Things I'm NOT happy with:

1.  S-T-R-E-T-C-H denim.  I'm not sure who thought this was a good idea.  Five minutes after wearing, your pants no longer fit.  Keeping my pants on is a constant battle.  What's more disappointing and worth ranting about is the fact that I have been duped into purchasing several pairs!  Grrr.  

2.  Cold hands.  It's far too early in the season to have hands THIS cold, THIS dry, and THIS cracked!

3.  Lawn care.  While I do appreciate a manicured lawn, I do NOT appreciate the lawn care truck and trailer being parked in front of my house.  It may be an ideal location for you, but for the napping baby, it's SO not cool. 

4.  Squished produce.  Every week?  Really?  I sort and pick out acceptable fruits and veggies, line them on the conveyor belt in what I would consider ideal bagging order, and yet they somehow end up bagged with jars of olives and cans of tomatoes.  Seriously?

5.  Switchy-switch lane, swervy-ass drivers. 



It's cool though, I have this to make me happy: 

Happy Halloween!

Boo!  More like, 'Ohh...ooooooh.'

Seriously, Ma?? 

When asked for dinner suggestions, T requested:  meat, artichokes, beef, creamy pasta, pork, buffalo chicken, Greek Salad and casserole.  I suppose I did get his heart racing last week when I had buffalo tempeh on the menu.  We had tuna wraps as a last minute substitution.  I don't do creamy pastas (generally).  Can you hear T whimpering?  I'll see if I can't satisfy his cream craving with a healthier alternative (sounds like a challenge to me!).  Since he's mention it, I can't stop thinking about macaroni and cheese.  I avoid it like the plague.  Because I love it so, of course.  Creamy, cheesey, carbs.  Yum.  What I'm also hearing:  thighs, gut, thighs, gut, love handles, puffy face.  :-( 

After much debate, here's what I came up with for this week's menu:

Thai Tofu over brown rice
Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole
Buffalo Tempeh Salad
Beef and/or Chicken Phillies with raw veggies
Grilled Pork Chops, sweet potatoes, and brussel sprouts
Greek Quinoa Salad


My Halloween is off to a rough start.  So it's entirely okay for me to say that I can't please everyone (even though there is only three of us).

Hope your day (and the rest of mine) is filled with more treats than tricks!!  :-)

100 Miles

T participated in Habitat for Humanity's Halloween ride today.  He was really, really looking forward to riding 100 miles!  (None of this metric century crap!)  Then...it rained.  It poured.  He was less than motivated.  T rode anyway.  We were there to support him at the finish. 

In costume...it was a Halloween ride.

He's so precious!

No more Monkey!  The last diaper change was quite the wrestling match, so we skipped the costume.

Here he comes!

He tried to stop here, but I waved him onto the finish line.

Where they had beer.

...and pizza!

Luckily the rain stopped about a quarter of the way into his ride.  Poor soaked Daddy.  I think it's early to bed for everyone tonight. 

Pants Optional

Great run this morning!  I pushed it back until Lil'T's nap time.  In an effort to elongate his naps, I've been waiting patiently for him to awaken and then nurse/rock him back to sleep.  This has not been working at all.  So, today we tried something different.  At his nap time, we ventured out for a run.  He was asleep about 8 minutes into it.  Yay!  :-)  We logged 5.25 miles and did so in just under an hour.  Lil'T finished his snooze in the garage while I stretched.

His afternoon nap didn't go so well.  At this point, I'm exhausted!  I tried laying down with him, but we couldn't get our nap on. 

This week's budget is over.  Noticing a pattern?  I'm pretty sure the challenge did not include 7 days a week over meals, but I"ll have to check back.  Only over by $15.  Scored free eggs this week. 

By the afternoon, I'm tired of wrestling through diaper changes, much less wrangling the little one into britches.  So every afternoon is pants optional.  I opt to wear 'em! 

Oats, Taco Pizza & Menu Monday

After a night in the fridge, it's ready for doctoring...

Add cinnamon and sliced apple

Heat in bowl and drizzle with honey

So what made these oats so special?  Quinoa!  We had some plain quinoa leftover, so I threw it into the overnight oats.  A few tablespoons, if I had to guess.  As T would say (and he did, because he loved the quinoa+oat combo), 'let's add this to the rotation.'

Speaking of rotation...T would also like to add this delicious Vegetarian Taco Pizza with Cornmeal Crust:

Ready to bake

Topped with fresh cilantro

Yum!

Cornmeal Pizza Crust Recipe

1 C all purpose whole wheat (it's all I have)
1 C yellow cornmeal
1 C warm water
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Olive Oil for brushing
Garlic Powder for dusting

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Mix together.  Stir in 1 cup warm water.  This should form a thick dough.  Cover mixing bowl using a clean towel and set aside.  Allow dough to rise for about 30 minutes or so.

