September 30th, 2013
Tonight is the last night of September. And it FINALLY felt fallish..sorta...if the wind blew just right and I closed my eyes and pretended I was somewhere more northerly. Since we can no longer swim with out the shivers we closed the pool tonight. Well, WE didn't but WE had it done. While we could have swam after Saturdays MOUNTAIN,...ok hill, climb it would have felt great. It was hot. But the nights are getting a bit colder so the water temp is a bit on the "scream bloody murder b/c it is so cold" side. It always kind of makes me sad to not look out to water glistening at night. Then I get the bill and I am over it.
October for us, heck November too for that matter, can be cruel. You get a few days of cooler breezes and you break out the long shirts and pants and begin to think about stews and pots of steaming chilli. And then that warm gulf air comes back and BAM, it is stinking 80+ degrees on Halloween. You can always tell those people that are not from here b/c they are the ones that buy those thick furry costumes and stuff their kids in them on Halloween to trick or treat. The poor kids about pass out from dehydration and began to ask you for water instead of candy when they knock. You do not see short sleeve Halloween T-Shirts at WalMart for no reason people. I also remember a 65-70 degree Thanksgiving. Hard to eat pumpkin pie in shorts and feel festive. Well almost hard. I can eat pumpkin pie ANYTIME and be festive enough.
And... the tooth fairy will visit tonight. (Provided she remembers. Recently she had an unfortunate mishap and completely forgot to leave money....twice..once for each kid. Yeah, she can be dingy like that but thankfully mom is smart and found that she had actually HID the money just for stinks and giggles behind a picture on the nightstand. I mean is she devious or what! ...cough, cough.. Excuse me I had something stuck in my throat....like guilt!) Any ways, Monkey has finally let go of the tooth that came from Hell. It. would. not. let. go! She had all sorts of new teeth crammed in around it trying to make room and it wasn't budging like a badger on a shoe. (Go watch The Gods must be crazy 2 and you will understand what I mean.) Every morning when I used our new power tooth brush she screamed like I was killing her. Mornings are fun at our house I tell ya...
So just before bedtime she comes to me and says it feels funny and I look and it is very loose. You see mommy doesn't do teeth. (The Lawyer lost one at the movie theater while we were all eating popcorn and proceeded to hand it to me. I looked at her and looked at hubby and said, "What do you want me to do with that nasty thing while I am eating??!!" She said hold it momma. I couldn't' enjoy the movie for thinking of that nasty bit of tooth wrapped in a napkin IN MY POCKET. Ew. Gross. Luckily I didn't forget about it in the wash!) So Monkey presents said wiggly tooth and I send Monkey and her loose tooth with a tissue to hubby, the expert tooth puller. She comes back with a mouth full of blood but smiling. Proud it didn't hurt and that the tooth was out. I couldn't relish the moment from gagging and screeching to, "Put that thing down and rinse your mouth!" That tooth bled and bled. It looked like a murder had occurred in their bathroom with me screeching, "Spit IN the sink! Not in front of it!". Yeah fun times...me and the lysol wipes.
To stop the blood I gave her a baby washcloth and told her to hold pressure on it. I am not sure what that translated to in her mind b/c she got up from bed not less than 3 times to tell me random things. Most of which I can't remember but the last of which was that 9000 + 9000= 18000. I am like un huh so what does this have to do with your tooth? Monkey tells me she learned it today. I am like, "Great. Now go back to bed." Mother of the year award coming I am sure. I am thinking she is just full of things that she has/needs to tell me so whenever they randomly pop in her head, she comes and tells me. Come to think about it, that is kind of like bedtime when I regurgitate everything I needed to remember to tell hubby at 11pm b/c we stayed up watching Goldfinger and Monday Night Football...
P.S. Dinner was frozen pollack, pinto beans and GF Quinoa Mac and Cheese. Yeah the mac and cheese tastes as bad as it sounds. In case you were wondering...in case you weren't too bad! :)
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Homeschool, bacon and homemade hashbrowns
September 29th, 2013
I recently got a new magazine on homeschooling. I am still planning on taking the oldest out and starting her for her 5th grade year. I am excited and terrified. While I have lost some faith in the teachers who have not changed with the changing children, I have a few that I love. But I lost faith in what our schools teach our kids and how they teach them.
