Postpartum Padsicles

Time is winding down in this pregnancy and I'm making the final preparations for Mo's arrival.

While decorating the nursery is fun, I also have myself to think about. Life after delivering a baby isn't always a cake walk! I have no idea how my labor and delivery experience will be, but what I can do is prepare for the delivery I aim for. I plan on getting an epidural again this time and aim for a successful vaginal delivery.

With that type of delivery comes a lot of recovery time...that many people just don't tell you about! I remember asking friends for their unused padsicles last time around because I went through them like crazy. They felt SO GOOD postpartum.

So - what's a padsicle and why do you need them!? It's basically a doctored up enormous maxi pad that you freeze (or keep in the fridge if that's too cold for you) to help relieve some postpartum delivery pain. If you tear during delivery and require stitches (does anyone not tear or need stitches?!)  these puppies are a God send.

The materials needed are simple and easy to acquire at your local drug store.

 You simply need:

• Witch Hazel
• Aloe Vera Gel
• Lavender Oil (optional)
• Overnight Maxi Pads
• Small spatula or spoon to spread

1. Start by opening the pad very carefully - you are going to close it back up in the original packaging so don't go tearing things apart! 
2. Saturate the pad using witch hazel – learn more about witch hazel and its properties here. 
3. Dribble a drop or two of lavender oil (if desired) onto the pad for freshness and additional healing.
4. Squirt aloe vera gel to coat entire maxi pad and spread evenly around with spatula or spoon. 
5. Carefully fold the pad back up and place into a zip top bag. 
6. Freeze! Or refrigerate until it's time to use them.

I'm going to have wishful thinking that I will only need one package of 20 padsicles this round. LW was 8lb 9oz, I pushed him out in 35 min and I needed two packages. I also tore to smitherines and needed stitches.

If it's your first baby and doctors think he or she may be a big one, I suggest making two packages! Or at least familiarize your Hubs with the process so he can make you more after baby arrives, if need be :)

If you're approaching your due date, don't forget to think about yourself! Preparing for baby is important but preparing for life with a postpartum body is, in my opinion, essential.

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Guest Post: A Natural Birth Story

Two of my friends delivered their babies naturally this week and one was willing to share her birth story. I don't know about you, but birth stories are the most inspiring thing ever to me!!! Especially natural births. These moms are truly warriors. Enjoy! 

I woke up around 6:30 am feeling fairly rested compared to nights past.  No one else was up, so I went to the bathroom and felt the need to pull myself together (I.e. oil pull, brush teeth, hair, wash face, etc.)  

I had been having contractions on/off for a week now with bloody show and overactive bowels so I had added deep squats to my morning routine to try and entice him down.  I put in an extra effort that morning.  This pregnancy hurt and I could tell babe was bigger than I had hoped.  

Everyday I told him I can't wait to meet him.  That morning everything felt different.   LO1 woke up and I brought him out to the family room recliner for his morning milkies.  Cosmo (the dog) came to join us and snuggle between my legs right next to LO1.  I made sure to give extra love and attention to both as I had this feeling that moment may not last.  

Sure enough, as LO1 switched sides, I felt a pop low in my uterus, and whoosh!  There goes my water.  I yelled to Hubs who was sleeping in (lucky guy! It was 8 am) to hurry and bring me towels.  

As he raced to the linen closet, LO1 climbed down and followed.   He brought me his box of Jake bandaids for Mommy's boo-boo and dumped out the box on the floor in front of me.   

I called the Dr's office and waited for a call back, called my aunt to come stay with LO1 since she's closest,  changed the sheets on our bed so Hubs's mom could sleep comfortably as she would be staying with him, and made sure I had enough towels between my legs as this gushing kept flowing!  

Slight contractions started around 9:15 shortly after my aunt arrived.   Everything seemed to work out perfectly (except for our poor recliner!).  20 minutes to the hospital in the pouring rain.  

Checked into labor and delivery at 9:50 am.  They brought me to my requested tub room. I was checked (5cm), baby monitored,  iv set up, then took off for the halls.   

The first lap, I had one easy contraction.  The next was two. The next the two I had lasted a minute two minutes apart.  They needed to start the antibiotics for GBS+, so we headed back to the room and I climbed in bed.  

