That will be my motto this week. I will be honest, I may be slacking on some posting this week. My plate is full, no overflowing with tasks. We have an event at work this week on Thursday till about 10 pm that night and guess who was put in charge of a lot of it? Oh this girl. More details on this to come. Let’s get these trades a going….
Oh and of course, the winner of the Adora calcium disks is Amanda . (sorry totally forgot to put this in last night!)Email me at therunwithin@gmail.com ASAP so I can get your name to the company!
I would trade… the project overflow for some catch up. So the program I am in charge of at my full time job has things that need to be done, some revamping, normal work that would keep me quite busy to say the least. Well, an event that the older kids are doing is this Thursday and it is all hands on deck meaning I was put in charge of a huge chunk of it. Now I have two plates going, on top of working at the running store. My hours just got intense. 
I would trade… my hate of recognition for being able to celebrate the little wins. Out of the blue, my manager spoke to me at our one on one meeting saying he wanted to give me a reward for all my hard work. He said I needed to send him my top three incentive ‘rewards’. I have no idea what to say! I mean I totally love that he saw my hard work but being outwardly recognized and having a choice in that is so hard. 
I would trade… my lack of grocery shopping skills for some meal prep guru help. I already know I will run out of food before I get to shop on Saturday night. I will be scrounging the last few nights which blows. I just can’t figure out how to shop for a full week! I am lame.
I would trade… having to cancel all social plans for well, not having too. Because of the second job, I have already had to turn down an invitation to go to a ballet with college friends, hang out with my old roomie and possibly miss the blogger meet up this Sunday at the marathon. I hate that I have to say no but I have no other option. There is no way I could go to any of these due to my work schedule. I am literally working at the exact same time. I see a lot of ‘no’s’ in my future. 
I would trade… a strict sleeping schedule to some relax time. I know this sounds super childish but I have been making myself go to bed by 10 pm each night. Even if I want to stay up, be on the computer, watch tv – no negotiation, lights out. I am up at 530 each morning so I know I need my sleep but sometimes I just wish I could stay up late and chill out. I feel like I run from work to home, scarf down food and am right in bed. No decompressing time that I like. 
I would trade… a long countdown to Thanksgiving for something closer to look forward to. I hate having Thanksgiving as so far away because it is really the only thing I am looking forward to at this point now that my weekends are shot. Four weeks seems so far away! 
I would trade... scheduling to the t for some spontaneity. Yes, this girl who loves schedules for once is a little bummed every moment of her time is now on a time schedule. Making up a day to day to do list now necessary just to get through the day.
Even as forcefully as these may be… I would NOT trade
- A mom who understands how stressed I am.
- Friends who understand me not necessarily bailing on them but having to turn them down for job related responsibilities.
- Organization skills to keep me sane.
- A manager that sees how hard I am working.
- The ease of cooking squash. Without this staple my week would be SHOT.
- Legs that allow me to run each morning AND loving every second of it
Whoa, who knows what will get me through the next four weeks but when I put my mind to something – I GET IT DONE.
Questions: What would you trade this Tuesday? What wouldn’t you trade?
Roasted squash = amazing. Butternut has pretty much become my best friend.
Glad that everyone’s being so understanding with your plate so full! Hopefully the next four weeks flies by and it’ll be Thanksgiving before you know it.
And squash is like that one vegetable you can precut and keep on hand. doesn’t go bad, makes my eating when I get home from work so much easier. i am actually a big fan of carnival lately.
Look at what you won’t trade and that will help you get through it. When I’m busy life seems to fly by that much faster so maybe it won’t feel as long if you just take it day by day. And enjoy every last second of those runs. I know they keep me same!
So true, living in the moment is something that can help me get through the day rather than getting caught up in what the future holds.
So I think you’re kind of amazing, and that you’ll fly through the next four weeks no prob. I know it seems like a long time, but if you really think about it, what’s 4 weeks in the grand scheme of things? Pft. Girl, you so got this.
Good reminder, four weeks is nothing. Ps. you won the giveaway! i forgot to post it earlier, email me your address!
