Menu - March 30 - April 5, 2008

Somewhere during the first part of March I lost my inner balance. I'm slowly getting it back.

A. is out of town for the next two weeks.

K. got her report card for the third nine week period. Very impressive. Conduct was straight A's. In Honors Science, Geography, Orchestra, and Honors Reading she had A's. In Honors Language Arts she got a B. In Honors Math she got a C.

I'm tired but looking forward to getting back on schedule.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: nothing - A. has to be at airport by 715am
lunch: McDonald's
dinner: leftover pork chops, weird peas, mashed potatoes; added mac & cheese

Monday
breakfast: bagels
lunch: leftovers
dinner: spaghetti shells and sauce, salad

Tuesday
breakfast: cereal, toast
lunch: leftovers
dinner: sheppard's pie, salad

Wednesday
breakfast: mini-waffles (for K., not sure for me)
lunch: pb&j sandwich, fruit
dinner: chicken salad in bread bowls, fruit

Thursday
breakfast: bagels
lunch: leftovers
dinner: omelets

Friday
breakfast: mini-waffles (for K., not sure for me)
lunch: pb&j sandwich, fruit
dinner: foraging

Saturday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: foraging
dinner: ???

Menu - March 9 - 15, 2008

The bread bowls I made with the chicken salad last week were such a hit that when it turned a bit on the nippy side this weekend, we decided to have some chili served in bread bowls for dinner tonight. It was great. The recipe I've been using for the bread bowls lends itself to all sorts of uses.

On other fronts, K. has FCAT testing this week. She's been preparing by watching episodes of the old television show Soap (borrowed from the library) and Highlander as well as playing dress-up dolls online. She's also eager to go to the Renaissance Festival next weekend (the 15th, weather permitting).

This weekend A. started making me an excel spreadsheet (full of formulas and drop boxes and all sorts of neat things) to calculate the labor and cost of supplies used in the jewelry and chain maille I make, just in case I ever take the notion to actually try and sell anything (rather than give it all to the kid).

While I haven't been getting much writing done, I have been creative in other ways (like the necklaces, bracelets, and earrings I keep making for K.). And I've been aching to bake again. I've missed baking bread several times a month and am currently researching ways to satisfy that desire but still keep my expenses down (whole wheat and other wholesome grains are just too expensive lately).

And I guess that brings us to a menu for this week.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: foraging on leftovers
dinner: chili in bread bowls

Monday
lunch: pb&j sandwich, salad, pineapple chunks
dinner: chili-filled baked potatoes, salad

Tuesday
lunch: pb&j sandwich, salad, mandarin orange segments
dinner: pork chops (not sure how yet), mashed potatoes, weird peas, salad

Wednesday
lunch: pb&j sandwich, salad, pineapple chunks
dinner: breaded cod fillets, corn nibblets, broccoli, salad

Thursday
lunch: pb&j sandwich, salad, mandarin orange segments
dinner: pasta, salad (possibly bread if I feel froggy enough to make some)

Friday
lunch: leftover pasta (there's always leftovers for some reason)
dinner: beans, rice, hoe cakes, salad

Saturday
lunch: RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL
dinner: foraging on leftovers

I like bread bowls!

Despite feeling like I'd been hit be a truck a few times, I made bread bowls today. They were insanely easy. I used a recipe called Parmesan Bread Bowls that I found over on the Betty Crocker site. (TIP: search for "bread bowl", not "bread bowel".)

Of course, I didn't have the right size bowls and had to improvise, but it turned out ok. This is what they looked like about fifteen minutes out of the oven.

And this was my dinner tonight.

I loaded up half the bowl with chopped romaine, used the ice cream scoop to make two little balls of chicken salad (boiled chicken, Miracle Whip, chopped celery, pickle relish, all to taste), then topped those with some finely grated cheddar and decorated with pineapple and mandarin orange pieces. It was very yummy.

Now, I think I'm going to make a necklace while I digest.

Menu - March 2 - 8, 2008

Ok, so I'm late with the menu this week but at least I have one, right? Right??

Not much going on in our world.

A. is driving to a (sort of) near-by city to teach a class again this week.

K. came home sick from school last Thursday and stayed home Friday. She's back to being herself now.

We're dealing with a bucket-load of stupidity silliness that has me a bit on the frustrated side this morning while I wait for someone to return my phone call.

Um.

There's some crafty stuff lingering around the edges of my existence but I'm not quite ready to start divulging information. Not yet.

The house-hunting is sluggish. It's my theory that prices are temporarily stalled while people scramble to qualify and benefit from whatever relief the government is intending to provide but will once again fall in another month or two.

My mom has to spend tonight at the hospital. They're "going to put goop in [her] hair and watch [her] sleep". Sounds kinda kinky to me, but ok. Still, I can't help but worry.

And I think that's it. My brain is a little scrambled by the above mentioned stupidity silliness.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Oh, and I'm not listing lunches this week 'cause I'm in a picky mood and don't know what I want for lunch everyday. It was hard enough to figure out the dinners.

Sunday
dinner: take-out (chicken)

Monday
dinner: take-out (Wendy's)

Tuesday
dinner: fish, mac & cheese, green peas, salad

Wednesday
dinner: meatloaf, corn nibblets, lima beans, salad

Thursday
dinner: tuna patties, hoe cakes, random veggies, salad (along with whatever else I feel like cooking)

Friday
dinner: chicken salad in bread bowls ('cause I feel like making bread bowls)

Saturday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: pot roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad

Have a great week, world.