Meal Plan February 3, 2012

There's so much talk on the news lately about this winter, or more precisely, non-winter.  Personally, I'm loving it.  I used to like snow.  I used to not mind cold.  I used to look forward to winter-like weather.  Then, I became the grown up.  I learned that winter brings with it power outages, risks of trees falling, ice dams and literal rivers running through my children's bedrooms, leaking windows and doors from aforementioned ice damming...I'm done.  As far as I'm concerned this is the best! winter! ever!!  and I hope it sets a standard for years to come.  

There has been a lot of topsy-turvy-ness going on in our lives lately.  Jacob and Julianna have each missed a day or two of school lately being sick, but fortunately not-too-sick.  Honestly it was right on the borderline whether to send them or not, they certainly didn't have symptoms that were expressly forbidden to be in school with, it was just really nice to be able to have the option to keep them home when they're feeling punk.  I'm thankful to have that choice in my life.  Mark's been out of town on unexpected business trips...all this to say meal planning has been a joke.  Yes, I've planned; yes, I've shopped; it's just that everything gets rearranged seemingly constantly and we haven't been using what I've planned/shopped for.  Such is life.  I'm learning to just go with it.

I discovered this week that a specialty grocery store in our community delivers!  I am beyond excited.  It has the potential to really make my life a lot easier.  They charge $5 or it's free w/ a $100 order; they offer same-day delivery, it really is wonderful.  I may not use it a lot in the short term, Jacob's taking a writing class near a specialty market we enjoy a lot,  but once it's over it will be awesome to have this option. 


The next couple of weeks, knocking on wood, here's what I'll be making around here:

Friday:  leftover crockpot chicken sandwiches or out, not sure which will win out yet.
Saturday lunch:  out or crockpot sandwiches, whichever didn't happen Friday.
Saturday dinner:  homemade pizza**
Sunday lunch:  Date!  (Jacob and Julianna will be busy with a youth group activity, Mark and I will squeeze in a quick date.)
Sunday evening:  Super Bowl!  *Yawn*, actually, but it's a good excuse for "fun food".  Only problem is I'm not really in the mood to cook 'fun food', it does tend to be labor-intensive, but I'll most likely suck it up and just do it.  I know I'll be happy I did.  Emeril's Roasted Asian wings, Pioneer Woman's potato skins, 
Monday (dance night):  chicken finger wraps
Tuesday (piano):  Confetti Chicken, salad or green beans, Brussels Sprouts
Wednesday (dance night):  Meatloaf, parsleyed potatoes, glazed carrots
Thursday:  Macadamia and Panko Crusted cod w/orange butter sauce, rice pilaf w/apricots, sugar snap peas

Friday: Steak sandwiches, oven fries
Saturday:  out
Sunday evening:  spaghetti w/meat sauce, bread
Monday (dance):  Chicken Noodle Soup, wheat bread
Tuesday (piano & Valentine's Day):  Trisha Yearwood stuffed bell peppers, salad, bread
Wednesday (Brownies, dance):  Oven-fried Chicken, sweet potatoes, Brussels Sprouts/cauliflower
Thursday:  Tyler Florence's Fish Sandwiches, potato chips, cut-up veggies





Extra Recipes I'll be Making:  Chocolate Granola Bars, Homemade pudding pops, Double Chocolate PB Ice Cream, Marshmallow Frosted Brownies (making for Julianna's brownie troop), Homemade Pizza rolls, Mini-Quiche.  Whew, that sounds like a lot of junk, doesn't it?  Well, I'm hoping the granola bars will be mostly healthy; the pudding pops will be shared amongst 6 kids so they'll each have one then they're gone; the ice cream is pure indulgence, at least I hope.  :)  I'll work on making snacks the rest of the days ultra-healthy.


Hope you have a good week.  Check out other meal plans at Org Junkie's.

