I'm finally doing another week of meals! I'm sorry we haven't posted meal plans in so long, but I'm back from the hiatus and pumped to post some great dinners for this week. I have some good comfort food for you this week, which is nice if your weather has been anything like ours (fluctuating between cold and more cold). If you've never made homemade chicken soup or pot roast, this is the time to start, because I have easy, foolproof recipes for you, both from friends. Another first to try is making gyoza (dumplings) - these are a little more involved, but so worth it because they are so delicious. I'll start with the menu and then the shopping list will be below that.
Monday: Chicken Soup with Garlic & Onion Foccaccia
Tuesday: Pot Roast with Baked Potatoes and Bacon String Beans
Wednesday: Chicken Enchiladas and Salad
Thursday: Gyoza (Japanese dumplings), Teriyaki Chicken with Rice and Broccoli
Friday: Taco Pizza
Extra Fun Recipe: Nigella Lawson's Cocktail Sausages
Shopping List
Produce
1 small head cabbage
2 leeks
2 parsnips
4 stalks of celery
6 large carrots
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
1 head iceberg lettuce
Any vegetables for salad that you prefer
Large russet potatoes (1 for each person eating)
½ cup minced scallions
Pantry
1 can black beans
1 can kernel corn
1 jar salsa
1 can Campbell’s condensed golden mushroom soup
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
Preferred salad dressing
Red Wine Vinegar (a few Tablespoons)
4 T. olive oil
Vegetable oil (about 3 Tbls.)
3 tsp. sesame oil (If you cannot find this in your supermarket, any specialty Asian food store will carry it).
½ cup soy sauce
1 ½ cups teriyaki marinade of choice
Seasonings and Baking
Enchilada seasonings of choice (ex: chili powder, cumin, onion salt, garlic powder, pepper, paprika)
Salt and Pepper
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried parsley
Grated ginger powder (with spices, 1/4-1 tsp.)
1 pkg. (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast (2 ¼ t.)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 T. sugar
Light brown sugar (1/4-1/2 cup)
Meat
1 (approx 5 lb) chicken, cut up (You can purchase it packaged or buy a whole chicken and cut it up yourself at home)
1 (4-6 lb.) cut of meat for pot roast (like bottom round)
Approx. 8 strips of bacon
1 lb. ground chicken
1 lb. chicken tenders
Pasta
2 cups rice (uncooked)
¼-1/2 cup alphabets pasta (or other small pasta for soup)
Dairy
1 small container sour cream
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Snack Foods
Corn chips (like Tostitos) - small bag
Frozen
2 cups frozen green beans
2 cups frozen broccoli
Goods
Aluminum foil -heavy-duty is preferable– (pot roast bakes in foil)
Specialty
Wonton wrappers (about 40)
6 large flour tortillas
Optional Ingredients for Extra Cocktail Sausage Recipe:
2 ¼ lb. cocktail sausage links
2 Tbls. sesame oil
½ cup honey
2 Tbls. soy sauce
Friday, March 6, 2009
Can Opposites Attract?
Bishop T.D. Jakes, pastor of the The Potter's House in Texas says of his wife Serita, "occasionally she saw ahead, often I felt her behind me, but through it all, she was beside me." Ladies, are we willing to stand beside our husbands through all the seasons of life? Where do you spend your time standing in your marriage? Are you married to your opposite? You can love the same music, same foods, and same type of furniture and art, but stay married for a few years, and you will see that you are more different than you thought. This does not have to be a problem unless we choose to view this as a dilemma instead of an opportunity to love our spouses more deeply.
My husband and I have formed similar lifestyle habits and share the same core values, but our personalities are as different as night from day. There have been times in the past when we viewed the same circumstance in raising our kids so differently that it has been divisive. Those are the moments we need to be careful of ladies.
