This creamy and delicious Fettuccine Alfredo recipe is much less expensive and has fewer calories than your typical restaurant version. And, you won’t believe how easy it is to make!
Guest post from Brooke of Skinny Mom
Who doesn’t love Fettuccine Alfredo?
It’s a favorite with my family. My little man, E, loves to slurp up the creamy noodles one at a time and his little fettuccine-covered face creates an Instagram moment every time we have it for dinner.
This used to be a meal that we splurged on when eating out at our favorite Italian restaurant but I was determined to create a more affordable, and more waist-line friendly, version that I could prepare at home.
Why You’ll Love Homemade Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo
The most economical aspect of this recipe is that you likely have most of the ingredients needed already (butter, garlic, flour, milk, etc.). The few items you may have to add to your shopping list are the whole wheat fettuccine, which can also be substituted for spinach fettuccine depending on which one might be on sale or you have a coupon for.
In addition to the cheese, the recipe calls for fresh parsley, but if you don’t have this on hand, you can opt for the dried seasoning in your spice cabinet to save a few dollars.
Preparing homemade sauces, dressings, and other condiments can usually be surprisingly less expensive than you might expect when you realize the foundation ingredients are already in your pantry and refrigerator. This is a great way to control the amount of artificial ingredients, added sodium, calories, and fat that can be hidden in the canned and jarred ready-to-use options.
Don’t be afraid to make more of this recipe than you need for one meal. I promise, your family will love it and it’s just as scrumptious served as leftovers the next day. You can even jazz it up with some of your pantry staples by adding tomatoes (canned or fresh) and/or some spinach (frozen or fresh) when you serve it for lunch or dinner the next day to mix up the presentation.
Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo Ingredients
- 8 oz fettuccine (make this even healthier by using spinach fettuccine or whole wheat fettuccine)
- 1 Tbsp garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1.5 Tbsp flour
- 1.5 cups low-fat milk
- 1 cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese grated
- 2 Tbsp 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
How to Make Fettuccine Alfredo
Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.
Add minced garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
Stir in flour and gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk.
Cook 5-6 minutes until mixture starts to thicken, making sure to stir constantly.
Add Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream cheese, salt, and black pepper. Stir with a whisk until cheese melts and sauce becomes creamy and thick.
Toss sauce with pasta.
Sprinkle pasta with additional Parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve immediately!
Enjoy!
Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 8 oz fettuccine
- 1 Tbsp garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1.5 Tbsp flour
- 1.5 cups low-fat milk
- 1 cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese grated
- 2 Tbsp 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.
- Add minced garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in flour and gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk.
- Cook 5-6 minutes until mixture starts to thicken, making sure to stir constantly.
- Add Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream cheese, salt, and black pepper. Stir with a whisk until cheese melts and sauce becomes creamy and thick.
- Toss sauce with pasta.
- Sprinkle pasta with additional Parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve immediately!
Nutrition
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Brooke is the founder and CEO of Skinny Mom, the digital lifestyle brand that gives moms the skinny on healthy living. Brooke is also a certified personal trainer and fitness enthusiast, however Brooke’s most important job is being a single mom to her 3 year old son. In her spare time Brooke loves cooking skinny meals and running outdoors.
More Healthy & Quick Recipes You’ll Love:
- Cheesy Italian Bread Recipe
- Mini Freezable Lasagna Recipe
- Meal Prep Salad Ideas for Lunch This Week (10 Days of Salads!)
- Cheeseburger Meatloaf
- Best Ever Black Bean Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Freezer- Friendly Italian Lemon Chicken Recipe
Be sure to also check out all the easy MSM recipes here!
What are your favorite frugal dinner recipes?
FREE One Week Menu Plan!
Done-For-You Dinner Recipes With Simple Ingredients and a Grocery Shopping List!
12 Months to a Healthier You: Week 13 Check-In
Are you joining us for the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge? If so, it’s the weekend and guess what that means? It’s time for our weekly check-in to post our progress.
