A Little More About the Meal Planning Plus A Recipe

Some of you still had some questions about the meal planning notebook last week. Hopefully I can answer them here, and if not, just ask again and I'll answer directly in comments. Above you can see my shopping list template--a blank one. It is organized by the aisles of my particular grocery store, so once I'm in the store I can move right through without back tracking and circling, which is what I do when I bring a regular list. It took a little planning to make the original template--I took some notes while at the store a few times and kept those so I can know which aisle everything is in. For the weekly lists the ingredients I need for that week are already printed (see below) and I keep copies in the hard drive, to be freshly printed whenever.
As far as how many meals I plan for each week, only four. Cooking every night still doesn't work for me, even when I am this organized. I plan two meals for the weekend, and two meals for the week (to be made ahead on the weekend and reheated so I'm not cooking midweek, which is hard with toddlers "helping" so much). Then on the other 3 nights we either eat leftovers or, more often, get pizza or Subway or burritos. Sounds bad, I know, but here is my rationale: I pack healthy lunches for us every day--with fruit, and little veggie packets, and leftovers from dinner for the grownups, and sandwiches for the teens, so we're not eating out at all for lunches or getting unhealthy cafeteria food, so our take-out dinners are somewhat more justified because of that. At least that's what I tell myself! We can only do what we can do. In truth, I still find the dinner hour overwhelming--I do think it will be easier when the little ones are not so little any more.
Okay, onto a recipe. I've been collecting recipes a long time and store all the "repeaters" in a huge 3 ring notebook. This one comes from Eating Well magazine and it's a family favorite. I cut up my own farmer's market veggies for it this time, but it calls for a package of fresh stir-fry veggies, so it can be super quick that way if you don't feel like cutting the vegetables.

Peanut Noodles with Shredded Chicken and Vegetables

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ c. smooth natural peanut butter
2 T. reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 t. minced garlic
1 ½ t. chile-garlic sauce, or to taste
1 t. minced fresh ginger
8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
1 12-ounce bag fresh vegetable medley for stir-fry (broccoli, carrots, and snow peas)

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil for cooking pasta.
2. Meanwhile, place chicken in a skillet or saucepan and add enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size strips.
3. Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, chile-garlic sauce and ginger in a large bowl.
4. Cook pasta in the boiling water until not quite tender, about 1 minute less than specified in the package directions. Add vegetables and cook until the pasta and vegetables are just tender, 1 minute more. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Rinse the pasta and vegetables with cool water to refresh. Stir the reserved cooking liquid into the peanut sauce; add the pasta, vegetables, and chicken; toss well to coat. Serve warm or chilled.

Makes 6 servings, 1 ½ cups each.
363 calories, 12 grams fat, 7 grams fiber

Source: Healthy in a Hurry Cookbook
Ease of Prep: very quick and easy. A good weeknight dinner.
Rating: very good to possibly excellent.

Nature Table Freshen-Up

Not much today. I just thought I'd share the current incarnation of the nature table. The plants have changed. We now have basil and a zinnia in little pots. I think I need to dramatically thin that basil if I'm going to do anything with it. I've already thinned it a lot, but I think I need to be severe with it. The zinnia is Faith's--I'm surprised at how well it is doing. It started out here. I've also added a little bird ornament from Last Minute Patchwork Gifts. I love this and want to make many more, for gifts and for us. It's going to be very fun picking fabric combinations and different colors.
Also, there are very young peaches that have fallen from the tree too soon--too bad, but they do make an interesting addition to the table.
The back to work routine is making me tired. I have to get up so much earlier now, and the baby never sleeps well. He's in the bed with us, but even with constant access to nursey, he still is wakeful. I think he just doesn't feel well a lot of the time because of the chemo he's getting, although I'm not sure. So I'm tired, but glad today is Friday. I promised Faith that the next thing I make will be a skirt for her that I have been promising for ages, so if I get any time this weekend, that is what I will be sewing. But sewing time looks a little doubtful. Mostly I want to get a bit more sleep and hopefully some quality time with the family. Happy weekend!

