Another week with the Gray's: Food Edition!

I had such good feedback from my last food post, that I'd thought I'd do it again. This time I used my camera instead of my Iphone for the pictures, so maybe they will be better quality, haha! If you would like to see my first post, you can do so here. The first post gives a lot of information about where I shop, how much I spend, and what all we eat during a week. Again all things are organic unless stated otherwise and I spend roughly $130/week to feed our family of four.

Day 1

Breakfast: Cascadian Farms organic cereal (with organic whole milk). Both boxes were about empty so one got chocolate and the other got the honey nut. They also had kiwi with fresh blueberries

 Lunch: I made half a grilled cheese and half a peanut butter and jelly because they each wanted one or the other, but I knew they would want what the other had if I made it different, ha! They also got some pickles, a plum, and Simply Balanced fruit strip (not organic, but non-GMO)

Dinner: Tonight's dinner was all done on the grill. I made foil packets for the brussels and the potatoes. The potatoes I just diced and added an onion, olive oil, and salt and pepper. The brussels have olive oil, and S&P. The kielbasa is Coleman brand from Natural Grocers. It's fully cooked, so it only takes about 5 minutes on each side. 

Day 2

 Breakfast: Today's breakfast was a little bit of a treat because I got a box of organic toaster pastries on clearance. They also each got a tropical smoothie made with mango, banana, strawberry, coconut milk, chia seeds, honey, and oats.

 Lunch: Ants on a log made with almond butter, Barbara's cheese puffs (not organic, but non-GMO), mango and strawberries, and Natural Grocers brand yogurt covered almonds.

Dinner: I grilled wild caught Alaskan salmon on the grill in a foil packet with just butter, dill, and S&P. I also made Simply Balanced brand organic macaroni and cheese. I grilled the carrots on the grill in foil after marinating them in dijon, blasmaic vinegar, thyme, and salt and pepper. They also had kiwi.

Day 3

 Breakfast: I made overnight oats which is a very simple and yummy breakfast. You combine 1/2 cup of oats with 1/2 cup of milk, 1 T plain yogurt, 2 tsp honey, splash of vanilla, a handful of raisins, a handful of sliced almonds, and a good sprinkling of cinnamon. Leave in the fridge overnight and eat cold the next morning. It reminds me of granola with yogurt. You can add in different combinations to get different flavors. Peanut butter with banana is another good one or blueberry with almond, etc. They also each had a banana with their oats.

 Lunch: Tuna salad made with celery, onion, Just Mayo brand mayonnaise (vegan), mustard, and S&P. They also got Late July brand organic crackers, organic grass fed sharp cheddar cheese, and strawberries with blueberries.

Dinner: This was Imagine brand organic potato and leek soup with grilled cheese and raspberries. The soup was vegan, but we added a dollop of sour cream to the top.

Day 4

 Breakfast: This morning the girls decided to sleep in late, so I made a slightly bigger breakfast and we did without lunch (just snacked) today. They each got a frozen organic and gluten free waffle with almond butter and organic syrup, scrambled eggs, and blueberries.

Dinner: Aaron and I had some leftovers from last week for dinner tonight (they needed to be eaten up!), so I made frozen organic chicken nuggets for the girls. They also got cheese, roasted broccoli, and strawberries.

Day 5

 Breakfast: Smoothies again! This time I combines fresh squeezed orange juice with frozen banana, yogurt, milk, oats, chia seeds, and honey. They also got toast with jelly.

 Lunch: I made these frozen cheese pizzas (Plum brand, uses a lot of organic ingredients) for lunch today. they also got peas and mango and blueberries.

Dinner: Everything was done on the grill today! I sauteed mushrooms, potatoes and onions, corn on the cob, and organic grass fed steaks (bought on discount at NG). I topped them with some super sharp Irish cheese. The girls also had fruit. There were leftovers of steak, mushrooms, and potatoes, so I made a frittata that we had for another dinner. The steaks are not something we normally buy because of the steep price, but being that it made two full dinners, I think it was a good deal.

Day 6

 Breakfast: Plain, full fat yogurt (Nancy's brand) with raw local honey. I topped it with Cascadian Farms organic granola and some frozen blueberries.

 Lunch: The girls requested macaroni and cheese again, ha! They also had frozen peas and mango. They love eating frozen peas!

Dinner: I made cheese quasadillas and served them with rice and black beans (seasoned with cumin, paprika, garlic, cilantro, and chili powder), tomatoes, and grapes.

Day 7

 Breakfast: Today's special treat was this yogurt (gingered pear flavor) and they loved it. They also had strawberries and blueberries.

Lunch: Tuna salad again (made the same as before). Served with cheese, Back to Nature spinach crackers (not organic), and grapes.

Dinner: We went out to eat for this meal! We try to only go out to eat once a week. We also try to pick a local restaurant or some place that has good organic options.

Grocery List

Dairy 1. Butter, no salt 2. Cheese, specialty 3. Eggs 4. Milk, whole 5. Sour cream 6. Yogurt, plain 7. Yogurt, specialty	Vegetables 1. Broccoli 2. Brussels sprouts 3. Carrots 4. Celery 5. Corn 6. Mushrooms 7. Onions 8. Potatoes 9. Tomatoes	Sea Food 1. Salmon 2. Tuna
Meats and Deli 1. Steak 2. Kielbasa	Canned Goods 1. Beans, black	Snacks 1. Barbara's cheese puffs
Bread & Baked Goods 1. Sandwich bread 2. Tortillas, flour	Fruits 1. Bananas 2. Blueberries 3. Grapes, red 4. Kiwi 5. Mangoes 6. Oranges) 7. Plums 8. Raspberries 9. Strawberries	Frozen 1. Berries and Tropical fruit blend 2. Chicken nuggets, organic 3. Pizza (Plum brand) 4. Waffles
Packaged Goods 1. Crackers 2. Mac&cheese 3. Potato and leek soup 4. Rice, long grain 5. Raisins 6. Toaster pastries	Condiments & Sauces 1. Jelly 2. Peanut butter 3. Pickles 4. Syrup 5. Honey 6. Just Mayo 7. Mustard	Baking Supplies 1. Oatmeal, regular 2. Oil, Olive (Virgin) 3. Almonds
Cereals 1. Organic cereal 2. Organic granola

Every summer has its own story...

