Meal Plan _ Nov 18

Another week organised. It sounds a bit over the top but having the meals planned really makes me feel happy, like i have already accomplished one thing.


Monday
Cream cheese Beef rolls

 This is a dish that just needs to be tried to see how yummy it is.

Tuesday

Speedy Fried Rice


Fried rice is a great, filling mid week meal. The rice can be cooked in the morning in between harassing the kids to get ready for school and then its just a matter of throwing the rest together when you get home. For us Tuesday involves a dentist visit for one of the boys followed by footy practice so a speedy meal is ideal.


Wednesday

One-pan chicken with honeyed root vegetables and stuffing
I found this recipe on a free e-book. I can't pin it and i hope the link works as it wasn't very co-operative. One pan meals are also great mid week options


Thursday


Sweet caramelised pork and coleslaw
This is a new one. I'm going to cheat with regards to the coleslaw and just buy "dry slaw" (rather than grate all the vege's myself). I am thinking the addition of brown sugar to the pork rub and sauce will be a winner with the family.

Friday

Spinach and Feta turnovers


These are a firm favourite with son number 1. (Jury is still out as far as son number 2 is concerned). I always add some extra tasty cheese, paprika and nutmeg to the mix just for extra flavour. No set amounts of each, just whatever i feel is right.

Meal Plan - Nov 4

Organised for food for the week. YES!


Monday

 



(Herb crumbed) baked salmon
I cheat and use pre-packaged bread crumbs and I normally add more/different herbs than just basil - parsley and chives work well. A few comments suggest adding lemon rind which I have done when I have a lemon in the fridge and it makes a nice flavour addition. One of the comments said that they add pinenuts to the crust mix which sounds delicious so I will try that this week.
I'm going to pair it with cheesy zucchini rice which is a new one for me but sounds delicious.


Tuesday


Homemade baked beans with Eggs and Chorizo
I've made a recipe similar to this one in the past without the chorizo but I like to try variations of recipes and this one sounded good. The vegetarian version is pinned onto my board this week (find it here)

Wednesday

Phad Thai (Chicken)
As with Tuesdays meal, I've mad Phad Thai quite a few times and each time i try a new recipe - Mainly because I don't think ive ever truly nailed it so I keep searching for that fail safe recipe. (I don't think there is one for Phad thai though - I think it has more to do with a very hot wok and getting the noodles just right)

Thursday

Maple pork and Maple apples
Mmm, maple sweetness. Should hook the boys in, especially the youngest one. Teamed with roast veg I am hoping this one is a winner


Friday

Chicken, Pumpkin and Leek parcels


These have been on my 'to try' list for a while and this is their week. The boys play touch footy on Friday nights so my plan is to have these all ready and just have to cook them when I get home while the boys shower. I do have one non-pumpkin lover in the house so I might consider other veg in a couple of them

Meal Plan - Oct 7

Yesterday I got my longest run (16.97km) done since completing the Brisbane half 2 months ago. It was hot but it felt good. Not my fastest time but I am truly just happy to be out there and hopefully inspiring a couple of other friends to keep going. I do have to be mindful of the wildlife though - at one stage a quite large brown snake was inhabiting the same path as I was running along. I chose to let him have the path and ran along the road instead.

On a food note, another week of meal planning is done after a couple of slack weeks. It really helps to not only save money and time but also means that we eat healthier as I don't end up buying impulse items at the supermarket every afternoon.


Monday

 Tandoori Chicken
For some unknown reason I've been craving this one lately but never got around to making it until now. Simple to prep and quick to cook. It's great done on the BBQ too.

Tuesday

Steak and roast potatoes
It's great BBQ weather here at the moment. Warm but not too hot and no mozzies, yet. My boys ask for these potatoes nearly every week when I ask for their input on the week's meal plan. What i love about the site where I got the recipe (Natasha's Kitchen link here) is that she posts the how to photos for each recipe. Personally, it makes it so much easier to decide if I'm going to like a recipe.


