tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20611380672290681952024-02-18T20:22:48.651-08:00Time for a ChangeSometimes-random musings from a hopeful, thirty-something, list-making, sleep deprived, junk-food loving, efficiency-seeking mom of two, trying to better herself and the world, in order to set a good example for her sons.Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-60724307168157569502011-04-21T22:42:00.000-07:002011-04-21T22:42:11.595-07:00A Recap of My- I Mean Jake's- Kindergarten YearAlternate Title: Why You Should Donate (Money and/or Time) to Great Public Schools<br />
<br />
<br />
If you've read my blog for awhile now, you know that a year ago I was totally stressed out about where Jake was going to go for Kindergarten. I mean, there are many options in Los Angeles, it's so complicated to figure out the system, and in the end it sometimes boils down to little more than luck <span id="goog_1263947377"></span>(read <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/03/magnets-and-charters-and-immersion-oh.html">Magnets and Charters...</a>). And because there's not really a standardized timing for when you are notified about school acceptances, you sometimes need to commit to one school before you've heard whether or not you have a spot at some of the other schools (read <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/04/if-you-think-touring-applying-and.html">If you think...</a>). But you probably also know that we somehow made it through that stressful time, and are now at a school that we love even more than we ever thought possible!<br />
<br />
So, how did we get so very lucky to end up an amazing public school that we truly love, with a kindergarten teacher that we respect and adore, a principal that really listens to the children and their parents, and a group of families that are just as committed and involved as we could ever have hoped or expected? We won the lottery! And if that sound facetious or ridiculous, then you don't have a kid in Los Angeles.<br />
<br />
You see, here in La-La Land, if parents don't want to send their kids to their neighborhood school, and they can't afford/don't want to send them to a private one (let's be honest, it's usually the money), then there are a few options. One is to find a charter school (or several), enter their admissions lottery, cross your fingers and hope for the best. So we did. Along with the other 10 schools we applied to, we picked a brand-new start-up charter practically across the street from our house. WISH Charter (isn't that an awesome name, even if it's a little tricky to clearly enunciate?) was originally planning to open in the Fall of 2009, but getting through the bureaucracy of LAUSD takes longer than you think, so it was put off until 2010. So we applied to this little school that had no track record, with a facility in serious need of remodeling, but a philosophy that was in line with our beliefs about what public school <em>should</em> look like. It was (originally) our back-up option in case nothing else worked out. <br />
<br />
As it turns out, we ended up with a few options, a couple of them private schools. We weighed the pros and cons (the cost of private school being a huge con!), and decided to take a bit of a risk on the brand new public charter school. It was exciting to think that we'd be helping to build and shape this school as it grew. We went into it ready to volunteer our time, get involved and contribute our voices to WISH's community.<br />
<br />
And get involved we did! It started with simply attending a meeting to help plan the summer mixer. Really, I just wanted to start getting to know some of the other parents and figure out how I could help. But everyone there was so excited to do that, and so much more- start building a school library, plant gardens, have shirts with the school logo, paint murals and beautify the school. Before long, there was talk about finding a hot lunch option and starting a recycling program. And the ideas honestly kept coming- but not just ideas, but people ready to <em>make it happen</em>! Did you know <em>none</em> of these things exist without the time and energy of many enthusiastic people to get it all off the ground?<br />
<br />
If anyone had told me a year ago just how much work this would take, how much time and energy we would devote to this school... Well, I probably would have just brushed off their warnings, to be honest. I mean, people tell you how much work it is to have kids, and we still went forward with that- not just once, but twice.<br />
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So, what was my role in all of this? None of those things. And kind of all of it- we did <em>all</em> of it, and more! It started with a simple question about fundraising- how could we bring in some money to help support all of these amazing visions that the parents had for this school? I wanted to set up a few "passive" fundraisers- you know, the kind where you link your grocery card to the school so that a small percentage gets donated back each time you shop. And a few fundraisers at local restaurants- again, families attend and the restaurant donates a percentage back. And from there the ideas grew- fundraising events, grants, corporate sponsorships. We wanted to do so many great things for the school, but pretty much everything takes money, so we needed to find some ways to bring it in. And so I was put in charge of fundraising for the school.<br />
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So, how did we do? Pretty darn well, if I do say so myself. We (my fundraising committee and the school's parent association in general) set goals for ourselves. First, we wanted to bring in enough money (through events and passive fundraisers) to support our Arts, Music and PE programs at the school. As many other public schools are cutting these "extras," our goal was to always keep them fully integrated within the curriculum. By raising money to cover the costs of these specialists' salaries, program supplies and materials, it would take the burden off of the school to pay for them. We did a car wash (okay, we didn't wash the cars, but we partnered with a local business, got our cars washed, and got a nice donation to the school). We ate out at restaurants every month (such a chore, you know how I like to cook at home!). We put on a Holiday Boutique, raffles, a booksale, a silent auction and more. Our teachers even donated their time for fun activities with the kids that parents could bid on- Jake got to have breakfast at the beach with his kindergarten teacher and a few other students. We tried it all, and had lots of fun doing it. I'd like to think that all of our fundraisers did even more than bring in money, as we also bonded as a school community during these events. But bring in money we did- we have a couple more events before this school year is over, but it looks like we'll be able to fully cover the expenses of our thriving Arts, Music and PE programs.<br />
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Another fundraising goal was to obtain grants or sponsorships to help support getting new programs off the ground or subsidize what we had already started- the library or recycling program for example. This was a challenge as it turns out, and we learned that in this economy (aren't you tired of that phrase?) people are reluctant to put money into new schools with unproven track records. "We'll get 'em next year!" is my motto on that. <br />
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Our last fundraising goal was the biggest- to raise enough money from direct donations (i.e. people writing checks) to cover the budget deficit caused by the state pulling funds that the school had been relying upon during budget planning. At over $1000 per student, that left a big gap in the budget- about $140,000 in just this year alone. Did you know that charter schools generally receive less money per pupil than traditional public schools (estimates are between <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_school">22-40% less</a>)? That they have less access to funds, and often have to pay a monthly rent until a suitable property is offered to them by the school district (as required by law)? It ain't easy being charter- you have big goals about how you want to do things differently than the traditional local schools, but less funds to do it with. We haven't hit our direct donations goal, but we did make a huge dent in it. If anyone knows a big donor looking for a cause, send them my way...<br />
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So, what's next in year two (aka first grade)? Bigger and better, of course. I recently accepted the position of co-president of WISH's parent association for next year. To be honest, I'm not sure yet what that looks like and what my role will be in regards to fundraising. But I do know that I am excited to be doing it at a school that continues to grow into everything I had hoped it would be.Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-19173683082451106192011-01-16T16:05:00.000-08:002011-01-16T16:05:27.968-08:00Menu Planning, Two Weeks at a TimeBreakfasts: Granola, fruit, yogurt, muffins. We have some blueberry, <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/06/banana-chocolate-chip-muffins.html">banana chocolate chip</a> and cornbread muffins to eat up. Yummy!<br />
<br />
Lunches: Leftovers. We have a bunch of things in the fridge from last week- chicken and rice, chicken burritos, dinners from <a href="http://www.hangar19la.com/">Hangar 19</a> and <a href="http://www.gladstones.com/">Gladstones</a>. And of course, there's almost always leftovers when I cook dinner since the kids rarely eat much of what I make. :(<br />
<br />
As for dinner, here's the plan- <br />
Sunday:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/crowd-pleasing-chili/d5f57e14-bc3f-4950-9ab8-a516907a0711">Chili</a> (I made this at the beginning of last week, but forgot that the recipe makes twice as much as I can fit in my crock pot, so we're having it again!)</li>
<li>Cornbread muffins</li>
</ul>Monday:<br />
<ul><li>Pesto pasta with chicken (I'm going to base it off of <a href="http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/8905/basil%20pesto%20chicken">this recipe</a> and use pesto we picked up at the Farmer's Market.)</li>
<li>Steamed veggies</li>
</ul>Tuesday:<br />
<ul><li>Leftovers</li>
</ul>Wednesday<br />
<ul><li>Meatballs</li>
<li>Mashed potatoes</li>
</ul>Thursday<br />
<ul><li>Going out with my sweets</li>
</ul>Friday<br />
<ul><li>Leftovers</li>
</ul>Saturday<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-make-healthy-and-delicious.html">Chicken salad</a> on croissants</li>
</ul>Sunday<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/03/recipes-for-success.html">Ribollita soup</a></li>
<li>Grilled cheese sandwiches</li>
</ul>Monday<br />
<ul><li>Leftovers</li>
</ul>Tuesday<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/06/food-waste-friday-and-updates.html">Pasta salad with chicken and veggies </a></li>
