Not so easy after all...

Sorry I've been MIA, I honestly couldn't tell you much about the last week, it seems like it's been a blur. I've have baby appointments, sleepless nights and trying to keep myself on track, with little success.

I did a small amount of shopping the other day for things that we ran out of and planned on listing those items her, but my receipt vanished and my brain is mush lately, so all I can say is that I spent around $50. I also took my mother out for a special dinner, so that was $30, but very worth it.

So, I've spent a total of $80 in the first week of my no spend month and I'm not too thrilled about it. Especially since I need to go pick up a few more things today.

We have been really bad about eating out as well. I had a very upsetting evening yesterday, so cooking was the last thing on my mind. We also have a tradition of eating at Buffalo Wild Wings after all of my baby appointments, so we splurged on that as well.

I'm hoping to start over today. Spend as little as possible to get what we are out of and not eat out again (not including the gift cards we received for Christmas that expire February 1st, as we will not be leaving home much after next week due to baby coming at any time)...

So far, I'm less than pleased with myself. But I'm only one week in and I'm not giving up. :)

Later today I will try to post again about this doing trip and mention another goal or two.

Have a great day!
~Stefanie

No Spend January!

Happy New Year!

Today is day 1 of my no spend month. Forgive me if this post is a tad short, my toddler decided that last night was "no sleep night" and he didn't even have a nap yesterday, so today has been HARD. He's napped for 2 hours and I napped with him, so I'm barely surviving until Daddy comes home at this point.

My mother has been AMAZING today and is helping me out by doing laundry. This wonderful woman is hauling everything down 2 flights of stairs, loading, unloading both the washer and dryer, then hauling it back up so I can fold, hang and put things away. At 8 months pregnant, this process would have literally taken me DAYS on my own. I love my mother!

So today is a cleaning day! I'm powering through and I still have a TON to do, but I refuse to start 2016 off on the wrong foot.

Tonight for dinner, I pulled chicken breast out of the freezer yesterday and marinaded it in a lemon juice/EVOO/salt/pepper/oregano mixture overnight. Xebus is going to grill it on the grill (I love grilled food, lol) when he gets home and I'll be tossing together a jar of Prego Alfredo sauce and some cooked pasta for a fast Chicken Alfredo! Only half the chicken will be used in this, the other half will be for Grilled Chicken Caesar Salads for dinner either tomorrow or the next night.

In case anyone wants it, here's the recipe for the lemon chicken marinade. It's supposed to sit for at least 1 hour, but as with most marinades, the longer, the better. :)

3-4 Tbsp Lemon Juice (I use 3, but use 4 for stronger lemon flavor)
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3/4 Tsp Salt
3/4 Tsp Oregano
1/2 Tsp Pepper

Mix all in a zip-lock baggie with your chicken, smoosh it around and let it sit for at least 1 hour.

These flavors work great for meals when you don't want your chicken to over-power what you're pairing it with, like pasta or in a salad. It's also really yummy on it's own!

Well, back to work, I suppose. I haven't heard Colt yell in the last 10 minutes, so chances are I have another mess to clean up. :)

Have a wonderful start to the new year, may it be filled with laughter, love and light.
~Stefanie