Wednesday

Slow cooker Chicken and Chorizo pilaf
Quick and easy. Perfect for mid week.

Thursday

 Teriyaki Pork meatballs
I 'd feel weird if I didn't have a recipe from Budget Bytes (link here) in my meal plan. Beths site is one that i regularly check for new recipes. The last time that I made this one both of my boys had given it a 10/10 before I even had a chance to sit down and start eating myself.


Friday

(Herb crumbed) baked salmon
I cheat and use pre-packaged bread crumbs and I normally add more/different herbs than just basil - parsley and chives work well. A few comments suggest adding lemon rind which I have done when I have a lemon in the fridge and it makes a nice flavour addition. One of the comments said that they add pinenuts to the crust mix which sounds delicious so I will try that this week.
I'm going to make home made baked chips to go with this one rather than a salad

Recipe - Healthy muesli bars

Healthy muesli bars

Ingredients

2 bananas

2 cups quick oats (also called minute oats) Regular oats will also do i just like the fineness of quick ones

1 tbs LSA mix

1/4 cup cashews and almonds  - chopped. You can chop them as finely or coarsely as you like. You could even leave them whole but as I was making this for kids I needed them to be chopped. You can also use any nuts you like - I simply had almonds and cashews in my cupboard today

1/4  cup choc chips - Optional. If you'd prefer to leave out the chocolate simply add more nuts to make up to half a cup in total

1 tsp vanilla ess - Optional
Honey

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (approx 355 F) and line a rectangular pan with baking paper.
2. Mash the banana

3. Add the oats, LSA, nuts, choc chips (if using) and vanilla (if using)

4. Mix until combined

5. This is where the honey comes in. If you feel that the mix is a bit dry simply add some honey. I sometimes only add 1 tbs just to help with the binding. The mix can be dry if you've used regular oats or if the bananas were on the smaller side. If you don't feel that you need it simply leave it out.

5. Press the mix into the prepared pan.
6. Bake for approx 20-25 minutes. Cool and then chop into muesli bar slices.

Great for school lunches and I find mine will keep for a few days wrapped in baking paper and in a tupperware type container

 

Recipes - Choc Orange Brownies

Choc Orange Brownies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1/3    cup   cocoa

1        tsp    Bi-Carb/baking soda

1/2    tsp salt

1/2    cup sugar (Can be brown sugar or caster sugar. Either is fine. Brown sugar will give you a more caramelly flavour in my opinion)

1 tsp  Vanilla ess

1/4  cup vegetable oi;

Juice and zest of 1 orange (You can actually increase this to 2 if you really want/like the orange flavour)

1 cup Milk or Buttermilk. (You can even substitute for warm water if you want this to be dairy free)

Optional: Choc chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 C degrees (355 F)

2. Grease or line a baking pan. (If you want thicker brownies go for a smaller pan, thin brownies go for a bigger pan. I tend to just get out whichever I find first)

3. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl

4. Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and then add to the sifted dry ingredients.

5. Mix until all combined. Add choc chips if using

6. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20-40 minutes (depending on thickness). Cool (or not!) and eat. Yummy

 

 

While I have no idea of the actual nutritional stats these are what I consider to be on the healthier side of baking as there is no butter, no eggs and only 1/2 cup sugar.

A great way to use the mountains of oranges growing on my tree.

 

 

Meal Plan Sept 16

I had my 20 year high school reunion this past weekend. Leading up to it, I was excited and nervous all in one, but I ended up having a great time. Facebook took a lot of the guess work out of knowing who was who but I still found myself looking at a couple of people for a few minutes while the old brain clicked over.
In all I think everyone looked great - we must've been a good looking year to have aged so well! ha ha.

Looking towards this week, I've settled into my new job but realise that I need to be careful with what I plan for meals at the beginning of the week when I am doing 9-5. Thankfully my husband is a great help and so I can tell him what needs cutting up and what he can do and that saves me time when I get home, otherwise we aren't eating until 7-ish and it simply allows too much snacking time (mainly by me! the kids are fine).

