Moving Momz: How good it feels

My girlfriend, with her 2.5 year old and her 4 month old in tow, went for a 15-18km bike ride yesterday (the exact distance difficult to measure).

I was envious.

It seems to be the thing with pregnancy for me. I crave the things that just aren't practical for me at the moment.

So I am living vicariously through her (unfortunately am getting no skinnier for it).

Today though, I was re-energized while take my daughter for a swim.

Why I had I stopped going?

It's not like I took a class, or did laps, but I forgot just how good it feels to get out there and move.

It is so easy, to start something, and then let 'life' get in the way of it all.

I swore I wouldn't do this with my second, and yet, here I am...counting all the things that I am not doing that I promised myself I would do.

STOP!

Stop, stop, stop. Okay, so that isn't helping either. We all know how this goes, then I start feeling crappy about what I am not doing, which leads to more of my not doing stuff in asome sort of pouty defense or tantrum.

Instead, I am going to wake up tomorrow, and do my best. I might not be getting out for a 15km bike ride, but I can still do something...maybe I will pull out one of my workout DVD's if the weather refuses to cooperate...

Do something...remind yourself of how good it feels to just do something.

Wondering how the love challenge is going?
Okay truth be told, we have been hit and miss lately. Mostly hits, but sometimes the day ends and I am lying in bed thinking to myself "whoooppps!"
What's worse, I keep forgetting to jot things down, and trying to remember the little things can be difficult after a long day. For now, let me just tell you that we are doing something even if it's small...and I'll catch you up on a later post.

When drugs are okay...

With my first pregnancy, I had to stop taking my prenatals during the first trimester and instead supplement my diet and take extra folic acid.

My second pregnancy has been no different.

Talking to other preggo's apparently that is common...why is it that the one thing doctors recommend every woman take is the one thing that few of us can stomach?

Then there was the diclectin that my nurse practioner subscribed, which was a life-saver since I was head down in the toilet with my toddler running around loose in the house. (Waited to long to ask about something to help with the nausea.)

So here we are, third trimester, and awful heartburn (much like my first pregnancy) and one comment to my nurse practioner had me later doing a happy dance at the result.

Zantac.

I am not a Tums or Gaviscon person, really, taking anything with flavour is just-blech! Plus I was maxing out on dosage and still having issues. So here I am, on day number 3 with the calm of someone without heartburn and all I can think of is...

Why did it take me so long to ask if there was something to help?

Ladies out there, don't down play your preggo struggles. Don't chalk it up to 'I'm pregnant' and that's just 'how it is'. Because...well, as much as it may be true, your quality of life could be vastly improved by an honest conversation with your doctor.

Now I know there are women out there that are concerned about taking anything during their pregnancy, but talk to your doctor, the studies that go behind prescribing medication to pregnant women are extensive. They do not take side effects lightly in these situations.

So give yourself the gift of being able to enjoy your pregnancy!

I wish I had sooner...but at least for now, I am going to bed, as comfortable as I can-all things considered.

Beyond the Crib

Buying our first home before Jay was a year old was a big step. It was also one of the best investments we've made thus far...

I could not wait to get my hands on her room. I had always wanted a really funky room when I was growing up, and so I wanted to make sure that Jay's first room in our first room was perfect. Of course, I was also already pregnant and aware that Jay and baby would be sharing a room, so it would have to be gender neutral enough to get both of them in there-regardless of what the sex was.

I remember doing the finishing touches on this room, on Jay's big girl bed and thinking to myself "hard to believe that in a few months she actually be sleeping in this bed!"

So those months went by a little fast.

It was getting to that point where we needed to start getting her comfortable with the idea of sleeping in her toddler bed instead of the crib.

I think she was ready, my hubby was ready...and me? Well, truth be told, I found it really hard. I knew that she was going to be totally fine...but it was hard making the switch because it was one big way of letting go of the last little 'baby' thing and welcoming the world of toddlers.

I am in no rush for my daughter to grow up too fast. With baby #2 and her being so close, I am also conscience of not wanting her to be 'pushed' to grow up before she is ready. 

She'll never go back to the crib now-it has been a week and she loves her big girl bed. I'm also okay now too. I'm well aware that holding your child back hinders rather than helps...

This post is to all those Mom's and Dad's out there that have struggled with the little ways that remind us that our babies just aren't 'babies' anymore...I totally get it, and I am here to tell you, that it's going to be okay.