</ul>Wednesday<br />
<ul><li>Leftovers</li>
</ul>Thursday<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/03/recipes-for-success.html">Chicken enchilada casserole</a></li>
</ul>Friday<br />
<ul><li>Leftovers </li>
</ul>Saturday<br />
<ul><li>Macaroni and cheese (looking for a yummy recipe... let me know if you have one!)</li>
<li>Green salad</li>
</ul>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-53424484320539643562011-01-09T13:32:00.000-08:002011-01-09T13:32:42.765-08:00I'm not ready for New Year's Resolutions...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi897uLpYAtAhnd5rFD7Z7H5k-0Op-kShnfgRmKYRyVJvdRJJD1ZF6iHQAcNsq8Qc_vYjz6Gaun1yjfFLniNLJTNeEqIKfMyU24QTlDxiQWT3JFxWGSkw5fyD5GJZqxJ7pmRuxy1I8fBP_g/s1600/jake+rainbow+legos.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi897uLpYAtAhnd5rFD7Z7H5k-0Op-kShnfgRmKYRyVJvdRJJD1ZF6iHQAcNsq8Qc_vYjz6Gaun1yjfFLniNLJTNeEqIKfMyU24QTlDxiQWT3JFxWGSkw5fyD5GJZqxJ7pmRuxy1I8fBP_g/s320/jake+rainbow+legos.JPG" width="290" /></a></div>...Or maybe I am ready. I mean, I only have one: <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2011/01/menu-planning-starting-afresh-in-new.html">Finding Balance</a>. It's not very specific, but certainly important considering how my year ended up (with me feeling like there wasn't nearly enough time for any of the things that I thought were important). I feel like I'm doing okay balancing so far, although we're only a week into the year.<br />
<br />
But I think it's also important to revisit my goals from last year- the ones that I wrote when I started this blog back in March. It was Brody's birthday, which is quickly approaching again. My baby is going to be two soon! Before that anniversary, I figured I better check in to see how far I've gotten (or just how off track). <br />
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So here's <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/03/confessions-of-eternal-optimist.html">my original list of what I wanted to change</a>:<br />
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-Lose weight<br />
-Have a more active lifestyle<br />
-Cook food at home<br />
-Eat healthier food (less fast food)<br />
-Find a hobby<br />
-Spend less money at Target<br />
-Improve the world (volunteer)<br />
-Drink less soda<br />
-Use reusable bags<br />
-Spend less time on the computer<br />
-Stop reading emails, etc. while driving<br />
-Let Chris know that I appreciate him<br />
-Keep my car clean<br />
<br />
The biggest success? I lost the weight that I wasn't sure I was <em>ever</em> going to lose. And more importantly, I've kept it off for several months and didn't even rebound during the holidays. Hurray! I'd like to say that I'm eating healthy and exercising and I've changed my whole life around to be far more healthy. I'd like to, but I can't. No, what really happened is I went on Weight Watchers, semi-starved myself for a few months, and then have tried not to binge-eat since then. <br />
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I think part of my problem was that I eat when I am stressed or bored, and at the time when I started this blog, I was stressed out about being pretty much a full-time stay at home mom to an infant (which also made me a little bored). Some stay at home moms are amazing at their job and think that's the best thing in the world. And I know that there are other moms who have to work full-time and just <em>wish</em> they had the option to stay at home. Neither of those are me. I need to work part-time in order to have a break from a life revolving around sleep schedules and breast feeding and dirty diapers.<br />
<br />
Now that Brody has gotten a little older, life has gotten a little easier- no more breast feeding, and the sleep schedule (although certainly not perfect) is much, much better. Even potty training is on its way. And starting last fall, I was able to pick up a few more hours at work, which gives me less time for boredom (at the eating that goes with it). Which all adds up to a skinnier me! I mean, I'm certainly no super model, but I do feel much better after leaving behind that extra 25 pounds I've been carrying around for way too long.<br />
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And as for the other goals on my list? I don't think I was nearly as successful with those, although there was definitely at least some progress in each of them. There are a few that I am trying to revisit as this new year has begun- making time to cook at home for most meals (and therefore eating healthier and drinking less soda), spending less time on the computer (although hopefully blogging with a little more regularity since it helps to keep me sane), and having a more active lifestyle (I need to find at least one class at the gym that I can commit to on a weekly basis). I was doing all of these fairly well for awhile last summer, but then I got caught up in working more hours and volunteering at Jake's school and wasn't quite able to balance it all.<br />
<br />
Time to start balancing...Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-87738669876908107412011-01-05T22:37:00.000-08:002011-01-05T22:37:19.530-08:00Menu Planning... Starting Afresh in the New YearOkay, new year, time for new resolutions. This is my year of trying to find balance. I want to continue working, volunteering at Jake's school, being home with the kids... but I don't want to feel so stressed out trying to fit it all in. I need to revisit my goals from last year. Things were going pretty well until the school year started in the fall, and I no longer seemed to have enough time for everything. I stopped cooking, didn't make it to the Farmer's Markets to buy fresh produce, and our eating habits suffered. And I honestly don't remember the last time I made it to the gym. Miraculously, I haven't really put any weight back on (at least not yet), but now seems like a good time to get things back in line before they go quickly downhill.<br />
<br />
Finding Balance. Not sure how to make it happen yet, but I do know that it all goes better when I plan everything out ahead of time. Maybe it's just the act of making the list itself that helps me feel more organized. So, here's my first list for 2011- meal plans for this week and next. Happy New Year!<br />
<br />
Wednesday<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-delicious-and-healthy-recipes.html">French Dip Sandwiches and Sweet Potato Fries</a></li>
</ul>Thursday<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/11/menu-planning-trying-to-get-back-into.html">Meatloaf muffins</a> and corn</li>
</ul>Friday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner out at the <a href="http://schmap.it/i6ffh1">Food Trucks (First Friday in Westchester)</a></li>
</ul>Saturday<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/crowd-pleasing-chili/d5f57e14-bc3f-4950-9ab8-a516907a0711">Crowd Pleasing Chili</a> and cornbread muffins</li>
</ul>Sunday<br />
<ul><li>Leftovers</li>
</ul>Monday<br />
<ul><li>Chicken and rice casserole with broccoli</li>
</ul>Tuesday<br />
<ul><li>Leftovers</li>
</ul>Wednesday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner out</li>
</ul>Thursday<br />
<ul><li>Soup and grilled cheese</li>
</ul>Friday<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/Crock-Pot-Chicken-Taco-Meat-4957">Chicken burritos</a></li>
</ul>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-71178537129211649912010-12-20T00:20:00.000-08:002010-12-20T00:20:02.053-08:00Stress over the holidays? Naw...It's well after midnight and I've been lying in bed for at least half an hour, but it feels like much longer. I'm tired, but nowhere near falling asleep. Usually when this happens, there are about five dozen things that I am thinking about that absolutely positively need to be done ASAP, but I've decided that I need sleep even more than I need to get them done. Tonight, no such worries. Was it the Coke that I drank right before bed that is now keeping me up? Probably not since I've gone back to drinking way too much soda, and the caffeine is running through my veins at a pretty constant level. <br />
<br />
I actually think I'm at a pretty good place right now in terms of my things-to-do list. My Christmas shopping is pretty much done, and almost all of the presents are even wrapped. I'm off from work for two weeks, and managed to get all of my reports done before leaving. Of course, there are some things that just didn't get done before I left Los Angeles with the boys to head home for the holidays (Chris will join us later). Like sweeping and mopping the floors so that the house would actually be clean when we return. Or writing my notes from work. Or our Christmas cards. I'm still hoping to get those done this week, though, even though I know it means many people probably won't actually receive them until after Christmas. Is that important? I don't know- it's something that I think really would have bothered me in the past. Which made me start thinking. <br />
<br />
A friend that I hadn't seen in awhile was visiting recently during my absolutely most crazy busy week of this year. Which is saying a lot considering I feel like life has been pretty nonstop crazy since Jake started kindergarten this year. I was in the midst of organizing some continuing education courses for work, while juggling fundraising events and meetings at Jake's school, on top of my usual routine of work and caring for my kids. And on the first day of the series of three courses, it was pretty chaotic- the AV equipment wasn't doing what it was supposed to (even though I had checked everything out ahead of time, and it worked fine on the trial run), and the kids that were supposed to come for demos were calling out sick. Of course, everything was worked out, and the courses ended up going great. But I remember my friend asking about how I was doing it without appearing overly stressed. Basically, what she asked was, does having kids make you no longer "sweat the small stuff"?<br />
<br />
The small stuff- like whether our Christmas cards arrive before or after Christmas? Whether or not my notes from September get finished by the end of the year? Whether over the holidays I put back on five of those 25 pounds I lost this year, and then have to work them back off when I get home? Are those the things keeping me up at night?<br />
<br />
I don't know, I think there's just so much "stuff" that there's just not enough time to stress over all of it. I think having two kids and a busy schedule has helped me to learn how to multi-task even better than before. And how to prioritize. Like remembering to move our Elf on the Shelf to a new location for Jake to find in the morning. To put on the Phineas and Ferb Christmas CD and dance around the living room. To take the time to let Jake help wrap presents. His favorite part? Writing the "to" and "from" labels. But instead of just a simple label, he likes to write sentences on each package like, "I Love You. Jayden I hope You Have A Great Christmas. To Jayden Love Jake And Brody." All while slowly sounding out each word and confirming which letters spell what he's trying to say.<br />