So this is what we'll be eating:


Monday

 Mexican Chicken & Bean bowls
As I do with all my mince meals, I'll grate carrot and zucchini into the mince mixture. I serve this one like Nachos but  not all cooked together - I serve the mince mixture in bowls and then add a little bit of grated cheese and a handful of corn chips - The kids still feel like they are getting nachos but its a healthier way to serve it up. Win win. If I was really good I could toast some tortillas and that could cut down on the salt from the corn chips...but after working all day that may cut into the 5 minutes I get to relax!


Tuesday

Pork sausages and mash
Plain old bangers and mash - An oldie but a goodie. I do my mash as half normal potato and half sweet potato and add a dash of sour cream if I have any (which I will have leftover from Monday's dinner).


Wednesday

Fried rice
Quick and easy. Perfect for mid week. Instead of bacon I'll have vegetarian and I'll add a tin of Tuna for the boys.

Thursday

 Honey Mustard Chicken strips
I haven't made this one before but I'm thinking it sounds pretty delicious.


Friday

Bolognese Pasta Pie
I haven't made this one before either and I am hoping it's not too fiddly. I think that the boys will like it though so I am going to give it a go. There's tons of recipe variations for this one online and the one i have linked to seemed easy and gave step by step photos - I love step by step photos.

Have a great week

New shoes. Yay!!

In general, I am totally hopeless at making decisions on bigger purchases.
Having to spend our money gets me that little bit anxious - for example, it took me about 12 months to decide on a new dinner set and I was only ever looking at plain white ones. We went without a dishwasher for about 2 months before I was forced into buying one. And, as my first pair of running shoes - well that took me about 5 months to decide on. I must've tried on about 20 pairs of shoes at around 10 different shops.

I do sometimes wonder why I am like this and if I'll ever get better at spending money. I am NOT a shopper. If I ever find myself in the situation of being with girl friends at a shopping centre (which I try to avoid) you will most likely find me out on the husband seat!

I think the reasons for my anxiousness stem from the following:

      1. I worry that I will get buyers remorse and/or have picked the wrong product. When I buy something new I ask for everyones opinion. And then I ask them additional questions. I research on the Internet, for way more time than necessary. I read as many reviews as I can. I go to shops and harass the staff there with a lot of questions. And believe me, I ask a lot of questions.
     2. Spending money on myself and for things that I am going to use. Growing up I was taught to be mindful of money and, extending on from point one, I hate the idea of spending money on something that turns out to be wrong. And spending money on myself is much much harder than spending money for my boys.
     3. I think there's a part of me that likes the research side. Much like a holiday - the planning is half the fun.
     4. A fear that I will see the same thing on special somewhere after I have already purchased. I always hold out hope for some super special deal. Consequently I have missed things in the past which have simply been discontinued; which inevitably puts me back to square one.

Anyway, after 9 months and around 1000km in my running shoes I really knew that I needed a new pair. The 'bounce' was gone from my old ones and my shins were not liking the pounding on the pavement.
I had read about a shop in Brisbane and went there with a few ideas in mind of what to try.

The guy who helped me was great. He watched me run in my old shoes, listened to what I do running wise and then brought out a few pairs for me to try on. I went in with the idea that I'd try Asics Kayano (what I was currently wearing) plus, based on the info I'd gathered from other people, I would also try Altra's and the Brooks Pure range.
Well, he didn't even bring out the Altra's or Brooks Pure. So I asked why not. He was knowledgeable enough and got both pairs for me to try so i could feel why they may not suit.
I tried a few more on, and some were comfy, some were definitely not right for me and I was able to narrow it down to 2 pairs. In the end I couldn't go past what I knew and had worked so well for me for the last 9 months.
And I committed - then and there in the shop.
OK, so I did have to ask him to hold them for me while I went and had a coffee to think about it, but I went back and bought on the day. BIG deal for me.