It's also totally okay to have a hard time with it, as long as you don't let that take away from the positives of the situation.

We are beyond the crib, just as we were beyond the boob, and one day we will be beyond the diapers...I wonder if I will be upset over that one? 

Day 11 of the 30 Day Love Challenge

It was one of the first things to go when Jay was born...one person cooked and the other was left to tend the little one.

So it's fitting that during our challenge here we (attempt) to do some cooking together.

Now I say attempt because we still have a daughter that needs our attention. So it wasn't the a scene out of a movie where we shared a glass of wine, flirted shamelessly as the meal teeters on the edge of burning (of course saved in the nick of time). Instead it was Jay, strapped to Daddy's back while we created our very first Quiche...and there was no wine-I am 7 weeks shy of baby #2 being born-it hardly seems appropriate.

It was, however, perfect in it's own little way. Sometimes it is about doing the things that used to be commonplace before life changed to remind you of why you are with your significant other.

It was one of the things that made me fall in love with my husband and the possibility of 'us', our ability to be so in sync, to work so well with each other  was and is such an amazing feeling. I don't think that you have to everything in common with your spouse, but I do think that you need to be able to get onto common ground to be able to muddle through the tough stuff in life. You need to be able to walk together in your life journey, otherwise you end up walking a part.

Working together in the kitchen this evening though, it wasn't about the tough stuff, it was just about being able to enjoy and share each other's space, to work alongside something...to create something new.

By the way...the quiche was quite tasty for a first attempt!


So I challenge you readers out there...find that thing that you 'used to do' before 'life' happened faster-harder then it used to, and give it a chance to rekindle your own love.

Get out of my yard-yipes!

I'll make this short and sweet, but I had to share this...

Sometimes it can save your life, being less reactive, taking a moment...

I was all ready to go with my daughter, out the door, off to do some shopping.

As I was turning off the TV, I spotted out the corner of my eye, what I thought was a dog that has been left 'loose' around our neighbourhood. To my annoyance, he was in between mine and my neighbours house, sure to leave a 'present' where my daughter would later be walking. YUCK!

I thought about running out the front door and shooing it out out of yard. Instead, partial laziness I suppose, and wanting to be sure that I was able to 'give it what for' (as if it is really the dogs fault that it has free reign over our neighbourhood) I decided to take a few steps, throw up the blinds and give it what for.

Boy was I surprised to see a black bear swing its head up at me and give me a "what's your problem?" look.

YIPES!

This was followed by instant panic, 'did I leave the front door open?' was my first thought because if so...my daughter was surely up the walkway already.

Luckily this was not the case, and the next 15 minutes was spent calling the conservation officer, and making sure my girlfriend (and neighbour) didn't leave her house without extreme caution.

We did make it out shopping, after some time to allow the bear to head back from where it came...and I am certainly on guard since then, keeping me momma-instincts sharp.

It's funny now, but I do wonder...what would have been that bear's reaction had I come barreling out of the house in a huff?

Day 8-A massage really can build a bridge of satisfaction. There is nothing better than taking a moment to just "ahhh" and be the one to give, and be given a break, a moment to just enjoy the moment.

Day 9-It's one of my favorite things, and one he rarely does, but I love having company while soaking in the tub. It's nice to be able to just enjoy talking to each other without being steam rolled by a 16 monnth old. A massage was returned to my happy hubby (though I am running out of new places to massage quickly :P )

Day 10-Date Day-thanks to our good friends. Loved going out to have coffee and walk around town-just the two of us.

Car Conundrum...and catching up

Okay, it's been a while. For good reason...it started out with a trip down island...

If you read my Dollar$ and $en$e: Car Complex post you will remember the place that we were in with our Rav4. In short, it's a luxury vehicle...a luxury for us that we just can't afford with the amount of debt we carry. So we made a plan. Sell our dream vehicle, put half of what we get for it on debt, and the other on a new-used vehicle with less 'bells-and-whistles'.

May long weekend was key for us. We were going down island to get our vehicle's airbag sensor reset (or so we thought), visit family, enjoy a break and sell our beauty; without getting into major details, the situation was such that from a previous appointment, we were expecting a quick reset, nothing else.

While we waited we even went and checked out used cars. Even found one we liked.

Then the appointment was starting to run over an hour.

Then it was running over 2 hours.

What they thought was the problem, and what the problem actually was...was two very different things.

How different?

