Wildtree really ramped up my meal prepping game!

I made a post several months ago now about how I have started using Wildtree products.

If you don't know, Wildtree is an organic food company that specializes in healthy and wholesome food products such as oils, seasonings, mixes, dressings, and more. They offer many meal plan options to make fast, fresh, ahead, and anytime! These bundles are wonderful breakfast, lunch and dinner options and now that I've tried more I want to share them with you ❤

Here's a short list of things I have tried in the last year

• Basil Pesto Sauce
• Beef Stew Seasoning
• Chipotle Ranch
• Cranberry Poppyseed Dressing
• Guacamole Seasoning
• Kids Cheez Blend
• Lasagna Skillet Meal 
• Pot Pie Skillet Meal
• Robust Tortilla Soup
• Rancher Steak Rub
• Taco Seasoning
• Alfredo Extraordinaire 
• Vanilla & Chocolate Balanced Meal Shake
• Primal Goodness Freezer Workshop Bundle 

Make Fresh

I have tried several of Wildtree's single item products and have loved every single one. From their taco seasoning, alfredo mix, pesto sauce, cranberry poppyseed dressing - I haven't found one I haven't loved. The biggest bonus about these products is that you can actually read what's on the labels! None of that weird crap and ingredients you can't read - so you know it is healthy for you! 

I love using their products and not having to feel guilty for the "extra calories" or "extra crap" that could be added to a meal when you add an oil or seasoning. The ingredients are healthy and the nutritional facts blow you away. The taco seasoning is my favorite example. I find the flavor way better than a packet you could get in a store and way better stuff.

Just take a look at their website to see what I'm talking about!

           OR download the Wildtree app and use my referral code Q2M8N 

                 *You could earn $5 off your next order if you order $50 on your first order!

Make Anytime 

 Wildtree recently just released their brand new vanilla and chocolate shake powder! ...Totally look it up and see what it's all about.

There are so many wonderful recipes included in the app and you should give it a try.

The ingredients are wonderful with a lot of fruits included! Less than a gram of sugar, plenty of protein, low calorie, and can be used as a meal replacement. And healthy to boot!

I have been loving the Wildtree Wellness Shakes so far and you should totally check it out!

Download the app and use my referral code found above 🠝

Make Ahead 

One of the things I have been dying to try was Wildtree's freezer meal bundles - there are many options (including vegetarian)! In a bundle, you get several full-sized Wildtree products with different recipes to prep using a combination of the products. The bundle instructions give you a detailed grocery list and exactly what to freeze at the time of prepping - with full instructions on how to thaw and cook what you have prepped! It makes it all easy...and it does save quite a bit of time!

I chose the Primal Goodness bundle since I liked what the products were and the other recipes I found in the app. 

Instead of making up all of the recipes at one time, I made only 4 since I don't normally need to prep that far in advance (about a month's worth was plenty!). It's simple since you chop up vegetables, throw in the seasonings and oils with the meat and freeze it for whenever you're ready! You're mouth will water when you start to smell it when it thaws in the fridge. I prepped Latin Lettuce Wraps two times, Hickory Adobo Chicken, and Mediterranean Roasted Veggies and Chicken. 

I have tried the hickory adobo chicken and loved it! The best part was all I needed to do was throw it onto a sheet pan and call it good. 

At first, I was a little apprehensive about giving Wildtree a try but I am sure glad I did. It has proved to be healthy alternatives to the things I normally eat and help considerably with meal prep. The bulk savings on ingredients plus knowing I am eating way better "stuff" makes it all worth while! 

Thanks Wildtree ❤

Latest Lunch Meal Prep & Recipe Trials

I originally planned to make one long post about my recent meal prepping shenanigans, but there has been so much recently that I needed to split it up a little bit more! 

**Stay tuned for a post in a couple days about how Wildtree has continued to help me with my meal prepping 😃

If you have read any of my last posts, I am still pretty new to the meal prepping game but I am getting so much better! Generally speaking, I use my weekends to think through what I will be cooking/eating for the week. When I grocery shop, I think about my meals and try to think ahead for a few dinners (so I can go a good couple weeks before having to go again). 