What I really really liked about this shop, and a big reason as to why I purchased from there
is that they give a 14 day guarantee on the purchase - I can wear the shoes for 2 weeks on any terrain and if I get pain or excessive blisters or something just isn't right then they will swap them over. Perfect for someone like me who fears committing to a purchase.
(For reference this place is called Intraining - their site is: http://www.intraining.com.au/)

My new PINK Kayano's. The photo doesn't show it very well but the laces are fluro yellow too. No chance anyone will miss me coming in these!
 

I couldn't wait to try them out so I took them for a spin that afternoon around the place where I grew up. I even ran past my old primary school - the place where I ran my first school 'fun run' 28 years ago.

And the verdict - So far, so good!

Meal Plan Sept 9

There's quite a few people who I follow on facebook who also meal plan each week.
I love looking at their ideas and reasons for doing a meal plan.
My main motivation for doing so is because it saves me time and it saves me money. It saves me time because I can start to prep in the morning and there are no mad dashes to the supermarket after work. It saves money as I am one of those people who always gets a couple more things than what is on the list.
Another fantastic thing about doing up a meal plan each week is that the rest of the family know what's for dinner too - It saves the nagging voices of starving* children asking me twenty times "What's for dinner". They simply go to the fridge and look at the list that is written up there.
(*I'm going to make a big assumption and presume that people actually know that my children are NOT starving, and that it's just a figure of speech)


Monday

 Home Made Pizza
Ive really only put this picture for ideas. We all have different pizza toppings in our house and this is always a winner


Tuesday

Chicken Schnitzel and potato salad
I actually don't make the schnitzel in the picture and in fact the link doesn't take you to a recipe. Essentially I set up 3 plates - one with plain flour, one with a lightly whisked egg and one with breadcrumbs, mixed herbs and finely grated Parmesan then simply dredge the chicken through all 3 in order. Then I use cooking spray and lightly fry them. They are delicious and I try to make leftovers as they are even better cold


Wednesday

Beef and Rice Noodle Stir Fry
I usually add extra vege's to this one. Things like baby corn, capsicum, broccoli, cauliflower or mushroom work well.


Thursday

 Spinach and Feta turnovers
To add some extra flavour I generally add some cheddar, nutmeg and paprika to the mix. Yum

Friday

Beer Batter Fish and chips
Can't go wrong with fish and chips!

Meal Plan Sept 2

I start a new job this week.
Which is kind of a big deal as this is the first job I've had in around 3 years which involves me leaving the house to go to work. No more slippers on my feet in Winter. No quick dash to the clothes line if it starts to rain. I'll probably miss my coffee machine the most of all. We've built up quite a relationship in the last few years.
On the upside I get to leave the house to go to work. Working from home means that you never leave work, and that can get very annoying. I'd get on the Internet at night or on the weekend to look at something and I'd think, oh, I'll just check the work emails before I log off; suddenly an hour or two has passed. It will be nice to finish work and leave for the day.

I'm still hopeful that I will have the time and energy to make all the dinners on this list:


Monday

 Honey Spiced Chicken
I 'm still loving the website called Budget Bytes and this is another recipe from there. Seriously check it out if you haven't already


Tuesday

Stuffed Capsicums (Slow cooker)
I am hedging my bets that son number one won't like this one all that much because of the capsicums. However, I am hoping that he likes the filling and I'll just eat his capsicum. My Mum used to make a recipe like this one when I was a kid. I can't remember if I liked it or not, but I'm willing to give it a go now!


Wednesday

Cream cheese Beef rolls
Always a winner in our house.


Thursday

Coconut Prawns
I've done these before and they're very yummy. My first job was in a Thai restaurant and they used to make a dish similar to this but their sauce was just mayo and curry powder, which i think is nicer than the lime mayo in the recipe. And actually, I'll personally be doing this with chicken instead of prawns - But only because son number 2 is allergic to prawns so they are a big no-no in our house unless we feel like a late night trip to the emergency department!

