FFFF #274 - Life Update - Unplanned Kitchen Renovation

First things first friends! New meal plan is live in the Library of Resources!

And before we get into the shitstorm that is my life right now (sorry but that is the best way to describe it, you'll see why in a second) I wanted to share something a friend of mine wrote. She's an incredibly talented writer and I think sharing it as much as possible could potentially help someone else express their feelings or feel seen, even if they don't possess the talent with words she does!

I’m not going to comment on the Trump administration’s announcement — there are far more qualified people than me to speak on that, the science, and what it all means. I have my own opinions, of course, but they’re just that: opinions. As a functional dietitian, not a pediatric neurologist, I don’t believe it’s my place to provide that kind of analysis.

What I do believe we can all agree on is the importance of supporting the autism community in every way possible. Sharing this poem is one small way I can support my friend, and hopefully offer comfort or encouragement to anyone else who may need it.

Alright, shifting gears a bit — some life updates for those of you who don’t catch my IG stories (@hungryhobbyRD). Recently, the RO line behind our fridge leaked, which meant our kitchen and dining room had to be torn apart.

soooooooo ya. That was fun. It's unfortunate, because I felt like we were just catching a groove. I was figuring out what work looked like, filming reels, blogging etc and then BAMN. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the several of the windows leaked a couple days later during a monsoon.

It’s been a lot of adulting lately, and honestly? I’m tired, ha! Things are moving along — we’re negotiating with insurance, getting quotes for the windows, and dealing with a few other big repairs that all seemed to break at once. It feels like a lot, especially since life was just starting to settle down after a year and a half of nonstop turmoil.

But perspective really is everything. The last couple of years brought challenges that were far more intense, so while I’d obviously prefer not to have major house repairs right now, I’m incredibly grateful to even have a home to repair. I’m not trying to slap on rose-colored glasses or be toxically positive, but when the stress kicks in, it helps to remind myself how lucky we are.

We’ve also had such good support. Between my father-in-law and our close friends, we were always covered when a new house emergency popped up — if they couldn’t be here in person, they were on FaceTime walking us through next steps. My FIL even stayed until midnight one night helping us sort things out. Another time, my best friend’s husband came over to help fix one of the windows while she and I sat in her van outside with all five kids. It’s moments like that when I’m extra grateful for the people in our lives.

Gratefulness only takes you so far though right? Distraction is another key coping mechanism.

See my full list of fantasy & romance favorites here. And follow me on Good Reads @kellishallal.

And how am I dealing with my kitchen being torn apart? Well, I did what I always do when I don't want to cook anything complicated. Headed to TJ's of course! I've been playing this fun game on IG recently, guess the price.

If you guessed $283, you would be correct. Here was my meal plan and here is a link to the 7 days Trader Joe's Meal Plan mentioned in this photo.

Did this happen? Eh, sort of. I’ll admit, my commitment was pretty low when the fans were running at full blast. For the first few days the noise was overwhelming and everything felt like chaos level 10. It’s much better now, but in the moment, it was a lot. I managed to make a couple of the meals I planned.

Air Fryer Salmon (too lazy too cut it up but same as my air fryer salmon bites) and roasted cauliflower.

Trader Joe's Orange Chicken, Spring Rolls, & Broccoli Rabe

And of course, we ordered out (or ate out) plenty, because honestly, some nights it was just too much. Now I’m slowly easing back into meal planning for the family and planning some new/updated content. Still, my kitchen will probably be torn apart for at least a couple of months. Our contractor is negotiating with the insurance company right now, so it’s going to be a while. That’s definitely disappointing, especially since life had just started to feel settled again. But, it is what it is.

In the meantime, I’ve been leaning on super easy, no-cook meals. One of my favorites right now is overnight oats — they’ve completely replaced my usual breakfast sandwiches because they require zero cooking. My go-to combo is:

½ cup oats
½ cup almond milk
1 teaspoon chia seeds
2 tablespoon peanut butter powder
½ cup frozen strawberries

I mix it all together, add a little more milk in the morning, and top it with salted peanut butter. It’s soooo filling and keeps me going for hours. Plus, I’ve even been portioning them into plastic cups (real life right here!) since we literally just got our dishwasher working again.

And at least the weather is cooling down FINALLY.

And of course you have to get frozen yogurt when parent teacher conferences go well!

And she started dance this week! I wanted to share her outfit because it was insanely hard to find a ballet outfit that was potty training friendly (snaps at the bottom like a onsie). I got this one and these shoes, which are perfect! When she went on her first day I sent her with biker shorts underneath and the onside part kind of just like tucked in (which is the same thing I do with bodysuits and jeans ha ha I NEVER actually snap the crotch.

Other Amazon favorites of the week include:

You know I love my rocktape, Mr. Hungry has been using it on his Achilles during basketball and he said it's night and day difference. And I use it, pretty much wherever it hurts ha ha most recently I've been having some issues with my knees. The taped helped and I started the knees over toes guy program, which has helped as well!

And boo boo refuses to wear anything that isn't pink or purple, so I ordered these socks and now I don't have meltdowns with shoes in the morning. Pick your battles friends. I'm about to order a set of like five pairs of pink pajamas just to reduce bedtime battles. And you know what? I don't blame her for not wanting to wear her brothers dumptruck blue pajamas ha ha I like girly things too.

I also had to share this with you guys, hopefully it gives you a chuckle:

I’m kind of a hybrid, ha! You never know which version of me you’re going to get. Sometimes I’ll splurge on something designer or order Christmas outfits in September, other times I’m all about the thrift finds and last minute decisions.

Speaking of thrift finds, I've been hunting for babydoll accessories with some luck! Baby girl is obsessed with her baby dolls and all the accessories.

This post hasn't followed the normal FFFF format, but we will top it off with fitness anyways!

I'm currently still following my chatgpt ab program, doing the @kneesovertoes guy knee ability zero program (I think I will progress quickly because I"m definitely not at a zero, but the walking backwards on the treadmill has done something to my hamstrings lol) and training upper body with some gusto. I've been using the sauna 3-4x a week and getting around 10,000 steps a day. I can't wait to add some cardio/leg work back in, but that will likely not be until after FNCE (food and nutrition conference.)