I usually make one large meal for the week and then plan for some leftovers but those leftovers also sometimes get used for lunches. The way I get the "one large meal a week to work" is because of a few factors. I am lucky enough to join my fiance's family on some of the weekend days for dinner which saves me a little bit! I also take the time, however, to cook/plan out single size dinner meals.

What I mean by this, is that I'll intentionally cook up meals on the weekends and split it into 3-4 single serve meals to pull out for that random Thursday night...it's too late in the week to cook up another big thing and I'm usually tired so I can just quickly reheat it!

Single-Serve Dinners

I will make up a pack of chicken or a few pork chops and then roast a pan of veggies and voila! With a few good seasonings and oils - this is a fantastic meal that is easy to reheat and tastes great. Plus it changes up my meals enough since I have one every couple weeks! 

Anything but Sandwiches 

As you may remember, I don't like to eat sandwiches. A good sub is always great but plain sandwiches can get really boring after a while and I could never use the lunch meat fast enough so I knew I needed to start planning other things. 

Chickpea Bowls

• Chickpeas seasoned with olive oil, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and whatever else I feel at the time! 
• Veggies seasoned with olive oil, garlic, and a salt blend (I typically roast sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, zucchini/squash, beans, etc.)

      This recipe is inspired by your typical "Buddha Bowl." I found the recipe on Pinterest and it sounded delicious! Typically these bowls also come with a homemade dressing except I didn't want to add the extra calories or take the time to make it haha. So instead I just roasted up the chickpeas and veggies for a great and healthy lunch option that is super filling. 

With a whole pan of veggies and 1 can of chickpeas, I made up to 4 servings - which means 4 weeks of lunches done if I plan to have 1 each week! *Yes I freeze the other bags until I am ready to use them! 

An additional perk of this prep is that if you make 2 trays of roasted veggies then you can split that up for even more lunches! If you mix up some shredded chicken or stir-fry style meat with brown rice or veggies, you have another great lunch that was easy to prep! 

Stuffed Shells (Alfredo & Marinara)

Marinara - Ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Italian and garlic seasoning, egg and sauce
Alfredo - ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, broccoli, Italian and garlic seasoning, egg and alfredo sauce

This is a meal that people typically whip up for dinner - me included! However, a week later I still had some leftover ricotta cheese and I didn't want it to go to waste. On a quick whim and with about 15 jumbo shells left I whipped up the rest of the ingredients with the intention to pack and save them for lunches. Simply saving 2-3 makes a great lunch and uses the rest of your ingredients haha! Plus it's super easy to make and flexible enough to change up too! 

My prepping has gotten a lot better over the last several months. It's amazing that on Sunday I can pull out 3-4 things for lunches during the week and then make side salads to go with it - and then I'm done. I like that I have saved some single meals so on the nights I am exhausted it is easy to pull out.
I do think through a couple weeks (or a month at a time) which does take some serious thought. I'll think about what big meals I want to make coming up and things I want for lunches. Once I grocery shop, I intentionally plan an additional hour to prep some of the actual food and get it in the freezer. As I have gotten better, I can make a couple different things at a time and stay on budget since I'll use a lot of the ingredients in different ways!

I'm all about finding ways to prep several meals at the same time and it really only takes a couple hours to make up several weeks worth of food! 

If you have any questions or ideas to share please comment 😊

Highs and Lows

The last few weeks have held several highs and lows for me. 

I want to take some time to personally reflect and share what those moments have been. It sure has seemed like a whirlwind these past few weeks between the changes, milestone moments, little annoyances, and more. 

While the terms "highs and lows" may make complete sense to me, I realize it may be a new term for others so please let me explain. 

Celebrating her 21st ❤

Highs and lows are typically when a person defines moments that they experienced joy and/or a moment that was not to joy-filled. A low moment can be a moment of frustration, confusion, sadness, or any other comparable feeling. 

