with peas) for the evening's cooked vegetable side dish.

Here is Ruth with all the finished salads! Yum!

Now... is there really room in the fridge for that many pounds of salad?!

Yes! There was just enough room. This very, very full fridge will be mostly emptied by next week's Costco trip!

Joshua likes ranch salad dressing. We mix it with an equal part water, to make it easier to coat the lettuce (and cut down on calories!). These are the little containers of dressing he takes to work for his salad.

A colorful container of salad for Joshua's lunch! If he's adding chicken or boiled eggs, I send those along in a separate baggie.

If anyone has tips for making salads easier, I'd love to hear! I'll be sharing more healthy eating and menu tips as time allows! :)

While I never seem to be doing everything I wish to accomplish, there's usually a few things that are going smoothly at any given time. Right now, one of the "smooth" things has been meal planning.

For the past few months, I've actually been successfully planning a weekly menu every week! We're focusing on extra fresh fruits and veggies, as both Joshua and I want to be healthier -- and I must say, I do feel better with how we've been eating lately!

Here's the menu plan I just made out for this coming week:

Breakfasts:

Homemade Mocha Frappuccinos (for Joshua only; 2 cups per day)

Lots of fruit -- fresh bananas, apples, and pears; frozen blueberries

Toasted and buttered homemade wheat bread OR homemade granola with milk (I've been keeping 2 kinds of homemade granola on hand -- my mom's granola recipe and my favorite Cinnamon Crunch Granola)

Lunches:

Salad (with Romaine lettuce, spinach, carrots, celery, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, shredded cheese, and leftover chicken breast) -- I prepare a huge amount Sunday evening and then Joshua and I eat salad Monday-Friday for lunch

Fresh veggie sticks (carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers) -- for the kids only

Cheddar cheese slices, mixed nuts, in-shell peanuts, milk -- for the kids only

Snacks: Roasted almonds, bananas, frozen peas (kids)

Dinners:

Sunday -- Oven-roasted chicken, baked potatoes, green beans

Monday -- Salmon Potato Casserole, peas, corn

Tuesday --Three-cheese stuffed peppers, garlic bread, green beans

Wednesday -- My Mom's Meatloaf, baked potatoes, green beans

Thursday -- Leftover meatloaf, leftover salmon potato casserole, green beans

Friday -- Easy homemade pizza (x2), cooked carrots, cooked peas, and cheesecake*

Saturday -- Leftover pizza; something from the freezer (burritos, perhaps?); veggies; fresh fruit

*Friday is our 8th anniversary; I'm angling for this chocolate caramel almond cheesecake that Joshua created for our 5th anniversary!

I've been busy filling my freezer in anticipation of our new baby's arrival! :) We've been eating more fresh veggies for our meals, and the space that was previously occupied by 5-pound bags of Costco vegetables is filled with meals to lighten my load in future weeks. :)

I've already shared my breakfast menus and made-ahead mixes, so it's on to the rest: main dishes and easy meal ideas! :)

I've taken the plunge and frozen a number of fully made casseroles using the "mold technique" with my 8x8-inch glass dishes. Each dish should be one meal for our family, and I've made a variety of things in hopes that we can figure out what we do and don't like in a freezer meal! :)

For the past 4-6 weeks, I've made a double recipe of a dinner casserole a couple times a week (filling a 9x13-inch dish for dinner plus two 8x8-inch dishes for the freezer). This hasn't really been too much extra work (just extra ingredients!!). I use FoodSaver bags to seal all of my freezer food/meals since they are the BEST at preventing freezer burn and keeping food tasting its finest! :)

Main dishes completely assembled and frozen:

Easy Lasagna (unbaked)
Burritos with beans, rice, cheese, and beef filling (individually wrapped in foil, then sealed in a freezer Ziplock; will warm in the oven)
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese (unbaked)
Three-Cheese Baked Spaghetti (unbaked)
Beef and Spinach Quiche (fully cooked; will re-warm)
Saucy Broccoli Chicken Bake (unbaked, w/rice on the bottom)
Spinach Rice Casserole (unbaked)
My Mom's Meat Loaf (unbaked)

