Kate's Konfessions

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Menu Plan Monday: Weeks of August 6 & August 13

Empty the Freezer and Pantry time!
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, Scrambled Eggs
Chicken Nuggets and French Fries (from the freezer)
Chili Macaroni, Green Beans
BBQ Pepperjack Bacon Burgers (from the freezer) with Grilled Asparagus and Noodle Side
Grilled Taco Burger and Potato Packs with Foil-Packet Hearty Tuscan Parmesan Grilled Veggies (from the freezer)
Barbecue Chicken Packets (from the freezer)
HyVee Chicken Grillers, Cauliflower (store bought, not the copycat recipe)
Lasagna Soup
Red Hot Whiskey Chili (from the freezer)
Crockpot Tilapia with Garlic Cheese Sauce, Noodle Side
Southwest Chicken Tortellini Chowder

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Menu Plan Monday: Week of July 2, 2012

Grilled Taco Burger and Potato Packs
Foil-Packet Hearty Tuscan Parmesan Grilled Veggies
Barbecue Chicken Packets
Quesadillas
BLTs with Corn Salad
Taco Salad
BBQ Pepperjack Bacon Burgers with Grilled Asparagus
(Quesadillas and Taco Salad made using Shredded Chicken)

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Menu Plan Monday: April 23, 2012

Tender Grilled Pork Chops with Grilled Asparagus
Enchilada Casserole
Mississippi Roast with mashed potatoes
Pistachio Crusted Tilapia
Burgers with Grilled Zucchini

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Couch to 5k: Week Four Redo & One Hundred Pushups

I did actually complete Week 5 of the Couch to 5k. The third session was super hard, running for a full 20 minutes. Then some circumstances prevented me from running for awhile (a vacation, work obligations, and just some laziness). So I've started again today, but went back to Week 4, session 1. And I must say it was pretty hard. That will teach me to slack off. But I am determined to finish this, I just need to keep going!

As summer is rapidly approaching, I've decided to start another challenge as well. The One Hundred Pushups challenge is supposed to help you do 100 consecutive pushups after completing a 6 week program. I printed off this booklet and did the initial test today (for the record, I am starting with modified knee pushups). I hope to start with the Day 1 workout on Thursday or Friday.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Menu Plan Monday: Week of February 27, 2012

Roast Beef Gyros with Slow Cooker Fresh Garlic Green Beans
Crockpot Chicken and Corn Enchilada Casserole
Corn and Chicken Chowder
Thai Chicken Pasta
South of the Border Sandwiches

Check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Couch to 5k: Week Five

Today I started Week Five of the Couch to 5k. I'm a little behind as it took me over a week to get Week Four done, then I took a long weekend mini vacation. Week Five looks to be quite tough as by the end of the week, I am supposed to run for 20 minutes straight during my 3rd session. I am trying not to dread this challenge, and made it through the 1st session okay but... I'm a little intimidated. I've done some reading of the forums and this does not seem uncommon. Another thing that I discovered - while this program is supposed to have you running a 5k by the end, a lot of people, like myself, are not running that fast. 5k = 3.1 miles, so to run that in 30 minutes you'd need to be running approximately a 9.67 minute mile, or 6.2 miles/hour. However, I will consider it a major accomplishment merely to be running for 30 minutes straight, so I'm determined to worry about time, then distance/speed. I'm over the halfway mark!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Menu Plan Monday: Week of February 13, 2012

Pasta with Shrimp, Artichokes, and Feta
Crockpot Kraut & Bean Soup (recipe halved - an 8qt crockpot is huge!)
Ravioli Casserole (I forgot to buy the ingredients for this from my last menu plan)
Crockpot Peperoncini Beef Sandwiches

Valentine's Day Dinner:
Steak with Awesome Steak Marinade
Grilled pineapple rings (see above)
Grilled Asparagus
Chocolate Chip Cookies for Two

Check out Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Couch to 5k: Week Four

I have a confession - I've started the Couch to 5k 3 or 4 times, only to quit in week 4. Because it's hard. And all of the sudden you're supposed to run for 5 minutes, which seems like an eternity. But I finished Session 1 today, and as you are my witness, I am not quitting.

And stay tuned - I have some other challenges in mind that I want to accomplish, so I have something to do on my days off from the Couch to 5k. So far on my "walk across America" I'm in York County, VA.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Throw Away 50 Things: Session Two

Well, last week I threw away 50+ things from my bathroom. How is that possible, you ask? I tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. And if we're counting every travel size shampoos, stretched out hair tie, and all of the other junk I got rid of... yeah, way more than 50 things. And it feels good, really. :)

This weekend I decided to attack the bedroom, namely the dresser drawers. And I made my husband do it as well. He is a total packrat, so this took some coaxing. Anyhow, with just the 2 dressers - again, way over 50 items that were thrown (socks without matches and holes, old underwear, my husband's 15-year-old t-shirts) and donated. To be honest, the bedroom can probably be done at least 2 more times with all of the stuff in there, but I think the kitchen/pantry is my next plan of attack. Getting rid of stuff continues to feel good and it's nice to be able to close my dresser drawers!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Couch to 5k: Week Three