April’s Challenge:
We’re focusing on developing the habit of cutting back on sugar. I encourage you to set a simple and doable goal for drinking more water and to stick with it.
New to this challenge? Read more details on the plan for this year here.
My Goals for Cutting Back on Sugar During April
My goal for April is to cut back on sugar — which is hard for a girl like me who has a strong sweet tooth!
I’m going to make it my goal to only eat dessert once a week and to cut back on the sugar I use in my coffee on a daily basis, too.
I’m also hoping to keep up with January’s habit of exercising at least 4-5 times every week, February’s goal of eating a big salad at least six times a week, and March’s goal of drinking 8 glasses of water a day.
This Week’s Progress:
I quickly figured out that this challenge is going to be a true CHALLENGE this month… but it’s good for me! And I’ve stuck with it so far. Yay!!! Okay, so we’re only 5 days into the month… but still, I’m going to celebrate the success. 🙂
And I hit my water goals four out of the seven days, exercised three days, and ate a salad every day. I’m so excited that some of these monthly challenges are really starting to become more of a habit!
How Are YOU Doing?
Leave a comment telling us how you did on your exercise goals this past week. If you’re blogging about this challenge, leave the direct link to your blog post about the challenge below. Are you on social media? You can also share your progress on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter by using hashtag #12MonthstoaHealthierYou.
7 Books I Read in March (and my two favorites!)
I didn’t get to do as much reading as I’d hoped in March. In fact, I fell pretty short from my list of 12 books I’d planned to read in March, but that’s life sometimes, isn’t it?! 🙂
7 Books I Read in March
- Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages
- Balancing It All
- The Antelope in the Living Room
- Fifteen Minutes
- Debt-Free Living in a Debt-Filled World
- Chasing God
- Balanced: Finding Center as a Work-at-Home Mom
My Two Favorites:
Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages — I already blogged about this book, because I couldn’t wait until this post! 🙂 If you’ve heard me give my Say Goodbye to Survival Mode presentation recently, you’ll remember that I read the Fantastic Five for Him from this book. I loved the five simple but highly impactful things Shaunti shares that wives can do to show their husbands they love him. And my husband (and other guys I’ve asked) have agreed that the list is spot on!
If you are married or planning to get married, do yourself a favor and get a copy of this well-researched book. It’s filled with encouragement and practical ideas on how to have a happier marriage.Even if you don’t agree with everything in the book, I’m pretty positive it will make you step back and examine how your actions and attitudes toward your spouse.
The Antelope in the Living Room — If you’re looking for a fun and light-hearted read on marriage, I recommend this book. It’s not deep and filled with a bunch of steps on how to have a better marriage, but it’s laugh-out-loud funny. Not only did I laugh (out loud) multiple times while reading the book (which doesn’t happen too often for me!), but I read some of the parts out loud to my husband and we had a good laugh over them together.
What books did you read in March? Any great recommendations for me?
Reader Tip: Using Swagbucks to give to others
An anonymous reader emailed in the following tip:
I thought you might like to hear how I was able to save up Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks — which I then used towards some things for our local pregnancy help center.
I bought 2 big boxes of baby wipes, onesies, and socks using the Amazon gift cards I purchased with my Swagbucks!
I’m not a crazy “Swagger”, I just get about 20 a day, but even that adds up over time. I usually do the daily poll, search engine, NOSO and some of the encraves.
Swagbucks can be a great way for people who want to give to others, but are on a tight budget.
48-Hour Giveaway: Motivated Moms Planner (20 Winners)
Looking for a planner that tells you exactly what you need to do every day to keep your home and life in order? Motivated Moms Chore Planners might be perfect for you.
The Motivated Moms Chore Planners map out a plan for what chores you should do each day and week to stay on top of your household organization and keep your home in great shape. Check out the sample pages at the bottom of the products page to see if this system might work for you.
I’ve used this and found it to be very helpful. I definitely recommend it — especially if you don’t have the time or desire to create your own home management binder.