I've also prepared meal ingredients for the freezer. Due to limited freezer space and a preference for freshly-prepared meals, having pre-cooked meat, beans, etc. in the freezer is one of my favorite ways to make cooking "from scratch" so much easier! :)

Meal ingredients in the freezer:

Pre-cooked beef with diced onions (for lasagna, crockpot pizza, stuffed shells, and baked spaghetti)

Pre-cooked beef with onions, green peppers, and taco seasonings (for taco salad, spanish rice with beans, nachos, or burritos)

Pre-cooked pinto beans with Tapatio and salt

Pre-cooked beef with onions and spinach leaves (for quiche)

Leftover diced oven-roasted chicken meat (for cheesy chicken vermicelli, chicken lasagna, chicken pot pie, farmhouse chicken, poppy seed chicken and asparagus, chicken fried rice, or saucy broccoli chicken bake)

Having the meat or beans already cooked, seasoned, and/or diced makes all of the above recipes into "quick and easy" for me! :)

I also have a list of just plain easy meals. When my freezer is depleted of my fully-made freezer meals, I'll turn to this list for last-minute or not-planned-the-night-before dinners!

My list of easy dinners:

Baked chicken drumsticks
Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole
Grilled burgers
Easy pizza
Beans and rice
Baked beans
Meatloaf and baked potatoes
Rice lasagna
Baked cod or salmon 
Salmon potato casserole
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Italian Cream Cheese Chicken over Pasta

I had planned to freeze some soups, homemade bagels, pre-made garlic bread, etc. but my freezer space wouldn't accommodate all that. So, I tried to stick with main dishes and main dish ingredients, and will make soups or breads as time and ability allows when the time comes. :)

I feel so blessed to have food prepared ahead in the freezer -- much more food than I had with previous childrens' births. Cooking large amounts of ground beef, making a double batch of something, or just freezing the leftovers (like leftover chicken meat from a roasted chicken!) isn't double the work, with some extra effort and only a few extra dishes to wash. :)

I also tried to only make/plan things we really love to eat! :) I'll have to update after we've tried some of the casseroles, since most of those I have not frozen before. Freezing a casserole took some bravery on my part! :)

Do any of you have tips to share regarding post-birth meal ideas, freezer meals, or easy (from-scratch) meals? I'd love to have even more ideas! :)

Before our last child was born (nearly 2 years ago) I made extensive menu plans. These included 2 weeks of easy meals and 12 weeks of "regular" menus, rotating our favorites and including lots of meals that we prefer to enjoy on a more infrequent basis.

Even though I didn't follow the menus exactly as I had planned, it was so helpful to have already thought about our meals and have something on paper to turn to as needed! :)

This pregnancy, rather than making weekly menu plans, I have made lists of meal ideas. I've then set about preparing as much of these meals in advance as possible!

Here is my breakfasts list:

Breakfasts made ahead:

My mom's homemade granola (double batch!)
Cinnamon Crunch Granola (quadruple batch, already half eaten though!)
Breakfast Burritos (ran out of freezer space to make these)
Homemade waffles (no freezer space for these either...)
Homemade bagels (again... no freezer space left!)
Energy Bars (still need to make these)

Breakfasts partly made ahead:

Challah French Toast (our favorite; still need to make Challah and freeze the leftovers for this if possible!)

Easy breakfasts:

Scrambled eggs
Oatmeal
Cold or hot cereal
Whole wheat berry pancakes

Dry mixes made ahead:

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (done!)
Oatmeal Apple Raisin Muffins (done!)
Mocha Frappuccinos (for Joshua) (done but gone... need to do again!)
Hot cocoa mix (for me!) (done!)
Herbal pregnancy tea (on the list for tomorrow!)

Coming next: Lunches and Main Dishes

Amid the busyness of life, I've fallen behind on documenting my grocery shopping! Here is December's second shopping trip.

I have actually gone shopping once since this trip, and bought items needed to make food for the freezer for when our new baby's born. Even though we've spent a bit this month on groceries, I am happy to say that we haven't eaten it ALL, yet, and my freezer is getting fuller!! :)

Is it any surprise that I went to... Costco for groceries?! Living 3 miles from Costco means I can go weekly. :| :)

Read more for items and prices...

