It’s been almost 2 months since my last Peek Into Our Week post — but that’s because we really haven’t had much to “peek” at!
We’ve been at home — playing, reading, watching TV, eating, baking, coloring, etc. Not a horrible way to spend our days, but definitely not all the interesting either!
Clara’s HomeT finally fits her now, so we needed a picture with all the kiddos!
However, after a very laid-back and relaxing winter at home, we are ramping up for several busier weeks ahead. Dave has parent teacher conferences and so many meetings for church and school, plus all his end-of-year busyness is right around the corner.
Nora has all sorts of extra end-of-the-year activities, events, and field trips, too. Simon is attending a 2-morning-a-week program through our local Early Childhood center, and I’m heading up a children’s choir at our church.
Add to that all the yard work we hope to tackle SOON, as well as a few house projects we’d like to do this spring/summer, and our days will be filled (in a good way!)
Thankfully, it’s staying light out longer (thanks to Daylight Savings) so it feels like we can accomplish more after dinner — maybe that’s just a mind trick though!
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The weather is finally warming up enough to take Clara outside, and since she now LOVES napping in her car seat, we’ve gone for a handful of walks over the past 2 weeks. Nora and Simon “run”, James rides his bike in order to keep up with them, and Clara and I take up the rear!
Nora has been waiting to officially break out her capris for weeks now… and although she did have to revert back to snow pants a few days after this picture was taken, she was happy to finally go barefoot for a few minutes outside 🙂
Simon is going through another growth spurt — eating and sleeping like crazy.
He and Clara take afternoon naps while James and I hang out and play Trouble, Candy Land, or Gak.
Oh, and in case you missed it, he celebrated his Golden Birthday 2 weeks ago!
James is all-of-a-sudden a big boy.
He is fully potty trained (even at night) and sleeping in a big boy bed. He can usually get himself dressed, and is becoming very self-sufficient! As you’ll see below, he’s even taken up reading to entertain Clara (he calls her “Clairey”).
Clara is almost SIX MONTHS OLD!
She loves sucking her pointer finger, she randomly started going to bed super early about a month ago, and she almost never makes noise unless she’s getting tired and wants to be held.
She rolls all over the place, she smiles ALL the time, and she loves her jump-a-roo.
This girl is a dream baby, my friends — she (almost) makes me want another one!
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I’m getting antsy to be outside and do some yard work. It’s just been too cold so I haven’t ventured out yet — but soon!
I also decided (on Valentine’s Day) that I was going to lose my last 8-10 pounds of ‘baby weight’ once and for all… and I did it!
I have no special magic weight-loss tips… just normal stuff like cutting out candy (I ate a lot of candy!), not snacking unless it’s a very nutritious snack, and eating tons and tons of veggies every day.
I also started using the Noom Coach Free app, which has been extremely helpful for me. Noom offers daily tips and advice to increase my health and nutrition while learning more about how my body works, what makes my metabolism speed up or slow down, how hormones and phycology play a role in my weight, etc. The app has me chart my weight every morning and track my calories throughout the day (a.k.a. it keeps me accountable!)
Oh, and I bought a spiralizer on a flash sale from Amazon!
Dave and I LOVE zucchini noodles!
I honestly don’t think I look or feel any different, but my clothes fit better and my shorts from 2 years ago (before I got pregnant with Clara) fit — so I’m happy I won’t need to buy new shorts just because I didn’t lose the weight! 🙂
What I’ve Been Watching and Reading:
Besides a few episodes of Wheel of Fortune, I honestly haven’t turned the TV on or “opened” a book on my phone in weeks — maybe months.
Dave, on the other hand, has been enjoying March Madness, thanks to purchasing a month’s worth of SlingTV!
I did see that the new series of Call the Midwife starts next on March 25 — so I’ll definitely try to watch that… but I most likely won’t make much time for watching TV or reading until mid-summer, when I get tired of working outside because it’s too hot!
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Our Weekly Menu:
SUNDAY:
- Pancakes
- Bacon and sausage
- Veggie, spinach, and cheese omelets
- Fresh Fruit
- Cinnamon Rolls
MONDAY:
- Pea soup with ham
- Semi-homemade bread
- Lettuce salad and raw veggies
- Fresh Fruit
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
TUESDAY:
- Beef Roast
- Mashed potatoes and gravy
- Roasted veggies (asparagus, carrots, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, zucchini)
- Applesauce
- Fresh Fruit
- Chocolate pudding (made with Avocado, and actually really tasty!)
WEDNESDAY:
- Tatertot casserole
- Roasted veggies (asparagus, carrots, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, zucchini)
- Applesauce
- Fresh Fruit
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
THURSDAY:
- Salmon (chicken for the kids)
- Zoodles (zucchini noodles — I used this recipe)
- Roasted Veggies (asparagus, peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, zucchini)
- Applesauce
- Fresh Fruit
- Ice Cream
FRIDAY:
- One-Skillet Mexican Rice Casserole
- Chips, Salsa, Guacamole
- Lettuce Salad
- Raw veggies
- Fresh Fruit
- Brownies
SATURDAY:
- Burgers
- Potato Wedges and sweet potato wedges
- Stir-fried veggies
- Brocoslaw
- Fresh fruit
- Peanut butter blossoms
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Dave and Nora are both excited for Spring Break in less than 2 weeks. We won’t be traveling anywhere, but I’m certain we will enjoy a little extra down-time at home.
And then… the countdown to summer begins!
Mary Lynn says
I love your recipe ideas – I use SO many of them! My husband actually laughs sometimes as I’ll mention when I’m cooking something new…”well Andrea Dekker tried it so it must be good!”
