Monday, May 31, 2010

meal plan monday

The next few meal plans are probably going to be pretty random...lots of freezer and pantry foods to be used up! We're not going to have a spare fridge or freezer in the next house (EEEEEK!), so I'm really going to have to adjust my cooking style!

I'm out of town for a much, much, much needed girls' weekend Friday through Sunday, so I planned things that Joel won't really need to use a recipe to make.

And also...holy crap! Tomorrow is JUNE!!!

May 31 – June 6

MONDAY
Breakfast: berries, greek yogurt, granola
Lunch: out
Dinner: out

TUESDAY
Breakfast: smoothies, muffins
Lunch: grilled chicken salad, fruit, crackers
Dinner: basil grilled chicken, grilled asparagus, warm cabbage salad

WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast: oatmeal, berries
Lunch: salami sandwiches, chips, fruit
Dinner: taco pizza, salad, fruit

THURSDAY:
Breakfast: eggs, toast, fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: orzo super salad, fruit, homemade bread

FRIDAY:
Breakfast: oatmeal, berries, yogurt
Lunch: lentil soup and cheese toast, veggies
Dinner: sour cream salsa chicken, brown rice, black beans, salad

SATURDAY:
Breakfast: eggs, toast,
Lunch: turkey sandwiches, chips, fruit
Dinner: hot dogs on the grill, bean salad, fruit

SUNDAY:
Breakfast: pancakes, fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: tofu and broccoli stir fry, brown rice

Extras:
Whole wheat bread, granola bars, hummus

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

the count down's on...


And so it begins! In exactly a month, we'll be moving to the Seattle area - Lynnwood to be exact. Joel and I are both excited - we've been talking about moving to Seattle for more than 7 years. We're also sad to leave family and friends behind, and nervous about meeting new people there.

The girls are excited (especially after I promised that yes, their room would finally be painted pink), but Ava is really sad to leave her friends behind.

This week, purely by accident, has been the beginning of a Portland farewell tour of sorts. Last night we were lucky to have dinner with family at one of my favorite local pubs (they make my favorite beer EVER!), and tonight I'm going out with girlfriends to another local spot that we love. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be sure to include stops at special spots and restaurants - local people, any suggestions? I can think of a few, but my mind sure isn't what it used to be!



Anyway, posting has been sparse lately for sure, and it will probably get worse the closer we get to moving. BUT...I promise to return full force this summer with lots and lots of beach pictures :)

So stay tuned!

Monday, May 24, 2010

rain, rain, go away...


Maybe if she keeps writing it, spring will actually come?

It's been raining, raining, raining here...maybe the weather thinks it's February? At any rate, there's plenty of time to be inside and do our school work :)

meal plan monday

May 24 – May 30

MONDAY
Breakfast: cottage cheese pancakes, strawberry compote
Lunch: sandwiches, soup
Dinner: leftovers

TUESDAY
Breakfast: smoothies, pumpkin bread
Lunch: steak salad, cheese toast
Dinner: smoked chicken, Mexican bulgur and vegetable salad, sliced mangoes and pineapple

WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast: eggs, toast, fruit
Lunch: chicken and cheese quesadillas, fruit
Dinner: Armenian vegetable stew, couscous

THURSDAY:
Breakfast: smoothies, cottage cheese toast
Lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, fruit
Dinner: custard filled cornbread, strawberry rhubarb compote, chicken apple sausages, fruit salad

FRIDAY:
Breakfast: eggs, toast, fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: chickpea, artichoke, and romaine salad, pasta with roasted red pepper sauce

SATURDAY:
Breakfast: waffles, eggs, fruit
Lunch: out
Dinner: out

SUNDAY:
Breakfast: oatmeal, fruit
Lunch: lentil soup, salad
Dinner:


Extras:
Chocolate chip cookies, whole wheat bread, roasted chick peas, granola bars, zucchini muffins

Monday, May 17, 2010

meal plan monday

May 17 – May 23

MONDAY
Breakfast: eggs, bacon, toast
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: lentils and brown rice, salad, fruit

TUESDAY
Breakfast: smoothies, muffins
Lunch: turkey sandwiches, fruit
Dinner: thai turkey lettuce wraps

WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast: oatmeal, fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: steaks, corn on the cob, asparagus on the grill

THURSDAY:
Breakfast: smoothies, muffins
Lunch: turkey sandwiches, carrots, celery, oranges
Dinner: tilapia with lemon and basil, quinoa, salad, broccoli

FRIDAY:
Breakfast: eggs, toast, fruit
Lunch: soup, salad
Dinner: black bean tacos with feta and cabbage slaw, garlic soup, fruit

SATURDAY:
Breakfast: cereal, fruit
Lunch: out
Dinner: out

SUNDAY:
Breakfast: waffles, fruit
Lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup
Dinner: spaghetti with meatballs and marinara, salad, roasted green beans

Extras:
Morning glory muffins, granola bars, pumpkin banana bread

Friday, May 14, 2010

Daring Cooks May Challenge - Enchiladas

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

This was a fun challenge, because our family adores Mexican food. Sadly, this particular recipe wasn't really a hit. There was something a little off with the sauce and I think it was missing something acidic. If I make it again, I'll add some lime juice and maybe a bit more salt. That being said, it really was an easy process to make the sauce, and we have enchiladas all the time (although we prefer them rolled), so it was fun to do. The girls enjoyed helping as well!

First, we started off with some tomatillos. These are little green tomato-looking things, wrapped in paper-like skins. Peel off the skins, cut them in half, and roast them in the oven or on a grill.




We also roasted some Anaheim chilies (and of course, Joel thought this was silly...not spicy enough!).



After roasting for about 20 minutes, we put the chilies in a bowl covered with plastic wrap so that they could cool. They're much easier to peel this way.


Then we added them, along with the tomatillos, to a pot with stock, garlic, some spices, and salt and pepper. We let it simmer for about 40 minutes.

Then we broke out the cojita. This is a Mecixan cheese, and it sort of reminds me of feta - it's tangy and crumbly. We put some inside the enchiladas and also on top.


While the chilies were roasting, I also roasted some chicken and onions. Emily was REALLY hungry...she was trying to eat some chicken in a not so stealthy way when I took this picture!


Here's the sauce after it was all done simmering:

And the finished burritos before they went into the oven:


And after:


Again, I think that this was a great process, we just weren't that jazzed with the flavor. I'll definitely make this type of sauce again - it's time consuming but with the easy access to Latin ingredients around here, it's kind of a shame to buy a jar of already made sauce. So thanks to our host - you've inspired me to go on a quest for the perfect enchilada sauce recipe!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

swagger wagon



LOVE the commercials. And I completely admit to sitting in the back row of the van and enjoying some mama time.



hahahahahahahaha!

best chocolate chip cookies. EVER.

If you are a (lame like me) food blog follower, you've heard about these cookies. They're famous. I've really been trying to stay away from baking them, but with a husband out of town for the week (again), an impending move, a pesky 2 year old in the throws of the terrible twos, and the fact that I ran out of wine... I finally gave in. Yes, I'm weak.

But OMG..these cookies are so freaking awesome. I think it might be love.

My mom and I both have a slight crush on Jacques Torres...maybe it's the cute accent, maybe it's the way he sculpts sugar and chocolate into art. Maybe it's these cookies. All I'm saying is that if I had to choose between these cookies and my kids...it would be tough!

You must make them. Like, right now.

Can you see the grey salt crystals sprinkled on the top? Seriously. Mad, mad love.

Monday, May 10, 2010

motherhood

Yesterday was Mother's Day in the US, and I got to celebrate it with my 3 favorite people :)

First, the girls woke me up with coffee and some presents that they had made for me. Joel took them to Lakeshore Learning for their free Saturday crafts - if you have a Lakeshore near you, definitely check this place out! They've got awesome teaching materials and toys, and best of all, lots of FREE craft projects each month for the kids! The girls both made me flower bouquets and beaded necklaces (which I wore all day long!). Best of all, Ava made me a great book about me being her mom. I'm going to keep it forever, for sure!

We brought our gifts to the restaurant. I made my mom a clutch from Noodlehead's tutorial, and the broach is from this one. Both were fun to do and I will keep them bookmarked for future gift giving!