Monkey will soon be a square peg in a round hole next year for 4th grade and that terrifies me. She is smart, but is a horrible and inconsistent tester. We just had our mid-mid-term conference based on how she tested on her benchmarks last year. While I can tell she actually did retain some info from last year, and I am thankful I pushed her to continue to do workbooks all summer to rehash that knowledge, she did horrible on her tests. She currently is allowed to test in small groups....which is still too big for her. She needs one on one testing so another 504 meeting is in the cards. And I am thankful for this year's teacher b/c she gets my child and her hurdles but the poor teacher has to figure out how to pull/push her along with the system she is forced to work in.
Which brings me back to homeschooling. After last years struggles, I began to toy with the idea. I decided I would start with Lawyer and cut my teeth on it with her. She reads really well and has a fair grasp on math. So now I am spending this year wading thru the thousands of curricula options. The one thing I have learned so far, is that there is no one size fits all. And even the most seasoned of moms can't tell you which is right for you and your kid. It depends on the kid, their personality, your personality and both your learning styles, as well as time you have to spend doing it. Plus I fear I will forget to do something and be in trouble either with her scores or with the state. Thankfully I have friends and family starting home school and already doing home school but again, their kids are not mine. So I have to experiment on the first kid so that the second kid isn't a horrible struggle. And the second is the one that needs it the most. And ok, the lure of not having to get up or get grumpy tired kids up (even when we do get them in bed on time) is appealing. As well as the freedom to pick up and go and learn history via a tactile way by visiting places. Or even take vacations not tied to a holiday or break. I love to learn new things (the irony here is that I do not like change though...but can read all day about it!) and I want them to love to learn too and I want to do it before their spirit is broken or zombiefied.
I just have to pray, trust my gut, and wade thru lots of material and hope I get it mostly right the first year. AND work a full time job. Thankfully, I can juggle the work in to whatever hours I need to get things done as long as I am available to my customers 8-5. I do that anyways. And I recently did it for myself juggling my own schooling when I went back to get my master's degree.
My other lure is that I can feed the kids hot or cold lunches and try new things and they can eat when they are hungry, not when a school dictates it. And, I can feed them things that don't have to sit or fear that I might give them food poisoning b/c the thermos doesn't keep the food warm like I thought it would... true story. But one of the bigger things, is sickness. They are basically going to school when they are sick with 99 fever b/c someone decided that is ok. I don't' know about anyone else but when I run 99 fever I feel like someone beat me with a ball bat. Sometimes you do too much on the weekend and are still tired, uh like climb really big hills! (Alright, I think the kids are still tired from that b/c they are still a bit whiny but I will admit my thighs are still not happy about that little hike yesterday!)
We were supposed to go with some friends to a pumpkin patch today but 1) hubby has a sore foot for reasons unknown and didn't want to be on it again, 2) it looked like rain...I melt in rain and, 3) I need time to prep for the week mentally and literally. (I need to plan out dinners, get lunches prepped, and food on the table for that night.) So we passed. It ended up raining out the day we heard, so my day was not a total slob fest. I did get laundry done, school week prep done, Sunday paper read, one magazine finished, Hayday taken care of (b/c that is important ya know), and dinner cooked. We needed a veg out day. Missed church, but I am not sure either of us could hobble up the stairs to our back row baptist...I mean balcony spots.
Tonight I went the easy route. I have recently turned the kids on to hash-browns. Then I turned them on to homemade versions of it. We had bacon, scrambled eggs (not the lawyer who gags on them), wheat toast (not hubby who...well lets just say it isn't pleasant for him), and homemade hash-browns. I took a red and a yellow medium size potato, peeled it, shredded it with cheese grater, and then squeezed the water out of it. Then I heated some olive oil in pan, dropped it in, and cooked it for about 7 min on one side and flipped it. I have an orgreenic pan I love that is 10 inch and I can flip the hash-browns with the flick of a wrist due to the nonstick! (It basically is a disaster waiting to happen but I have fun trying!) Kids were happy, hubby was happy, and belly's were full! Voila! Now to thaw out something for tomorrow...
I recently got a new magazine on homeschooling. I am still planning on taking the oldest out and starting her for her 5th grade year. I am excited and terrified. While I have lost some faith in the teachers who have not changed with the changing children, I have a few that I love. But I lost faith in what our schools teach our kids and how they teach them.