About $1100 difference. That's right, we were quoted, when all said and done, $1200 for what it was going to take to fix it--and it's going to take 2 weeks. Oh yeah, and it's not safe to drive the vehicle the way it is with a passenger in the front seat-never mind sell. We'd never be able to live with ourselves, selling our vehicle with that kind of risk.

Panic. Frustration. AHHHHHHHH

Why is it that every time we seem to be getting ourselves together we just get pushed back down?


This, by the way, is the exact reason why we made the decision to sell the vehicle in the first place. We don't have that kind of money burning a hole in our pocket-so where does it go? That's right-CREDIT!

BAH.

So we did the only sensible thing we could do, knowing that we have to travel down once more to pick up our vehicle and return the loaner...

We drove home. Upset to say the least.

It was a bit of a breaking point for us. We were counting on that weekend to be a turn around, and so far it wasn't looking so good.

We were determined though, to get what we needed out of the weekend, even with everything stacked against us.

Step 1: Take a break. We are super busy with friends, work, outside commitments (volunteer and otherwise), add in a very active 16 month old, time for each other...never mind time for ourselves...there isn't much left at the end of a day. So we called a timeout. Desperate to regain our sanity. Desperate to regain each other.

Step 2: Don't entirely give in...we decided that we had to stay committed to our goal, despite this unfortunate set back We have to be very realistic about what we need, as opposed to what we would like. We managed to set out a plan, that took our original 'paying-back-the-debt' plan from 5 years, to 3.5 years (less if a few things work out in our favour-but we've learned not to 'bank on it' until the monies are, well, in the bank!)

It turned out to be not an entirely awful weekend. I managed to get some nice time in with the family. Jay and her Daddy got some much needed Daddy-daughter time. I was able to write 80% of a novel I have been working on...the plot line is there, in need of desperate editing and more detail...but my sore wrists and fingers were thrilled.

Oh yes, and we have an amazing family who supports us in ways that we can't even begin to express enough gratitude for, that really made our weekend have a glimmer of hope.

So, the weekend has rejuvenated us...for the most part...we are still disappointed, but as determined as ever to change our financial future.
I had an interview today for a work-from-home Literacy Coordinator position; of course I am really hoping that it's something that I get, the hours and time commitment are perfect for what I am able to give, and will grow as I am able to give more. Even if I don't though, just interviewing made me feel like I truly was doing what I needed to, to turn things around.

That's an empowering feeling.

So that's where we are at...for now...really crossing my fingers that things just keeping moving forward, I don't know that I can take another hit like this past weekend.

So frustration is slowly turning to a feeling of hope once more. It will feel so good though, to get over this hurdle...

Wondering how the Love Challenge is going?

Day Three: I left a few love notes up the stairs for my hubby-which he kept in his bathroom for a few days as a reminder. He had the same idea and decorated the chalkboard for me with a cute note! Great minds think alike.

Day Four: Breakfast and lunch in bed---I was so spoiled. And guilty of not really doing anything special-definitely need to make up for that...I was very cranky, poor hubby. I think he deserves a medal don't you?

Day Five: Again, more spoilage for me, my hubby brushed my hair-which is one of my all time favorite pamper moments...especially since I am growing my hair out-especially for him. After the day before, I made sure to return the favour for his favourite pampering moment...head and ear massage.

Day Six: Dropped off a little snack for my hubby during work, a quick reminder that I am thinking of him. Later that night he indulged my pregnancy needs and walked down with our daughter to the grocery store for some chocolate! What woman doesn't love that??

Day Seven: A neck rub for me, a simultaneous foot rub for him. Nice to snuggle up to a show and just be with each other.


So it's been a week...and has it done anything for us?

Considering the weekend we had-it was amazing that what it didn't manage to do is turn us against each other. Which is so easy to do when life gets stressful, most people find their spouses take a lashing when life gets tough. I would certainly say that making a point of doing something 'nice', 'sweet' or 'romantic' has put us more in touch with each other, a good reminder that when our backs are up against the wall...it's "us"...together.

Hubby's thoughts: "I really like it. It makes me think of what you like a lot more, makes me feel like I have a mission, you know."

Spoken like a true Bond-man-don't ya think ;)

For those of you with 2 kids+...

You know how with the first pregnancy you could tell people exactly how far a long you were?

People would ask "how much longer" and your response was something a long the lines of "9 weeks, 4 days-give or take a few hours" as if those few hours are really the deciding factor in your childs appearance into the world.

