New week, Fresh Start

Ahh Monday. Normally I'd be complaining about how much I loath thee, yet I find myself strangely motivated and energized this morning. It could be the Vinte Coffee Frapachino with two extra shots that I've already downed but I think its just my normal charisma shining thru. (Yea right! Go Starbucks!) I plan on cleaning, organizing and prep'ing a lot today.
My kids are finally feeling healthy enough to be back to their normal energy level. Someone remind me next time they are sick to cherish the quiet time please! They both still have a terrible cough but other than that they are on the mend. Attitudes are another story! Because they had such a hard time breathing due to the cough and sore throats I tried very hard to keep them happy so they didn't cry because if they did it ended in gagging and or vomit only exacerbating their circumstances. A.K.A I gave them what ever they wanted when ever they want just to keep them happy. Well, as great as that worked while they were sick, its biting me in the butt now! Hailey understands a bit more but Kenna is just a whiney mess right now.

I was so frustrated with her attitude on Saturday night that I had to step back, let Dad intervene and go take a bath to clear my head. I decided that maybe part of her frustrations are due to not being included in life but rather taken along for the ride weather or not she wants to. Part of that comes with being a kid I know, but I was much better at including Anthony and Hailey than I am with Makenna. Things like having a choice of drinks, lunches and snacks and getting to help with "big girl" things like picking out her clothes, choosing her hair ties and helping in the kitchen. Some of those things may sound trivial but I did all of those with the other two but I realized that Hailey still runs the roost when it comes to a lot of those things and Makenna is just taken along for the ride. So, I talked to Brad about it and we agreed that we need to include Makenna more in the decisions of her life. That sounds more dramatic than it really is but hopefully it still makes sense. Time out's aren't working to change the behaviors so I'm trying another approach.

Sunday was a bit better but I'll admit, dinner time is hard. I just want to do it myself, get it done and be over with, so stopping to include her is a bit of a hassle. She was a gem at lunch helping me make the Mac&Cheese and actually sat down then entire meal time peacefully and ate her food with out whining or crying. It's going to take patience and discipline on my part to do this, I really hope it works. Wish me luck!

On a completely different tangent, last week was a complete "Swing and a Miss" as far as food is concerned. I made 4 different meals that no one but me would eat, with the exception of the soup, even I wouldn’t eat that!
Italian Sausage and peppers in a ricotta cream sauce
BBQ pop-overs
Mango chicken lettuce wraps
Potato, bacon, cheddar soup

Last nights soup was so bad that Brad went out to get us take-out instead and for those of you that know Brad, that’s a big thing! He never likes to waste food! Even though I followed the recipe, it just tasted like watered down grease! Bleh!

A few were new recipes and the mango chicken wraps, from Stephanie O'Dea's Crockpot365 were a hit last time but not this one for some reason. I think they're major Yum, but then again, I love her website for crock pot wonders.

One recipe, from the Pillsbury website is worth experimenting with. I thought these BBQ pop-overs were great! Brad said they were ok, just not "dinner" material. I did use shredded beef instead of the ground beef because I thought it would taste better. The kids would have liked them I think if the shredded beef was in shorter strands, if that makes sense. When they would try to bite into it they would always get too much or end up with strings hanging out of their mouth.

So, needless to say, this week I’m sticking with good 'ol tried-and-true stand-by's.

Meatloaf
Spaghetti and meatballs
Tacos
Cranberry pork
Hamburgers and Hotdogs

I am doing another big baking day tomorrow. The theme is "convince." I have been stock piling a lot of snack and breakfast items with the recent grocery sales so not all of this is homemade, obviously, but it's still part of my plan to get it all separated into snack size baggies ready to grab and go. Here's the plan:

Breakfasts:

Silver Dollar whole wheat pancakes x 48

Egg and veggie biscuits x  24

Breakfast burritos x 24

Cereal bags (divided into small travel size bags for breakfasts on the go) x 24

Whole wheat muffins (with some sort of fruit, depending on the sales) x 48

Lunch:

PB&J Freezer sandwiches x 24

Ham and Cheese pockets x 24

Sloppy Joe muffins x 24

Snacks:

Frozen Fruit Salad

Trail Mix

Mini black bean and carrot burritos 

Dinners:

Cranberry Pork Roast

Chicken and dumplings x 2

Lasagna Casserole x 2

Enchilada Casserole (red and green) x 2 each

Homemade Mac&Cheese x 4

Spaghetti and Meatballs x 2

Taco Meat x 4

Chicken Drumsticks x 2

Mini Meatloafs x l2

BBQ pulled pork and whole wheat rolls

My cousin, Missy, is due here around noon so we'll be working fast to get it all done. I'll be sure to post pictures and recipes. Keep your fingers crossed that my plan with including Makenna doesn't backfire on me tomorrow.

Scientific Discovery of the century!

Scientist have been trying for years to determine if there is another intelligent life form out there. Well, folks, I’ve figured it out. Thru 10+ years of clinical, hands on, research, I can safely say, Yes, there is another intelligent life form and it’s right here on earth with us.

What is this mystery life form you ask? Viruses.

Yep, that’s it ladies and gentlemen, what we affectionately refer to as “the common cold,” “the bug that’s going around,” and the Dr.’s ever favorite “It’s just a virus.” Those little bugs are the smartest darn thing on the planet and they’re in cahoots with Doctors!