Would you like to win a free Motivated Moms 2014 Planner — either the printable ebook or the iOS app (for iPhone/iPad/iPod touch)? Just click on the graphic below and type in your name and email address. 20 winners will be chosen and posted early next week. This giveaway ends Saturday, April 5, at 11:59 pm, CST.
Kristen’s Target Shopping Trip: $29.47 worth of items for $13.51 out of pocket!
Kristen’s Target Shopping Trip: $29.47 worth of items for $13.51 out of pocket!
Kristen emailed her Target Shopping Trip:
Target Shopping Trip
1 bunch of celery $1.79 – used $1 off Target Mobile Coupon
4 bags of baby carrots $1.49 each – used $2/5 off Target Mobile Coupon
2 FUJI apples $.79 each – used $1 off Target Mobile Coupon
1 Market Pantry Frozen Fruit bag $1.99 – used $1 off Target Mobile Coupon
2 Market Pantry Canned Corn $.89 each – used $.50 off Target Mobile Coupon
2 Nature Made Fish Oil Supplements – $6.59 each – used $2 off manufacturer’s coupon – received $5 Target gift card
1 package of chicken drumsticks $3.19 – marked down to $2.49 – used $1 off Target mobile coupon
Total before sales and coupons: $29.47
Total with tax ($1.24) after sales and coupons: $13.51
52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Eat From the Pantry {Week 50}
52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Eat From the Pantry {Week 50}
Every week for 52 weeks, I’m sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.
One very simple way to save money is to skip shopping for a week or two and use what you already have on hand. We call this Eating From the Pantry at our house and it’s something we try to do at least once a quarter.
Here’s how it works for us:
Make It a Game
Instead of approaching eating from the pantry as a difficult thing, we make it a game on occasion to see how long we can survive without going to the store. When you view it as a fun challenge, it makes it exciting and interesting. And it can help bolster your spirits when you find yourself eating some rather interesting meals. 🙂
Set a Goal
Set a goal not only for how long you’re going to try to go without stepping foot into a store, but also set a goal for what you’re going to do with the money saved. Maybe you’ll put it toward paying off some debt, or use it to pay cash for an item you’ve been saving for, or even put it toward your Vacation Savings fund.
You could also consider donating the money to charity — which can give a lot of extra purpose to this challenge!
Inventory Your Supplies
Look through your cupboard, refrigerator, and freezer to see what you already have on hand. Dig really deep and make sure you’re pulling out all the possibilities.
Once you’ve inventoried what you have on hand, use the ingredient search feature on AllRecipes.com to get some recipe ideas for using up what you have in your pantry. I love that you can type in what you have on hand and what you don’t have on hand and it will generate a list of recipe ideas for you!
Go For It!
Once you’ve set a goal and inventoried your supplies, it’s time to dive right in and start using up what you have on hand and staying away from the grocery store.
And remember: even if you end up breaking down and going to the store before you your goal date, you’ve still saved money and used up a lot of what you already had on hand. Also, you probably learned some valuable lessons in the process — or at least were challenged and stretched in your creativity a little. 🙂
My Friend Kelly wrote a guest post on her family’s one-month experiment with Eating from the Pantry and the lessons they learned back in 2010. Here’s part of the post:
At the end of November, I embarked on my own challenge to clean out my pantry and freezer. I am proof it can be done even if you’re not a master baker or planner. If this pantry month seems too difficult let’s start with a new perspective.
This is not a challenge, it’s an adventure! Adventures are fun and exciting, full of surprises and exploration. Here’s just a taste of what you might learn on this adventure:
Re-discover Creativity
Remember the days when an empty plastic container and cardboard from the paper towels could entertain you for hours? Or times in college when you made pasta in the coffee pot and grilled cheese sandwiches with an iron?
It’s time to get creative again! Whether it’s breakfast for dinner to finish up some pancake mix, using stale bread for croutons, or finding substitutes, cooking is about enjoying the process and breaking out of the mundane.
Creativity comes when you have seventeen cans of tuna and need a new recipe. Creativity is testing new sauces on pasta and trying new recipes, ingredients, and styles of cooking.
