Friday Ramblings {March 10th 2017}

This post includes affiliate links and reviews for product received for free in return for a honest review. All proceeds help maintain the operation of My Urban Oven. 

Happy Friday! This week has seemed to drag on. Am I alone on that one?  I am looking forward to a low key weekend, with lots of house projects and extra sleep! What are you looking forward to?

Remember that goal I had for the year to get more active and eat better? I have been getting at this goal really hard over the last few 2 months. I make it to the gym normally 3 times per week and I have been using my My Fitness Pal App every day to track my calories and workouts. I love the ease of this App. Additionally, The Hubby bought me Bluetooth headphones for Christmas and they have been perfect for my growing elliptical time. I have found that elliptical time can serve as the perfect ‘catch up on my favorite TV show’ time. Multi-tasking at its finest. I also feel that this multi-tasking has helped me to be more productive with my blogging too. I am knocking out multiple goals with my new routine. All the better!

My seeds for my garden should arrive today. I can’t wait to share with you next week my plans for getting these little guys turned into plants! I have big dreams of growing lots of extra plants to trade with fellow growers and maybe even sell to raise money for the big garden project I have in my sights this summer.

This week was the first time in the history of me making a dinner menu for the week that we followed it! This is a big success for me, you have no idea. I have tried so many times to create a dinner menu for the week that would serve as both dinners and lunch leftovers, but for some reason or another we always get derailed mid-week and end up scrapping the while plan.  So why the change?  I think the true reason we stuck to the menu was because I did 3 new things. First, I posted the menu on a mini whiteboard on our fridge for us both to see all week. No asking “whats for dinner” anymore. Second, I grocery shopped all the ingredients I needed for those meals on Sunday.  No more running to the store to get a missing ingredient or changing to something else because I had not bought all the right groceries. Third, I took the total grocery bill and divided it by the number of meals we were going to have for the week, and I told The Hubby how much each meal was going to cost us. That third part was HUGE! When I told him that eating a home cooked, unprocessed, low fat, delicious meal was going to cost us less than $3 a person my budget conscious Hubby was all onboard. I knew this was the turning point to meal planning because he has commented multiple times this week, “wow, I can’t believe dinner was only $6. If we had gone out it would have been a $30-$40 bill!” Success fells really good. As does the extra time I have at night knowing that I am all ready to make dinner when I get home from work.

If you are interested here is our menu from the week:

• Sunday: Steak Ceasar Salads (beef from grandpa’s farm!)
• Monday: Taco Night ($1.49 tacos at our favorite place = $10 for both of us!)
• Tuesday: Thai Peanut Turkey Lettuce Wraps
• Wednesday: Chicken Thighs with Lemon Cilantro Sauce (recipe coming next week)
• Thursday: Korean Rice Bowls (one of our new favorites!)
• Friday: Pan Fried Tilapia with Roasted Broccoli 
• Saturday: Movie Night- Order Pizza!

I read a post this week about Creating Visions Boards, and I am all onboard with this idea of creating a board {ore more}. Her fifth point about Consistency really hit home for me she said “You can’t say you’re health-conscious and eat McDonalds Happy Meals every day.” Yup, that really hit home for me because I read it “You can’t say you’re a blogger and never post a blog post.” The concept is not new or revolutionary, but the message is powerful.  This weekend I am hanging my cork board back in my office and making my vision board. Maybe even one for blogging and one for personal goals. Stay tuned to IG Stories to see what I come up with.

Influenster VoxBox arrived this past weekend. I was super excited because it included a lot of items I already use! Here is all the FREE Stuff that was is in my box!

• Secrets Clinical Strength Deodorant– I have never used this product before, but looking to try it out.  I already threw it in my gym bag.  With my increased gym activity, this will be a good addition to my gym routine. I think my fellow gym goers will appreciate not smelling me!
• Purell Naturals– The Hubby is obsessed with clean hands {after touching just about anything}. I have already popped this little bottle in my purse, and have used it multiple times {for The Hubby}.  The best part about this new product is that it is a spritzer. I hate the huge glob of sanitizer that comes from a squeeze bottle.  I can not say how much I love the spritzer!
• Vera Wang Embrace Perfume– I received 2 samples of Vera Wang Embrace, Rose Bud & Vanilla and Marigold and Gardenia.  Both smell pleasant enough, but they are not really my style.
• Fancy Feet Ball of Foot Cushions– This was the first thing I pulled out of the box and said “score” out loud! I love the Fancy Feet product because almost every pair of my heels have the heel cushions in them. The product stays in place and does the job it says it is going to do. Now I need to decide what pair of heels needs these most. Maybe it is a new pair 😉
• Not Your Mothers Beach Babe Soft Waves Sea Salt Spray– Again, this Rosy Voxbox killed it this time! Sea Salt spray is my go hair styling spray during the summer. A few spritz into damp or dry hair, gives the best beachy waves and adds the extra texture needed for good volume. The best part, this is the brand I already buy.

Are you interested in getting your own free product to test out? Check out my Influenster Link to get yourself signed up!

Yesterday I posted the Best Banana Breakfast Cake Recipe, that I love more than anything. You all seemed to love it too! Thank you for all the comments, likes and blog views. It made me feel so loved yesterday!! ::HUG:: You will notice I am on track to accomplish my resolutions for My Urban Oven this year, so stay tuned!

Don’t forget to follow My Urban Oven on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, for more inspiration, my continued ramblings, and photos of what is happening in the My Urban Oven House! 

XOXO, 

Rachel 

P.S. I am falling for Instagram Stories… so don’t forget to follow!!