Happy Memorial Day!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! = Long Weekend!!

Today

Mostly Sunny

High

97° F

Precip: 10%

The weather is beautiful today here in Dallas and Rene and I are getting to enjoy a day of nothingness (well almost nothingness -- the laundry won't do itself right?). But nonetheless we are putting aside most of the things we should be doing and having a relaxing day with the pup and the pool.

Lots of things have happened this past week which I will have to fill you all in on this week but for now enjoy your Memorial Day and the long weekend and remember it's not all about hot dogs and picnics.

As Wiki states: Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 31 in 2010). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. soldiers who died while in the military service.^[1]

So happen Memorial Day, enjoy your time with family and friends!

Week 1 Going Organic

Week 1 of our little test run of the organic way has not been that much different really from the general foods that we buy. Proteins and veggies!

But I will say that we did spend about $20 more at the grocery store than normal and then added a little more at the farmer’s market. Nonetheless I know that it is healthier for us so in the long run healthier lifestyle > more money out of my pocket!

A few things though that I must say I was surprised by.

1. Chicken of course is the most expensive organic meat that we bought. But this was expected however rather than getting the boneless and skinless breast we took a risk and go the bone in skin on chicken for just $2.99 per pound. Throw them on the grill and they didn’t dry out or anything and they were great! A little more meat than I generally eat but all and all I was happy!
2. The fish was actually reasonably priced compared to our normal grocery store which was a little shocking to me….
3. Our farmers market is great! It will be my new grocery store for sure! And the best part is that is it open almost every day a year. They farmers from all over Texas with loads of fruits and veggies.

So all in all a breakdown of week 1….
WholeFoods:

4 chicken breasts
Yellow Squash
Baby Portobello mushrooms
Asparagus
Broccoli
4 steaks
2 pork chops
Pita Chips
Cucumbers
Celery
OJ
Milk
Yogurt (10 single serve)
Large Yogurt
Sugar free Soda
Popcorn
2 pieces of Tilapia
Bottle of Red Wine
16oz Blackberries
Spinach Spaghetti
Pasta Sauce (jarred)
Organic Salad Mix – the one downfall of this was that it did go bad quicker than smaller “FreshExpress” that Rene normally buys
2 great make your own salads from the salad bar for dinner that night
= $118

Farmers Market:
3 Mangos
1lb Strawberries
5 large Vidalia Onions
1lb of Jalapenos
2 Avocados

= $ 12

So we will be making a habit of our new shopping trips for sure WholeFoods on Friday and Farmers Market Saturday Mornings. With only the one downfall of the salad for Rene’s lunches I think it is a great move.

Going Organic

This year I have slowly started to integrate more “green” items into our apartment (changing light bulbs, changing cleaning products ect) as well as trying to add in slowly organic foods. Yesterday I started thinking about going as Organic as possible for the next 3 weeks at the Blanco house.

I don’t think that this will really be a huge change from our typical “menu” but it will of course more than likely increase the amount spent each week. But with all of the benefits that you can find now about eating organic it is hard to really deny the benefits outweigh the costs of changing our lifestyle.

Everything that I have heard about the ways to look for cheaper options for organic foods is to get away from the typical grocery store that you usually use. The main reason is that the costs of the organics are generally almost as high as 2 times more at the general grocery store compared to a store that stocks a large number of organic or non-processed foods (ex. Whole Foods, Farmers Markets, and Central Market).

So that being said Rene and I are going to be starting our organic menu this coming Monday for about 3 weeks to see how things change.

For those of you that may be thinking about eating more organic and are worried about a huge increase in your budget for food start slowly. We started with little things. Coffee is apparently one of the most laden with pesticides and chemicals so switch to an organic type, while you are at it why no swap out the creamer to an organic half and half or milk as well? Dairy products are another grouping of foods that should be switched out to organic. We added organic/non-processed yogurt to our list because it is a staple for me.

Next on the line would be to switch to organic meats. This is generally the most costly but to put it simple chicken with a bunch of hormones and additives make the chicken fatter, what makes you think that it won’t do the same to you?

Then fruits and vegetables swap these that you eat a lot out to organic as well. Most important are those that do not have a thick skin or a rind that you do not eat. Those fruits that have thick skin (if the skin is discarded) are a bit more protected by their skin from some of the pesticides.