I refused to labor in bed with LO1 as the contractions were so bad in bed.  What I didn't realize back then is that's a good thing.  This time, I sat up in a position to press hard on my cervix.  I was able to push myself up with the bed rails to make it through each one (these guns are aching today!)  

Once they let me out of bed at 6.5 cm I realized my dream of laboring in the tub would stunt this progress so Hubs and I took to the halls again. 

Another hour, another 2 cm. 

That last half hour was absolutely horrific. I was standing next to the bed choking Hubs with my right arm and pushing on the bed layered with pillows with my left.  Contractions came every two minutes still lasting a minute.   Every time one that came, I started doing calf raises to try to ignore the pain...ha..ha.... in between the nurse suggested to sway my hips to get him to shimmy on down.  

By the time I felt like pushing the doctor had been ready with his boots on, I must have been pretty loud. Hubs had been fanning me as I was getting super hot and remembering my breathing, not just sounds, was getting difficult.  That felt amazing.  

I got in bed and while the idea of stirrups and laboring on my back freaked me out (I refused both ideas with LO1 - then I was an acrobat), I figured I'd give it a go.  

Even though I didn't have an epidural the first time, I didn't figure out how to push then either. LO1 Came out after 45 minutes.  After the past 3 weeks of fully emptying my bowels several times a day, I finally understand what it meant to push a baby out (poop him out!!).  No I did not poop on the table, but those 10 minutes of pushing that baby out felt like an eternity!  Ring of fire lasted that entire 10 minutes.   Dr offered to snip and I said no way, so instead he stretched the skin around the baby. Holy hell!!! 

This kid is built like a linebacker with very broad shoulders. His head was nothing.  Waiting for the next contraction to push was horrific.  Hearing that little cry (1:14 pm) and feeling his goobery body plopped on my chest really did make me forget the previous 10 minutes especially as the doc was tugging for the placenta then shooting me with lidocaine for stitches (2nd degree tearing and nothing compared to the first).  

Baby refused to feed in the beginning,  so I passed him on for vital checks and got my stitches and cleaned up.  Apparently that table was super clean and the nurses joked I should teach a class on natural child birth – which at the time, all I could do was chuckle because I was so sore and exhausted I thought they were just blowing smoke up my you know what.

Baby finally nursed for about 20 minutes on each side, then I got the nurses to move us early to our Mother Baby room as I was starving!  After eating, I was up hobbling around and felt absolutely amazing. Thighs were extremely sore (apparently a good sign in labor that baby's head is engaged with your cervix) still but I just lost 20 lbs and felt like I was walking on water.  

Today is a different story as I'm feeling drained and very sore all over.  Uterus is larger the second time so contractions to shrink it are harder to deal with, and the mommy diapers are oh-so glamorous, you know. 

Last time was the best I could have hoped for (10 hours natural 7 of that in the hospital). This time is the best I could have hoped for (5 hours natural 3 1/2 of that in the hospital). Next time, I hope to not have the baby in the car on the way to the hospital.  

I'm so happy I was able to do it naturally.  My mindset was where it needed to be.  I kept telling myself that my body is made for this and I kept envisioning my mom.  The past few weeks really wore me down and made me question myself and what I wanted. Adrenaline + visualization.  It's not a perfect combination that works every time, but it worked for me this time, and it makes me believe in myself more for next time....but I seriously recommend the stool softener they offer... 

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Pregnancy: 29 Week Update

How far along? 29 Weeks

Size of Baby:  Butternut squash. Is it just me, or is that like....THE SIZE OF A REAL BABY.  

Weight Gain: Haven't checked since 26 weeks. Another week and I'll find out the damage this month. 

Nursery: Well, one of the items on my Someday List was to clean out LW's closet, and I did that this week! All newborn-y items were moved over to Mo's closet. I haven't started the dresser yet so things are a little bit disorganized since I don't have anywhere to put his clothes other than on shelves in the closet. 

Over Christmas we purchased blinds for Mo and LW's rooms but unfortunately they won't work for Mo's room. One has broken from LW's room and one in Mo's room clicks...which will not do. So next weekend Hubs will be tasked with taking the two broken blinds down and installing the one good blind from Mo's room into LW's room. I'll return the two broken blinds and use the store credit to find an alternative for Mo's room. The blinds we bought were on clearance because the store was going to discontinue them. While I am there I may find some curtain rods with a few coupons as well so we can get all of the window treatments up and ready. 