Little Letters

On Saturday I was surprised and delighted to get a real letter in the mail! It was from my dear friend Sylvia. She lives in my state, but we only see each other about once a year these days, sadly. So what a pleasant surprise it was to get mail from her. In the past we really used to write letters, but in this age of e-mail and cell phones we just don't anymore. And yet, I've found we don't e-mail either! And I'm a terrible phone talker--I so much prefer talking in person. What struck me about the letter she mailed me last week was that it was short and sweet--no pressure to catch up with everything. So I replied in kind, with a short note, and I'm inspired that we can keep short notes like these going back and forth. I hope! Every time we have a visit I think "oh, I'll write and we'll keep up with each other" and then I never do. Now maybe I will. Oh, and this fold over stationary I used is "stolen" fairy stationary from Faith. I love it so! Fold over notes seem so perfect for short letters, and so wonderfully retro! I'd love to find more.

Rainer Update

Yesterday I took the day off from work to accompany Rainer and Ken to the hospital. (Yes, it was only my second day back at work, but I've already made up my mind that I must be involved in his care and he really does need me on these big chemo days--he's still nursing). He got two types of chemo and lots of hydration. He actually did really well and was in good spirits for most of it. Now he has 3 more days of chemo that can be done at home by the visiting nurses (and I'm back to work today).

Rainer and Ken. Rainer is watching "The Newborn Channel"

Rainer had a week off from all chemo last week because he didn't "make counts." That means his bone marrow hadn't recovered enough from the previous round of chemo, so he had a rest week. It was kind of nice. It also gave his tummy a chance to settle. The biggest news with Rainer right now is that he is gradually getting stronger. It's slow, but he's crawling a little, rolling over, can sit up from lying down, and if you place him on his feet and he can hang onto something (like the coffee table) he can stand! He still can't pull up to standing, his crawling is minimal, and he's certainly not walking, but I'm confident that will all come back with time. Oh, and his face. It's still puffy as you can see, but it is going down some.

And on a crafty note, I appliqued him these t-shirts last week. Fun, huh?

Back to Work

I started back to work this week. Yeah, that time has come. I have to say, it's not my first choice--I'd really rather be the one staying home--I do so love the domestic scene! But Rainer is in excellent hands with his Daddy, and for various reasons it makes more sense for me to go back to work and for Ken to take extended time off. So off to work I went, and it wasn't bad. Thankfully, I have a great job that I like, and since the school year is almost over, I'll be back home again full time before you know it (5 weeks). I've been preparing for this a little. Can't say I am completely organized, but I did sort through my Everyday Foods (dividing them by months) and tidied up my recipe notebook and added a "Week 9" for variety.
I've been giving some thought to this whole "going back to work" situation and some other situations that have been going on around here. And I've come to the conclusion that the absolute best thing to do when you are faced with something that is maybe not your favorite thing but is basically okay is to have a positive attitude. Honestly, I've really been giving it some thought and it seems to me the people I've known who seem the happiest in a very wholesome and grounded sort of way approach life with a good attitude. Being happy and optimistic is, I think, my basic nature, but I do really have to remind myself from time to time not to get seduced by a downward spiral of complaints in my head. It is so much better and funner for me and for everyone around me if I can stay focused on the positive--and we really do have a lot to be grateful for. The fact that I have a wonderful job is one of them, and in truth I enjoy many aspects of my working life. The children miss me for sure (especially Faith!), but we'll all survive quite nicely and soon summer will arrive and we'll all be spending more time together. As for fall? I'll definitely think about that later.

Images from Our Mother's Day

Dieter harvested our strawberry crop and brought it in to me. Not a lot here, but on the other hand, this little plant has been basically neglected but still yielded this.
I made my own Mother's Day breakfast this year. The annual breakfast in bed, usually brought to me by Faith and Jacob, did not happen. That's okay. Maybe it's a tradition whose time has come and gone. The teens sleep in now; I get up early with little ones.
Here's how I did the cake: I followed the guidelines for the May Day cake from Angry Chicken. I used the boxed mix, added the zest of two oranges, and made a glaze with orange juice, powdered sugar and a little melted butter. It turned out orangey and yummy and very moist from all the glaze soaking in.

