Our Meals

The month doesn't surprise. It's busy here as always, but at least it's not in a bad way. I began a series of classes last Monday, training for a volunteer position with the County that I've been interested in since October. For the next five weeks I'll be in classes for two hours Monday and Wednesday night and roughly seven hours on Saturday. Classes are draining, not only because of the hours but the topics as well. I'll save that for another time. I don't start school until the beginning of March so I won't be on overload for some time.

Last week I tried several new recipes.

Meal Plan - January 18 - 24

• Empanadas with Cheese Sauce
• Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Salsa
• Garlicky Potatoes and Sausage
• From Scratch Mac N Cheese with Cauliflower and Chicken Sausages
• Chicken Burrito Bake

We had two convenience food nights so I didn't make two of the dinners I'd planned; they have been moved to this coming week.

Meal Plan - January 25 - 31

• Potato Soup - I made this today, yum!
• Spaghetti Carbonara
• Chicken Fried Steak - still have not pulled these out of the deep-freeze!
• Buffalo Chicken Fingers
• Chicken In The Chips
• Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Salsa and Homemade Refried Black Beans - Encore!

The two cookbooks and website that are feeding us right now are Dinner Doctor, Desperation Dinners (my new addition) and Everyday with Rachael Ray. Without them we'd be eating Mac N Cheese out of a box and Hamburger Helper. Don't get me wrong, I like a box of the orange stuff every now and then and Hamburger Helper is quick but we've reached that point in our lives where we'd rather eat real food on a daily basis. I don't make everything from scratch mind you. My refried black beans are out of a can because that sort of planning doesn't really happen in my house. Half the main dish recipes in Desperation Dinners begin with frozen chicken or ground beef! That's my kind of cookbook.

I've also discovered my awesome stick blender again. Some time back my Magic Bullet died. It didn't actually die though - it broke. The little gear on top of the base - THAT'S MADE OUT OF SOME SORT OF ACRYLIC - broke. It was a very sad day here as we don't own a blender or food processor. Let's just say that I was angry as my previous Magic Bullet died/broke in the very same fashion and Homeland Housewares doesn't sell replacement parts. Any-who... the stick blender I got for Christmas last year has become very handy while I try to decide on the best product to replace my beloved bullet. You can stick that thing in soups, mash beans and potatoes, make smoothies and shakes - nearly any task that a blender can accomplish, a stick blender can do... except crush ice, don't try that. So while I obsess over which kitchen appliance I'll be dropping $100 on next, my $15 stick blender is chugging along making my kitchen existence tolerable.

Wow

Sleep Eludes Me

I'm supposed to be in bed, asleep. I've been hunched over a computer all day and felt like I needed an early bedtime but it's just not working out that way. I took a hot shower, got in bed, laid down, and knew I wouldn't be able to relax.

The hubby is still at work. He's working on a big conversion that was supposed to be done at three this afternoon but it failed around six tonight and he had to restart it. He probably won't be done until midnight. I don't sleep well when he's not in bed.

I've been working on getting the books ready for the accountant. I don't have everything I need yet so it's a slow process. I've got two months of IFTA done but I can't really even start December until one of our field guys gets back in town. It's so frustrating not having everything I need! I did lots of little things today, nothing special except acting as the HR manager. I've had several requests from employees to get information from the insurance company or help them make changes. I actually love that part of my job. I like helping them and getting their questions answered. I'll probably get my Bachelors and end up in the HR department of some company.

Well, I suppose it's time to resort to boring movies. I can't afford to be up all night.

Cookbooks - A Recipe for Stress Reduction

I can feel the stress closing in. And it's the weekend! Yesterday when I got up and began to make coffee I had that all too familiar lump in my throat. I had to consciously tell myself to relax, it's Saturday morning, there's nothing to be stressed out over. I was able to calm down and enjoy the day, but geeze, what is my deal?

To resolve that stress I unconsciously resort to soothing behaviors like reading cookbooks and finding yummy-sounding recipes. I didn't really have to do much work on this weeks meal plan because I came up with more than necessary last week.

Meal Plan January 11 - 17, 2009 (Can you believe it's 2009???)

• Tuna Casserole
• Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes, gravy and corn
• Spaghetti Carbonara with coleslaw (because I forgot to make it last week)
• Beef Bourguignonne
• Two For One Noodles (the leftovers are the start for another meal)
• Mock Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna (maybe)
• From Scratch Mac N Cheese

And maybe...