Monkey will soon be a square peg in a round hole next year for 4th grade and that terrifies me. She is smart, but is a horrible and inconsistent tester. We just had our mid-mid-term conference based on how she tested on her benchmarks last year. While I can tell she actually did retain some info from last year, and I am thankful I pushed her to continue to do workbooks all summer to rehash that knowledge, she did horrible on her tests. She currently is allowed to test in small groups....which is still too big for her. She needs one on one testing so another 504 meeting is in the cards. And I am thankful for this year's teacher b/c she gets my child and her hurdles but the poor teacher has to figure out how to pull/push her along with the system she is forced to work in.
Which brings me back to homeschooling. After last years struggles, I began to toy with the idea. I decided I would start with Lawyer and cut my teeth on it with her. She reads really well and has a fair grasp on math. So now I am spending this year wading thru the thousands of curricula options. The one thing I have learned so far, is that there is no one size fits all. And even the most seasoned of moms can't tell you which is right for you and your kid. It depends on the kid, their personality, your personality and both your learning styles, as well as time you have to spend doing it. Plus I fear I will forget to do something and be in trouble either with her scores or with the state. Thankfully I have friends and family starting home school and already doing home school but again, their kids are not mine. So I have to experiment on the first kid so that the second kid isn't a horrible struggle. And the second is the one that needs it the most. And ok, the lure of not having to get up or get grumpy tired kids up (even when we do get them in bed on time) is appealing. As well as the freedom to pick up and go and learn history via a tactile way by visiting places. Or even take vacations not tied to a holiday or break. I love to learn new things (the irony here is that I do not like change though...but can read all day about it!) and I want them to love to learn too and I want to do it before their spirit is broken or zombiefied.
I just have to pray, trust my gut, and wade thru lots of material and hope I get it mostly right the first year. AND work a full time job. Thankfully, I can juggle the work in to whatever hours I need to get things done as long as I am available to my customers 8-5. I do that anyways. And I recently did it for myself juggling my own schooling when I went back to get my master's degree.
My other lure is that I can feed the kids hot or cold lunches and try new things and they can eat when they are hungry, not when a school dictates it. And, I can feed them things that don't have to sit or fear that I might give them food poisoning b/c the thermos doesn't keep the food warm like I thought it would... true story. But one of the bigger things, is sickness. They are basically going to school when they are sick with 99 fever b/c someone decided that is ok. I don't' know about anyone else but when I run 99 fever I feel like someone beat me with a ball bat. Sometimes you do too much on the weekend and are still tired, uh like climb really big hills! (Alright, I think the kids are still tired from that b/c they are still a bit whiny but I will admit my thighs are still not happy about that little hike yesterday!)
We were supposed to go with some friends to a pumpkin patch today but 1) hubby has a sore foot for reasons unknown and didn't want to be on it again, 2) it looked like rain...I melt in rain and, 3) I need time to prep for the week mentally and literally. (I need to plan out dinners, get lunches prepped, and food on the table for that night.) So we passed. It ended up raining out the day we heard, so my day was not a total slob fest. I did get laundry done, school week prep done, Sunday paper read, one magazine finished, Hayday taken care of (b/c that is important ya know), and dinner cooked. We needed a veg out day. Missed church, but I am not sure either of us could hobble up the stairs to our back row baptist...I mean balcony spots.
Tonight I went the easy route. I have recently turned the kids on to hash-browns. Then I turned them on to homemade versions of it. We had bacon, scrambled eggs (not the lawyer who gags on them), wheat toast (not hubby who...well lets just say it isn't pleasant for him), and homemade hash-browns. I took a red and a yellow medium size potato, peeled it, shredded it with cheese grater, and then squeezed the water out of it. Then I heated some olive oil in pan, dropped it in, and cooked it for about 7 min on one side and flipped it. I have an orgreenic pan I love that is 10 inch and I can flip the hash-browns with the flick of a wrist due to the nonstick! (It basically is a disaster waiting to happen but I have fun trying!) Kids were happy, hubby was happy, and belly's were full! Voila! Now to thaw out something for tomorrow...