Next, roll and shape the dough into a crust by turning the dough out onto a clean, floured surface.  Knead the dough by hand several times, and then shape dough into a circular shape.  Use a rolling pin to continue flattening to desired thickness.  I transferred the dough to a prepared pan (cooking spray and cornmeal).  Brushed with olive oil and dusted with garlic.

I placed the prepared dough in the fridge until I was ready to top. 

Toppings:

Smashed pinto beans and taco seasoning (homemade, of course)

Thinly sliced red onions

Jalapenos

Black Olives

Cheddar Cheese

After baking at 375 for 20 minutes or so, I topped the pizza with fresh cilantro.  Served the slices with a dollop of light sour cream and salsa.  :-)  Nom, nom, nom.  Try not to race husband to last slice.  Especially since the motivation to workout this week has been non-existent.  

This week's menu:


Chicken Casserole
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Tofu Fried Rice
Buffalo Tempeh Salad/Wraps
Lentil Sausage Soup
Quinoa Bean Burgers with Broccoli Salad


Have a great one!

Pumpkin Butter

On my last trip to Trader Joe's, I stocked up on canned organic pumpkin.  I was looking for their yummy pumpkin butter. 

Me:  Is your pumpkin butter in?
Sales Associate:  We'd be a lot busier if it was.  We're just starting to get seasonal selections.
Me:  Bummer.

As it turns out, not so much a bummer.  Last Sunday, I whipped up some pumpkin butter using a recipe I found online.  Unfortunately, I did not mark, save, or otherwise recall the recipe.  :-(  Of course it was delicious.  I'm hoping to stumble upon the recipe again.  It went something like:

1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
cinnamon
allspice
ginger

Combine ingredients and bring to boil.  Simmer, stirring often for 40-50 minutes. 

On Monday, I was worried I would be throwing half the pumpkin butter away.  By Wednesday, I was worried that it would be gone before I could try out all the ideas rolling around in my head!  Not pictured, I ate cottage cheese, sliced pear and pumpkin butter.

Breakfast - Quinoa, PB, walnuts and Golden Raisins

Whole Wheat Toast with Cottage Cheese & PB

Semi-Frozen Cottage Cheese & PB

Baked Oatmeal & Baked Oat Bran topped with Cream Cheese & PB

T does not like the "healthy" cookies.  He actually doesn't call them cookies at all, but they were intended to be cookies.  I eat them plain or topped.  T gobbled them up once I topped them with cream cheese and pumpkin butter. 

Baked Oatmeal (or Oat Bran) "Cookies"
1/3 cup oats
1 TBL whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 TBL plain Greek yogurt
1-3 TBL milk (more for Oat Bran)

Combine and bake on prepared pan at 350 for 12-14 minutes.

I'm sure I will make pumpkin butter again this fall season, just not in the next week.

Just for fun...

Baby in a bucket

Mommy in a bucket

Pineapple :-)

Random thoughts

Yea, yea...how is that different from any other post?  This time you've been forewarned.

Budget:  I spent less than $80 so far on food.  Yay!  We're eating beans a lot, but making it happen.

I'm happy it's Thursday because the weekly sales ads arrive.  How dorky?  I know I can look online every Wednesday, but I like to plan the menu with the paper versions.  Unfortunately, we now receive abridged versions to two of the area grocery stores, so I end up perusing them online.  Once I scope out what's on sale and what's on hand, I decide which grocery store to shop at for the week.  Yes, I know I'm a stay at home mom who could go to each store to score the best deals.  That sounds like a lot of work!  I'd rather play with Lil'T than cart him around to every store in town.

I'm not happy it's Thursday because Thursday is followed by Friday and we are still hammering out naps.  Our goal is longer, more restful naps.  (Better naps mean better night night sleeps!  Right?  That's what "they" keep telling us.)  Just when we're getting somewhere (seemingly), Friday rolls around.  Friday is garbage day.  Blast those loud trucks.  All the sound machines in his room can't drown them out!  Friday and the weekend usually set us back on sleep.  Pre-baby, the weekend was the perfect time to catch up.  One step forward and two steps back.  :-(

I'm stoked about the cool down, weather-wise!  Soup, stew, chili, and oven roasted weather.  Yay!