I didn't get around to sharing photos and prices from my grocery shopping last week, so here it is, a bit late. :)

Joshua and the boys walked to QFC for bananas and came back with this assortment of goodies:

M&Ms    $2.99
Whole grain bread  $2.50
Orange juice   $1.50
Bananas    $2.83

Total:  $9.82

Joshua said he knew we were low on bread and bought some so I wouldn't have to make any the next day. :) The M&Ms were supposed to be a treat for me... and we ate some and put the rest on cookies! :)

Later in the week, I went to Costco and bought:

Read more for items and prices from Costco...

I've had fun typing up my grocery shopping trips from the past few weeks. It has actually helped me be much more aware of what we're buying/eating. :D

I hope some of you find these posts interesting, because I plan to continue sharing our grocery trips for at least a few more weeks! :)

This week's groceries were from Costco and QFC. I spent a lot at Costco, but I got a lot of food, too... but I always say that after going to Costco! :P

Here is what we got at Costco: (read more for items and prices)

I did my grocery shopping this week at Costco. I spent quite a bit, but we also got quite a lot of yummy food! It totally filled our kitchen table when I tried to take a picture! :)

Here is a price breakdown of what I bought:

Baking potatoes (20#)            $4.49
Organic red delicious apples (10#)    $6.49
Romaine lettuce (6 ct.)          $2.99
Bananas (3#)                $1.32 (x2)
Mission tortilla strips (3#)      $3.35
Mission flour tortillas (5#14oz)   $4.99
Butter (4#)                             $6.39
Tillamook sliced swiss cheese (2#)    $7.29
Shredded mozzarella cheese (5#)    $9.79
Whole milk (2 gal.)                       $4.34
Darigold cream (40% fat) (1/2 gal.)   $5.99
Whole chickens (2)  (9.52#)         $9.42
Frozen strawberries (5#)              $8.85
Organic frozen green beans (5#)      $5.99
Applesauce (106oz)                $3.65
Quaker rolled oats (10#)          $6.89
KS "enviro-friendly" dish soap (135oz)    $7.99
Toilet paper (36 rolls)      $17.99
Vaseline Intensive Care lotion set  $8.99 (w/coupon)

Total: $132.32

Romaine lettuce is one of my favorite things to get at Costco, since it's so affordable! And the Red Delicious apples... we tried some from this bag and they are so fresh and crisp! Yum! :)

We seem to go through a lot of toilet paper, but the dish soap and lotion will last us quite a long time (about a year for the dish soap, and probably 4+ years for the lotion). :)

This week's grocery shopping is rather sparse, but I'll (hopefully) be heading to Costco early next week to make up for that. ;)

Pictured above is what I bought at QFC this week:

Darigold lactose-free milk  $2.99 (x2)
Sweet potatoes ($0.99/lb)   $2.32
Bananas ($0.59/lb)       $3.60
Red onion ($1.49/lb)     $0.98
Cucumber                $0.99
Leaf lettuce                $1.99
Cilantro                    $0.99

Total: $16.85

The lactose-free milk is a regular purchase for us at that price. Everything else is pricey BUT I didn't want a Costco-sized portion and/or it was just to hold us over until I do go to Costco (like the bananas and lettuce). I can walk to QFC so I often go there between Costco trips to re-stock our bananas or get specialty food items (like when I just need 1 lemon, or 1 tomato... that sort of thing!). :)

Not all of the bananas are pictured, since right outside the store we peeled and ate 3 bananas as we walked home! It isn't uncommon for us to eat a whole bunch of bananas by the time we get home from the grocery store. I don't mind, though, since they're healthy and we're outside getting fresh air and exercise! :)

I also went to Rite Aid, and we got some fish in bulk. Read more for photo and prices, including this week's total:

One of my favorite features of Crystal's blog is when she photographs and shares about her weekly grocery shopping trips! :) I love the great deals she finds, but mostly I just like seeing the yummy food she got. ;)

I thought it would be a fun experiment to document all of our family's grocery/household purchases for a while. Those of you who have asked about how I shop, or what my grocery budget is, this will give you a firsthand look! :)

Some of these things will last much longer than a week, so as I share our grocery trips in future weeks, hopefully it will give more of a complete picture of what we buy and use! :)

This week's groceries, from Costco: Read more for prices and total!