Here’s a quick mind dump on how I do meal planning:
First, I have a list of all the meals I like to eat in 4 categories: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Whenever I find a new recipe I want to try or come up with my own recipe, I add it to the list. This just gives me some ideas if I can’t think of what I want to eat or am feeling uninspired. Next, I make a blank grid with the days of the week on the top and the 4 meal categories on the left side. For me, the next step is to know what’s on sale. Then I fill in the grid with meal ideas from my master list that use ingredients that are on sale. A lot of times I end up thinking of something new to try based on what’s on sale. I also try to use the same ingredient in multiple meals throughout the week. I think that makes my shopping more effective and keeps me from wasting food. Like – I’ll find a few ways to use a head of cabbage throughout the week because it’s too much for just one meal. Another strategy I use is to cook multiple portions of a meal so I can just reheat the extra portions throughout the week. Casseroles and soups work well for this and so do salads and even baked meat, roasted vegetables and stir fries. I keep most of my meals really simple by sticking to a basic plan of protein + vegetable + optional starch. So, if chicken and squash are on sale then that becomes the lunch or dinner plan for a couple days. You don’t have to be too creative or cook anything outside your comfort zone to make it work.
When I first started menu planning, I thought it was hard to fill up the whole grid, but now that I’ve been doing it for a while it’s really simple. It’s not hard to get the hang of.
Feel free to ask me anything about it if you need help. In the long run, I think it’s a good skill to have.
I would trade my stress over finances for the security of more money. But I wouldn’t trade all of the extra family time we have now that my husband works from home. And I wouldn’t trade my family for anything.
. I totally relate to your appreciation for your body; I’m a yogi, not a runner, but I love what my body can do; I love being strong and flexible.
Such great advice. I like you always go for the sales. i think my hardest thing that I always run out of is affordable and cheap protein. any suggestions for that? I feel like the other things I can usually get a good price on but protein is where my wallet always suffer so i always buy less which is never good. thank you so much again Austin!
Eggs are the cheapest protein available! I eat them for breakfast and they are my go-to snack if I want extra protein. They are incredibly versitile too. Aside from frying, scrambling, poaching, boiling and making omelets they can also be added (whisked) to casseroles and soups to make them richer and thicker. They also naturally belong in many charbohydrate meals like pancakes and muffins.
Whole chickens are much cheaper than buying pre-cut breasts or thighs. Roasting a whole chicken is really easy too. Basically, you rinse the chicken, pat it dry, rub it with oil and spices and then put it in the oven for about 2 hours depending on the chicken’s size. I linked to a couple tutorials on my last post. I don’t have a roasting pan but I have improvised by putting the top of my broiling pan over a glass rectangular baking dish. I add about 1/4 inch of water to the glass pan so the fat won’t burn on the pan and I can pour it out and save it in the refrigerator to cook with later. A whole roast chicken makes 3 meals for my husband, our 16 month old (who doesn’t eat much) and myself, so I think you could get 6 meals out of one. If you save the fat for frying and the bones for making broth, then you can stretch your dollar even further. In general, meat on the bone is cheaper than boneless meat. You can save all kinds of bones for broth.
Ground meat is pretty cheap compared to steaks or chops. I use it for hamburgers and in spaghetti sauce and anywhere a recipe calls for sausage. Ground pork or turkey tastes a lot like sausage when you add some black pepper or other spices. Just brown the meat in a pan on medium heat and then add spices. It’s the same to make spaghetti sauce. I just realized you could also make meatballs with ground meat, eggs and gluten free breadcrumbs. Another way I use ground meat is to brown it in a pan and then add finely diced vegetables and spices to make something like a stir fry that can be served over rice. 2 of my favorite cominations are ground beef + broccoli + salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and onions + ground beef + red cabbage + salt and pepper. The combinations are endless.
