And just like that....it's October. How did this happen? It seems like yesterday that I was getting the Sweet Boy ready to go back to school. The weather until this week certainly felt more like summer than fall, but now October is upon us and we are starting to get those more normal temperatures to enjoy.
I know I am not alone in the experience that with the Fall temperatures come the fun and madness of fall sports, festivals and activities. Sunday morning I found myself in the car at 5:30 a.m. on my way to our first hockey game of the season. Some fresh brewed coffee in our new
KitchenAid coffee maker and a gluten free apple cinnamon muffin and I was good to go. There's really something about this coffee maker that brews a great cup of joe! Running Daddy and the Sweet Boy are literally sprinting through the fall, as a coach and a runner in both cross country and fall track. Unfortunately marathon #32 is in question for Running Daddy due to injury but entire family is involved in our school's 5K race. I never want "busy", such an overused word, to get in the way of family.
So here are a few things resources I am tapping into to help us through the fall:
1.
Tastefully Simple: This was going to be a busy week (ugh that word) so I took a few minutes to make some Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder from Tastefully Simple. You can easily
Good Better Best this by adding organic chicken and serving with whole grain bread.
I put in an order for more product last weekend. They have a lot of gluten free items in addition to their regular products. I bought several of the dips and soups that can be used to make skillet meals and casseroles that I can easily adapt to
Good Better Best. I usually try to cook everything from scratch but sometimes you need a little help from friends with home based businesses.
2.
Meal planning: My weeks go better when I take 5-10 minutes on a Sunday while the boys are at track practice to put our dinners on the calendar. It doesn't take that long and using what we have on hand and just helps organize my brain when we get home at night.
3. Good friends: I have been trying really hard to go out a little bit more with friends. With my health challenges it can make it tough to make plans, because often when happy hours and parties actually roll around I have to really push myself to go out. I am trying to pace myself and working hard to try to get out more. As two friends reminded me in our monthly happy hour group, if at the last minute I cannot do it...my real friends will understand. Thanks for helping me with this
Joy ladies!
4. Fall Trip: We usually travel at spring break, sometimes a big trip and often a smaller trip. We go to the beach every summer, but really the only travel I do in the fall is for work. This year, we are going to the lake for a weekend. A place we have never been. Just a tiny house for us and our dog. I am looking forward to a house on the lake, having our dog channel his inner retriever and s'mores, s'mores and more s'mores. Here's to finding
Joy by the lake.
So that's what we have on tap for this fall. Instead of getting caught up in the busy, I am working hard at embracing the
Joy.
Tell me what you have on tap for the fall? Trips? Do you have any Tastefully Simple tips, tricks or favorite products? Other meal shortcuts you find helpful? Share away!
Enjoy the
Best Food and the Best Life!