Lovin’…

… Marie’s accessory choices for her little sister. Do you suppose Anne will be so accommodating in a few years?

… freezer paper, stencils, and crayons.

  … pancake breakfasts with a twist.

… bath time with my babies.

… tea hot chocolate parties in the living room.

Oh Boy!

My recent turn to teach Joy School I taught the unit “Spontaneous Delight". What a blast! Children have an innate sense of happiness and joy. They are able to just. have. fun. No worries about the mess or the time or the routine of the schedule or dinner or homework or others opinions or laundry or, well, you get the point, right? It was my job during the unit to celebrate this magical ability that they have. So, basically, we got to play and laugh. 

One of the activities was blowing bubbles. A dixie cup, a couple of drops of dish soap, a few tablespoons of water, and a straw all combine together to allow for some serious fun, I tell you what. The kids laughed and giggled as they made their “volcanoes” and “mountains”. Even when it was free play time (the recess of Joy School) they sat at the table and continued with their blowing.

 

    

What a wonderful reminder this unit was to me! I have made more of an effort to allow my spontaneity to come out and not be quenched by my responsibilities as a mother. My favorite addition to our day is dancing in the kitchen. At first they would ask what I was doing and wonder why I was being so silly (Mommy doesn’t do that kind of thing) and now they happily and quickly join me.  Do you know what? Being silly and fun doesn’t get in the way of accomplishing my tasks and goals each day and we are all happier. What a novel idea, huh?

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama

Speaking of President’s Day

Before our snow adventures we decided to take a little family field trip to what is affectionately known in our house as “The Train Museum.” We had been to the outside part with all the engines, but had never been inside. My kids always amaze me in museums. Their curiosity takes hold and they love to learn about the exhibits and artifacts. It was a good morning, but I must admit that we all really just wanted to be outside. Some pictures from the day for you:

The Stuff that Winter is Made Of

Let me tell you, the best way to avoid cabin fever is to spend three weeks of January in California. It's marvelous. You see, while everybody else is so incredibly sick of this ridiculous cold, I can handle some more of it. I was especially excited when it snowed over President's day weekend. The kids have been dying to make a snowman and/or snow fort and we finally got enough good snow to do it.

As much as I would have loved to be involved, I had to leave it to B-dawg and the kids. Anne and I chilled inside. I tell you what, not since the fort of 2005, has such a magnificent structure been erected.

January 2005

February 2011

After the completion of the fort it was time for the snowman. Brandon did most of the building while William and Marie played around him. They did give some assistance with the buttons and face and my contribution was the scarf and hat. Although I do believe they look better on me, the snowman doesn't look too bad either. 

Happy Snow Day!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. (Inspired by SouleMama)

Menu Planning: Part Two

Do you want to know my fancy menu planning material? Whatever piece of paper I can find, my computer, and whatever cookbooks strike my fancy that week.

In short, my routine consists of three steps:

1) Evaluate last week’s menu.

2) Create this week’s menu.

3) Create a shopping list.

That is the short of it, but the darling is in the details, right? Details such as where to find recipes, choosing balanced meals, shopping the sales, dealing with leftovers, etc.? So, let’s get to those details.

Planning the Menu

• Menu planning is also my time to look over my week. What nights are busy? Is there a date night? What will the kids eat? Holiday? Special occasion? Meetings? Sports?
• To fill in the blanks, I start with the busy nights. The meals for those nights are either crockpot, quick and easy, or make ahead (such as a casserole).
• After I have filled those in I take inventory of the dishes I have chosen. Do I have one or two vegetarian dishes? What carbs do I have? I like to balance between rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread. Perhaps I want to include a specific ingredient from my pantry or fridge or I want to try a new ingredient. That would lead to the next category, choosing new recipes.

• My criteria for new recipes changes from week to week based on what I am looking for. Sometimes I want to try out a new website or new cookbook. Other times my new recipes will be centered around a specific ingredient.
• Here are my top ten favorite recipe resources and a description of why I would look there:

i. Allrecipes.com – I tend to frequent this site when I have a specific ingredient I want to use or a specific dish I like to make. I don’t just browse this site. Be sure to sort your search by rating and read the comments on the reviews.

ii. Rachael Ray – I confess that I am a Rachael Ray junkie. The woman is a genius for taking the same method and tweeking and adjusting it to make hundreds of meals. Don’t believe me? Take a look at her recipes and count how many start with a béchamel(white) sauce. I use her recipes almost weekly. I’m not very good at thinking about dinner earlier in the day, so I like that her meals come together quickly without an hour in the oven or something like that.