Larger cuts of tough meat are also cheaper. Some examples are chuck, brisket and shoulder. If you look in the meat counter at the price per pound, I think you’ll find what I’m talking about. I’m just not an expert at knowing the names for all the different cuts of meat. Although these cuts are considered tough, after several hours of cooking they become incredibly tender and amazing. I know you don’t have the time to let a roast cook for 6 hours, but you can split the cooking time up over a few days by putting the meat in the refrigerator overnight and starting it again the next evening. While the meat is cooking, you could prepare a different meal using whichever of the stove top or oven which is not being used to cook the meat. One of my favorite examples of this kind of meal is corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes. I can’t reccommend that you buy pre seasoned corned beef because it contains chemicals that I’d rather not eat (I’m an unprocessed, no artificial ingredients person) but it’s easy enough to make your own corned beef spice to either rub the meat with, use in a marinade or simply add to the pot. Typical spices are mustard seed, coriander seed, bay leaf and hot pepper. I think salt is important too because corned beef is typically cured with salt. The recipe I use is this one: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/corned-beef-and-cabbage-i/ . Although you will pay more upfront for these cuts of meat, they will last you several meals. Once you’ve cooked it, you will have plenty of leftovers you can just reheat and serve.
Stew meat is cheap. It is basically the above cuts of meat already cut into smaller pieces that you can just throw into a pot for stew. You can also take any of the above cuts of meat and cut it up into small pieces yourself. This will cook much faster than the whole cut. I do stew meat + potatoes + carrots a lot and beet and beef borscht a lot.
Turkey is usualky cheaper than chicken. If you want boneless breasts, compare the price of chicken to turkey. I usually find that the turkey is cheaper.
Canned tuna or salmon is usually pretty cheap. You can make tuna/salmon salad to go on top of a green salad or in a sandwich or wrap or you can just eat it alone as a snack. You can also make fish cakes or burgers with it.
Moving away from animal based protein dry beans, peas and lentils are waaaay cheaper than meat and are packed with protein. You can find them in the bulk foods section of the grocery store. To cook dry beans you do have to soak them in water overnight, but this is so easy and it increases your body’s ability to absorb important minerals like iron, zinc and magnesium and soaking the beans also makes them easier to digest. After the beans are soaking, rinse them off, pour them into a pot, cover them with water, salt and bring to a boil, then let cook for 45 minutes to an hour. It’s a good idea to make large batches and store leftovers in your refrigerator or freezer so you can quickly reheat them later. Beans are high in sugar though, so I like to try to add some fat to a meal that contains lots of beans to keep my blood sugar from spiking as much. I do this by adding oil to the beans once they’re served (like a garnish) or adding some cheese on top. I know cheese isn’t always cheap though. I also refry beans that I have mashed in my food mill (it cost less than $15) in some olive oil, butter, or animal fat.
I’m probably forgetting something, but I hope this helps!
well you are one wealth of knowledge. Sadly, I can’t eat too many beans or legumes due to my stomach but i think I may start buying more meat. to be honest, I have not really bought any meat since moving to DC. I guess growing up basically vegetarian I never really cooked or got used to meat. in college i was vegetarian just because school meat was ROUGH. now that i am on my own I think i need to reintroduce real meat, like not just turkey bacon (cheap staple) and frozen pre made stuff. thanks for all this advice. I do miss fish and wish it wasn’t so expensive. that is one thing i have had all my life and now miss because it is not affordable.
again thank you!
You’re welcome! Cooking is really one of my passions and I love to share! I can relate so much to feeding yourself on a budget. It’s hard but possible.
Oh man, I am totally with you on fish. I grew up in South East Alaska where fish is free because it comes from the ocean. Just spend a day relaxing on a rocky beach or a boat and you can have dinner at the end of the day. Whenever we have some extra money and can afford it we get fish.
I’m actually a former vegetarian/vegan of 12 years, but you couldn’t tell that now. The first bite of meat I had was so amazing! I’m happy with what it adds to my diet.
So cool, I love learning more about you. I can’t wait to really sit down and make my budget stretch. because what I am doing now is not working at all. i am sticking to my budget but not getting the food i need at all!
Not getting the food you need is not okay! I have found that a little bit of planning does save money. I’m praying it works out for you!
I love reading your blog and learning about you too! The way you write makes me feel like we’re friends and you are so nice, hard working, positive and real! I love that your work really helps other people. I admire that!