The girls made flower pots - we cut flower shapes using the Cricut (do you have one yet?!!?) and then fastened them in layers with pipe cleaners threaded through buttons. We "potted" them in some rice that we dyed green and Ava painted the pots all by herself :) I even let her use my grown up (as in, not washable) paint. Fun times.


Then we met my mom for dim sum at our favorite place. They just opened up a new location closer to us and it was really nice...definitely dim sum lite though, for the suburban set. The traditional carts that usually roll around were missing, but the menu was good and the setting was really nice (and of course, the drive was a LOT shorter!).


After brunch, we went to the Japanese Garden to walk around and also to see their annual bonsai exhibit. This was really something! Some of the trees were over 60 years old and had been trained for just as long. The gardens are beautiful too! The girls were able to do a treasure hunt to keep themselves entertained - a plus!




necklaces by peskies, broach by my sweet friend Kristi :)








can you see where this one is growing around the rock? cool!

After that came a much needed afternoon nap (where I was joined by may favorite napping partner - Emily Grace) and then dinner cooked by the husband. Today my gift arrived - a beautiful mother's necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs.

The hollow heart is a special charm.






all of my babies, all in one place. the pearl is for my two littlest angel babies

No idea where this quote came from, but it definitely says everything about motherhood:

"Then we know – if only for a moment, for one long, sweet moment – what it is to be more than one, to be one plus, to have split open and spilled out our blood and our viscera and our spirit and gathered it all back up again in our arms and held it, tight, pressed it to our chests, felt it throbbing and squirming and to have known, to know, what it is to hold one’s soul in one’s arms."

the monday meal plan

Joel is gone all week, so we are having kid friendly food. For those of you with partners who travel - do you find that you don't really cook when they are gone? My kids actually aren't picky, but they barely eat an adult serving between them and I just can't be bothered to only cook for two!

And yes, we're having asparagus and fingerling potato pizza again...it's the best pizza I've made in a long time - you should all try it!

May 10 – May 15

MONDAY
Breakfast: smoothies, muffins
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: lentil and brown rice burritos, salad, fruit

TUESDAY
Breakfast: oatmeal and fruit
Lunch: soup, salad
Dinner: macaroni and cheese with ham and peas, roasted broccoli and cauliflower

WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast: quinoa pudding, fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: out for sushi

THURSDAY:
Breakfast: smoothies, muffins
Lunch: turkey sandwiches, carrots, celery, oranges
Dinner: taco salad, fruit

FRIDAY:
Breakfast: oatmeal, fruit
Lunch: soup, sandwiches
Dinner: pasta with asparagus, peas, butter lettuce, and prosciutto

SATURDAY:
Breakfast: eggs, bacon, fruit, toast
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: smoked chickens, three bean salad, grilled veggies

SUNDAY:
Breakfast: waffles, fruit compote
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: asparagus, fingerling potato, and goat cheese pizza, salad

Extras:
Strawberry rhubarb crisp, whole wheat bread, chocolate chip cookies

Monday, May 3, 2010

meal plan monday

May 3 – May 9

MONDAY
Breakfast: smoothies, toast
Lunch: soup, sandwiches
Dinner: whole wheat pasta with fiddleheads, ramps, and poached eggs

TUESDAY
Breakfast: oatmeal, berries, yogurt
Lunch: salad, sandwiches
Dinner: grilled teriyaki salmon, greens, brown rice

WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast: smoothies, banana oatmeal muffins
Lunch: out
Dinner: enchiladas, Mexican chopped salad, margaritas, tres leches cake

THURSDAY:
Breakfast: eggs, toast, fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: asparagus, fingerling potato, and goat cheese pizza, salad

FRIDAY:
Breakfast: smoothies, toast
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: spicy “peanut” noodles with tofu and snow peas

SATURDAY:
Breakfast: waffles, eggs, fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: vegetable bean soup, homemade rolls

SUNDAY:
Breakfast: out for dim sum
Lunch: out
Dinner: steaks, bleu cheese sauce, roasted potatoes, grilled artichokes, salad

Extras:
Whole wheat bread, granola bars, honey lavender Madeleines