8.05.2014

August Dinner Menu

I know I am a little late for August but here it goes. I will be working on breaking it down one week at a time and talk more about food prep. I usually prep meals for two weeks at a time. When I first started however, I prepped meals weekly, it is more manageable to start off. Then as you get more comfortable go on to two weeks. But be mindful of veggies and fruit as they spoil more quickly. You may want to buy those weekly or freeze them. 

Work with this and find what works for you. Move things around, add your favorites. Whatever.I hope this is helpful. 

Feel free to ask any questions or for recipes. 

I couldn't think of a meal for the 24th. My mind blanked out. Any suggestions?

7.24.2014

Menu Planning



For the past, um, let’s say while, I have been planning out our family dinners. At my best I can whip up a menu for a month in a matter of minutes without repeating any meals. Yay me!! But with the girls being home on summer vacation I totally slacked on planning and grocery shopping during June. Boo me!!  But now I am ready to get back to it. And I know a few of you have asked me about my process, so I've decided to put this bad boy to use and share here weekly with maybe some tips and for sure my menu for the week. 

For meal ideas especially of the meatless variety, Martha Stewart has been my bff. I mean every category you could think of she has plotted out. Go ahead and just spend an hour browsing all the possibilities. I'm seriously obsessed. Don't judge.   
I am aiming for 2-3 no meat meals a week. for the sake of my sanity, seafood is not counting as a meat.
And also I have found a wall calendar right off the kitchen, helps keep me organized and also with dinner anxiety. 

Also to keep me on track and make planning really easy I follow this simple format--

  • Meatless Monday
  • Taco Tuesday (sometimes enchiladas, quesadillas, tostadas or burritos, basically Mexican)
  • Seafood on Wednesday (shrimp pasta, salmon and veggies, etc.)
  • Throwback Thursday (a family favorite, like fried chicken, lol)
  • Fun Friday (whatever works, pizza, take-out, leftovers)
  • ??? Saturday (lol) (similar to Friday, whatever works)
  • Soulful Sunday (something really satisfying and hearty to get you prepared for the week, like chili or a roast) 

The Process- 

  1. I check my freezer to see what meat I have, then I check the sales papers to see what's on sale. Doing that helps get the ideas flowing  
  2. Get my journal and calendar ready. I jot down the meals on the calendar and then list everything I will need for them in my journal.
  3. Then I check the kitchen and cross off all the things I already have from my list. 
  4. Finally I make an organized shopping list.
example of menu list


Remember this is only for dinner. 
For breakfast and lunch I keep it fairly simple mostly following my family's lead. But more on that later, I don't want to overwhelm.   

Stay tuned-- 
I will post up detailed menus weekly. 
And the next post will be devoted to food prep. 


12.03.2013

No More Babies!




my baby girl is turning 2 in just a short 2 months. i am having a really hard time dealing with it. I find myself constantly saying it out loud to everyone, "she's almost 2" and to her "you're almost 2". she's just changing so much, her face, her body, her vocabulary, her abilities. It's all changing so fast. too fast. i want her to go back to being about 9 months old for about 3 years, then for her to be 18-22 months for about 2 years then 5 years old and then, finally, resume her normal aging path. lol.
i am so in love with her at this age that she is now. i enjoy watching her learn new things and discover her likes and dislikes. she is so curious and adventurous. she plays the harmonica, it has to be the cutest thing i have ever seen. since halloween we have learned that she is an expert swordsman ( Sunny was a pirate and Violet loves the sword). and she's so sassy. when i get her dress she prances around switching her hips and checks herself in the mirror. OMG!! just so cute and i dont want her to get older. i want her to stay right where she is. my sweet, wily and vivacious 22 month old.
honestly, i think the biggest issue i am having is that she is the last baby. after her there will be no more (unless we win the powerball but aint nobody playing lottery over here).  so i will love her up, take lots of pictures and cherish every second.

if you give mom some time alone...

nothing provokes me to want to write more than reading a good pice of work. while over on natalie jean's blog i found an essay written by madonna. the first half of the article felt like i wrote it (the latter half i haven't experienced quite yet). the oddball outcast dying to leave her stinky little town. leaving, then dying to survive situations that would break spirits and worry the shit out of those that love you. then feeling really awesome because you survived. you accomplished what you set out to do. only to realize that just because you succeeded in one area doesn't mean you're successful. life is full of obstacles and road blocks but you've got to see, no you've got to believe that what you want is worth the work. as long as you have ambition you will have obstacles.