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Mountains, picnics, and asian food
September 28th, 2013
So today our family of 4 decided to climb our local mountain. Well, really it is very large hill just at over 1000 feet in elevation but it is a mountain to us! While not the tallest body in our state, it is the closest to us and very easily tackled with a 9 and 8 year old. Ok, easy being no one died, broke anything, or bled. I call that a win!
This morning hubby decides this would be a great outing. I agreed it would be versus the kids sitting at their electronic mind suckers all day and that includes me and my magazines, iPad, and too many cups of joe. We did manage to get out the door at about 11am. Perfect b/c the kids will be good and hungry... and cranky (turns out that was the best motivator to get back down said hill: the promise of being fed more than two PB crackers). We hit the bottom of the trail, along with what seemed like half of our state, at a little after noon.
It was a fairly uneventful day. Although, I was reminded, more than I care to mention, that my left knee has not been happy about stairs and steps or holding my weight while I step and try to tackle one of these obstacles. I have injured both knees in the past, one was a college soccer injury where I twisted it being graceful and the other, the left one, was where I fell in shoe covers on a wet floor and twisted it under me. See, I don't break bones I just horribly mangle my tendons and ligaments and crack the bones. Great genetic trait eh? Here lately during my spin bike riding it has been a bit tender on some mornings and it also gives me fits coming up the stairs in the garage.
So this is what I was concentrating on while Monkey was steadily stopping in front of me, trying to be sweet and lend a hand, but in the process becoming a mini talkative road block. After a while I wasn't sure how she was talking or really what she was saying...all I could hear was the wind sucking past my mouth trying to get into my lungs and me sounding like asthmatic bear albeit with a cute water bag over my shoulder! I could hear the Lawyer talking non stop to hubby about the game Mindcraft and some mods (modifications for you non geeks) and asking a bazillion questions. These are the same two that we got out on the bike recently and sucked wind so hard I was a bit afraid they each my pass out!
25 minutes later, we reached the east summit. The Lawyer was getting tired and stumbling more, which is not normal b/c this is my graceful child (she did NOT get that from her mother). She got right to the summit and stumbled and sat down, cried, and stated she would not go any further. I said, "Get thou hiney up and walk 20 more feet b/c WE ARE ALREADY AT THE TOP!" Great lesson on "you can do anything you set your mind to" but not the best timing to warrent it. She got up and stumbled and whined but made it. (I do have picture proof). We rested on this summit and enjoyed the breeze, the sun, well ok not so much b/c it was HOT, and the gorgeous views of a local lake and the main river that runs thru the state.
Monkey was already over the edge stumbling and talking the whole time looking to see what was on the other side of the next rock giving her mother a slight heart attack in the process. We then all stumbled and slid to the West summit (this hill is kind of like a horseshoe at the top) and marked it done then proceeded to slide, stumble, and hop back down the hill. Dodging runners, slobbering dogs, crying children, and persistently annoying sweat bees in the process.
In the parking lot we sat in the car and ate lunch. I was able to throw together a few things that satisfied all parties. I made ham and cheese sandwich on whole wheat and split it between Monkey and I. The Lawyer got a PB sandwich on whole wheat, and hubster got PB on GF table crackers. Then we passed around sunflower seeds, an orange, GF yogurt covered pretzels (Shhh, don't tell Lawyer, she will eat them as long as I take them out of the bag so she can't read they are Gluten Free. Hey, it works!) and lots more cold water. Then we enjoyed the breeze for a little longer and got back in the care and drove home. It was about 3:15 by then. We all chilled out for a while and rested. Then I began to think about dinner....
While in the park, I smelled someone grilling burgers and I always loved camping and grilling out. So I had that smell and food stuck in my head. My problem was that I thawed out a package of organic chicken. Boo. Burgers would have to wait for now. I attempted to make chicken Lo Mein. Attempted being the operative word. It sucked. I mean we ate it b/c we were hungry, well Lawyer took one bite and declared it disgusting. I had to agree it was not great, so I gave her chemical laced mac and cheese in a microwavable bowl. Hey, 3 our of 4 healthy eaters is a start! The rest of us choked down...I mean ate the meal. We devoured the chicken voraciously and at a few noodles. Hubby drowned his in Teriyaki sauce...I tried it but I forgot I am not a fan of that stuff. So needless to say, both kids snacked on organic crackers after that for their before bed snack.
