Menu Plan Monday 6/27

Hey, I'm actually posting this on Monday instead of Tuesday for a change. Are you impressed? LOL!

We just bought a 1/4 of a cow, so my menu plans for the next few weeks will be much heavier on the beef than usual.  We've got to use up some of this beef so I have room in the freezer to buy other meats! 

• MONDAY: grilled hamburgers on buns (8pts+), salad (0-3pts+ depending on dressing)
• TUESDAY:  family favorite: crockpot beef machacha, on tortillas or nachos, with tomatoes/ lettuce/ cheese (points will vary per person)
• WEDNESDAY:  frozen chicken piccata, noodles, steamed broccoli
• THURSDAY: new recipe: crockpot beef & broccoli (9pts+) over rice (5 pts+)
• FRIDAY: new recipe: corn and salsa chicken packets  (8pts+)  *I think I'm going to try grilling these instead of baking them.  I might also add a can of black beans, as one reviewer did. 
• SATURDAY:  every Saturday: homemade pizza and tossed salad 

Many of my beef recipes are higher in WW points than I usually like to go for supper. I need to find some lower-points beef recipes.  Any suggestions?

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

A Good Day

Yesterday was a big day at my house!

First, my "baby" boy turned five.  After months of counting down to his birthday, it finally arrived.  We had his family party Monday night (grandparents, aunts, cousins) and then it was just us at home on Tuesday.  He has enjoyed playing with his new toys all day.  Next weekend we'll go see the Cars 2 movie that he's been looking forward to, so his birthday celebration will really be stretched out for a week.  He's happy with that.

Second, DD started wearing her CGM.  (For those outside the diabetes world, this is a small device that automatically reads her blood sugars constantly throughout the day.)  DD has really not wanted it, and we've been walking that fine line between forcing it on her and allowing it to be her choice. 

And here's the best part.... she has been the one watching the graph and the trends on the CGM receiver.  She has been the one getting excited when it alarms and I'm able to adjust her insulin pump to bring her back into range.  She actually told me around bedtime last night that not only is the CGM much better than she thought it would be, but she actually "loves" it.... of course this was right after she had gotten an extra snack because the CGM alerted us that her blood sugar was crashing.  :)

Of course I know that it won't be all sunshine and roses with the new CGM.... but our concerns were about just getting through the first day.  So far, so good!

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

Five Question Friday

1. What is your favorite summer time activity?   Cookouts.  Planting flowers (not so much the weeding).  Watching my daughter's softball games.  Taking the kids to the park for a picnic lunch and time to play on the playground. 

2. Do you have one laundry soap you stick to, or do you buy whatever's on sale? OK, you caught me.  As much as I love my coupons and cheap deals, this is one of the few items that I stick to a specific few name brands on.    I prefer Gain most of the time, or Tide if it's cheaper.  (And yes, of course I use coupons/sales to stock up on them, but they're still the two most expensive brands.)  

I had a terrible experience several years ago with a cheap detergent leaving blue stains on our clothes, and I've had trouble with some others not getting minor spots out. Both problems entailed me having to rewash things- what a pain!  Laundry is already my least favorite chore, so to me, it's worth paying a bit more and buying the products  that I know will work well for me. 

3. What is your favorite dinner to make in the summer?  I love to grill things.  I'd say my own recipe for hamburgers, or, grilling up some boneless chicken, tossing it in our favorite buffalo sauces, and making giant buffalo chicken salads that are full of fresh veggies. 

4. Do you have any talents?  Of course!   I can look at my child and tell you if her blood sugar is low from across the room.... I can carb count on the fly while driving a car.... I can check a blood sugar without ever waking the child... I can walk around my kitchen doing algebra-style math in my head to figure out carbs for the meal we just ate... oh, wait, you probably meant non-D things, right?   Well....I'm often told that I'm creative-- I rubber stamp, make cards, scrapbook,  cook without recipes, and design simple websites.  I actually haven't gotten to do a whole lot of those things, other than cooking, in the last year or so, but I'm hoping I will get back to them soon.  One of my biggest goals this summer is to clean out the spare bedroom and turn it into a craft room for the kids and I.  

5. If you could instantly be an expert in something, what would it be? Why? All things related to Type I Diabetes.   In some ways, I think I'm getting there-- after all, we live and breathe this disease every day.   But there are SO many things I don't know, or don't understand, about the more complex medical aspects.  If I'm getting these magical powers of expertise, I'd like to know enough to create the cure, as well.  ;)   As for the WHY... I guess that's obvious. 

Post your own answers to Five Question Friday and link up @ My Little Life!

 

If you're a new visitor here, welcome!  If you've never heard of Type I Diabetes, please let me share with you: My daughter needs insulin every day to keep her alive because her pancreas doesn't work.   She wears an insulin pump 24/7, and we figure out her insulin doses by counting the carbohydrates in every bite of food she eats.   Nothing she/we did caused this.  Type I Diabetes is NOT caused by a bad diet or lack of exercise.  When you hear something about Diabetes on the news or read about it, that advice almost always is referring to Type II.   However... Type I doesn't stop my daughter from doing anything you child does-- softball, swimming, birthday parties, trick-or-treating.... you name it, she does it! 

Menu Plan Tuesday

I don't have the WW points calculated for these meals yet, but I usually just watch my portion sizes and stay around 8-10 points for supper... these meals should all fall easily into that range.

• MONDAY: chicken picatta (frozen entree), ziti pasta, steamed broccoli
• TUESDAY:  beef chimichangas, chips/salsa, fruit  (Can I count salsa as a vegetable?  LOL!)
• WEDNESDAY: crockpot ravioli (I add diced tomatoes & beef ravioli), garlic bread, tossed salad, broccoli
• THURSDAY: chicken stir-fry with assorted veggies
• FRIDAY:  crockpot pork loin, roasted potatoes, green beans   (I use various spices- garlic pepper, oregano, chives, Mrs. Dash, etc.- on my pork loin, add cut-up onions & potatoes in with it, and then add in a can of chicken broth for extra flavor.) 
• SATURDAY:  every Saturday: homemade pizza and tossed salad  

5 Question Fri... Sunday

1. If you had to choose, how would you prefer to choose to spend money...on landscaping or a pool?

LANDSCAPING!  That is, in fact, my current dream for the lottery money-- of course, since we've only bought one ticket in the last year, our chances  of actually winning any money are very slim.  Anyways, we have a completely naked back yard- no trees, no bushes, no fence. Just an open lot.  I'd love to have some landscaping!

2.  Death penalty, yay or nay?  Nay.  Definitely not.  Although I admit that from time to time it crosses my mind that maybe someone deserves it, I have never truly believed that the death penalty should exist. Thou shall not kill, period, end of discussion. 

3. What's the worst thing your kid has gotten into when you turned your back/blogged/showered/blinked?  One of my kids was crawling once and found a place where a cat had gotten sick.  Let's just say that the kid got to it before I did... and I was right there in the same room.  Ewwww. 

4. How often do you REALLY go to the dentist?   For myself, I will plead the 5th-- it's been a while, but I've never had any cavities.   I make sure both kids go every six months.

5. What is your favorite animal (doesn't have to be a pet-type animal)?   Hmmmm... My beloved 13 year-old cat just died about three weeks ago, and I miss her a lot.  But I actually wouldn't have said that a cat was one of my favorites... I'd probably say giraffes, or polar bears, or penguins (which I collected as a kid), or dogs.  And really, one of my favorite things in the world is a beautiful aquarium- I could spend hours just watching the tropical fish.  I've had aquariums of my own ever since I was in college.

I'm a little late in posting, but you, too, can still link up to 5 Question Friday!

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.