Stephen and Alex Kendrick write in The Love Dare book that when we are frustrated, hurt or disappointed with unmet expectations, we begin to line our hearts and minds with our spouse's weaknesses and failures. Their bad habits, hurtful words and poor decisions over power our own failures when we have been hurt. What may start out as a moment if kept here long enough, can be the seeds to killing marriages. The more time you spend here, the more your heart devalues your spouse.
Be careful and remember that love chooses to believe the best about people. When disappointment happens, make every effort to deal with it appropriately. Focus on the positive attributes of your husband which attracted you to him in the first place. This next statement will not always be easy to say, but work on prayerfully saying in your prayers, "my husband completes me." His character qualities are not mine - and that is good. Philippians 4:8 tells me to meditate on anything that is praiseworthy. 1 Corinthians 13 tells me that love believes all things and hopes all things.
I have a great prayer that I pray for my husband regularly that is lamenated into a bookmark that is in the current book I am reading. (Family Life Publishing)
Lord, I lift my husband to You today and pray, according
to Your Word, that You give him strength to lead,
time to know his family, and a passion to manage his home.
Bless his work and show him daily how to honor You in his attitude
and spirit; confirm the work of his hands unto Your purpose.
Enable him to be a wise steward of our finances and all
we possess, remembering that all things are Yours and entrusted
to us for Your purposes.
I pray God that he will love You with all his heart, soul, mind
and strength and hate evil.
May he be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
Protect him physically, mentally and spiritually.
Give him the desire to teach and model a godly lifestyle for his children.
Instruct him and teach him in the way he should go; give him peace
in the circumstances and integrity in decisions he must face today.
May he meditate day and night on Your Word, pray without ceasing,
and stay faithful to Christ to the end.
May he develop strong relationships with other godly men,
and make me my husband's helpmate, companion, champion,
friend and support.
I lay all my expectations at Your cross.
Teach me how to pray for my husband and make my prayers
a true language of love.
Amen.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
How about some veggies?
One of my biggest challenge as a mother has always been getting my girls to eat those dreaded vegetables. As babies, they were okay with the pureed ones, but as soon as they turned one, there was no way to get them to have a balanced meal. Until yesterday.....
I decided to to use the trick of getting the kids involved in making the meal. We made a quick and easy rainbow salad. I had my 7 yr. old wash the vegetables first. She was so excited to be able to take on a chore that would boost her self-esteem. Then I had all three kids cut the washed veggies. I couldn't exactly give them a real knife to do this, so I gave them our butter knives and "easier to cut" veggies such as bell peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes. So, it was safe enough for my eager 2 1/2 yr. old to be a part of this as well. By the end of dinner, I got all three of my kids to eat celery, radish, carrots, cucumbers, etc. It was a success! And the best part was they had so much fun preparing this meal together. I wish I had remembered to take some pictures but as always, I'm so forgetful with the camera. But here's the recipe.
Little M's Rainbow Salad
Ingredients
Veggies: Chopped to bite-sized cucumbers, tomatoes, radish, carrots, red and yellow bell peppers, celery, and mozzarella cheese.
Prepared balsamic vinaigrette- just enough to coat all the veggies.
Little bit of grated parmesan cheese.
Put everything in a large bowl and mix!
I decided to to use the trick of getting the kids involved in making the meal. We made a quick and easy rainbow salad. I had my 7 yr. old wash the vegetables first. She was so excited to be able to take on a chore that would boost her self-esteem. Then I had all three kids cut the washed veggies. I couldn't exactly give them a real knife to do this, so I gave them our butter knives and "easier to cut" veggies such as bell peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes. So, it was safe enough for my eager 2 1/2 yr. old to be a part of this as well. By the end of dinner, I got all three of my kids to eat celery, radish, carrots, cucumbers, etc. It was a success! And the best part was they had so much fun preparing this meal together. I wish I had remembered to take some pictures but as always, I'm so forgetful with the camera. But here's the recipe.
Little M's Rainbow Salad
Ingredients
Veggies: Chopped to bite-sized cucumbers, tomatoes, radish, carrots, red and yellow bell peppers, celery, and mozzarella cheese.