No, I'm not making fun, I was the exact same way.

With my daughter (though we didn't know it was her at the time), her bedroom was done (and re-done because I was having major nesting issues) well before I was 5 months along. My hospital bag was also packed around 6 months 'just in case'. I had filled out all my paperwork and was 'good to go' before 9 months. I was prepared!

Now I'm about 31-almost 32 weeks pregnant...I haven't got the hospital bag ready, the babies room is about half way there...

With a short trip here planned for the long weekend I definitely feel a little guilty, and more than a little unprepared should the unexpected happen.

I feel comforted though by the fact that my good friend and seasoned Mom of a 2 year old and 3.5 month old was totally where I am at right now not that long ago-and she has done a-okay.

Though her encouragment to get it done and not procrastinate will lead to me getting it done this evening...as long as something else doesn't come up...

30 Day Love Challenge update:

Day One-Hubby fixed my jogging stroller and made me a lovely chalk drawing-so cute, sweet and simple. I left him notes up the stairs. Funny how just making a point of doing something actually had us talking about more than how to survive the next day and how we barely made it through the current one before bed.
Day Two-We played 'Truth or Dare'. It was so much fun, I realized at one point that I don't think I'd laughed as hard as I did in a long time. It's hard to ask 'truths' because after 6 years, there is so much that you do know about each other, it can be tough to get creative. It's not very often that we just play around and be 'goofy'--so nice!

60 Days left, 30 day Love Challenge

I jumped on an electronic countdown this morning to see how much longer I had until the projected due date for Chickpea.

60 Days.

60 DAYS!!!

Now, we all know that 60 days doesn't mean anything, Jay was 8 days late. Really, any time between 40-80 days is fair game.

However, 60 days-yikes! I have so much to do in that time!

Now those of you that have braved the 2nd+ child frontier before us know that as that time ticks closer, it's another reminder of one (extremely important) thing, already shrunken in size, that will practically disappear altogether once the next one arrives.

I'm talking about quality couple time.

The reality is, its one of the things both of us feel like we lack on a regular basis, and can often lead to an argument over 'who-tries-harder-to-get-time-together'. With usually only about 1-2 hours of down time, where Jay is sleeping,  we are too exhausted to make anything meaningful out of it. Plus, we often divy that time up to 'I-need-space-to-myself' time.

Then I happened to see this on Pinterest-
29 Days to Great Sex Day 10: 16 Ways to Flirt with Your Husband
and it got me thinking... I rarely make a point of flirting with my hubby. After almost 6 years together, we've gotten lazy. I know that he loves me, he knows that I love him...but we really haven't worked on that part of relationship all that much.

Now don't get me wrong, the best part about being married is not being in on the dating scene and knowing instead that you have a partner for life. So, it not being a constant flirt-fest is not awful.

But I still am a firm believer in keeping the heat in a relationship! I love my husband, I'm attracted to my husband...and I want him to know that!

We need something to boost our love life (and no, I  am not just talking about sex). We need to find time, do something meaningful for each other, and overall, just remind ourselves about why we are building a family to begin with.

So we are going to do a 30 day love challenge. In many ways, this can be totally taken as cheesy. I realize this. Can't I just find time to do something nice, spend more time with him-without making a big spectacle about it?

Well sure.

However, we know we aren't the only ones having these struggles, and so we want to share our journey of 30 days to a better 'us'.

30 Day Love Challenge:

Each day we must carve out time to do something nice for each other. It doesn't have to be a full out date, flowers and a movie type of thing. It just has to be something nice for each other...a flirtatious gesture of sorts.

Rules:

Repeats don't count--though welcome in combination!
Cannot be a 'tit-for-tat' gesture. (ex. a massage that day does not equate the expectation of a massage from the other that day...I think we can all agree that what we are able to give varies on the day/stress level etc;...it's above giving what we can to the other. Without strings, without 'doing-one-better-than the other'.)

I challenge you and your significant other to give it a try too. We'll let you know what things worked, and what things didn't (if any) and what the result is (so keep checking back). We hope though, that this inspires you to focus on your relationship as well!

Have some good ideas for flirting/date ideas/nice things to do?...Or want to share your own story?Share it here!

It's one of the best parts about being a parent.

When it's not your kid, you have to give them back at some point... (okay, I realize that sometimes that can be a good thing).

