Tasty Tuesday Link Up!

It's that time again... time for the Tasty Tuesday Link Up! Join Tiffany, Stephany, and I as we share meal plans and recipes every Tuesday. We hope you'll grab a button and join in on the fun with us! Be sure to link up below!! 

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This week I've included our weekly menu, as well as some tips & tricks that help me throughout the work week...

Living in Oklahoma, it gets tough to cook once summertime hits. It goes from nice weather in the 80's to it being HOT and in the 100's overnight. The very last thing you want to do when it's 100+ outside is to turn on the oven. So in the summer, we do lots of grilling and also lots of crockpot meals.

I will be the first to admit I can get lazy when it comes to cooking at home. However, I do know it's much more budget and health (point) friendly to do so. To avoid laziness, it helps me to do meal prep on the weekends. I usually spend an hour or two of my time to prep for the following week and it makes a huge difference for me. The prep makes dinner so much easier after a busy day the office. AND if the meals are already prepped, then there is a lot less likely of a chance we will go out to eat. I prep it all to where it's ready to go (marinate meat, cut up veggies, etc.) and all we have to do is heat/cook to eat. Along with meal prep, I also wash and cut all of our fruits and veggies for the week for easy and healthy snacking.

       

MONDAY: chicken taco salad. --click here for an easy Mexican chicken recipe.

TUESDAY: parmesan tilapia (recipe coming soon!), mushroom risotto, and green veggie.

WEDNESDAY: grilled pork chops, sweet potatoes, salad.

THURSDAY: grilled tequila citrus chicken, brown rice, and grilled veggies. --click here for chicken recipe.

WEEKEND: We picked up some steaks at the store this week, so we will probably grill out one night this weekend and have some friends over. I'm never sure of the weekend will hold when it comes to eating.  We typically eat out at least one night, and sometimes cook at home. Sunday evenings we typically eat at home, but I never know what we're having until that day usually.  I normally just plan out what we'll have during the work week to make it easier and less stressful at dinnertime after the work day.

Need something to make your meal planning easier and more fun? 

Be sure to grab a weekly menu sheet here. It's a free and easy download! 

Be sure to link up below!

ENJOY!

getting back on again...

ugh, i'm just so frustrated at myself that i don't even know where to begin with post. last week i stepped on the scale and i did NOT like what i see. i'm almost to my heaviest weight ever. ick! thankfully, my clothes still fit (my good jeans are a little snug) so i do know that some of it is muscle i've built from bootcamp, but let's be real here. if i could get my rear into gear with eating right, i should be shedding pounds the way katy works us 3x a week. 

all that being said, i'm going back to weight watchers. it's what works for ME, and i need to get 10-20 lbs off. i'm tired of being uncomfortable, and i know that if i work the program correctly that it works for me. clete has also agreed to follow the plan, because we both have some extra pounds to rid ourselves of. 

                               

so here we go... we're getting back on the wagon again. i'm hoping to keep myself motivated, and encouragement here always helps me too! i'm hoping the mr will really embrace it this time, because i know his support at home will be a HUGE help. 

this being healthy thing is a journey. it's a journey that sometimes we stray from the main road, but we must wander back to it. i'm not looking back this time, only forward. so here we go...i CAN do this! 

BBQ Ranch Burgers

Summertime is officially here! There's nothing that tastes like summer better than a great burger off the grill. This recipe is simple, and oh so tasty! I have to give my soon to be brother in-law, Kyle, credit for this recipe.  He put a little spin on my mom's summer ranch burgers, and once we tried them at our house we were fans too.  These burgers are great paired with your favorite side dishes, and a nice cold drink. They can also easily be made with ground turkey if your family prefers that over beef. They're the perfect combination for a tasty, juicy burger. Let them be the hit at your next cookout!


ingredients.

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/3 cup bbq sauce of your choice
• 1 packet dry ranch seasoning

directions.

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix together well. 
2. Form mixture into 4 patties for cooking.
3. Cook to the temperature of your liking on grill. 

*SOMETHING TO NOTE: this recipe can easily be multiplied to accommodate more people! This recipe will make 4-5 patties depending on size. 

ENJOY!

Better Wife Wednesday: Things I've Learned

Yesterday the Mr and I celebrated our two year anniversary. The journey of marriage has been a fun, challenging, and adventurous this far!

Like with any life adventure, there are some things I've learned on this journey of being a wife in my first two years...

1. Love is a choice. Love is not a feeling. It's a choice we make everyday. I choose to love my husband, even on the days it's difficult.
2. You must practice patience. When you're patient with your spouse, it makes your home a much happier place. Don't sweat the little stuff like taking out the trash and putting away the dishes, it will get done. Trust me, I've learned from my own experiences! :) 
3. Marriage is a lot like a team. The husband and wife are the teammates. In order for the team to be successful, all teammates must participate. We both give and take. At times, one might be stronger than the other but we do life together.  
4. Being married is not always easy. It's not the "happily ever after" fairy tale we read about in story books. Marriage takes hard work, time, and commitment. Being married to your best friend is a blessing, but it's not always butterflies and blossoms. 
5. The little things count. It's so often the little things that end up meaning the most to your spouse. The card or flowers for no reason at all. The fun date night planned just because. It's these "little moments" that often stick out when you think about the memories made. 

These are just some of the things I've learned during the first two years of being married. I know I still have LOTS to learn, and lots of time to share with my husband! We are looking forward to what the next many years together hold for us...

Have a great day, friends! :) I'm currently looking for guest bloggers for this series. If you would like to do a guest post for Better Wife Wednesday, contact me here.

2 years down... a lifetime to go!

It was 2 years ago today when the Mr. and I said our "I Do's." 

Happy Anniversary to us! 

It's hard to believe that two whole years have now gone by in this chapter of our life. 

Below are a few of my favorite pictures from our wedding day...

Marriage has been an exciting journey! It's not always easy, but no one ever promised it would be. The past two years have been filled with new adventures, laughter, and lots of memories have been made. There have been a few bumps along the road, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Life is good when you're sharing it with your soul mate. I am incredibly blessed with a wonderful husband. He is my rock, the source of most my laughter, and my very best friend. We've laughed together, cried together, and will always do life together. We make a team in this game of life, and we make a pretty damn good one! I'm blessed to call him my teammate.

The pictures below reflect back over the past two years, and where the journey of marriage has taken us this far. We've got 2 years down, and a lifetime to go! Cheers to our happily ever, and whatever the future brings our way!

Clete-
Happy Anniversary! Cheers to 2 years down, and the rest of our lives to go on this happily ever after!  Thank you for all you do for our little family. I'm blessed to have you as my teammate. I wouldn't want to share this life with anyone but you! I love you to the moon!! XOXo