Aw you make me blush!
Remember — this is just a temporary stage in your life. It will bridge you to security. I believe that you are capable. Stay strong, keep sleeping as much as you can. Hopefully the stress of the work is not as stressful as the stress of having to make ends meet. And if it is as stressful (or more), there’s always the option of going back to the way things were. Nothing is set in stone — your life is a story that you’re writing. Sending strength. And if you email me your address, there’s something else I’d like to send you too!
it is so true, I always think of you when I am caught up in the moment because you always have such great advice. i hope you are enjoying your time and finding some fun times even when it is hard!
Ah life sounds super hectic. I know you love your run time but what about swapping a few of them with some extra sleep in the morning? I am sure it will be much appreciated on these busy days, and at least you can stay up a bit longer at night to watch tv/be on the computer/chill out?
I just know I will drag without my runs, they get me going. Totally going. We will see though, I have been snoozing a bit more and just going into work a bit later (still earlier than most of my coworkers)
Alex, you need to remind yourself…:
how amazing of an individual you are
how this time in your life is only a small part of what’s to come in your future
how you are being noticed for your hardwork, and that alone is an amazing accomplishment and achievement
how even though your family is far away, you’ll see them soon. but for now, just try to continue embracing all the positives that are happening in your life (work, your new job, your awesome runs, more $$$)
&& did I mention how amazing you are?? i read your comments from time to time, and you inspire so many people hunnie. you are a breath of fresh air, just smile and know you are never alone!
aw jessie, seriously adore you for just taking the time to write this. i know you have a lot going on right now too but you still reach out to those around you. thank you for all these reminders.
Awe your welcome.
Theres always enough time in the day to reach out to others!
Yaya for kicking butt and taking names at work (not that I’m surprised)! But “incentive rewards,” uh, what? Ha. Maybe the “adult” thing to say would be a monetary bonus or stock options … or paid time off.
Maybe the blogger meetup could pop into the running store briefly so you could say hi to everyone? That stinks you have to miss it, but it’s not like you don’t have a legit reason.
I am hoping I can maybe book it there after work but I feel like the marathon runners will be pooped by the time I get there. I ended up asking for a visa gift card or a work from home day. both are kind of ideal and I would adore. we will see what he says.
That is awesome that you were recognized Alex!!
I literally laughed out loud on these posters!! Especially the finger one. Because lately that is totally what I feel like! Sleep is something that I need to catch up on too!
I swear these posters just made me giggle so much! I was pretty surprised but totally happy about it.
You will make it through this friend! I hope you are able to catch up on your sleep. I totally relate to half of these. Especially being stressed. Although I’m not in a college anywhere, some days are just middle finger all day days LOL
I saw that and just could not agree more, middle finger days multiple times this week. Hope you get through your busy week as well and love to hear your are able to run, slowly but surely of course!
i’d be more than happy to meal plan for you
i’m addicted to it and i have more time than you do. i think everyone in america has more time than you do, good lord girl! i know the running store is a necessity with dc being so expensive but good luck because i can’t even imagine that schedule. WAY TO GO at work. it’s awesome to always be recognized. maybe you should ask for your reward to be fruits and vegetables so you don’t have to buy them.
haha they would give me the weirdest look if I asked for that. i ended up asking for a Visa gift card or work from home days. We will see what he says. See I feel like you are super busy with school and teaching, I am blown away by it. I need to get some recipes like you have that make large batches with ingredients that are on the cheap side. My goal for this weekend.
I would NOT trade the amazing peanut flour banana pancake I had for breakfast this morning. I would trade a little more time for blog reading in the morning!
i agree, I would trade for any amount of extra time. glad you got something yummy in your stomach to start your day.
whoa I can’t believe thanksgiving is only a month away!!!
I know, seriously counting down the days.
I totally know how you feel with being super busy! It really is true when they say they’re no rest for the weary! I hope your week goes well, and when in doubt, call mom
I would NOT trade these amazing overnight oats I’m having this morning..they taste like pumpkin pie (and are super easy to grab in the morning after evening prep!). I would trade the 40 pages of reading I have to do later this afternoon!
whoa lots of reading for you but a good start always makes it that much easier. i hope I make i through the week and of course mom is on speed dial haha!
