If you know our family personally, you know that we prefer to cook at home 98% of the time. I enjoy having a weekly plan for our meals/snacks, and rarely pick up food. I have shared some on meal planning that you can check out here: Meal Planning Tips. I thought I would share what a typical week of dinners looks like for us in case you are needing some ideas or encouragment to cook at home. You can also check out my last IGTV for another weekly example of meals. Our three year old also eats the same dinners we do. We do not cook anything additional/separate for him, and he has become a great eater!

What are some of your family favorites or meals that you enjoy cooking? I would love to know!

Dinner 1: Chicken Caesar Salad

We like to buy a Rotisserie chicken every couple weeks to make our own broth to freeze and to have an easy dinner. We love the bagged salads from HEB and will serve a deconstructed version to our toddler.

Dinner 2: Chicken Enchiladas

We used the same chicken to make enchiladas (also had leftovers) and roasted veggies on the side.

Dinner 3: Meat, Veggie, Carb

This is a standard go to when we don’t feel like “planning”. We can easily rotate what we use or purchase which is great! My husband cuts our own pork chops which is more cost effective and great for getting the sizes we want.

Dinner 4: Gyros

My husband likes to make naan bread from scratch, which is delicious! We will use chicken or beef for this dish and all love it! He also makes ranch dip that we use throughout some weeks. Our son once again has a deconstructed version.

Dinner 5: Meat & Veggies

This is similar to dinner #3, however with 2 sides of veggies. We love making mashed cauliflower (IGTV coming soon) and grilling sausage for nights we want to be a little “lazier”.

Dinner 6: Pizza

We like to have a pizza night once a week which my husband makes from scratch. We now prefer his pizza over any take out because it is so delicious. We also use the ranch mentioned previously. We typically use whatever vegetables we have left as a side.

Dinner 7: Veggie Stir Fry

We love doing this at the end of the week to use up all of the vegetables left in the fridge. It is a great way to clean out and our son loves it!

Let me know some of your personal favorites!

As always, sending light and love.

Blessings,

Jac

As our son approaches four months, I have hit a huge goal of getting back to my pre pregnancy weight. I am not one to define myself by the scale, but I personally feel that my body functions and “sits” the best around a certain weight or within a range where I feel the healthiest. With that being said, I know post partum looks different for every momma and our bodies are going to do different things with our hormone levels, amount of sleep, breastfeeding, etc. I have learned to set my intentions on my overall health and not just the physical components of it. Our bodies are incredibly amazing the way God designed them and I am grateful for all that it has provided for me, along with the different changes/seasons.

I thought I would share what I have been focused on and have made a priority the past 10 weeks (cleared at week 6). For reference, I gained around 30 pounds with both of my boys. I have also chosen to exclusively breastfeed again. I would love to know anything you focused on post partum and what worked well for you!

1.Water

I will forever promote drinking ALOT of water. I feel such a difference on the days I don’t drink enough and truly have made it a daily priority. You can check out some tips to drinking enough here: 3 Tips To Drinking Water

2.Whole Foods

I have really made whole foods another priority since I am breast feeding and wanting to provide good nutrients to our little love, as well as feel good from the inside out. I focus on trying to get as many nutrients as I can, as opposed to following any type of diet/meal plan. I truly eat or snack all day long.

3.Sleep

This is one of the hardest things to prioritize with a newborn because their sleep is all over the place and is such an adjustment/learning period. I was not the best about sleeping when I could with our older son, however this time around I have really taken advantage of those moments! I nap when both boys are napping, go to bed early, take advantage of help on the weekends, and try to rest as much as I can because I know my body needs it!

4.Movement

Once I got cleared around week 6, I made a personal goal to exercise 5-6 times a week. I am a huge advocate of moving in whatever way makes you happy. I personally enjoy running, walking, strength training, interval training, etc. I try to mix things up throughout the week to challenge my body in different ways. I typically only workout 30-40 minutes.

5.Mental Health

I feel like this is something that is talked about the least, but is the MOST important. If your mental health is not in a good place, I feel like everything else has a hard time aligning or working in your favor. Talk to the people you need to talk to, vocalize your feelings, take time for yourself, create routines for your well-being, and get the support you need. We are in this together!

As always, sending light and love.

Blessings,

Jac

I recently received our insurance policy for our newest addition, and I started thinking about everything our financial advisor helps us with or takes care of. My husband and I have had one since we got married six years ago, and I am so thankful for his help and expertise! He truly eliminates the guess work and helps give a good perspective on the big picture. I thought I would share the areas we discuss in each meeting and what he actually helps us with. We meet twice a year to review all accounts, check in to goals and discuss any new ones.

Do you meet with an advisor? I would love to know!

1.Insurance

Me, my husband, and our sons all have insurance policies. Our advisor has helped with transferring the type of policy my husband had, setting up new policies for both boys, and discussing option periods/additional coverage to consider with any life changes.

2.Accounts For Children

Both of our boys have accounts set up for college/anything needed for them as they get older. This is a personal decision as to what type of account is needed or wanted depending on what you plan to use it for. You can contribute monthly and auto draft from your bank or contribute whenever you are able to. Your advisor should let you know a monthly amount to hit the intended goal!

3.Retirement

My husband and I both have retirement accounts that we contribute to each month. Your advisor can help you come up with an amount depending on your goal age of retirement!

4.Investments

This is another personal choice as to what type of investments you are comfortable with but is something that can be discussed in length with an advisor as well as monthly contributions.

5.Personal Finances

Your advisor should check in on your personal finances with each meeting to see where you are at with any debt and current status. They will help you goal set and prioritize what is most important (ex: if you do not have an emergency fund established).

I am so thankful to have had a great experience with ours!

As always, sending light and love.

Blessings,

Jac