Organizing Junkie

This week was full of twists and turns, as life is apt to be.  Several meals got rearranged, others bumped to a future time.  We had unexpected leftovers, Mark traveled out of town two days, life happened.  Next week, our meal plan looks like this:

Friday:  Turkey and Dumplings, cauliflower
Saturday lunch:  leftover buffet (does that sound better than plain old leftovers??)
Saturday dinner:  BBQ Cheeseburgers, oven fries, milkshake
Sunday lunch:  Italian Antipasta Salad, Fried Ravioli
Sunday dinner: 
Monday (dance): 
Tuesday (piano): 
Wednesday (dance): 
Thursday:  Chorizo and Scrambled Egg Breakfast Tacos, home fries
Friday--Rebekah home!!  Yay!  Crockpot chicken sandwiches, Fritos, apples
Saturday lunch (jacob writing class):  North Market
Saturday dinner:  Gyros, tzatziki sauce, cut up veggies, cut up fruit
Sunday lunch:  Homemade Pizza**
Sunday dinner:  Tomato soup, grilled cheese
Monday (dance): Chef's Salads, no bake cookies, Focaccia
Tuesday (piano):  Mom's Sweet and Sour Chicken, rice, green beans
Wednesday (dentist appts., dance):  Crockpot chicken sandwiches
Thursday:  Turkey Roulade (leftover from Thanksgiving), mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, broccoli
Friday:  Homemade Pizza

Bumped:
Macadamia and Panko Crusted cod w/orange butter sauce, rice pilaf w/apricots and pecans, green beans
Meatloaf, parsleyed potatoes, glazed carrots
Chicken Cacciatore (from the freezer)

Monday Meanderings...Jan. 23

Family, Fun, Food.  That pretty much describes our weekend.  Oh, we didn't get to see all our family, that would have been wonderful, I miss seeing my mom and dad; I miss Jason & Lori, Matt & Lily, which is kind of ridiculous because they literally live rightthere; I miss Rebekah terribly (though she'll be home Friday!!!); but we did thoroughly enjoy the four of us and that's priceless.  

Friday night I was finishing working and making dinner (news flash:  make turkey stock out of your Thanksgiving turkey carcass then turn it into turkey & dumplings; yummy, frugal, fabulous!); I knew Mark hadn't had a chance to go to the gym yet, (he's really trying to get there regularly and strengthen those core muscles which will hopefully strengthen his back) so I asked him if he'd like to run over.  Jacob and Julianna decided to go with him and swim for an hour.  Bonus!  I finished up working and finished reading a book (I'm working on the Harmony series by Philip Gulley, a 7 book series centering around a Quaker pastor) while I babysat dinner.  Bliss.  May I add there's nothing like serving dinner to people who have just spent an hour involved in vigorous physical activity, boy did they appreciate that meal! 


Saturday I got up and headed out to the grocery store, the kids did homework and practiced piano, and Mark cleaned some.  After all the groceries were put away we ran a few errands, came home and just relaxed.  While we were chilling, I read an article in Midwest Living about a nearby town, Granville, Ohio.  It sounded really neat, it's not too far, about 40 minutes and we considered running out there to check it out.  In the end though we decided the kids were happily playing, happy to be chill and we'd file it away for another time.  I'd been craving a good burger and a shake, a meal that for 4 can easily set you back $50 so we decided to make that for dinner.  Yum!  A bacon cheddar cheeseburger with shoestring onion rings on top, baked oven fries (the healthy item on the menu!) and homemade malted milkshakes.  What a great way to end the evening.  After bedtime Mark and I spent some time hanging out together, something we don't pause to do nearly enough.  It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.


Sunday we were up and at 'em early for church and Sunday School.  I'd love it if it didn't start quite so early, but it truly does make me feel like my day's off to a good start.  For lunch Sunday I made toasted ravioli and Mark pulled together an antipasta starring some artisan salami's I had bought to sample the day before.  We all enjoyed that meal so much!  Sure, the food was good, but what was really great was the sitting together, comparing notes on the food, talking over what's going on in our lives, connecting with each other.  (BTW, new recipes, and they really were wonderful.  We all agreed we need to have them again, soon.  I highly recommend.  I've wanted to make the ravioli literally for years and always been intimidated by it.  No need.  Easy and delicious, win-win.)  Sunday afternoon we had a rousing game of Carcassonne, definitely our best one yet, I think we're getting the hang of it, followed by Apples to Apples Jr.  Hard to put in words how much I recommend this one, so easy, yet so much fun!  A few loads of laundry got done in there too, enabling me to keep up on my one to two loads a day which is really making a huge difference; the days of doing 10 loads just to catch up have disappeared!  We were all still so full from lunch we decided against dinner, making Sunday truly easy and relaxing.  Julianna would want me to be sure to mention she won both games.  :)