• Corndog Muffins - a super-easy recipe for lazy evenings

I'm dying to get my hands on a new cookbook, Desperation Dinners. I tried to get it from the library but someone has taken off with it and not returned the darn thing. Grrrr! I did get a copy of Desperation Entertaining but it's just not the same. I'll have to go out and buy a copy as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Teen Torture

Oh, for the love of God! My sons are both back in Spanish 1 (don't ask) and IN THE SAME CLASS! They will no doubt torture the poor woman who teaches it, Mrs. H.

Matt joined Jake for the first time today and already they are making Mrs. H crazy. Matt was given a list of class expectations to bring home and have his dad or me sign but they filled it out and Jake signed it in the parent or guardian spot. Mrs. H tried to argue with them but decided it was was no use (smart move). Then Jake complained the whole period about how Matt was distracting him and bet Matt that he'd end up sitting front row center within a couple of weeks. After class, Jake told Mrs. H that she should move Matt to the front because that's where he needs to be - and she told him that she would.

Poor Matt never had a chance - and neither did Mrs. H.

This is the first - and will be the last - class that Jake and Matt have ever been in together. There's a reason for that.

Pushing My Kids

I have pushed my boys in many different things from schoolwork to sports to playing an instrument and I think pushing your kids to do their best, to be involved and to try new things is good for them and makes them better people.

When the boys started playing football in 7th grade neither one of them did well at first. Jake had a hard time with the discipline and Matt had trouble with all of it. We wouldn't allow them to quit in the middle of the season, they started and they were going to finish, like it or not. Jake found his groove at the beginning of the 8th grade football season and soon was playing both sides of the ball, a much needed and talented player. Matt decided to try it for another season when he began 8th grade but the second round was no better than the first, again he wanted to quit but he'd started and was going to finish. Now both of our boys are great players, are dedicated to football even in the off season, and they appreciate the pushing we did in junior high. They love football.

A similar thing happened when they began playing in the band although Jake had more fun than Matt did. Jake played the trombone for three years and even played in the Jazz Band. Matt on the other hand couldn't settle on an instrument and played the trumpet in 7th and the French Horn in 8th. He decided he didn't want to play in band during his 9th grade year and against my better judgement, let him out of band when he signed up for classes in the middle of 8th grade. By the end of that school year he regretted his decision but they couldn't fit him into a band class for the next year. I learned my lesson: trust your instincts, if you make them finish something, they will appreciate it.

Now that Lindsay is in soccer we've had our battles. She doesn't like the run at the beginning of practices or she may not want to go if she's had a bad day. We ask her months before the season begins if she wants to play again, we talk about soccer as the season draws near, and we make sure she's excited rather than dreading the practices and games. When she gets tired of it mid-season, we remind her that it was her choice to play and that she must finish what she started. At the end of every season she appreciates it.

I'm of the mindset that children need pushing. They should finish what they start and they should be well rounded. Our children know that they have to take two years of a language, play in band through junior high, and be involved in some sport or athletic activity throughout junior high and high school - and keep up their grades of course. I believe in being well rounded and I am making sure that my children are pushed to do the things that I never was not because I'm trying to live vicariously through them, but because I think that if I am capable of providing them with these experiences, I should. They are better for it and won't look back on what they did and be angry with me for not letting them quit.

Meal Plan - Again

I'm trying a few new things this week but there are also old standbys coming. Jake told me not to long ago that I make like eight things really well and I should just stick with that... Wow, I thought I was a better cook than that, and I said as much. He said I rotate the same stuff all the time, not that I'm a bad cook. Thanks.

Meal Plan for January 4 - 10

• Chicken strips and fries
• Tuna Casserole - haven't made this in years.
• Meaty Ziti (but with Penne instead - I just like the name) and spinach salad
• Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and corn
• Philly Cheesesteak Casserole
• Spaghetti Carbonara
• Black Bean and Veggie Stack with coleslaw and rice
• Tortilla Espanola and salad
• Beef Bourguignonne

This should actually take us through the 12th of January or longer if I sub in a frozen pizza or other convenience food. Now I just have to finish putting together the shopping list for tomorrow.

The boys are back!

They got back from the mountains an hour or so ago and Jake already took his shower and left. Matt is now showered and ready to leave as well. Boy, we just don't rate anymore. They are both trying to fit in one last bit of fun before they go back to school. I guess that's fair.

