This Week in Food

We stayed home this weekend–a much needed break from the constant back and forth between Alabama and Florida. Managing a serious illness is hard work, and we often feel like we don’t necessarily make the right decision, always, just the best we can. For example, staying home this weekend means that we’re missing out on some of the already limited time we have left with my mother-in-law. But it did give us a chance to rest and relieve at least a little of the stress on our bodies, minds, & relationship–not to mention home! I spent the weekend in a curious combination of doing a WHOLE BUNCH of laundry and laying about with my husband. His idea of a perfect, slacker weekend is lots of computer time and a movie marathon. Last evening we ate dinner in front of the tv and watched Howl’s Moving Castle. Such a great film and any time I watch a Miyazaki film, I want them ALL.

This week’s menu is similarly relaxed, although I am working on keeping my protein and iron intakes up, as those are two nutrients I tend to ignore when I’m feeling busy and stressed. And that really comes back to bite me, because I just feel wiped out on top of all the other stuff.

Monday

• Banana bread, orange, coffee
• Leftover pasta, green salad, apple
• Potluck dinner at community meeting (I’m taking 3 Bean Chili)

Tuesday

• Oatmeal w/almonds and dried fruit
• Leftover pasta, carrot sticks, fruit
• Caribbean fish in a packet, cumin roasted cauliflower

Wednesday

• Green breakfast smoothie (first time I’m trying this), coffee
• Tuna melt on toasted w.w. english muffin, carrot and celery sticks, fruit
• Lasagna Florentine, Sauteed Broccoli w/garlic

Thursday

• Oatmeal w/almonds and dried fruit, coffee
• Leftover lasagna, broccoli, fruit
• Veggie and tofu stir-dry, brown rice

Friday

• Green smoothie, coffee
• Leftovers, fruit
• Vegetable fried rice (using stir-fry left overs)

My goal is to post midweek with my recipe for fish in a packet. It’s more a technique than a recipe, I suppose, but it’s so good and we really love it.

This Week in Food

Another busy week culminating in a trip to Alabama. We’ve got that drive down to a science almost. Well, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that we are rarely surprised. On the way there we stop at McDonald’s for coffee, but leave early enough to get to Birmingham before we need to stop for lunch (it’s an 8 hour drive–you do the math!). On the way home we stop for coffee and then again for lunch/early dinner–usually Subway. I used to get all worked up about making everything we ate on road trips, but in the interest of sanity, I’ve kind of fallen away from that. I still pack lots of snacks, but traveling almost every weekend means my only free time is Tuesday – Friday after work. And, you know, the laundry has to get done sometime! All this traveling has led to a certain portliness on my part, so it’s back to the meticulous planning of everything I eat. I also need to find some easy stretches I can do in the car–16 hours of traveling over two days has really made me acknowledge that I ain’t no spring chicken! I think I need one of those contoured back pillows, actually, which makes me feel really old because my grandfather always used one.

Check out more meal plans at orgjunkie. Please ignore my capricious capitalization!

Meal Plan: Monday 2/9/09 – Friday 2/13/09

Breakfasts (repeated as desired)

• Oatmeal w/almonds & cranberries, milk , coffee
• Strawberry-banana yogurt smoothie, graham crackers
• Scrambled egg w/salsa and cheese, whole wheat toast, coffee

AM Snacks

• Celery w/ peanut butter
• Carrot sticks w/chive dip
• Grape tomatoes, cheese cubes
• Half of a baked sweet potato, walnuts

Lunch

• Chicken salad over mixed greens & vegetables, crackers
• Leftover bisque, green salad, crackers
• Leftover pasta, broccoli
• Hearty Salad w/hard boiled egg and cheese, crackers

Afternoon Snacks

• Apple slices, cheese
• Banana w/peanut butter
• Cottage cheese w/pineapples
• Maple yogurt, strawberries
• Orange slices, almonds

Dinner

• Leftovers
• Sweet Potato, Jalapeno, & Corn Bisque, Cheese Toast
• Pasta alla Puttanesca, Steamed Broccoli w/Garlic Butter
• Simple Omelet, Mixed Green Salad
• General Tso’s Tofu & Broccoli, Brown Rice

As you’ve probably noticed, we eat vegetarian meals most of the time. Fish or seafood makes it onto the menu 2-4 times a month, maybe, and I will occasionally order a burger or BLT when we eat out. But generally I don’t cook meat at home. It usually seems a waste of time and money when I am the only one who will eat it. But this week I really had a craving for chicken salad. I make mine using skinless, boneless chicken breasts. There are FAR more frugal ways to make chicken salad, but they generally rely on you eating meat often enough to warrant having a whole chicken on hand. For a once in a while treat, this works for me.

Laura’s Chicken Salad

Poached Chicken Breasts

1 or 2 chicken breasts

water to cover

3 garlic cloves, peeled and scored

3 peppercorns

half a lemon

• Place chicken in a saucepan, cover with water and add aromatics. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into the poaching liquid, then plop the juiced lemon in as well. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until done–about 12-15 minutes.
• Remove to cutting board and allow to rest until cool enough to handle. cut into rough cubes or tear into bite size strips. Place in a medium mixing bowl.