When it is your kid, you have full permission to wrap them in your arms and cuddle them as long as, well, as long as they'll lay there with you.

Yesterday I was laying on the couch watching Horton Hears a Who and the next thing I new, both my daughter and I were dozing.

A small little pool of drool was collecting on my chest and I could smell her sleepy dragon breath-it was bliss. (I'll have you know, it was her drool, not mine!)

One day she isn't going to want to cuddle up to her Mommy and she certainly won't fall asleep in my arms like she did just then.

I took it all in, locking that moment in my memory.

Take time to cuddle today. Regardless of the things that 'have' to be done, take time to soak in the moments that you can't get back. Laundry, there will always be laundry...and dishes, and vacuuming, gardening and dusting. Our children though...they ever-changing.

Take time.

Cuddle.

No one likes to be sick...it can make an every day, normal day, a drudgery.

The only thing worse?

Being sick and pregnant.

Oh yeah...being sick and pregnant, and without a hubby for 50 hours, that's a real treat.

It was a good weekend for my hubby who was out at a Rangers Training Camping (for the Juniors). It was good weather because of the weather...but it has gone down hill, slowly but surely as the hours tick by.

Now he has returned to work. The weather, still gorgeous. My daughter even seems to be on the mend.

Not I. It gives me a moment of thankful reflection. After 50 hours away from him, all I can say, is power to those single parents who do it without their spouses. 50 hours was an eternity, having him return to work was pained...and yet, he did come home today. For some parents out there, there is on one to tag team with.

I applaud you...

...as I crawl under the blankie with a cup of tea and try to rest while they are out grocery shopping.

Happy Mother's Day

Teething...

...it sucks.

You know what I mean.

Running nose, drooling child, hard to keep them content...

Sleepless nights *yawn*

It's hard to say who it's worse for.

My child, who doesn't understand why it hurts, can't explain anything to me, and doesn't understand why I am not making it better.

Or...

Me, who, despite the tylenol, teething ringing, frozen yogurt and tons of cuddles, still has to watch my baby girl in pain.

She'll forget. I won't.

Dollar$ and $en$e: Car Complex

This was our first beauty...

In a way it was the best vehicle we ever owned. Now let me be clear, it had a TON of problems. The back windshield wouldn't roll back up without a ridiculous amount of work, the emergency break was broken, the heater was broken, it was super noisy inside, it had no power and you were lucky to get it past 60 km/h up a hill...and if you have ever owned a Toyota, you know-it was rusting!

BUT

It was completely paid for. It was my then-boyfriend-now-hubby's first vehicle and was part of our story, it got me from Grande Prairie to Prince George to be with him. Up and down the province to visit family...was my husband's first ever 'car accident'. (He came to Grande Prairie to visit me, and his opening line after driving the 6 hours was "do I smell like dead dear?") It was a great vehicle.

Then we moved to Alberta.

Here is where we started making BIG mistakes.

When you move provinces you have to get your vehicle inspected. Surprise! Your vehicle needs 5K worth of work, oh yeah, and it's worth about $500-800.

Uhhh...

Well, we always wanted a RAV4, but, I was thinking of going back to work in the fall, and hubby's job was seasonal and he hadn't found any work teaching yet so the price tag was too big. So we decided to lease a brand new Matrix. (BTW: this pic isn't our car, but it is exactly what it looked like)

BAD IDEA.

First off, we could 'just' afford the payment on it. Second, we didn't do any research and make a quick emotional decision based on something that we liked. Plus, let's be honest. It's pretty nice to show up and say "check out my new car!" Third (had we done the research we may have realized this), getting a brand new vehicle is the worst way to spend your investment. I'm sorry-it's just not an investment. Once you drive it off the lot, if you were to turn around and sell it right back-the depreciated value would be shocking! Fourth, we bought the car with this idea that if "you are going to buy, you are definitely going to buy up", the details were a little fuzzy on the 'up' part.

Now don't get us wrong. It was a great car-it was a lot more quiet than our 4Runner, had some nice bells and whistles. Cheaper on fuel... It was our common ground between now best friends and Godparents of our daughter. We had some great road trips in it...

Fast forward about 2 years and surprise-we are pregnant!

Suddenly we were thinking..."geez, you know, our vehicle isn't an asset" (duh), "there isn't much room for kids", "if we ever got into an accident with it with our new baby, it wouldn't hold up very well".

