My DIY Planner

Not to pat myself on the back but I have to admit that I absolutely love my new planner and you know what, I made it myself! Yes, I was so sick of buying overpriced planners that didn't fit my needs. During the last few months I pinned a number of photos and ideas for making your own planner but wasn't quite sure if I could do it. Then my intern showed me her homemade planner and I decided I definitely needed one.

I went to Target and bought a notebook. I wanted one that was medium-size (bigger for my large printing but small enough to fit in my purse). It also has a great clear envelope in the front for notes, coupons, etc. This one is spiral bound with perforated pages, which don't work very well because I'm always taping pages back in. My notebook for the planner I will have to start in May or June is bound, so it will work much better.

Then I went back and looked at all of those pins again. I designed a template for each page that fit my needs. I wanted space for my appointments, items I do every day, to-do list, preparation for the next day list, how many cups of water I drank, fitness routine, meal plan, goals/thankful for and blog post. Sometimes I don't fill everything in but it helps to have a clear view of my day and what needs done. It also helps me be better prepared for the next day. At first I made a stencil for this template but that was taking forever when I had to do about 30 pages, so I started free handing it. It's not perfect but its just for lists, so I let my perfection go for the moment.

I also made a calendar at the beginning of the month with a monthly to-do list. My Google calendar has everything listed but this one just includes everything outside of work. I highlighted events that were for Dennis, date nights and to-do items. 

I love my new planner! It helps me be more organized with my to-do list but also keep track of my fitness goals and meal plan, as well do some minor journaling with the three goals and thankful for section. So far, I've been using this method for almost two months and its been working great. I think every one should just make there own planner. It's so much more personal and cheaper!

Let me know if you want to see mine. Happy planning in 2015!

Meal Planning

There have been a lot of posts about meal planning from many of the bloggers that I follow, so of course I had to get in on the game.  Their meal planning strategy is a little different than mine tho since the majority of these bloggers are meal planning dinner for their husbands and toddlers.

My meal planning consists of packing healthy breakfasts and lunches ahead of time, especially now that I'm training and I need to be eating foods that keep me energized.

I'm hoping I can make this a habit because its a good one.  My old meal habits consisted of Cheerios in a baggie for breakfast on my way out the door and whatever else I could grab for lunch.  I'm lucky I get myself out the door since I leave at 7 a.m. now, so having everything prepared ahead of time is awesome!

On Sunday afternoons, I pack my breakfasts ahead of time in Tupperware and my lunches in big baggies.  Then all I have to do is remember to grab it from the refrigerator.

Here is a picture of breakfast:

Breakfast includes a hard-boiled egg (I only hard-boiled my first egg this week!), three slices of sharp cheddar, half an English muffin, an apple and a 1/4 cup of slivered almonds.  Sometimes I'm not hungry enough to eat all of it, so I save some it for a mid-morning snack or eat it at lunch.

I got the idea for my breakfast from Pinterest of course.  I improvised the breakfast pictured below.

Here is a picture of lunch:

Lunch consists of a peanut butter and whole wheat sandwich slims sandwich, carrots, orange and Greek yogurt.  

I pick my lunch items from this awesome chart I found on Pinterest a few months ago.  I have been doing better in recent months with buying groceries that fill these categories.

Cheers to healthy breakfasts and lunches!