Salad

Mayonnaise

Mustard

Freshly ground pepper

Handful of grapes, halved

1 crisp apple, roughly chopped

1 or 2 scallions, white and green part, sliced

2 tbsp. dried cranberries

2 tbsp. chopped walnuts

• Toss chicken, apple, grapes & scallions together, season with pepper. Add mayonnaise and mustard to taste (I like stone ground mustard and less is better as far as the mayonnaise is concerned–it can take over really quickly). Add cranberries & walnuts and toss until just combined. This is tasty on it’s own or in a sandwich.

Resolution Recap #1

Trying to keep myself accountable! Lately, my most difficult area has been physical fitness. I don’t know why I am so unmotivated. But that really needs to be my focus this month, I think. We are busy, but I need to stop using that as an excuse.

1. Health–Primarily, I need to exercise more. But I can also tweak my diet and really cut back on the refined sugars. I have a deadly sweet tooth and lately have allowed Coke back into my diet. Bad, bad, bad. Those of you who can drink soda in moderation, I salute your forbearance. I have one Coke and it’s all over. So, no more soda. At all, ever. In this respect, abstinence is the only answer. Additionally, I would like to have an in-depth blood work up and start thinking more concretely about my future health. I’m turning 30 in a week and that’s got me thinking. Plus, I’m watching my parents and extended family age and I’d like to know how to avoid or at least hold off some of the health complications I’m likely to inherit. As stated above, exercising is low on my list of things I want to do. I need to buck up and just do it. I’ve let my guard down a little on the soda thing and have been doing ok at once or twice a week. I haven’t yet scheduled that doctor’s appointment, but would like to have that completed by the end of March.
2. Money–Michael and I are committing to being better stewards of our money this year. Starting with a nitty-gritty financial audit. Bleh–I’m pretty sure I’m going to come out looking bad, here. We stuck to the audit for about 2 weeks. Now we’re just working on a new spending plan, which, mostly, is don’t spend. Also re-evaluated savings plan and have beefed up in that area.
3. Competence Project–I blogged about this a little while ago, but I’d like to continue working at improving those skills (mending, gardening, quilting, etc) and adding some to the roster as I become reasonably competent. I did actually hem some slacks earlier this month. It was surprisingly easy and a good thing to do while watching tv. Need to make this a regular habit, but for now I am just happy with trying!
4. Independence Days Challenge–I will start posting my efforts in this area after we move. But it’s something I feel pretty strongly about and I hope to see real changes over a year! Based on our schedule, and my goals, I think I will post updates once or twice a month. You can find the first one here.
5. Friends and Family–I love my friends and family so very, very much. I need to work harder at showing that love and also at keeping in touch. Well, slow and steady wins the race. Doing ok with this one. Need to call my grandmother tomorrow morning, though!
6. Organization–Basically, I need to find some. Slowly, slowly I feel as though I am getting an idea of how to be (reasonably) organized, but I get frustrated at how long it takes me to show progress in this area. And that usually thwarts me even further. So…slow and steady wins the race and, holy cow, Laura, get rid of all that CRAP!! Again, slow and steady. But I am making some progress. This is another area where developing habits will be a real boon.
7. Relationship–To be the best wife/partner for my man. That sounds so retro, but really, I’m loving how our relationship is just getting deeper–and that requires at least some self-awareness. This is a little note to myself. Good on this one.
8. Career–To give 100% when I’m there and then to leave as much as possible behind when I leave for the day. Also, to do a better job keeping up with professional publications–formal and informal. I’ve let that slide a bit this year. Hmmm….
9. Information Gathering–Just a fancy way of saying that I want to do a better job keeping track of what I read and perhaps reporting back here on this blog. Also hope to keep myself more in line as far as what I read. My brain is atrophying in areas that really need to be in shape! I have a short list of titles I want to throw up here with short reviews. I’m not totally out of the dregs of fiction, but do feel I’m on an upward path.
10. Sustainability/Self-Sufficiency–This goes with the Independence Days Challenge. Focus on what I can do in my life to live more sustainably and self-sufficiently. This includes planting a garden, learning to make things from scratch and learning basic repairs, among other things. Made sourdough starter and bread. Easier than I thought, but I didn’t really love it, so needs some tweaking.

And there we have it! I guess I’m making progress, after all.

Woot!

Steelers 27, Cardinals 23

Sooooo wish I was back in the ‘Burgh right now!!! I’d really like to be there for the parade, too. Sigh…just one more reason I miss my home.

I have to say, though, I was a little nervous during that second half. Larry Fitzgerald is a great receiver (I have a little bit of pride, there, too, since he is a Pitt alum–though he left for the NFL before graduating) and when he scored that second touch down I was biting my nails!!! But Santonio Holmes made some awesome plays in the last couple of minutes and sealed the game.

I also have to admit to a certain amount of superstition as a Steelers fan. For example, I’ve never posted anything about my hard core Steeler love, so I didn’t want to jinx anything by posting once the playoffs came around or even once we were heading to the Super Bowl. But I did make Michael listen to the full cycle of Steelers’ fight songs every evening.

Here We Go Steelers!!!

**Photo is from the Post-Gazette.