damn it, right in the middle of writing this i had an 'if you give a pig a pancake' moment, mommy style. lol. if you give mom some alone time to write, she will sit on the floor with her computer while watching 'a league of their own'. while she is sitting on the floor she will notice a trail of ants coming from behind the t.v. stand. if she notices a trail of ants she will think there are crumbs that drew the ants back there. if there are crumbs and ants then she will need a broom and ant spray. when she goes to get the broom and ant spray she will notice how dirty the kitchen is. if she notices how the dirty the kitchen is she will have to go on a cleaning spree, rambo style. if she goes on a cleaning rampage she will forget she was writing and sweep the whole house including behind the t.v. stand. when she sweeps behind the t.v. stand she will see the ants. then she will need the ant spray. after she attacks the ants she will see the computer. once she sees the computer she will remember she was writing. lol

so yeah that just happened. lol. because this is the internet and not in real time you have no idea that 20 minutes just passed. but it did.

anyways back to madonna. and me. 

i've slightly lost my train of thought but here are the parts that i really felt:

"TRUTH OR DARE?
...It's a fun game to play if you're in the mood to take risks, and usually I am. However, you have to play with a clever group of people. Otherwise you'll find yourself French-kissing everyone in the room or giving blow jobs to Evian bottles!
People usually choose "truth" when it's their turn because you can tell a lie about yourself and no one will be the wiser, but when you are dared to do something, you have to actually do it. And doing something daring is a rather scary proposition for most people."



"... growing up in a suburb in the Midwest was all I needed to understand that the world was divided into two categories: people who followed the status quo and played it safe, and people who threw convention out the window and danced to the beat of a different drum. I hurled myself into the second category...When you're 15, this can feel a little uncomfortable. Teenagers want to fit in on one hand and be rebellious on the other. Drinking beer and smoking weed in the parking lot of my high school was not my idea of being rebellious, because that's what everybody did. And I never wanted to do what everybody did. I thought it was cooler to not shave my legs or under my arms. I mean, why did God give us hair there anyways? Why didn't guys have to shave there? Why was it accepted in Europe but not in America?... I did the opposite of what all the other girls were doing... I dared people to like me and my nonconformity."
"New York wasn't everything I thought it would be. It did not welcome me with open arms. The first year, I [...] had my apartment broken into three times. I don't know why; I had nothing of value after they took my radio the first time. The tall buildings and the massive scale of New York took my breath away. The sizzling-hot sidewalks and the noise of the traffic and the electricity of the people rushing by me on the streets was a shock to my neurotransmitters. I felt like I had plugged into another universe. I felt like a warrior plunging my way through the crowds to survive. Blood pumping through my veins, I was poised for survival. I felt alive....But it was hard and it was lonely, and I had to dare myself every day to keep going. Sometimes I would play the victim and cry in my shoe box of a bedroom with a window that faced a wall, watching the pigeons shit on my windowsill. And I wondered if it was all worth it, but then I would pull myself together and look at a postcard of Frida Kahlo taped to my wall, and the sight of her mustache consoled me. Because she was an artist who didn't care what people thought. I admired her. She was daring. People gave her a hard time. Life gave her a hard time. If she could do it, then so could I."
a little lengthy. yea? but it's good. the madonna essay was goood! find humor in my ant tirade. im sure you can use the laugh. 

smooches!

10.02.2013

IT'S TIME TO GET IT TOGETHER, GIRLFRIEND

SO I HAVE NEVER BEEN A PARTICULARLY NEAT PERSON. LIKE I'M NOT DIRTY JUST A MESS. I WILL WASH ALL THE CLOTHES BUT NEVER FOLD THEM, ALL MY SHOES ARE NEXT TO THE ORGANIZER INSTEAD OF IN IT, DISHES GET WASHED BUT NOT PUT AWAY, ETC, ETC. YOU GET IT RIGHT?


WELL LATELY I HAVE FELT THE NEED TO CHANGE THAT, STRONGLY.  I AM GOOD AT CLEANING UP I JUST WANT TO WORK ON NOT MAKING SUCH A BIG MESS OF EVERYTHING FROM THE START. LIKE MY MOM IS GREAT AT CLEANING UP AS SHE COOKS, ME NO BUENO. THEN, AFTER DINNER I AM USUALLY TOO TIRED TO CLEAN, SO I DO IT HALF-ASSED. AND ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE BEING A MESS DOESN'T WORK WHEN LIVING IN A TEENY APARTMENT WITH NO CLOSET SPACE ( I STAY OPTIMISTIC BY TELLING MYSELF THIS IS WHAT IT'D BE LIKE LIVING IN NEW YORK CITY, WHICH I'D LOVE TO DO SOMEDAY, BTW).