Their business plan is pretty simple if you think about it, they sneak in under the guise of a hand shake, a hug, an uncontrollable sneeze, or a used fork passed off as clean at your favorite hole in the wall restaurant. Then, they take up residency, make you achey, crabby, uncomfortable in your own skin, but to make matters worse they find the kids.

Here’s where the money maker is: They hide dormant in the kids until after 5pm, and I mean 5pm in what ever time zone you’re in. They know it, they set their clocks to it and wait. They send the minions off to throw a few symptoms out so Mom’s know the kids are a bit sick, making us wonder, “Should we call the Dr?” “Will they get over it on their own?” “Is it just a virus?”  Once you decide to wait it out another day, that’s when they strike!

Come sun down - BAM! You’re kids are party central for fevers, gagging coughs, sore throats, painful ears, etc… So you rush off to Urgent Care, unsure if they (or you!) will make it thru the night (come on, who wants to be the mom that waited “just too long?”), only to have the kids either perk up just as soon as you get to the waiting room or they wake up the day after you’ve spent $$$$ for co-pays, perfectly fine ready to run and play!

The Dr’s pocket the money, the germs jump ship and lay in wait for the next victim to party in, all the while assuring the Dr’s they will once again get to pad their pockets. See? Evil Geniuses!

(* This is not factual, obviously, and this is nothing against the doctors who I know are not actually “padding their pockets” out of spite or any other sadistic reason or partnership. No hate mail please, well, the germs can hate me, truly, I hate them so it's only fair.)

What I want....

I want my kids to feel better.

I want to do mega coupon shopping for my sister-in-law.

I want to make a crock pot of pork hominy soup for my husbands work.

I want to make a crock pot of chicken soup for my boss.

I want to rent a suite for a long weekend at Hacienda Del Sol for my mom and step-dad to get away.

I want to take my best friend out for martini’s, mani’s and pedi’s.

I want to go to Phoenix and take my other best friend for a margarita and a massage.

I want to take my kids somewhere fun for Rodeo Vacation.

I want to take my husband to Vegas for his birthday.

I want to fix what’s broken; I want my worrying about it to accomplish something.

I want world peace.

Too much to ask?

Cabin and other fevers

(***Yea right! Who forgot to remind me that this was not a day off for me but a sick day for the kids. I'm lucky if i can go pee today with out a girl in my arms! Oh well, I got the puree's done and the frozen yougert has been a sore throat miracle)



Well, the girls are still sick. They seemed better this weekend but yesterday and today their fevers are back and they sound like 80 year old lifetime smokers. Not to mention the seal bark of a cough they both have. Fun! Needless to say, we've been grounded. I feel like it's been forever since we could go to the park, walk around Target or go to music class so I'm suffering from canon fever. The reality of it is that I was at Target on Friday, Grocery store for 3 hours on Sunday and the park sometime last week but none the less I'm feeling a little closed in!

So, I've opened all the blinds, done my hair, put make up on and am cooking yummy treats.

I peeled and sliced the 6 mangos from my bountiful basket then pureed them. Some went into a sheet pan and is in the oven for fruit leather. Some I diced and set aside for mango chicken wraps tomorrow. I pureed the rest with two clam shells of strawberries and froze ice cubes with half of that and am making frozen yogurt with the rest.

I stemmed two artichokes for Hailey and me to eat after nap time.

I put a steak in the crock pot with some random Asian seasonings. If it turns out good I'll share the recipe. Once it's done I'll sauté up some veggies and serve it over rice.

I'm making a brownie pizza that I'll top with a cream cheese spread and fresh strawberries then baste with an orange glaze.

Humm, what else can I make? I'll come back in a bit with more and pictures.***

Best Recipe Ever

(Warning, this is a way round-about story to get to a point that's probably only funny to a select few with a weird sense of humor like me)

My husband and father-in-law swear by these Relish Tacos. I've never much cared for them having grown up with the more traditional salsa, or for the kids, ketchup tacos. Yes, we put ketchup on our tacos growing up because the salsa was too hot. Anyways, my father-in-law would make these on occasion and my husband would just ooh and ahh over how great they were and how much he loved these growing up. Fast-forward to his birthday last year and he asked me to make the relish tacos for his dinner and so my parents could try them. We were at a restaurant eating dinner with his family the week before and so I whipped out a piece of paper and a pen and asked my father-in-law to share the recipe. Pappy, Brad's grandfather, piped up saying that he had the original recipe that Grandma use to make that was published in a cook book. She was on a committee at her Baptist Church in Texas in 1996 that published a little community cook book. Food for Body and Soul. Anyways, we left the restaurant, drove to Pappy's house and he ended up giving me a copy of the cook book. I made the relish tacos for Brad's birthday that year with mixed reviews from my parents. The book however was a complete success. It's a total gem of old-time wisdom and has some of the strangest recipes including a complete section on Microwave cooking. Since I gained the cook book, despite my declaration that I was going to go thru and make all of Grandma's recipes that were published in the book, it has sat in my cabinet for a year gathering dust.

Fast-forward again, to yesterday, I was at the grocery store and radishes were on sale 2 bunches for $1. They are a primary ingredient in the relish tacos so I called Brad and asked him to get the cook book out and read me the recipe so I could get the rest of the ingredients to make them this week for him. While he was flipping thru the book which is sprinkled with bible quotes compiled by good church going south Texas Baptist women with tastes circa the 1970's, he came across the following recipe. By far, my favorite! In case you ever needed to know, here's how to make

Elephant Stew:

1 Medium Elephant
1/2 ton onions
1/2 ton carrots
1/2 ton potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
2 Rabbits (optional)

Cut elephant into bite size pieces. Add enough brown gravy to cover. Cook over open fire four weeks at 465 degrees. Add vegetables and continue cooking. This serves 3,800 people. If more people are expected, add the two rabbits. Do so, however, only in case of emergency because most people do not like "hare" in their stew.
(From Dorris Westbrook to Betty Morris)

OMG! How funny is that? It's just mixed in the recipes in the Meats and Main Dishes section. I Love it!