Friday

Braided Spaghetti bread
OMG i feel full just looking at this one. But it sounds too good not to try. I read a few of the comments and a good suggestion was to butter the bread dough with garlic butter before placing the spag bol on top

Meal Plan August 26

The days are certainly getting warmer and I think this Summer will be a hot one. We spent all weekend at the beach, and technically it's still Winter.
It means I'll have to start looking into summer salad type recipes.

The best indication of the warmer weather presented itself at the supermarket this afternoon - Nectarines. They were pretty expensive (I paid over aus $1 for each) but I just couldn't help myself.
Summer fruits are the best. And my boys were so excited when they saw them so it was worth it.

Nothing fancy on the menu this week. Starts off with 2 household favourites, followed by a new one (again from Budget Bytes which is a site I am just loving at the moment) and then a simple quiche on Thursday and a baked rice dish on Friday.

Here's the menu:


Monday

Slow cooked beef roast
I am making this one because i want to use the leftovers on Wednesday night. No other reason really. I'll pair it with roast veg including these potatoes which one of my sons asks for every time he sees that i'm cooking potatoes.


Tuesday

Baked spring rolls
I really shouldn't put this link as i make quite a few changes to the recipe, but in a way that shows how adaptable it can be. The main changes that i make are swapping the ham for grilled chicken fillet which i shred and also swapping celery for grated zucchini

Wednesday

Beef stuffed potatoes
This is what I plan on using the leftovers from Monday for. The recipe looks great and I'm hoping that it is well received by the boys

Thursday

Crustless bacon & cheese quiche
This is another recipe that is very adaptable, and I'll be honest, I don't actually use this recipe - it's just the closest one I could find to the recipe that resides in my memory bank. I actually have alot of recipes in there (my memory bank) but its quite time consuming to write them down and take step by step photos and I'm a bit time poor at the moment.
Some other ideas aside from the recipe are - grated zucchini, tomato slices layed on the top before baking, ham instead of bacon, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes. You can also add spices or mustard to the egg and cheese mix.

Friday

Baked Moroccan chicken
I tweak this one a bit as i found it too dry the first time i baked it. The 'tweaks' are: * Add 1/2 cup white wine * Reduce rice to 1 1/2 cups * Add mix veg as well as peas

Do let me know if you try any

Jen

Hello running my old friend

I have a confession to make...

I have just had 16 days off from running. Not a lot of days to some people but a long time for me. I promised myself (and my husband) that I'd take 2 weeks off after I completed my second Half and then as day 14 approached I got a cough/cold and, worse than that, nerves snuck in.

What if...what if I couldn't even run 5km (3.1 miles) without having to stop. what if I didn't enjoy it anymore . what if I forgot how to pace myself.
Yeah yeah, really dumb what ifs, but its like the mental hurdle that I'd crossed so long ago was suddenly right back up in my face.

So, I put my fears out there in the big ole land of Facebook so that I couldn't chicken out and that I was accountable.
And I didn't wait to see the responses either.
I just went for a run.

What was I so worried about?

I swear that when I took my first few steps I looked like the Cheshire Cat - grinning so widely because I was already loving the feeling. Within 5 strides I felt good.

I decided before I left that I'd do 30 minutes and accept whatever that was.
I could tell you my distance but I don't want to - not because it's bad (it isn't) but because it truly doesn't matter.
There is a little part of me that feels like a new runner who is doing a beginner half marathon training program and this was day 1. That, surprisingly, makes me smile too.

My head cold or cough didn't really bother me on the run. (Although I did cough my guts up (Aussie slang) on the walk home, so much so that an old lady crossed over to the other side of the path and then mumbled under her breath after she'd passed me).