Sunday evening ended the way Sundays always do around here, we clean out the guinea pigs, pack up the backpacks, Julianna spends forever in the bath.  :)  We put away laundry, straighten the clutter, mentally and physically prepare for the week ahead.


I love weekends like this.  They really restore the soul.  Our next 6 weekends have plans and activities; good things, things that will definitely be enjoyed, but busy nonetheless.  Weekends like this past one give me the boost I need to recharge and gear up for the busy times.


Hope your weekend was restorative too.

Meal Plan January 20, 2012

Organizing Junkie

So, I think I was meant to be rich...
I don't mind meal planning, the shopping makes me crazy but that's a time issue, (if I were rich, I wouldn't be working, there wouldn't be a time issue), but then often sometimes during the week when it's actually time to make dinner, I just don't feel like it.  Or, I don't feel like putting the work into what I planned, or, whatever.  Still, I will admit the plan helps keep me on track, I just wish I had a magic ball that would tell me what I'm actually going to be in the mood for each night of the week.  :)  What does any of that have to do with being rich?  No clue, lost my train of thought.  Still, pretty sure that's how it was meant to be.  :)

Anyone relate?

Anyway, here's the plan for the next two weeks:


Friday:  Turkey and Dumplings, cauliflower
Saturday lunch:  leftover buffet (does that sound better than plain old leftovers??)
Saturday dinner:  BBQ Cheeseburgers, oven fries, milkshakes
Sunday lunch:  Italian Antipasta Salad, Fried Ravioli
Sunday dinner:  Chorizo and Scrambled Egg Breakfast Tacos, home fries
Monday (dance):  Chef's Salads, bread
Tuesday (piano):  Chef's Salads for piano, no bake cookies;  Chicken Cacciatore (from the freezer), Focaccia
Wednesday (dance):  Meatloaf, parsleyed potatoes, glazed carrots
Thursday:  Macadamia and Panko Crusted cod w/orange butter sauce, rice pilaf w/apricots and pecans, green beans
Friday--Rebekah home!!  Yay!  Crockpot chicken sandwiches, Fritos, apples
Saturday lunch (jacob writing class):  North Market
Saturday dinner:  Homemade Pizza**
Sunday lunch:  Gyros, tzatziki sauce, cut up veggies, cut up fruit
Sunday dinner:  Tomato soup, grilled cheese
Monday (dance):  leftovers/pot luck
Tuesday (piano):  Mom's Sweet and Sour Chicken, rice, sugar snap peas
Wednesday (dentist appts., dance):  Crockpot chicken sandwiches
Thursday:  Turkey Roulade (leftover from Thanksgiving), mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, broccoli
Friday:  Homemade Pizza


** I'm trying out my new Artisan Bread and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day.  I'm excited to give it a go.  On those inevitable, I don't want to cook what I had planned, or it's not going to work, or whatever nights, when we're brainstorming what to do about dinner Jacob often says, "Homemade pizza!", with lots of enthusiasm.  He has no clue that it doesn't just magically appear.  :)  Maybe, just maybe, with this book that could actually be a possibility.  We'll see.  I'll let you know what I think.

Friday's Favorite Five January 20

Living to Tell the Story

Five Favorite Things...