Stay tuned for a Pumpkin Butter post!  I've had to ration it out in order to use it in all my goodies.  :-) 

Weekend Wrap-up & Menu Monday

Saturday, our family of three went to the State Fair.  Smart Daddy carried Lil'T in the Deuter kid-carrier.  So many people commented on Lil'T's ride.  He enjoys being up there.  Taller than Daddy?  Woo hoo!  Unfortunately, I did not have the camera out and ready during our fair adventure.  Being the worry wart that I am, I was constantly telling asking T to move into the shade so Lil'T would be out of the sun.  We were hoping for a bigger reaction to seeing the cows, horses, pigs, and goats, but he enjoyed people watching.  By the time we found the petting zoo, Lil'T was napping. 

On our way to the fair

Backslider.  Lil'T was sleeping much better.  I spent the week working on regular naps and sleeping in his own bed (crib).  Unfortunately, we screwed everything up this weekend.  Naps?  What's a nap?  Lil'T took catnaps...if he napped at all!  Night-night sleep was much worse.  He was up every hour until an exhausted mommy laid down in the daybed with him.  Today, he napped.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some good night-night sleeping.  There's been a nursing strike today.  Hopefully he's not relying on nursing all night!

Sunday, we three set out on a hiking trip.  We were traveling an hour away to check out a new state park.  We, the parents hoped Lil'T would sleep in the car to and from our adventure.  We were very wrong!

Happy Hikers!

Mommy (giant, toothy smile) trying to get in on the action

No rock climbing - several signs were posted

A little catnap after reaching the summit overlook

Post hike hydration.  :-)

Monday wrapped up a three day weekend for the hubs.  We checked out 6 or so houses with our realtor.  Lil'T chose to nap on this car ride, so we took turns looking at some of the houses.  We found a house we really liked, but it has a lovely view of some power lines.  Ick.  While we haven't ruled it out, we're still very early in our search.

No grocery store today.  Lil'T and I will make the weekly trek tomorrow.  If not, we'll all be eating pureed fruits, veggies, and pumpkin butter.  I made pumpkin butter this weekend.  I should have learned to can!  Can you freeze this stuff??  Here's what we're eating/have eaten:

M - Grilled Chicken, pan roasted okra, and lima beans
T- Pindi Chana over brown rice
W - Pork Loin, roasted vegetables
Th - Broccoli Soup and Grilled Cheese
F - Spicy Tofu Bento Bowls
S - Taco Pizza

Nothing crazy or special.  As always, the schedule is subject to change.  We haven't been eating out, so I'm trying to have stuff on hand for weekend meals.  Stay tuned for my weekly overspending report.  ;-)

If Lil'T were cooking: 

Nummy tow truck  :-)

Flashback:

Chipotle BBQ Tofu Pizza on Trader Joe's Whole Wheat crust

Peach Banana Quinoa Smoothie :-)

 Weekly goal:  use my new exertube.  :-) 

Friday Fun-day!

Could it be the breezy, fall-like weather?  The sunshine?  The amazing morning run or that extra sip of coffee?  I'm not sure what it is, but I'm having a great Friday.  A much welcomed change from my bad mommy and bad wife episodes earlier this week. 

Bad Mommy:  In a rush, I accidentally pinched Lil'T's lip in the car seat strap.  He screamed and cried.  I cried.  I'm still apologizing to him. 

Bad Wife (& quite possibly an extension to the Bad Mommy):  I woke T up ranting at 4 in the morning because I couldn't get Lil'T to sleep.  Due to my own anxiety, I couldn't physically place Lil'T in the crib without waking him up.  After 2+ hours of trying, I needed an out.  I ranted for a few, then nursed, rocked Lil'T to sleep, and placed him in the crib.  Rather than returning to my bed, I slept on the daybed in Lil'T's room. 

Thank goodness today was better!  I'm looking forward to taking Lil'T to the fair tomorrow.  :-) 

Where did all the $ go?

I thought I had this budget challenge in the bag, but this week's grocery cart filled up faster than Lil'T's diaper.  T requested snack foods and I panicked.  Snacks are never something I plan.  Also, Lil'T was fussy at the store, so I rushed around unable to carefully select the best deals.  Excuses, excuses.

Trader Joe's - $22 (I can't find the reciept)
Grocery Store - $106.62
Total:   $128.62

Even if I get picky, I'm over.  :-(  Subtract the household items I purchased $7.78 and I'm still $20 over.  You think we can eat on $80 next week?  Sounds like a challenge to me!

I FINALLY uploaded the pictures from last week's deliciousness:

Chipotle BBQ Chicken & Spaghetti Squash Bake

NOM NOM NOM

My Little Helper

We set aside one cabinet for him to play in.  Not thinking, it was the one right next to the stove.  We baby proofed in summer when the oven was never in use.  Oops!  I feel like we're constantly baby proofing.  Everyday there is something new I never thought he would get into.  Not everyday, but all too often.

I finally wrapped up the V8 challenge!  There is a lot of V8 in that bottle.  Instead of ketchup, I used V8 in the Tempeh-Lentil Sloppies.  T likes them extra sloppy!

