So, the plan for dinner tonight is chicken tacos. I bought chicken on sale at HyVee last week and froze it. I also had almost a full pack of taco shells at home. I defrosted the chicken and threw it in my InstantPot with some taco seasoning mix and chicken broth. While that is pressure cooking, I headed to ALDI’s to get the rest of my fixings.

Here at the store, I got some avocados, a package of salad mix for taco salads for me and Joe B, full fat, an extra box of taco shells for leftovers or to just have on-hand, taco seasoning for a future batch of chicken tacos. I got some grape tomatoes and cucumber, bell peppers and snap peas for a little veggie plate to accompany the tacos…I hold out perpetual hope that my kids will one day love to snack on raw veggies.

I had good luck in the produce department so I tried my luck with some other things we needed. Found string cheese because we love string cheese at my house and ALDI’s didn’t have any when we came here last night. I found some blueberries and blackberries, and scored a container of full fat Greek yogurt…for my favorite snack, and so Sara can make some more fruit and yogurt pops tonight. And I picked up a dozen eggs, thinking ahead to the weekend…we are traveling and I’m planning how I’m going to stick to my keto during a powwow weekend.

$32.46 guys!!!!!!!! This would have cost me easily another $20 at another store here in town. Whooooo!!!

#winning #ballinonabudget #keto #healthymom #aldi

My work lunch today. I’ve been in the mood for the crab salad from Golden Corral, and I found a copycat recipe. But since imitation crabmeat has a lot of starchy fillers, I looked and found this Paleo/Keto friendly recipe using canned crabmeat.

Whenever I try a new recipe, I’m careful to only add half of the seasonings it calls for. My family has pretty sensitive palates, so it doesn’t take much seasoning or spice for it to taste overwhelming.

This recipe I found on Pinterest, and it calls for 2 cans of crabmeat (12 oz.), 1/4 C avocado mayo (I like Primal Kitchen products), 1 C chopped celery, half a tsp of Old Bay seasoning, celery seed, and black pepper. It also calls for a little bit of Stevia. Add it. It does a lot for the flavor.

I’m going to scoop it up with celery. I have some avocado for more healthy fat and my little dish needed some color, so a few raspberries and blackberries. I wanted to see some red and yellow bell pepper slices in there, but I have none in my house at the moment. The plan is to go to ALDI’s at some point today to get my groceries. We have a double header tonight for our softball girls, so the field trip we are taking today with my work will have to suffice for my exercise. I am really, REALLY sore from yesterday anyway, so some light walking as part of my recovery will be great. ❤️

Here is the link to the recipe.

https://lowcarbyum.com/crab-salad/

#keto #packedlunch #healthymom #healthyfats

After 2 sports physicals, a 35 min weights workout, 30 min walk/run, a therapy appt, testifying at a probable cause hearing, and running a 2.5 hour softball practice…this is finally my 1st real meal of the day. 3 egg spinach, mushroom and Colby jack cheese omelet with a little over 1/4 of an avocado on the side. I’m hoping I will sleep good tonight

I was feeling over the weekend like I was catching a summer cold. Whatever it was, I feel like I’m on the mend. Days like this, when my husband and I are both exhausted (he had to help with transportation and signing forms today), the dishes can wait. The TV awaits…I’m too tired to even read. But it was a really good day. Got good news overall, both my girls are in good health and cleared for school sports, and got my 1st probable cause hearing under my belt.

#keto #healthymom #busymom #softballcoach #intermittenfasting #socialworker #monday

I’m currently in Oklahoma City, sipping some coffee, waiting to get ready for family time at the zoo.

It’s been a busy week. And I think I’m in denial of how stressful it’s been. But here’s the rundown:

1- I’ve been busy every single evening of this week. Monday – softball practice, Tuesday – softball game, Wed & Thurs – crisis screens at the hospital for my after-hours emergency screening job. Every night of the week since last Friday – cleaning and dressing my daughter’s 2nd degree burns on 2 fingers. Friday, travel to OKC.

2- My days have been busy as well. Monday – weight training and work at home, Tues-Thurs – helping run psychosocial groups for middle school and HS kids (weight training Wed & Thurs morning), Wednesday – going with my mom to her 1st consult with a new provider, Friday – meeting for work to review changes to our schedule, and taking my daughter to the Burn Center at a hospital an hour an away. And completing an extensive and exhaustive ADHD screen.

I planned to consciously make time for me and for social stuff this summer. I helped start a book club and we had our first meeting on Wednesday. I made it to 3 workouts with my trainer Travis this week. And I got spend the afternoon with horses on Tuesday. But I wanted to read more this week and make my Al-Anon meeting, and neither one of those happened.

Yesterday I felt very rushed and anxious. It felt like every time I tried to focus on the present, my phone went off with a text message or an email. Every time I tried to be present, there was another demand placed on me. I felt bombarded. The energy around me at my work this week felt tense and it felt like it made several individuals more concerned about being heard than listening. I tried deep breathing, prayed, but I felt tense all day.

Preparing for this trip, my brain would not shut off. All I could think of was the work I’m behind on, my beading and sewing and dentalium shell orders that need to get done, stress about food in the fridge spoiling that I bought to cook this week, but cooking didn’t happen because I was working 12 hour days Wed and Thursday. And then for some reason while I was packing for this trip I started watching “When They See Us” and I was in tears halfway through the 1st episode. #WhyyyyyDidIDoThat

I truly miss running when I feel like this. I grieve for my pain-free running days before my hip arthritis. I know this doesn’t help because I’m living in the past when I think about how I used to be able to run off my stress. But I miss it so much. I could do it now, but my diet has been crap with how busy I am, and the inflammation in my hip flares when my diet is out of whack.

Sooooo…this weekend is my reset weekend. I am here to see my adult daughter Samantha and my grandchildren Jayden and N’ivy. If anyone knows me, they know I ALWAYS travel with something to work on…usually my beads, but in the past it’s been my laptop or sewing or shells. But Joe B strongly encouraged me to leave my beads at home and just bring a book. ONE book, and nothing work related.

I am going practice full disclosure and say that I felt anxious when I was packing up and saw my beads just staring at me. I seriously considered bringing them. But then my rational brain took over and I thought to myself: 1) it will be too dark to bead soon after getting on the road, 2) I will be too tired to bead after spending the day with my kids and grandkids, 3) I should just relax on the drive home to prepare for the week. So I just brought my book-club book and my daily meditations books.

I fell asleep shortly after getting on the road and it’s a 5 hour drive. I slept the entire way here, and fell back asleep as soon as we got into our room. I feel like I could take a nap right now. Lol.

I’m going to do my best to turn my work brain off for today and tomorrow. I will practice intuitive eating instead of obsessing about keto. I will listen to my body and be present. I will enjoy the time with my kids and grandbabies and husband. I will read my daily meditations and pay attention to how good my coffee tastes. I will take my vitamins, and I am noticing how inviting the elliptical machine in the workout room looks for an easy workout. I am actually going to put a little bit of make-up on, fix my eyebrows 😂, and do something with my hair besides my “mom bun”.

My husband does a good job at putting things in perspective for me. He is a wonderful support. And my kids are great supports as well. I have one empathic teenager and one teenager who I swear is a budding social worker. And I have an adult child who is an LPN and I’m amazed at the time she makes for her loved ones as busy as she is with her career and small children.

This weekend is my RESET weekend. I’m well overdue for a reset and the time is now. 😊