1.  Julianna.  I am so proud of her.  So proud.  She auditioned for a solo part in the dance studio's big June production.  Unfortunately, she did not receive a part, and a lot of her dance friends did.  When she found out she was terribly disappointed.  I am so proud of how she's handling it though.  She cried.  Of course she did.  It was definitely something she wanted very, very much.  She cuddled up with me and was just sad for a while.  Understandable.  But then, then she drew on her inner reserves and she went off to play.  She's doing okay.  As I tucked her into bed she told me she was still disappointed.  I told her I understood that.  How could she not be?  Still, I am so proud of her.  She's showing me her strength.  How resilient she is.  How healthy she is.  I am so proud to be her mom.  She's disappointed, we both definitely wish it had gone another way, yet even in the face of such sadness she's demonstrating grace and strength.  I'm lucky to be her mom.
2.  Hair products!  (Switching gears here)  A couple of months ago when I got my hair done I decided to bite the bullet and invest in a salon shampoo and conditioner for my hair.  My stylist has always maintained that it would help me maintain my color and reduce the fading that was occurring.  Not a good feeling to spend a fortune on your hair and feel like it's a different color in two weeks and a different color altogether in four.  I was skeptical, to say the least, that it could make much difference, after all, I used good products, I thought.  Well, 9 weeks later, I have seen the light.  While it doesn't make a dent in regrowth (darn!), my hair did maintain it's salon color.  Worth the money.
3. My stand mixer.  I have so many "toys" in my kitchen given to me by my parents. My mixer might be the small appliance I use the most...cookies, cakes, bread, you name it.  I love to cook, I love making treats for my family, but most of all, I love the feeling I get every time I use it and I think of all the love it was given to me with.  My parents are very supportive of me, my hopes, my dreams, and it warms my heart to feel that love and think of it every time I'm going about my normal tasks.
4. Reading.  I get incredible joy and release from reading. I'm a voracious reader and will read anywhere from 2-5 books a week.  It's such a pleasure!  What a wonderful gift in my life to have the joy of reading.  Maeve Binchy, Robyn Carr, Sherryl Woods, Sophie Kinsella, Debbie Macomber, I'm sure they're are many, many more, but these are some of my favorite authors currently. 
5. Being a mom, my way.  There's a lot of debate out there about what makes a good mother.  I've got some very strong feelings on that subject, believe me.  When I made the decision many, many, many years ago to become a mom, I had some pretty definite ideas about what that needed to look like for me.  I am so thankful that, for the most part; and unfortunately, don't get me wrong, I'm in no way saying I'm a perfect mom, far from it; but for the most part, I've gotten to do this parenting gig exactly the way I want.  When my kids snuggle up with me at the end of the day; when one of my kids has good news/bad news/questions, whatever, they want to share and they reach out to me; when I look back at my parenting journey, I am so proud, happy, blessed, pleased that I've gotten to do this my way.  Most of the time I think I've got some pretty good instincts as to what will work for me, for our family, and I'm exceedingly thankful that I've been able to, and chosen to, follow them.

That's it.  It's been an incredibly long day, and much as I admire my little girl's resiliency, I'm not there yet.  I'm still very disappointed for her.  I'm worried about some friendship issues she's experiencing.  (Is walking up to a 9 year old and telling her to knock it off in no uncertain terms really off limits??)  I'm exhausted from helping the 11 year old with homework that shouldn't be anywhere near as difficult as it was simply because he's terrified, unfortunately justifiably, that he's going to get marked down, yelled at, called on the carpet, for some ridiculous, inconsequential reasons.  I'm tired of merely "getting by", falling more and more in the hole all the time, yet incredibly thankful that we are getting by, that the hole is there to fall into sometimes, for all the good that we do have in our lives.  It's been a long week, but we're getting there, the weekend's just hours away.  :)

Have a good one.

Warriors

If you have a 9-12 year old, chances are good you may have heard about The Warriors book series.  Jacob, and a lot of his friends, absolutely love them.  Jacob inhales the books, but that's really only the beginning.  They play Warriors on the playground, he spends hours inventing new characters and drawing them, it permeates much of what he thinks about and chooses to do.

Now, I've allowed him to start a blog based on them, Nightstar Warrior Cat's Blog.  www.nightstarwarriorcat.blogspot.com

If you know someone who's a fan of The Warriors, check it out!

Help! What Makes You Smile?