As I was growing up, my youth group often discussed our highs and lows for the week. It was a great way to connect with the people around me about how they were feeling and how their week went. Doing this exercise also allowed me to reflect on where I was at. I could pray about the things that upset me and generally reflect on how I was doing. If I shared more lows then I knew I wasn't taking all of my cares to God in prayer. If I shared more highs then I remembered to thank God for the many blessing and tread lightly when the "high" wore off or the devil tried to attack. 

These last few weeks have been a mixture of highs and lows! 

At the end of January, I officially finished my student teaching and began working as a long-term substitute at the same school. The transition was very smooth. I spent a few days observing in different rooms and then each teacher was granted a "day off" in which I subbed from kindergarten up to eighth grade! Now I am filling the maternity leave for the kindergarten aide and am loving it. 

     Lows

• My health insurance had to be updated and then lost eligibility since my income was too high 
• The inconsistency of being in a new classroom every day where I had to learn new routines and new faces. Oh, the attitude from middle schoolers! 😄
• Having to do my taxes 
• Having to go to the DMV and wait for an hour to get a Wisconsin license 
• Mourning the fact that I am/will be living in Milwaukee when I didn't think I would ever really leave Michigan and then being incredibly homesick for a few days
• Genuinely and sincerely missing my friends from college

     Highs

• Got engagement pictures taken!
• Meal prepped a ton and stayed under budget! Started a nutritional shake too! 
• Made official dates to start looking at wedding dresses ❤ This also means family and my MOH are coming! 
• Receiving my tax refund
• Finding a much better health insurance option that had less annoying problems! 
• Having a girl's weekend with one of my friend's and her cousin! 
• Meeting a hundred new students and loving every single one of them. Continuing to experience the school community with school events and amazing Chapel services. 
• Calling and having super long conversations with family and friends because I was homesick 
• Attending my first Spartan basketball game in Lansing...and we won! 
• Got a library card and checked out my first books since my residency was established
• The sun finally came out and I could enjoy walks outside in the fresh air

This has been a really big month. Graduation and finishing student teaching, but then it became a month of figuring out a job along with other adult responsibilities! Sure things like taxes I've dealt with before but there were a lot of other things including a different classroom that I was a substitute in every day that led to me feeling anxious. There were things I had to figure out and calls I had to make constantly to figure out my health insurance and establish my residency before heading to the DMV. 

It was a crazy month and I felt overwhelmed quite a bit. Fortunately, I was often reminded to turn my thoughts to God. I started a prayer journal and talked with friends, family, and colleagues to vent about my worries. I could ask for guidance and strength to push through the things that were stressing me out and then praise God for the countless blessings He has given me. When I look back at it now, yes I was stressed out and anxious. I also learned so much from all of those things that did make me anxious and became stronger in my faith for it. 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Counting my Blessings

Recently, I was subbing for seventh grade. One period was confirmation and so the church pastor came in to teach. As the sub, I got to chill out in the back of the room!

They were discussing what faith means and what our lives would be like without faith. It was so cool to hear what the students had to say about this! It got me also reflecting on what my life would be like without God and faith.

Before the class left, they all wrote two things down that they were thankful for. Some decided to share what they were thankful for and many wrote about family, friends, school, and a home.

The pastor's idea of getting in the habit of being grateful was to frequently write down blessings and things we are grateful for. This way we would remember to thank God and others for everything in our life. He suggested making these lists within a prayer journal, so I have decided to start that here. Every once in a while, I will add to this list of blessings.

• Jesus for dying on the cross for my sins and rising again
• My parents
• My fiance, Josh  
• My wonderful friends
• My best friend, Bekah
• Health Insurance Coverage 
• Plenty of good food & wine 
• Substitute teaching 
• Future job
• Warm weather finally appearing

A Typical Day in the Life of Yours Truly

Since moving into an apartment at the beginning of last summer and finding a regularly scheduled teaching position, I have a very regular schedule! 