WELL ANYWAYS, THE ARRIVAL OF FALL HAS SET OFF A GREAT SENSE OF URGENCY WITHIN MYSELF TO GET MY SHIT TOGETHER. I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S JUST THAT THE HAS SEASON CHANGED. OR THE FACT THAT BY THE END OF THIS VERY SEASON THAT I WILL HAVE TURNED 30 AND HAVE AN 11 YEAR OLD. THAT MEANS I WILL HAVE HAD 11 YEARS TO PERFECT THIS WHOLE HOMEMAKER THING. AND THEN THERE LOOMS THE REALIZATION THAT I AM GOING INTO MY 2ND DECADE OF MOTHERHOOD. AND I THINK, 'LIKE BY NOW I SHOULD TOTALLY HAVE IT TOGETHER, RIGHT?' 


I GAVE UP ON ALL LAZINESS AND PITY FOR MYSELF AND GOT TO WORK. I TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY GUTTED OUT PHOENIX AND SUNNY'S ROOM. NOTHING UNDER THE BEDS, DEEP IN THE CLOSET, ON THE CLOSET SHELVES, BEHIND THE DRESSERS OR IN THE DRAWERS WAS SAFE FROM ME. I GOT RID OF THE TOY CHEST WHERE EVERYTHING WAS JUST THROWN IN AND REPLACED IT WITH A COUPLE OF PLASTIC CARTS WITH 3 DRAWERS AND WHEELS. YOU KNOW THE KIND THAT TARGET REALLY PUSHES TO STUDENTS IN DORMS. ALL CLOTHES AND SHOES THAT WERE TOO SMALL WERE BAGGED FOR CHARITY. ANY TOY THAT I DEEMED USELESS WAS TRASHED (BUT OF COURSE I KEPT WHATEVER I BROUGHT BACK MILLIONS OF MY BABY GIRLS, C'MON I'M NOT A TOTAL TYRANT). AND THIS WAS ALL DONE WHILE THE GIRLS WERE IN SCHOOL, NONE OF THAT 'BUT MOM THAT'S MY FAVORITE' CRAP WAS FLYING. ONCE IT WAS DONE I FELT AMAZING. I AM NOW GOING ROGUE ON ALL THE CRAP IN OUR ROOM. I FINALLY GOT RID OF THE LAST BOX FROM OUR MOVE IN ALMOST 2 YEARS AGO THAT HAS BEEN STASHED IN OUR CLOSET. HALLELUJAH!


AND TODAY! OH TODAY! I WASHED EVERY SINGLE DIRTY DISH IN THE SINK. I HAVEN'T PUT THEM AWAY YET BUT I PROMISE TO DO IT AFTER I DROPPED THE GIRLS OFF IN THE MORNING. OH YEAH AND FOR THE PAST MONTH I HAVE GONE TO THE LAUNDROMAT EVERY MONDAY ( WELL EXCEPT THIS WEEK I WENT TUESDAY MORNING, BECAUSE I WAS EXHAUSTED FROM THE WEEKEND) AND STAYED THERE UNTIL ALL CLOTHES WERE FOLDED. WHAT A FEAT FOR ME! SO YEAH ANYWAYS I HAVE TO FOLD CLOTHES ALSO IN THE A.M. SO YEAH I AM GOING TO PUT AWAY ALL THE DISHES AND CLOTHES TOMORROW AND REJOICE AT HOW I AM REFUSING TO LET MY PROCRASTINATION GET THE BETTER OF ME.


AND CANT FORGET ABOUT THE MOST ADORABLE LITTLE LAUNDRY HELPER, WHO MAKES IT 10X'S HARDER BUT 100X'S CUTER! SHE DIDN'T JOIN ME TODAY BECAUSE SHE WAS SICK AND DECIDED TO SLEEP IN. ALTHOUGH I'M REALLY SAD WHEN SHE'S SICK I DID ENJOY BEING ABLE TO BREEZE THROUGH THE LAUNDRY THIS MORNING!

9.30.2013

MUSIC MONDAY #2

FIRST OFF I NEED TO GET A LITTLE MORE ORIGINAL WITH THESE TITLES. HA. I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE THE ENERGY TO THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE, THO.

WELL I'VE PROMISED MUSIC. LITERALLY IN THE 11TH HOUR, I'VE GOT IT TOGETHER. IRONICALLY ENOUGH, I'M ACTUALLY SITTING HERE WATCHING THE TAIL END OF THE IHEART MUSIC FESTIVAL. MAYBE THAT WAS MY INSPIRATION TO GET ON IT.

THE FAME MONSTER

LATELY, IVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT OUR FAIR LADY, GAGA. TWO SONGS ARE CURRENTLY IN ROTATION ON THE RADIO THAT GOT HER ON MY BRAIN, HEAVY. LORDE'S ROYALS AND SUMMERTIME SADNESS BY LANA DEL REY. I BELIEVE IF YOU WERE AS INTO THE FAME AS I WAS THEN YOU'D BE ALE TO HEAR THE INFLUENCE. FIRST OF ALL OUR LADY WAS ALL ABOUT SUMMA SUMMA TIME. AND FUN AND LOVE LOST. SHE ALSO BOASTED ABOUT THE LIFESTYLE OF HER AND HER GIRLS IN ALMOST THE EXACT MANNER THAT LORDE DOES ON HER LATEST SINGLE.