Then our dream car happened to be at dealership when we had gone in for a maintenance check.

Yeah, we bought it.

This time it was used (2.5 years old), and this time we bought it (instead of leasing). There was the small matter of it being more expensive then our RAV, and the fact that we would have to factor in the costs of our leasing mistake into our new vehicle...

BUT, I mean come on. It was our dream car. Leather interior, heated seats, bells and whistles that we could 'afford' as compared to a new RAV which we couldn't even dream of getting if we bought new. It was going to be safer. It was going to be a better family vehicle.

It was our DREAM CAR!

Okay. So now here we are, it's about 17 months later and we are having buyers remorse.

No no, we love our RAV. It's just here's the thing...We have just under 57K in debt. We (and what I really mean is me, since my hubby walks to work) only use the vehicle to drive to the grocery store which is 1.5km away (I know-should be walking more often), and then about 1/2 dozen times down island or to visit family.

If we hadn't rolled the amount owing on our credit line, we'd be paying $600/month for that?!

So here is where we get serious.

Our vehicle costs a lot of moola.

It doesn't meet all of our needs because we do not have enough space for 3 carseats (and yes, I may stop at 2 kids, but 3 is my magic number), and when I take on daycare kids, I am not able to transport them anywhere, not to the library, or to strongstart...

Oh yeah, and our vehicle cost a lot of moola and we have 57K of debt.

So we talk about what kind of vehicle makes sense for us, and *cringe* a minivan suits 99% of our needs...luckily so does a surburban if we can find the right kind for the right price. Neither are my favorite looking vehicle. But let's get serious, we made the 'dream-car-stroke-my-ego' vehicle choice, and that didn't work for us.

Okay. Now let's talk price.

Our beauty-she's worth about 20-22K. (No, that's not really close to what we owe on it...)

What we'd like to do. Get something around the 6-10K range, and then put the rest of our moola back on our credit line and PAY THAT SUCKER DOWN!

It's hard though. I mean, we were moving up in the world. Or were we?

The truth is, we don't have the luxury of sitting on an expensive vehicle. So-do we sell our vehicle?

Can we swallow our pride and make the decision to get a safe, reliable and cheap vehicle to meet our needs?

Makes sense doesn't it.

Damn.

We're having a car complex.

Operation Meat vs. Veggie-RECAP

Okay, so the whole point of doing the Meat vs. Veggie thing was this...

1. to see if my hubby could handle it :P
2. to see if it is more cost effective to eat meatless more often

Evening 1: Brussel Sprout and Mushroom Fettuccine

Total for 3 people was $11.45 (or $3.82 a person).
Savings of $5.00 (or $1.67 a person)

Hubby-liked
Me-liked
Jay-major dislike

Overall Verdict: Will make again, but have back up plan for Jay.

Evening 2: Enchilada Evening

Total for 4 people $11.81 (or $2.95 a person)
Savings of $5.00 (or $1.67 a person)

Hubby-liked
Me-liked (despite how it looked)
Jay-liked

Overall Verdict: make again, with some recipe tweaking.

Evening 3: Night off (Frozen Pizza)

Total for 2.5 people $8.99 (or $3.60)
Savings $0.00


Evening 4: Spaghetti and Beanball Brilliance

Total for 5 people $9.74 (or $1.95 a person)
Savings of $1.97 or $0.39

Hubby-loved
Me-loved
Jay-loved
Friends-liked it

Overall Verdict: Make it again-we LOVED IT!

Evening 5: Perogie Prerogative

Total for 2 people $3.32 (or $1.66 a person)
Savings of $5.00 (or $2.50 a person)

Nothing special but I LOVED it!

Evening 6: (meat) Cabbage Rolls

Total for 6 people $19.02 (or $3.17 a person)

Major hit-LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Evening 7: Mac and Cheese From Scratch

Total for 4.5 people was $7.98 (or $1.77 a person)
Savings of $5.00 (or $1.11 a person)

Tasty meal, which is one of our regular, "If we are gonna skip meat, this is the meal to do it..."

_______________________________________


Cost for a week of dinners: $72.31
The great thing about the price of this weeks dinners was that 2 of the nights we were able to have our friends over to enjoy it with us! That's always a win in my book.
Also, that's the equivalent of eating out 3.6 time in a week at a fast food place in town... 
Savings: $21.97
If we were to make this habit, and have 2 meat dishes on average a week, we'd save $1142.44 a YEAR!