Alex, both of those someecards made me smile because that is exactly where I am today. I feel ya, girl!
I know right? These were so true to me.
I wish there was something before Thanksgiving too — it seems so far away!
Agree!
I love squash!!!! My incentives would be money, money and more money hahahaha! Thats awesome he recognized all your hard work you should be proud! I wish I had friends around to hang out with and people to walk with me!
I wish i had more time to do that, I still wish I had a running buddy. My incentive is money. totally the thing I concentrate on.
Yeah squash! It’s my easy-cooking-friend, too. And as for shopping in advance–do you plan out meals for the week before you go shopping? Do you prep meals once a week or cook ‘em all as you come? Took a while, but I pretty much have my shopping down to a science–the fridge is empty on Friday night, I fill it up Saturday morning!
no i just usually buy what is on sale and plan as I go. I never plan what I am eating at all until i get home. I just throw things in the oven and call it a day. i don’t do any prep, yep i am just not into knowing what i am going to eat. i just like having enough on hand so i can cook whatever i feel like up. but lately i just haven’t had enough food. my fridge is usually empty before i have time to go shopping which is the worst. now i know i have to shop saturday night meaning i need to go from saturday to saturday which i haven’t been able to do yet without scrounging.
Yay for getting recognized by your boss! That kind of stuff doesn’t happen often enough.
I know, I was super surprised but totally happy about.
awww you seem so busy! Just don’t be afraid to say yes sometimes especially when it comes to meeting with friends… I know I sometimes get bad with that but I always figure I’ll be happier if I see them. Thanksgiving will come sooner than you know it
I hope time just flies with this crazy schedule. I know, I need to learn to say yes sometimes and no other times. Ugh balance is tough!
You never cease to amaze me!! You are such a strong person and I love that you continue to blog about what’s going on with your life!! It may suck, it may be hard, and it may not be fun..but it has to be done and you realize that! So many people these days have NO discipline and you have enough for 10+ people!! Hang in there, take ANY time you can to just breath..even if it’s 5 minutes in the bathroom at work!
You seriously make me laugh with all your comments, thank you so much for taking the time to read. I know you are crazy busy too. Glad you don’t just get bored with my ramblings
Squash is easy to cook? Please expand on that! I need to know how to make that huge sucker I bought at the farmers’ market from today’s post!
I totally understand if you’ll be blogging less. TBH I have always wondered how the heck you find time. I can barely make 4 times a week lately! It’s so great to have underestanding friends. I have those too! I have been having to cancel plans last minute recently b/c my stomach will start randomly acting up and I don’t feel well enough for hangouts. It sucks and I feel bad but I have great friends who get it.
Again congrats on your boss recognizing you…grocery store gift card anyone?! He will think you’re so mature asking for that haha so that’s a plus too! I would recommend checking out the blog My Mission Impossible and asking her for meal planning tips. Also Danielle of Clean Food, Creative Fitness. Meal prep queens!
My DVR session last night with my mom was fun and I hugged her hard this morning before I said goodbye and again, thought of you. Good luck the rest of the week!
Hilarious but I totally asked for a grocery or visa gift card. see where my mind goes? paying bills always helps! Squash is super easy. You can keep them around without going bad, cut them the night before. I normally nuke mine for a good 6 minutes THEN roast it on 380. It takes so much less time. Way less time. I follow both of those blogs so i will have to go back and pick up tips. I saw your night tweet about family tv time, boy was I jealous!
Thanks for the tips! Will keep them in mind for when mom returns. Love that the squash can chill til then. I hope we can meet up sometime when you’re in the Boston area. I’d take the trip to beantown!
I would love to meet up, my christmas break is longer than normal (like a good two weeks)!
Fabulous! I am away though the 22nd of Dec til 12/31. Hopefully something will work out.