Before the week starts, I normally set little goals like errands I want to get accomplished, how many chapters I want to read in a new book, how much knitting I want to finish, etc. This is what I use to gauge my time in the evenings. 

Weekdays are the most set times, including 

• 6 am wake up - get ready - devotion time
• 7:30-3:30 School Hours
• Get home and put stuff away responsibly 
• Attempt to get a workout finished and start dinner 
• Dinner and TV
• Knitting/Reading/Soft Music/Snack
• Shower & Bed by 10! 

I have a few different workouts I am going between. If it is warm out, I may choose to go for a walk or short bike ride. I have also found several YouTube videos that I'll do inside including walking, arm, abs, and cardio workouts. It's always fun when Josh opts to do it with me! 

I normally read for a little while once I get in bed, either finishing a devotion or chapter. Sometimes I will do a couple of brain-teaser puzzles rather than sitting on my phone before bed (although that can be unsuccessful). I have been trying my best lately to turn off TV by 8, to spend some time with no electronics on. Sometimes the TV is background noise, so I have found several playlists to use during different times of the night. 

On nights Josh comes over for dinner, we may play a board game, do a devotion, and/or watch a show together! 

Weekends are a little freer and let me tell you I get so excited to sleep in past 6! 

The weekends are also normally spent with Josh and his family. We may have a date planned or a movie to see, but as of recently, there's been a lot of MSU basketball on! It's nice spending the weekend completely relaxing now that there isn't homework. I use that extra time to workout, grocery shop, clean and organize the house, and sometimes just laying around. 

Sunday nights are becoming one of my favorite nights of the week. Josh's family goes to choir practice and I get a few hours to myself before the crazy school week starts. Normally my lunches and meals are mostly prepped for the week, so I may put laundry away and then can enjoy a couple hours in my bathrobe, with a hot cup of tea, and then relax by reading. 

It's easy to spell out what my days look like, but sometimes I may just sit around all day sitting on my phone. Sometimes I am up shopping and doing errands all day. Other times I may sit in my pajamas with a cup of coffee and book for several hours before moving. Sometimes I skip working out, have a second dessert, miss a devotion, and more. I have goals but I'm definitely not perfect.

It has been fun figuring out what my true priorities are now that school is over and I am living on my own. There are so many things I have been blessed with in this life. Praise God from whom these blessings come and the life He has given me. 

The Bittersweet Final Student Teaching Placement

Well, it's official, student teaching is over!!

This last placement has been in second grade at a Lutheran school. I absolutely fell in love with it the second I walked through the door. My cooperating teacher is amazing and the school welcomed me as part of the staff. I felt confident in my ability to teach. I was stretched beyond belief in planning for multiple subjects, helping at school and family functions, learning the rules/procedures, and more. 

Every night, I would go home and want to tell all of my stories of what happened. I would share stories with friends and families several times. Sure, there were rough days or moments. But there were so many more incredible ones. I had the joy of learning what a snow day feels like as a teacher, experiencing field trips, simultaneously taking attendance/grade papers/serve breakfast/take lunch count, attempting to beat my colleagues in work week hustles, getting home completely exhausted, and starting/ending each day with a prayer. I could not be more grateful for the times I have had at this school and the wonderful God moments. The prayers alone made me want to go back every day.

As I think back on student teaching, I had some wonderful experiences. There were definitely stressful weeks, moments, and times I questioned if teaching was really what I wanted to do. Even in those moments, God granted me a sense of peace. I was able to see that the tediousness of student teaching paperwork and projects would end and eventually I would have my room where I could be more creative. In the moments where things went way better than expected, I was encouraged by staff, I got way too many drawings and hugs from kids, or I felt an overwhelming sense of a calming, I knew God was showing me that this is where I'm meant to be.

Every teacher has their fair share of "stories" so here are a few of my firsts as a teacher and things I'll always remember! 

