Author Archives: mlwilkie

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About mlwilkie

Software Developer, Mother, Wife with keen interest in art, design and crafts of all kinds.

Meal plan week 1

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Today is the first day of my life style challenge, and to help keep on track here’s my first week’s meal plan. We use the meal plan as a guide, we will mix up the meals depending on what we feel like but typically these are the meals for the week. This is a short week as I will typically post every Saturday.

Day Breakfast Dinner
Monday Fruit Salad with Flax seed Ratatouille Casserole + Brown Rice Pasta
Tuesday Oatmeal with grated apple + sultanas Lentil and Kale Soup
Wednesday Fruit Salad with Flax seed Vegetable Paella + Quinoa
Thursday Oatmeal with grated apple + sultanas Curried Pumpkin Soup
Friday Fruit Salad with Flax seed Falafel and Greek Salad + humus

Meals may also include fruits or unsalted Pistachios.

Budget constraints were $70; in total we spent $60 and only a portion of that contributes to my meals.  Additional groceries are being purchased for the rest of the family. In future, I can provide a shopping list if anyone is interested.

Goals for 2013: life style challenge

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I decided that I would follow others in sharing my goals for 2013. I wanted to do this in two separate entries; one for my life style goals and one for my crafting/activities etc.

Reflecting back, 2012 was a difficult year. I was sick with a chronic sinus issue from February to December. It’s amazing the side effects of what you think is just a small thing – I had constant low-grade fevers, lack of energy and concentration, sleep issues, mood swings and side effects to medication. Finally, after 7 rounds of antibiotics, 2 doctors and a ENT specialist, surgery in September, we finally found it was all caused by a strep infection under/within a single papilloma granuloma in my left nostril. Apparently, it was an unusual situation; when it all cleared and healed I had the whole ENT nurse and doctor staff congratulate me on being better – nothing like being told you are unique ;-).

While recovering from surgery, in September, I started investigating things that I could try to change in my life style, to possibly help my situation. I found Dr. Fuhrman’s “Eat to Live” book fascinating. I did make some small life style changes at that point, not to lose weight – just to see if I can feel better and create a better immune system.

I would like to take that further for 2013. My goals for my life style challenge are:

  • I am going to do a 6 week challenge using Dr Fuhrman moderate eat to live plan. At 6 weeks, I will assess and see if I make changes.
  • Keep to our weekly budget for food. My husband and I take $200 out in cash every week, $70 is allocated to food, the rest to incidentals/general expenses (does not include the mortgage).
  • Stay accountable by creating a new category in my blog for “Life style challenge”, and posting our meal plan for breakfast/dinners for each week, with recipes where possible. We typically plan our meals and go shopping on Saturday, that is when I will post.
  • Exercise 3 times a week (minimum) – I enjoyed doing the Firm express early last year, which I think is where I will start. Right now I just have to start.
  • Re-commit to reducing our TV watching to 8 hours a week.
  • Go to bed before 11pm, to get 8 hours of sleep.
  • As last year was our first year with a vegetable garden I want to continue that by planning and planting my summer vegetable garden.

Vanilla Buttermilk Pound Cake

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I have brought buttermilk several times over the last month and have thrown it out unused, something I really don’t like doing. This time determined to use it before it expires, I found a great recipe in the Cooking Light Magazine (November 2008) for Vanilla Buttermilk Pound Cake.

The recipe makes two 8×4 loafs, which I iced with a lemon icing. Next time though I would either make a plain butter sugar glaze with the vanilla buttermilk loaf, or switch out the vanilla in the loaf for lemon. Also in my oven, it did not require the full hour of baking.

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Ingredients (Vanilla buttermilk pound cake)

3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup of butter (softened)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups low-fat buttermilk

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Place the first 4 ingredients in a medium sized bowl and whisk. Put aside.
  • Place sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the sugar mixture in stages, beginning and ending with flour.
  • Spoon the mixture evenly into the two greased and lined loaf tins. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from tins. Cool completely on a wire rack.

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Ingredients (Lemon Butter Icing)

1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 lemon (finely grated lemon peel + juice from one lemon)
1 1/2 cups icing sugar (confectionary sugar)

  • Place butter and lemon ingredients into a bowl
  • Add the icing sugar in stages, so you can ensure the thickness you want for your icing. Mix together with a knife until blended
  • Apply icing to the cooled loaves with a  knife
  • Serve 🙂