What A Week.

This has not been my favorite week. It started with Anna having the stomach bug last Friday through Monday. Then Bryan got it on Wednesday, and he's still in recovery mode. I'm crossing my fingers and toes I don't get it.

Then I had to do a Math in Focus Parent Night. It went well, but it's stressful planning and mentally preparing for talking to a room full of parents. I felt much better once it was over.

Add the full moon in with all this, and you get a room full of wild first graders doing ridiculous things. One of my boys came back from the bathroom yesterday with this story: "Mrs. Rosier, there was a toilet in the bathroom full of poo. Then an older boy locked me in and dared me to flush the poo." I asked if it was the older boy's poo, and he said, "no, it was someone else's poo." I told him I was sorry he had such a traumatic experience in the bathroom, but I don't know if he believed me because I had tears running down my face because I was laughing so hard.

Now for the good news: We tried a new recipe last Sunday, Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables, and Bryan liked it even though it was meatless (I know, it's supposed to be Meatless Monday, but it's easier to make a new recipe on a Sunday). It made enough for us to freeze for another night. I will make it again for sure, and even add more veggies than I did this time. I have all the ingredients to make these Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls. I'm just waiting for my family to feel well again.

Today I'm thankful for:

• another sunny day to spend outside
• $40 Kohls Cash to spend
• 80s movies on ABC Family today - Can't Buy Me Love and 16 Candles

Meatless Mondays?

I watched one of my taped Oprah shows about her staff taking the Vegan Challenge for a week. I've seen the Veganist author, Kathy Freston, on her show before. She is a little too extreme for me. I'm OK eating animals. Tofurky doesn't call my name, however a nice juicy cheeseburger does. I was seriously getting more grossed out by the "meat and dairy substitute" products than by the slaughter house scenes. Tapioca cheese - can you think of anything more disgusting? Plus her tiny 2-4 portion bag of "chicken substitute" probably costs more than my Sam's Club bag of Tyson frozen chicken that feeds us for a month.

I can get on board with another guest's ideas, Michael Pollen, author of Food Rules (which I think I mentioned in another post). He argues that we should be more mindful of the foods we put in our bodies. He has many ideas about growing and processing food, but I like the "eat more natural foods", so that's what I'm going with here. I'm guessing that free range meat is a better choice (health, taste, and environmentally), but I haven't been able to stop buying the economical meat choices (see Sam's Club reference above). I do get on board with his eat more natural grown foods rather than over processed foods. Sometimes it's hard though. It's hard meeting everyone's (yes, it's only the 3 of us) taste preferences in new recipes. It's hard finding time to make new foods. It's hard getting everyone excited about a new and maybe weird recipe. BUT, that's what I've been wanting lately - new HEALTHY recipes. Eating healthy meals is important to me, and I've felt in a cooking rut recently.

To get out of my rut, I think I might try Meatless Mondays, which will not include Tofurky or any other "meat substitute". Meatless Mondays can include dairy and cheese products because it's only natural that cows be milked and chickens lay eggs (even if they are being inhumanly housed - but why sweat the details?). They will be meals that are heavy on vegetables, beans, and whole grains, or maybe just pancakes when I can't find anything that sounds appetizing.

A few blogs/websites with Meatless Mondays recipes:

• Ezra Pound Cake
• Meatless Monday

This is all I've had time to search for tonight - bedtime is calling me (you know, kind of like a juicy cheeseburger).

This will take some time for me to be a good commitment so maybe if we are getting some more crappy snow this weekend, I will research recipes, then share what I/my family likes.

Today I am thankful for:

• snicker doodles
• another calm ride home with Anna
• cereal for dinner - that's meatless too!

more recipes to try

From Ezra Pound Cake:
Alice Waters’ Strawberry Shortcake with Cream Biscuits. Hello, Lover.,
Hunk-a-Hunk-a Peanut Butter and Banana Cream Pie,
Frozen Orange Balls. The retro party food with the unfortunate name.,
Hummingbird Cake. Because it’s Mayyyyyyy, the lusty month of May.,
Instant Tamale Pie. Perfect for a pantry raid.,
Roasted Zucchini and Tomato Pasta. Because the Zucchini Invasion cometh.,
Rattlesnake Sliders (snake not included),
Roasted Garlic, Poblano and Red Pepper Guacamole,
Buttermilk Bacon Pralines. A Southern-Style Amuse-Bouche.

Recipes to Try Sometime

I was perusing some blogs for recipes, and I found a few I might like to try sometime...

Annie's Eats: Chicken and Spinach Lasagna, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Garlic-Lemon Chicken Kabobs, Grilled Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce, Black Bean, Chicken, and Red Pepper Stew.

PW: Cajun Meatloaf and Banana Bread

Ezra Pound Cake: Kentucky Butter Cake, Grilled Spicy Lime Chicken with Black Bean Salsa

I now need to grade the huge stack of papers in my bag that I've been avoiding. Only 13 days left - I'm in shutdown mode.