Quick question – when you have all the roasted veggies on the side,for instance on your Wed meal: Roasted veggies (asparagus, carrots, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, zucchini) are you roasting them all together the same way or using different methods for the different veggies (like doing the asparagus separately and doing another pan for the carrots etc.)? Just curious! Thanks so much!
Andrea says
Thanks Mary Lynn,
I do all these veggies together — on a large roasting sheet (I think I have it pictured in the post)
I just start with the veggies that take the longest to cook, and add others as the time goes on. Everything finishes together.
jen says
Hi Andrea,
As a human health coach, I am so glad to see that you got great tips from that health coach app. Reducing refined sugar is important but increasing veggies is totally key! If everyone stuffed themselves with veggies at each meal they would feel fuller longer, get more vitamins and minerals, increase their energy and most likely eat less of the “bad” stuff! Congratulations!
Becky says
You look great! I’m interested in the Noom app. Did you do the class?
Andrea says
I didn’t even know there was a “class” so no 🙂
Debbie says
Wow! You lost 10 lbs in a month! I’ve been trying to lose some too but it’s been super slow. I may not be as self disciplined in not eating sweets as you. My sweet tooth is a curse. . I love the picture of the kiddos. Congratulations on leading the children’s choir for church. You’re now on a new season of adding more volunteering in life.
Andrea says
yes, I was thrilled — but remember, I’m nursing too, so the weight probably comes off easier for me right now!
Also, I truly do love veggies, so it’s not a hardship for me to eat them in mass quantities at every meal 🙂
The sweets has been more difficult for me, but it’s easier when I see good results!
Luba @ Healthy with Luba says
Andrea, I didn’t know you had such musical ability. Congratulations on directing the children’s choir!
Your zucchini noodles look amazing. Eating lots of low-sugar veggies is the perfect way to lose weight, along with drinking lots of water.
One of my resolutions for this year is to eat more salads. We’ve actually been eating them for breakfast. It must be a weird European thing. 😉
Andrea says
haha — not weird at all. I think Salads for breakfast are more “normal” than disgusting Taco Bell for breakfast (it’s a thing now!)
And yes, the zucchini noodles are amazing. I honestly prefer them over regular noodles! So tasty!
Chris K in Wisconsin says
Don’t you just love a pan of roasted veggies? One thing I learned this winter is you can roast FROZEN veggies. I have done cauliflower and broccoli… mostly to save time and mess, or when I had a taste for them and didn’t have the “fresh”. It was a wonderful day when I found that out!! If you like sweet like a candy veg ~ try adding some cherry or grape tomatoes in the pan. They kind of explode and are incredibly juicy and sweet. Great over zoodles or noodles!! Congrats on the weight. The kids are surely growing up!
Andrea says
yes, I’ve always enjoyed roasted veggies, but felt like they took too long to roast (some do take a while). Now, I’m just in the habit of cutting up tons of veggies at some point in the afternoon, and getting them in the oven plenty early so we can enjoy them at dinner. The leftovers are so great for lunch the next day too!
Angela says
I’m so surprised that you had a spell of such nice weather in Michigan – I thought your weather would be similar to ours! Here in Minnesota we haven’t had anything close to that. There’s still some snow here (and probably more in the forecast before spring arrives for good) and still winter coats – no spring coats just yet. Last year we had a really nice taste of an early spring though, so we were spoiled. 🙂
Andrea says
yes! there were 2-3 days when the kids were outside without coats! It was fantastic.
We still have a little big of snow hanging around yet, but I dont’ think we’re supposed to get anymore (fingers crossed!)
Kate says
I’m hoping for a future post on the zucchini “noodles!” This is something I’ve been wanting to try.
Andrea says
look them up on Pinterest — there are hundreds of SUPER simple recipes! But yes, I’ll probably share one too in the coming weeks!!
Nancy says
I enjoy your update posts. It seems like, for families with school-age kids and/or jobs in education, May is every bit as busy as December. Good luck with all of it.
Andrea says
yes, April and May are always busier than other months. I can’t even imagine how busy things will be once our kids are playing sports and doing other extra curricular activities with concerts, games, practices, etc. Sigh…
Sam says
Hi Andrea!
I looked up your blog this weekend after listening to your podcast interview with Lisa Woodruff. I am totally hooked and have been scrolling through your posts all weekend.
I’ve been wanting to try zoodles for a long time but haven’t been able to make the switch (I love regular noodles!)
Andrea says
yay — glad you found me through Lisa!! Her podcast is amazing!
And yes, the zoodles are so good — just try them. They are SO easy and their are hundreds of super simple recipes on Pinterest!
Mandy says
Great job on losing the last bit if weight. It’s always the hardest, but makes a huge difference! Can’t wait for call the midwife. It’s the best. I wish Chummy was still a main character. She’s my favorite.
Andrea says
I loved Chummy too — and of course, the original cast of main characters too. Still a great show though!
Ann says
Which spiralizer did you get and do you like it? Looking for one for a gift for someone.
Andrea says
it should be linked in the post
Jenn says
I see on the Amazon link that it’s 28.99. My co-worker says she got some kind of small handheld spiralizer from the dollar store so I thought I’d try that first.
Andrea says
Yes, I got the “flash deal” so it was less expensive — that said, I have tried a hand spiralizer and the one I purchased on Amazon is SOOOO much better, faster, easier, etc. We use ours a lot, so it’s worth it — if you’re just going to use it every once in a great while, a hand one might be sufficient!