The best bit...I can't wait to go again. Yay

Meal plan - August 12

Before I put up this week's meals I apologise again to those people who pointed out to me that I didn't do one for last week. To be honest I was so tired after the Brisbane Half Marathon that I simply ran out of time and never quite got ahead.

And yes, I am still on a high from my PB at Brisbane. The only trouble is now getting myself out of the mentality that I can't beat that time. Because that is silly - the Brisbane course was fairly hilly. Not just one hill but lots of hills spaced out throughout the course. So if I can do a hilly half marathon in 1:51:03 then i surely can do a flat one even faster.

I am starting off this weeks meals with a couple of favourites and then trying 3 new meals. The meal on Wednesday (Spinach Lasagne roll ups) has been on my 'to try' list almost as long as I have been on Pinterest so I thought I'd give it a go this week. Then when I went to the site/blog that has the recipe I found all these other super ideas and ended up pinning 3 recipes for this week all from the same site/blog. (the site is http://www.budgetbytes.com/. Check it out, it's awesome)

So this is what we are eating

Monday

Pad Thai
I will be doing mine with Chicken because son number 2 is allergic to prawns.
Tofu, blah, so that will be omitted.
I have made Pad Thai several times in the past and it always varies in taste and glugginess but yet I keep trying to perfect it. When I was googling a recipe to use for this week I kept reading about 'Chez Pim's' who the link refers to as well. Pim is someone who has a blog and doesn't give a recipe as such but tips on how to make the perfect Pad Thai so I will be referring to her blog as well.

Tuesday

Beef Goulash
The only difference Ill make is that I'll serve mine with veg rather than pasta

Wednesday

Spinach Lasagne roll ups
I am really looking forward to trying this one.
I love that the blog author has step by step pictures too.
I will probably take the lazy option with the sauce and just use a jar of passata but if I have time I may add a few extra vege's into it (eg capsicum and mushrooms) and simmer them down then blend them in so that they are hidden. (Son number one detests capsicum but what he can't see he can't pick out!)

Thursday

Slow cooker taco chicken
How good does this one look in the pictures. Yum.
I'll probably do kidney beans instead of black beans (simply because I am more familiar with kidney beans). I will also serve these as 'make-it-yourself' burritos rather than with rice so I'll have grated cheese separate plus also some sour cream and avocado. Burritos never fail in my house and that's the main reason I'm taking that path

Friday

Teriyaki Pork meatballs
These look great. I don't plan on changing the recipe other than to serve with some Asian style veg (in keeping wit my 3 veg rule)

..and that's it. Have a fabulous week

What a difference a month can make...the story of my second half marathon

Yesterday I ran my second half marathon; indeed only the second time I have run over 20km.

If you read my post about my first half (here) you'll know that I over analysed that one and dwelled on the 'what if's' for a day afterwards.
Well, I am happy to report, not this time.

This time I am super pleased because I totally pushed myself to MY limit on the day.

(This is kind of long. If you don't want to read it all just scroll down to the *summary part at the bottom)

I arrived into the city (Brisbane) nice and early and found the start line so I knew where it was.  This already relaxed me a bit.
Then off to find the toilets, as you do.
While hanging around I got to meet up with a few other girls from the running pages. I had met Mon at the GC but the others I had only met on facebook so it was fantastic to meet them in person.

From left to right is Mara-Mon, Runder Woman, me, Kiley and Weight & Run.
 

 So after the little photo opp we all wandered over to the start line.
Now, the big difference that you need to know about this race compared to the GC is that I didn't really have any expectations about time or beating my GC result (which was 1:57:39. I could say PB but that seems a little silly when it is my only time at that distance).
I was going in this race for fun because, in hindsight, I had put a bit of pressure on myself to complete the GC and wanted to enjoy this one more.

Of the 4 other ladies in the above picture one is in marathon training and so was going to go at a slower pace. Two of the ladies were in the same boat as me, this was only their second ever race and they were both hoping for a time better than the GC so were going to stay with the 1:55 pacer. The final person, Lynn, was also hoping for a PB and had planned to stay with the 1:45 pacer.

