Ahoy there, mateys! Err, sometimes I forget to talk like a pirate in blogland but being a Plucky Picaroon makes it kind of essential. ps. In case you’re wondering, a picaroon is a type of  pirate, not to be mistaken for a macaroon as many of my Plucky Piquettes have asked at one time or another…Greetings, readers of MacKensie’s blog! Isn’t she just the cutest thing ever? If my tush was tinier I would definitely be asking that girl if I could raid her closet. She recently guest posted on my blog and now I have the honor of posting here for you beautiful people!I, unlike our lovely blog hostess here, am NOT a runner. I detest it. I do like looking great in my bathing suit, however, so I’ve been exploring my options. A quick search for “simple healthy recipes” on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago led me to this sweet web service called eMeals. Not being great in the kitchen in the first place, and also looking to change up my diet a bit, I was happy to discover this site that sends me a menu plus shopping list each week. I picked the Low Carb Meal Plan, paid the fee for a 3 month stretch of menus (the smallest increment of time – $21 total), and headed straight to the grocery!Unfortunately I had to Google “shallot” before I got there and the poor kid stocking bananas probably thought I was going bananas as I trekked back and forth across the produce section in search of various items. [Oh! The red onions are back over by the tomatoes but where’s the minced garlic and are these pea pods or green beans? #hotmess] By the time I gathered up all of the ingredients for one week, my grocery total was $100. Are you kidding me?! I’m now a few weeks into the recipes and I certainly don’t have the funding for hundred dollar grocery runs each week.  What I’ve learned so far:{::}Canned in water/light syrup = stays fresh longer, is already diced up, and way cheaper{::}Meat is very very filling{::}If one of the recipes calls for making salsa, I’m perfectly comfortable with just purchasing a jar of salsa instead{::}”Deli Sliced Ham” and “Ham Slices” are two VERY DIFFERENT THINGS. My Chicken Cordon Blue attempt went south in a hurry with this little mix up.{::}Green peppers are delicious. Red peppers are potent.{::}Frozen chicken breast works just as well as fresh Tyson chicken, plus it’s cheaper and lasts longer{::}I don’t really miss bread that much. This is the weirdest one of all, considering I am a bread fiend usually{::}I don’t need to / won’t make every single meal each week. I had way too many leftovers that first week, and that’s even with taking portions of each dinner as lunch to work the next day. Portioning for my lifestyle is totally okay.{::}Cooking real food takes more time and dirties more dishes but is absolutely scrumptious and I think I’m hooked My Handiwork:

Entree: Baked Salmon with Sour Cream & Cucumber Sauce Side: Tomato, Red Pepper, & Cucumber Salad

Entree: Burger Bites with Diced Carrots,  Red & Green Peppers, & Red Onion in BBQ Sauce

Entree: Chicken Teriyaki w/ Diced Carrots & Pea Pods  on Brown Rice          Side: Pineapple Chunks

Entree: Stuffed Burger filled with Cream Cheese & Spices

***FAVORITE SO FAR*** Entree: Turkey Avocado Wraps Side: Red & Green Pepper Slices

Sadly, these are the only ones I’ve remembered to take pictures of! I’ve probably made twice as many meals as the ones listed here and most of them have been really delicious and really easy! I can see my face changing as the bloating from all of the bread I usually eat goes away and when I finish one of these meals, I.Am.Stuffed. Cuts down on some of the post-meal snacking.I’m excited to sally-forth on this cooking adventure! Thank you for letting me stop by, MacKensie G! Hope to catch you all over at my blog home sometime. Lots of exciting adventures await! Oh, and as always, please share pictures of YOUR cooking excursions or if you know any “simple healthy recipes” (particularly sweet little snacky ones, thank you kindly), feel free to shoot ’em my way! 


 With Eyes on the Horizon,


Sarah