Discover Thankfulness
As we settle into our routines, grocery shopping can become a tedious chore. Take this month to focus not on what you don’t have in the pantry but what you do. Instead of focusing on the deals you might miss, enjoy the ones you found already! It’s simple to grab chili on sale and celebrate a great deal but it’s a little harder to make chili and cornbread or chili on a baked potato three times a week to use it up.
Look at all the opportunities we have to buy food and utilize discounts, coupons, and rewards. It’s easy to take that for granted. When was the last time your family gave thanks for having a local grocery store, fresh produce, and the funds to pick up a treat or two?
Discover Usefulness
Once you embark on the Eat From the Pantry “Adventure”, try a little trick I call ‘spelunking.’ Simply dig through your stock and find something you can use in place of going to the store. Crunchy salad toppers can be used in soup. Top macaroni and cheese with the last tablespoons of bread crumbs. Turn mushy apples into applesauce and juice into popsicles.
Try Amy Dacyczyn’s Universal Casserole Recipe. Or, if you get stuck without an “essential” ingredient this site on substitutions is one of the easiest to reference.
I know my great grandmothers would be ashamed to see the amount of food I let spoil each week. They didn’t waste; the mantra was to “use it up!” In that spirit during my Pantry Month I rescued a ham from the work potluck that was to be thrown away. Ham omelets, sandwiches, added to beans and soup helped stretch many meals. If you’re thinking your stock can’t possibly last 31 days give it a shot and find out how long it WILL last. The worst that can happen is you’ll find your answer.
Have you ever tried an eating from the pantry challenge? If so, how long have you gone without going to the store?
We Paid Cash: A Vacation for Our Family of 7!
A testimony from Colleen
A little over a year ago, we decided to pay cash for our vacation. I was especially excited since it was going to be the first time I had taken my mom on vacation… without her spending a dime.
I began setting aside whatever leftover money we had in our checking account. Thinking that I was already close to our goal, I asked my husband to guesstimate how much we would need to cover the cost for our family of 7. His total was $2800 — without doing anything fun!
Unfortunately, I hadn’t even come close to saving enough and it was May!
Then, I got creative…
Lodging
After endlessly searching for somewhere to stay, I was discouraged. Everything was just too expensive! However, my husband was pastoring a church at the time, and I remembered that many places offer a clergy discount.
I looked again and found a whole house in PA! It was a B&B at $580 for 5 days! Check the memberships you currently have: belonging to organizations like USAA, AAA, and Knights of Columbus can have an add bonus in travel savings!
Meals
Eating out was normally one of our biggest vacation expenses. To help with these costs, I cashed in some rewards I’d earned and got gift cards for restaurants in the area.
We also tried to max out the value of each card by eating a big, later lunch getting the same items we would at dinner for half the cost… AND, several weeks before the trip, I signed up for restaurant loyalty programs that gave coupons for free items which extended our savings.
Gas
To save on fuel, we mapped out our route and got gas cards to stations on the way. It didn’t cover all our fuel costs, but it certainly helped!
Entertainment
I ordered a guide for my family members to choose things they were interested in, and then found deals for them. Then, at rest stations, we gathered free guides with coupons for other discounted activities.
I also did some internet research for free or discounted events in the area. I discovered that it was National Ice Cream Day (free ice cream), Dress like a Cow Day at Chick-fil-A (free meals), and 7/11 Slurpee Day that week!
Just like our B&B, meals, and fuel, I looked for ways to extend my buying power. I used Daily Deal sites to buy deals that included Food and Entertainment. We also weren’t afraid to ask for discounts.
We discovered that on taping days, certain seats are discounted at Sight & Sound. We were able to take in a circus, visit a petting zoo, see a Broadway-quality show, watch trains — big and small — plus so much more!
Our grand total was $1600 dollars for a fun-filled, 5-day vacation for our family of 7!
It took some planning and a little ingenuity, but we definitely made a memorable, family vacation on the cheap!
Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.