<br />
So no, I didn't really cross anything off my to-do list today. And I certainly wasn't a perfect mom making the most of every single moment. But all in all, I'd say that I am very much enjoying making some new holiday memories with my boys.Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-83895358941745799142010-11-19T11:43:00.000-08:002010-11-19T12:09:16.797-08:00Saying GoodbyeThere are moments when I consider whether or not I really want to be a parent. Does this make me a bad mom? Like this morning... I don't know why Jake was having a hard time getting ready for school. I just know that everything turned into an argument, no matter what I said. Maybe he was still tired. Maybe he's coming down with whatever caused me to lose my voice last week. Or maybe he's just not a morning person. All I know is that it was a struggle for him to get dressed, eat breakfast, put on shoes and get out the door. And don't even get me started on finishing up the last of his homework from this week- that's a whole other post for me to write. I think I even breathed a sigh of relief as I drove off this morning and Chris took Jake to school.<br />
<br />
And then I got some news on my way to work. Earlier, I received an email from a teacher at one of the schools where I provide physical therapy services. Call me ASAP was all it said. Curious, I called her on my way in to the clinic. <br />
<br />
"I have to give you some bad news," she said. It was about one of the children that I treat at school twice a week. He passed away on Wednesday. It was a complete shock to everyone, including his family. He had had health issues in the past related to his metabolic disorder. And he was in the hospital now due to some difficulties with his medications. But earlier this week, we still thought he was being released and would be back at school before the end of the week. His teacher didn't know the details- his mom was of course pretty shaken up when she talked to her yesterday. The teacher promised to forward me the details about the funeral arrangements when she knew more.<br />
<br />
I hung up in shock, and I think I'm still there. My heart is breaking for his family and everyone who knew and loved him. He was only four years old.<br />
<br />
Please hold your children tight and tell them that you love them today. Everything else seems trivial.Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-33713812532867871742010-11-07T13:52:00.000-08:002010-12-20T00:22:12.172-08:00Menu Planning... Trying to get back into the routine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vPyevA8QhnneURg8j3MDTFjHK6UnTIJ_8AMOkVGw8ymRIGaklclbw2FLWrZy1wCKk2x0NL2Brn6F8x33snpuG69foOKhIGrh2fey9P6_JS8bYDcfNlkJWZJdQSotXK08t_xuVEvZsPgC/s1600/Trader-Joes-Meatloaf-Muffins-300x282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vPyevA8QhnneURg8j3MDTFjHK6UnTIJ_8AMOkVGw8ymRIGaklclbw2FLWrZy1wCKk2x0NL2Brn6F8x33snpuG69foOKhIGrh2fey9P6_JS8bYDcfNlkJWZJdQSotXK08t_xuVEvZsPgC/s1600/Trader-Joes-Meatloaf-Muffins-300x282.jpg" /></a></div>Last week was pretty good in that I managed to make dinner at home 5 out of 7 nights. Which was exactly what I planned for, so I'd call that a success! Especially since before that, I've been averaging only one to two meals a month cooked at home. <br />
<br />
I learned from my friends on Facebook that maybe everyone else doesn't do as great of a job of cooking at home every night that I think they do. After my post about struggling to make dinner one night, some wrote that they were having pizza delivered, eating Chinese food, or having hot dogs at Target. And others had good suggestions to make it a little easier- crockpot cooking, making breakfast for dinner, having frozen pizza on hand, making soup/chili ahead of time, or using a meal planning website. Great suggestions! My go-to easy meal is usually something from the frozen section at Trader Joe's. They have yummy orange chicken, frozen meatballs (for sandwiches or to throw in pasta sauce), and lots of great frozen veggie combos. I recently sampled their frozen turkey meatloaf with mashed potatoes and ended up bringing those home, too (they're on the menu plan this week!). But for me, the biggest help is just planning ahead and then having the motivation to stick with it instead of having Chris pick something up on his way home from work.<br />
<br />
The part that I really didn't do well last week was the exercise plan. I didn't make it to the gym at all. There's so much going on during the week that it's too hard to fit in exercise in the mornings. And then on the weekends, there's always something else with the family that takes priority. For now, I'm going to take that off my list, and just focus on getting back into the cooking routine. Here's the dinner plan for this week:<br />
<br />
Sunday: Stuffed peppers (since I didn't find time to make them last week)<br />
Monday: Meatloaf "muffins" with mashed potatoes<br />
Tuesday: Spiral pasta with vodka sauce<br />
Wednesday: Chicken burritos<br />
Thursday: Leftovers<br />
Friday: Italian pasta soup and grilled cheese<br />
Saturday: We're going to be busy all day, so we'll go out or pick something up for dinner<br />
<br />
As long as I can make it to the grocery store by Tuesday, I think I can make it happen!Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-22799831955956238812010-10-30T22:22:00.000-07:002010-11-07T13:10:39.171-08:00Meals and Exercise... I just need a plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCy8sG-znmhH4vBCjZG-coDe8zwXliPYJ96qYjNnSJjxiLMAeo32YqxO3Upsh6mUO9C8FUg7ZpRb8F0tDOr66Sc0VfL72pqTIPx2FuCnB_iB0UYqUO2R3oEEnntUfColxC374b_RocRKz/s1600/halloween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCy8sG-znmhH4vBCjZG-coDe8zwXliPYJ96qYjNnSJjxiLMAeo32YqxO3Upsh6mUO9C8FUg7ZpRb8F0tDOr66Sc0VfL72pqTIPx2FuCnB_iB0UYqUO2R3oEEnntUfColxC374b_RocRKz/s320/halloween.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Tomorrow is Halloween. Which means that the end of the year is coming quickly. I love the holiday season, but it's always stressful- too much to do and not enough time.<br />
<br />
I feel like I'm losing it lately. I find myself frustrated with the kids, annoyed that I'm not making time for exercising, and disappointed that I'm eating way too much unhealthy take-out food again. I know it's time to take a look back at my goals that I set for myself in March, but I'm afraid that I've slipped so far backwards that I'll feel like a failure. <br />
<br />
I need to get back to blogging, because that was the one thing that made me accountable and helped me to stick to my plan. What changed that led me to stop blogging? Time. I picked up more hours at work, and at the same time I started volunteering at Jake's new school. A little bit in the classroom, but mostly with the parent organization supporting the school. My job: fundraising. Which is basically a full-time job in and of itself. The school needs money in order to get all of the programs off the ground that we want in our brand-new elementary: art, music, PE, library, garden, playground supplies, field trips, and a million other "extras" that no longer fit into the basic school budget. All of which are important, and all of which require money to get the programs up in running. If I'm going to lead the fundraising committee, I want to do it well. And that's one job where no matter how much time I devote to planning events, soliciting donations, writing grants, etc. etc. etc... there's always more that can be done.<br />
<br />
I don't know if I can make the time to get back to blogging with any regularity. But I do know that if I don't do my menu planning, we end up eating out or picking up take out for almost every meal. So I'm going to try to start with that. And here's my plan for the week.<br />
<br />
Breakfasts: Frozen waffles. I think we'll try to make to the Farmer's Market tomorrow morning to pick up some fruits so that we'll have some options.<br />
<br />
Lunches: I'll have to see if I can make enough dinners to have leftovers available for lunches. Otherwise, I have some frozen meals stored up.<br />
<br />
Sunday: <br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Pre trick-or-treating meal with friends. Not sure what we'll have yet. (Edit: Pizza)</li>
<li>Exercise: <strike>Pilates </strike>Didn't make it</li>
</ul>Monday: <br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-make-healthy-and-delicious.html">Chicken Salad</a> (made ahead of time on Sunday)</li>
</ul>Tuesday: <br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <strike>Stuffed Peppers</strike> Chicken and Bacon Sub Sandwiches</li>
<li>Exercise: <strike>Muscle strength class- trying out a new class at the gym</strike> Didn't make it</li>
</ul>Wednesday:<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-delicious-and-healthy-recipes.html">French Dip Sandwiches with Sweet Potato Fries</a></li>
</ul><div>Thursday: </div><ul><li>Dinner: Grilled chicken and frozen veggies</li>
<li>Exercise: <strike>Muscle strength class (if I liked it on Tuesday), or maybe just treadmill</strike> Didn't make it</li>
</ul>Friday: <br />
<br />
<div></div><div></div><ul><li>Dinner: <strike>Leftovers </strike>Chris and I got a babysitter and went out to dinner</li>
</ul>Saturday: <br />
<br />
<div></div><div></div><ul><li>Dinner: Dinner out somewhere to celebrate eating in the rest of the week. Dude, if I actually cook dinner four nights in a row this week, it'll be a huge improvement over the last month or two. Edit: Leftovers.</li>
</ul>Sunday: Daylight Savings Time Ends! And time to create another meal plan. Fingers crossed that I can stick with this one. :)Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-42152149010132770882010-09-07T23:06:00.000-07:002010-09-07T23:06:46.544-07:00Somebody Please Stop Time, So That I Can Catch UpYou may have noticed, I haven't been blogging much lately. (And if you haven't noticed, please don't tell me, you'll hurt my feelings.) It's been a month since I've posted anything at all, and two months since I posted anything much more than food/menu planning stuff. It's not that I haven't had anything to say, it's just that I haven't been able to figure out how to make time to write it. Don't know how to get back in the swing of things, but for now, this'll have to do. :)<br />
<br />
Jake turned 5 last month. He had his last day of preschool a couple of weeks ago. And today he started Kindergarten. I realize in the grand scheme of things, this isn't really a big deal. Another birthday, another transition- he'll have many more of each. But for some reason, it feels like a pretty big deal. This is "real" school- no turning back now. <br />
<br />