Heck yes, go you. Crazy overwhelming schedule but when you put your mind to something you get it done! Great quality to have. And I totally understand your grocery shopping dilemma lately! I have a crazy schedule too (reading about yours always makes me feel better) and squeezing in time to grocery shop and buy fresh produce is honestly a challenge. I’m jealous of people with time to think about and plan those things!
I know, I just am not the person who preps or plans for meals. I just never have been. I like to have what i am feeling not what i have planned. it is a challenge, my produce place is a good 1.5 miles from my apartment so that walk always takes time and it isn’t like a normal store that stays open till 11 pm.
Dude, I could totally meal plan for you. I meal plan for myself every week. I have a really detailed post about how I do it (http://accidentalintentions.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/meal-planning/) and a really detailed comment on Say What You Need to Say on how I keep my grocery bill down (http://www.saywhatyouneedtosayblog.com/2012/09/20/how-i-cut-my-900-grocery-bill-in-half/#comment-17181), but since you are the busiest girl in the nation’s capital and I, for the next couple of weeks, will be the least busy girl in Chicago, I could for sure whip up a meal plan for you at least once.
From other comments it seems that you’ve already put in your rewards requests, but man, if I were you I would’ve been all, “My top three incentives are #1: A day off #2: A second day off and #3: A third day off.” Haha. And/or a free trip to Hawaii. Either one seems reasonable to me :p
I totally asked for a visa gift card or a work from home day. i hope i get one of them. I am totally checking out yours posts! i hadn’t read your blog at the time so I will be super excited to get some necessary tips and help because i sure need it. I bow down to you queen of meal planning
Too bad those companies that deliver groceries are more expensive (and tend not to deliver late at night anyways). That would be so helpful! I’d trade my exhaustion this week….no matter how much coffee I’ve had, I just want to crawl back into bed…doesn’t make for a very productive workweek so far
I know they are more expensive and i usually buy the bulk of my stuff at a local much cheaper place than the mainstream grocery stores. i agree, exhaustion traded for anything.
That is so awesome about your boss!! It’s about time someone noticed how hard you are working. I would have no idea what to say about the rewards though. I hope you make it through the week with food!
Yes, my boss really surprised me. I can’t wait to see what he decides. it will be a long week for sure.
Thanksgiving will be here before we know it!
that is what I keep telling myself
Yeah you have a lot going on so take care of yourself. And don’t be too hard on yourself of you have to say no more often. That’s inevitable with your schedule. If you can take a little time each day to treat yourself or have me time or whatever it is try to do it cause you will need a little break each day. Hopefully the running job will be so much fun and a bit social so it will make up for less time.
I hope I find that balance, I know right now it is the beginning so I need to be patient. something I am very bad at! ha!
I am super late! I read this yesterday morning and then had to run out the door. I am like you, getting home late, eating, and wanting to crash. But as you know that is probably not possible for me as a student right now. I do try to get to bed by 12 though! I would like to say CONGRATS on the awesome comment and praise from your boss! Do realize how awesome that is??? You are truly great girl don’t tell yourself otherwise!
I was pretty pumped and totally blown away by it, he is not the one to normally give out that kind of praise which is why I think he wanted to do something for me. I know you have one crazy schedule but you seem to get everything done!
I’m a DTR, but I’ve learned to make everything manageable. Baby steps or nothing gets done. I think we are all Type A and need to learn to say no and find that balance. And Congats!
so true, I know I am type A for sure. saying no is a tough practice but something that needs to happen more.
So I do live with a male that will eat like three week old left overs… that being said I freeze everything. I will plan a few meals based on what is on sale at safeway and throw a ton in the freezer. Otherwise you throw away food which is THE WORST. I feel awful every time I do it.
Also… I long for the days in college when I could stay up til 2am watching netflix and skip my morning class.
xx
I know isn’t it crazy how going from a school schedule to work schedule has changed? I can’t believe how much I miss those days. I never have enough food for food to go bad… I miss. Thanks for the tips
my plate was full this past week too. :/ I put blogging on the backburner and I feel so bad but we all have things we need to worry about. Love your list this week … I wanna trade pretty much all the same things. oh life …
Ugh weeks like that make you happy that they are almost over, hopefully you get some rest soon