Another Break

I took another unplanned break from my blog. I've thought every day about writing but either never got around to it or couldn't write a coherent sentence to save my life. Anyway, I'm back and hope I can keep going steady through the year... that's not a resolution though. Tee hee hee

As far as resolutions go, I don't like them. I said as much last year but I made some goals for myself. I said I would think positively and I did. Not every thought I had was positive, but I worked on sending out positive energy and thinking in a more affirmative rather than negative way. I feel as though I made progress and I'm going to continue to work on that way of thinking this year... last night I even picked up The Secret, a book I got last January. Yeah, took me a year to read even a single page. I continue to amaze me.

I also resolved last year to be more financially responsible. I kept track of our bank accounts better and paid only one overdraft fee all year - an unfortunate math error was to blame. I hate math. While we're not really better off financially this year, we did a better job all around in paying bills and managing money so that when my Christmas bonus came it didn't get spent on catching up on bills like it normally is. It was a good year. Maybe I'll have to work on a post recapping the good things in 2008.

As I'm sure I've said before, I'm a cookbook addict. I read them for fun, to de-stress, to research new ideas, to fall asleep - yeah, weird. I rarely make a recipe the way it's written; I tailor it to my family's tastes, MY tastes mostly. Anyway, I was perusing Allrecipes.com tonight and stumbled upon a recipe for cilantro lime rice. I love rice, I love lime, I HATE cilantro. I don't know why, it just tastes awful to me, kind of a tin foil taste maybe? Oh, and if I take a bite of something with too much in it (and don't immediately spit it out) my lips go numb. I googled substitutes for cilantro since making lime-rice just doesn't sound appealing. Turns out that lots of people hate cilantro and it either tastes like biting foil/pennies or soap. Wow, who knew? I'm not alone - not even in the lip numbing category! So if you hate cilantro like me, a good substitute (that I can't swear by because I haven't tried it) is a mixture of parsley and celery leaves, and maybe even a bit of mint as well.

Speaking of cookbooks, when I was 17 I bought a cookbook called Where's Mom Now That I Need Her. A friend of mine had one that her mother had bought her and I just had to have it. A month ago my boys asked me separately if they could have my copy when they moved out. My answer, "No, that's my cookbook but I'd be happy to buy it and give you all my recipes too." The day after Christmas we went to the mall to exchange the Crocs Mammoths (in grape and black) we bought Lindsay and discovered that the bookstore that's been there forever is closing and everything was 40% off. And they had one copy of that cookbook - a new release that's been updated since I bought mine almost 20 years ago. I've been looking through cookbooks for easy recipes to add since then.

On to family news. We had a great Christmas. We went to my mothers house with my brothers and their families. We haven't all been at my mom's house for Christmas at the same time in 25 years! I cooked so much in the last three weeks I could feed an army, and I still have tons of food left. Last year I was recovering from surgery and lost 12 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years. This year not so much. I made chili and zuppa toscana for the in-law's family Christmas party, tons of snack food for Christmas Eve, mini quiches and hash-brown casserole for Christmas morning, took a ham AND turkey to Mom's house on Christmas Day, cranberry-barbecue meatballs, artichoke dip, and buffalo chicken dip for the New Year's Eve party. Seriously, tons of food there - and none of it good for us.

The boys went snowboarding at Steamboat the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before Christmas, at Winter Park the Sunday after, and are now at the cabin with my in-laws snowmobiling. They're really enjoying this break.

We went to a New Year's Eve party on Wednesday night. Same friends as last year but just us two couples, plus all the associated kids and their girlfriends. I think there were eleven kids total. The adults played Gin for hours, had a blast, and I was sober when I drove home at 3:45 in the morning. I didn't want to experience the same hangover as last year and the hubby was drinking. It's amazing how clear the roads are at that hour, and not a single sobriety checkpoint like I'd expected. I guess most parties ended earlier than ours did.

The kids all go back to school on Tuesday and the hubby goes back in just over two weeks. My classes don't start until March but I'll have two at the same time, no fun. Jake graduates at the end of May, the hubby has changed his degree so he'll be finished in a year and a half and I should graduate this coming December. We're going to be all graduated-out soon. We're moving forward with C graduation plans. We've found a nice place for the party and starting to work on the menu. Decorating, guest lists, invitations and all the other little details will be left to the last minute if I'm not careful. Lucky for me, I'll have the GF to help! Thanks hon.