When Do You Go Back?

I go back to work on January 8th.  So I have one more week of "free time."  This makes me really excited.  The hubby is back to work and it is just a week for me!

I went to the mall today.  It was crazy.  You would think that they were giving away free stuff.  That's how busy it was.  I never go to the mall, especially this time of year, but I saw all the sales, and I couldn't help myself.  Not that I bought anything exciting, but I love to people watch.

Do you ever stop and people watch?  I had not seen the mall this crazy in years!  I love to go into Dillard's.  They have really good sales.  Today, their sales were so crazy, that they had police and security guards there in the handbag and shoe departments.  If you wanted to shop those sections, you had to stand in line.  They literally had it blocked off and were limiting the number of people in at a time.

I get it.  People go crazy over great deals.  So, out of curiosity, I stood in line to see what the big deal was.  Once I got in, the shelves were picked over and the styles I like, were not included in the sales.  I couldn't even get help, it was so busy.  I was not upset though.  I really shouldn't be buying a new handbag right now anyway!  But, I did enjoy looking at them.

I did go to the clothing section too and found two shirts on clearance.  I spent a whooping $12.00 for two shirts!  Didn't I say that Dillard's has good sales!?  I would never buy something there at full price, but when they have sales, they are steals!  You do have to be patient and sometimes you have to sift through, but you get a good deal and good quality.

Where do you love to shop and what is your weakness to shop for?

Winter Break

So as most teachers this time of year, I am on winter break.  This winter break has been very quiet around here.  Which, for me, is very unusual.  I thought I would be board, but it has given me time to get back to some things I enjoy outside of education.

While I know most people who read teacher blogs, are, well, other teachers, I have decided to blog about my life outside of education as well.  And since it is winter break, and I am not currently teaching, I figure now is a good time as any to start.

So here is what I have been up to.  Like many teachers, I LOVE pinterest!  But the time I have spent on pinterest has not been looking at education ideas.  I have been looking are recipes.  I don't know about you, but I have been getting board with eating the same old stuff.

A few months ago, I started getting better with my meal prepping.  I invested in some bento-type boxes from Amazon.  Here are the ones I use.  I like the three compartments, but chose something that you will use.

On Sundays, I laid out boxes for breakfast and lunch.  I am one of those people who you might refer to as a FOODIE.  So for me, this was a challenge.  In no way, is what I do going to work for everyone, but I am the type of person who counts calories.  I have been doing it consistently for about a year now.  The reason I started with counting calories is because I knew that I would not stick with it if I could not eat what I want.  For me, it is about a balance and potion control.

This is a sample of one of my bento boxes.  This was based off of a Starbucks Protein Box.  This was enough for me for lunch.  I also have a few ideas for breakfast as well.

The basic idea is to have some sort of protein and then add fruits and vegetables.  Fruits and veggies are typically low in calories, but filling.  I tend to use what is in season at the time, but you can use what you prefer.

You can also use dinner leftovers.

I made meatballs one night with mashed potatoes and broccoli.  Since I made everything from scratch, I was able to count the calories for the portions.  I use MyFitnessPal to help me do that, but I also look for recipes that include nutritional information.  While I know this is not an exact way to count calories, eating better starts with getting a general idea of what you are eating.

While I do not have pictures of all of my boxes, I have included a limited list of ideas I have tried.  Remember, you can eat what you like within limitations.

• Water Crackers, Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge, Blueberries, Apple
• Cheese, Crackers, Fruit
• Cottage Cheese, Cheerios, Yogurt
• Banana, Toast or English Muffin, Hard Boiled Egg
• Sandwich, Blueberries, Pretzels
• Chicken, Green Beans, Apple
• Cucumber, Hard Boiled Egg, Yogurt

The other thing that has helped me be successful in the past is the amount of water I drink.  I was not always good at drinking water.  I started slowly by tracking my water in take and now it just comes natural to me.  In fact, I prefer water over other drinks lately.  For my birthday, my hubby bought me a new water bottle that holds fruit.  Did someone say strawberry flavored water!?  That kicked my water in take up!  It tastes SO good. 

Once I got my water in take all set up, I started kicking out caffeine.  I know you are asking yourself how that worked and if I have been successful, but that is for another post.