Feel Good Friday

GOOOOOOOD MORNING, girls :)  Horray, it's Friday!!!  I couldn't be happier!!! 

So remember the first side challenge during this 6 week Ten in Six challenge that was to plan an active date?  Well of all the participants, I drew Jen's name and here's the Polar water bottle she won that I'll be giving to her tonight.  BPA-free & Phthalate-free in case you were wondering :)  My hubby loves these for summer bike rides b/c it keeps the water cold in the hot sun.  I know Amy uses them, too.  But the gift receipt is inside the bottle.... haha  Horray, Jen!  Can't wait to hear how all that dancing goes!

The second side challenge is kind of a big one, but it's one that I am REALLY REALLY REALLY EXCITED about!  It will last not just today through next Friday, but today through the end of the challenge (3 more weeks!).  It's been something I've been meaning to do for a long time, since all my recipes are loose-leaf computer printouts smeared with food in a huge stack on my counter AND in my cupboard.....with hodge podge books & what not interspersed of course....

2nd Side Challenge: Half the battle (or more than half the battle for me) in making a healthy meal plan and grocery shopping list for the coming week lies in REMEMBERING yummy, healthy meal ideas or lies in FORGETTING the cheesy, fatty, greasy meals I grew up eating. Wouldn't it make eating healthy easier if we had a quick collection w/ nutritional facts at our fingertips in the kitchen? This side challenge is something I've had on my to-do list for almost a year now! For this side-challenge, make a small healthy recipe album of your favorite recipes (include kid-friendly recipes, too!). You could do a small online collection, add in pictures of the foods & the nutritional facts per serving. You could print it out or keep it in digital form. Could be a word document or an elaborate online scrapbooking album. You could get all crafty with decorative 4x6" paper cardstock cards inserted into a photo album to keep on the kitchen counter. Or you could simply write out healthy meal ideas on 4x6" cards and put it in a small album to keep on your counter. The # of recipes you do is all up to you. If you want to do just dinner ideas, go for it. If you want to include breakast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snack ideas, more power to you. If you want to have a section of just quick kids lunch box components, awesome. You could use a card file box instead of an album if you want. Do whatever you want to do. You could even just have a long Word document on your computer- keep it all digital.  Or put all your existing unhealthy recipes out of sight and just leave your healthy recipes in your already organized kitchen.  Have a favorite unhealthy meal at a local restaurant? Then re-do it at home, making your own healthy substitutions and voila- an edited recipe! Make sure you have the serving size listed on it and all the nutritional data like calories, fat, protein, fiber, etc. (You can analyze a recipe in MFP by going to a blank day in the future, entering in all the ingredients for the dish, then dividing out the total # of calories by the # of servings, dividing fat, protein, etc.) Take a picture or two of your finished album product and email it to me. I'll post them all when I get them. Use your creativity and make it completely your own!


I picked up a 3 ring binder from a scrapbooking store last night w/ the 12" x 12" blank clear pages inside that is meant to hold 4x6 photos in different collage arrangements.  I am so EXCITED!  The binder is shiny buttercup faux leather so it will wipe clean easily from all my food splashes (hmmm....maybe I'm a sloppy chef) and protect my recipe cards.  I want to put just healthy stuff in it, and of course it will grow and expand over the years, then maybe a sealed off top secret opaque envelope at the back for all the sinful family recipes I don't want to lose track of, but shouldn't be looking at when I'm flipping through the book planning meals :)  I can't wait to start it this weekend!