iii. Mel’s Kitchen Café – This is my first stop whenever I am looking for a bread recipe or a new side dish. She also has fantastic desserts and several skillet dinners that are delicious. One skillet meals should be the busy mom’s best friend.

iv. The Sisters Café – There is a great post here for freezer meal ideas. I usually visit this site when I am looking for a new recipe for entertaining or special occasions.

v. Food Network – I consider this my encyclopedia for cooking. It’s a place I stop at when I want to try a new ingredient and need recipes. For example, this summer I wanted to make homemade tomato soup. Food Network. Another time I decided to try my hand at Indian Cuisine. Food Network. When I want a professional’s point of view, this is the place.

vi. Eating Well – This is your one stop shop for healthy eating. Search by ingredient, cheap meals, kid-friendly meals, healthy breakfasts, etc. I love that each meal lists the nutrition facts at the bottom.

vii. Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook – This is my all-purpose cookbook for classic recipes.

viii. Facebook – Yes, facebook. This is especially helpful when I am trying a new ingredient. “Does anybody have a good recipe for quinoa?” It works like a charm.

ix. A Year of Slowcooking – Kind of self-explanatory right? Need a crockpot recipe, try these ones out.

x. Favorite Family Recipes – Don’t go here for healthy recipes. Erica is a master at mimicking restaurant dishes. Her recipe for Café Rio sweet pork salad is one of our favorites when we are entertaining.

• What is your criteria for choosing new recipes? Favorite websites?

Give yourself a night off every once in a while. There is nothing wrong with $5 pizza or the nearest drive-thru in moderation. If it’s on your menu than you can enjoy it guilt-free, even if that does mean that you have to run an extra mile the next morning.

Elaborate and perfect meals are not necessary. What you want is to be able to sit down with you family each night and enjoy dinner together. As you plan, you will find what works and what doesn’t. You will learn from your mistakes and eventually you’ll get into a groove. Just think seven little dinners and one trip to the grocery store.

Well-Balanced Meals

• My rule for meals is 1 carb/1 protein/unlimited fruits and veggies
• Blend spinach and/or green peppers in with your spaghetti sauce
• Smoothies are my favorite “go-to” nutritional boost for everything from breakfast for dinner to soup and sandwiches.
  • Blend 1 cup of milk with two big handfuls of fresh spinach. Add 1-2 bananas, 1 cup of yogurt and blend again. If the bananas aren’t quite ripe you may want to add a tablespoon or two of a sweetener of your choice. Add a cup of frozen berries if you don’t like the green color and to boost the nutritional value.

• Fruit salad is a favorite in our family. We put whatever fruits we have on hand, canned or fresh, into a bowl, and mix it with a cup of yogurt.
• Plan your meal around the vegetables, rather than adding them as an afterthought.

What is your favorite “vegetable centered” dish?

Organizing Your Recipes

• Before writing down my new menu I always evaluate the previous week’s menu. If I have used any new recipes and want to try them again I put them in an Excel spreadsheet. It isn’t anything fancy. I have never formatted it or made it pretty. All I do is type the name of the recipe in one column and where I can find it in the next column. I could organize it by category, or alphabetically. I haven’t, but I could.
• Any recipes that I have torn from magazines or that I have printed from the internet I keep in an accordion folder, organized alphabetically.
• I don’t have a system for recipes that I want to try. Do you?

Back-up Plans

• Life happens. Allow your menu to shift and adjust as needed. Our favorite back-up plan meal is breakfast for dinner. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, omelets, one-eyed jacks, etc, all accompanied with a green smoothie.
• Every one has a handful of recipes that they always have the ingredients for. Take a moment and write down the first three that come to mind. Share them with your neighbor. Who wants to share theirs?

Make It a Habit

• Repeat after me,

"I, [state your name], hereby promise not to visit the supermarket again until I've made a menu plan!"

• I dread grocery shopping each week. I love planning the menu, but the actual trip to the store? Bleh. I do it though because then I know that in one day, one hour even, it is all taken care of and I don’t have to worry about it again for another week. If only I could keep that same attitude with laundry …
• Pick a day, time, and place that you will plan your menus and do it.
• Just be forewarned that it’s addicting. Once you do make it a habit you will never be able to go to the grocery store without a list again.

I know that we are all here because we believe in our roles as nurturers. We all want to do what is best for our family. It is my testimony that as you take the time to plan meals for your family those mealtimes will become cherished memories. You will draw your family closer to each other and closer to Heavenly Father.