Tornado aftermath

I hate those damn weekend tornados! Why do they always hit my house? Why can't I have one of those picture perfect weekend houses? You know the ones where the family cuddles together to watch movies, plays games, eats good food and NOTHING gets dirty? Please?
I am on clean up duty this AM, hopefully I can get it done quickly. I have a few great recipes to post as well as my meal ideas for the week. That's if I don't get too obsessive with cleaning up. Don't believe me that it's bad? How's this:

Ugly huh! I swear, not only was it clean on Friday evening, but my hubby even cleaned for me on Sunday afternoon while I was at the grocery store. This house can go to hell in a handbag in just under 4 hours. (Good thing I'm shameless or these pictures would really embarrass me! I'm an equal opportunity sharer, it's not all schedules, routines and roses here, trust me!)

I'll be back...wish me luck!

Bountiful Basket

Wow, what a basket this week! We were warned that due to the hard freeze on most of the US that the crops were low thus our baskets may be small. It was missing some of the standards but it made up for it in the curious extras.
7 Apples
5 Bananas
5 Mangos
1 Cantaloupe
1 Clamshell of Strawberries
8 Mini-pears
3 Yellow Squash
2 Heads of Cabbage
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Bunch Spinach
12 Small Sweet Potatoes
15 Sunchokes or Jerusalem Artichokes

And I ordered an extra case of Strawberries as well as 12 dozen tortillas.

I have no idea what a Sunchoke is but I look forward to figuring it out! Here's what they look like:

Look at these pears, aren't the the cutest thing EVER!

TGIFN

Thank Goodness It's Friday NIGHT!

Oh Friday, how I love thee. I whiped it together this afternoon and smoothed out my entire house. I have candles lit, house clean, beds turned and waiting for us and 1/2 asleep kids. Time for a glass of sangria and some snuggle time with my hubby.

This weekend is pretty light. Bountiful Basket pick up, grocery shopping, maybe a pedicure and a science fair project to finish. I think we have a few movies on cue that we're going to watch. Anthony has just shown some interest in the original Star Trek's so Brad's anxious to sit and watch them with him.

I am debating about cutting Hailey's hair. It's never been cut and is down to her mid back. It's so beautiful and she likes it long but it tangles so much and it's always a battle to brush it. Wet, dry, conditioner, no-more-tangle's spray, it doesn't matter. She said just today that she wants to cut it short like mine. Do I let her? Why does it make me sad to think of cutting it? I'm not sentimental like that, not at all, yet, I am finding myself oddly attached to her untouched long baby hair.

Sick, Sick, Sick!

Eww, I hate sick!

When I came home last night I had a restless, boogiery baby in my bed (on my pillow - Bleh!) and a sick, way over worked husband fleming it up next to her. I moved Hailey back to her bed only to discover a restless Kenna rolling over and over in her bed running a temp. Once settled, both slept the rest of the night thank goodness. Brad worked until he dropped at about midnight but was even then still restless. I went to bed with a wonderful headache and was luck enough to wake up with an even worse one. Isn't life grand? Thankfully Anthony was his chipper helpfull self this morning, even making PB&J's for the girls for breakfast.

Oh, but, wait, it gets better, my beautiful 3 year old niece who comes to hang out with us during the day, threw up 20 min's into being here. Yea! Boogers, sneezes, headaches AND throw up! I won the mom lottery!

Sara's dad offered to come right home from work and get her but really, at this point, whatever she has we've already been exposed to or gave to her so its not like taking her out of here is going to save my family from exposure and this way her dad doesn't have to take a sick day. Let's face it, if the kids have it, odds are us parents are going to get it too, might as well let him save his sick day for when he's oozing.

Did I mention that Kenna has gone thru all the pull up's I had for today? The one's I knew would get me thru the day so I could wait and go to Target tonight to get more? Yea, she's gone thru 5 since 6 am.

What to do? What to do? Take three oozing, barfing, pooping kids into Target? I could get a Starbucks then. Humm? (Cue image of snot covered cart’s, barf splattering in the middle of the isle and three crying babe’s)

Nope!

"Mom! Help!"

Thank God for Grannie's! My mom is going to go to Target and get pull-up's, and tissues!

Ok, camping blankets on the floor, pillows and blankies to make everyone comftorable, buckets and wipes at the ready. Fun day here we come!

I need more coffee for this!

Freedom of creative expression

So it’s probably because I’ve been talking about it so much, how great it is, how helpful it can be, etc…but I’m now struggling with freedom of creative expression vs meal planning. I’m feeling totally oppressed by the thought of a meal plan. Oh well, hang in there with me as I fly by the seat of my mom jeans.

How do you prepare if you don’t know what you’re going to make? I just make sure to have the staples on hand. Meats (chicken, pork roast, steaks of some kind and beef roast), veggies (from Bountiful baskets) and I use my pantry storage to figure out a meal. I try to always keep on hand frozen corn, peas and lima beans, cream-of soups, beans and good seasonings. From there, I just wing it. Having the freezer stash helps for those inevitable non-creative days. I hate “cooking block” it’s a total bummer!