And our new tradition: Mother's Day lunch at Jolly Cone with all my littles. My parents joined us this year, and my brother James, and Lori, his girlfriend. Scenes from Jolly Cone:

Rainer is a fry man.

Rainer, Gam, me, Faith. My dad in the background.

Faith, Rainer, me, Jacob. Dieter didn't want to be in this one.

Hope you are all having a wonderful day. Happy Mother's Day!

Simplicity 4111

So here is the first of the summer tops. It's from the "Built by Wendy" pattern that I've had for ages. I've been so hesitant to try it because I knew it would need some alterations and I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. Specifically, I needed to add length to the upper bodice piece. I'm kind of clueless about fitting, so I cut straight across the pattern piece, added 2 inches, and drew a new cutting line. Then I also added 2 inches to the back and the placket. It worked! And I'm very delighted.

This may not be strictly the most flattering style for me, but I like it and I'm pleased about how it turned out. It was easier than expected, took 3 naps plus cutting time. One thing that is a little different about this piece is that the neck facing is sewn right to wrong side then turned out and sewn down. That surprised me, but it turned out okay. I'll be having a lot less sewing time soon, so I'm glad to have completed this project.

Faithy's dance concert was tonight; she was beautiful! But alas it is very late now. Good night!

Reading and Listening

What I've been listening to and reading lately:

Music:
It's a freaking miracle that I have new music that I'm listening to. I don't know why, but I tend to neglect my musical education for months and years at a time. Maybe it's because we prefer a quiet house when we're all together, and I usually don't have a chance to be in the house alone. But a few weeks ago I impulsively bought these on i-tunes:

Vampire Weekend--I love this. What can I say? I like the way it sounds. To me, it sounds happy and modern. I don't know enough about music to describe it further, but it's really been fun to have new music. Rainer and I listen to this in the mornings while we get ready for the day.

Juno Soundtrack--I love this one too! How lucky that both albums I bought are really good. This has a folkish sound, which I love. I bought it sight unseen, before even seeing the movie. The babies and I like dancing to it.

Books:
Eat, Pray, Love--I actually read this awhile ago, right after Rainer got out of the hospital. I loved it so much. The writing is amazing--amazing I tell you. It's a non-fiction book about a woman who takes a year long trip, first to Italy, then to India, then to Indonesia, after a painful divorce. I'm not even that interested in travel that much, but wow, this held me gripped to the page through all three sections. It's fascinating--I highly recommend.

At Large and At Small--this one is a book of "familiar essays," which apparently are an old writing form--not quite a personal essay and not quite an academic essay, but a blend. I loved this too. The writer is really engaging and touches on subjects as diverse as the flag, butterfly collecting, ice cream, moving, and the Romantic poets.

The Nature Corner--have I already mentioned this one? It's a craft book with all kinds of ideas for decorating your nature table. It's on the top of my pile again right now because I meant to make some felt rabbits at Easter and never did and I'm thinking a little hand work might be nice to start since I'm going back to work soon and won't have time to drag out the machine as much.

The Geography of Bliss--this one goes back to the library tomorrow--it can't be renewed--so I'll have to request it again. It looks very good--I've read just the beginning but can tell already that the writing is very good and very engaging and humorous. I love the subject matter as well--it's about the study of happiness and just where is the happiest place on earth.

The Birthday Book--I just got this, but it looks to be very good. It's in the same series with The Children's Year, which I've mentioned before. Lots of good ideas for celebrating birthdays and creating birthday traditions in your family, with craft projects and patterns included. I can't wait to delve in further. I love birthday celebrations and now is just the time to beef up our traditions while the boys are so little.

Bonjour Tristesse--I'm still reading this, so I can't really report fully yet. It's a translation of a French novel written by a 17 year old girl in the 50's or 60's. It is interesting, but the characters are not really likeable. I'll report back when I finish.