This was what Jake decided to wear to his preschool graduation. He might have been slightly overdressed, but man, what a cute kid. <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_C_OEhL8ZopKckpaRKYJAUOkC78KpHH199Yauz9BeF-2xRaHM9NUaqx8Vv8jv06ObRce61EXNid-QWjtDjZImKlmraKaiNLCYhlflVyianVFd3ZJ3e5btHYQ7j_h0GbIalwZIUOBinonl/s1600/376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_C_OEhL8ZopKckpaRKYJAUOkC78KpHH199Yauz9BeF-2xRaHM9NUaqx8Vv8jv06ObRce61EXNid-QWjtDjZImKlmraKaiNLCYhlflVyianVFd3ZJ3e5btHYQ7j_h0GbIalwZIUOBinonl/s320/376.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And here is Jake, ready for school this morning. I'll spare you the later pictures of him, crying and clinging to mommy. Luckily, I was able to turn away so that he couldn't see my watery eyes (there were no pictures of that).</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj896P95R_YxE0ht91NuQgGvobepdgnRwNG1fNum9PGahAfA7xRS6acIxBzA4okkjSYkMHP025GrEJeVHRg1VQVQ6WozA1dVJ7qDTaWeBm0AfCmUlYWdu0oUiqIZzU_OcUqetY-CZWgFH0N/s1600/IMG_2044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj896P95R_YxE0ht91NuQgGvobepdgnRwNG1fNum9PGahAfA7xRS6acIxBzA4okkjSYkMHP025GrEJeVHRg1VQVQ6WozA1dVJ7qDTaWeBm0AfCmUlYWdu0oUiqIZzU_OcUqetY-CZWgFH0N/s320/IMG_2044.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">At the end of the day, he was smiling again and even said that he "sorta" liked it. My baby's growing up. One day down, 12-16 or more YEARS to go. Maybe I won't tell HIM that, just yet. I think I might just go cry myself to sleep now.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">For posterity, here's Jake's account of the first day of school:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">-Lined up, went to class. ("I cried a little in the morning. It was a new school and I was missing my old school. Some other kids cried a little, too.")</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">-Circle time- the teacher read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kissing-Hand-Audrey-Penn/dp/0878685855">The Kissing Hand</a> and the kids put their nametags around their neck. Then they split into small groups to go through stations: Coloring and cutting out Chester the Raccoon from The Kissing Hand, Playdough (Jake made "a burrito and some spaghetti"), Making handprints with a heart-shaped sticker in the middle (their own kissing hand), and Reading books on your own. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">-Snack time outside (Jake ate freeze dried strawberries), followed by a little play time on the small yard.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">-Returned to class, another circle time. That may have been when Jake's teacher did a puppet show about Curious George and how he learns to "clean up his space." Or when the second teacher read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Its-Okay-Different-Todd-Parr/dp/0316043478/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283925503&sr=1-1">It's Okay to Be Different</a>. Or when the music teacher taught them about quarter notes and "one" notes (Jake sang "one" in different pitches for this. I have a feeling there was more to this, but the story got a little fuzzy around here.) </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">-Lunch happened sometime, too. Jake ate his goldfish. (Hey, I packed a sandwich and other things, but yes, that was all he ate for lunch.) Then more playtime on the small yard. Overall, I think he had a pretty good day. We'll see how tomorrow goes!</div>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-29028118898458204652010-08-07T22:35:00.000-07:002010-08-07T22:35:32.635-07:00Menu Planning for the WeekLast week was supposed to be a recovery period for me, after the crazy busy week before. Instead, I used the week for a preschool clean up day, working, a parent-teacher conference, a fundraising meeting, a treasury meeting, more working including consulting at monthly clinic, Jake's 5-year check up, a quick speech screening for Jake, swim class that was cancelled after we were already at the gym (somebody pooped in the pool- not my kid!), more working, and dentist appointments for Chris and me. Not much time to rest and relax. And sadly, I didn't manage to squeeze in any exercise, either. Part of the problem was that I had meetings and appointments during all of my regular exercise times. And the other part was that my normal workout buddy was out of town, so I wasn't motivated to make exercise a priority. But this week is a new week, so I'm going to try to get back into the routine.<br />
<br />
Breakfasts: Chris has been awesome to finally eat up almost all of the cereal in the house. Which apparently motivated him to buy two more boxes. And I have some granola that I need to finish off in order to do my part. I think I saw some frozen waffles that Chris also bought (yep, he did some grocery shopping- such a helpful guy!), so we'll be eating those, too.<br />
<br />
Lunches: I'll have to work to generate some leftovers for lunches this week. It's been a bit of a stretch the last two weeks as I haven't been making meals quite as regularly as I was in previous weeks.<br />
<br />
Sunday: <br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Pizzas from Fresh N Easy</li>
<li>Exercise: Pilates</li>
</ul>Monday: <br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Grilled steak, corn on the cob</li>
</ul>Tuesday: <br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <a href="http://lifeasmom.com/2010/06/freezer-cooking-with-bone-in-chicken-breast.html">Chicken Bacon Subs</a> with sweet potato fries</li>
<li>Exercise: Spin class</li>
</ul>Wednesday:<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Leftovers</li>
</ul>Thursday: Jake's birthday!<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: I need to talk to the birthday boy- we've invited friends over, so Jake and I will need to sit down and have a little menu planning session. Will report back later. :)</li>
<li>Exercise: Kickboxing </li>
</ul>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-66173421221397866852010-08-02T21:31:00.000-07:002010-08-02T21:31:17.291-07:00Food Waste Friday... Three Days Late<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOwVIAyMpkpilDAt90lsXRkJPxUEYiauZ4Xb68CwIq8TcwvKssnvonlh5vMq7hjEecyt51c748ZuGwUy4ah4JJ6bu-a52KHSouciW7xM6t2fUKE4jar85zwGxvsgjNIE_bwl9JVSSYimB/s1600/raisin+bran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOwVIAyMpkpilDAt90lsXRkJPxUEYiauZ4Xb68CwIq8TcwvKssnvonlh5vMq7hjEecyt51c748ZuGwUy4ah4JJ6bu-a52KHSouciW7xM6t2fUKE4jar85zwGxvsgjNIE_bwl9JVSSYimB/s200/raisin+bran.jpg" width="150" /></a>It's Food Waste Friday (err, Monday, see <a href="http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/">The Frugal Girl</a> for my inspiration), which means that it's time to post a picture of all of the food that I am throwing away this week. It's an effort to hold myself accountable for the food that I have wasted (while attempting to save money and do something better for the environment). View my <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/05/flat-cookies-and-food-waste-yum.html">first post on this topic </a>to learn why this is important to me.</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Turns out, I don't actually like the Cascadian Farms brand of raisin bran. I much prefer the good ol' fashioned Kellogg's Raisin Bran (two scoops!). I don't remember why- it was too bran-ny, not enough sugar on the raisins, or something like that, probably. All I know is, I got it, I tried one bowl, and I had a hard time making myself eat it again. I tried to pass it along to Chris, but even he didn't really want to eat it. So, it sat and it sat and it sat. And nobody ate it. And then Chris just tried a bite tonight and declared it inedible- soft, stale. Time to go! The good news, though, is that we did get through several other boxes of cereal without having to throw them out. We're now down to one box of granola with chocolate- what's not to like?</div>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-25463134579985513862010-07-25T22:16:00.000-07:002010-07-25T22:16:31.307-07:00Meal and Exercise PlanI am not doing very well with sticking to my exercise plan. For the last couple of weeks, I have made it to only two out of the three classes at the gym, and haven't really been doing any walking or other exercise. And I'm not quite sure how to find the time to do more since I have been picking up more hours at work, in addition to my other commitments which are currently cutting into my "free" time (as if there is such a thing when you have kids). I'm not complaining, I'm just wondering if it's realistic to think that I will do some physical activity every day. Or maybe I should just really make sure that I make it to at least three classes at the gym each week and not worry about anything more than that. I'm gonna have to think on that one a little more. For now, I'll stick with my original plan and see if I do any better this week.<br />
<br />
Breakfasts: CEREAL- we're not making much progress here. I bought frozen waffles last week because they were on sale, but was going to store them for another week until we got through some of the cereal first. But then I forgot to bring them in from the car, and they defrosted. I didn't want to refreeze them, so they were put in the fridge and had to be eaten sooner. But this week is the week that we're really going to eat cereal. I mean it.<br />
<br />
Lunches: Leftovers. <br />
<br />
Monday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Shepherd's Pie (I have a frozen one from Trader Joe's that I think should finally get eaten) and canned pears (yep, still clearing out the pantry)</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Walk (mid-day)</li>
</ul>Tuesday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/everyday-italian/fusilli-alla-caprese-recipe/index.html?k=1&rcp=1">Fusilli alla Caprese</a> with chicken breast strips from the freezer and canned corn (I have the corn and fusilli pasta in the cabinet) </li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Spin class</li>
</ul>Wednesday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Leftovers</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Walk (evening)</li>
</ul>Thursday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Potato latkes (again, from the freezer) and feta, basil and cherry tomato omlettes</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Kickboxing class</li>
</ul>Friday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Out somewhere, anywhere. I have class all day, and will again tomorrow. No cooking for me.</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Walk (mid-day)</li>
</ul>Saturday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Steak and fresh veggies- whatever I find that looks good at the store. Celebrating finishing what will be a long, busy week.</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Walk (evening)</li>
</ul>Sunday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Leftovers</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Pilates</li>