I have a friend from Julianna's dance classes, who unexpectedly lost her husband a year and a half ago.  She's having a tough time, this time of year is always tough.  You've got the holidays, which are very hard when you're grieving, then his birthday was in December, their anniversary was today, her birthday's Monday.  I'd like to do something for her--to give her a gift for her birthday.

What makes you smile?

She has two girls, one 9, one around 14. 

Any thoughts on a gift someone could hand you that you would really enjoy?

Resolutions

I'm getting slightly better at living positively.  Unfortunately it's still more of a one step forward, one (two?) step(s) back kind of thing...  but I'm trying and I can see progress, so there's that...

I did have one more resolution for the upcoming year.  Mark absolutely loves jambalaya and gumbo.  I'm determined to learn to make a jambalaya he can enjoy.  If that goes well, and if I can enjoy it as well, then I'll attempt gumbo.  Honestly, neither one of these thrill me, but that's not what it's about.  One of the skills I bring to our marriage, our life, is my cooking chops.  I want to exercise them and use them to learn to make something that brings joy to the one who brings me so much joy. 

So...I'm starting with jambalaya.  Mark loves Cheesecake Factory's version, it has chicken and shrimp in it.  I'll be researching and scouring for a recipe to start with.  If you've got one you love, please pass it along.  At this point I need all the help I can get. 

(I'm very embarrassed and ashamed to admit I still haven't made him the apple dumplings.  Ugh.  How can that even be possible?  I've made him lots of other things, including special things for his birthday, but I haven't made those and they're taking on a life of their own.  I need to get to that.  Soon.  Is there something you've been meaning to do for someone you love that you let life get in the way?)

Friday's Favorite Five January 6

Living to Tell the Story

So, my year of living positively...how's it going?  I'm making progress, I think.  Tuesday, really the first day of the new year for me, as that's the day it was back to school and work for everyone, went really, really well.  Yay!  I thought.  How easy is this going to be?  Look at me!  Well, as you can probably guess, change is never that easy.  Wednesday was harder.  Wednesday I found myself slipping into old habits.  I had woken up at 4:00, could not fall back asleep, and I think that was at least in part responsible for my down-ness.  Just realizing that helped.  Of course, it was very late in the day when I realized it, but...

Even with being slightly down and frustrated I still made some progress.  Mark had some news he was very excited about.  As soon as I heard it my mind started the negative tape.  The 'yeah buts'.  Thankfully, they never made it from my brain to my mouth to his heart.  I'm not to the point where I stop thinking them yet, but I was happy to have stopped short of expressing them.  Baby steps.

Today, in short order as I am off to the grocery store for part one of my shopping, (Do you shop at multiple stores?  Sometimes I think it's insane, but I really can't seem to figure out a way around it.  It is what it is, I guess.) five of my favorite things:

1. Guinea Pigs.  Who knew?  Having kids for 27 years we've had our share of pets, that's for sure.  Cats, dogs, turtles, fish, hermit crabs, hamsters and gerbils, we've had them.  We had never made the leap to guinea pigs though.  What took us so long??  Julianna's big Christmas wish from Santa was for a guinea pig.  Santa came through.  He brought the cage, all the supplies, and a giftcard to purchase a pig from a local pet store.  We actually ended up getting two.  Two kids, it made sense to me.  Plus, I figured if the novelty wore off they'd at least have each other to keep them company.  I'm thinking I shouldn't have worried.  They're delightfully engaging, very social.  Easy to take care of, so far it's working out great.  I'm actually glad she asked for, and got them.
2. Cookbooks!  I have an addiction.  I admit it.  I thoroughly love to get cookbooks.  I have way too many, but I just can't seem (don't want) to stop.  I belong to The Good Cook**, a cookbook club.  I fulfilled my member obligations long ago and now a few times a year they offer almost all of their books for $8-$10.  That's when they become irresistible.  Plus, family recognizes my addiction and knows that a good cookbook is an excellent gift.  I'm an avid reader but I don't buy the books I read, I read them too quickly and tend not to re-read.  Cookbooks are different however.  A good cookbook I'll read over and over again.  I'll read.  I'll browse.  I'll reference.  I love them.  It used to really embarrass me, but then I realized it's okay.  Cooking, you may have guessed, is something I take a lot of pride in, it's a hobby.  It's what I love.  Cookbooks are a natural extension of that facet of my personality.  Current favorites from my newest books:  Flour, All About Roasting, Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in 5 Minutes a Day, The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, and My Family Table.  Yup, definitely an addiction.
3. Laundry.  Stick with me.  Trust me, there are many times this would end up on my 5 least favorite things list.  This week has been different however.  This week I got all caught up over the weekend and I have maintained it all week!  I've done 2-3 loads everyday and this morning I didn't even have enough for a whole load.  What an incredible feeling.  Now, I just need the universe to stay on an even keel so I can keep it up.  
4. Mild winter weather.  'Nuf said.  I'm sure it's causing problems for a lot of industries, but I am absolutely loving the lack of snow, ice and problems.
5. Mexican food for dinner.  Yum!  Jacob and Julianna are both having friends over that are staying for dinner, so I'm making a feast.  Chicken and ground beef tacos, a new mexican rice recipe from my Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, black beans, plus plenty of planned leftovers for a couple more mexican-leaning meals in the next week.  Mexican's probably my favorite cuisine right now.