Tonight’s my once monthly Bunco again so I have to figure out something easy to have ready for Brad. Humm, I think I need more coffee for this. Check back later. J

*Well, that was relatively easy. I made a casserole, can't go wrong with a casserole.

1 bag star shaped pasta
3 chicken breasts
1/2 a red pepper
3 stalks celery
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tbsp onion flakes
1 cup cheese
7-8 slices of bread
1/2 cup melted butter


I don't care for raw chicken cooked in anything so I pre-cooked it first. Boil the noodles till just bairly done, strain. Chop the chicken into bite size pieces. Dice the veggies very small since you're adding them in raw. Combine all ingredients except the bread into a bowl, mix well to combine. Transfer to your favorite casserole dish. Tear the bread into small chunks and toss in the butter and then top the casserole with them. I used the left over scraps from the heart cut out Roasted Tomato bread. It looks pretty yum! Hopefully they'll save me some for lunch tomorrow. Bake at 350 for 20 min's until warm thru.

Bountiful Baskets

Did you get your basket yet this week? If not, hurry up and go order! I got my normal 2 baskets (one is my for my parents) and this week I thought I'd try the Tortilla pack. I've only heard raves about it so I thought I'd try them. It's 7 dozen tortillas for $10. I also got the 8 lb box of strawberries since my kids love them and they freeze great for smoothies later.
Go now and order your basket!
Bountiful Baskets

I Love You More Than The Movie Tron Legacy

My valentines poem from Anthony:
___________________________________________
I love you more tha the movie Tron Legacy
Than our dog Daisy and our Wii

More than our Xbox 360
And Epic Mickey the video game
And being lazy on the couch

I love you more than yummy banana's
And having lots of money
Thank candy and sweets
And a bright and shiny Penny

I love you mroe than television
Than toast
For I love French Fries
of any size
But I love you the most!

This poem is dedicated to my Mom.
________________________________________________________

....cue tears.....

Valentines Day and meal

Happy Valentines Day to all! I hope you and your loved ones take the day to declare your love, maybe thru some pretty flowers or a special meal. (Poetic huh!?!)

Brad and I rarely celebrate valentines as a couple, more often than not, we volunteer to babysit or have others over for dinner. This year is no exception. We have our nephew, my grandmothers, my brother, and our best friend and her daughters all coming for dinner. That’s not to say that we don’t try to make it special. The little girls, particularly Hailey, are really into holiday celebrations right now so I try to make the most of it. My house has little foam hearts all around, some of the picture frames have been adorned with cute valentines wrapping paper and we will be making tomorrow as special as we can, on a budget. I bought some valentines for the girls to make for their family. I also have some construction paper to make place mats for dinner. We picked out some single flower vases for the grandma’s, a dollar picture frame and we will all be helping to make a yummy dinner. Hailey asked to play restaurant for tonight so we will make up menu’s for her to pass out as well.

Mommas Valentines Café Appetizers Sliced Apples with cinnamon peanut butter dip Or Apricot Chipotle cream cheese spread with crackers Main Course House Salad with choice of dressing (Blue cheese, Ranch, Italian, Creamy Cesar) Roasted tomato bread grilled cheese sandwiches Or Whole wheat bread grilled cheese And Tomato soup Or Chicken noodle soup Desert Spice cake with peanut butter marshmallow frosting And/Or Homemade chocolate chip ice cream Drinks Root beer Sprite Chocolate milk with whipped cream Hazelnut Coffee Rose wine White Wine Spritzer

The Apricot Chipotle recipe idea came from the Kraft foods website here. I made it for the Super Bowl and aside from the chicken wings my brother made, it was the only dish completely polished off. I even saw a few finger swipes across the plate to get the last few smears.

1 pkg cream cheese

½ cup apricot preserves (I used sugar free)

1-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce finely chopped

Smear the softened cream cheese out on a small serving plate or butterfly the brick of cream cheese and lay flat. In a separate bowl combine the preserves with the diced up peppers and some of the adobo sauce. I started out following the Kraft recipe and only used one pepper but decided that it needed more heat to cut the sweet. (I’m a poet and didn’t know it!) So, I added two more, bringing the total to 3 diced peppers and a few teaspoons of the adobo sauce. Spread over the cream cheese and serve with sturdy crackers, like Wheat Thins.

Here's Hailey working on her Tinker Bell Valentines

Here's Dinner: Tomato soup with heart shaped grilled cheese on roasted tomato bread.

 And finally, desert, heart shaped spice cake with peanut butter marshmallo frosting (my hubby's favorite)

I have to say, the roasted tomato bread made the meal. Everyone was sneeking into the kitchen for the scraps left from the heart cookie cutter. Here's the recipe:

2-3 roasted tomatoes

5 roasted garlic bulbs

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup warm water

1/4 cup warm milk

1 egg

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp itallian seasoning

3 3/4 cup flour

2 1/2 tsp yeast

Roast 2-3 tomatoes, sliced, coated in olive oil, at 375 for one hour.

Before Roast:

After roast:

I also like to roast a bulb of garlic if I have it on hand. Just cut the top off, drizzle some oil over it and close it up in foil.

Before roast

 After roast::

Just squeeze the garlic and the bulbs slide right out.

