We Haz the Sick. Oy Vey.

M is sick. Touch wood, just a cold but still sick. Boo. And not a good Hallowe'en-y scary sort of boo because we're having a little Hallowe'en party this Saturday and I want him to be well. You know, germ(less) around all the other kiddos.

BUT... the silver lining? This time last year (going by the school year), M was on his 3rd case of strep in 2 months. Thank God for no strep.

Tickle, tickle. Scratch, scratch. Fingers & toes crossed M doesn't share his sick with us... or my parents who are coming down tomorrow.

Ketchup!

Last week was my first 100% 5-day spend $0 week. Woohoo! I haven't bought a tea, coffee or lunch in over 3 weeks and I'm happy to say that I am noticing a difference (in the bank account, not the waistline).

Runs? Zero. Blah.

Random...

Watching Hoarders makes me want to purge our house. Badly. It makes me want to get organized and STAY organized. How is it possible that we have so much stuff? And why is it so hard to get rid of stuff? I'm pretty good with moving past the whole 'might need it one day' thing and getting rid of it -- recycling it, throwing it out, donating, etc. Yet, I don't feel like we ever make decent progress. I'm convinced the only way to truly purge & organize is to move. Moving isn't an option (sorry, D, no starter home in Forest Hill just yet) so I guess we just have to put our heads down and be ruthless.

I'm obsessed with making lasagne. I made my first one (veggies only) a few weeks ago and yesterday, I whipped up a traditional meaty lasagne with a veggie twist (a grated carrot, zucchini & mushroom layer).

I've never been a big fan of Hallowe'en. I don't do costumes and I wouldn't say I love handing out candy to kids that are too old & not wearing costumes. D is convinced our house will be covered with egg & toilet paper one day from my cunning questioning of said kids. That said, I'm excited this year because we will be taking M trick or treating for the first time. We'll go to 3 or 4 houses and he will love it. I'll enlist his help to hand out candy, too. We're also doing a little Hallowe'en party for M & his friends next Saturday so I'm pretty excited to see our friends and let the kids play, costumes & all.

So, yeah... that's my update. Off I go to find 10 things to donate & 10 things to toss. Obsessed!

Bran Flax Muffins

Okay, don't be deterred because of the title! These muffins are super moist & delicious and ridiculous healthy. We're talking fibre overload! I've adapted the recipe from Bob's Red Mill to better suit our needs.

Bran Flax Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white or spelt flour

3/4 cup flaxseed meal

3/4 cup oat bran (the cereal works fine)

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups fined shredded carrot (about 2 big or 3 medium)

2 peeled & shredded apples

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

3/4 cup milk

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp vanilla

*Notice the lack of butter or oil? Yay! I'd like to see if I can get away with less sugar next batch, too.

Mix together flour, flaxseed meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins (if desired) and nuts (if using).

Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla.

Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened being careful to not over mix.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (I find they usually need 20+ but watch carefully). Makes about 18 muffins.

2 Down!

Add another 8km run to the pile! Well, pile of 2. I don't know but I'd venture a good guess that a co-worker asking if I was pregnant (I'm not) was a pretty amazing kick in the ass to get back out there.

Um, I also weighed myself this morning. 143lbs. HOLY SHIT!

Mashed Potato Soup

A few years back, we had a big New Year's Eve dinner party and I was left with a massive portion of leftover mashed potatoes. I googled my options the next day and found a recipe for mashed potato soup by Rachel Ray. I can't stand Rachel Ray but have to admit that her recipe was pretty good. I've tweaked it to suit our needs now and end up making this dinner at least once or twice each fall or winter season. It's easy to make extra mashed potatoes and set some aside for this meal.

Mashed Potato Soup

6-8 slices of bacon

1 small onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. flour

4 cups chicken stock

3-4 cups mashed potatoes

1 cup grated cheddar

In dutch oven or large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Drain all but 1 tbsp. bacon grease from the pan and put back on medium-high heat. Melt the butter and add onion & carrots. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, add the flour and stir constantly for one minute. Whisk in chicken stock. Let simmer for 5 minutes before whisking in mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar and bacon. Serve!

*If making and freezing, I hold off on the cheese and instead add that when serving.

3 in 30... To Date!

No runs and only 2 spend $0 days this week. The 3 days that did involve spending money had nothing to do with coffee or food but rather, snowsuits & pajamas for M, birthday cards and gifts. I'm still motivated and loving the fact that I haven't dropped a dime on coffee, tea or lunch at work!

D did a quick purge of the car so it is getting there. I'm hoping to tackle it on Sunday and get it to the point where we can take it somewhere to be detailed.

I really need to get out for a run this weekend. Pretty sure all the stuffing and gravy will push me over the edge!

3 in 30 for October

Okay, here goes...

1. Get out for 10 runs. Yes, I'm attempting this one again. I kicked off the month with running 5km in the CIBC Run for the Cure and I'm determined to get out a couple times a week this month. 9 more to go!
2. Aim for a minimum of 3 $0 days each week. This means no coffee or tea, bringing my lunch and basically trying to watch what I spend. I managed to have 4 $0 days last week so hopefully I can keep it up.
3. Clean the car inside and out. We desperately need this one to be done before the snow comes! It's currently a disgusting cesspool of old food, construction site filth and garbage.

Nothing too crazy and for most people, all practical things. We are NOT most people! I'm not holding my breath on #3. Good luck to me!

September's 3 in 30

Remember this? Um, yeah. EPIC FAIL. I didn't get out for 10 runs (though I did walk 35km in the Weekend to End Women's Cancers and ran one measly 8km run) and I didn't make any headway in M's future room. I did go to Value Village and dropped off some stuff one day but it really didn't make a dent. I certainly didn't stick to $130/week for groceries. Case in point? $168 today.

I'm about to post my 3 in 30 for October and hoping for better success (read: motivation).