I'm not obsessed with Costco.

No, really. I'm not. I *do* mention it a lot on Facebook because, well, Costco is new to our area and inquiring minds want to know. I've been shopping at Costco for almost two years (thankful I no longer have to make a 40 min trek each way to do so). I've learned about many great products during that time and I try to share what I find and spread the good foodie news.

That is all.

Because we have a family of six (soon seven), I just take my grocery money straight to Costco each week and buy-big for a great value. I rarely go to other grocery stores now and usually end up spending less stocking up at Costco and the food usually lasts us more than one week because of quantity. I went this evening and stocked up on lots of fresh fruit; some frozen fruit; fresh veggies; eggs; cheese; chicken for my family; and...as one of my friends lovingly pointed out, on Instagram, bulk Oreos. They are for the kids, not me. I promise. I am totally grossed out by Oreos this pregnancy. Thanks, little baby. Looking out for mom already.

What are we going to do with all that food, you ask? Oh, I have plans for it....

• You'll note about 12 pounds of bananas up next to the eggs. Two of our children have been channeling Curious George and there's no limit to the number of bananas they put down in one day. I also usually have one per day in a smoothie and blend some into smoothies for the other kids as well. 
• Eggs. Our two-year-old begs for eggs (ooh, a rhyme) every day. So, we need to make sure we have plenty around. Also, if I'm out of ideas for dinner, eggs and waffles or pancakes it is. I keep the ginormous bag of Costco pancake mix on-hand for such desperate times. We also love hard-boiled eggs and egg breakfast sandwiches. I also love to scramble eggs and add them to rice and veggies, like we did this evening.
• Cutie oranges, strawberries, and grapefruit are all for snacking. 
• I have a couple big bags of frozen fruit in there - pretty much just for blending with spinach and coconut water. 
• Lemons - for enhancing water or smoothies.
• Broccoli and mushrooms - for endless things. Crustless quiche, roasting, stir-fry, rice casserole, etc.
• Onions - I love to have a big bag of onions on-hand because...well...it's hard for me to imagine most dinners without the taste and smell of onion included.
• Cheese - grilled cheese, of course! The kids love it and it's a quick and easy lunch for them (and me) to put together. It's also great for a quick snack if someone is losing their blood sugar and starting to get grouchy. 
• Ginormous bottle of vinegar - cleaning the house, making buttermilk and dressing salads! :) 
• Sweet Kale Salad - so, so delicious
• Rotisserie chicken - part of tomorrow's dinner! I have no idea what the other part is yet...

Yum, yum, yum. I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and start blending and cooking some of these delicious Costco finds. 

I plan to make some chocolate almond butter as well, so look for a post on that. :)

But first? Coffee. 

Hope you all have a lovely week and eat some great and healthy meals!

This week's meal plan - (mostly) all from Costco. :)

Did I mention that I love Costco? I think I did...maybe once or twice. I usually go during the week with all four kids and we do our weekly grocery run. My husband had some errands to run this morning, so he dropped two of the kids and I off at Costco for A WHOLE HOUR. Did you know that taking two kids to Costco for an hour is like equivalent to being there for ten minutes with four kids? Don't do the math...just trust me. It was like a leisurely stroll in the park.

As a result, we got to look at ALL THE THINGS and I actually have this week's dinners planned and purchased for this coming week. It feels great to be ahead of the game, but it doesn't usually happen that way for us. I was going to post something else today, but pushed it back till tomorrow so you can check out my weekly meal plan and glean some ideas from it if you like! I know when I'm at a loss for what to cook, I read blog after blog via Pinterest until it's figured out.

Ready? Here we go! 

• Monday - Oven seared salmon with roasted butternut squash, broccoli and crimini mushrooms and maybe some brown rice on the side - I have to decide if rice is necessary. 
• Tuesday - Spinach and cheese ravioli with homemade bread and garlic butter - maybe some roasted veggies on the side.
• Wendesday - Slow cooker Italian chicken with rigatoni or angel hair.
• Thursday - Garlic butter quinoa and shrimp
• Friday - Company is coming! Menu TBD
• Saturday - Chipotle (hoooray!!)

Also, if I get a second, I'm going to make some more viscotta (Italian sesame cookies) for the hubs and I do dip in our morning coffees. :) 

Mini Update - Happy new year!!

Hi friends,

We made it through all the holidays, did you?? This is our family business's busiest time of year and
our first year juggling the busy season, homeschool, pregnancy and a few home renovations all in a very short amount of time! It seems that this season of craziness has come to a resting place, though, and we are ready to return to normal life...until this spring when the baby shows up. :)

I'll admit, after losing a ton of weight and being in the best shape of my adult life, it is kind of hard to go back in the other direction for the better part of a year. I'm not getting wound-up about it, though, because I know post-partum fitness is attainable! This pregnancy, I am focusing on maintaining a (mostly) clean and vegetarian diet, and simply not over eating or binge eating. I am allowing myself grace when it comes to cravings, but not letting them overpower my goal for having a healthy pregnancy. I'm also doing my best to drink more water. That's always been a problem for me in pregnancies past. It's not that I don't love water, I just don't like to be bothered with so many trips to the bathroom so I ignore my fluid intake. I know - bad. bad. bad.