Alabama Stitch Book--Oh. My. Goodness. A gorgeous book on working with cotton knit fabrics, including overall guidelines on working with knits, deconstructing t-shirts to use as fabric for your projects, and the most amazing looking projects you will ever see. Many of the projects have reverse appliqué embellishments in which the overlayer of fabric is cut out, revealing the underlayer. It's amazing looking. I'd love to make one of the skirts, but that would take more time than I may ever have. More attainable, perhaps, would be the reverse appliqué head scarf (maybe for baby Rainer) and the "corset" t-shirt, in which a regular T is cut down and reassembled to be a fitted tank with lots of seaming--super cute. I've seen a lot out there right now on the new book on knits by Built by Wendy, but this book seems much more interesting. Check it out!

Cherry-Lime Goodness

I can't resist sharing one more recipe this week. This is such a fun and quick project with delicious results. This is the Low-Sugar Cherry Lime Jam from the April 2008 Everyday Food. Cherries are full of anti-oxidants because of their dark color; this is a delicious way to get them. You buy a bag of frozen cherries--that's why it's so easy. I used the zest of two (home-grown!) limes and the result is deliciously limey. I love it. Mine turned out "soft set" so I might use a bit more cornstarch next time.

Tuesday is our family movie night and Ken had the very good idea to watch The Crimson Pirate, a funny, light pirate movie from 1952. There are lots of physical jokes, people running around, hiding in a barrel of fish, lots of bonking on the head, so be forewarned about that part. The thing that caught my attention was the costuming. So many jaunty pirate outfits for Burt Lancaster! I was cracking up at the big poufy pirate blouses and the like. But the outfit above takes the cake. In color, it's grey, wide-legged cropped pants and a mint green wrap top cinched with a crimson sash! I was totally inspired to get busy making more pirate pieces for Dieter.

Also today I started physical therapy for my knees. Nothing is terribly wrong; I just hurt my knees running. They are going to show me some stretches and strengthening exercises to do to hold my kneecaps more firmly in place when I run. Believe me, I do feel silly going to PT for myself when my baby has cancer. In theory though, if I can stay fit and healthy for him that will be better for everyone in the long run. I was ready to dismiss the whole thing, but the first session went okay and the therapist said it will only be twice a week for three or at the most four weeks. I think I can manage that. Part of the therapy was to rest with ice and tingly electric currents on my knees for 15 minutes. What a luxury--the closest I will come to a spa day!

Still More from the Weekend

Check out these fabrics I got at Joanne's. They're all lightweight cottons that are destined to become summer tops. I'm really excited. It's hard to get out, since Rainer can't come along, so I took the opportunity to stock up. And everything was on sale, so if I do really mess up it won't cost a fortune (although I find I'm wearing the last one a surprising lot, considering it has some "issues"--they don't bother me, and mostly I'm around the house anyway).
A word about the trampoline--isn't it ugly? I think so, but I have to say this has been a great toy for our family. It's like a giant playpen for Dieter, he loves it, but it brings the big kids out too (at least a little bit, when Dieter asks them); it's honestly fun for everyone, adults included. Exercise, fresh air, bonding--all worth the eyesore, I've come to think. (And it won't be forever, I hope).
I just discovered that there is an Everyday Food Flickr group. It is so interesting to see what people make and how it turns out. I was inspired to make this "Lighter Sesame Chicken" from the December 2007 issue. It was great! The only modification I made was to double the sauce so there would be enough to coat the broccoli too. I'd definitely do that again--it was so yummy, and good as leftovers for lunch too.
I couldn't resist photographing the baby's portion. Isn't it cute?
I decided to make strawberry shortcake too. This comes from the May 2005 issue.


I love this presentation--like a strawberry shortcake sandwich. Faith ate one of the scones just plain today after school and she said it was really good. I did make one modification: I lowered the oven temp to 400 and started checking them after 15 minutes (because I burnt these when I made them 3 years ago--I always make notes on my recipes though, so I knew what to do this time).

