And On Weeknights...

We cook!

J and I are big foodies but, when living in a city like ours, it's hard not to be! As much as we love to go out to eat, it can get pretty pricey so we came up with an agreement. 

We are trying to save money for a down payment on a house together and budgeting is going really well for us so far. We decided that we/I would cook Monday-Friday and then Saturday would be our date night out and Sundays are "family dinner night" with my parents. It works for us and I LOVE to cook-J can throw down in the kitchen as well! I also decided to start mean planning and taking my lunch to work everyday so I am not spending money on crap food at the place around the corner. 

A few food related budget tips that have really worked for us is to: 

#1 plan plan plan! Being a teacher, you should be used to having a ton of sticky notes with random thoughts and countless lists of things posted everywhere so, add one more! 

I am not a couponer. I've tried and it just doesn't work for me however, the grocery store we shop at puts a weekly ad out every Thursday and I do take advantage of those deals! I typically spend part of my Thursday break making a grocery list. I also plan our menu for the upcoming week. I am lucky because other than seafood, anything is fair game for J. 

#2 Set a MONTHLY budget for groceries and don't go over it!! 

J and I split everything equally. Rent, utilities, vet bills, groceries, etc. We each budget $175 per month for groceries. I know that $350 may seem high for a two person grocery budget but it is what works for is and what we don't use each month we treat ourselves to fro-yo dates or some kind of special treat. We usually make a grocery trip once a week and follow our list closely. Since we have started budgeting, we haven't gone over the $350! 

#3 Use what you have and get creative

There are several sites online that will allow you to type in the ingredients you have on hand and then will spit out a recipe. My favorite is: http://www.supercook.com

You can typically substitute items for ones you don't have. 

Even with being a teacher and working long hours, I always find time to cook wether it is throwing something in the crock pot before I run out the door at 730 am or starting dinner right when I get home at 6pm. 

Here are a few of the top "go to" recipes we use! (All of these are family recipes) 

1.

Ground Turkey with roasted veggies, brown rice and feta cheese. This is one of my favorite bulk meals. I will cook enough for five days and bring one container a day to work for lunch. 

2. 

Pan seared pork chops with an apple glaze, butternut squash and mixed green veggies. 

3. 

Sweet and tangy chicken cutlets with mashed rutabaga and balanced green beans. 

4. 

(J's favorite) Stuffed yellow peppers 

What are some of your go to recipes?? 

Five for Fraterday!

Y'all, I am getting horrible about posting this link up on Friday and I don't like it! I hope all of you ladies and gentlemen had a wonderful week! I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday! 

At my center, the whole month of September is the Community Helpers unit. We break it up into four weeks/categories. This past week was Doctors, Dentist, and Nurses. 

Meet the future doctors of America...

three smiling

five looking at the camera

six precious little babies

i'll take it! 

With football season in full effect, our little family is all geared up! 

yes, both of our puppies have jerseys...and collars...and food/water bowls... judge us! 

I am planning a yummy blog post for a early October complete with 5 tasty tailgating/ football party snacks and treats! 

So, on Thursday, I was startled by an overdramatic parent running into my room screaming that I had a "HUGE NAIL AND FLAT TIRE"... I (after grabbing another teacher to supervise my class) ran outside to check and took pictures for J...for those of you that don't know, 1. I know nothing about cars 2. I have an irrational fear of breaking down. He told me to relax and that I would be fine to drive home. He said to call if anything happened and he would be right there. 

Needless to say, my tire wasn't flat..at all. There was a nail but it didn't puncture completely through. 

Such a good little egg he is! 

See that charming fellow on the right? That is O. He is 18 and has recently committed himself to at least six years in the United States Air Force. He is J's brother and has become like a brother to me in throughout the course of J's and my relationship. On September 9th, he was sworn into the Air Force and left for basic training in San Antonio, Texas. I could not be more proud of him. It is a little scary to think that we won't see of talk to him until November 6th. It is scary that we don't know how the world is going and what he could face but, we are all thankful. We are thankful that men and women like him put their lives on the line each day for our safety and protection. We are proud that he has chosen to serve his country. 

My center and I are making a banner for him and thank you cards to all of the men and women in his training squadron for me to present at his basic training graduation in November. 

