Food Update and other things!

Last Sunday, we had my family over for a cookout.  To go cheap, we bought hamburgers and hot dogs.  It ended up not being all that cheap since we bought a ton of frozen hamburgers and really good quality hotdogs (I know oxymoron regarding the hot dogs).  Since I tend to be a major meat fan, especially steak, my goal has been to decrease the amount of meat that I ingest.  I have done fairly well with decreasing my intake of meat in general, especially steak, but I seem to get in a rut for lunches and this week I ended up eating a hamburger every day and then last night I had 2.  I know that doesn't sound too bad, but for me meat eating is such a slippery slope, that I can see myself very easily getting back into each a ton of meat and I so don't want to do that.

My newest goal is to try to decrease the amount of starchy carbs that I eat.  As with meat, if not more so, I tend to carb overload.  I have been eating pretty much little to no white starchy foods, but there are certain thing I love i.e. potatoes, Italian bread, and things like that.  I tend to eat wheat bread and brown rice which are better, but I can still over do with them.  I also tend to eat way too much butter when I have starchy foods.

I have done well with my no coffee drinking.  I think since just after Christmas I have had 2 cups and only really drank one of them.  I am really enjoying being a tea drinker and really don't miss my coffee.  I have always like tea, especially iced tea since I was raised on it my Southern grandmother.  I love tea cups and tea pots.  I love the taste of tea.  My husband and I having been buying our loose tea from Teavana, which is really good tea, but expensive.  Since we are a family of 5 living one 1 teacher's salary, we have been researching other places to buy tea.  I believe that we will be placing an order with adagio teas.  It will be interesting to see how they compare with Teavana.

The weather here, just north of Boston, is getting better.  Of course, we have a few great days then we have horrible rain.  I am starting to work on some of the gardens that we plan on having.  Right now I have just worked on starting to edge around some bushes that we already have.  I have started seeds, but I'm not sure how they are going to be when it gets to be time to plant them.  I think this year, we may have to start with plants that are already started.  Oh well, I can't have everything!

On  non-food related note, I have a few projects that I am trying to complete.  I have a couple of sundresses that I want to make for my daughter, a couple of rompers that I want to make for my sons, and I noticed today that the covers for our high chair seat are really disgusting and it says that they are not machine washable.  I am thinking that I may be able to make a pattern from the existing seat covers that I can throw in the washing machine every so often.  I have many more projects that I want to work on, but for now those are the main ones!

Oh, and I plan to have my husband put up a clothes line so that I can hang clothes outside now that the nice weather is here.  As a kids I always hated that chore, but now as an adult thinking a little more green, thinking about cost effectiveness, and thinking about how much better it is for my clothes, as well as hearing from many people that hanging the cloth diapers out in the sun helps to clear away any yeast issues, I now look forward to hanging my clothes out!

Long post, but lots to say,

Amy