Busy week!

Hey Guys!
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted! I had several nights of work in a row, and then I've spent the last few days trying to wrap up a study I've been working on. And, my AWESOME mom came into town for the last couple of days. Woot! Thanks mom!

Plus, we had some awesome finds-
1) Salvation Army Chairs-$100 for the set!

I'm likely going to re-do them, but I'll save that for another post!

2)My Dry Bar (OK so a really nice bookcase, but still, look at all of the cute little accessories we got on clearance from Target)! This bad boy also gave me something awesome-some cleared out cabinet space in my kitchen! Hooray!

This little bowl is going to be great for peanuts/"bar snacks"

But today was a big day! I started my new job! YAY!
My new coworkers are awesome, and I think the job will be a great fit for me!
Unfortunately, it's only 530pm and I'm pretty confident I'll be going to bed in just a few hours. Very different schedule for me!

So. For now, goodnight!

Living sustainably-Gardening

So I've become more focused on what I'm wanting to achieve in life. One thing I'm wanting to do? Learn to live more sustainably. To start this, I'm going to plant a garden. I've done some research and found out about the square foot garden concept. Look at this infographic (from the frugal dad)!

Original Link

Another awesome site? The Gardeners Supply Company. They have a series of sample gardens, and you can design your own. They tell you when to start your seeds, how to harvest, all kinds of good stuff!

I think I'll go with the Cook's Choice Layout (smaller though)

Gardeners

One thing I think I'll also start doing? Composting. The disadvantage of cooking for one is that I use a little bit of several ingredients. What should I do with that half bell pepper, zucchini, and egg shells? Use them to help my awesome new garden!

This little composter can be found at the Home Depot for 20 bucks!

Now I'm just waiting for February to come so I can start some seeds!

Cooking-week 1

So I spent the evening making a weeks worth of food. It was awesome! I've been attempting to prep food like this gradually over the last few weeks, but I'd never attempted the full-on prep. To see where I got my recipes, look at my last post.

One thing I recommend: Clean your kitchen first!

Now, I keep a clean kitchen, but I had several things on my small kitchen table. This proved devastating  In attempting to move some talapia to a Tupperware, it fell, and was ruined :-(.

Otherwise, all went well. This week I made:

yummy egg white bakes

talapia, couscous, and broccoli

berries and yogurt, and hummus and carrots

SkinnyGirl cilantro lime shrimp

I also made myself salads with rotissarie chicken, carrots, and baby tomatoes. 

For snacks, I have air-pop popcorn, Honeycrisp apples, and bananas. Yummy Yummy!

Overall, I think it was a very productive evening. Now it's time to enjoy a protein shake and the newest episode of Castle. 

Eating clean

The holidays are officially behind us. Time to start on resolutions! One of my big ones: Eating Healthy! I've found a couple of awesome sites, and after some contemplation, I've decided to follow Jamie Eason's LiveFit Plan. It can be found here:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-easons-livefit-introduction.html

She's amazing and breaks down her 12-week program into three easy phases. I'm about to officially start phase 1. I've started some of the basics (meal prep once a week, attempting small meals instead of a few larger ones). I think I'm ready to take the leap! And, to top it off, my awesome mom will be joining me in my journey! Yay her!
The best part about phase 1: NO CARDIO! YES! I participated in an exercise study in college, and had to run for an hour a day 5 days a week. Ever since then, I've not been too keen on the whole cardio thing. 

Tomorrow I will begin cooking for the week. This week, I'll be making:
Cilantro lime shrimp
Talapia and cous cous
loaded baked potatoes
baked egg whites
lemon protein bars
salsa chicken

All of the above recipes are from the awesome site He and she eat clean:
http://www.heandsheeatclean.com/p/the-recipes.html

Starting off-finances

So I"m looking at this future year, and I'm attempting to make a list of resolutions. One of those is to take control of my finances. To get started on this, I'm going to take the advice of some of my coworkers and read one of Dave Ramsey's guide books. I've decided to read the Financial Peace Planner. I'm excited!

One of the first things it has you do is prioritize what you want out of life: For me it is family, a safe home, and comfort for myself and my loved ones. In order to provide for my family and buy my lovely home, I need to get my finances in order. I'm not in a great financial place right now. I'm currently living paycheck to paycheck. I actually don't have a savings account. boo :-(. So, I made a budget, and if I live within it, I'll be saving 400 dollars a month. That's a decent start. So money, bring it on!

To a Happy New Year!

2012 was a crazy year. A divorce, a trip to Europe, deciding to change my job, deciding to gain a life. I had to work this New Years Eve...and it was not the best shift ever. I had a large, angry man shove me and had to be restrained. We were short staffed so at the stroke of midnight I was alone, listening to the man yell profanities at me. The good news? I have awesome co-workers. One of the girls brought me some sparkling cranberry juice. Delicious! Now it's officially 2013 and I'm starting it off by laying on the couch with the flu. Oh well, I guess that gives me time to blog! More to come soon!