I've had the oddest cravings (for me) this pregnancy... ginger, green beans, lemon meringue pie, carrots, eggs, toothpaste (two different kinds...no I'm not eating that); and sharp cheeses.

I have also been posting some kid-friendly dinner recipes on my Facebook page and hope to report some of those to you, as well. Let me know what kinds of things you'd like to see and I will add them to our meal plan. :) We also got a new crockpot and waffle maker for Christmas, so hopefully I can post about some fun recipes on that end, soon, as well.

Meanwhile? You *might* want to check your local Costco to see if this Trek Mix is in stock. It is SO MUCH FLAVOR. And? I don't feel bad eating it.

Keep Calm and Eat Clean...

I've been a rather inconsistent blogger over the last few months; We've had so much
activity going on with our family, with our business, and with our kids that some things just have to take the back burner. It took me a long time to learn that, but priorities have to stay in place or else chaos ensues. Right? I know you know. :) I really, truly, feel that I'm called to minister to people who have had the same struggles that I've had with over-eating and sugar addiction. So, this blog carries on!

In the lull of what was quite possibly the LONGEST WINTER OF MY LIFE - having never ending snow and ice, a death in the family, sickness after sickness for each member of our family, and a miscarriage a couple months ago (I may post on that at a later date), I found myself back in a series of bad eating habits. I KNOW from experience that binge eating is not how I deal with these things (anymore), so I cut myself off at the pass and am now back to clean eating (down 10 lbs in about a month!). It feels SO good to make healthy decisions after experiencing so many repeated trials - or even one trial. Amen?

I wanted to tell you about a few yummy things I've been loving lately. If you're ready to get back to clean eating, here are a few ideas to get you started!

Zoats! Oh my word. You need to Google these! This is oatmeal + zucchini. I mix mine with 1TB pure maple syrup (maple syrup is considered clean) and top with sliced strawberries. It's true, zucchini doesn't have *much* nutritional value. It is a source of vitamins, but mostly importantly it's a Low-GI food that acts as a clean filler for your oats. If I eat a plain bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, I'm ready to start gnawing on my hand by mid-morning.

Omelets. After several attempts at making an omelet the way I thought one would make an omelet, I finally YouTubed some omelet tutorials (I know, I never would have survived at everyone's favorite Little House on the Prairie). My favorite (clean) way to make these (whilst conserving calories) is: 2 egg whites (get the liquid whites so you don't waste eggs), 1 whole egg, 1/4 cup feta cheese, 1oz of ham (I like Boar's Head because I think it has fewer preservatives than others, onion, garlic powder, sea salt and crushed red pepper. SO SO good.

Salad. With chopped red bell peppers. I don't know WHY I've never added these peppers to my salads before, but they add interest AND color. I do love color. I usually make a salad like this: living lettuce or romaine, english cucumber, bell peppers, thinly sliced white onion, and 1TB Bragg's organic vinaigrette. SO good!! Eat that along side your omelet and you'll be in for a tasty lunch.

Hot Tea.  For the most part, I try not to drink my calories (maybe an occasional coffee these days or a chai latte, but my calories are rarely consumed this way). Hot tea is a perfect morning or midday pick-me-up and if you detox from sugar, you can totally drink it straight with no sweetener. I love: TAZO zen and wild orange. Also, I love a good earl gray and sleepytime for evening.

Chicken Burgers. There's something about warm weather that makes me want a burger EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I picked these up at Costco yesterday and I've had two since. They are AMAZING. Sometimes I think I could be a vegetarian, and then I find something like this. They are seriously so good - 150 calories and 19 grams of protein. How about that? Yum!!

Quinoa Cakes. I'm sure these could be made at home, but I found Cedarlane's Baked Spinach Quinoa Cakes at Costco yesterday and they are also - guess what - AMAZING. They are 50 calories each 3g of protein and 100% YUM. If you have a Costco nearby, you should totally run there and pick these up. I had them as a side dish (next to my chicken burger) for lunch today. Better than losing my mind to a bag of chips, right?!

Quest Bars. I'm going to leave you with my absolute FAVORITE treat. These little pieces of joy are pricey $2+ ea, but GNC usually has buy 3 get one free and they are TOTALLY worth it. If we're at a party and there's cake being served, a Quest bar is a direct substitution for me. Then, there's no chance I'm going to cut myself an extra big piece, go back for seconds, or eat ALL the icing that's left around the edge of the cake tray. (I have issues with cake). I also love these when I'm craving a cookie, chocolate or other baked good. They truly are delicious. Check out these flavors: Cookie Dough, Cookies & Cream, Lemon Pie, Cinnamon Roll, PB&J and Coconut Cashew. If you look at Quest Nutrition's page on FB or Instagram, you'll also see recipes you can make using these amazing treats.

What are some of your favorites lately? Let me know!