Also, WE SOLD OUR HOUSE! Pending a few final details, we will be able to begin moving our furniture over in the next few weeks. That means LW will get the twin bed that has been staging the old house....and it means we will be setting the crib up for Mo :) 

Movement: Hubs thinks because I am so relaxed now being a SAHM that Mo is finally able to be his "true self" which is a WILD MAN! Here I hoped we would get one docile little nugget baby and it's proving not to be true lately based on his actions inside me! He's just bopping all over in there all the time lately. It's kind of fun...but kind of nauseating. 

Symptoms: HEARTBURN!?!?! First time in my life yesterday I had heartburn for hours. What. The. Heck! Of course, I'm cheap and bought the generic brand TUMS to have in the house and they are AWFUL. I ate them all night long when I got up to use the bathroom and my mouth still tastes like chalk. Note to self: Buy the real thing to have on hand. The really good smoothies kind. Because these Costco ones are the worst. (Sorry Costco. Still love you otherwise.) 

My belly band made me feel sick to my stomach yesterday and as soon as I took it off, I felt better. I concluded that I have outgrown it (already) so I just ordered a replacement using Amazon points today. It's not the same brand, but it's the same style - wide back brace/under belly support/over belly support. And it was less than half of the cost of the original. Should have bought this from day 1! 

I'm also swelling a lot lately. Today I made a conscious effort to spend the late afternoon/evening drinking A LOT of water, using the bathroom every time I got the slightest urge and snacking on fruit. My wedding rings have gone from, "I may need to take these off for the rest of the pregnancy" to, "I can't even tell I'm pregnant based on my hands". That's significant! I must drink more water and put my feet up more frequently. Must, must!!!

Cravings: Nothing really this week! Lemonade give me mild heartburn so I haven't really been drinking that and cinnamon rolls just aren't front-of-mind. Nothing is screaming "EAT THIS NOW!" to me this week, which is nice! If I eat too much, I get heartburn too so I am trying to just snack a lot on healthy stuff instead of have "meals". Meals make me feel gross. 

Looking forward to: Meeting our sweet little Mo. I can't wait to see what he looks like. 

Things I can't stop thinking about: The nursery! I am excited to be making strides. We have budgeted and couponed so well that we haven't spent more than a few dollars total on all of the items we need for him from the registry. Items like window treatments will be more expensive, but thankfully the savings from purchasing the other items with Amazon rewards points and Kohl's coupons/Kohl's cash or Jamberry earnings will allow us to buy those other necessary items with ease. It took some serious planning and patience, but was completely worth it!!!! 

By my calculations we have three more weeks of purchasing items from the registry and we're done (at $25/week). Should have just been two after today's purchase (a stroller lock!), but last night LW's humidifier died so he had to take Mo's. Thankfully we have 10ish more weeks before we NEED any of the remaining items. 

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Banana Bread Oatmeal

I think I discovered something magical. I found a way to get LW to love oatmeal as much as I do. As in, he shovels it into his mouth....and I'm not loading it with brown sugar (which is how and why I love oatmeal so much...it's a vehicle for my dark brown sugar).

I'm calling this "Banana Bread Oatmeal" because that's really what it tastes like. And the way I do it is so easy, it's totally cheating.

First off, we buy a million bananas. And sometimes we just can't eat them all. So when they start to get brown I peel them, cut them in half and toss them in a bag in the freezer. This way, we have bananas ready to go if I feel like baking, want a smoothie, or now....if it's an oatmeal kind of morning!

I start with old-fashioned oats. The quick-cook kind just don't have the same texture, to me. Plus, I'm old-fashioned at heart. We should all know that by now.

Next, the secret to the whole recipe....half of a frozen banana.

As bananas freeze they tend to get sweeter and when they defrost, they're so soft that they basically melt. Pouring super-hot oatmeal on top of the frozen banana melts it pretty quickly (I will stab at it with a spoon to push the process along). Plus, the cold banana brings the oatmeal down to toddler-appropriate temperature very quickly!

A cute helper is required for this process:

I use fresh bananas for my own oatmeal and dark brown sugar. I added a tiny sprinkle of dark brown sugar to LW's bowl too but you definitely don't have to. The bananas are VERY sweet.

Once the banana has melted, I top with whatever I have on hand. This morning was strawberries, whole milk and crushed pecans. LW literally shoveled it into his mouth.

That's it! Super simple, easy to make with things on hand, sweet as can be and toddler approved without being loaded with artificial sugars. What more could you ask for?!

For more toddler meal ideas, follow @whatifeedmykid on Instagram!

Banana Bread Oatmeal
2C cooked old-fashioned oats 
1/2 frozen banana
sprinkle dark brown sugar (optional) 
1T whole milk 
3 cut strawberries (garnish)
1tsp chopped pecans (garnish)

Place frozen banana in bowl with sprinkle of brown sugar. Pour cooked oats over banana and sugar. Mash/stir until banana has melted completely and oatmeal is cool. 

Pour on cold whole milk to continue cooling oatmeal (looking for toddler-appropriate temperature). 

Top with favorite toppings. I used strawberries and pecans. 

Enjoy! 

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Pregnancy: 14 Week Update

With LW, I didn't do any pregnancy updates, and I wish I would have. I simply blogged all while I was pregnant. This time around I hope to document things a little more clearly (so backwards for a typical second child, I know!) 

How far along?  14 

Size of Baby:  Lemon! That seems huge already. Holy guacamole this pregnancy is flying.

Weight Gain:  Since my first appointment at 6 weeks, I've lost three pounds. CELEBRATING. Because with LW it was sooooo the opposite.  

Nursery:  The walls are already yellow, so we are keeping them. I plan to buy navy window treatments. Crib will be LW's, when we switch him to the twin bed. My current thought is to make the nursery "moon" themed. These are some of my favorite pins lately: 

I am planning to refinish a dresser for this baby as I did for LW. I am hoping to find one that is 'double wide' like this and refinish it in navy w/ antique brass accents. The window treatments will also be hung on antique brass hardware. 

As I mentioned in the gender reveal post, this baby is named. I'm still undecided if I will share his name on the blog or not...but for now let's all just call him Mo. I would like to do an art project for his name like I did for LW, but a little different this time. Something like this would be a blast (all in navy?):

Movement:  Every so often I will feel tiny flutters/tickles from him. Nothing consistent yet. 

Symptoms:  TIRED. Oh goodness gracious am I tired. 

Cravings:  Last week it was broccoli, every day, roasted with salt and olive oil. Now I'm into the routine of getting a McDonald's ice cream cone every day so when I don't get it I definitely crave one. I will keep up with the broccoli as my mid-afternoon snack though because I know all those vitamins only help us all during flu season!! Especially since LW loves to snack on it too. I'll do anything to keep the veggies going.

Looking forward to:  Nursing and babywearing again. I'm already drooling at the thought of splurging on a Tula for this baby. Specifically, this one: 

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Toddler Snack: Pumpkin Pie Popcorn Mix

As you know, my latest endeavor with a few other mamas is on Instagram called "What I Feed My Kid". I am constantly striving to discover delicious, healthy treats that LW will actually eat.

Since we began his journey with food through baby led weaning, he's always eaten anything in front of him. Recently the toddler picky eater stage has kicked in and some days for dinner he eats a tube of string cheese and a grape. It is exhausting and frustrating.

This afternoon I was cruising Parents.com for healthy snack ideas and struck gold in this article. Sure, it has a lot of obvious choices of hummus, fruit and cheese but I got an idea to start something new: Making my own snack mix!

Recently I got an air popper and I'm so obsessed with it that LW and I have popcorn as a snack nearly every day. I'm getting a little tired of the standard butter with salt (which that in and of itself is shocking) and have been thinking of making my own caramel corn for the holidays. Not healthy, but HELLO!!! Delicious.

Well, I decided to put that air popper to use and try something a little wacky today. I made my own snack mix for L-Dub. I used ingredients I had on hand and it was SO fun to create.

Tomorrow is grocery shopping day so we are out of fruit and I wanted LW to have a snack he'd really enjoy....that wasn't cheese. Jackpot! This one is a winner.