I have learned, mostly, to not beat myself up over that stuff and failed meals. I tried to make a home cooked meal, that was healthy, and GF, and for all of us. This one was a scratch, not a complete one but it was obvious I did not put in the time, effort, or thought via the lack of taste. I was uninspired and very tired. I mean I had just climbed a huge "mountain" for crying out loud!
So today our family of 4 decided to climb our local mountain. Well, really it is very large hill just at over 1000 feet in elevation but it is a mountain to us! While not the tallest body in our state, it is the closest to us and very easily tackled with a 9 and 8 year old. Ok, easy being no one died, broke anything, or bled. I call that a win!
This morning hubby decides this would be a great outing. I agreed it would be versus the kids sitting at their electronic mind suckers all day and that includes me and my magazines, iPad, and too many cups of joe. We did manage to get out the door at about 11am. Perfect b/c the kids will be good and hungry... and cranky (turns out that was the best motivator to get back down said hill: the promise of being fed more than two PB crackers). We hit the bottom of the trail, along with what seemed like half of our state, at a little after noon.
It was a fairly uneventful day. Although, I was reminded, more than I care to mention, that my left knee has not been happy about stairs and steps or holding my weight while I step and try to tackle one of these obstacles. I have injured both knees in the past, one was a college soccer injury where I twisted it being graceful and the other, the left one, was where I fell in shoe covers on a wet floor and twisted it under me. See, I don't break bones I just horribly mangle my tendons and ligaments and crack the bones. Great genetic trait eh? Here lately during my spin bike riding it has been a bit tender on some mornings and it also gives me fits coming up the stairs in the garage.
So this is what I was concentrating on while Monkey was steadily stopping in front of me, trying to be sweet and lend a hand, but in the process becoming a mini talkative road block. After a while I wasn't sure how she was talking or really what she was saying...all I could hear was the wind sucking past my mouth trying to get into my lungs and me sounding like asthmatic bear albeit with a cute water bag over my shoulder! I could hear the Lawyer talking non stop to hubby about the game Mindcraft and some mods (modifications for you non geeks) and asking a bazillion questions. These are the same two that we got out on the bike recently and sucked wind so hard I was a bit afraid they each my pass out!
25 minutes later, we reached the east summit. The Lawyer was getting tired and stumbling more, which is not normal b/c this is my graceful child (she did NOT get that from her mother). She got right to the summit and stumbled and sat down, cried, and stated she would not go any further. I said, "Get thou hiney up and walk 20 more feet b/c WE ARE ALREADY AT THE TOP!" Great lesson on "you can do anything you set your mind to" but not the best timing to warrent it. She got up and stumbled and whined but made it. (I do have picture proof). We rested on this summit and enjoyed the breeze, the sun, well ok not so much b/c it was HOT, and the gorgeous views of a local lake and the main river that runs thru the state.
Monkey was already over the edge stumbling and talking the whole time looking to see what was on the other side of the next rock giving her mother a slight heart attack in the process. We then all stumbled and slid to the West summit (this hill is kind of like a horseshoe at the top) and marked it done then proceeded to slide, stumble, and hop back down the hill. Dodging runners, slobbering dogs, crying children, and persistently annoying sweat bees in the process.
In the parking lot we sat in the car and ate lunch. I was able to throw together a few things that satisfied all parties. I made ham and cheese sandwich on whole wheat and split it between Monkey and I. The Lawyer got a PB sandwich on whole wheat, and hubster got PB on GF table crackers. Then we passed around sunflower seeds, an orange, GF yogurt covered pretzels (Shhh, don't tell Lawyer, she will eat them as long as I take them out of the bag so she can't read they are Gluten Free. Hey, it works!) and lots more cold water. Then we enjoyed the breeze for a little longer and got back in the care and drove home. It was about 3:15 by then. We all chilled out for a while and rested. Then I began to think about dinner....
