Slaving Away in the Kitchen

I love to cook. I consider myself a bit of a low-rent foodie and love to try new recipes or combinations of food. My husband likes to boost my self-esteem by telling me how he is the envy of all his co-workers because of the leftovers he brings in for lunch (while I deflect the praise, it is nice to hear). The bad part is that some of these recipes take a bit of time and since I am usually preparing dinner while my husband is still at work it is oftentimes difficult with the two little ones running around like something out of Lord of the Flies.

While I cook from scratch 5 to 6 nights a week there are always one or two nights where I make sandwiches or cheese crisps or order take out. I'm cheap and hate spending money to eat out, so I have decided that this weekend I am going to make two to three weeks worth of meals and freeze them and then that way on nights when cooking from scratch isn't an option I can take those out of the freezer, pop them in the oven, and be ready to go. I used to do this quite a bit when I was working since I usually got home too late to cook. If this goes well I may start making this a part of my regular rotation just to have a few meals on hand on nights when time is of concern.

So, I plan to freeze lasagna, spaghetti sauce, taco meat, a homemade mac and cheese, vegetarian chili, and sour cream enchiladas. Anyone else have any recipes that freeze well?

Throw it in the Oven

Between my two kids we have had five birthdays so far. This Saturday will mark the sixth. For four out of those five birthdays I have made the cake, a couple times out of the box and a couple from scratch. Last year for my daughter's third birthday we ordered a Princess Cake from the store, which I planned to do again this year.

However, my son's birthday was a month ago, and I made a cake and frosting from scratch that ended up being really good. This Saturday I am cooking for the party and my husband and I have a lot of household projects to get done over the next three days, so I wanted to make things easy on myself and just buy a cake from the store. However, after going to the store and looking through the book of cakes my daughter tells me that she wants me to make her a cake like I made her brother and that she doesn't want a cake from the store.

Of course, if that is what she wants, that is what she will get because in the realm of things it is not that much work. So, while part of me was hoping for the easy way out another part of me is secretly thrilled that she'd prefer her mommy make her a cake instead of getting a Princess Cake from the store. (For the record, I will be decorating the cake with a Disney Princess theme).

How about you? Do you usually make your own birthday cakes or order them from a store?

Blowin' This Joint

I complain a lot about the hot weather here in Arizona. However, one of the things I do like about living here is that nine months out of the year you can comfortably swim in an outdoor pool. My husband, the kids, and I will often rent a room at a resort here in town or travel two hours north to Phoenix and stay in a resort there and spend a few days relaxing by the pool, ordering room service, and otherwise just enjoying our time together.

So, this coming Friday we are heading to Phoenix to spend three days doing just that. We got an incredible deal at a gorgeous resort and plan to spend the time swimming, getting massages, eating well, and hopefully catching up on some sleep. The kids are incredibly excited...our daughter especially, loves to stay at resorts and I am glad that we can get out of town for a few days together and just have fun.

What are some of your favorite things to do with your family during the summer?

I'll Tell Ya Mine; You Tell Me Yours

This weekend was pretty good. Very busy and not truly relaxing, but as a whole it was nice. My parents are both in town so we went up to their house on Friday evening for a family bbq. It was fun and the kids were really excited to see their grandpa (grandma too....they just don't see my dad as often as they see my mom). My grandmother came over as did one of my brothers, my sister, brother in law, and their four children.

Saturday my husband had to go into the office for a couple of hours so the kids and I played at home, went on a long walk picking flowers, and pretty much just relaxed. Saturday afternoon I went and got a pedicure. I took my daughter with and they were really great with her. They let her soak her feet and then painted and decorated her toenails and fingernails. She loved it so this may become a ritual...although I only get a pedicure about once a year, if that. We ran a bunch of "necessary evil"l errands like to get toothpaste, deodorant, and floss. Nothing really fun.

The big "deal" of the weekend was supposed to be Sunday. My grandmother wanted to take me, my daughter, my mom, my sister, and her two daughters out to brunch at this very fancy establishment here in town. It has been planned for months. This morning my daughter wakes up and looks horrible. She says she doesn't feel well so I spend the morning cuddling with her and giving her some sympathy. Right before I was going to go get us ready to leave she starts vomiting everywhere...all over me, herself, the blankets she was wrapped in, our carpet, our couch and cushions. EVERYWHERE. VIOLENT. PROJECTILE. VOMITING. I cleaned her up, cleaned the house up, cleaned myself up and needless to say left my daughter home with my husband, which was disappointing. She really wanted to come and I really wanted her there. By the time I got home a few hours later she seemed a bit better, so hopefully it is nothing serious (like the swine flu..I say that only partly kidding) and something she'll recover from quickly.

So, this evening we are taking it easy. Like I said, it was a busy but nice weekend. Tell me what was on your agenda for the weekend? Anyone reading a good book right now?

The Lottery

The other day I went to the mall in an attempt to take my kids to the movies. We were meeting my grandmother and got there a little before she did. While we were waiting I put some money into one of those machines where you drop the claw, try to grab a toy, and then bring it back to the chute to collect. I NEVER win anything out of them, but I figured it was worth the try. First attempt: score! A huge water, glitter ball. Second attempt for another? No luck. I then went to a different machine to try to get one of those huge, spongy balls. Score. Two for three ain't bad.

Fourth attempt I end up grabbing two stuffed animals and bringing them both back for collection. I tried for one more stuffed animal, but failed. Seriously, in all my life I don't think combined I have ever won four prizes from these games. I was feeling pretty good.