I can't tell you what clicked or when it clicked but in a really quick decision I decided to go hard and to stick with Lynn if I could.

The gun went off and I stuck with Lynn with the first few km's, and for those first few km's the pace was faster than I have ever done (4:54, 4:30 and 4:42 mins per kilometre) but I just felt ok and I wanted to see what I could do.

Over the story bridge Lynn surged ahead and I just kept her in my sights (thankfully she was in bright yellow so it was easy to do)

There were a LOT of hills in this race. Way more than I realised. It felt like there was a hill every couple of kilometres. In fact the total elevation climb (according to my RunKeeper app) was 792 metres. Felt like it too!

I was constantly scared that the 1:55 balloon was going to pass me and that i'd never keep up if he did so I tried to keep at a steady pace. Looking back now it reminds me of this picture. That 1:55 pacer may as well have been a zombie. I was that scared of him!

 At around the 18km mark I was feeling pretty exhausted. I had pushed so hard at the beginning and was beginning to doubt myself. I couldn't see Lynn anymore and felt like the 1:55 pacer zombie was right behind me.
There was a guy in front of me in a long sleeve running shirt who seemed to be running steady so I planted myself beside him and used him to pace me. After about half a km or so I started to drop back. Then long sleeve guy turned around and gave me this look that said c'mon, keep up. So I did; I caught up and then I think I paced him for the next half a km. We got to the drink station at around the 19.5km mark and he slowed down. I turned a couple of times to see if he was behind me but he'd dropped back, so I just kept going.

At around the 20km mark I had a little conversation to myself that went along the lines of "Hey Brain, remember this; You couldn't have pushed any harder. This was all you had to give today". I was worried that I was going to over analyse this race like last time and wanted to remember that I gave it all that I could on the day.

Through the Botanical gardens and to the finish line.
Rounding the last corner (and another hill to finish) I crossed over in 1:51:32. YES. Arms in the air and all.

Long sleeve guy came in about a minute behind and came over to say thanks. But it was me who was thankful. I can't thank him enough for that look that he gave me when I had started to drop back.

Grabbed my drink and banana and sat down on the lawn, utterly spent but grinning from ear to ear.

I made a quick phone call to my husband and then went over to find the most awesome running bunch and get the group shot we'd been hoping for.



From left to right: Kate (Running in the rain), Mon (Mara-Mon), me, Nic (Running Girl), Gretlyn (Running because I can), Skye (Runder Woman) and Lynn (Weight and Run)

 

After we had all gone our separate ways I went to meet my husband and boys and my Mum who were coming in together.
My boys were signed up to do the 2.2km kids dash so we showed them where the finish was and then went over to the start line. At the last minute the youngest of my two decided that he would like me to run with him. So, a 2.2km warm down it was!
I think it was harder than the half though. He would jog, then walk, then jog and then, out of nowhere, he'd sprint for a 100m or so. I caught up to him after his first burst and asked where that speed came from. In typical 7 year old mentality he replied that someone was going to pass him so he sped up!
They both finished it and I am so proud. The eldest got 11th for his age group and the youngest got 12th for his age group

And now, just over 24 hours later, I am still smiling at the whole day. It's going to take a while to top this one.

*Some summary points and things that I learned between doing my first half and this one:

* In hindsight I don't think that I pushed myself hard enough at the GC half marathon. Because I'd never done over 20km I was worried that I wouldn't have enough left in the tank to finish that race and so went slightly conservative at the start. I am fairly certain that's why I over analysed it. This time I went out hard as I knew I could do the distance

* I am so glad that I had that little conversation with myself at the 20km mark to remind myself that I couldn't push any more. Because of that there isn't any doubt about what I did on the day.

* Backing up a half with a 2.2km kids dash two hours later is probably not the best idea for my legs. Not quite the recovery run that my PT friend suggests.