So there’s the basics of what we are hoping for and our new little mission is to eat organic from here on out…I’ll keep you posted on how things go and post some ideas along the way as well!

Have a great weekend!

6 Months Ago...

As I sit here writing this and realize it is a post about the first six months as Mrs. Blanco I cannot believe that Rene and I have been married for a half year (as of tomorrow!)!! It is amazing how time flies! With that being said I decided that due to the overwhelming number of times I’ve hear “so how’s married life” from friends, family, and co-workers that in celebration of our 6 month anniversary this post would be about some things that we have realized along the way in these first 6 months. Though little has changed from dating life to married life for us there are some things that I have come to realize and also look back on about the wedding and everything leading up to it.

So what have I looked back on after the wedding???

1. Did everything go the way I planned for the wedding??

Absolutely not, but in the end I realized that it didn’t matter much at all. We had people there who loved us and in the end does the design of the cake matter that much or is it the stories that everyone has to remember about the week? I do not believe the cake made that big of an impact.

2. Would I do it different if I did it all over again (traditional vs. destination wedding)?

Nope, I loved the fact that our ceremony was simple, the wedding festivities lasted 4 days and that we had friends and family there who really truly wanted to be there regardless of where we were getting married. Having a small group of friends made it that much more memorable about we took a little something from every guest that was there and have a great memory from our wedding cruise.

3. One thing I would do differently for someone planning a destination wedding?

I had a couple of people ask me this and it’s hard to say really. I guess that my main thing is I think that we gave the guests too much information in our invite. As silly as it sounds putting all of the details in one place for people makes them lazy…that being said the majority of people who didn’t come because they were worried about the cost never even got onto the cruise website to realize that you could pay a little here and there for 1 year prior to the sailing date and that the total was not necessary in one lump sum. Oh well you live and you learn…so my advice for anyone thinking destination wedding, do not provide all of the information up front on paper-it just gives people an excuse without looking into things on their own.

And then the married life questions….

1. So how’s married life?

It’s just as great as dating life and engaged life…I get to hang out with an amazing guy for the rest of my life how much better does it get than that?

2. What has changed?

Oh you mean other than the fact that I never tried to write Megan Blanco (I know, every girl does this but I really did not even think about it...until it was too late) before having to sign it on my driver’s license so it looks like a 4 year old wrote it? Or the fact that when I talk to potential clients at work now I feel like I am lying when I say my name is Megan Blanco? LOL no but really aside from the obvious name change (which as you can tell I am still getting used to) little has changed. We have a joint bank account now…but other than that not too much.

I have realized that one of the best things for Rene and I was to live together before we got married. We know how the other operates on a daily basis, when he needs his time and when I need mine. I know that he leaves the cabinets open after he grabs a cup, and he knows that yes he must suffer through General Hospital on DVR with me when I get home (even though he knows he hates to miss an episode). He knows and accepts the fact that I shed, yes a lot and I can’t help that, just as I know he makes a mess around the sink in the morning washing his face….but it is a part of the routine and what makes us “us” and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t think that living together made a difference in terms of taking something away from us being married over just dating, I think that it made our relationship what it is and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

So here is to the first half year of our soon to be long and happy marriage!

Girl On Top

While I do not have a huge amount of time now with school to read for leisure, I have tried to get at least a chapter of something other than text book reading in every couple of days. I just actually finished a really great book something completely out of the ordinary for me a business/self-helpish book that I really enjoyed!

I came across this book through my sorority’s alumni chapter. The author was in Dallas and the chapter actually went to a signing a couple of months ago when she was in town. I was not able to attend however when I was searching for my next read I remembered the semi-risqué title, Girl On Top written by Nicole Williams a career expert, writer and public speaker. I loved it! It takes some of the basic dating tips that we all know and love or loath in some cases and shows how they relate to being a women in the business world.

I would highly recommend the book for any young women out there who are looking to move up within the ranks of the “man’s world”. Nicole also has a great blog and newsletter that you can subscribe to on her website. If you are looking for an easy read which not only has points that make you laugh but that you can also learn something from and enjoy go out and grab a copy or of course as I do, download it to your handy Kindle for your next read!