We then tried to see the movie, which when trying to purchase tickets, we were told that the particular showing we wanted to see was a private viewing for a school. I pointed out that the time was listed in both the paper and online and what a major inconvenience it was for us to come back (not entirely true, but once you have kids stoked to see a movie it is hard to explain that they can't see it). Anyway, I walked away with 4 movie passes for any movies we want to see.

In all seriousness this much good fortune just does not happen to us, me specifically, very often. And when it does it is rarely on the same day...or even during the same year for that matter. Since we couldn't see the movie we went to order lunch. They ended up giving us an extra drink, which I pointed out, but gave to us anyway. Nothing major but my grandmother was thrilled to have an extra one to take home for later.

So, I was feeling pretty good. I called my husband and told him. He was pretty surprised since usually I am calling to tell him how I lost my cell phone, or had to wait forever behind some idiot somewhere, or was tripped by an old man in a wheelchair. Things like that. He suggested I go buy some lottery tickets after my daughter's dance class. So, that was the plan....until my son fell on his head and a trip to the ER took precedent over a trip to my local convenient store.

Now, I am pretty convinced my string of good luck is over and am hesitant to waste my money on lottery tickets. I am thinking that yesterday was the day and I missed my chance. :) Bummer.

To Indulge or Not to Indulge

I was one of those rare creatures that HATED chocolate. I didn't like the taste at all and I never understood the compulsion others had to satisfy their craving by consuming vast amounts. All of that changed in October of 2004. For it was in that month that I became pregnant. Within months I was craving chocolate cake with an intensity that I didn't know I possessed any more. I began my search for the perfect cake and eventually settled on a huge, deliciously rich and moist cake from Costco that I would send my husband out to buy on a weekly basis. It is amazing to think that during that pregnancy I only gained 18 pounds considering I probably ate that amount in cake each week. This strong urge to consume chocolate in all forms lasted the duration of the pregnancy, but for the most part disappeared once I gave birth. Every once in a while that craving would return, which I'd satisfy, and then it'd be months before I even thought of chocolate again.

Then August of 2006 hit and I was pregnant again. Almost immediately the craving for chocolate returned. Only this time, in addition to cake, I craved chocolate ice cream and candy bars too. It was nine glorious months of guilt-free indulgence. Then I gave birth and the cravings did not go away.

So here I am almost two years later and every once in a while get these intense cravings. I try to eat healthy and work out as I'm still trying to lose a little more weight. In my mind I figure by caving I am only undoing all the hard work I put in at the gym or off-setting all the healthy choices I had made with food. But man I am dying. Every once in a while I give in and I'm okay with that as long as it remains the exception and does not become the rule because but if I gave in each time I had a craving I'd be over 200 pounds.

So, how do you deal with cravings that become consuming at times?

No Red Meat Update

About two weeks ago my husband and I decided to kick red meat for a bit. There was no real reason other than just kind of being sick of it. Tomorrow marks the two week point and in that time we have consumed no red meat. We have consumed chicken twice and ground turkey once; other than that most meals have been primarily vegetarian. This leads me to make a few observations about how it is going.

1. I don't miss red meat at all. More importantly, my husband doesn't miss it and he was a huge red meat eater (Loves him some steaks). That doesn't mean I won't at some point, but for now I have had no cravings.
2. In two weeks I have lost 6 1/2 pounds. In all fairness I have also been exercising 5-6 times a week. However, I was doing that prior to this little experiment and my weight loss was not that rapid while exercising, watching what I was eating, but still consuming red meat.
3. For the first 2 or 3 days I felt a bit sluggish. However, in the days since I actually feel like I have more energy and I don't feel so "heavy", if that makes sense.
4. My daughter has never eaten meat and so I have always had to make a vegetarian meal for her if we were going to eat meat for dinner. Since doing this, meal preparations have been a lot easier. (I still had to make alternatives for the nights we consumed chicken and ground turkey).
5 My grocery bill has gone down significantly. I never really realized how much buying hamburger, steaks, and roasts added to our grocery bill. I usually shop once a week to buy fresh produce, milk, eggs, and ingredients needed for a week's worth of dinners. For the past two weeks we have spent less each time by simply eliminating meat, while still buying more fruits and vegetables.

I can't say that we will forever forgo red meat. Like I said previously, I go through phases with food. However, for us, for now it seems to be working and I actually feel healthier. I acknowledge that much of that could be entirely mental, but either way I feel good.

** My husband requested that I mention he has lost 5 pounds in these past two weeks. And I will mention that he does not work out.

We Will Eat Red Meat No More

For years I have had a love-hate relationship with meat. I have gone through phases where I ate absolutely no meat, including fish. I have then gone through no red meat phases and also phases of consuming vast quantities of red meat: steaks, burgers, ribs, and the like. Looking back over all of these dietary phases I realize I felt my best when my meat intake, red meat specifically, was limited or eliminated entirely. Then I read this.

So, it is in that vein that my husband and I have decided to kick red meat for a while and just see how we feel. For now we plan to keep some chicken and fish in our diet, although I also go through phases where the thought of chicken repulses me completely, so that may be the next to go.

There is no anti-meat stance or moral opposition to eating meat that triggered this quest. Lately I just haven't felt like eating much meat so I stopped cooking it and started making more vegetarian based meals. It's only been about a week and how my husband does will be the real test as he loves red meat, steak especially.

So anyone have any good vegetarian recipes to throw my way?