Prepared balsamic vinaigrette- just enough to coat all the veggies.
Little bit of grated parmesan cheese.
Put everything in a large bowl and mix!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Tuesday Tips
We love sharing tips with each other as moms. If something has helped us or made our life a little bit easier, we like to pass it along.
Well today we are passing along a few tips gleaned from some mothers and grandmothers here and there. It is a hodgepodge of tips that I thought were useful. They may be new to you or something tried and true that your have forgotten. Enjoy, hope you find one that you can use.
Tip of the Day:
*Be sure to moisturize your hands before your face, or your baby's body! Did you know that your hands are often the driest part of your body. So before you use them to spread on that expensive face moisturizer or soft-smelling baby lotion, lotion them up first. If you don't you will use much more face or baby lotion, as it will continue to soak into your hands rather than into your face or your baby.
Plan Ahead For Mom:
*Stash a bag in the car with snacks, a water bottle, books, stickers and paper& crayons, or small toys (saves time knowing it is already in the car and helps in a pinch when stuck in traffic or anywhere else).
*If you have a baby keep the bare essentials (diaper,wipes, pacifier/bottle, change of clothes) in a small gift bag in your car, quick easy access. This is an 'extra' essentials set in case you forget to bring something you need or are running out quickly and shouldn't need anything.
*Keep a mini 'glam' purse in your car - cute earrings/jewelry, fancy headband, extra lip gloss, gum, body spritz a comb and any other little thing to help you freshen up and beautify on the run.
Cleaning and such:
*Avoid sticky gooey laundry detergent bottles by keeping a cap from an empty detergent bottle. Use the empty cap to measure the detergent and then toss right into the load to clean. The extra cap is also great for soaking a small stain or spot on clothing. Just put you detergent or stain remover in the bottom of the cap, add a little water and scrunch the stained part of the clothing into the cap as well.
*Disinfect stuffed animals or cloth toys that cannot be washed & dried by freezing them. Spot or surface wash according to instructions, then spray with a light mist of disinfectant spray and toss in a Ziploc bag. Place the bag in your freezer overnight (for about 12 hrs). Freezing will kill the majority of any bacteria, viruses and dust mites lurking inside. Bang and shake out the toy or animals to rid it of dust and particles before giving it back to your child.
*Run your family's toothbrushes through the dishwasher every week to kill germs.
Sick Kids:
*Keep an empty tissue box next to the full one, or next to your child. Makes a quick and convenient trash for kids to throw away used tissues and avoids kids leaving them laying around or dropping them on the way to the garbage.
*Before bed, fill the medicine dropper with the proper dose of pain reliever, cough medicine or whatever your child might need should they wake in the middle of the night. Then place it on a wipe or paper towel out of reach in their room or wherever it is easy for you to get. Makes giving medicine a lot quicker and neater too.
*Keep two 'sick' buckets or bins for night time. Keep one empty, to place near your child. Fill the other with an extra set of pajamas, bedsheets/blanket, large plastic bag and a roll of paper towels or package of baby wipes. Makes it easy to grab what you need for a quick clean up and bring it to the child's room, bathroom or other room as needed. Then, once emptied, you also have a second clean bucket on hand.
*Keep medicines up high in the fridge. Chilled medicine usually feels better on the throat and the cold dulls the taste too. It also keeps them out of children's reach. A well known, but great tip!
Well today we are passing along a few tips gleaned from some mothers and grandmothers here and there. It is a hodgepodge of tips that I thought were useful. They may be new to you or something tried and true that your have forgotten. Enjoy, hope you find one that you can use.
Tip of the Day:
*Be sure to moisturize your hands before your face, or your baby's body! Did you know that your hands are often the driest part of your body. So before you use them to spread on that expensive face moisturizer or soft-smelling baby lotion, lotion them up first. If you don't you will use much more face or baby lotion, as it will continue to soak into your hands rather than into your face or your baby.