</ul>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-17583667479374863612010-07-23T14:59:00.000-07:002010-07-23T14:59:37.732-07:00PastetliI had a bunch of parsley that I needed to use up, so I looked online to find a good recipe. Parsley salad? Yuck. Couscous? Not for me. But I did find this recipe for <a href="http://www.dishbase.com/recipe/pastetli/">Pastetli</a> (which is a Swiss meat pie) that sounded interesting. I mean, the actual recipe is a bit confusing (<em>some</em> mushrooms,<em> some</em> white wine<em>, some</em> brown gravy mix? Just how much is <em>some</em>? Oh, I see later on, 1-2 (to) dl of wine. How much is a dl again? I don't do metric. And the recipe ends with "Set everything aside to finish the rest of the meal." Um, what? How do I finish it when you just ended the instructions right there?). Apparently, the recipe was provided by someone's mother-in-law who is Swiss and did the translating (from what language, I'm not sure. What do they speak in Switzerland? German? French? Italian? Romansh?). So, I used the "recipe" as a starting point, and modified it to work with what I had in the house. Puff pastry? No, of course not, but I did have a package of Pillsbury crescent rolls in the fridge that expired recently. Time to use it up before I have to log it as food waste! Anyhow, dinner turned out pretty well, so here's my version:<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">Pastetli</span></strong><span style="color: #274e13;"> (Makes 5 servings, 7 WW points each)</span><br />
<ul><li>1/2 bunch of fresh parsley (I used almost a whole bunch and it was too much. But my parsley wasn't as fresh as it should have been, so you may want to use more than 1/2)</li>
<li>2 cups of mushrooms</li>
<li>1 lemon </li>
<li>2 chicken breasts</li>
<li>poultry seasoning (or paprika and garlic powder)</li>
<li>black pepper</li>
<li>1 small onion</li>
<li>3 cloves of garlic (I like garlic and don't believe there is such a thing as too much)</li>
<li>1 package of brown gravy mix</li>
<li>1 cup of water for the gravy mix (or white wine or half and half)</li>
<li>1 package of Pillsbury crescent rolls (or similar)</li>
</ul>-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.<br />
<br />
-Chop the parsley leaves (try not to get too many stems). Dice the mushrooms. Place parsley and mushrooms in a small bowl, add the juice from one lemon, stir and set aside.<br />
<br />
-Dice the raw chicken breasts. Season with poultry seasoning and black pepper. Place in skillet with onion and garlic. Cook until lightly browned on all sides.<br />
<br />
-Make brown gravy mix according to the directions. Or substitute white wine for water if desired, or half and half if you want a richer creamier taste. (I just used water.) Add gravy to the chicken mixture, and add parsley/mushroom mixture. Stir to combine everything.<br />
<br />
-Unroll crescent roll dough into one large rectangle on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press into a 13x8 inch rectangle, firmly pressing the perforations and seams to seal (or you could actually buy the seamless dough sheet. Yes, they do make such a thing, who knew?). <br />
<br />
-(Okay, confession: this part I didn't really do. I tried to make these into 5 little rolled up chicken things, and although they tasted good, it really wasn't pretty. There's a reason why there's no picture posted with this recipe. So here's what I would do if I made this recipe again.) With the long side of the rectangle placed vertically, spoon the chicken mixture into a 4-inch-wide strip down the center of rectangle. With scissors or sharp knife, make cuts 1 inch apart on long sides of dough rectangle to within 1/2 inch of chicken mixture. Fold strips of dough up over chicken mixture to meet in center; pinch to seal. (To make it even fancier, you can kinda criss-cross the strips of dough, and let the chicken mixture peek out the top. Totally up to you.)<br />
<br />
-Bake 18 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet; cut into crosswise slices. Serve warm. Apparently, peas are a traditional side dish with pastetli. We just heated up some frozen mixed veggies. Yum!Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-77821710289850188662010-07-23T13:27:00.000-07:002010-07-23T14:33:47.072-07:00Food Waste Friday... Almost Perfect<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nK3dY7w6_mjqbItSHEmj0l07aNfDTWzcsEDOFhVdQBwBhr3E3yb6T8iUHnSEDxboGu_6K2wzVuiYggnuCGgpRwYje3lrzhfHMQsBrLL5q5mteg3Zt6Z1j6fl3kxhtfOgAzmlBJYvQtDQ/s1600/IMG_1563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nK3dY7w6_mjqbItSHEmj0l07aNfDTWzcsEDOFhVdQBwBhr3E3yb6T8iUHnSEDxboGu_6K2wzVuiYggnuCGgpRwYje3lrzhfHMQsBrLL5q5mteg3Zt6Z1j6fl3kxhtfOgAzmlBJYvQtDQ/s320/IMG_1563.JPG" /></a><em>It's Food Waste Friday (see <a href="http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/">The Frugal Girl</a> for my inspiration), which means that it's time to post a picture of all of the food that I am throwing away this week. It's an effort to hold myself accountable for the food that I have wasted (while attempting to save money and do something better for the environment). View <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/05/flat-cookies-and-food-waste-yum.html">my first post on this topic</a> to learn why this is important to me.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was all set this morning to post about what a terrific job I did this week managing to have zero food waste, two weeks in a row! And I did do a terrific job using up the leftovers, celery, parsley, kalamata olives, and I've already forgotten what else, but it turns out it wasn't zero waste. But then I opened up the cabinet where we store Brody's baby food (which I actually don't use much since at 16-months old he eats almost anything now. Nice to have at least one kid who's not a super <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/06/can-person-live-on-just-chicken-fingers.html">picky eater</a>.). And I found tons of little black ants crawling everywhere. Ants, yuck! (You can kinda see them in the picture if you look closely and maybe squint.) So, I threw out all of the open snack-type foods. There really wasn't much, just banana crackers, some rice cereal (which he hasn't eaten in so long that he probably wasn't going to finish it anyhow), some teething biscuits, mini freeze dried fruits. Most everything was close to being finished already, so I am sorry to have to waste it, but it wasn't a lot, and not things that he's excited about eating anymore. But the good news is, finding the ants reminded me that I do still have some jars of baby food in the cabinet (sealed, of course, so totally ant-free). I guess I'll feed them to Brody, even though he hasn't had any baby food in quite a long time. But he does like feeding himself with a spoon, so I'm sure he'll enjoy them. Or at least have fun making a mess while trying.</div>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-9008560306020477762010-07-18T19:39:00.000-07:002010-07-25T21:58:32.331-07:00Meal and Exercise Plan... Lotsa Leftovers and the Things I Didn't Make Last WeekLast week, I didn't get to make everything that I had planned. Mostly for good reason, as I wanted to use up stuff that we had (and finally had a <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/07/food-waste-friday-very-first-perfect.html">week with no food waste</a>!). So, this week is all about making the stuff I planned to make last week, to use up stuff in the freezer and fridge.<br />
<br />
Breakfasts: CEREAL (really!), yogurt, muffins we made over the weekend<br />
Lunches: Leftovers. And Chris is going to be eating a lot of celery and peanut butter, otherwise we're never gonna finish off the celery.<br />
<br />
Monday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Leftover Chicken Salad on a bed of Romaine, Corn on the Cob</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Walk (mid-day)</strike></li>
</ul>Tuesday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Leftovers, again! (Chili and cornbread muffins)</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Spin class</li>
</ul>Wednesday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: I'm modifying this recipe for <a href="http://www.dishbase.com/recipe/pastetli/">Pastetli Pie</a> to use up some crescent rolls and the parsley from last week. I have no idea if it'll be good, but I'm going to give it a try!</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Walk (evening)</strike></li>
</ul>Thursday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Chris and I have a meeting, and then are going to take advantage of having a babysitter by going out to dinner together.</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Kickboxing class</li>
</ul>Friday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <a href="http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/peppery-potato-soup-recipe.htm"><strike>Peppery Potato Soup</strike></a><strike> with homemade biscuits</strike> We had some FANTASTIC friends offer to watch the boys, so Chris and I got to go out AGAIN! FUN!</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Walk (mid-day)</strike></li>
</ul>Saturday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <strike>Simply Delicious Pork (pork chops with apples made in the crock pot) and frozen veggies</strike> I used up some chicken breasts, potatoes, mushrooms, and a teriyaki marinade that's been in the fridge. Baked them all together, and it made for a pretty delicious meal.</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Yoga or Farmer's Market</strike></li>
</ul>Sunday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <strike>Leftovers</strike> Bumped from yesterday: Simply Delicious Pork (pork chops with apples made in the crock pot) and fresh steamed broccoli </li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Pilates</strike> Beach</li>
</ul>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-52292301568435555982010-07-16T07:49:00.000-07:002010-07-20T16:38:14.231-07:00Food Waste Friday... The Very First Perfect Week!!!<em>It's Food Waste Friday (see <a href="http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/">The Frugal Girl</a> for my inspiration), which means that it's time to post all of the food that I am throwing away this week. It's an effort to hold myself accountable for the food that I have wasted (while attempting to save money and do something better for the environment). View <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/05/flat-cookies-and-food-waste-yum.html">my first post on this topic</a> to learn why this is important.</em><br />
<br />
Finally! No picture this week because no food waste! I don't think we did anything amazing this week to achieve this, but I have been packing some oddities in Chris's lunch lately to make sure that we get through everything. A not-so-fresh nectarine (I told Chris those should have been stored in the fridge), a big container of yogurt, a whole lot of celery (with peanut butter for dipping). The other day involved a small side of peas, which he initally considered rejecting. Instead, he ate them (cold) and reported they were actually quite tasty, to his surprise. Which makes me happy, because now I have a story to tell my five-year old Jake, the next time he tells me he doesn't like something before even taking a bite. "You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say." Okay, even that might not convince Jake to try green eggs and ham, but maybe a hotdog?<br />
<br />
