Yesterday was a truly awesome day. This is the first week, after many, many crazy weeks, that I'm back to my normal work and at home schedule. When we travel I try as hard as I can to still get my 20 hours in and often give up my days home with Lucas in the process. When you're hourly you only get paid for what you work and missing a few hours really shows up in that paycheck!
So yesterday was a regular Tuesday at home for Lucas and me. And it was glorious. We got moving first thing, off to the grocery store because Lucas was wearing literally the very last diaper in the house. We want to start potty training soon, but not quite yet!
We got back from the grocery store and put everything away with just enough time to straighten the house a bit (yes, thank goodness I was able to clean over the weekend!) before our good friends came over for a play date. As soon as they arrived we were off to the park to enjoy the beautiful morning.
Lucas and his little buddy had a great time running around, sliding and swinging while Kerry and I got to catch up. Close to Noon, we headed home for lunch. The boys had PB&J and I made Kerry and myself the most yummy sandwiches--ciabatta bread from our weekend farmer's market with fresh tomatoes from our CSA farm, basil from my garden and mozzarella from my home delivery dairy. All topped with a drizzle of olive oil and put under the broiler for a minute to melt the cheese a bit. Yum!!
After some more playing Kerry and Jack headed home and Lucas headed straight up for his nap. I decided should get a head start on dinner before jumping on-line. I made the eggplant (again courtesy of our CSA share) for eggplant parmesan thinking it would be great to have that ready so I could just make some quick spaghetti later and have a meal. Then I realized I had some grass fed ground beef (from our dairy) that I needed to do something with so put together a quick meatloaf and chopped up our CSA potatoes to roast--this combo chosen because they both take about 50 minutes at the same temp. So, before I knew it I had two dinners going! Then, just because I already had the oven on, I whipped up some oatmeal cookies with dark chocolate chips and chopped almonds. Yum!
While everything was cooking I laid down on the couch for about 20 minutes. Not a full-fledged nap but a very nice rest. Lucas woke up (before I got on-line which I why I didn't write this yesterday!) and we watched an episode of Caillou (his obsession!). Then we headed out again. To Target for sunglasses (mine broke and I can't find any of his) and I-kid-you-not I walked out having ONLY purchased two pairs of sunglasses! Then over to JoAnn Fabrics to check out some fabric to recover our dining room chairs (tip: raw silk doesn't hold up well when your toddler starts eating at the table!), then to Staples for a new black ink cartridge (so I can print invitations for my friend's bridal shower--they turned out so lovely!).
Abel was home when we got there (a welcome treat with all his late nights recently, though he did go back to work right after dinner) and I just had to heat up the meatloaf and roasted potatoes for a yummy dinner.
It was such a nice day--I got so much accomplished, had tons of quality time with Lucas and a good friend and even got some me-time with a quick rest. If only all days could be like Tuesday!
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Great summer recipes
One thing that has changed about me since becoming a mother is that I've really come to enjoy cooking.
Before I met Abel, I often ate chicken nuggets and cheese for dinner. I'm not kidding. When we were dating we ate out a lot or he cooked. Even after we got married, our meals were generally things that could be prepared in 15 minutes or less.
When I was home on maternity leave I started doing a lot of baking (which I've always loved) and cooking. I poured through recipe books and tried new things. Sure, we still have some some old stand-by quick meals like grilled cheese and tomato soup or cheese quesadillas, rice and beans. And, I love using Trader Joe's pizza dough to make pizza with a big salad. But, I try to cook a real meal at least a few times a week.
On the days I'm home with Lucas, my goal is to prepare dinner during his nap. That way I just have to throw it in the oven or on the grill when Abel's on his way home and we've got a tasty, healthy meal which we can all sit down and enjoy together. If I wait until 4 or 5pm to start dinner then I may as well forget it. I think all parents would agree that is a rough time in a house with kids.
Needless to say, I haven't been doing a lot of cooking lately. The week in the hospital, the week home recovering, a week of meals from friends...brings us to last week when I was able to start to get back into the swing of things. And, I'd love to share two new recipes that really came through for us.
I ripped both of these out of my Mom's June Real Simple. Abel and I loved both of them. And, they were very easy to make.
First, pasta with zucchini and goat cheese. This was a wonderful, light summer meal. The goat cheese sauce was so creamy yet very light. I love zucchini but Abel isn't a big fan. So, I took a bit of a risk serving this but it was a hit! I do believe it even made him into a zucchini-lover! Lucas had maybe two slices of zucchini but loved the pasta and sauce. And, there was enough to provide lunch for all three of us the next day.
Second, stuffed chicken breasts with tomato salad. This was delicious! In fact, I plan to serve it the next time we have friends over for dinner. The tomato salad would make a wonderful bruschetta. In fact, when you plate it, put the toasted baguettes down on the plate and scoop the tomatoes over top. The bread will soak up all the wonderful juices! I actually halved this recipe only because I just had two chicken breasts and two tomatoes. Had I made the entire thing there would have been plenty for leftovers.
Try them out and let me know what you think!
Before I met Abel, I often ate chicken nuggets and cheese for dinner. I'm not kidding. When we were dating we ate out a lot or he cooked. Even after we got married, our meals were generally things that could be prepared in 15 minutes or less.
When I was home on maternity leave I started doing a lot of baking (which I've always loved) and cooking. I poured through recipe books and tried new things. Sure, we still have some some old stand-by quick meals like grilled cheese and tomato soup or cheese quesadillas, rice and beans. And, I love using Trader Joe's pizza dough to make pizza with a big salad. But, I try to cook a real meal at least a few times a week.
On the days I'm home with Lucas, my goal is to prepare dinner during his nap. That way I just have to throw it in the oven or on the grill when Abel's on his way home and we've got a tasty, healthy meal which we can all sit down and enjoy together. If I wait until 4 or 5pm to start dinner then I may as well forget it. I think all parents would agree that is a rough time in a house with kids.
Needless to say, I haven't been doing a lot of cooking lately. The week in the hospital, the week home recovering, a week of meals from friends...brings us to last week when I was able to start to get back into the swing of things. And, I'd love to share two new recipes that really came through for us.
I ripped both of these out of my Mom's June Real Simple. Abel and I loved both of them. And, they were very easy to make.
First, pasta with zucchini and goat cheese. This was a wonderful, light summer meal. The goat cheese sauce was so creamy yet very light. I love zucchini but Abel isn't a big fan. So, I took a bit of a risk serving this but it was a hit! I do believe it even made him into a zucchini-lover! Lucas had maybe two slices of zucchini but loved the pasta and sauce. And, there was enough to provide lunch for all three of us the next day.
Second, stuffed chicken breasts with tomato salad. This was delicious! In fact, I plan to serve it the next time we have friends over for dinner. The tomato salad would make a wonderful bruschetta. In fact, when you plate it, put the toasted baguettes down on the plate and scoop the tomatoes over top. The bread will soak up all the wonderful juices! I actually halved this recipe only because I just had two chicken breasts and two tomatoes. Had I made the entire thing there would have been plenty for leftovers.
Try them out and let me know what you think!
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