WFMW - Healthier Alternatives

I have been pregnant and/or nursing for two years now! It has yielded two wonderful, adorable boys, but has also yielded indulgences as well! I studied health and nutrition in college and am, in general, a pretty healthy person, and a pretty healthy eater. But I am not afraid to give in to indulgences either, especially when I have had the excuse of being pregnant or nursing...
At times, I have fully indulged, and bought that big, warm cinnamon roll from Starbucks on my way to work. But at other times I have really worked to find somewhat healthier alternatives for my sweet tooth, my biggest weakness. Out of all of my healthy alternatives, I have two that I have really enjoyed. Two that have not seemed healthy as I have sat and enjoyed them, plus they were both very simple to make and I already had all the ingredients in my house!
My fave in place of a giant cinnamon roll is this cinnamon roll toast recipe.
Another fave when I want a nice sweet cookie is this peanut butter cookie recipe.
This is what works for me in allowing for indulgences in a healthy way. What works for you?
Head on over to We Are THAT Family for more great ideas.

Menu Plan Monday - March 29

My baby was born 4 weeks ago today! Crazy!
That means it's time to get back in gear with meal planning!
Well, not totally, but I'm getting there...
I got some chicken breasts and cheese on sale at Kroger last week, so we made quesadillas tonight.
Along with the cheese, apples were also on sale and I am drooling over these fancy grilled cheese sandwiches. I think they might be the best meal this week. 
I pulled some Curried Chicken Soup out of the freezer for lunches this week.
We have some shredded chicken and cheese left from tonight and bagels in the freezer, so i think we'll make some chicken salad bagel melts for a meal.
Two more chicken breasts with be great baked, with some melted cheese on top, over a bed of brown rice, with a side of peas.
And if we end up needing more, there are plenty of options in the freezer and in the pantry too, but I usually plan too much instead of not enough. We'll see how it goes...
For more meals and plans, head on over to Orgjunkie and visit Laura.

My biggest cupcake ever made!

It wasn't actually the biggest cupcake mold I could have bought, but it was the biggest I have ever made. I used a regular cake mix (not the recipe on the pan) so I could make carrot cake for my mom's birthday, and cream cheese frosting. I don't have an amazing camera or fancy shots, but it was a fun process and wanted to make sure I documented it for future reference.

the bottom

the top

cut a hole in the bottom to add more icing! never too much icing!

ready to finish icing

finished product, ready to be eaten!

It was actually quite simple, the hardest parts were deciding how much to fill the pan (would have rather it overflowed a bit and I cut it down than it was sunken in and sat weird) and then icing the top. But it all worked out!

What I would have done differently: the pan said to not fill more than 3/4 full but I was worried that wouldn't be enough, so I filled it to about 1/2 inch from the top, but I would have gone even closer to the top and then cut the excess.

I also ended up putting some in two small bread pans to cook the extra cake.

Menu Plan Monday - March 22

Baby is 3 weeks old.
We no longer have meals being provided for us, but between meals that were provided (and frozen due to over abundance) and meals that I had made in advance and stored in the freezer, I don't plan on actually cooking yet. I could. I just don't want to. Well, I did make some baked oatmeal today for breakfasts this week. And we have some oatmeal bars I made last week. Plus, tomorrow is 'buy a drink, get a free pastry day' at Starbucks, so we are definitely hitting that up!
So, for lunches and dinners:
Taco Pie.
Spinach and Chicken Pasta.
Soup and Grilled Cheese.
Grilled Chicken and broccoli, from the freezer.
And maybe a pizza out of the freezer.
Easy for me. Not too unhealthy for the most part. And I can keep my focus on the little ones for now...
What are you fixing this week? For some great ideas, head over the Orgjunkie.

New Stage

I just recently turned 30.
And a few days later I had my second child.
I am getting older and my family has gotten bigger, and I need to be better about my time.
I wrote about being more efficient here and then an update here.
I wouldn't say I am doing great, but I have had a lot going on, so it's been hard to find my rhythm with this. But I am determined now.
My mom gave me the book Steady Days when my son was born 2 weeks ago. I have read some of it. I am trying to get ideas. To get inspired. To get my butt in gear!
This evening I took about 5 minutes to purge my "container drawer" where I keep all my food storage containers.  I threw away lids that had no containers, and threw away containers that had no lids. Then I took about 20 that I rarely use (since I have SO many and only so many places to put them since my deep freezer died) and stored that on an open shelf going down to the basement. I didn't want to throw them all away in case I do need them one day. And surely I would need them first thing tomorrow if I threw them away tonight.
Anyways, it was 5 minutes. But it felt great and it was a simple start for me to be headed in the right direction. To get cleaned up. To simplify. To make life feel more in order somehow.

Menu Plan Monday - March 8

My menu plan for this week is SO simple...and is not really a "plan" at all.
I gave birth to my second son last Monday, and we have been blessed with meals by friends and family. Each night this week we have someone graciously bringing us a meal. And from these meals there is usually plenty for lunches the following day. So, pretty much lunch and dinner are covered. And for breakfast I had already gotten us stocked up in the freezer with baked oatmeal, muffins, breads, etc. Plus there is always the simple breakfast of eggs and some mix-ins that my husband loves and is great at helping to prepare!
So there it is! For some actual plans and links to meals, head on over to Orgjunkie.