Just to be fair, packing things in Chris's lunch is not my only strategy for avoiding food waste. I also personally ate some strawberries that were starting to wither (not moldy, though), and tried to eat up other stuff. But mostly, I'm doing a better job of figuring out how to menu plan, be creative with foods, use up stuff that we have, and be flexible about meals. For example, I realized that I could hold off on cooking the pork chops with green apples, since those would keep a bit longer, and instead used up the red grapes and some of the celery in a yummy chicken salad.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, we have some serious work to do in order to get through everything else. Lots of parsley, celery, green grapes. (Perhaps the green stuff is less likely to get eaten? Or we just buy a lot of green foods?) I need to start menu planning for next week...Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-44036169128045134492010-07-10T19:24:00.000-07:002010-07-10T19:24:54.143-07:00Peanut Butter CookiesI am <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">reposting</span> this recipe from <a href="http://www.premeditatedleftovers.com/">Premeditated Leftovers</a> because it's about the simplest dessert I could imagine. Cookies made with things I always have on hand- quick, easy, and they turned out yummy.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.premeditatedleftovers.com/2010/06/3-ingredient-peanut-butter-cookies.html">3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies</a><br />
<ul><li>1 large egg</li>
<li>1 cup sugar</li>
<li>1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)</li>
<li>We added a handful of milk chocolate chips to about half the cookies, although I realize this totally destroys the 3-ingredient name</li>
</ul>1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease the cookie sheets.<br />
2. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients together until they are well blended.<br />
3. Drop Tablespoon size balls on to the cookie sheet. Flatten the cookie dough with a fork.<br />
4. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes or until golden brown. Place cookie sheet on a cooling rack for several minutes, then remove the cookies and let them finish cooling on the cookie rack. Makes 2 dozen.<br />
<br />
Oh, and by the way, I used reduced fat <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Jif</span> creamy peanut butter since that's what we happened to have in the cupboard. And I really couldn't tell the difference, so I would call that a success!Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-68805940296294213552010-07-10T12:50:00.000-07:002010-07-18T19:11:51.753-07:00Meal and Exercise Plan... Staying on Track<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGk8i3emks47U3C54epC9I6fFKqeq4WPM596q8WcM3PhSMAkHvosCTQ76n8jcU30nlLw3uKZvdWNXF1ZKRbIZsBl3H15EF7iPoIZu4wAL4N0diYPFvftRzLAtDSephFeuigsZ4bol9T6nn/s1600/IMG_1469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGk8i3emks47U3C54epC9I6fFKqeq4WPM596q8WcM3PhSMAkHvosCTQ76n8jcU30nlLw3uKZvdWNXF1ZKRbIZsBl3H15EF7iPoIZu4wAL4N0diYPFvftRzLAtDSephFeuigsZ4bol9T6nn/s320/IMG_1469.JPG" /></a></div>So, I've already mentioned (several times) that we went away for the long 4th of July holiday weekend. We left last Thursday night, and came back late Monday night. And those four days were a big part of the reason that I gained back 7 pounds over a week and a half. Seriously, SEVEN pounds. However, in the last four days that we've been home, I already lost four of those pounds. I don't think that's normal how my weight can fluctuate so much.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, my point is, while I don't want to be obsessive about my weight, I also don't want to regain everything that I worked so hard to lose. So, I realize that I need to pay attention. And we can't eat out so often. Or eat my mom's delicious cooking too often. I'm not too worried about the type of food that I'll cook, just so long as I am cooking at home and eating reasonable portion sizes.<br />
<br />
So, this week's focus in still on using up stuff in the freezer and fridge. (I'm happy to say that there's really not that much left.) And I've decided to combine that with some slow cooker recipes my mom found.<br />
<br />
Breakfasts: CEREAL (we have six open boxes, it's time to get through some of them!), yogurt, fresh fruit (peaches, strawberries, plums, grapes, pineapple, apples), cherry chocolate chip bread from the Farmer's Market, banana nut bread<br />
<br />
Lunches: leftovers, fresh fruit<br />
<br />
Monday<br />
<div></div><div></div><ul><li>Dinner: <a href="http://www.crock-pot.com/Recipe.aspx?rid=972"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Herbed</span> Artichoke Chicken</a> <strike>with corn on the cob</strike> with rice (something needed to soak up all the sauce)</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Walk (mid-day)</strike></li>
</ul>Tuesday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <strike>Simply Delicious Pork (pork chops with apples made in the crock pot) and frozen veggies</strike> I used the leftover meatballs (and vodka marinara) from last week, along with half a box of uncooked mini <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">penne</span> to make a nice little pasta dish.</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Spin class</li>
</ul>Wednesday<br />
<div></div><div></div><ul><li>Dinner: <a href="http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/peppery-potato-soup-recipe.htm"><strike>Peppery Potato Soup</strike></a><strike> with homemade biscuits and a green salad</strike> We ended up going to a last-minute meeting and just grabbed some fast food on the way home instead.</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Walk (evening)</strike></li>
</ul>Thursday<br />
<div></div><div></div><ul><li>Dinner: <strike>Leftovers</strike> <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-make-healthy-and-delicious.html">Chicken Salad</a> sandwiches on thin rolls (I bought some chicken super cheap, and originally planned to make this for lunch, but then decided it would be yummy for dinner and we'd just continue to have leftovers for lunches.)</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Kickboxing class</li>
</ul>Friday<br />
<div></div><div></div><ul><li>Dinner: <a href="http://amysfinerthings.com/chicken-and-black-bean-quesadillas"><strike>Chicken and Black Bean <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Quesadillas</span></strike></a> I decided to modify slightly since Chris's parents are here, and turn it into <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/Crock-Pot-Chicken-Taco-Meat-4957">Chicken Burritos</a> with <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">pico</span> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">de</span> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">gallo</span>, Spanish rice, beans, guacamole (The last time I made this meat for tacos, it was so delicious! Oh, and I found some really great tortillas at Whole Foods by <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Tortillal</span>and (yellow bag, refrigerator section). They're uncooked flour tortillas, that you just heat up for a minute in a frying pan. Yum!) </li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Walk (mid-day), probably to the grocery store and/or Trader Joe's</strike> Cleaning- fast and furious, that counts for exercise, right? It was super hot here, so I was sweating!</li>
</ul>Saturday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Chris and I are going out while his parents watch the kids :)</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Yoga? Farmer's Market? Beach clean up? Not sure what the plans are yet.</strike> Park, walking</li>
</ul>Sunday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/crowd-pleasing-chili/d5f57e14-bc3f-4950-9ab8-a516907a0711">Crowd Pleasing Chili</a> with cornbread <strike>and a salad</strike></li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <span class="goog-spellcheck-word"><strike>Pilates</strike> I forgot pilates class! I guess that's what happens when I stay out too late the night before. :) An evening walk with the family instead.</span></li>
</ul>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-68397460040718416932010-07-09T19:00:00.000-07:002010-07-09T19:00:02.088-07:00How to Make (Healthy and Delicious) Chicken SaladSo, I found yet another blog that I absolutely love. This one is called <a href="http://lifeasmom.com/">Life as MOM</a>, and it's written by Jessica <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Getskow</span> Fisher (a.k.a. <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">FishMama</span>), who is the mom of six kids ranging from about 1-13 years old. (BTW, her first FOUR kids are ALL BOYS, which is precisely the reason that I will not continue to have another kid just to "try for a girl.") What I love about her blog is that she posts several times a day, and has all kinds of useful advice for a mom like me. She is a big proponent of "<a href="http://lifeasmom.com/2010/03/preparing-for-freezer-cooking.html">freezer cooking</a>"- i.e., making food ahead of time and storing it in the freezer for quick and easy meals (which makes a lot of sense if you're feeding eight people, three meals per day). She does batch cooking once a month, throws it in the freezer, and then has her entire menu planned for the month. She also "hosts" frequent recipe swaps on her blog, most recently with recipes for <a href="http://lifeasmom.com/2010/07/cool-foods-and-an-ultimate-recipe-swap.html">cool foods</a>. <br />
<br />
So, from the cool foods recipe swap, I came across a blog from Anne at <a href="http://quickeasycheaphealthy.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html">Quick & Easy, Cheap & Healthy</a>. She shared how she makes a delicious <a href="http://quickeasycheaphealthy.blogspot.com/2010/07/fresh-from-garden.html">chicken salad</a> using yogurt instead of mayo, and various other ingredients depending on her tastes and what she has on hand at the time. Which means, it's a totally adaptable recipe that anyone can make, and the possibilities are practically endless.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, here's Anne's recipe: She has the same "starters" every time: chicken (cubed or shredded, could be substituted with turkey, tuna, or hard boiled eggs), plain yogurt, dill relish (or small finely chopped pickle), and occasionally a splash or two of ranch dressing.<br />
After those main ingredients, here's some possibilities that can be added in:<br />
*celery<br />
*dried cranberries or raisins<br />
*grapes<br />
*chopped or grated apples<br />
*cucumber<br />
*grated zucchini<br />
*shredded or finely diced carrot<br />
*walnuts, almonds or other nuts<br />
*pumpkin or other seeds<br />
*sweet peas<br />
*fresh or dried herbs (parsley, basil, dill weed, etc.)<br />
*spices (garlic salt, freshly ground pepper, etc.)<br />
*possible toppings: lettuce, avocado, red onion, cheese, pickles<br />