In your bread machine, add the ingreedients in the order listed. I combine the milk and water into a glass measuring cup, add the butter stick then microwave for 1 min, then add it all in. Set your machine to the dough setting and watch the mixture combine. Depending on the type and ripeness of the tomato the dough often needs either more water or more flour.

When the dough cycle is done, turn out onto the counter, kneed out the air and shape into a loaf. Coat your pan with olive oil and set your dough in to rise, covered, again until doubled. Cook at 375 until internal tempature is 180.

Yum!

I hope everyone had a great valentines! I'm ready to pass out!

Another installment of: Where in the house is Makenna?

SLAM! (Door being slammed)

Me: “Makenna? Kenna, where are you”

Me: “Brad, do you know where Kenna is?”

Brad: “Kenna? Kenna where are you?”

Me: “Kenna are you in my bathroom?”

Kenna: “EEEK!”

Me: “Brad, can you go check our bathroom please?”

Bathroom door handle

Bathroom Door - do you see the hand print?

Bathroom floor - the "hair tie basket" - see the lipstick

Brad: “You better go show your momma….Jen, Jen? Kenna, go find mommie.”

Me: “Uh oh, Kenna, what did you do?”

Kenna: “Pretty?”

…cue tears…..

This crackes me up:

How did she get lipstick on her ankle? Seriously? And this isn't just any ol' lipstick. This is dollar store, 6 years ago, Black Orchid, mostly wax lipstick! Any idea how difficult this stuff is to get out?!?! Why do we have it you ask? Who, would ever buy Black Orchid lipstick from the dollar store?.....

Isn't he pretty?!?! That's my dear husband as a goth kid for halloween 2005. The real question is why have I kept it for so long? The answer: Entertainment value. Not only do I smile when I see it remembering him as his former self goth kid, but obviously, I was keeping it to entertain Kenna and by association, us.

Scheduling a stay-at-home-mom

I know every one, from working mom’s to stay at home moms struggle with having enough hours in a day. A common misconception is that us stay at home moms eat bon-bons while we watch soap operas and spend the rest of the day at the park. Trust me, that’s so not true!  There is a lot to accomplish in a day. I can easily find myself completely absorbed in cleaning the house all day long. It always feels like there are dishes to be done, laundry to be folded, floors to be cleaned, etc… Yet, on the other end, there are stories to be read, parks to be visited, crafts to do, classes to attend, homework to do, etc… and these conflict with each other on a daily basis, Monday thru Friday. Weekends are almost more challenging to find the balance since dad’s home and I want to give him a clean relaxing house to unwind in and we want to spend time with the kids doing fun things, not cleaning the house.

My solution is the one hour time blocks. I use a kitchen timer to keep myself on track for one hour cleaning spurts. It keeps me organized, on time and prevents me from getting overly detailed on a general project. I spend 1 hour in the AM and 1 hour in the PM each day doing clutter detail. Going from room to room in my house with a laundry basket picking up clutter and replacing it where it belongs. I start in my bedroom, pick up anything that doesn’t belong, stash it in the basket then move on to the game room, living room, kitchen, then on down the hall. I drop things off from in my basket only when I get to that room in my rotation. Does that make sense? In other words, if I pick up something in my bedroom that belongs in the girls’ bedroom, I don’t head directly there to drop it off, I keep it in the basket until I work my way back to their room. So, my basket is a constant rotation. During the clutter hour, I straiten books on the shelves, swipe down the counter tops with the stray towels that are inevitably around, I fluff the pillows, make the beds, run the vacuum and wash the dishes. Again, this is not detailed, this is just making the house look appealing at first glance. It keeps my house “company ready.”

Each day of the week I dedicate 2 hours to specific, detailed, tasks. Monday is laundry, Tuesdays is dusting, Wednesday is bathrooms and windows, Thursday is floors and cabinets/walls, Friday is bedrooms and catch up. I also take 1 hour every day just to myself. That’s my time to shower, read, play video games, what ever makes me happy and does not involve cleaning, kids or cooking. The final 1 hour block is dedicated to cooking. I also set aside 20 min’s after dinner to do the dishes and final sweep of the house so it’s pretty to wake up to.

 Here’s what my week usually looks like:

Monday:

1 hour (before noon) – clutter clean up

Rotate laundry from dirty, to washer, to dryer to couch

2 hours detailed – folding laundry and putting it away

1 hour (during kid’s nap) Me time

1 hour (before 5pm) - cooking

1 hour (before 6pm) – clutter clean up

20 min, after dinner: dishes, final sweep of the house so it’s pretty to wake up to

Tuesday:

1 hour (before noon) – clutter clean up

1 hour detailed (before noon) – dusting living room, game room, dining room

1 hour (during nap) Me time

1 hour detailed (before 5pm) – dusting bedrooms and hallway

1 hour (before 5pm) - cooking

1 hour (before 6pm) – clutter clean up

20 min, after dinner: dishes, final sweep of the house so it’s pretty to wake up to

Wednesday:

1 hour (before noon) – clutter clean up

1 hour detailed (before noon) – Bathrooms (we have two)

1 hour (during nap) Me time

1 hour detailed (before 5pm) – Windows/mirrors

1 hour (before 5pm) - cooking

1 hour (before 6pm) – clutter clean up

20 min, after dinner: dishes, final sweep of the house so it’s pretty to wake up to

Thursday:

1 hour (before noon) – clutter clean up

1 hour detailed (before noon) – floors (detailed vacuuming, hand mopping tile)