Cheapest Meal of the Week (per serving)--> Perogies
Most Expensive Meal of the Week (per serving)--> Brussel Sprout and Mushroom Fettuccine
Best Meal of the Week (Hubby's Choice)--> (No brainer) he loved the cabbage rolls, but he said if he was going for one of the meatless dishes, the Brussel Sprout and Mushroom Fettuccine was really great.
Best Meal of the Week (My Choice)--> Brussel Sprout and Mushroom Fettuccine (I know-shocking, but it was new!)
Best Meal of the Week (Jay's Choice)--> Spaghetti and Beanball

--Just a thought--

Have you ever thought about this...if 2 people eat out at Subway or A&W (or equivalent), every night (I know, I know, who really does that) it would work out to somewhere between $140-$175 a week. That doesn't even include lunch and breakfast---YIKES!

Operation Meat vs. Veggie: Final Night

Well despite my plans for a fabulous last dinner of Rice Hoppin' John to close out the week, truthfully, I was just too tired.

Hubby was at Rangers all day, and daughter was in major teething pain...

So hubby took over the cooking yesterday...and he made my second favorite meal (after perogies) Mac and Cheese from scratch!

What it cost us:

2/5 of a block of cheese: $4.80
Flour/Butter/Seasoning: $1.00
Macaroni Noodles: $1.48
Wild Mushrooms: Free (picked them last fall)
2 cups of Frozen Peas: $0.70
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Total for 4.5 people is $7.98 or $1.77 a person!

Had I added chicken or beef to this recipe, it would have added around $5.00 to the total cost or: $1.11 a person.

Verdict:

Full bellies, smiles on our faces...

Now it's time to come clean to my man about what was going on this week!

Operation Meat vs. Veggie: (meat) Cabbage Rolls

Okay, okay, I'm preggers and craving meat. So instead of doing a tofu (cooked in beef broth) cabbage roll casserole, I actually just opted for some ground beef. Here it is!

However, I'll have you know that up on the North Island, tofu is expensive...and so it completely evens out.

I know though, its not nearly as fun as seeing what hubby thinks.

Instead however we cooked this meal together, which we rarely do, and I would cook anything if it means that we are cooking together.

So what did our MONSTROUS Cabbage Roll Casserole cost us?

Head of Cabbage (smaller): $1.42
Meat or Tofu (aprox.): $5.00
1/2 onion: $0.26
3/4 pkg Broth: $5.24
Rice: $0.53
3 cans of tomato sauce/stewed tomatoes: $6.57
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Okay, the numbers look like a lot, BUT, I made enough for 6 people easily (leftovers-yum yum). This comes out to $19.02 or $3.17 a serving.

You can check out the recipe I used here.

So what did everyone think?

Hubby loved it. Jay didn't want to try it, and so we gave her the last bit of spaghetti leftover from the other night. I thought it was almost as good as Nana's-which means it was good!

So tomorrow ends my Meat vs. Veggie Operation, and yes, I will be cooking a veggie dinner to end out the week...5 out of 7 veggie dinners for a 0-1 out of 7 family on a typical week is pretty good. So check out how tomorrows dinner goes. Then on Monday-I'll recap!

Operation Meat vs. Veggie: Perogie Prerogative

It was hardly a swanky new recipe.

In fact, it's one of the very few meatless dinner we make on a consistent basis.

It also happens to be probably my favorite meal to eat.

Perogies!

I mean honestly, you really can eat then for every meal. Breakfast time you can fry it up in the pan, add a little onion, some more cheese-yum. Then lunch, just a nice boil, add some veggies on the side and more cheese-terrific. Then of course dinner-bake in a casserole dish with mushrooms, asparagus or broccoli and (how could I forget) more cheese!

I'm drooling just thinking about it. And my Momma Jules is rolling her eyes as she reads it.

She's now just called down to my Dad to tell him what I posted. And he is probably chuckling to himself...

So I am a bit predictable...

Cost of meal:

1/3 bag of perogies: $2.33
4 tbsps of sourcream: $.73
1/2 onion: $.26
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Total cost to feed 2 people: $3.32, that's just $1,66 each!

Now, if I was to add some meat in the mix, maybe some sausages or something, that would work out to be about $8.32 or $4.16 per person.

I did feed my child by the way-more spaghetti from last night...she really enjoys it!

