Thursday, April 26, 2012

What's for Dinner








Dear Alisha,

I'm offering up the #1 common complaint of women everywhere. What's for dinner??? I'm almost afraid to ask what you serve up, fearing it to be so gourmet and fresh that a person such as myself could never hope to duplicate such dishes.

Nevertheless, could you give your eager readers a sampling of what you serve your family for dinner? 

Sincerely,

Dinnerless in Arizona

Dear Dinnerless,
Do you know who I like to copy?  Jana.  As in my BFF, Janalee of It's the Little Things, Jana. She posted what her family ate for dinner in a month.  Quick to copy her idea, I have started writing down what we have eaten for dinner fo the past 2 MONTHS.  You read that right.


Before you sum me up or judge these meals, here are a few things to bare in mind. 
1) I have had a terrible time with vertigo or vestibular migraines these past 2 months.  Sometimes my cooking reflects that.  I marked some of the days when I was having real trouble at dinner time.  Other times I had a lousy, dizzy day but my one and only accomplishment was making dinner and keeping the children alive with the help of friends.
2) It was birthday season and Easter.  So we had more celebratory meals or dinners out.
3) Sometimes I tried an item from Costco that came in bulk, like apple chicken sausages, and then we ate them for 2 or 3 meals.  It's not like 'Wow that family sure loves their sausage'!  'Alisha's coming over, quick! Get some fatty sausage, it's the only way to appease her!'  For the record, I don't like sausage.  The garlic-less lower fat chicken was fine but I may never buy it again.  And really easy.  Enough about sausage.
4) I didn't write down what I made for dessert, if I did make dessert.  I might have had a day of elaborate baking followed with a simple meal, and you'll only know of the meal.  I don't make too many desserts during the week.


With out further ado, I give you, unedited,  What We Ate:


Late February through end of March

Feb 24- orange chicken, asparagus, red peppers (out of rice)

25th-fish soup with veggies and sprouted oat bread

26th crockpot chicken with salsa, black beans, corn, and salad

27th spagetti with meatball, stewed lamb (from freezer), salad, and wilted spinach,= a big mess
28th Blue and Gold dinner

29th apple sweet potato soup left from lunch, leftover chicken, veggie plate and dip, Irish soda bread for kids.

1st-chicken salad sandwiches or salad, cucumber slices, cinnamon bread for kids {Vertigo}


2 turkey chile with black beans, peppers, veggies, sour cream, cheese.


3-(Justin made it) Chicken marinara  {Vertigo}


4 AT FRIEND's HOUSE! What a treat!


5 Balsamic pork chops and onions, cauliflower puree, salad.


6 Green chicken and beans and lettuce and tomato with toppings {Vertigo, really bad}


7 asparagus soup, Stroganoff -turkey and extra mushrooms, peas {Vertigo}


8 Turkey tacos, lettuce, tomato, avocado, toppings, protein corn tortillas


9 Grilled and cheese, veggie plate, leftover chicken with beans.


10 Pizza for kids (Justin and I on date... until Whitman threw-up, then pizza for us too.)


11 BBQ chicken and coleslaw, sandwiches for kids.


12 I can't remember, {Vertigo stew}


13 Chicken soup, noodles involved -really sick kids, especially Davy at Dr. 


14 mac and cheese for recovering kids, cucumbers, Justin and I ate leftovers.


15 Marsala chicken, zucchini, butternut squash; chicken quesadillas with corn salsa and 
orange bell peppers for kids (some still recovering).


16 Indian chicken tacos.


17 Date out, after temple Reuben's, "garlic" chicken pasta for kids.


18 Asparagus soup with parm, spinach and cheese stuffed chicken breasts, salad, Gouda bread, brownies.


19 lightly breaded tilapia, skillet "fried"onion and potatoes, wilted spinach with lemon, sliced bell pepper.


20 Taco salad -turkey taco meat, avocado, Romain,  tomatoes, pickled corn salsa, corn tortillas or chips, cheese, salsas, sour cream.


21 chicken and apple sausages, (buns for kids), black beans, asparagus, cucumber slices.


22 Chicken and white parm sauce over penne pasta, (delivered dinner, hence the pasta) veggie plate and salad, homemade ranch, green salad for Justin.


23 Chicken sandwiches, quinoa salad, coleslaw, cucumber slices


24 (we ate lunch out) sandwiches again


25 Broiled salmon, cucumber dill salsa, mushroom stuffed ravioli in light cream parm sauce


26 Indian chicken, zucchini, broccolini


27 taco salad, back by popular demand


28 balsamic porkchops and onions and fennel, only we forgot the fennel, and broccoli


29 turkey Spaghetti, noodles for the kids, big salad, veggie plate dressing


30 Thai shrimp soup :http://www.food.com/recipe/south-beach-thai-shrimp-soup-with-lime-and-cilantro-195711, added stir fry veggies, cherry tomatoes and fish sauce.  Don't over cook the shrimp! But I did anyways.
31st

April through current:

1st chicken sausages, WW buns for the kids!, big salad and veggies, toilet paper cake


2nd oven tilapia (breaded) with lemons, brown rice (kids) goat cheese and sundried tomato ravioli with light cream sauce (adults) brocc. tomatoes


3rd (birthday)  Cheeseburgers (homemade! of course) and veggies


4th salad and Chicken bean soup


5 turkey, black bean and corn chili


6 Dinner out!  kids ate mini chicken tacos with tomatoes, sour cream, cucumber spears


7 (birthday) I refused to make dinner.  I went to conference then ate steak salad with the girls. kids ate----?


8 (Easter) glazed ham (all natural!), asparagus, Gruyere cheese sauce, potatoes, orange rolls, (salad didn't show up) desserts


9 Grilled salmon with cucumber yogurt tapenade, potatoes with cheese sauce (leftover) and broccoli.  and rolls.


10 Turkey tacos and and extra helping of {Vertigo}


11 Ham and bean soup, toast. The kids informed me that they had eaten too much bread already today. a side of Vertigo


12 Roasted chicken ala Costco, veggie plate, simple green salad, dressing =other wise known as the kids favorite meal.


13 chicken salad sandwiches on raisin bread, green salad


14 take out Thai food


15 Spaghetti and green salad.


16 crock pot green chicken and beans and tortillas and green salad


17ham and cheese croissants and {Vertigo}.


18 skillet chicken enchiladas, lettuce and tomatoes.


19 beef and mushroom stroganoff and asparagus.


20 Dinner out, kids ate garlic chicken pasta.


21out to temple, kids ate turkey meatballs with spaghetti and veggies, adults ate veggie with shrimp stir fry via New Seasons.


22  Top sirloin, asparagus, roasted herb potatoes and onions, green salad/veggie plate.


23 Turkey cheese burgers, salad, zucchini with parm


24 Chicken, sweet potato, and onion mash with red curry sauce, green salad. Sauce-less for kids, olive bread for them too.


25 Turkey, bean, and veggie soup, WW rolls, {Vertigo for dessert}

A few notes:  Justin and I don't eat much bread or pasta, so if you see "turkey burger" that probably meant that the kids ate the bun and we had it plain.  I know, you're fascinated.  We were on a taco/taco salad spree thanks to Trader Joe's corn salsa.  It really made tacos memorable.

I shoot for a cooked vegetable and a fresh salad or veggie plate or at least one fresh veggie for every dinner.  With a lean protein.  Unless you see the word "beef", then the meat was turkey.  As in turkey taco salad or turkey chili.  Also, all my salad dressing is homemade.

You can see how the weather was teetering.  It was soup one day, grilling the next, and then back to chili when a storm rolled in.

 The only recipe I linked to is on March 30th.  I just don't work that way.

I don't plan out my meals for the whole week.  That is beyond me.  I usually plan for 3 days at a time plus I have some staples in my freezer to pull together a meal.  Like orange chicken and broccoli.  

I am tired of my current recipes and routine.  I will take new healthy-ish suggestions, please.



Thursday, April 19, 2012

Babies Who Lunch

Violet recently turned 1 year.  While I am still coping with this fact, she decided it was time to host her first luncheon.
A Violet lunch.
First let me thrill you with the table.  Violets, lots and lots of violets. (Feel free to count how many times you read the word "violet" in this post.)


The place setting. Notice the violet on the paper place card?  I made that.  Really I did. You'll hear all about it on a later day.


It's too bad you can't smell these photos because the scent was a romantic spring day.


Violet inspects the silver.

The Guests.  
Meet Lady K.

Starling played peek-a-boo.

Chance tried to start up a conversation..

..but Abbey would not yield to his advances.

Sawyer was the joker of the bunch.  "Hey ladies!  Anyone dare me to fling this spoon?...Yeah."

Violet stayed calm and hosted on.

The Food
Violet loves croissants and chicken salad, so that was a must.  The green salad of pears, cashews, Irish cheese and blackberries with a lemon vinaigrette was not her idea.  She would have chosen a medley of bark chips, lego heads, stale bread, and refrigerator dust bunnies with a dressing of stagnant rain water.

Cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches. {Don't you love the silver platter from my Grandma and the linen tablecloth from my Mother?}

For dessert the babies enjoyed a slightly sweet vanilla custard and shortbread violet cookies.


The coconut cream on shortbread was the adult version.

The after party. Warning: these next photos are ridiculous.

When you are a baby, it is considered a compliment to take off your shoes and pants after a good meal.
Feeling mischievous, Violet and Sawyer broke into a basket of wigs. No one was safe.

Starling kind of liked it. "You know, I think I'm having more fun."

Abbey found it undignified.  
(Doesn't she kind of look like a cranky older lady who sits on her porch, in a recliner, and scolds children? Get on now!)


Eventually she was won over. And a new little Asian friend dropped in!
A veritable United Nations!



Dough!

Like I said, no one was safe.  A taste of his own medicine.


Hair pieces are nothing out of the ordinary for Violet.  She had a lovely day.

A birthday party for baby's first birthday?  Ridiculous!  But lunch amongst friends, why what could be sweeter?



Monday, April 16, 2012

Easter Table

This one goes out to my fans.
I'll show you a few things I enjoyed this Easter.  Namely, setting the table.


The Adult Table.  The flowering branches on the buffet were snatched from a sloppy yard.  It pays to keep a pair of sheers in your car this time of year.

These arrangements of birds perched on a mini bouquet of flowers gave me more delight than you can imagine. 



 Nesty place card holder. I'd like to draw your attention to the little hatching chic in the egg cup.  He's a deviled egg and he was delicious.  Justin laboriously made them with love.

You might not believe me, but this was prettier in person.

Put a Bird on It!

Kids table.
 


This center piece was a piece of cake.  It is a knock off of an center piece my cousin made.  Only she blew out the eggs and grew grass from seed, while I spent all of 5 minutes shoving dirt and moss from my backyard, then quickly adding spare flowers and boiled eggs to mine.



These edible nests are made of chocolate, butterscotch, and chow mien noodles.  Finally!  The kids can have something sweet on Easter!  I ate two of them.



Kids at Kid's table.

 Because it's my blog and I can get away with it, here is Violet last Easter...



..and here she is this Easter!

There was a lot more of this.

 I've decided that having my picture taken next to a baby isn't flattering to my skin, but what can I do about it?


The only time I could get all 3 boys together was at the end of the day.  They are always like this on Sunday nights.  Wild.