Mod Apron

Aug 10

Cleaning up this one horse town

You may have noticed a distinct lack of blogging happening over here. Don’t worry, I still love you.

I’ve been really focused on some projects at home and I’m in the midst of doing a major ~~Spring~~ Summer cleaning. I’m going as minimalist as I possibly can (in other words, practicing “rational minimalism” to the best of my child-addled abilities) and I’m looking at every room and asking: “How can I downsize all this stuff”?

You should see my closet. It’s a thing of beauty. I’ve got everything paired down to only stuff that I wear, fit me well, and that I actually like. Seems simple enough, but I was amazed by how many pieces of clothing I had that didn’t fit within that criteria. (As a delightful aside, I’ve also trimmed most of my wardrobe to about 3 colors - blues, greens and yellows - which, Ayurvedically speaking, are supposed to be the best for me to wear.)

I’m cleaning up this one horse town as well as turning some of the attention to myself. I’ve been going to the gym almost every day and I’ve finally lost a bit of my baby weight, thank goodness. I still have a bit more to go, but I’m definitely making headway. I’m rewarding myself with a much needed haircut this weekend. I’ve been growing my hair out over the last 7 or so months and it’s currently in an awfully shaggy in-between state. I don’t know what I’m going to do to it yet, but something must be done. Dennis is begging me to cut it short-short again but I don’t think I’m going to go there. I haven’t decided. All I know is that I’m overdue for a haircut something fierce.

I stayed up until 4am last night working on our budget. Puzzling it out. Crunching the numbers. We have our property tax bills coming due soon and it’s causing me some anxiety. California is not kind to the homeowner. We’re on spending lockdown until I can figure it all out.

Apologies for not delivering my weekly meal plan last week. As I mentioned, my focus has been elsewhere (there’s only so much mama to go around!). But, my meal plan inspiration is renewed and I should have one for you guys on Monday morning. I’ve got an interesting week coming up and those are the weeks that for me, are the most fun to plan out. I don’t know why; I guess I like the challenge.

Stay with me folks, and stay tuned. I’m still here. And more good stuff is on the way.

Jul 30

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Hey guys! Happy Monday!

Here’s the ol’ meal plan for the week. Nothing too shocking here. In fact, a lot of this meal plan is a total repeat of last week’s.

You might notice that we are eating a lot of veggies & dip these days. It’s just so easy and the fam is totally digging eating our vegetables this way. Cali produce is amazing all year round, but especially this time of year. Everything just tastes so fresh and good, why not eat it raw?

Lastly, tomorrow (Tuesday) is Henry’s 1st birthday. My baby’s getting so big! We’ll be celebrating with birthday cake, which I’ll pick up tomorrow. But besides that, we’re not doing anything special for dinner. Henry’s favorite foods of the moment are raspberries and waffles with peanut butter, so he might just get that for his birthday meal. The rest of us with full sets of teeth will enjoy burritos and veggies. He’s only 1, so we’re keeping it nice and simple.

Hopefully, my long awaited camera will arrive tomorrow so I can snap some messy-faced cake eating pics!

Jul 23

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Good morning folks! Check out the new meal plan design! Yeah, I tried to make it look like a piece of loose leaf school paper. Adorbs, right? Oh my cup runneth over with meal plan designing talent, DOES IT NOT.

You’ll notice I took out the noise. I like to think it’s a cleaner, more streamlined, dare I say sophisticated meal planning situation. I’m happy with it. Hopefully you like it too!

And as for this week, there’s only a few little deets to report:

Some of our dinners look familiar and some are new. Note that ALL of them, even our old family favorites, are getting a total nutritional makeover. I’m revamping absolutely everything with an eye to reaching my health goals. (Have you checked out my other blog yet? Good stuff over there.)
Yes, it’s true: Coffee is back. But it’s DECAF! I swear! I am happy with this compromise for now. A girl has to have at least one vice, right?
My friend Kendall is coming over for dinner on Wednesday. I’m making salmon burgers. Should be fun!
On Thursday afternoon, we’re attending a family event at Maya’s school. We’ll probably get home pretty late so dinner will need to be fast and furious. I’m making a spinach & kale pie (basically a healthier version of spanakopita) ahead of time so I can just pop it in the oven when we get home. I’ve never made this before (I’m totally winging it, actually) so I’ve really got my fingers crossed for this one.
Saturday night is Date Night! I have no idea what we’re doing or where we’re going yet, but I’m excited. Keep ya posted!

That’s all for now! Have a groovy week, friends!

Jul 22

Change is good

Last week was a blur of disorganization, chaos and imbalance. Apologies for disappearing on you guys, I guess I just needed bit of a break; a week off to “sharpen the saw” as they say.

I know a few of you kinda rely on my weekly meal plans for inspiration, and I’m sorry I didn’t deliver. Rest assured, I’ve got a new meal plan coming your way tomorrow morning. Stay tuned!

I’ve also been thinking about some of the features of my blog over the last few days. And I’ve decided that one of them - my weekly grocery shopping debriefing - will be discontinued. Believe it or not, it’s a lot of work, especially with 2 little kiddos afoot, to set up all my groceries for a photo and blog about the details after. I’ve kinda lost my zest for the process and I’m just not confident that anybody out there is truly benefitting from all that minutiae anyway. So, going forward, if you have any questions about my groceries, food budget, or how much I’ve spent, please don’t hesitate to email me anytime. I just don’t think I’m going to keep featuring my grocery shopping details on the blog anymore. That’s the bad news.