Playing

We had a relaxed weekend. That is so unusual for us and such a nice change. I wasn't rushing around trying to get a million things done or working on any projects in particular. The weekend just sort of unfolded mellowly, if that's a word. Our community hosts a storytelling festival every year in May and this was the weekend. I took Dieter Friday night. We sat outside on a blanket under the stars and cuddled and listened to the storytellers. At one point Dieter let out a contended sigh and said, "this is nice." So sweet. It was wonderful for me to get to spend some time alone with that little guy--we both need more of that.
Saturday morning I decided it was time for another breakfast picnic. We were up very early (thanks to the Rainer man); by 6:30 I'd whipped up a coffee cake with a baby in the sling and a 3 year old helping in the Learning Tower! It seemed appropriate to carry it all outside once the cake came out of the oven and enjoy the cool air. And by that time Ken was up. I was so happy that he joined us! He's not usually a breakfast eater. It was so nice having him. The sun was fantastic--warm, not hot, and while Ken walked with Rainer around the yard Dieter and I had a wonderful time jumping and playing on the trampoline. I rarely play with him like that; I mean really play when I'm relaxed and not trying to accomplish something-- it was so fun and so healthy-feeling, quite honestly. I simply enjoyed Dieter, and bouncing, and falling, and the sun, and my heart beating. Definitely, definitely, I will remember to do that more often.

Books for a One Year Old

I was super lucky in the book reading department with my older two children. Jacob and Faith would let me read anything to them, starting from birth practically. I always wondered why other people complained their babies wouldn't let them read to them or why people would need "tips" for reading to their babies. Then I had Dieter and Rainer. Total opposite. These babies grabbed at the books, turned the pages, and didn't let me read to them. I still want them to love reading (and Dieter totally does now, at three) so I've had to be a little more persistent with these boys. Mostly I've found I can't sit down with just any book and start reading to them, but certain books do the trick. I thought it would be fun to make a little list of books that are working for Rainer at the moment.

Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See? (and the rest of the books in this series)--this has a great rhyming scheme and big beautiful illustrations of different animals by Eric Carle. It's a classic that's been around since the 70's. Good stuff. Dieter still likes this one too.

My Big Truck Book (and other similar truck books)--what can I say? My boys are truck boys. "Reading" these books is just looking at pictures of trucks and naming them and talking about them. We make it fun by doing little motions and sounds to represent the what the trucks do. I learned that from Ken. For the backhoe, for instance, it's "dig, over, dump it out" with your hand doing the motions. The forklift is two fingers raising up. You get the idea. Boy stuff.

Good Dog Carl--we have the board book version. Lovely (wordless) illustrations of a dog taking care of a baby at home. Carl and the baby get into all sorts of mischief but the baby is always lovingly cared for by the dog. I'm amazed that Rainer will let me read this to him but he loves it and it's always fun for me too.

Spring, Fruhling, and other similar wordless books. We do well with the wordless books. I'm delighted that my boys like these. We look at the pictures, talk about them, point out certain things and animals, and go at their own pace. Fun for the mama too--I'm all about observing the seasons.

Babybug--this is a monthly magazine for babies. We've had a subscription for a few years (thanks to a very generous Gam who loves reading too) and have a nice stack of back issues. Each issue starts with a "Kim and Carrots" story of a young girl with her stuffed bunny and also includes lots of little poems and rhymes appropriate for babies. Rainer is really into the Babybugs right now. Go figure. But again, I'm delighted. We're about to switch over to Ladybug but our big stack of back issues will keep us going.

Pat the Bunny--another classic. Rainer is especially good and enthusiastic about putting his finger through "mummy's ring."

Off to Bed--this board book has staggered "easy to open" pages and big photos of household objects in a one-word-per-page format, which is great for this age group, I think. I love it because the photos are artfully black and white with just the main subject of each page in color.

Where's Spot?--both boys love the simple text and the "lift the flaps" of this classic board book. I remember reading this one to Jacob too. Spot's mommy is looking for him but keeps encountering different animals.

These are just what seem to work for Rainer at the moment. It sure is fun keeping him engaged and seeing what he'll like next. Soon I'll do a list of what the three year old is liking because that is getting very very fun. Do you have any special books your toddlers love? Share away in the comments if you like.