Cauliflower Pizza!

Listen. I don't know what genius came up with the cauliflower pizza crust, but I'd really like to shake that person's hand! I know you guys have probably seen this floating around Pinterest by now, but maybe you've been a little skeptical and haven't tried it yet. You're probably thinking what I was thinking, "can a head of cauliflower really qualify as the guest of honor on family pizza night?"

You bet it can.

I'm still not sure how or why, but it can.

I love pizza and tend to eat it with reckless abandon. So, if I'm going to spend the calories on it, it better be amazing. Cauliflower pizza IS amazing. It gets my foodie seal of approval.

Our kids beg for pizza all the time. It's really hard for me to say no because I love pizza SO STINKING MUCH, but I do deny pizza night requests 3/4 times because - let's face it - it's not what we call health food. Now, though, I think the cauliflower brings a point of compromise to the table.

1.) It's inexpensive.
2.) It's not difficult to prepare.
3.) It's a great way to sneak veggies in!
4.) It tastes pretty darn delicious.

I'm going to link you to the recipe I used because it was written out in greater detail and with better photos than I could give you; I will, however, tell you how I customized ours with awesomeness.

Here's the recipe: Tasty Kitchen

Now, here are some pointers/ideas: 

• I used greased (with grape seed oil) parchment paper on top of a Pampered Chef pizza stone. The pizza golden-browned up and lifted off with no issues when preparing it this way. 
• When you're wringing the water out of the cauliflower and you think you've gotten all the water out, try to get even more water out yet. It's unbelievable how much water you can squeeze out of the cauliflower. Just hang on to that towel so you don't dump all your lovely cauli-snow.
• Toppings: store-bought pizza sauce; shredded mozzarella; pepperoni; sautéed shiitake mushrooms; olive spread*.
• Make two. Why not. It's pizza night. Go nuts.
• You can make the crust ahead of time. How nice is that? Make it while you you have a free second, then it's just about 10 minutes of dinner prep later. 

* Now, let me take a second to tell you about Olive Muffalata. I don't even know what this stuff is. Wait...yes I do. It's magic. Magic for your pizza, crackers, grilled cheese sammies, subs, zucchini boats, boring brown rice, etc. My word. If you love olives, you need to get some of this. If you don't love olives, you're wrong. We picked this jar up at Costco on a whim because, of course, we love olives and the other stuff that's in there (veggies, cauliflower, peppers, etc.). If you don't have a Costco membership, looks like you can find more places to buy it at the manufacturer's website. I think you should go get some...then put it on your cauliflower pizza. Everyone wins.

Let me know if you try this recipe. I think you'll love it.

Spinach Mac & Cheese

Ta Da! Here's what you're looking for.

Raise your hand if you love Costco! I know I do. I try to pick up at least one new food item every time we visit. At one point, they had a limited stock of the very best hummus in the whole entire world. They told me it was limited (I didn't believe them, no one ever believes that), bought just one tub and ate the entire thing in record time. SO, still in denial, I check the hummus/salsa/salad area every time, hoping that my hummus-covered dreams will come true and the best-ever hummus will be there. Alas, it never is. The good news is, that the light spinach dip they have, is phenomenal. I mean...NO ONE needs the full-fat version when you can have this stuff.

I don't know what makes it so good - the greek yogurt? The water chestnuts? The fact that it tastes bad-for-you when it isn't? It doesn't matter. It's just plain good, and if I could buy stock in this spinach dip, I totally would. Ok, that's ridiculous. But, I do plan to get one or two tubs every time I see it at Costco.

Can you imagine the deliciousness?

We shoveled the stuff out of the container with sweet potato tortilla chips first (also from Costco). After about 270 chips down the trap, I decided I should re-purpose the remainder of this dip (it's a giant container) into something that wouldn't cause me gain 7lbs (hey, even light foods will get you when you fail to use moderation). So, with that, our spinach mac n cheese was born. Now, if you don't belong Costco you're wrong or have one close you should move, I'm sure any spinach dip will do. Just make sure you have oh, I don't know, 16 oz or something to that tune.

Ok, enough chatter...here's the recipe! It's SO easy!

Here's what you need: 

• 16 oz brown rice pasta
• 16 oz light spinach dip (approx)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 TB melted butter



Like my OCD food spacing?

• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Here's what you do: 

• Preheat your oven to 350 and grab a 9x13 oven-safe dish
• Boil the pasta (about 7-8 min - until al dente)
• Once the pasta is boiled, drain the water and pour noodles into the 9x13 pan.
• Add salt, pepper and butter - stir to evenly incorporate
• Add spinach dip - stir gently to incorporate
• Top with mozzarella cheese

Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden. Serve with veggies and enjoy!! 

PS. I made easy balsamic veggies (load up your favorites - frozen is fine - in a 9x13 pan. Drizzle with EVOO, balsamic vinegar and then season with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Bake at 425 for about 30-45 minutes, until golden. Time depends on veggie type). 

Easy and delicius balsamic veggies.

PPS. Our 7 year old had two giant servings of this. YUM!