Well, off to the to-do list.  I hope things are going well in your world and that you're finding lots of favorite things.  Check out other people's favorite five's at Susanne's.

**This is an affiliate link.  However, do not join this club unless cookbooks really are your thing.  You will not really see a benefit unless you stay in for a long time and buy lots of cookbooks down the road, cheap, after you fulfill your obligation.  If you're a person to join, jump through the hoops you need to then quit, it will not be worth it to you.

Meal Plan January 5, 2012

Organizing Junkie

Our cupboards are bare!  The fridge is even barer.  We're in a state not usually seen around here, thank goodness.  Add to that the fact that the kids have a four day week this week, a four day week next week and a four day week the next week, and I decided I need to be as organized as possible for the next two weeks meal plans.  I am thrilled that we've got some three day weekends coming up, even though Mark and I will still be working, it will be lovely to have J&J here, it just makes me want to plan carefully so that I'm prepared to have fun on their days off, not be doing the "what's for dinner" scramble.

I'm also trying to use up some things from the freezer and to be smart about leftovers.  Hopefully I can make a dent in the grocery bill, or at least keep it in the budget range.  I haven't grocery shopped in two weeks and I'll be grocery shopping for two weeks.  This one could hurt.  :)

Thursday: Minestrone (from the freezer), Focaccia (from Flour cookbook--I got 2 copies for Christmas, it's awesome!
Friday (J&J have friends for dinner):  Ground beef and chicken tacos; mexican rice with charred tomatoes, chiles and onion; black beans
Saturday lunch:  Club Sandwiches, chips
Saturday dinner (Matt & Lil):  Sloppy Joes, tater tots, cut up veggies, fruit
Sunday brunch: out
Sunday dinner:  date
Monday (dance, book club):  Southwestern chicken salads
Tuesday (piano):  Bakes Potatoes w/taco toppings, rice krispie treats
Wednesday (brownies, dance): 
Thursday:  Cincinnati Chili, garlic bread
Friday (no school):  Green Enchiladas, rice, refried beans
Saturday lunch:  ??
Saturday dinner:  Crockpot Beef Sandwiches, chips, apples/veggies
Sunday lunch (Mark work): pot luck
Sunday supper:  pizza?
Monday (no school, dance):  leftovers, pot luck
Tuesday (piano, hair appt.)  crockpot lemon chicken, best roasted potatoes ever, glazed carrots
Wednesday (dance):  Turkey & Dumplings (carcass from freezer to make stock, leftover Thanksgiving turkey), broccoli, applesauce, dinner rolls
Thursday:  Salmon patties, buttered noodles, creamed peas
Friday:  Chicken Cacciatore (freezer), sourdough bread, pasta or polenta

What's your favorite dinner to make this time of year?

:)

As part of my concerted effort to find my happy:

Enjoy!