Cultivated Goals

Hi Friends. Happy New Year! Are you ready for the hustle of the new year to begin? There's something so refreshing about this time of year. Something I absolutely adore because I am reminded to just be still and enjoy the season I'm in while I focus on goals and dreams I want to chase in the new year. I don't just like setting typical goals like lose 10 pounds, I like to set intentional goals. Typical goals like loosing 10 pounds are great but they're the kind of things I loose interest in when i'm not seeing fast results, that's why I like setting more intentional goals that are a great base to build off of.

2018 Goals

Goodbye 2017. Hello 2018.

While 2017 was a fairly good year (my husband and I bought our first home together and moved), there was so much that I didn't do that I really wanted to.

November Goals

Hello November. Don't tell October but I love you most of all. October brought the cooler fall weather and fun craft fairs but you bring the holidays and there's nothing better than that. I love the holly jolly, togetherness of this time of year. Of course, I'm not about decorating for Christmas until Thanksgiving weekend but that's because Thanksgiving brings the holiday feel and that's something worth celebrating.Plus I love getting to cook the entire holiday meal with my hubby. This year will be an extra special Thanksgiving because its the first year we'll get to host it at our new house. I did learn the other morning that Christmas trees will be delivered to the Farmer's Table in a couple weeks! That means I get to swoon at them and smell all their fresh pine-y goodness every time I shop there from now until time to buy ours.

With the new month comes fresh starts and new goals so let's see how I did with October's goals and set November's.

Weekly Grocery List + Meal Plan

Hi Friends. Happy Saturday. I don't usually do weekend posts but my house is quiet; everyone is asleep including the dog and cat so I have a few minutes to hop on and talk to y'all this morning. Last Friday I wrote How To Have An Inspired and Productive Week where one of my tips was to meal plan and grocery shop.

For me, having a meal plan in place and all the ingredients on hand takes a huge stress off me during the week. I don't necessarily plan that Monday we'll eat steaks with baked potatoes, Tuesday we'll eat italian beef sandwiches but I do plan out 5-6 meals and write them on a magnetic notepad and stick it to the side of my refrigerator that way, every morning, I can look at my meal plan for the week and decide what I want that night. I usually begin preparations around 11 in the morning so that everything is thawed and I can place anything in the crock pot that needs to be in there to slow cook for a couple hours.

You might be wondering why I only plan 5-6 meals a week?
Because one night we eat out and another night is usually left overs night and some nights we eat with my parents.

Let's talk about meal planning and grocery shopping.

This looks like a tornado hit for me. I sit down with my lap top, pen, and two pads or pieces of paper to make two lists; one is my meal plan and the other is my shopping list. I tend to need space to work this magic. Haha. I'll scroll on Pinterest for recipes that I want to make and I pin them to a board called Dinner At Leslie's. This board changes regularly so if you follow me, just a little FYI. (I do post our favorite Pinterest recipes to Yum-O:Soto Family Approved though).

As I pin a recipe I want to make, I also write it down on my meal plan list then I look at the ingredients and write a grocery list of the things I know I need for that recipe. If there's something i'm not sure if I have then I write it off to the side to check on. I always start with my main course then go back and add sides in because some sides go better with some main courses than others. Once i've completed that process, I check my pantry and refrigerator for that list of things I wasn't sure if I had and mark them off or add them to the grocery list. After I do that I like to take my lists and re-do them. Organization at it's finest, y'all. I take my meal plan and pair my main course with a couple sides (I'll share my meal plan in a minute). I also take my grocery list and organize it by where things are located in the store. This is a little harder as my husband and I just moved and we're shopping at a different grocery store where the lay out is totally different than the one we used to shop at, so i'm still learning the layout of this store but I still know that all the dairy products are together, etc. After that i'm ready to head out the door with my grocery list in hand.

Grocery List

This week's list is not as big as some because i'm not having to do the bulk shopping (detergents, paper goods, etc) this week BUT not everything on my list pertains to the meal plan either because i'm a believer in getting all my shopping done at once and with a husband, a teenager, a cat and a dog we all need different things.