Plan Ahead For Mom:
*Stash a bag in the car with snacks, a water bottle, books, stickers and paper& crayons, or small toys (saves time knowing it is already in the car and helps in a pinch when stuck in traffic or anywhere else).
*If you have a baby keep the bare essentials (diaper,wipes, pacifier/bottle, change of clothes) in a small gift bag in your car, quick easy access. This is an 'extra' essentials set in case you forget to bring something you need or are running out quickly and shouldn't need anything.
*Keep a mini 'glam' purse in your car - cute earrings/jewelry, fancy headband, extra lip gloss, gum, body spritz a comb and any other little thing to help you freshen up and beautify on the run.
Cleaning and such:
*Avoid sticky gooey laundry detergent bottles by keeping a cap from an empty detergent bottle. Use the empty cap to measure the detergent and then toss right into the load to clean. The extra cap is also great for soaking a small stain or spot on clothing. Just put you detergent or stain remover in the bottom of the cap, add a little water and scrunch the stained part of the clothing into the cap as well.
*Disinfect stuffed animals or cloth toys that cannot be washed & dried by freezing them. Spot or surface wash according to instructions, then spray with a light mist of disinfectant spray and toss in a Ziploc bag. Place the bag in your freezer overnight (for about 12 hrs). Freezing will kill the majority of any bacteria, viruses and dust mites lurking inside. Bang and shake out the toy or animals to rid it of dust and particles before giving it back to your child.
*Run your family's toothbrushes through the dishwasher every week to kill germs.
Sick Kids:
*Keep an empty tissue box next to the full one, or next to your child. Makes a quick and convenient trash for kids to throw away used tissues and avoids kids leaving them laying around or dropping them on the way to the garbage.
*Before bed, fill the medicine dropper with the proper dose of pain reliever, cough medicine or whatever your child might need should they wake in the middle of the night. Then place it on a wipe or paper towel out of reach in their room or wherever it is easy for you to get. Makes giving medicine a lot quicker and neater too.
*Keep two 'sick' buckets or bins for night time. Keep one empty, to place near your child. Fill the other with an extra set of pajamas, bedsheets/blanket, large plastic bag and a roll of paper towels or package of baby wipes. Makes it easy to grab what you need for a quick clean up and bring it to the child's room, bathroom or other room as needed. Then, once emptied, you also have a second clean bucket on hand.
*Keep medicines up high in the fridge. Chilled medicine usually feels better on the throat and the cold dulls the taste too. It also keeps them out of children's reach. A well known, but great tip!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
No Such Thing as a Perfect Mom: Confessions of a Recovering Perfectionist
Before I had children, and after, I admit that I observed other mothers, kids and families and made a mental list in my head. It started something like this: My kids will never.........
...sleep in my bed
...still use a pacifier when they are 3
...watch TV all day
...fall asleep to the TV
...eat candy/cookies/fast food
...leave the house in mismatched clothing or looking dishevelled
...be allowed to stay up as late as they want
...be out of control in public
...demand toys/food in the store and get it
You get the idea. They were all things that made me cringe when I saw, or heard about, other kids doing them. Though most of these things really had more impact on my perceived image of being a perfect mom....than a lasting impact on the life and character of the child.
After becoming a parent I realized that many of my preconceived ideas about what my kids will do, and what I will do, get thrown out the window. I have learned that teaching my kids to be healthy and safe, helping them learn and develop godly character and enjoying fun times with them now is much more important than sticking to a list of 'DO' and 'DO NOT.'
Don't get me wrong, I do not have a laid back approach to parenting. Those who know me can attest to the fact that I love schedules, order, control and a clean playroom. I am a perfectionist at heart.... or at least I try to be. But I now know that no one is, or can be, perfect. No one that is, except for THE ONE. The one who showed us His perfect love....Jesus Christ. And since God has entrusted my children to me, the least that I can do is trust Him that in my weakness He will be strong. Only in realizing my imperfection can I get to the place where I am relying completely on Him.