Speaking as a daughter and a niece of a veteran and now a "sister" to an airman, never take your freedom for granted! 

And on that note, 

Have a great weekend! 

Five for Fri-SATURDAY!

Happy Happy Saturday Y'all! I can not express what an amazing week this has been for me. I hope you all have had great weeks as well! 

I am going to jump right into this Five for Friday hosted by Doodle Bugs Teaching!

So, first, I experienced my first NFL game this past Sunday! My boyfriend is a DIEHARD.. I mean D.I.E.H.A.R.D New England sports fan. I will be totally honest with y'all, until I met him, I would wear certain team colors proudly and I would buy all the cute bows but, I didn't know squat about the game itself and before him, I didn't care. This changed because of the amount of passion J has for his teams. J goes out of his way to make a conscious effort to teach me about different plays, players, and parts of the game and I love it. I love the look he gets when I understand what he is saying and I really am beginning to enjoy it as well. 

Anyways, I bought us tickets to see the first Patriots game of the season! The Pats took on the Dolphins in Miami and although we didn't win, we had a blast! 

Second...holy baby fever! So no, we are not even close to thinking about having children but I have a serious case of the baby fever after this weekend. Ladies, I think we can all agree that seeing our men with babies/children is just heart melting. Well, this weekend, we spent a lot of time babysitting-most of the families I babysit for are super close to me and are invite J to come with. He typically does and it is so adorable.- hello photo montage:

 

These five children are all very near and dear to my heart and I am so happy/thankful/overjoyed that J takes an interest in them and their families as they all do for us. 

WHOOP WHOOP for small victories! A huge thank you to Miss Lindsey Johns- the soon to be Mrs. Lindsey Paull over at Thriving in Third for featuring me on her "Featured Teacher Friday"I now have 20 followers on Bloglovin and Blogger! 

Everyone has to start somewhere, right?

 My classroom is full of six little rock stars! This month, we are focusing on community helpers and the past week, we specifically focused on firemen and police officers. I could not be more happy with the children and parents I have this year! 

Because, it isn't a five for friday...saturday without these two. 

Oh! and to throw in a number six... I got my first cold of the year last weekend..yeah, I went to the Patriots/Dolphins game in 111* weather for four hours with a fever, sniffles, and sore throat..oh hi there best girlfriend ever! 

Dayquil, Antibiotics and lots of cough drops! 

Five for Friday!

Happy Friday Fellow Bloggers!

I feel like this week just flew by. I wish three day weekends happened every week.

Before I get into my Five for Friday hosted by the lovely Kacey at Doodle Bugs Teaching, I was selected by Lindsey at Thriving in Third for her Featured Teacher Friday! Lindsey is such a sweetheart and she is a Jill of all trades from her TpT store, to her blog designing, to her awesome teaching and ideas! Head over to her blog to see some great ideas and you can also find out more about me!

Anyways, here we go with my Five for Friday!

 My dad and I have really been trying to spend more time together and you should know, that makes my heart happy! On Saturday, we started our with breakfast by our houses and it turned into a day of fun. He bought a Tesla (all electric car) last December and they just put in a new high tech, high speed charging station in Fort Myers which is about 1 hour south of is. He was so excited to have me go see it so we 'road tripped' down there.

We also stopped for lunch at PF Changs and did a little shopping! (He's quite the model)

Ginger Panna Cotta with Strawberries from PF Changs

Modeling this seasons trendiest clothes

Big changes are a comin' my way and this quote couldn't have popped up on my pinterest board at a better time! Stay tuned to hear the big news!

So, J works six days a week and most holidays. It was a huge surprise to us both that he was off on Labor Day! We spent the day lounging around the pool with food, drinks and each other's company. (He was also such a great student and did his history homework poolside)

We finished up our Labor Day with a dinner out!

I have been bored with my hair for a long time! It has been the same for the past two years. I very suddenly decided to change that!

Hello red ombré headed Sarah!

 Whoooooo's ready for football?!?

They are!

And so are we!

For our one year anniversary, I bought J tickets to the first patriots game of the season! We will be driving down to Miami this Sunday to watch them kick some dolphin tail!

I hope you all have a fun and safe weekend!

Thanks for stopping by.