We've had quite the fun and busy summer! We've been spending time at the pool, splash pad, zoo, among other things. We are gearing up to start school the first week of August. I'm going to use most of next week to plan out our schooling for the first few months. It was nice to take a couple weeks off and just enjoy summer, but I can tell Tae is ready to be back at it. Here are some pictures of our last few weeks.

 Hensley is in love with our kitties. She is always giving them hugs and kisses and talking with them. Stanley will be turning 12 this year and I've had him since he was just a few weeks old!

 We had a cool front come through the other week, so we took the opportunity to head to the zoo. It was quite crowded, but we had fun none the less.

 We recently got two new elephants from Seattle and it was fun to see them all socializing together!

Tae has shared her passion for Littlest Pet Shops with Hensley and this day they decided to bring them all down stairs and dump them all over the floor, ha!

 We had a busy 4th of July. We went to the Farmer's Market and enjoyed some Katiebug's shaved ice. We also cooked out dinner and went and watched fireworks nearby. Hensley and Tae both enjoyed the show and getting to stay up late.

 We met up with my sweet friend from high school and her son at the Myriad Gardens. They live in Texas now, but it was so nice to see them and catch up.

 Hensley loves playing in the dirt, but she doesn't so much like getting dirty, ha!

 At our recent family night, my sister brought her recent foster pup. It was this tiny (4 lb maybe) puppy. The kids had a blast playing with her. They also enjoyed swimming and having a water balloon fight.

 Hensley is not a fan of having her hair messed with. She wont wear hair clips or a pony tail. I was quick with this one and took a picture, but she pulled it right out. I think she looks so cute with it though!

 Aaron bought a new grill as part of his father's day gift. We've been using it a lot and it helps with keeping the house cool in the evenings. This was a spicy lemon paprika chicken with local potatoes and squash. So very yummy!

 These girls are so, so silly! Even though, at times, they can annoy each other and pick on one another, they still have lots of fun. They get into wrestling matches and use their silly imaginations to come up with little games to play.

 Here they are wearing their backpacks and going on an adventure. Hensley likes to pretend to be Dora :)

May they forever be best friends and share in the adventures of life together. I know, from experience that blood doesn't always mean forever, but I pray that it does for these girls.

Gray't Summer Adventures!

It's finally gotten fairly hot, so we've been doing things to keep cool!

 The girls have endless imaginations. They can pretend to be anything and don't even need any toys to play with. 

 We love, love, love that we have a pool in our complex! We are also the only ones there when we go and it's so nice. 

 Hensley putting on sunscreen.

 We got Hensley a little Puddle Jumper, but Tae likes it more than she does. 

 Sweet little Hensley! She doesn't always want to give kisses, but she is a sweetie. When you ask for a kiss and she doesn't want to she says, "no, thanks!" At least she is being polite, huh?

 I like having the girls in the kitchen when I'm cooking (as long as their helping and not in the way, haha). We got these green beans at the market and they helped me prep them for dinner. I think it's awesome that they are learning where our food comes from and helping cook too,

 Daddy has been working overtime and they also changed his schedule to accommodate the summer. So, instead of getting home at 4, he gets home at 6. I think Hensley has been missing him a little bit and loves cuddling with him when he gets home.

 We met up with Aaron's mom last weekend. She had hurt her back and had to miss Hensley's birthday party, so she brought presents too!

 Hensley is all about Dora and was tickled at the Dora doll and dress up clothes gramma brought.

 We don't get to see her too often, but the girls sure love it when we do.

 We had fun playing at the park and then we went and had Mexican for lunch.

 Aaron even got in on the swinging. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time.

 Tae had been wanting to swim with daddy, so we spent a good deal of time swimming on Sunday. 

 I love that Hensley still loves to be worn. I strapped her to my back while at Natural Grocers and she was out within 5 minutes. So precious!

 We finally got the chance to try Roxy's icecream. They started as a food truck, but now they have a brick and mortar location. Tae got cookies and cream in a cone, Hensley had a scoop of chocolate, and Aaron and I shared the mocha sundae. It was delish!

 More cuddles with daddy!

 I took the girls downtown to visit the Myriad Gardens water features. They have a huge fountain that rains down and spurts up with thunder and rain forest sound effects. Hensley is still not much for having water in her eyes, but she did love playing with the water that came up from the ground. She would run back to the bench and sit with me every time it would shut off. Tae made a little friend, so she was off and playing with her the whole time.

 We then walked a short bit over to their other water feature which is more subtle. Hensley had way more fun running around this one!

 We had a picnic lunch of peanut butter, plantain chips, fruit strips, and berries.

 We then took some halved grapes we had brought and went and fed the ducks and the fish. The ducks didn't seem too impressed with the grapes, but the fish really seemed to like them,

I took this picture the other night while walking the lake with a friend. I go twice a week and we walk about 2.5-3.5 miles. It's really nice to sneak away and have some exercise and adult conversation every once in awhile. It's also bonus points that I get to enjoy God's beauty right here in the heart of  Oklahoma :)