*can be served on lettuce, pita, sandwich bread, flat bread, as a wrap, with crackers<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicken salad is one of my favorite things, but I've never made it before in my life. I'm not sure why- probably partially because I figured it wasn't very healthy for me, and partially because I didn't have a good recipe. But after reading Anne's blog, I figured I'd give it a try. So, here's a recipe for the chicken salad that I made.<br />
<br />
Christy's Chicken Salad:<br />
<ul><li>2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into chunks (I used leftovers from the night before that I had marinated in Italian dressing and then grilled)</li>
<li>4 ounces of vanilla yogurt (I would have used plain, but that's what was in the fridge. And it turned out to be really yummy)</li>
<li>Montreal chicken seasoning, reduced sodium (I use a lot of this seasoning- yum! But it's mostly a combo of garlic, onion, pepper and paprika)</li>
<li>Dill weed</li>
<li>Red grapes, halved</li>
<li>Dried cranberries</li>
<li>Roasted almonds, chopped (I would have used slivered, but again, this is what was on hand)</li>
</ul>Of course, I should have taken a picture, but instead Chris and I just ate it all up before that occurred to me. But it was quite pretty with the colorful grapes and cranberries. And tasty!<br />
<br />
What do you like in your chicken salad?Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-1972305384288131082010-07-09T13:30:00.000-07:002010-07-09T13:30:36.265-07:00Grown Up Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjUxAQ-mFXgbWnNBSmBWo1rWHebs6M57hj4XVmMG4NiwFlO5jCcm7SpVFYBOmyevcE4y2IRFotV2qWJypB__HGJqH55wiZQ2IgX57v0iXSdDQpT3c-ac6-B5Lj3GhShbHJ0iYL9gpAGlK/s1600/phoenix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjUxAQ-mFXgbWnNBSmBWo1rWHebs6M57hj4XVmMG4NiwFlO5jCcm7SpVFYBOmyevcE4y2IRFotV2qWJypB__HGJqH55wiZQ2IgX57v0iXSdDQpT3c-ac6-B5Lj3GhShbHJ0iYL9gpAGlK/s320/phoenix.jpg" /></a></div>Last weekend was fantastic. We drove to Phoenix with both kids in the car, leaving late so that they would hopefully both sleep in the car. It only half worked, and we got there totally exhausted, at 3:30am. Not sounding fantastic so far? We spent a good portion of the weekend helping my parents to clean out their fridge and pantry, and packing up everything in their kitchen cabinets to get ready for their kitchen remodel which began this week. Still not sounding fantastic? Oh, and did I mention that it was about 113 degrees in Phoenix?<br />
<br />
But, when I say that the weekend was fantastic, I am not being sarcastic. Because, there was a part in the middle where we left the boys with my parents, and Chris and I had about 28 hours (but hey, who's counting?) all to ourselves. A Grown Up Weekend, as in, grown-ups only (no kids allowed).<br />
<br />
Boy, do I love my kids. They are freaking adorable and hilarious, and my life is so much richer because they are a part of it. And I can say that now because I got to have some time to myself where I didn't worry about them at all. And honestly, I didn't miss them one bit.<br />
<br />
Toward the end of last week, before we headed to Phoenix, I was hitting melt down mode. The kids were trying my patience at almost every single moment. I was yelling, threatening, giving time outs, and all of those things that I hate doing with my kids because I was at the end of my rope. But I didn't know what else to do.<br />
<br />
So, we got to Phoenix, and Chris and I BOTH slept in while my mom watched the boys. Then we went to a movie that night after putting the boys down to bed. The next morning, we left my parents' house and Chris and I both got massages. Finally, I was relaxing. We ate lunch at a restaurant without a kid's menu. We drank champagne in the middle of the day. I took a bath. We went out to dinner and a baseball game, without wondering how long the kids would be able to sit still. We watched fireworks without having to cover the kids' ears. We stayed up late listening to a live band, without worrying about having to wake up with the kids the next morning. We slept in a dark hotel room until 10am. We went out to <em>another </em>restaurant that didn't serve chicken nuggets. And when we saw the boys again, I was able to actually enjoy being with them. We played together in the pool. Oh, and I got to see another movie after they went to bed that night, too.<br />
<br />
It's almost enough to make me want to move back to Arizona, to be closer to our families. Not just for the free childcare, although it really came at a time that I needed it the most. But also getting to see how much the boys love being around all of their family, it's a really special thing. And we are lucky to live close enough that we see each other frequently, but even once every month or two can be a long wait in between.<br />
<br />
Can someone just move Phoenix a little closer to Los Angeles?Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-77914171396051679732010-07-09T12:44:00.000-07:002010-07-09T16:10:25.293-07:00Food Waste Friday- How Do You Use Up Your Condiments?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdjs2TBB0v9JiPp2CQ56EmBXaAKj49oqUux7R__JCJATxk9VdMONvblyfxX7vcJbzKtyH-kp62wkKfoMo1WOUlE8aCWkq90mQ4B2Ee-N3wHJPAibBRI-iWzGcAjZ4wic_tFMIg6URjqQT/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdjs2TBB0v9JiPp2CQ56EmBXaAKj49oqUux7R__JCJATxk9VdMONvblyfxX7vcJbzKtyH-kp62wkKfoMo1WOUlE8aCWkq90mQ4B2Ee-N3wHJPAibBRI-iWzGcAjZ4wic_tFMIg6URjqQT/s320/photo.jpg" /></a></div><em>It's Food Waste Friday (see </em><a href="http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/"><em>The Frugal Girl</em></a><em> for my inspiration), which means that it's time to post all of the food that I am throwing away this week. It's an effort to hold myself accountable for the food that I have wasted (while attempting to save money and do something better for the environment). See </em><a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/05/flat-cookies-and-food-waste-yum.html"><em>my first post on this topic</em></a><em> to learn why this is important.</em><br />
<br />
I could have had a perfect week, if I had chosen to ignore the condiments. But, as I spent last weekend helping to clear out my parents' fridge and pantry, and noticing how very long ago some of their stuff had expired, of course I had to check my own fridge. The worst offender: mustard that expired in 2008. Is it really bad? I don't know, but that was two years ago, so I think it's time to get rid of it. My problem is that we don't use a lot of condiments, so when I need a little something for a recipe, I'll buy the smallest/cheapest package, but we still can't get through them in time.<br />
<br />
How do you use up all of your condiments before they've gone bad? Do you continue to use things that are past their expiration date? How far past?Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-91515935957992253972010-07-05T17:00:00.000-07:002010-07-09T22:04:08.357-07:00Meal and Exercise Plan... Using Up the Stuff in the Fridge/Freezer/CabinetsWe were out of town for the holiday weekend, so I'm picking up the menu and exercise planning a little late this week. But last week, I made it to all three of my scheduled classes at the gym! Yay, now on to the harder part: continuing with the schedule. <br />
<br />
This week, I am trying to focus on using up the stuff that we have in the house already. Not the stuff that goes bad quickly, but the stuff that lingers around here forever. (If you saw my Food Waste post on Friday, you know just how long things can linger around here.) My family that I was visiting over the weekend will think that this was inspired by them, as we spent a good chunk of time cleaning out the fridge, freezer, cabinets and pantry at my parents' place to prepare for their kitchen remodel that starts this week. But I swear, this post was already planned before that. (Although, I will say, finding spices in the pantry that expired in 1990 did remind me of just how old I am. That was 20 years ago!) Anyhow, here's the plan for this week:<br />
<br />
Breakfasts: yogurt, granola, fresh fruit<br />
<br />
<div>Lunches: leftovers, fresh fruit</div><br />
Tuesday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <a href="http://www.traderjoesfan.com/Trader_Joes/ground_buffalo_steak_burger/details/">Trader Joe's Buffalo Burgers</a> on <a href="http://www.oroweat.com/thins/">Whole Grain Sandwich Thins</a>, Baked Red Potatoes, Side Salad with <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/06/green-salad-with-sweet-and-tangy.html">Sweet and Tangy Dressing</a></li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Spin class (and a walk in the evening to Trader Joe's)</li>
</ul>Wednesday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Grilled chicken and <strike>Trader Joe's Organic Radiatore Pasta with Vodka Sauce</strike> frozen veggie mixture</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Walking (Farmer's Market?)</strike> None. I have a hard time working it in on the days that I work.</li>
</ul>Thursday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <strike>Leftovers (chicken and salad?)</strike> <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-make-healthy-and-delicious.html">Chicken salad</a> made with extra chicken from last night.</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Kickboxing class</li>
</ul>Friday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <a href="http://titostacos.com/">Tito's Tacos</a>- since it didn't happen the other week</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Walking </strike>House cleaning, does that count? I did it quickly enough to work up a little sweat. :)</li>
</ul>Saturday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Meatball sandwiches with Sweet Potato Fries</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Yoga?</strike> Farmer's Market</li>
</ul>Sunday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Dinner out somewhere with my sweetie (we have a babysitter!)</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Pilates, playdate at the park</li>
</ul>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-16999968044721561362010-07-02T07:00:00.000-07:002010-07-02T07:00:00.927-07:00Food Waste Friday... But I'm Not Taking the Blame for the Milk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJgUUoHEWeQA6c9-CBgfquwJK9Vz9c1Lk2IvWq-UZgQ807k8Ue9PzE1JfPQpFj7IXTD9y7W6VXMLaWrVDwTSvTuXq6Z1fplCD6WAjhWZx8e36Uvsup0a9M0lOpaCX1FMX7s4YPXfXT1q3D/s1600/IMG_1468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJgUUoHEWeQA6c9-CBgfquwJK9Vz9c1Lk2IvWq-UZgQ807k8Ue9PzE1JfPQpFj7IXTD9y7W6VXMLaWrVDwTSvTuXq6Z1fplCD6WAjhWZx8e36Uvsup0a9M0lOpaCX1FMX7s4YPXfXT1q3D/s200/IMG_1468.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>It's Food Waste Friday (see <a href="http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/">The Frugal Girl</a> for my inspiration), which means that it's time to post all of the food that I am throwing away this week. It's an effort to hold myself accountable for the food that I have wasted (while attempting to save money and do something better for the environment). See <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/05/flat-cookies-and-food-waste-yum.html">my first post on this topic</a> to learn why this is important.<br />