Here's whats on this week's grocery list:
+ steaks
+ roast
+ ground beef
+ chicken
+ lemonade
+ water
+ yogurt
+ eggs
+ paper plates
+ ziplocks
+ cat litter
+ dry cat food
+ oats
+ sugar
+ sesame oil
+ coconut oil
+ olive oil
+ buns
+ mayo
+ vinegar
+ italian dressing
+ fresh produce (this varies depending on what looks good)

Meal Plan
+ Steaks with baked potatoes and mixed veggies
+ Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans
+ Italian beef sandwiches
+ Sausage, chicken, sweet potato and green bean foil packets
+ Chicken 'n Dumplins


That's how I plan my meals and grocery list. Do you have any tips?
That reminds me: Always eat before you go to the grocery store or you'll end up grabbing all the junk things. I know I make really bad decisions when i'm hungry at the grocery store.

I'm hopping off here to go eat and get ready to go get my grocery shopping done now but don't forget to share your tips.

How To Have An Inspired and Productive Week

I don't know about y'all but I have a love/hate relationship with Sundays. There's nothing more than I love than a Sunday spent at home because it gives me the chance to get things ready and in order for the week ahead but when I don't spend time doing that I always feel panicked and completely grumpy at the end of the day.

I used to spend Sundays just doing whatever I felt like doing. Sometimes it was family dinners, sometimes it was napping between cleaning and doing chores and other times it was spending all day in pajamas, snuggled on the couch. Those are all lovely ways to spend any day but I've learned that it's also important to spend time preparing for the week ahead. That's why I want to share with you the things I do on Sunday for a productive week because I believe Sundays should be for family time and being cozy but I also believe Sundays should be setting yourself up for your best week possible. So here are my tips how to have an inspired and productive week.

1. Grab A Cup Of Coffee And Your Planner

Nothing is more important than planning your week out. I like to decorate my planner with bright stickers and washi tape because it makes it so much more enjoyable to look at my "to dos" when they're written out pretty but that part is totally a personal thing. You don't have to do it but do take time to write the important dates and to dos down.


2. Meal Plan & Grocery Shop

Typically, I like to do this on Saturday so that Sunday can be totally dedicated to planning and preparing. I know going to the grocery store and putting all those groceries away is a half day event for us but if grocery shopping on Saturday isn't do able for you, then Sunday is a perfectly acceptable day to get it done.


3. Clean Out the Refrigerator

Our trash runs Monday mornings so I always clean ours out on Sundays. Even if your trash doesn't come on Monday make it a habit to clean your refrigerator out on Sundays because you make room for all the food you buy and you can eliminate boxes upon boxes of leftovers from the previous week and make room for this week's.


4. Write Down Goals for the Week

This is a lifesaver, y'all. I used to make a daily "to do" list every morning when I was having my coffee. Sometimes I still do that but I also set 5 weekly goals now that I really want to tackle.
Last week's goals were:
+ Live with Grace
+ Do yoga 4xs that week
+ Wake up at 7 a.m. M-F
+ Block Schedule
+ Return Blog and Instagram comments by the next day

So you can see how those differ from daily "to dos." My goals are usually more specific, where as daily "to dos" are things that need to be done almost every day. Things like fold laundry, sweep, run errands, etc.

5. Prepare Clothes

Since I stay at home this doesn't apply to me as much as it does my husband. He wears business casual attire to work so it helps both of us if I get it washed, dried, folded and hung in our closet for him. He usually matches outfits and hangs them appropriately so that he's not fumbling around in the closet half asleep trying to put together outfits.


6. Wash Bed Linens

I'm not sure there's anything better in the world than snuggling into a fresh bed at night with my hubby but because we have a cat and a dog that sleep with us our sheets get washed on the regular. Sundays are my favorite days to wash our sheets weekly. Our comforter gets washed once a month unless needed more often. Fresh sheets help me fall asleep and that's so needed on Sundays.

7. Clean Out Your Car

If you are anything like me then it looks like you've been living out of your car. Moving will do that to you but you don't want that mess to pile up so take time to clean out anything that's in there that doesn't belong and make room for new stuff.

8. Clean Out Your Purse/Bag

Same concept as cleaning out your car except your purse/bag is probably full of receipts, gum wrappers and shopping lists. Get rid of any trash and organize receipts and coupons you want to keep.

9. Un-Wind

Having a ritual to un-wind really helps set the mood for the week ahead. My husband and I are Walking Dead/Fear the Walking Dead fans so during show seasons it's our ritual to relax. Every Sunday night at 9, we're glued to the t.v. with our phones off. During the off season we still snuggle up on the couch and watch something on t.v.

10. Self Care

This is a huge one for me because I'm a believer in taking care of myself first so I enjoy a good facial with the works. I start by taking my make up off, then washing my face, doing a peel, and using a moisturizer.


I'd love to hear your favorite tips on having an inspired and productive week.