Here’s the good stuff:

My meal plans will have a new and improved design, and a much healthier direction!
You’ll see more recipes and food photography here, and on Mod Glo too!
Henry is totally walking now! My baby is now officially a toddler.
Hooray! We ordered a sofa* which is the first step to finally furnishing our currently empty living room. Who wants to see some homespun decorating, craft ideas and before and after room makeover pics? You do!

I’ve got lots of groovy stuff in the works. Stick around, guys! The fun is just beginning!

*Our sofa is set to arrive mid-September. We paid cash and are currently saving to purchase some more pieces for the living room. Slowly but surely, our dream house is becoming a dream home.

Jul 12

Hey Mod Apron followers! Did you know I have another blog here on tumblr? It’s called Mod Glo and it’s my personal health journal where you’ll find my ramblings about food, exercise, health, yoga, ayurveda, wellness, balance, and my quest to fit into my skinny jeans again after two kids.

Follow along with me on my journey to rekindle my glow in the midst of busy motherhood!

Jul 9

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Hey now! It’s a very special episode of Meal Plan Monday! Why? Because it’s Dennis’ birthday week! [confetti!]

My darling husband is turning 40, dudes. As in FORTY. Let the festivities begin!

Actually, we’re not planning that much. Den detests a fuss and has practically forbidden me to make one. So we’ll probably just have a nice dinner (of the birthday boy’s choosing, which he has not done yet) and I’ve got an idea for a special secret dessert. Hee!

Other than the big birthday this week, it’s business as usual. Have a fabulous week, everybody!

Jul 2

July, is that really you? Wow, you’re still weeks away in my head. This year is flying!

After a week of visitors and then a week of chaos, we are back on track with a brand new meal plan here at Apron Headquarters. Did ya miss it?

This meal plan is ever-evolving, it seems. Now that I’ve committed to improving my health, you’ll probably see some subtle changes on my meal plans. White stuff like bread, sugar and refined grains will be taking a back seat to vegetables, vegetables and more vegetables. And while a lot of the meals will look the same as always on paper, I’ll be making a much healthier version in real life.

I’m excited to do a big shop. Trader Joe’s, here I come! We are out of practically everything! (And as usual, the Grocery List has exceeded its parameters and has spilled over in to the To-Do column. I put the Grocery List in lavender to alleviate any confusion.)

One last note - if you ever want to see a recipe for any of my meal plan meals, please feel free to email me and I will post any recipes requested. Most of these meals I could practically make in my sleep, but I will do my best to type out some coherent directions.

Happy Monday, folks! And Happy Canada Day to my friends up north!

Jun 29

A new baby is born!

(OMG NO, I’m definitely not preggers again.)

I’ve given birth to a new bloggy blog and I really hope you’ll check it out!

Its name is Mod Glo and it’s my personal health journal. Follow along with me on my journey to rekindle my glow in the midst of busy motherhood. Think of Mod Glo as a sister blog to Mod Apron. Yin and yang.

I’m really excited about this.

So high tail it over to Mod Glo right now and have a look around!

Jun 15

My shame.

I bought some coffee yesterday for my parents’ upcoming visit. I told myself it wasn’t for me. I promised myself I wouldn’t drink a drop.

But this morning, it was the first thought to pop into my head when I woke up.

My Brain: “Pssst. There’s coffee in the house.”

Me: “F—- off, Brain. I’m, like, so over coffee.”

Brain: “No you’re not. You want some. In fact, you want some really badly. I’m gonna fix it so it’s all you can think about.”

Me: “Whatever. I’m fine. I’m a strong, independent lady who’s taking charge of my health. I’ve got my hot water with lemon and fennel. Which is awesome, btw. I don’t need…”

Brain: “Coffee.”

Me: “No.”

Brain: “COFFEE!!!”

Me: “Nooooooooooo!”

Brain: “COFFEE COFFEE COFEEE GO MAKE SOME RIGHT NOW!!!”

Me: “Okay, listen. If it’ll shut you up, maybe I’ll have just half a cup. After my lemon-fennel water.”

Brain: “WATER’S FOR CHUMPS! COFFEEEEEEE!!!”

This internal dialog continued all through my morning yoga, my shower and even while I was putting the kettle on for my HOT WATER. “This boiling water would pour so nicely into your french press instead, wouldn’t it now?” Brain said.

Eventually, I gave in. In the end, my feeble resistance couldn’t hold a candle to the thought of that dark, sweet elixir and the glorious start to the day it provides. Devil’s brew, this.

Dennis says I’m a nicer person when I drink coffee. That comment kind of hurt my feelings but if I’m being completely honest, he’s probably not exactly wrong. I justify my coffee in a million different ways but ultimately, I know it’s terrible for me. The fact that I’m this addicted is a clear indication to me that I need to let it go. This little habit is not serving me or my body very well at all.

But oh, coffee. I just can’t quit you!

[Photo via Instagram. Please ignore my man-hands. Yeesh.]

Mod Apron

Modern homemaking for the frugal urban mama.

Cleaning up this one horse town

Change is good