1 hour (during nap) Me time

1 hour detailed (before 5pm) – cabinets, inside and out wipe down

1 hour (before 5pm) - cooking

1 hour (before 6pm) – clutter clean up

20 min, after dinner: dishes, final sweep of the house so it’s pretty to wake up to

Friday:

1 hour (before noon) – clutter clean up

1 hour detailed (before noon) – Bedroom clean up, new sheets, toys in proper place,

1 hour (during nap) Me time

1 hour detailed (before 5pm) – Catching up on anything that didn’t get done

1 hour (before 5pm) - cooking

1 hour (before 6pm) – clutter clean up

20 min, after dinner: dishes, final sweep of the house so it’s pretty to wake up to

So, my day usually starts at 7am and ends at 9 or 10 pm. That means that in a typical 14 hour day, I am only cleaning 4 hours 20 min’s, cooking one hour and I get at least an hour to myself. The rest of the day, 7 hours or so, is taking care of the kids. We go to the park, the store, do homework, read books, play games etc. My kids know when I’m in cleaning mode that they either let me be, or help me. It’s not play time.

Does this schedule always work? Yes! Do I always do it? No! When I’m on task, it’s a great schedule that leaves me room to breath in my day and lets me go to bed at night not dreading the next day. It also lets me be flexible in when I do things; I can easily switch up any of the detailed tasks to what is an immediate need. Come on, you all know there are times when that bathroom just can’t wait till Wednesday and MUST be cleaned now. So, I just switch it out. What I also really like about this schedule is if I take a week off (or two) I don’t feel bogged down by the need to do the whole house in one day. I can just get back on schedule and know that in a week, it will all be good.

What do you think? Do-able? What kind of schedule do you use? How do you juggle everything that has to be done in a day?

The long awaited, but totally worth it, Asparagus Pesto Flat Iron Steak

(once again, my pictures don't do this justice at all, just trust me!)

This was almost the meal that was never meant to be. First, I put it off forever; I think it's been on the menu for what, 3 weeks now? I used this recipe for the asparagus pesto and doubled it. I substituted walnuts for the pine nuts as they were on sale and I added two extra cloves of garlic. I don't have a food processer (Me, no food processer? I know, right!?!?!) so I used the blender.  I added the ingredients to the blender wrong and tried to mix it up with a wooden spoon and this happened:

 Note to self: Don’t put the nuts on the bottom, then leaves, then olive oil, it can't hydrate enough to actually spin. Wood chips do not make good pesto. So, I had to scrap that entire batch and start from scratch again.

Into the second batch, my 1950's era blender started smoking. I had to transfer everything to a pitcher and get out my immersion blender instead. I almost gave up, why fight fate? But, low and behold, success!

Once it was blended to the proper consistency, I laid out 2 layers of plastic wrap, laid the steak on top, added two more layers of plastic wrap on top and pounded flat with a mallet. The plastic wrap prevents the blood from splattering. (Appetizing huh? Bleh!) Once its about 1/8 inch thick, remove the top layer of plastic wrap and spread 1/4 cup of the pest on the steak. I then added a few fresh asparagus spears, shavings of fresh parmesan and fresh mozzarella. (Its important to use the fresh mozzarella cheese vs the processed stuff because it has a lower melting point) Roll the steak up and close with tooth pick or bakers twine. Dust the outside with salt and paprika. (Did you know pepper will burn in the oil and can leave an odd flavor? Using paprika prevents that but still gives it a peppery flavor) Sear in a pan on all sides.

Don't worry, some of the gook will fall out. Once seared, transfer to an oiled oven proof dish; add some chopped peppers, onions and more asparagus.

Spread all but 1 cup of the remaining pesto over top, cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20-30 min's, until internal temperature reaches 170.
Cook the pasta according to directions then once drained, toss with the 1 cup of reserved pesto. Remove steak from the oven and transfer to a cutting board to rest for a few min's. Slice into rounds and serve a top the pasta.

This was a HUGE hit in my house. I had dinner guests last night and everyone liked it. The only debate was on the salt content. I am a salt person so I thought it needed more. The final votes were 3 wanted more salt and 2 said it was perfect the way it was. Be sure to taste the pesot before you toss it in the pasta to see if you need more salt.

Weekly meal plan 1/6/10

Oops, its Wednesday and I’m just now getting this up. Sorry.

Monday
Dinner: Pizza and AMAZING Waldorf inspired Salad

Tuesday
Dinner: Fried eggs over brussel sprout hash with French Toast casserole

Wednesday
Dinner: Asparagus pesto flat iron steak with pasta (how many times can I put this on the menu before I actually make it? I swear, I’m making it tonight!)

Thursday
Dinner: Pork and Hominy stew

Friday
Dinner: Eat out

Saturday
Breakfast: Apple muffins and fruit salad
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Garlic Cashew Chicken


The Waldorf Inspired Salad was so delish! It was lettuce, carrots, red grapes, walnuts and the crunchy apple strings from here, tossed with blue cheese dressing. I had to have seconds and barley touched my pizza. The case of apples is totally worth it just to make the crunchy apple strings for this salad. Seriously, run out, buy some apples and make these, then make the salad, you won't be disappointed!

The Brussel Sprout hash may sound a bit odd, and this picture does not do it justice but it was divine!

I par-boiled some fresh brussel sprouts till they were just barley soft. Then I sautéed up peppers and onions, added in some frozen tater tots (did you know they make the BEST hash browns?!) then added in the brussel sprouts. A few pat's of butter and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper and viola - Brussle Sprout Hash. Perfect perch for a few over medium fried eggs.