Gretchen’s $49 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan
Aldi
2 packages Carrots – $0.99 each
1 bag (3 lbs) Gala Apples – $2.99
1 package Roma Tomatoes – $1.19
1 bag (5 lbs) Potatoes – $1.99
1 package Radishes – $0.99
1 package Celery – $1.19
1 package Green Onions – $1.19
1 gallon Milk – $2.68
3 Cucumbers – $0.59 each
2 cans Green Beans – $0.49 each
1 package Rice Cakes – $1.29
1 dozen Eggs – $1.24
3 Lemons – $0.39 each
1 carton Sour Cream – $1.29
Total with tax ($1.57): $23.51
Dillons
Items a part of the Mega Sale (Buy 5, Save $5 instantly):
1 Post Cereal – $1.88, used $1/1 coupon from the March All You magazine – $0.88 after coupon
1 Lays Chips – $1.99
2 Breyers Ice Cream – $2.49 each, used $1.25/2 e-coupon – $1.86 each after coupon
2 Kraft Block Cheese – $1.99 each, used $1/2 coupon from the 3/9 SmartSource insert – $1.49 each after coupon
2 Dove + Men Shampoo – $2.49 each, used 2 $2.50/1 coupon from the 3/23 RedPlum insert – Free after coupons
2 Dove Shampoo – $2.49 each, used $3.75/2 printable (no longer available) – $0.62 each after coupon
Other Deals:
0.62 lbs Broccoli Crowns @ $1.59/lb – $0.99
4 Navel Oranges – $0.69 each
2 Barilla Pasta – $1 each, used $1/2 printable – $0.50 each after coupon
1 Kroger Unbleached Flour – $1.99, used $0.40/1 e-coupon – $1.59 after coupon
1 Cheerios – $3.19, used Free e-coupon – Free after coupon
0.53 lbs Organic Kale @ $1.99/lb – $1.05
1 Hamburger Buns – $0.99
1 lb Ground Turkey – $2.99
1 Kroger American Cheese – $2.39
1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99
1.97 lbs Bananas @ $0.59/lb – $1
Used $1 off next shopping trip e-coupon (Dillons definitely sent me some nice e-coupons this last week! 🙂 )
Total before coupons: $53.13
Total after coupons and sales: $25.56
Total for all grocery items: $49.07
Menu Plan for this Week
Breakfasts
Cereal, Homemade Granola, Homemade Veggie/Fruit Juice
Lunches
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, Cheese Quesadillas, Cheese/Crackers/Veggies, Leftovers, Macaroni and Cheese
Dinners
Hamburgers (Using ground beef that my parents gave to us a few weeks ago), Corn (from the freezer), Chips
Apple Turkey Picadillo, 30 Minute Rolls, Tossed Salad
Braided Pizza Bread, Steamed Broccoli
BBQ Meatballs (using venison), Banana Muffins, Green Beans
Baked Chicken Fried Steak (I’m using deer steaks and tweaking this recipe a bit), Homemade Bread, Tossed Salad
Crockpot Chicken and Veggies, Biscuits, Fruit Salad
Sour Cream Enchiladas, Fruit Salad, Steamed Carrots
At-Home Job Opportunity: Part-Time Advertising Manager
Keeper of the Home is looking to hire a Part-Time Advertising Manager to help manage their advertising needs. This job is a work-from-home position that allows for flexible hours.
Here are more details on this position:
- This job would consist of: Responding to advertiser requests, maintaining the Keeper of the Home media kit, helping to set the direction of their private advertising program, switching ads from month to month, maintaining advertiser records and monthly calendar, running weekly giveaways and the Christmas Gift Guide, helping manage and promote affiliate programs and products, coordinating with the Social Media Manager for sponsor shout outs, and seeking out new advertisers.
- This work-from-home position has flexible hours, but requires email to be checked at least once per weekday (Monday—Friday).
- This is a contractor position, not an employee position. You would claim your own taxes and expenses.
- This position requires someone able to work independently, as well as someone with a desire to learn who has a self-starter attitude.