I am not a perfect mom, and I know it. Why then do I sometimes review the mental list in my head, checking off things to see how well I am doing?
*My kids don't eat exclusively organic food, but they eat very healthy food without added sugar. They don't eat cookies, candy or fast food (except for an occasion pizza or sub ordered out)--- no junk food, check!!
*My kids only watch one short DVD or video a day (except when we are sick)--- Don't watch too much TV, check!
*My kids sleep fall asleep by themselves in their own beds every night----Good sleep habits, check!!
Perhaps focusing on these minor things, makes me feel like I have the majors covered also. Does anyone else do that?
Recently I have begun allowing my 2 1/2 year old daughter to lay on our bed and watch a DVD during her rest time. It is the only way she will actually fall asleep when she really needs a nap. Some days she really needs to sleep and when she doesn't she melts down. After a few days like that she has a tendency to get sick. So I have allowed her to fall asleep watching a show on our bed. It is not every day and rest time will be phased out soon. She still sleeps in her own bed at night. I am not training her to need the TV to sleep. It won't have a lasting negative impact on her. Then why am I so hesitant to let her continue this method of napping, even though it provides much needed sleep for her.
The only reason is because it is not something that a perfect mom would do. I guess it is a good thing that I am not a perfect mom then. Good thing I am an imperfect mom who does her best, but in her weakness relies on God for His perfection.
...sleep in my bed...still use a pacifier when they are 3
...watch TV all day
...fall asleep to the TV
...eat candy/cookies/fast food
...leave the house in mismatched clothing or looking dishevelled
...be allowed to stay up as late as they want
...be out of control in public
...demand toys/food in the store and get it
You get the idea. They were all things that made me cringe when I saw, or heard about, other kids doing them. Though most of these things really had more impact on my perceived image of being a perfect mom....than a lasting impact on the life and character of the child.
After becoming a parent I realized that many of my preconceived ideas about what my kids will do, and what I will do, get thrown out the window. I have learned that teaching my kids to be healthy and safe, helping them learn and develop godly character and enjoying fun times with them now is much more important than sticking to a list of 'DO' and 'DO NOT.'
Don't get me wrong, I do not have a laid back approach to parenting. Those who know me can attest to the fact that I love schedules, order, control and a clean playroom. I am a perfectionist at heart.... or at least I try to be. But I now know that no one is, or can be, perfect. No one that is, except for THE ONE. The one who showed us His perfect love....Jesus Christ. And since God has entrusted my children to me, the least that I can do is trust Him that in my weakness He will be strong. Only in realizing my imperfection can I get to the place where I am relying completely on Him.
I am not a perfect mom, and I know it. Why then do I sometimes review the mental list in my head, checking off things to see how well I am doing?
*My kids don't eat exclusively organic food, but they eat very healthy food without added sugar. They don't eat cookies, candy or fast food (except for an occasion pizza or sub ordered out)--- no junk food, check!!
*My kids only watch one short DVD or video a day (except when we are sick)--- Don't watch too much TV, check!
*My kids sleep fall asleep by themselves in their own beds every night----Good sleep habits, check!!
Perhaps focusing on these minor things, makes me feel like I have the majors covered also. Does anyone else do that?
Recently I have begun allowing my 2 1/2 year old daughter to lay on our bed and watch a DVD during her rest time. It is the only way she will actually fall asleep when she really needs a nap. Some days she really needs to sleep and when she doesn't she melts down. After a few days like that she has a tendency to get sick. So I have allowed her to fall asleep watching a show on our bed. It is not every day and rest time will be phased out soon. She still sleeps in her own bed at night. I am not training her to need the TV to sleep. It won't have a lasting negative impact on her. Then why am I so hesitant to let her continue this method of napping, even though it provides much needed sleep for her.
The only reason is because it is not something that a perfect mom would do. I guess it is a good thing that I am not a perfect mom then. Good thing I am an imperfect mom who does her best, but in her weakness relies on God for His perfection.
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