Could have been vegan, but we used cheese instead of avocado.

The avocado went in the dessert!  Baked Oatmeal topped with Chocolate Avocado Mousse:

Taco Tuesday was a hit with the hubs.  He volunteered to take a picture of his plate:

Beef Tacos

After several attempts to capture an image of Lil'T's new tooth, this is what I got:

I adore these football jamjams

Break out the spectacles, it's on the bottom :-)

Menu Monday

After a particularly exhausting week last week, I was asleep by 9:30 last night.  T made me go to bed.  I was probably looking zombie-like as I prepared empanadas for freezing.  I was in my pjs with a lavender scented neck wrap draped on my shoulders.  Luckily the empanadas didn't take too long and were a great way to use up some leftovers.  On a future evening, we can dine on chipotle butternut squash and black bean empanadas.  Yum!

Usually, I make my weekly trek to the grocery store today, but T is home and I had an appointment.  Instead of tackling the big shopping, we just stopped by Trader Joe's for a few things.  They have the best price on Tofu and Tempeh in our area, so I always like to stock up.  Darn it!  We forgot the turkey bacon.  My sister-in-law raves about TJ's turkey bacon.  I knew I would forget something.  Oh well.  Maybe next time.  It was a bonus item anyway.  Bonus items are my faves!

T requested quinoa for breakfast this week, so I'll whip up a batch of apple cinnamon raisin and peaches n' cream.  We've both had our fill of oat bran.  I've made so many muffins, I don't even want to see my sweet new muffin pan.  I could be persuaded to eat a cupcake!  Only 5 meals planned for this week.  We had to leave an extra night open in case we are able to house shop one evening.    

Tempeh-Lentil Sloppy Joes
Jerk Chicken Salad-Salad/Wraps
Beef Tacos
Chipotle BBQ Tempeh or Tofu Pizza
Black Bean and Cornbread Bake

To touch base on the budget issue, which I haven't lost sight of, I just haven't been reporting.  I've been doing really well.  :-)  Last week's grocery total was $105 and change, but that included a specialty 6 pack.  According to our rules, I was still within budget.  Breaking the rules, we stock piled quinoa and chia seed by purchasing from amazon.  I win some, I lose some. 

Tooth, Tofu and Completely Stuffed

My last post was cut short.  Mommy is always on duty.  :-)  Lil'T's first tooth broke the surface last night.  Needless to say, we didn't sleep very well.

So, from earlier this week:

It's getting cooler.  He is growing.  Man, is that romper tight!?  We scored some good deals at TJ Maxx yesterday.  I love TJ Maxx and Marshalls!  Mountain Hardware for the hubs, Hurley outfits for Lil'T, and a muffin pan for me.  I've been in the market for a muffin pan for a while, I swear.

Monday night's Tempeh Sausage Bake was good.  T didn't eat at home, but he probably would have liked it IF I had used REAL pork sausage.  Using V8, I created an Italian flavored cottage pie styled dish.

Ingredients:  Tempeh Sausage crumbles, V8, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic, 1 bag of broccoli, and 1 bag of Italian blend veggies.  Of course, I went a little overboard with the potato slice topping.

It's not much to look at, but healthy!

Another Low Sodium V8 dish for Tuesday.  T raved.  You'll see why...

Bloody Mary Steak Salad.  T adores steak.  I actually used a grilled London Broil for this dish, reworked the Bloody Mary dressing, and served it with garlic toast.  Steak and garlic bread.  Isn't that the only way a man will eat a salad?  Fine, not really.  T also likes Taco Salad.  :-)

The other night, I gave T a scenario and asked what he would do.  Scenario:  T is grilling Tofu and our all too often shirtless neighbors inquire about what that delicious smell is.  Does T tell them it's Tofu?  T replied 'No!'  T will request tofu dishes and eat them with zeal, but won't admit to it?  He's funny.  Where am I going with this?  Last night, T grilled chicken but it was for tonight's dinner.  I made Peanut Soy BBQ Tofu salad sandwiches.  It needs a new name.  Appropriately, the neighbor DID inquire about what T was grilling.  He didn't have to lie.  :-)  It's one of those 'you had to be there' things.

Tofu Sandwich

As I compose this, T is still commenting on tonight's dinner, Chipotle BBQ Chicken Spaghetti Squash.  I was inspired by this.  No fresh jalapenos at the store.  I had Chipotle peppers.  Marry some chipotle puree and BBQ sauce, coat chicken, and try not to eat it all before dinner.  I also added cheese.  My camera batter died before I could upload pictures.  Needless to say, I'm stuffed!  The portion police need to visit my house.  Help!