- Previous blogging experience is nice, but not necessary.
- Position is available immediately. Training will be provided.
- Pay is a combination of hourly wage plus commission based on ad revenue.
To apply for this position, please fill out the Keeper of the Home Job Application Form.
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
Ask the Readers: How much should I save for a trip to Disney?
Today’s questions is from Michelle:
Your blog has inspired me to start saving for something that I really want to do, and feel like it’s just way too expensive: a Disney World vacation!
I have coworkers who travel there all the time, but our budget makes a vacation like that a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us. However, I have NO IDEA what my saving goal would/should be!
I live in Pennsylvania, so we would need airfare for 3 plus a hotel, park tickets, and whatever else you have to pay for when you’re there (food, a few souvenirs, etc.)
So I’m wondering what a practical budget with be for this type of trip… and I’m looking for frugal tips for taking a trip like that without breaking the bank.
Also, I have a couple years to save as my daughter is barely 2, and I think she’d need to be 3 or 4 for it to be worth it. I just really want to be able to do this for my family! -Michelle
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
“Don’t look your problems in the eye, punch them in the face.”
Kathrynne (9) has been working really diligently on some difficult school projects recently. Projects that are requiring hours of work and concentration.
She’s learning perseverance, persistence, and patience. And, after a hard first few months of this homeschooling year, I’m so encouraged to see her applying herself and really finding fulfillment from her hard work.
This morning, as she headed off to get started on her school projects for the day, she said to me, “Mom, I figured it out: Don’t look your problems in the eye, punch them in the face.”
She went on to talk about how it’s so easy to get overwhelmed by problems and hard things in our life. We can sit there and stare at the problem — and feel defeated. But instead of sitting there and feeling discouraged because it’s hard, it’s so much better to just go punch it in the face.
What big things are looming over your head right now? A massive project at work? A big research paper for college? A huge house renovation project? 25 pounds you want to lose? A marathon you hope to train for? A large medical bill you need to pay off? A budget you want to create and stick with?
Whatever your big things are, don’t sit and worry about how you’re going to accomplish them. Don’t fret about how overwhelming they are. Don’t waste time agonizing over how difficult they might seem.
Start attacking them with gusto. Break them into bite-sized pieces and tackle each piece one-by-one. Don’t let yourself be overcome by the enormity of your problems or projects.
Get up and go punch them in the face.
12 Goals for 2014: March’s Update
Jesse and I spent time really discussing what my focuses should be for 2014 and we nailed down four areas that are my priorities for this year:
- Marriage: to continue to invest time and energy to strengthen and nurture our marriage and make it one of the greatest priorities
- Mothering: to continue to invest in our children with the goal of teaching them character, life skills, and raising them to be responsible adults
- Myself: to make my health a priority and to invest in my personal growth as a Christian, business owner, writer, speaker, and leader
- MoneySavingMom.com: to invest time into blogging — not just overseeing the business and my team, but making writing content pieces one of my top blogging priorities
Having these specific areas determined at the beginning of the year is really helping me to prioritize and giving me much clearer direction on when, where, and what to say no to this year.
Here’s my progress for my 12 goals for 2014:
Marriage Goals
1. Read 6 marriage books. (I’ve finished two marriage books so far.)
2. Write 50 love notes to Jesse. (I’ve written 12 love notes so far.)
Mothering Goals
3. Read 40 books aloud to the kids. (We’ve finished three books so far and are almost finished with another.)
4. Finish memorizing Romans 1 together. (We’ve been working on this!)
5. Go through a cooking course with the kids.
Personal Goals
6. Read through the Bible. (I’m on track with this.)
7. Memorize Romans 2.
8. Run a 5K race and go through P90X again.
9. Read 150 books/ebooks. (I’ve read 30 books so far this year.)
Blogging Goals
10. Write 150 substantive content pieces for the blog. (I’ve written 40 substantive content pieces so far this year.)
11. Write 50 DIY/Recipe posts for the blog. (I’ve written ten DIY/Recipe post so far.)
12. Blog about/participate in the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge (I finished March’s challenge.)
Did you set goals for 2014 yet?
