Fall is in the air!!

Fall is coming. To me it feels crazy like fall right now. I guess that since we can sit outside at 9:00 AM and not sweat our faces off means that a change of season is coming. The next few weeks, maybe even months, mean lots of outside playtime for us. Being able to lounge in my husbands awesome BYU camp chair and watch my little toddler go nuts in the backyard is probably one of my favorite things. Not to mention BYU's first football game is on Saturday!

The weather is so nice that I think I could even take a nap, which I need already. I seriously think my son is trying to prepare me for some sleepless nights. My hips are screaming at me to "open up!!" for this baby that'll be here soon! I am so excited to meet this little guy and happy to say I've made it to 28 weeks today. Now I've just got to make it through 13 more weeks and pray my body doesn't give out on me.

Something that's really been on my mind with this little one coming is my weight. Unfortunately I gain weight when I'm pregnant. It's something that really aggravated me at first but now I've realized my body is going to do whatever the heck it wants. I've really tried to eat well and for being pregnant I think I've done ok. I was diagnosed with a Gluten Intolerance by my doctor last summer and so there are lots of things I can't really eat this pregnancy. No Little Caesar's hot and ready. It's very sad. So I have to be creative with things. I've been eating mostly gluten free for almost three years and have had to really adjust things. On that note, cue my awesome creation from breakfast this morning. Healthy Pumpkin Pie French Toast. 

This was so easy to make and so delicious, it should be made illegal. I have had a problem with forgetting to eat this pregnancy which then leads to nausea and then sometimes vomiting and stuffing myself at night with things that are not so healthy. So my goal is to eat more nutrient rich foods for my last trimester. And to drink my weight in water. Ok, not really. That could kill you. But I did get this awesome jug from Maverik with my Maverik rewards points at the beginning of my pregnancy. It's 100 ounces of sheer coolness. It looks like a mini cooler.  

 Even though the weather is getting cooler (and by cooler it's still 95 degrees or hotter for a high), it's still hot enough to go swimming at our neighborhood pool. Which has been a lifesaver this summer. It's open for another months so we will be taking full advantage of it for the next little while.

You thought I wouldn't give you that Pumpkin French Toast recipe did you? I'm not that mean. So without further wait, here it is. Enjoy!

Healthy Pumpkin Pie French Toast

Ingredients

-2 Slices of Udis Gluten Free white bread (or whole wheat bread, P28 bread, Paleo bread, etc.)

-1 full egg plus 1 egg white (you could use 3 egg whites if your wanting less fats)

-2 heaping Tbsp canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

-2 dashes of cinnamon

-a splash of vanilla

-1/2 heaping tsp pumpkin pie spice

-1 packet of stevia

-coconut oil 

Directions

-If bread is frozen, microwave for a few seconds until soft (I usually heat mine for 30 seconds).

-Meanwhile, whisk eggs, pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and stevia until well incorporated. 

-On medium heat, put enough coconut oil in the pan to lightly cover the bottom (about a tbsp). 

-Soak bread in egg mixture until it is nice and soggy :)

-Cook bread on each side until lightly browned. 

-Serve with sugar free syrup and devour! 

SAVINGS!

Today's post is all about savings. One thing I've learned over my past few years of marriage is that saving money is hard, unless you equip yourself with the right tools. There is so much great information today on how to save money, but you won't do yourself any favors if you aren't ready to make changes. Something I took the time to do the other day was write down every single bill that I have, write down the due date next to it and compile a list of what needs to be paid each day and within the week. One thing that has helped with that is that I went and got a day planner that is crazy OCD with planning your life down to bathroom breaks, (not really, but you could) and it has done wonders. Even though I've only had it for about a month. Not to mention how adorable it is! Seriously, what does Target sell that doesn't immediately scream "Buy me, Holly! Buy me!!" So, don't go to Target if you're wanting to save money. You won't be able to stop yourself. Seriously, just don't risk it.

This Day Planner was worth every cent though. It is amazing how just physically writing things down on paper have helped me map out my weeks. Another useful tool is this book. I honestly haven't read all of it but the things that I have read that pertain to my life have really made me think about my finances and how I can better my family. Even if you don't have kids, are recently married and both spouse's are working, are single, you can benefit from reading this book and learning how to save yourself money.  

Another useful thing you can do to save yourself some extra cash is to write down your list of expenses that aren't bills, so to speak. Do you go out to dinner each weekend? Do you spend money on clothes every month? The list can go on and on. And on. And on some more. Until you realize, my money has disappeared... What you can do is take away those things that you don't NEED every month. Now don't get me wrong, it is important to have date nights with your spouse, but find ways that cost less money. Take out that monthly shopping trip and put a smaller amount of money aside so that you can go on a quarterly shopping spree. There are seriously endless possibilities to save yourself just the smallest amount of money each month. But it all adds up in the end. Who wouldn't want to save an extra $500 every year. Or even every 6 months. 

Couponing and looking for deals at your local grocery stores is great as well. Coupons.com is a great resource. You can also get the Sunday paper and clip coupons from them as well. Walmart is really good at price checking items from different grocery stores. Dealstomeals.com is also an excellent website. They compile a list of items that are marked down from every grocery store in your area. Something that I have been doing is getting freezer meals put together about every 8 weeks. THAT helps like crazy. I've also been using my crock pot a lot, which cuts costs on my gas bill every month :) A great website for healthy crock pot freezer meals is https://newleafwellness.biz  She has some excellent ebooks that I am super excited to use this next week! This really helps too if you are having a new baby, like me, in a couple months! 

You've got to have the right attitude about it though. Slugging through it isn't going to do you or anyone any good. You have to have the right mindset about things and stick to it. Seriously, if I can do it, you can. I am by no means an expert at savings, but just these small ways have helped enormously! I can't even begin to describe my sense of relief by just planning my life out each week and month. Just remember to be have a good attitude and to stick it to the man. 

Holly