Ingredients
1/4 C unpopped popcorn kernels (I prefer white kernels)
1/4 C (heaping) dried fruit and nut mix, chopped
1/4 C sunflower seeds
1/2 C plain oyster crackers
2 T coconut oil, melted
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t cinnamon sugar blend

I simply popped the popcorn, melted the coconut oil, then tossed everything in the bowl and lightly mixed. I made sure all of the ingredients were evenly coated with the spices and coconut oil. 

The end result is sweet from the cinnamon sugar and savory from the nuts plus a little warmth from the pumpkin pie spice. When LW ate it, he had pumpkin pie breath too, which is adorably sweet :) 

I plan to keep this stuff around all the time now that I know LW loves it!

You can mix different things in, depending on what you have on hand. Next round I think I'll try a popcorn blend with ranch mix, salted nuts, pretzels and crackers..the possibilities are endless, really! Plus, with the holidays coming up, how adorable would this be wrapped up in a pretty clear bag with a bow on it for your favorite play date pals?!

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What I Feed My Kid

Hello! You may have seen on my Facebook page that I have joined a few other mamas in a fun new endeavor on Instagram called "What I Feed My Kid".

We are all sharing what we feed our kids through photos in hopes to inspire other mamas who may be in a rut with their meals! Here are a few of the fun things we've shared so far:  

Healthier twice baked potatoes. Red potatoes stuffed with potato, cauliflower mash, a little bit of butter, plain Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, cauliflower and broccoli florets.

Indian food last night for this 17 month old toddler. Naan, hummus, quinoa, lentils and chicken saag. He loved dipping the naan into everything! When in doubt, dip

Big lunch today for this growing toddler! Whole fat cottage cheese, spinach cake with ranch to dip, potato casserole, apples and blackberries. Mmm! 

LO is having whole wheat French toast with cinnamon sweet potato spread on top and a side of green grapes and Mandarin oranges.

And of course, we like to share meals and snacks that inspire us!

Featuring @foodfitforkids 😀Looked delicious and I thought you all might think so too! Celery, almond butter and trail mix. What's not to love!?!

If you want to share your healthy meal/snack ideas with us and be featured just use #whatifeedmykid or #wifmk! 

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Easiest-Ever Triple Berry Pie

Did you know berry pie is ridiculously easy to make?! And REALLY delicious?! I did not, until I tried baking one this weekend.

This is all you need:

5-6 cups frozen berries (I used the Costco triple berry blend)
1/2C sugar
6T corn starch
1C water
2 prepared pie crusts
1 egg, beaten

I simply put the berries and sugar into a medium sauce pan and warmed them up on medium heat. Then, I made a slurry with the corn starch and water. Once the berries were barely bubbling I stirred in the corn starch/water slurry and left the berries to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Lay one pie crust out into your pie pan, poke holes with a fork. Add berries and the other pie crust on top, cutting slits to vent the pie. Crimp the edges and egg wash the top. Bake at 400º for about an hour - until the crust is golden and berries are bubbling. HOLY COW IS IT DELICIOUS.

It's taking all of my self control to not eat this pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I would have taken a photo sooner, but...life and stuff. Enjoy!!!

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New Year: Better Me

My resolution last year was to keep things the way they were. I finally felt like I had come into myself and loved where my life was. I feel like I did an ok job keeping that resolution the first half of the year, but the second half (READ: WHEN I BECAME A MOM), I stopped thinking of myself and only thought of my son.

Not a bad thing! Until I started questioning who I was and what I stood for.

This year, my resolution is to be better to myself. That's all.

I am starting the year off right thanks to a Christmas gift from Hubs: I get a free latte every day the whole month of January with my sweet tumbler.

This way, every day I have to take 10 minutes to myself. I have to get out of the house, breathe a little fresh air, and enjoy a beautifully free caffeinated beverage. All for me.

Other "me" indulgences I plan to enjoy this year are weekly yoga classes with a friend, mani/pedis as often as I can afford them, and maybe (big maybe) I'll get back on a horse this year. A friend suggested I start trying to ride once a month, then bump it up to every other week, then to once a week if it fits in my schedule.

I have learned the best way for me to be a better mom and be a better version of myself is to take a little time away from my boy. I love him with every ounce of myself, but I appreciate him even more when I step away from home for a few minutes or hours every so often and come back to him.