If you’ve posted an update on how you’re doing on your goals for 2014, I’d love for you to share your link in the comments. Or, if you don’t have a blog, feel free to just leave a comment with an update on how you’re doing on your goals. Let’s encourage one another to live lives of intention and purpose!
If you’re brand-new to goal-setting, be sure to read my post on How to Change Your Life By Setting Goals.
12 Months to a Healthier You: April’s Challenge
One of my goals for 2014 is to focus on my health. It’s easy to let our health take a back burner to everything else on our to-do list. But as I share in my new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, I’ve experienced what happens when you put your health last… and it’s not pretty!
With this in mind, I’m committed to making my health even more of a priority this year. And I’d love to have you join me for the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge.
We’re be focusing on one challenge area each month — all with the goal of being in a healthier place as a person by the end of next year. My hope is that as we work on instilling one new healthy habit each month, they won’t just be month-long challenges, but lifelong changes.
12 Months to a Healthier You Focus Areas for 2014
Here are the focus areas I’ve planned out for 2014:
January: Exercise Regularly
February: Eat More Fresh Fruits & Veggies
March: Drink More Water
April: Cut Back on Sugar
May: Get More Rest
June: Create a Morning Routine
July: Read More
August: Go to Bed Earlier
September: Declutter Your Home
October: Cut Back on Caffeine
November: Keep a Gratitude Journal
December: Simplify & Say No
How This Challenge Works:
At the beginning of the month, I’ll introduce the focus area and encourage you to set a small goal for that specific area and I’ll share my goals.
Then, every Friday, I’ll have a check-in post where I’ll encourage you to share your progress & struggles and I’ll share mine, as well. If you want to blog about your progress, I’ll include a link-up at the end of the post so you can share your blog posts on this challenge.
In addition to the Friday check-ins, I’ll also probably share a few posts and guest posts on the monthly topics each month, along with sharing about related books, resources, or websites that I’ve found helpful.
Are you on social media? You can also share your progress on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter by using hashtag #12MonthstoaHealthierYou.
My Goals for Cutting Back on Sugar During April
My goal for April is to cut back on sugar — which is hard for a girl like me who has a strong sweet tooth! 🙂 I’m going to make it my goal to only eat dessert once a week and to cut back on the sugar I use in my coffee on a daily basis, too.
I’m also hoping to keep up with January’s habit of exercising at least 4-5 times every week, February’s goal of eating a big salad at least six times a week, and March’s goal of drinking 8 glasses of water a day.
Will you be joining me for this April Challenge? If so, leave a comment letting us know you’re planning to join and what your goals are for cutting back on sugar in April. Remember to keep them simple and doable!
Join Us For the #CreeBulb Twitter Party on Wednesday Night (and you could win a $100 Home Depot gift card!)
Don’t forget! On Wednesday, April 2, 2014, from 8-9 p.m. EST, I’ll be hosting a Twitter Party sponsored by Cree LED Bulbs. Our topic for the one-hour party is: Simple Spring Upgrades to Save Big Bucks.
We’ll be talking about ways to save on home improvement projects and simple ways to save around the home. It will be fun, fast-paced, and full of ideas and inspiration. I can’t wait to learn from all of you!
Plus, we’re giving away two Cree Prize Packs and each one will have a $100 Home Depot Gift Card and $150 worth of Cree LED bulbs! All you have to do to enter to win is to participate in the Twitter Party by sharing a tip, retweeting a tweet, or answering a question. How easy is that?!?
Would you like to learn more about saving money on home improvements and have a chance to win a free Cree Prize Pack? Then be sure to join us on Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. EST for the #CreeBulb Twitter Party.
To participate, just follow me on Twitter (@MoneySavingMom) and join in the discussion that evening by answering the questions I ask and/or sharing your money-saving home improvement advice. I hope you’re able to make it!
Find out more details on Cree and the Cree Prize Pack giveaway here.