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Minimal Meals Month: In Review
This week, A and I spent some time dissecting the month (even though it wasn’t over yet) and deciding if the month of minimal meals accomplished what I had hoped it would. My goals this month were: Simplify meal prepping Simplify my grocery list-making and shopping Streamline meal planning Increase appreciation (among us all) for…
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Minimal Meals Month: Week Four
This week is the last full week in our challenge, and we had some more deviations from our list. Overall though, the week was chock full of yummy meals and (mostly) everyone was happy! If you need a refresher, here is the initial post explaining what “Minimal Meals Month” entails. You can also read a…
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Black Stairs!?
This week, I wanted to share about a specific element of our house renovation that turned out better than expected! Our stairway! Before our home renovation project and house flood, we had hardwood floors on the first floor but our stairs and bedrooms on the second floor all had carpets. The upstairs landing area was…
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Minimal Meals Month: Weeks Two and Three
This week, I am feeling like a bit of a cheat. The October challenges overall tend to be faring…less well than my September challenges. Here’s how our minimal meals have been going. What I’ve Made Banana baked oatmeal with chocolate chips Overnight oats with sauteed apples Fresh oatmeal with frozen mixed berries Egg sandwiches (with…
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Developing a Nightly Reset Routine
About six and a half years ago, I was largely pregnant with my third child and working part-time while figuring out how to homeschool my two older children. I was overwhelmed by the day-to-day tasks (combined with my pregnancy urges to clean and “nest”). Around New Years’ Eve, an old friend from high school asked…
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Minimal Meals Month: Week One
This week was a “soft opening” for the minimal meals month. To recap, one of my goals this month is to limit the number of individual ingredients our family uses to prepare meals at home. Collectively, we devised a list of 34 foods we wanted to include (plus spices and pantry basics like cocoa powder,…
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No-Spend Month Fails
This week, I am reflecting on the ways I “failed” or cheated at my no-spend September goals. I don’t see this as a self-deprecating or critical post. I just want to be transparent and honest about the struggles of trying to stick to a no-spend month and consider ways I might minimize my spending further…
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October Challenge Preview
This week, I am bucking all the advice and planning for a number of October challenges. I love the sense of accomplishment and progress that comes from completing a 30-day challenge, and I find that I learn more about myself every time I embark on a new one. In September, I tried to minimize my grocery…
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Reflecting on September
This week, I am reflecting on my September accomplishments and looking ahead to October. I took on a lot of challenges this month and October will likely be similar. For the month of September, I tried a “no-spend” challenge, a 30-day minimalist challenge, and a state park hiking challenge. I’d say they were all pretty…
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No-Spend September: Groceries and Meals Week 4
This week is the end of no-spend/shelf-cook September, and I am honestly a little sad! I am looking forward to my October challenges, but I definitely still have items in my pantry and freezer that I need a little push to use up; I may need to resurrect shelf cooking for the first few weeks…