I hope these things will aid me in being a better wife as well. I tend to be pretty old-fashioned in my view of "wife" – I like cooking, cleaning, caring for our child. However, the reality is that I work full time and I just can't do everything myself. Being better to myself and taking breaks will help me with that little bit called "patience" that so often gets lost in marriage.

What will you do this year to be better? 

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Cleaning with Norwex: Before and After

**Before I start this post, please know that I receive no kickback from Norwex and I am not a consultant. I simply love their products and want to share the word! For more information on Norwex and to contact a consultant near you, click here.**

Since my Norwex order has arrived I have gone a little crazy cleaning. Their products clean so easily and keep things so much cleaner, longer due to no residues left behind, that now instead of my usual "daily" cleanups, I am finding new things in my home to clean! 

This morning before church I started cleaning for a party we're hosting tonight for our Youth Group. I used a kitchen towel dampened with water to wipe off our dining room table, which always feels a little tacky when wet. Wouldn't you know, from using Norwex the table is no longer tacky feeling? I guess it sucked up the years of grease that had unknowingly caked itself on there. Score.

Then I moved into the kitchen to clean off the shelves where we store extra pots/pans and our toaster oven. Once the shelves were done I noticed a little (at the time, I did think, "little") grime on the door of the oven. 

Using the same kitchen cloth still damp with water and a dab of cleaning paste (aka "elbow grease in a jar") I started on the door. I hadn't used my cleaning paste yet, so I was anxious to see how it worked. 

We've had this oven at least 4 years, and I use it multiple times a week to roast chicken thighs, veggies, bake cookies, you name it...and I've never cleaned it until today. (Mom, I can feel you shaming me)

Within a few minutes I was stunned and called Bill in to prove I wasn't hallucinating. Naturally, he told me to stop what I was doing, take a photo where I was and document the remaining cleaning for the blog. 

Friends, these photos have not been manipulated in any way. Feast your eyes on the beauty of green cleaning: 

 As you can see, the left side is "before" and right is "after" - this is after about two or three minutes of cleaning. 

 In less than 15 minutes the entire door was sparkling. I used the kitchen cloth damp with water, cleaning paste, and a window polishing cloth to finish and make it sparkle. 

 Then, I kept going and cleaned the front of the oven (and top, not photographed). 

Amazed?! I AM!!! Bill was concerned about using the paste on the stainless steel, but right on the product description it says, "Environmentally friendly super paste that cleans, polishes and protects chrome, stainless steel, aluminum, porcelain and similar surfaces in one application. " 

Because I was on a roll, I continued my cleaning frenzy by wiping and polishing the mirrors in my living room. You know what I used? The same two cloths that I had just used to clean that filthy oven. Those same two dirty, grimy, covered in years of oven grease cloths...except when I flipped to a clean side, it was like I was using brand new cloths. The mirrors were clean in seconds and I still had several clean sides of cloth I could clean anything in the house with.

Want to build a Norwex stash and wondering where to start? Check out this sweet video that explains Norwex in a nutshell:


Wiping down the high chair is easier, cleaning up after cutting raw meat is easier; everything in my home is cleaner now because I don't dread cleaning. These products are so easy to use and completely green. How could you not love that?! Host your own Norwex party to learn what it's all about and receive awesome benefits of being a hostess! I am so glad I did!!!

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Update: Buying in Bulk for THREE

Last winter I wrote a post on Buying in Bulk for Two to explain how I keep our groceries on a budget.

Now that we are a family of three, one of which will soon be joining us for family dinners through Baby Led Weaning, I wanted to write an updated post on how I shop in bulk for our family.

I keep the same basic ingredients in our pantry, fridge and freezer at all times. This way, it is easy for me to meal plan because I know exactly what I have on hand. When we run out of something, Hubs or myself add it to Wunderlist so we both get a notification that we are out of that ingredient. The next time one of us goes shopping, we know all the items we need.

We have a 6' long deep freeze, which is how I am able to shop and cook the way I do.

Here is the basic list of what I keep on hand (it has grown since last year but our budget has not changed, this is all about balancing how often I buy things and rationing what I prepare for our family). I do most of our shopping in bulk at Costco, but I have a separate list of canned or fresh/dried items that I buy at a local grocery because Costco doesn't offer the brand we like or a small enough quantity for our family to eat, etc.

