More Than Halfway to 40...

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It's official. As of today, I'm more than halfway to 40. For the next six months, I get to coast down the hill toward my birthday in May.

In honor of the final leg of the ride, I thought it would be fun to update you on the progress I'm making on my 40 Before 40 list -- 40 things I want to do before my big day.

What's for Dinner: November 10 - November 16

Looking for dinner inspiration? Here's what I've planned for dinner at our house this week!

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Despite a strong start to the weekend, I got knocked off my feet by a cold late Saturday. My body wouldn't let me do anything but sleep, so this week's menu plan is coming to you a little late.

It's taking a lot of effort for me to sit up and type this, so let's jump right in. Keep reading to see what I've planned for dinner at our house this week!

Make the Sweet Choice with Theo Chocolate

Theo's mission is to create a more beautiful, compassionate, and enduring world by responsibly making delicious and inspiring products for everyone.

Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like had I decided to turn this blog into my primary source of income. There are moments when I've wished I had more graphic design knowledge to make the site look more professional... when I've imagined featuring highly styled photos... when I've thought about making more brand connections and developing bigger partnerships.

Because, honestly, one of the things I miss the most about blogging on a regular basis is getting to hear about new brands and learning about new products and then sharing my thoughts about them with you.

One of the reasons I've been limited brand content on the blog is because the brands who've reached out aren't telling me about products that make sense for the life I have right now. But then Theo Chocolate reached out... And, well...

Who doesn't have room in their life for chocolate?

The company sent a generous assortment of their fair trade, organic and ethically sourced chocolate to try a few months ago. With so many decadent-sounding varieties like Cinnamon Horchata and Salted Toffee, I didn't know where to begin with the taste-testing process. But I dug deep and tried every kind but one (because I'm not a huge fan of coconut). All in the name of the blog.

Keep reading to see which varieties were included in the package they sent and to find out which ones we liked the best in our house!

What's for Dinner: November 3 - November 9

Looking for dinner inspiration? Here's what I've planned for dinner at our house this week!

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The past few weeks have been all about maintenance. Taking care of our home, both inside and out. Nurturing our long-distance friendships. Focusing on self-care. Making time to enjoy our community. And getting my calendar and to-do lists in order.

After the craziness of October, I needed to take some time to reset. Especially since we're about to head into the holiday season.

No matter what we have going on in our lives, though, one thing has remained constant... our reliance on our weekly menu plans. They take time and effort to plot out, but it's worth it. Once I've decided on a week's worth of dinners, it's easier for me to transition from Work Mode to Mom Mode in the evenings. Even better if I can prepare more than one meal ahead of time in whole or in part.

So while I may not be sharing our weekly menu plans on the blog all the time, I am still creating them. If you're ever curious about what we're having for dinner on any given week, leave a comment on an older menu plan post. Or drop me a message/comment on Facebook. Or send me an email! I'm more than happy to share even when I'm not able to find time to share here.

With that said, here's what I've planned for dinner at our house this week!