Operation Meat vs. Veggie: Spaghetti and Beanball Brilliance

Okay, so it's no surprise but he knows that this is an experimental week. He keeps saying things like, "do I need to take meat out of the fridge?" and apparently "I have it covered" is no longer sly enough.
He's promised not to read my blog though, so I am having fun being a dork and making it out to be some big surprise each time I begin cooking.

We had our friends and neighbours over tonight, and it was Spaghetti and Beanballs for dinner. Luckily, they eat a lot more meals sans meat, so this was hardly a stretch for them.

So the recipe that I got was from Veganomicon, which I borrowed from a friend. (Pg 189 if you are interested and have a copy...)

So what did it cost?

Kidney Beans: 28oz can/$2.83
Spices:  ~$1.00
Red Onion: 1/2 onion/$0.54
Pasta Noodles: 1/2 pkg/$1.48
Tomato Sauce: 2 cans/$3.89

Garlic Bread (friends brought)
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To feed 5 people, it came out to $9.74, or $1.95 per serving!

What it would have cost, had I made it with meat instead of kidney beans... around $11.71 or $2.34 per serving...making a difference of $0.39 a serving.

How did the cooking go?

Trying new recipes is always hit and miss...next time I will add more bread crumbs and pan fry on lower heat for longer (because kidney beanballs burn quickly if not attended too-thankfully easily saved). Also, I found they break apart fairly easily, so I would make the sauce separately and pour over once the ingredients have had time to cook, stirring is not really an option. If you don't have the book you can follow the recipe more or less from here. I did do the lemon zest because-yum! I also added onion.

What was the verdict?

Jay was thrilled and chowed it down like no ones business! Which really, in itself is reason enough to make again.

Our neighbours liked it-woohoo.

I really enjoyed it.
Hubby...?

I'm not sure what this says about what my normal spaghetti tastes like but apparently "it's the best spaghetti (I've) ever made!"

So I am doing a bit of a happy dance, and at the same time thinking..."crap-what's wrong with my regular spaghetti?"

Not sure which recipe I'm trying tomorrow, stay tuned will ya!

Operation Meat vs. Veggie-Night Off

The stove is preheating.

However there will be no 'experimental' veggie dinner tonight.

Pregnancy hit me like a ton of bricks today and I feel as tired and as nausea's as I did the first trimester. (Which means I saw the bottom of bathroom throne more than I care to in one day.)

So it's frozen pizza night, and it's frozen canadian pizza dinner-which means it's definitely going to have meat on it. We'll be back on for tomorrow night, I'll keep ya posted.

Operation Meat vs. Veggie: Enchilada Evening

I have never made enchilada's before...so I guess I get props for that right?

I know how it was supposed to look...and it certainly didn't turn out that way-it was sloppy-but it tasted really good. I guess that is what matters. I think that had I not been the one to make it, I probably would have been turned off by it's throw-up look.

Luckily, my hubby was not at all bothered by the way it looked because he called it "awesome" WOOHOO!

Thank goodness, I was a little nervous since, as I slid it into the oven, he said "another meatless dish hey?" I think he knows something is up...
Okay, so cost breakdown, here it goes...

Tortilla's: 1/2 pkg/$1.50
Cheese: 1/5 of the block/$2.40
Beans (kidney): $2.83
Beans (pinto): $2.99
Onion: $0.51
Sour Cream 1/5 of the tub/$0.58
Spices: est. $1.00
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Total for 4 people: $11.81 Which works out to $2.95 a person!

So if I would have included a layer of meat, it would have added about $5.00 to the meal, which would then work out to about $4.20 a person. Okay so not a huge difference, but worth noting.

Where did I get my recipe?  Well, I found this recipe from EatingWell and followed it more less...I did add some kidney beans to the mix and I switched out 2 tbsps of yogurt for sourcream since I would have totally forgot about the yogurt in the fridge afterwards. Little tip, bake with the lid off, I think that would have helped the enchilada stick together more.

Will definitely be trying this recipe again.

Oh yeah...and Jay? you ask. Well she's still napping and hasn't yet tried it, but I am not holding my breath.

Later that evening...

You aren't going to believe this...in fact, I can hardly believe it myself. She ate it. She liked it. She wanted MORE!
I am so excited, she could care less how it looks, I think the very fact that it came in the form that it did was why she ate it!
My daughter, picky eater, texture concious girl, she ate it-and liked it. This officially just because the best recipe that I have tried in the last few months!