Preschool: 
     One boy very seriously told me he loved and wanted mac-and-cheese in the middle of chapel.
     One boy wiped his booger on the carpet after I told him to stop picking his nose and said "But um, no" when I told him to wash his hands.
     Almost convincing the kids that I played Elsa in Frozen.
   
Kindergarten: 
     One kid coming in and pretending to be the Hulk and dabbing everywhere he went.
     One boy getting so excited when he got his clip moved up for good behavior. And then later that week attempting to run away from school.
     Watching a girl turn around and hit her friend because she accidentally touched her hair.
     Getting to share with the kids that one day I'll be getting married and that my last name will change.

Second Grade: 
     Explaining why I'm so short each and every day.
     Realizing some students parents were the same age as me.
     Having my first kid roll his eyes at me and tell me "whatever."
     Watching kids give their first group presentation and straight up just reading from the poster.
     Giving extra credit work and having three kids be super excited about more homework.
     One boy shouting "Whoop, whoop!" in line after a firm reminder that there is no noise once you get in line.
     Explaining what a fiance is and how I'll be getting married one day.
     Stopping a social studies lesson to discuss how this world is sometimes unsafe, but through that is why we believe in God and should share the Gospel and also receive forgiveness of sins.
  

You may be wondering what's next for me and luckily I have an answer for that!

Fortunately, the current school I am student teaching at has contracted me for the rest of the year. There are two people going on maternity leave and they asked me to stay to cover those and act as a substitute. I will get to spend my time continuing to observe and help out in any way I can. It'll be a great extension of student teaching and learn in a safe environment. I could not ask for a better way to keep learning as I get ready for my future classroom. God definitely answered my prayers for an opportunity to present itself and I don't think I could have asked for a better set up! 

New Year Intentions

Most people make New Year's Resolutions or goals every year. Many studies out there will say that most people quit or give up on those goals by February. 

When I was younger, I would make up some goal just to have one every year. I think those goals were things like color pictures for family members, learn to like coffee, take the dog for walks more, etc. As I got a little older, my goals became more serious about my health with plans to work out or eat better maybe be on my phone less. These goals never really stuck though. 

These last couple I've looked at New Year's Resolutions a little differently. I don't think making resolutions or goals for the year are bad, I'm just really bad at making and keeping them! So instead, the last couple years I made generalizations for how I wanted to live my life. 

I instead wanted to do less of certain things and more of others. It wasn't a strict policy or program I made for myself in which I would automatically feel guilty and then want to quit my goals altogether. I simply wanted to be more intentional about what I did with my time. I knew I didn't want to be on my phone as much or eat desserts every night of the week. I knew I didn't want to go three months and realize I never called or texted anyone in my family (besides my parents). I knew I wanted to be more intentional in my devotions, health, and truly taking advantage of my time with loved ones. 

As I reflect on the last year, I'd say I did okay with this intention! Finishing up school and moving to a new state definitely made me very busy and I didn't always do my best in working out or eating healthy. But I would say I didn't get down on myself for having the occasional indulgence either! I know I can do better in the "more" category. Talking to family is very important and now that school is practically over I don't have an excuse not to call my family more!  

Knowing that college is officially done in January, I am trying to be more intentional in making plans for myself. I do not to fill up my usual homework time with Netflix. I know I will have free time and I want to use that time more wisely. I want to fill that time with things I never had time for before like writing letters, calling family, playing board games, drinking tea, scrapbooking, working out, baking, and more. I always loved these things as kids and before college and the homework I could easily make time for them. 

I hope that in this next year I can joyfully participate in these activities and even learn new things like knitting, sewing, and trying new recipes! I hope that I can participate less in junk food, being ungrateful, absent-mindedly sitting on my phone, only half listening to conversations and more. Obviously, there will be a balance to my less/more philosophy! I can't be perfect all the time and sometimes I do just want to sit on the couch and do nothing, but I hope to fully take advantage of the life God has given me and explore more and fully appreciate all of life's blessings.