The BULK List

• chicken thighs (bone-in/skin-on) 
• chicken breasts (boneless/skinless)
• whole chicken
• ground beef
• ground turkey
• Italian sausage
• ribs
• ribeye steaks (a special occasion purchase only)
• pork chops
• frozen shrimp
• frozen tilapia filets
• frozen broccoli
• frozen corn
• frozen peas
• frozen stir-fry veggie mix
• frozen kale or spinach
• a fresh, in-season fruit or two (ex: I will buy apples AND bananas because bananas freeze well for smoothies)
• frozen berries
• frozen peaches
• popsicles or an ice cream treat
• frozen breakfast sandwiches
• frozen chicken pot pies
• Better than Bouillon 
• milk
• plain yogurt
• eggs
• butter
• whole wheat bread
• celery
• marinara
• block of parmesan cheese
• Tazo Chai concentrate (I'm only human)
• Lipton black tea bags
• rolled oats
• apple sauce
• dried fruit/nuts mix
• peanut butter
• jelly
• mixed nuts
• tomato paste
• diced tomatoes
• diced tomatoes with chiles (Rotel)
• canned beans (garbanzo, black and pinto)
• whole wheat flour
• granola
• fiber bars (TMI: postpartum necessity)
• quinoa
• tortillas
• chocolate chips
• brown sugar

The Local List

• In-season veggie (squash, peppers, corn [cob], etc) 
• lemons
• limes
• dried pasta – I only buy when it is $10 for 10 packages of pasta, which is a few times per year.
• cheese ends for sandwiches/snacking
• potatoes
• onions (red and white)
• garlic
• fresh herbs (when our garden is done for the year)
• dried herbs/spices
• **guilty pleasure food of choice** (typically Spaghettios. Like I said, only human) 
• sugar
• canned whole tomatoes
• misc condiments (mayo, mustards, etc)
• frozen cheese tortellini
• all other baking basics (baking powder, etc)

OKAY! So now you see how I can meal plan with no restrictions. It seems like an enormous list (okay, it is) but once you stock up on these staples, you have basically everything you need to make thousands and thousands of recipes.

My suggestion is to start slowly. Add a few of these items into your weekly list until you've acquired everything. If you have been a long-time reader, you remember the Grocery Challenge 2012 where we didn't buy any groceries for 60 days (and lived!), so when we moved into our home we started totally fresh.

If you are just starting to meal plan, start by planning one meal per week based on the items you have that you WANT to get rid of. Eventually you won't have any of the old stuff left and your fridge/pantry/freezer will be stocked with all the new goodies.

With this list, our grocery bill stays at about $400/mo which includes paper products for our home (TP, paper towels, etc) as well as pet food, medicines, and random splurges.

Somehow every week even if I go in only need fruit and yogurt, (it happens very often and I can also go weeks without grocery shopping at all if I'm smart) I end up right around the $100 mark because Hubs needs razors that week, or we need TP and an office chair or Costco has fresh scallops I'm in the mood for. Things come up! This budget builds in padding for those little extras that surprise you. 

With this list and budget, I cook four meals per week. Hubs eats packed lunches three days per work week and I eat at home for lunch four days per work week. We go out for dinner once per week or order take out. The remaining meals are all leftovers. 

This summer we had a garden for the first time and I found it more stressful than anything to utilize the veggies we picked because I knew they would spoil!! Keeping canned beans and frozen veggies on hand eases my mind because I know I can sneak lots of veggies and protein into any meal without worrying about it spoiling before I can use it. 

Wondering where to start? Here are some of our FAVORITE recipes that I make pretty regularly using the ingredients listed above.

• Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup
• Crispy Onion Chicken
• Ree Drummond's Restaurant Style Salsa
• Chili Mac
• Corn and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers
• Spice Rubbed Chicken (I now make this without the yogurt marinade and find the chicken is even better! The skin gets crispy and the herbs sink right in. Divine.) 
• Easy Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
• Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken
• Better Than Takeout Fried Rice (it really is)
• Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup

I have a two recipe boards on Pinterest that are filled with recipes mostly based on this shopping list you can find them on my Pinterest page as Recipes We'd Like To Try and Keeper Recipes. 

I hope this helps take the stress out of meal planning for someone! 

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