<br />
This is bad... I thought we had a close-to-perfect week. And then I found these three steaks in the back of the freezer. They're from <a href="http://www.dreamdinners.com/">Dream Dinners</a>, which is a place where you can go and do your meal prep, and take home some delicious, easy to put together meals. The problem is, I haven't been there in a very long time. If you look closely, the label says May 2007. Yes, those steaks have been in my freezer for MORE THAN THREE YEARS. They're well-sealed, but that just seems waaaaay to old. (Actually, this reminds me of an argument with a former roommate about when meat goes bad in the freezer. I don't remember how long it takes, but I know it was far less than three years.)<br />
<br />
We almost wasted an avocado. Despite the fact that I am mildly allergic to them, and Jake refuses to eat them, and Brody only likes to mush them between his fingers, I bought one to serve with chicken tacos last week. I thought we were going to have guests in town, and it would be a nice addition. When I turned out to be just us, I honestly forgot about the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">avo</span><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">cado</span>. Until I noticed it a couple of days later, and realized that it was extra, extra ripe. At that point, I was going to give it away, and had put it next to Jake's lunchbox so that we could bring it to school and ask which family wanted it. But then Jake noticed the avocado, and decided to play catch with it. Which I noticed a<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">fter</span> he dropped it (<em><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">lou</span><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">dly</span></em>) onto the floor. F<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">iguring</span> a slightly bruised avocado would still be okay to give away, I told him to put it back where he found it. Which I don't think he did, because a little while later, I found the same avocado in Brody's hands, along with some holes where he poked his fingers through the skin. <em>That</em>, I figured, would not be okay to give away, so instead it got packed in Chris's lunch to take with him to work. Yep, plain avocado, scooped out with a spoon. At least it didn't get wasted.<br />
<br />
I did however dump some 2% milk down the drain. It still had three days left before the "Use By" date, but it was starting to look curdled and I am told that it didn't smell good. (Not being a big fan of milk myself, the idea of smelling possibly sour milk makes me nauseous, so I made Chris smell it instead. If Chris says it's bad, then it's definitely bad.) So, I wasted some milk. Sorry, cows, but I'm blaming the people stamping the "Use By" dates on the cartons.Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-66232032943719215102010-06-27T21:40:00.000-07:002010-06-27T21:40:28.540-07:00Green Salad with Sweet and Tangy Dressing<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJgmLLFLj63TqByavduYkxpbtnllqr1dnE2nvi9buYKQHcwlYFuJM5U9mZydrG879Qk1jotsHCZ-EzHKTUNNZ2-OJyuRe4GRts_apIakP9AYcBIWHGH19P-AwwIWy4Xj7e8K4wBdAKsc4/s1600/dressing+bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJgmLLFLj63TqByavduYkxpbtnllqr1dnE2nvi9buYKQHcwlYFuJM5U9mZydrG879Qk1jotsHCZ-EzHKTUNNZ2-OJyuRe4GRts_apIakP9AYcBIWHGH19P-AwwIWy4Xj7e8K4wBdAKsc4/s200/dressing+bottle.jpg" width="177" /></a>I made salad dressing! And, I liked it! Actually, the dressing wasn't anything fancy, since I picked a recipe that I could make with ingredients that I already had in the house. (In the future, I think I might try out a poppy seed dressing, but I honestly don't even know where in a grocery store you find poppy seeds. With the spices?)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here's the salad that I made, which was modified from <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cranberry-Spinach-Salad/Detail.aspx">one I found on allrecipes.com</a>.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Green Salad with Sweet and Tangy Dressing </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">(approximately 4 Weight Watchers points per serving)</div><ul><li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Lettuce: I used a mixture of baby spinach and romaine</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Feta cheese</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Grape Tomatoes (these were just for Chris- I don't eat raw tomatoes)</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Other good additions/substitutions for next time would be dried cranberries or crumbled bacon</li>
</ul><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Dressing:</div><ul><li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3 tablespoons sugar</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 tablespoon sour cream (I used light)</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">You can add fresh herbs, grated Parmesan or freshly ground pepper if you like</li>
</ul><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Combine salad dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well to combine, then drizzle over salad. Unused dressing can be stored in the fridge for about a week or so.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMVwrmy8vqmOJvk9q7mGPwsfEW6-cuw2cDxc2cm6ykdSxmpXtbTZtsBqWf7LqUrbz94XyYkaQ2ck7IrlF2cKbUvxzBYcGtrDdh4QSJql_iepzvR_zBEl8EDUztC6VjOdecYnJ_FbpUAkJ/s1600/IMG_1464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMVwrmy8vqmOJvk9q7mGPwsfEW6-cuw2cDxc2cm6ykdSxmpXtbTZtsBqWf7LqUrbz94XyYkaQ2ck7IrlF2cKbUvxzBYcGtrDdh4QSJql_iepzvR_zBEl8EDUztC6VjOdecYnJ_FbpUAkJ/s200/IMG_1464.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>By the way, here's my jar with a tightly fitting lid. A baby bottle. Hmm, maybe I could invest in an actual salad dressing bottle someday, so that it would look more like the picture at the top.Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2061138067229068195.post-29729106133513722682010-06-26T09:00:00.000-07:002010-07-09T21:56:33.967-07:00Meal and Exercise Plan... Trying to Make it Back to the Gym<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_70N4MYtQRwSr4ZcRhliCk0rFsxa9J2tCXDtkmWmNBi3DZ1ffmj0hA75dd2PErCdUjWBj35aPqDveSVNL4NRKBgfS6dp4BriU0bZxNxgo39MMcjQirIsLAbFosN25aI7fVdE0whBx1Ee/s1600/51mDI0ipOnL__SS500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_70N4MYtQRwSr4ZcRhliCk0rFsxa9J2tCXDtkmWmNBi3DZ1ffmj0hA75dd2PErCdUjWBj35aPqDveSVNL4NRKBgfS6dp4BriU0bZxNxgo39MMcjQirIsLAbFosN25aI7fVdE0whBx1Ee/s320/51mDI0ipOnL__SS500_.jpg" /></a></div>I don't know if this helps anyone else, but since it helps me, I'm continuing with the weekly menu and exercise plan. If you want to see how close I keep to my plan, you can just check back on the previous posts <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/06/menu-planning-better-late-than-never.html">here</a> or <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/06/weekly-meals-and-exercise-planthe-crock.html">here</a>. I've crossed out anything that I didn't follow through with, and added what I did instead. Yes, there's a lot that gets crossed out. Especially the exercise parts. I really do want to get better use out of my gym membership, but making it there always seems to be the lowest priority. I'll keep trying...<br />
<br />
In case you were wondering, we eat a lot of leftovers because I tend to follow recipes as written, which generally yields at least six to eight servings. Chris and I only eat two of those servings at a time, Jake rarely eats more than a bite, and Brody only eats a small portion of my meal. So, that leaves lots of leftovers- not just for lunches, but also for a second dinner most of the time. I'm still not a huge fan of having leftovers for dinner (although I do enjoy it at lunchtime). But I am a big fan of not having to shop quite as often, or cook every single night, so leftovers it is. <br />
<br />
Oh, a<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">nd</span> I still have more crock pot recipes to try out, so more of those this week.<br />
<br />
Breakfasts: cereal, yogurt, granola, fresh fruit (red grapes, plums, yellow cherries, strawberries, bananas). I also want to try more recipes from a p<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">reschool</span> c<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">ookbook</span> we borrowed from the library, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pretend-Soup-Other-Real-Recipes/dp/1883672066">Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes</a>, especially Hide N Seek Muffins (with a strawberry in the middle), and m<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">aybe</span> those blueberry pancakes that I didn't get to last week (if I pick up some more blueberries).We've already tried a few of the other recipes in this book, and I highly recommend it if you have young ones that like to cook with you. It's got the recipes written out, but then also a picture version for the kids to follow. Super cute, and fun. <br />
<br />
Lunches: leftovers, fresh fruit<br />
<br />
Saturday<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <a href="http://christy-timeforachange.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-delicious-and-healthy-recipes.html">Pork chops</a>, baby red potatoes, green salad</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Yoga class</strike> Swimming</li>
</ul>Sunday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Spaghetti with <a href="http://myyearwithoutspending.blogspot.com/2010/06/meatless-monday-recipes-puttanesca.html"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Puttanesca</span> Sauce</a>, whole wheat french bread and a side salad (spinach mixture, feta, dried cranberries)</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Pilates class (we also went to the park and I did some gardening)</li>
</ul>Monday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Chris will be at work, I'll be eating leftovers</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Walking</strike> None :(</li>
</ul>Tuesday <br />
<ul><li>Dinner: Leftovers</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Spin class</li>
</ul>Wednesday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/crowd-pleasing-chili/d5f57e14-bc3f-4950-9ab8-a516907a0711">Crowd-Pleasing Chili</a> and cornbread</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Walking</li>
</ul>Thursday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <strike>leftovers</strike> Chipotle in the car on our way to Phoenix</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: Kickboxing class</li>
</ul>Friday<br />
<ul><li>Dinner: <strike>leftovers</strike> Mom's spaghetti- YUM!</li>
<li>Exercise/outdoor time: <strike>Walking</strike> None :( But does it count that I was still sore from kickboxing?</li>
</ul>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263816467991250616noreply@blogger.com0