I COULD BE MAKING ALL THIS UP TO HOLD ONTO THE GLORY DAYS THAT WERE THE FAME MONSTER. BUT EVERY TIME I HEAR EITHER ONE OF THOSE SONGS I HAVE TO FORCEFULLY REMIND MYSELF THAT LADY GAGA IS NOT QUITE BACK, YET.  BUT NONE OF THAT REALLY MATTERS BECAUSE, I LOVE THEM (THE SONGS) ALL THE SAME.

AS OF LATE...

TODAY IS MONDAY THE DAY FOR MUSIC. THERE WILL BE MUSIC JUST A LITTLE LATER. FOR NOW JUST A BIT ABOUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING AROUND HERE LATELY.


RIGHT NOW CHILI IS COOKING IN THE CROCKPOT. I HAVE BEEN WANTING CHILI REALLY BAD LATELY, MAYBE BECAUSE FALL IS HERE. AND FALL MEANS LOTS OF CROCKPOT AND SLOW COOKED OVEN MEALS. MY FAVORITE FOR NOW AT LEAST, (UNTIL MEMORIAL DAY ROLLS AROUND AND I  WANT TO EAT NOTHING BUT BBQ). THINK POT ROAST, WHOLE CHICKENS, SOUPS AND YES, CHILI. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS  HERE IN LOS ANGELES FALL DOESN'T REALLY KICK IN UNTIL MID TO LATE OCTOBER, TODAY IT WAS 80 DEGREES. BUT I COOKED CHILI ANYWAY BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH IT TASTE THE BEST ON A CHILLY DAY(LOL) I JUST COULDN'T WAIT. WELL AT LEAST THE MORNINGS HAVE BEEN COLD. THAT COUNTS FOR SOMETHING, RIGHT?


OVER THE PAST WEEK ALL THREE GIRLS HAVE BEEN SICK, WITH VIOLET BEING THE ONE TO GET IT LAST AND THE MOST EFFECTED. RIGHT NOW SHE IS TRYING TO DRAG HER HIGH CHAIR THROUGH THE HOUSE, CRYING ALL THE WHILE. SHE DOESN'T WANT ANYBODY TO PICK HER UP, SHE JUST WANTS TO DRAG HER HIGH CHAIR. SHES SO MISERABLE. SHE HAS SPENT THE LAST 36 HOURS MOSTLY CRYING. 
THE ONE PERSON THAT SHE DOES WANT TO HANG UNDER IS HER DADDY AND OF COURSE HE'S THE BUSIEST. IT JUST MAKES ME SO SAD. 

ON SATURDAY NIGHT BEFORE SHE GOT SICK I HAD A GIRLS NIGHT OUT. AND I HAD A BLAST. AFTER WONDERING AIMLESSLY AROUND DOWNTOWN CULVER CITY TRYING TO CHOOSE A PLACE TO EAT, WE DECIDED TO HEAD A LITTLE FURTHER WEST TO THE ALIBI ROOM. I HAD THE BEST TACOS EVER, THEY WERE MADE WITH KOREAN SHORT RIBS. OMG SO GOOD. OH YEAH, I ALSO HAD SOME FRENCH FRIES WITH KOREAN SEASONING AND A DRINK CALLED THE CUBAN MISTRESS. I WAS IN HEAVEN AND COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH MY NIGHT OUT. BUT WE HAD SITTERS FOR THE NIGHT AND COULDN'T CALL IT A NIGHT JUST YET. SO WE WENT TO DO KARAOKE AT THE TATTLE ROOM. SO MUCH FUN!! I SANG SHOOP BY SALT & PEPPER. WE LAUGHED, DANCED SANG AND DRANK. I HAD NOT HAD SO MUCH FUN IN A VERY LONG TIME. THE PICTURE BELOW PRETTY MUCH SUMS UP HOW FOOLISH WE WERE ACTING. LIKE SOME TEENAGERS, ACTUALLY MORE LIKE A GAGGLE OF 7 YEAR OLDS!


NEEDLESS TO SAY AFTER A SICK BABY AND A GIRLS NIGHT OUT I AM EXHAUSTED. MONDAY IS SUPPOSED TO BE LAUNDRY DAY BUT THAT HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL TOMORROW. TONIGHT I'M CURLING UP WITH A BIG BOWL OF CHILI AND CORNBREAD AND TAKING IT EASY.  AND OH YEAH 2 BROKE GIRLS IS ON TONIGHT!

HAPPY MONDAY.