I've completed Week Two of the Couch to 5k and started Week Three today. Again, dragging a bit on the treadmill. But from what I remember from Week Two, the workouts got easier, so I'm hoping that this is the case for this week as well. I've added a couple of things to try to improve my workout motivation. First, the SurfShelf (I got mine on Amazon). I work from home, and I had visions of walking the day away while working on my laptop, killing to birds with one stone! This might work, but I tend to take up a lot of space and write a lot of notes when I work, which isn't possible with this. So far, I've used it to put my netbook on and watch Grey's Anatomy on Netflix. It seemed to make the time go by faster. I also registered at this site, where you can track your daily miles as a virtual trek across America. This may take awhile, but sounded like a fun way to track progress!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Menu Plan Monday: Week of January 30, 2012

Sirloin Pepper Soup

Tater Tot Casserole

BBQ Chicken Enchiladas

Ravioli Casserole (Slow Cooker)

Feta-Topped Chicken

Pasta with Shrimp, Lemon, Herbs and Feta

Some possible Super Bowl Recipes:

Pickle Dip

Kentucky Bourbon Bacon Chex Mix

Mini Corn Dog Muffins

Cucumber Cracker Spread

Check out Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Friday, January 27, 2012

Throw Away 50 Things

My project (and inspiration) for the weekend - Throw Away 50 Things. I'm going to start with my bathroom, which may have more than 50 Things actually... And for the record, I will not throw everything - I'll donate, recycle, maybe save for a rummage sale (maybe, but that doesn't really get rid of something, does it?), or if it's really nice, sell on Ebay. (Like I just listed this curling iron that I thought I had to have and maybe used twice.) One of my resolutions has been to get rid of the clutter and more organized, so it's about time to start!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Couch to 5k: Week Two

Week One of the Couch to 5k has been completed, and I started Week Two today - a bit later in the week than I wanted to, and I had to force myself onto the treadmill, but I completed session 1. Let me tell you, I was dragging. I'm not currently using the podcasts because I'm ADD and like to switch between songs too much. I'm using the treadmill guide. When I thought I wouldn't be able to finish today, I went slower. In fact, the guide says "The answer is that you should run as slowly as possible. In fact, if you can run more slowly, you are probably running too fast. Speed will come over time (after you have finished the program." So, even though I was feeling like a wimpy loser, I slowed down (and I think I'm pretty slow anyhow) and finished. And I feel better than if I would have quit. Success!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Couch to 5k: Week One

One of my resolutions this year is to complete the Couch to 5k. I will admit that I have attempted this 3 - 4 times before and only got through about Week 4. I am a slow runner, and I always think I should be going faster. This time, my goal is to just finish, no matter what speed I am going. I find the original plan posted on the website to be a bit confusing, so I've printed off this plan to make it a bit easier to read. And I just found this treadmill version that really breaks it down. (It's -7 with the windchill today. Of course I'm using the treadmill!) If you do a Google search you will find many podcasts that you can put on your mp3 player with different mixes of music and prompts for the running and walking. Right now I'm using Suz's Couch to 5k Running Podcasts. I will update on my progress so I can hold myself accountable for finishing this!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Menu Plan Monday: Week of January 16, 2012

Red Hot Whiskey Chili
Shrimp Quesadillas
Root Beer BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders
Bloomin' Pizza Bread
Garlic Lime Tilapia
S'mores Cookies

Check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Menu Plan Monday: Week of January 2, 2012

I've been slacking on my menu planning for a long time with the holidays and all... time to get back into things for the New Year! This is also one of my resolutions - to be better about menu planning on a regular basis!

Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Steak and Garlic Parmesan Edamame

Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork Tacos

Crockpot Chicken and Rice

Garlic Cheese Tilapia in the Crockpot

Check out this week's Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Spicy 3-Packet Pot Roast

Adapted from original recipe by A Year of Slow Cooking

Monday, November 14, 2011

Menu Plan Monday: Week of November 14, 2011

Carino's Jalapeno Garlic Tilapia
Seven Layer Taco Dip
Cheesy Ranch White Chicken Chili
Peach Mimosa Grilled Chicken
Cola Onion Pork Chops

Check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Friday, November 11, 2011

Friday Favorites: November 10, 2011 - Pumpkin

Olive Garden Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Chili
Pumpkin Spice Dip
Pumpkin White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Pumpkin Fudge

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Strawberry Chicken Salad

Original Recipe from Siggy Spice

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Friday Favorites: November 3, 2011 - Copycat Recipes

Chipotle Burrito Bowl
Olive Garden Salad Dressing
Chili's Honey-Chipotle Sauce
Girl Scout Samoas
Carino's Jalapeno Garlic Tilapia

Corn Salad

Monday, October 31, 2011

Menu Plan Monday: Week of October 31, 2011

Turkey Chili
Shrimp Quesadillas
Bear Creek Navy Bean Soup Mix with add-ins (TBD)
Beef Tips in the Crock Pot with Zesty Cracked Peppercorn Sauce (Tastefully Simple) and rice
Buffalo Chicken Mac
BBQ Chicken and Cornbread Casserole

Check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie