This week I bought a bag of lemons and had most of a leftover tub of ricotta, so this Lemon Chicken Bake is what I came up with. It's good. My five year old ate three helpings and so did the hubs, who usually is not a fan of cream-based pasta dishes. I, on the other hand, live for them. Yum.
Lemon Chicken Bake
1/3 pound small pasta, like mini bowties or mini penne
3 chicken breast halves, pounded to ½ inch for faster cooking
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 T. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup onion, diced
2 lemons
1 c. chicken broth
2 t. Italian seasoning
2 T. flour
½ cup half-n-half or heavy cream
½ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus extra for sprinkling
10 oz. fresh baby spinach
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
½ c. ricotta cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9X13 pan with cooking spray.
Cook pasta in salted water according to directions on package, al dente.
Meanwhile, heat butter in medium-high skillet. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Sautee until browned and just cooked through. Remove from pan, set aside, covered.
Add garlic and onion to pan and stir. Add chicken broth and scrape up browned bits. Squeeze the juice one whole lemon into pan, add Italian seasoning and cook 5 minutes.
Whisk in flour and half-n-half and cook one minute, stirring constantly.
Add parmesan, stir until melted.
Coarsely chop chicken and place in a large bowl with spinach, tomatoes, ricotta cheese and hot pasta.
Pour sauce over chicken mixture and stir gently. Pour into baking dish and sprinkle with more parmesan cheese. Squeeze one lemon over entire casserole.
Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Chocolate de Mayo
The kids and I made Mexican chocolate covered strawberries today in honor of Cinco de Mayo so they have decided to rename the day "Chocolate de Mayo." Loosely translated, this means "Mommy, come quick! I have chocolate all over my sweater!"
We mixed a bag of ghirardelli milk chocolate chips, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, melted the mixture in a double boiler and dipped strawberries in it. Oh my, yum with a kick. I bet they would taste great with an icy cold margarita.
Look! Charlie is eating a strawberry! It's a Cinco de Mayo miracle!
We mixed a bag of ghirardelli milk chocolate chips, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, melted the mixture in a double boiler and dipped strawberries in it. Oh my, yum with a kick. I bet they would taste great with an icy cold margarita.
Look! Charlie is eating a strawberry! It's a Cinco de Mayo miracle!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
My Greece-y Spoon
"For my birthday I want a pinata fulled up with that bread so I can eat it all." - CharlieThe children watched a short documentary as I made dinner, which was pretty much the extent of our study on Greece today. We talked a bit about it, pointed it out on the globe, listened to a little bit of music. The first part of the day was lost in the excitement of a Dollar Tree run to get rewards for sticking with my nighttime-stay-dry-plan, which is going well in the sense that the kids are happily complying with it. One kid is having real success and we are quite excited about that. The other one is going to take a lot of patience, determination and prayer.
Dinner was spanikopita, souvlaki, tzatziki sauce, Greek salad, pita and Portokalia me Meli (oranges drizzled with honey) for dessert. The kids enjoyed making the pita dough and watching me fumble around with getting the spanikopita to look like actual triangles. The meal was delicious and I thought the chicken souvlaki tasted just like the one they serve at the local Greek place we used to frequent before we had children. Miriam stuffed her face with chicken and pita so much that after she ate, she walked away from the table and fell into a heap on the floor saying, "ooooo, my tummy huuurrrts." A far cry from "What is this? It's disgusting. I'm not eating it." We will all look forward to having a Greek night again . . . the food is so scrumptious and nourishing as well.
Links to recipes:
Spanikopita: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mini-spanakopitas-greek-spinach-pies-10000000643348/
Pita Bread: http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_detail.php?rid=693
Greek Salad Dressing: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/absolutely-fabulous-greekhouse-dressing/Detail.aspx
Chicken Souvlaki (I only used the chicken marinade from this recipe.): http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-souvlaki-salad-10000000347741/
Tzatziki Sauce: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/classic-tzatziki-10000001097067/
Portokalia me Meli: http://greekfood.about.com/od/fruitdesserts/r/portokali_meli.htm
Links to recipes:Spanikopita: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mini-spanakopitas-greek-spinach-pies-10000000643348/
Pita Bread: http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_detail.php?rid=693
Greek Salad Dressing: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/absolutely-fabulous-greekhouse-dressing/Detail.aspx
Chicken Souvlaki (I only used the chicken marinade from this recipe.): http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-souvlaki-salad-10000000347741/
Tzatziki Sauce: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/classic-tzatziki-10000001097067/
Portokalia me Meli: http://greekfood.about.com/od/fruitdesserts/r/portokali_meli.htm
Monday, May 2, 2011
China, Made in Virginia
"Chinese Food? Chinese Food? YOU want to talk to ME about Chinese Food?"
- Carol Seaver, Growing Pains
- Carol Seaver, Growing Pains
 |
| Dessert: Homemade fortune cookies, ice cream cups (like at our favorite local Chinese buffet), orange slices and pocky sticks. |
I had extra egg roll filling left over, so I ate it for lunch. Then I had to have another bowl. I will be tooting around the house for the rest of the week, if you get my drift.
Miriam thought the filling was pretty great too. (Charlie decided to wait for dinner. Well, what he actually said was, "That is food for Chinese people and I am not a Chinese person." He didn't eat a thing at dinner, just licked his chicken a couple of times and called it a day.)
Here's a list of a few things we did today to, as my children put it, "celebrate China."
....googled "Baby Panda" and oooh-ed and aaaahhh-ed at the adorable little beasts
....read a story book about a Chinese girl who lost her hen- "Daisy Comes Home" by Jan Brett
....tuned into Pandora for some traditional Chinese music...watched Kung Fu Panda in the afternoon
...watched one episode of "Wild China" on Netflix after dinner. They were mesmerized by the scenery and cool animals as well as thrilled to stay up until 9:30.
...kids took their butterfly nets and stripped the plastic, showing the bamboo so it would be more "Chinese"
....hung paper lanterns on the light above the dining room table
....found China on the globe
....talked about what kind of animals people eat in China and pretended to catch fish with our nets
...made homemade eggs rolls and fortune cookies and laughed about what fortunes we would like to receive in our cookies
....shared our meal with friends...if you would like to eat with us on a "country theme night" sometime, just say the word. Next up is Greece.
Links to recipes:
Egg Rolls (I substituted shrimp for the turkey and stirred in some sesame oil after cooking the filling): http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/easy-phyllo-egg-rolls/f16ec989-d84a-42f9-8f25-700cdc4f5d89
Fortune Cookies: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/fortune-cookies-recipe/index.html
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Moroccan Night!
Before dinner:
It surprised me when Glenn picked Morocco for our first "dinnertime country" because I remember him telling me that of all the countries he has visited in his world travels, Morocco was his least favorite. Maybe he was just in an exotic mood the other day when he suggested it.
To complete my nervousness about preparing a lot of new foods and recipes, we are having dinner guests tonight. Thankfully, they are great friends and will still love us even if the food is horrible. (I have a feeling that it will be pretty good though . . . just a hunch.)
The main dish on the menu is a pork kebab. Now, WAIT! Before you get in a huff about pork in a Moroccan dinner, let me tell you about how expensive lamb is. It is VERY expensive. And I am tired of chicken. And I didn't know what kind of beef to get. So we are having pork. If our friends coming over tonight were Muslim, I certainly would have not considered serving pork to them. I would have sucked it up and shelled out the bucks for some nice lamb.
For those of you who took geography at public school like me, I wasn't exactly sure of the whereabouts of Morocco. Thank goodness for the internets. The main religion in Morocco is Islam (something I should have realized before I went grocery shopping ;) and the country is situated in the northern part of AFRICA, very close to SPAIN, which is in EUROPE. It almost looks like the two countries are about to kiss. It's just adorable. Tonight we will make a super big deal to our kids about the location of Morocco on our globe so they will never be embarrassed when a random late night talk show host approaches them for a quick "man-on-the-street" geography pop quiz.
The kebab meat is marinating in olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, lots of pepper, salt, coriander, cumin, garlic and fresh mint. On the side we will have a chickpea-tomato salad with parsley, onion and more lemon juice and fresh-baked authentic Moroccan bread. Erma is bringing her green beans and I have to tell you, her green beans go with anything. They are magical. And then for dessert we have Ghirardelli brownies . . . obviously not Moroccan, but I was at Costco yesterday and our friend Dave always swears he won't come back if I don't give him chocolate. I understand that fresh fruit is a common sweet ending to Moroccan meals, so we will throw some grapes, strawberries and clementines on the platter for good measure.
(I do feel just a little bit bad that I'm making homemade bread since Glenn is on a low-carb kick these days, but this will be a good willpower test for him. It's rising now and looks soooo gooood.)
After dinner:
Wow. That meal made the Top 5 Best Meals of My Life List. The flavor combinations were incredible. Our guests raved; one of my kids loved it. The other one took a lick of the pork and then refused to eat it after he got a big wad of mint on the tip of his tongue. (Mint is green. He doesn't eat anything green.) My husband told me it was "excellent" and you can quote him on that.
It surprised me when Glenn picked Morocco for our first "dinnertime country" because I remember him telling me that of all the countries he has visited in his world travels, Morocco was his least favorite. Maybe he was just in an exotic mood the other day when he suggested it.
To complete my nervousness about preparing a lot of new foods and recipes, we are having dinner guests tonight. Thankfully, they are great friends and will still love us even if the food is horrible. (I have a feeling that it will be pretty good though . . . just a hunch.)
The main dish on the menu is a pork kebab. Now, WAIT! Before you get in a huff about pork in a Moroccan dinner, let me tell you about how expensive lamb is. It is VERY expensive. And I am tired of chicken. And I didn't know what kind of beef to get. So we are having pork. If our friends coming over tonight were Muslim, I certainly would have not considered serving pork to them. I would have sucked it up and shelled out the bucks for some nice lamb.
For those of you who took geography at public school like me, I wasn't exactly sure of the whereabouts of Morocco. Thank goodness for the internets. The main religion in Morocco is Islam (something I should have realized before I went grocery shopping ;) and the country is situated in the northern part of AFRICA, very close to SPAIN, which is in EUROPE. It almost looks like the two countries are about to kiss. It's just adorable. Tonight we will make a super big deal to our kids about the location of Morocco on our globe so they will never be embarrassed when a random late night talk show host approaches them for a quick "man-on-the-street" geography pop quiz.
The kebab meat is marinating in olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, lots of pepper, salt, coriander, cumin, garlic and fresh mint. On the side we will have a chickpea-tomato salad with parsley, onion and more lemon juice and fresh-baked authentic Moroccan bread. Erma is bringing her green beans and I have to tell you, her green beans go with anything. They are magical. And then for dessert we have Ghirardelli brownies . . . obviously not Moroccan, but I was at Costco yesterday and our friend Dave always swears he won't come back if I don't give him chocolate. I understand that fresh fruit is a common sweet ending to Moroccan meals, so we will throw some grapes, strawberries and clementines on the platter for good measure.
(I do feel just a little bit bad that I'm making homemade bread since Glenn is on a low-carb kick these days, but this will be a good willpower test for him. It's rising now and looks soooo gooood.)
After dinner:
Wow. That meal made the Top 5 Best Meals of My Life List. The flavor combinations were incredible. Our guests raved; one of my kids loved it. The other one took a lick of the pork and then refused to eat it after he got a big wad of mint on the tip of his tongue. (Mint is green. He doesn't eat anything green.) My husband told me it was "excellent" and you can quote him on that.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Operation Desert Moonbeam
Both of my children wet the bed. I am not telling you this to embarrass them, but to throw out my plan to help them as well as ask for advice or encouragement from anyone who have some to share. Many of my friends have told me that when their kids were daytime potty trained, the nighttime dryness just came naturally. Well, God bless them, but I need a bit more help.
It has been frustrating because my five year old used to stay dry every night until the end of last summer when we went on a trip and she had to wear a pull up for a few nights. We reverted back to betwetting and have never looked back!
The other issue is that both kids are very heavy sleepers and never even remember that I get them up to pee every night when I go to bed. Seriously, they are like cute little jammied zombies.
I did a little research and have come up with a five point plan to help them get over this hurdle.
1. Mandatory afternoon rest period. I know, I know that I should have been doing this before. If the kids are not as tired at night, perhaps they won't sleep so hard.
2. No drinks after 6:30. We often eat late, sometimes as late as 8:00, so this has been a challenge. Today is the day I start enforcing the rule.
3. Eat a portion of protein right before bed. One theory is that natural blood sugar levels drop during the night but since they can't eat while they are sleeping, they just go into a deeper sleep to accomodate the change. A bit of protein, like a spoon of peanut butter, a boiled egg or a piece of cheese before bed might help keep the blood sugar levels more constant so that they will wake up more easily.
4. Sleep with a bare booty. Not only will we lose the occasional pull ups, we will also lose the underpants, in hopes that it feels a bit different than normal and they may be able to feel the wetness sooner.
5. Set the alarm for 2:30 am and get them up again. I always take them to the potty when I go to bed, and this is going to hurt a lot, but I will also get them up in the middle of the night. One of the kids wets the bed twice every night, so I am hoping this will help.
Now, I am a big believer that bedwetting is in no way a behavior or discipline problem. The kids never get "in trouble" or shamed for wetting the bed. (**Rabbit trail alert** I wet the bed for quite some time myself. My bedwetting was a discipline problem because it always happened after I lied to my mom about going to the bathroom before bed. I never went and always told her I did. Sorry, Mom. I owe you big time.) Anyway, because of the kids' lack of control, I can't set up a rewards system for staying dry. It just disappoints them because it is an unachievable goal for them by themselves. However, I can reward them for trying! Each kid now has a chart to mark each of my five points each day. If they do or comply with everything on the chart for an entire week, I will take them to the Dollar Tree. If they stay dry, that's great. If not, so what.
Gee, I hope this works.
It has been frustrating because my five year old used to stay dry every night until the end of last summer when we went on a trip and she had to wear a pull up for a few nights. We reverted back to betwetting and have never looked back!
The other issue is that both kids are very heavy sleepers and never even remember that I get them up to pee every night when I go to bed. Seriously, they are like cute little jammied zombies.
I did a little research and have come up with a five point plan to help them get over this hurdle.
1. Mandatory afternoon rest period. I know, I know that I should have been doing this before. If the kids are not as tired at night, perhaps they won't sleep so hard.
2. No drinks after 6:30. We often eat late, sometimes as late as 8:00, so this has been a challenge. Today is the day I start enforcing the rule.
3. Eat a portion of protein right before bed. One theory is that natural blood sugar levels drop during the night but since they can't eat while they are sleeping, they just go into a deeper sleep to accomodate the change. A bit of protein, like a spoon of peanut butter, a boiled egg or a piece of cheese before bed might help keep the blood sugar levels more constant so that they will wake up more easily.
4. Sleep with a bare booty. Not only will we lose the occasional pull ups, we will also lose the underpants, in hopes that it feels a bit different than normal and they may be able to feel the wetness sooner.
5. Set the alarm for 2:30 am and get them up again. I always take them to the potty when I go to bed, and this is going to hurt a lot, but I will also get them up in the middle of the night. One of the kids wets the bed twice every night, so I am hoping this will help.
Now, I am a big believer that bedwetting is in no way a behavior or discipline problem. The kids never get "in trouble" or shamed for wetting the bed. (**Rabbit trail alert** I wet the bed for quite some time myself. My bedwetting was a discipline problem because it always happened after I lied to my mom about going to the bathroom before bed. I never went and always told her I did. Sorry, Mom. I owe you big time.) Anyway, because of the kids' lack of control, I can't set up a rewards system for staying dry. It just disappoints them because it is an unachievable goal for them by themselves. However, I can reward them for trying! Each kid now has a chart to mark each of my five points each day. If they do or comply with everything on the chart for an entire week, I will take them to the Dollar Tree. If they stay dry, that's great. If not, so what.
Gee, I hope this works.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Saturday Confessional
I always thought "bouncing off the walls" was just a saying until I had children of my own . . . they really do bounce themselves off the walls. And the floor. And the couch. And the coffee table. And each other. If it's there, they are bouncing off of it.
I couldn't take it anymore, so they are parked in front of SpongeBob until further notice.
I took the kids to the mall today and we will never be able to erase from our minds what we saw there. Lots of Saturday people, milling around. Lots of skin, hanging out of clothes. And not in a pleasant way, if you get my drift.
I yelled at my kids several times this afternoon.
I had an indepth conversation with my daughter about the bottle we saw on the ground, tucked inside a paper sack, and how it probably got there. I told her it may have had something to do with the beggar we encountered in the parking lot. The beggar we ignored.
I forgot to get stuff for my kids' Easter baskets, so I lied to them when we were at Target, pretending that I was buying a couple of little things for their cousins.
I feel like a Bad Mom. And today I think I was. At least for a couple of (several) hours anyway.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
But tonight, tomorrow and every day of my life from now on, I will have chances to make right decisions. And I am forgiven when I don't. I have hope.
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5: 1-8
Jesus Christ has taken my sins away.
He has given me gifts to grow so that can I be a better Mom, wife, citizen, friend. So I can be holy in the eyes of God.
He is my Redeemer and He lives!
Easter is tomorrow and I am glad that I don't have a candy treat spectacle prepared for my children, care of the Easter Bunny. (They will get a little something, if any of you are worried.) I can't wait to wake them up while it is still dark and walk over to my neighbors' house to watch the sunrise over the mountains, and remind them of the story of our salvation. That all of us make mistakes and need redemption, even (especially) dear old Mom.
I couldn't take it anymore, so they are parked in front of SpongeBob until further notice.
I took the kids to the mall today and we will never be able to erase from our minds what we saw there. Lots of Saturday people, milling around. Lots of skin, hanging out of clothes. And not in a pleasant way, if you get my drift.
I yelled at my kids several times this afternoon.
I had an indepth conversation with my daughter about the bottle we saw on the ground, tucked inside a paper sack, and how it probably got there. I told her it may have had something to do with the beggar we encountered in the parking lot. The beggar we ignored.
I forgot to get stuff for my kids' Easter baskets, so I lied to them when we were at Target, pretending that I was buying a couple of little things for their cousins.
I feel like a Bad Mom. And today I think I was. At least for a couple of (several) hours anyway.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
But tonight, tomorrow and every day of my life from now on, I will have chances to make right decisions. And I am forgiven when I don't. I have hope.
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5: 1-8
Jesus Christ has taken my sins away.
He has given me gifts to grow so that can I be a better Mom, wife, citizen, friend. So I can be holy in the eyes of God.
He is my Redeemer and He lives!
Easter is tomorrow and I am glad that I don't have a candy treat spectacle prepared for my children, care of the Easter Bunny. (They will get a little something, if any of you are worried.) I can't wait to wake them up while it is still dark and walk over to my neighbors' house to watch the sunrise over the mountains, and remind them of the story of our salvation. That all of us make mistakes and need redemption, even (especially) dear old Mom.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Interview with Charlie
We sat around the table for almost an hour tonight, chewing on our potstickers and talking up a storm. My four and five year olds ate nearly all of their food, without complaint, and never once asked to leave the table. Friends, a miracle happened at our house tonight.
I had a list of questions to ask everyone and this kept my crowd laughing, giggling and sharing . . . and asking for more. Charlie was the most hysterical, as usual.
When do you feel angry?
Charlie: I feel angry when someone does something bad to me, like won't let me have chocolate.
If you had to move and could only take three things with you, what would you take?
Charlie: Chocolate, Oatmeal and Mommy
If you received $5,000 as a gift, how would you spend it?
Charlie: I would buy a giant $100 dollar teddy bear. Then I would buy another giant $100 teddy bear. And then I would buy another $100 teddy bear, so I'd have three. Then I'd buy another $100 teddy bear . . .
Share a time in your life when you were embarrassed.
Charlie: I have never been embarrassed.
Talk about birthdays.
Charlie: Burp-days? Oh, I never burp.
What do you think about when you can’t fall asleep?
Charlie: I never have trouble sleeping.
What is the worst thing parents can do to children?
Charlie: Not letting them have chocolate.
If you could change your age, what age would you rather be?
Charlie: How old are you, Mommy? I would like to be your age.
What kind of animal would you like to be?
Charlie: A bat so I could eat moths.
Who or what makes you feel guilty?
Charlie: When you tell me I can't have anymore chocolate and then I eat more chocolate, then I feel guilty.
Do you ever feel lonely?
Charlie: I'm lonely whenever I'm not with you, Mommy. (aww . . . can I get you some more chocolate? anything you want . . .)
I had a list of questions to ask everyone and this kept my crowd laughing, giggling and sharing . . . and asking for more. Charlie was the most hysterical, as usual.
When do you feel angry?
Charlie: I feel angry when someone does something bad to me, like won't let me have chocolate.
If you had to move and could only take three things with you, what would you take?
Charlie: Chocolate, Oatmeal and Mommy
If you received $5,000 as a gift, how would you spend it?
Charlie: I would buy a giant $100 dollar teddy bear. Then I would buy another giant $100 teddy bear. And then I would buy another $100 teddy bear, so I'd have three. Then I'd buy another $100 teddy bear . . .
Share a time in your life when you were embarrassed.
Charlie: I have never been embarrassed.
Talk about birthdays.
Charlie: Burp-days? Oh, I never burp.
What do you think about when you can’t fall asleep?
Charlie: I never have trouble sleeping.
What is the worst thing parents can do to children?
Charlie: Not letting them have chocolate.
If you could change your age, what age would you rather be?
Charlie: How old are you, Mommy? I would like to be your age.
What kind of animal would you like to be?
Charlie: A bat so I could eat moths.
Who or what makes you feel guilty?
Charlie: When you tell me I can't have anymore chocolate and then I eat more chocolate, then I feel guilty.
Do you ever feel lonely?
Charlie: I'm lonely whenever I'm not with you, Mommy. (aww . . . can I get you some more chocolate? anything you want . . .)
Bringing Back Dinner
Dinner time at my house has become not only boring, but also a huge frustration, a burden on my whole week. And it's not that I don't like to cook. Anyone who knows me knows I love creating with food. But we've got a few issues.
My family is full of picky eaters . . . every single one of us.
My husband doesn't like pears. Or dishes with anything resembling cream cheese, mayonnaise or cottage cheese. He likes garlic in his eggs, spicy hot vegetables and curry.
My daughter likes fruits and vegetables. As long as the green beans are raw and bananas aren't too ripe . . . or ripe enough.
My son likes bread, chocolate, candy, bread and chocolate. Oh, and candy.
I am more of an emotional eater than a picky eater, so I tend to ruin my dinner with snacks. Perhaps in anticipation of feeling like a failure at dinnertime and needing to soothe my ego's wounds?
The other major hurdle is that no one ever wants to come to the dinner table. The kids have already decided that they will hate the food and would rather play. My husband has his own business and has a lot on his plate (pardon the pun). Often when I ask him if he is coming home for dinner or working late with a can of soup he asks, "Well, it depends . . . what are we having?" IT DOESN'T MATTER! sigh.
Dinner has become a non-event.
A few weeks ago, I shared my frustrations with some dear friends at MOPS (that's Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting and they gave me some great advice. Why not have a family meeting and explain how you are feeling? Then let them get involved in the meal planning. Assign each night of the week to one family member and let him (or her) choose the dinners. Let them all be involved with the process and get excited about sharing their favorite meals with everyone. If people don't like a particular meal, then they can look ahead with hope since they will know that I will serve their favorite meals in only a night or two!
So, this morning I proposed this idea and they are all so excited! They even went a step further and want to pick a different country theme for some nights, when they will prepare for a special meal by researching cultures and customs and decorating the table to go along with their chosen country.
As you can probably imagine, I am thrilled. Dinner is back on the menu!
Here's what we've got going for the next couple of weeks:
Miriam's Friday: Potstickers, rice, broccoli and fruit cocktail
Dad's Saturday: Roast, mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus
Charlie's Monday: French toast, bacon (from a pig), eggs and fruit
Mom's Tuesday: Grilled shrimp, sauteed veggies, garlic-butter pasta
Miriam's Thursday: Salmon, buttered noodles, asparagus and fruit
Dad's Friday: Morocco!
Mom's Saturday: Appetizer Night
Charlie's Sunday: China!
Mom's Monday: Greece!
Dad's Tuesday: Salmon and veggies
Miriam's Wednesday: Italy!
Charlie's Thursday: Japan!
P.S. If my mom is reading this, she might remember The Un-Game . . . we would go around the table answering questions, getting to know each other better and having a good laugh. We also had a "Golden Spoon Award" which was given every so often to a family member who had done something especially good that day. I just loved those times!
My family is full of picky eaters . . . every single one of us.
My husband doesn't like pears. Or dishes with anything resembling cream cheese, mayonnaise or cottage cheese. He likes garlic in his eggs, spicy hot vegetables and curry.
My daughter likes fruits and vegetables. As long as the green beans are raw and bananas aren't too ripe . . . or ripe enough.
My son likes bread, chocolate, candy, bread and chocolate. Oh, and candy.
I am more of an emotional eater than a picky eater, so I tend to ruin my dinner with snacks. Perhaps in anticipation of feeling like a failure at dinnertime and needing to soothe my ego's wounds?
The other major hurdle is that no one ever wants to come to the dinner table. The kids have already decided that they will hate the food and would rather play. My husband has his own business and has a lot on his plate (pardon the pun). Often when I ask him if he is coming home for dinner or working late with a can of soup he asks, "Well, it depends . . . what are we having?" IT DOESN'T MATTER! sigh.
Dinner has become a non-event.
A few weeks ago, I shared my frustrations with some dear friends at MOPS (that's Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting and they gave me some great advice. Why not have a family meeting and explain how you are feeling? Then let them get involved in the meal planning. Assign each night of the week to one family member and let him (or her) choose the dinners. Let them all be involved with the process and get excited about sharing their favorite meals with everyone. If people don't like a particular meal, then they can look ahead with hope since they will know that I will serve their favorite meals in only a night or two!
So, this morning I proposed this idea and they are all so excited! They even went a step further and want to pick a different country theme for some nights, when they will prepare for a special meal by researching cultures and customs and decorating the table to go along with their chosen country.
As you can probably imagine, I am thrilled. Dinner is back on the menu!
Here's what we've got going for the next couple of weeks:
Miriam's Friday: Potstickers, rice, broccoli and fruit cocktail
Dad's Saturday: Roast, mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus
Charlie's Monday: French toast, bacon (from a pig), eggs and fruit
Mom's Tuesday: Grilled shrimp, sauteed veggies, garlic-butter pasta
Miriam's Thursday: Salmon, buttered noodles, asparagus and fruit
Dad's Friday: Morocco!
Mom's Saturday: Appetizer Night
Charlie's Sunday: China!
Mom's Monday: Greece!
Dad's Tuesday: Salmon and veggies
Miriam's Wednesday: Italy!
Charlie's Thursday: Japan!
P.S. If my mom is reading this, she might remember The Un-Game . . . we would go around the table answering questions, getting to know each other better and having a good laugh. We also had a "Golden Spoon Award" which was given every so often to a family member who had done something especially good that day. I just loved those times!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Monsters in the Night
As a child, I stayed awake many nights wondering what kind of monsters lurked in my bedroom. Were they mean ones or nice ones, the furry kind or slimy kind? Did they want to eat me up? Surely they weren't there to make friends. I was convinced that if I put my shoes on the floor with the toes facing the bed, the monsters would think I was still up, just standing there by my bed, not actually in my bed, and wouldn't mess with me. If I had to turn off the light myself before getting into bed, this posed a tricky situation that could result in a monster grabbing my ankle on my way to the pillow. So, I would literally leap from my doorway into my bed in hopes of tricking the monster and avoiding him having me for a midnight snack. Don't laugh, but I remember doing this well into my teenage years.
These days, or nights rather, I rarely consider the monsters I imagined as a kid. But I have encountered a new set of monsters that are comparably scary. The difference is, I'm not afraid to talk back to them now. I even know some of their names . . . Worry, Anxiety, Frustration. Anxiety visited me last night and he brought his friend who always mean to me. I don't know the friend's name, but he relentlessly kicks me while I'm down and tells me how I have failed once again.
It was 4:00 am and I shot up in my bed, suddenly realizing we are this close to running out of toilet paper. Big deal, except it's supposed to snow half a foot today. And I just braved the store yesterday afternoon with both kids in tow, fighting and carrying on as we whizzed past the toy section. And the craft section. And the dresses. And the cookies. And then Miriam slammed the cart so that poor Charlie ran into a display, which commenced the crying, and the scolding, and the hissing and the embarrassment. I am vaguely certain I saw the kids AWANA director stroll by at this point. I was sure that he was calling social servies or texting God, but either way the kids shaped up right away after that.
So, you can imagine how the monsters started berating me in the middle of the night. "You're kind of a dummy. Why don't you make a list." "Better not tell Glenn. He will tell you he told-you-so, that you've got to make a list." "How are you going to drive in the snow? What if you get stuck at the end of your driveway, or at Walmart, or worse?" "Maybe you can use Kleenex if you run out of toilet paper. Hahahahahaha!" "Did I mention what a dummy you are?"
This badgering went on for quite a while while I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Finally, at ten to six, I got up. I checked the toilet paper. We have at least nine rolls.
These days, or nights rather, I rarely consider the monsters I imagined as a kid. But I have encountered a new set of monsters that are comparably scary. The difference is, I'm not afraid to talk back to them now. I even know some of their names . . . Worry, Anxiety, Frustration. Anxiety visited me last night and he brought his friend who always mean to me. I don't know the friend's name, but he relentlessly kicks me while I'm down and tells me how I have failed once again.
It was 4:00 am and I shot up in my bed, suddenly realizing we are this close to running out of toilet paper. Big deal, except it's supposed to snow half a foot today. And I just braved the store yesterday afternoon with both kids in tow, fighting and carrying on as we whizzed past the toy section. And the craft section. And the dresses. And the cookies. And then Miriam slammed the cart so that poor Charlie ran into a display, which commenced the crying, and the scolding, and the hissing and the embarrassment. I am vaguely certain I saw the kids AWANA director stroll by at this point. I was sure that he was calling social servies or texting God, but either way the kids shaped up right away after that.
So, you can imagine how the monsters started berating me in the middle of the night. "You're kind of a dummy. Why don't you make a list." "Better not tell Glenn. He will tell you he told-you-so, that you've got to make a list." "How are you going to drive in the snow? What if you get stuck at the end of your driveway, or at Walmart, or worse?" "Maybe you can use Kleenex if you run out of toilet paper. Hahahahahaha!" "Did I mention what a dummy you are?"
This badgering went on for quite a while while I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Finally, at ten to six, I got up. I checked the toilet paper. We have at least nine rolls.
(To make matters better, everything is cancelled today. Homeschool moms hope for snow days too, you know.)
Here's a set of verses that I have hidden in my heart but need to pull up to the surface more often so I have something to chuck at my monsters when they come to call.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4: 6-8
Had I remembered this passage, I would have asked God for His peace and gone back to sleep. I thought that memorizing scripture was enough, but for certain things, at certain times, I guess I need a more in-your-face approach. I will write this verse on a card and tape it somewhere in the bathroom . . . above the toilet paper holder, perhaps?
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