Meal Planning 101

A recent obsession of mine is weekly meal planning. I've known people, mostly married couples and young families, who were able to save a ton of money by planning and cooking each breakfast, lunch, and dinner for their week. But as a young professional, a New Yorker, and unfortunately a certified takeout queen, could I ever pull this off? The answer is a resounding yes!

I'm more than 3 weeks in now, and have already saved hundreds of dollars, since I was used to buying breakfast ($5+), lunch ($10+), and dinner ($15+) out every single day. Believe me when I tell you that ANYONE can do this, and the savings alone makes it worthwhile. But there are plenty of additional benefits like added nutritional value (this is amazing for dieters), less urge to snack since you know what and when your next meal is coming, and the satisfaction of both learning new recipes and taking pride in everything you put into your body. I am a meal planning believer!

I've been scouting Etsy for some cute printables that will help me in my meal planning endeavors, and I've displayed a few of my faves below. I may eventually DIY something of my own, but wanted to share for those of you who aren't graphic designers!

This week's meals included:
Sweet Cucumber, Red Onion & Dill Salad (Eat Yourself Skinny)
Clean Egg & Zucchini Muffins (Eat Yourself Skinny)
Spinach Lasagna Rolls (Skinnytaste)
Easy Crust-less Spinach & Feta Pie (Skinnytaste)
Squash-tastic Shepherd's Pie (Hungry Girl)

Customizable PDF from AtomicaPress - $6.00

Handmade Item from askingfortrouble - $8.62

Instant Download from SweetPaperTrail - $3.00

Instant Download from LauraDraytonCreative - $10.00

Instant Download from TinyStripes - $5.00

The Joy is in the Journal

You guys, I seriously love journaling. I have since I was a kid, when I would keep these elaborate notebooks filled with my pre-teen thoughts and Cosmogirl magazine cutouts. And then, of course, there was the early high school LiveJournal era. Oh, to be young again! Now I can't say that I've got tons of time to devote to channeling my innermost thoughts...but I do make time to use this nifty Q&A a Day 5-Year Journal that I picked up at Anthropologie last year. In fact, it's the last thing I do every day before I go to bed, and I highly appreciate the prompt so I never have to dig deep about what to write about!

Here are some other journals I'm loving, all of which can be found at Urban Outfitters. They would make wonderful gifts for friends, family, or yourself. Hope you like! Do you keep a journal, or have one of these? I want to hear about it!

Our Q&A a Day  |  The same journal I have, but for couples!

What Did I Eat Today?  |  Perfect for dieters, or foodies, or both!

Dream Journal  |  I am very into dreams, and drawing. Love this one!

Every Day  |  A 5-Year memory book for the freeform writing lover!

Travel Listography  |  Great for the traveler, and the lover of list-making!

Living Well One Line a Day  |  Great for tracking healthy lifestyle choices!

Spring Has Sprung at Anthro...

...And it's also sprung in New York City as well. Yesterday I walked from my office to the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle with only a light jacket, and it felt perfect. I even lingered to snap a few Instagrams. What is this feeling!? But back to the point of this post, I am just as smitten with these beautiful, frothy spring pieces from Anthropologie. Especially the long peach blossom number at the bottom, which is reminding me of something Betty Draper in seasons 1-3ish. How about you guys? Are you experiencing Spring's better-late-than-never arrival in your necks of the woods? I hope so!

Flora Vignette Dress

Silk Tableau Shift

Galen Dress

Embroidered Bleuet Midi Top

Peach Blossom Maxi Dress