* My net time was 1:51:03. I grin every time I think about it. Its 6:36 minutes off the GC time. I even did negative splits which is amazing because I was definitely tired in the second half.

* Having my name on my bib was fabulous. Random strangers would yell out "Go Jen" or "You're doing great Jen". It's just what I needed to hear and made a massive difference, to me anyway.

* I did less 'training' for this one but trusted in my ability more. I also went in with a relaxed mindset. Imagine what I can do if train more and combine it with the trust and relaxed mindset! (Another grin as I type)


Meal Plan July 28

Pat on the back to me. I have this week's meal plan organised on a Saturday and will be ready to post the blog on Sunday morning instead of making a mad dash on Sunday afternoon. It is all too possible (in my case very likely) that I sometimes over think these plans but it does take me at least half an hour to decide what to make and then to do up the shopping list. I don't want to eat pasta every night or have chicken two nights in a row so I have to do some juggling sometimes. Also, I tend to make the meals that I think will have leftovers the night before the meals which I think will be a little light so that I am prepared when I hear "I'm still hungry" five minutes after the last of the dinner has been served up.

I also like to try new things. My children love to watch Master Chef at the moment and they have taken to scoring the new meals out of 10 and make my husband rate them too. My lowest score was a 2 out of 10 from son number 1 because it had capsicum, tomato and onion in it - his 3 most hated vegetables. I've scored a few 10 out of 10's from the youngest son. He loves me and he loves his food. If he meets a girl who can cook I think he'll marry her!

This week all of the recipes I have chosen are new recipes to me so there will be plenty of Master Chef type judging that will occur. (When I say 'new' I refer to the particular recipe rather than the concept; ie. I've had fish and chips before but not used the recipe that I'll be using on Monday)


So here is what we'll be eating this week...


Monday

Baked Fish and Chips
Last week I got some dill and limes from a friend (who has an amazing vege garden) so fish and chips with a dill mayo on the side seemed a perfect way to use them. (I'll make the dill mayo instead of the tartare sauce that the recipe on the link has. It will simply be whole egg mayo, dill, lime rind and lime juice. The amounts will be decided on taste)
I also have an abundance of potatoes after I accidentally bought a big bag not realising (remembering) that I already had some. So, home made chips are perfect.
I try to avoid frying in my meals so that is another reason I have chosen this recipe - It is baked fish and baked chips


Tuesday


Chicken and Chorizo rice pot
I have made a very similar recipe to this one in the slow cooker but I couldn't find that exact recipe when I went Internet searching and stumbled across this one instead. I will be adding extra vegetables to the recipe - at this stage I am thinking zucchini or baby spinach or (probably) both. I am not anticipating a rave review from son number 1 due to the capsicum and onion but will persist anyway!


Wednesday

Moroccan carrot and pumpkin soup
I have a fairly busy day this Wednesday. I have volunteered to help in both sons classrooms and so will find myself at school until just before 2pm. Just enough time to dash home, make dinner, and go back to school to do pickup.
That night I also have the school parent forum meeting (don't know what that's called in other states or other countries - maybe P&C committee?) plus I am trying to squeeze in another meeting for another school function which I am organising. Putting it in writing is not filling me with any great excitement. However, there will come a time when I am just too embarrassing to be seen with, let alone allowed to help out at school so I will take it now while I can.
Soup is a perfect dinner for a day like that - I can make it in advance and will eat mine on the run in between my meetings. The boys and my husband will still sit down at the regular meal time and eat together.


Thursday

Thai beef and noodle stir fry
The only change that I'll make to this one is add more vege's - probably baby corn and capsicum or baby spinach and carrot or maybe all 4.


Friday

Chicken wraps
These are probably more of a lunch meal than a dinner meal but I am sure they will be well received. I am also hopeful that there'll be some leftovers for a road trip on Saturday.


For the disclaimer on my meals plans click here
For the current Pinterest board of this meal plan click here