This is one of those meals that almost looks healthy because of the bright green from the brussel sprouts, but lets face it folks, there is probably more calories in this one meal than we should eat in one day. Maybe that's why it was so good?

Sick Days

My hubby has been home sick for the past two days. Nothing serious thankfully but it got a bit worrisome there for a bit. Despite my kid's opinion, he is not superman and does get sick now and then. The real trick is getting him to surrender to the illness and stay home for a day, or two, to heal vs fighting it for a week or more. He is a very loyal person and hates calling in sick. So, the once per year (twice at max) that he gives in to my pleading to stay home and rest, I like to treat him like a king. You know, make it worth it for him. So, the past two days have been King Day in my house. Breakfast in bed, round the clock beverage service, full control of the remote, massages twice a day and a restaurant style menu to choose from. (I've mentioned before how warped I am right? Do you get it now?) With treatments like that I truly don't understand why the man doesn't call in sick more often. I guess it’s a testament to his work ethic that he doesn't. I imagine its one of those things that would get old pretty fast. At least on my part. I really enjoy taking extra special care of him on King days. It makes me feel good to spoil him, but I can see how it would wear out pretty fast. Who knows what he’d find hidden in his food, or laced in his drink. Ok, just kidding, but you know what I mean.

Can I just say though, I want a sick day! Or maybe the more appropriate wish is: I want a wife.

Apples!

I broke into the case of apples I got thru Bountiful Baskets this weekend. They are ambrosia apples and let me tell you, they taste heavenly! Get it, ambrosia... food of the gods...taste heavenly...Anywasy, they even look pretty.

I made, apple sauce, apple juice, crunchy apple strings, apple leather and will soon be making apple butter.
I used the apple-peeler-corer-slicer to deconstruct about 1/2 the case.

The parts with out a peel went into the applesauce pot, the peels went into a bowl and the cores and apple pieces with peels still left on, went into another pot.

Apple sauce:
Sliced, cored and peeled apples cut in half
4 cinnamon sticks
Peel of one lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Cook on low until soft, 3 hours or so. Then remove the lemon peel and cinnamon sticks and blend until smooth. I have an immersion blender so that's what I use but a blender will work fine as well. My kid's don't like chunky applesauce so I have to blend it smooth and that's also the reason I peel the apples but it's not required. Once it's cooked and blended it reduces down by at least half so be sure to use a large pot. Be sure to taste it to make sure it's sweet enough to your liking. This batch didn't need any sugar but I have added up to 1 cup of white or brown sugar in previous batches.

Crunchy Apple Strings:
Apple peels
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tbsp ginger, nutmeg or cinnamon
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp butter

Toss the peels with the remaining ingredients then spread out as best you can on parchment lined baking pans.

Don't worry about cutting the strings; once they're baked they'll crumble into smaller parts anyways. Cook on the lowest setting in your oven for 5 hours or until crunchy, not chewy. I crunched them up so they were littler bits and will use them as a snack for the kids or on salads.

Apple Juice:
Since I don't have a juicer and didn't want to waste any part of the leftover apples after I peeled, cored and sliced them. I decided to put all the "bits" in a sauce pot with 2 cups water and simmer on low for several hours to extract the juice. I left the seeds, stem and such on it as I was only going to extract the juice anyways. It was a bit bland and I didn't want to add any sugar so I put in about 1/4 lb of red seedless grapes.

Once that all stewed, I poured it into a strainer covered with cheese cloth sitting over a bowl. I used my potato masher and smooched out all the juicy goodness, then twisted up the cheese cloth and squeezed the rest out. Because it does not have any preservatives, it won’t last long so I froze some of it in ice cube trays for adding to club soda or ice water later down the line.

(Yes, I have heart shaped ice cube trays, aren't they cute!)


Apple leather:
Spread a thin layer of apple sauce out on a non-stick pan or in a circle on a parchment lined baking pan. Cook on low for 5-6 hours until chewy but not wet.

I'll post the apple butter recipe when I make some later in the week. I also plan on making several loafs of apple bread, apple coffee cake and apple bran muffins. Yum!

Girls Day!

I had such a wonderful girls day yesterday! My mom and I took the little girls out for their first mani/pedi, then on to Target for shoe shopping and of course there was a Starbucks treat in there. The girls were wonderful! They sat in our laps, soaked their toes with us and sat still the entire time. Every one was commenting on how great they were. (Phew!)

After the little ones were down for nap, I headed off to Casa Grand to meet one of my best friends who lives in Phoenix. We shopped, gabbed, had a slow leisurely dinner with a few strawberry margaritas and sangrias. Then of course, back to Starbucks for our second wind. It's one thing to talk to someone every day, it's another to see them face to face and have a 7 hour non-stop conversation.

A day out like this scrubs all those weary spots off your soul so you're fresh and clean to keep trucking on in mommy-land.

Happy Fridays and Good Coupon Deals

Happy Friday! Today, like many of my Fridays, started with a relatively lazy morning and a busy afternoon. My dear husband has been very overworked and under slept this week. Well, more so than usual. So, I cleaned and de-cluttered the house and left with the kids at 4 so that when he got home it would be serene, quiet and clean. The kids and I went to Safeway to do one of my multiple planned trips this weekend then on to a local sushi restaurant to grab a special take-out dinner for us. Safeway has some great deals this weekend/week due to super bowl. I was able to get all 27 items for $36.51 or $1.35 per item!

Most of these don't require that you are a regular coupon clipper either. Just look for the big cardboard cut out's for The Joy Of Football, with these coupon booklets:

Here's what I got and how you can get these deals too! (Safeway increases all coupons to $1)

4 Wheat thins (one day sale, Friday only) $.99 each
     -use two $1.00 off of 2 boxes coupons
=$.49 each

3 Rosarita Refried Beans $1.00 each
    - I used a coupon from the paper for $1.00 off of 3 but the Joy of Football booklet has a $1.00 off of 4
=$.66 each

4 Coke products
    -In Store Ad coupon for 4 for $9.00
=$2.25 each

2 Mini Gatorades (to keep the girls quiet!)
=$.34 each

4 Ro-tel diced tomatoes and green chili's $1.49 each
    -Use $1.00 off of 4 from Joy of Football Booklet
=$1.24 each

1 block Velveeta
   - In Store Ad coupon for $4.99
=$4.99

2 bags Mission Tortilla chips $4.49 each, buy one get one free
    -use $1.50 off any chip when you buy Velveeta and Ro-tel peelie from next to the Velveeta
=$1.49 each

4 Oscar Meyer Hotdogs
    -In Store Ad coupon for $.99 each
=$.99 each

3 Johnsonville Italian Sausages $3.99 each
    -In Store Ad coupon for $2.99 each plus, $.55 off per package found in Joy of Football booklet
=$1.99 each

There are several other great deals I'll hopefully get to post for you tomorrow. For now, I'll leave with pictures of Hailey devouring a piece of salmon sushi and Makenna showing off her favorite, the pickled ginger.

Frozen Desert

Here in my desert oasis, the pipes have frozen! In the almost 7 years in this house we have NEVER had this problem and I can't remember it ever happing in my adult life. Do you know what a house full of 5 mouths worth of morning breath, no showers and no coffee smells like? It’s not pretty, let me tell you! It's almost worth opening the door just to air it out.
My ever resourceful husband came up with this solution so he didn't feel bad leaving me all day with no water. Do you see it? The hair dryer?

Again, for the smell imagery, add in toilets that won’t flush all day. Gagging yet?
There was no way I was enduring this morning with out coffee, so I came up with my own solution:

Smart right? Desperation makes for good imagination! I can have coffee and use what’s left to brush teeth. Yes, in that order. I know my priorities! We once considered moving to South Dakota for my husband’s at-the-time-job. I don't think I would have survived. Tucson's current 32 degrees is shorts and tee shirt weather to Dakotians. I know, there are all types of ways to prevent pipes freezing and ways to be prepared if they do but seriously, I can't be that organized with out coffee and you can't have coffee in sub zero weather without being prepared and organized. I can't be that organized and prepared with out coffee......get it, it’s the whole "chicken and the egg" thing. Nope, not for me, thank you very much.

Best laid meal plans...

Well, that’s what happens when you plan late and don't look at the adds and such. Fresh Cilantro is on recall due to Salmonella crop contamination, did you know that? Normally this wouldn’t matter two shakes in my world except its a key ingredient in three of my dishes this week. The peanut butter pork is best served with fresh cilantro, the spicy cashew chicken requires it as the "green" for the pesto and the albondigas soup uses it in both the meatballs and the broth. So, I found myself stumped while in the grocery store yesterday. They didn't even have the bags of dried cilantro I can usually buy in the mexican food section. My only option was the McCormac's $5 can of it that won't last one meal or, mid-shopping, rearrange my meal plan. I hate that! And, to top it of, I was shopping with both my girls one, who shall remain nameless, loves to cry, whine and wedge herself into impossible spots in the cart so I have to constantly get her unstuck. So, needless to say, I wasn't very creative. I decided on ground beef tacos and chicken soup as substitutes. I went ahead with the peanut butter pork because I already had it thawing on the counter. Instead of the PB Slaw, I made PB noodles instead since the slaw just isn't the same without cilantro.

PB Noodles:
1 box angle hair noodles
1\2 cup peanut butter
1\4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1\2 cup water
1 red bell pepper
1 bunch green onions
1\8 lb sugar snap peas
2-3 garlic cloves
1-2 tsp red chilli flakes or 1 chopped and de-seeded jalapino
1 cup unsalted peanuts

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté on low the chopped garlic, peppers, onions and chili flakes. Reserve some of the red pepper for garnish. The goal is to soften the veggies and let the oil pick up the flavors. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar and water into the skillet. Simmer on the lowest setting until combined and melted. The sauce should be the consistency of alfredo sauce so add more water if needed.
Looks grose huh?

Once the noodles are done, toss in the sauce.
Transfer the noodles to the plate, add slices of the peanut butter pork and top with chopped red pepper, sugar snap peas, peanuts and red chili flakes to taste.

Trust me, the final product is SO yum! I can easly gorge myself on this meal!

My brother is hanging out at the house with me today to help me do all those "man" chores that I refuse to do. Ladies, do you clean up dog poop? Rake the gravel? Clean the sidewalks? Nope, not me, those are man chores and my hubby works from sun up to sun down Monday thru Friday and usually a day on the weekend so I hate giving him a honey-do list that's too long. You gotta pick your battles, you know? My brother is learning the in's and out's of domestication so he's hanging out helping me for the day. Just to be a kind, good teacher, I was lazy all day yesterday, didn't clean up from dinner, let the laundry pile up again and offered to watch my niece today as well. Aren't I nice! Hey, if you want to learn, might as well get the full spectrum! :)

Wish him luck!