While in the park, I smelled someone grilling burgers and I always loved camping and grilling out. So I had that smell and food stuck in my head. My problem was that I thawed out a package of organic chicken. Boo. Burgers would have to wait for now. I attempted to make chicken Lo Mein. Attempted being the operative word. It sucked. I mean we ate it b/c we were hungry, well Lawyer took one bite and declared it disgusting. I had to agree it was not great, so I gave her chemical laced mac and cheese in a microwavable bowl. Hey, 3 our of 4 healthy eaters is a start! The rest of us choked down...I mean ate the meal. We devoured the chicken voraciously and at a few noodles. Hubby drowned his in Teriyaki sauce...I tried it but I forgot I am not a fan of that stuff. So needless to say, both kids snacked on organic crackers after that for their before bed snack.
I have learned, mostly, to not beat myself up over that stuff and failed meals. I tried to make a home cooked meal, that was healthy, and GF, and for all of us. This one was a scratch, not a complete one but it was obvious I did not put in the time, effort, or thought via the lack of taste. I was uninspired and very tired. I mean I had just climbed a huge "mountain" for crying out loud!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Pickled Yellow
September 25, 2013
So I already knew that Ice Cream can have dyes in it if you get the very sugary colored kind but what I did NOT know, was that the food industry are putting dye in my pickles! I mean really, why does a green pickle need yellow dye?? Wouldn't that make it blue? This makes me mad and why a quick trip to the grocery store for me turns in to hours. And our family does not have allergies thankfully, so I can't imagine how diligent those mothers have to be. Well I guess I do understand a bit, due to hubby's gluten intolerance he can't have wheat but you can kind of quickly figure most of that out, except when they tricked us and put wheat in soy sauce. We still run into bouts of cramping when he gets into something that is not obvious which is very frustrating for both of us b/c we are so diligent!
Thankfully I have a network of friends who try to watch out for chemicals and hidden additives, be it real food or petroleum. Otherwise, I would go nuts and feel like a freak. Well most of my close friends would agree that I am a freak but I am ok with that, just not the nut case freak type. As if that clears it up for you....
So the past two days are the type of days you dread. The days that test your resolve and will power. Last night, we had Chinese takeout. Not horrible but I had plans to make some fish balls. Yesterday was a bust b/c the Lawyer and I also had Pizza Inn. I did have a friend show up who only ate the tops of her pizza and not the crust and this totally fascinated me. I am sure I was wonderful conversation material due to my fascination! I had never thought of doing that. Honestly I am not sure I have the will power to do that either, come to think of it. BUT, we had our day and then we got back to it today. I have learned thru my weight loss journey that it isn't about the food, it is how you treat the food, and I am not letting it rule me. So what if I had two meals that were from a restaurant, today I rode on my spin bike hard and ate better. One bad day, does not make for a completely bad week. Work stress has certainly NOT been helpful , but if you work, you have stress at some point. Thankfully, I got thru it and tackled our meal tonight. I got a late start again due to another crazy work day, but I was able to bake the fish until it was flaky, then put it in bowl with cheese and egg, almond and seasonings and throw it in a pan full of coconut oil and fry up some tilapia cakes. (Find the recipe on 24/7 Lowcarbdiner.com and search for tilapia tots. ) My version of crab cakes. Then I just made a pan of white rice. Not one of my better meals but much better than take out!
Speaking of out...so I get a request from Monkey's third grade teacher to discuss her lovely benchmark scores. She will need an Academic Improvement Plan even though she is smart as a whip she just could care less about tests or what they do to her outlook. I too was a horrible test taker and had all over the place scores. Yet I was a B, low A, student. So thankfully, this teacher so far has been wonderful so we shall see what her plan is for Monkey. Even if I home-school, she has to take the dreaded benchmarks. I don't' think half the adults could pass one of the tests these days!
So I already knew that Ice Cream can have dyes in it if you get the very sugary colored kind but what I did NOT know, was that the food industry are putting dye in my pickles! I mean really, why does a green pickle need yellow dye?? Wouldn't that make it blue? This makes me mad and why a quick trip to the grocery store for me turns in to hours. And our family does not have allergies thankfully, so I can't imagine how diligent those mothers have to be. Well I guess I do understand a bit, due to hubby's gluten intolerance he can't have wheat but you can kind of quickly figure most of that out, except when they tricked us and put wheat in soy sauce. We still run into bouts of cramping when he gets into something that is not obvious which is very frustrating for both of us b/c we are so diligent!
Thankfully I have a network of friends who try to watch out for chemicals and hidden additives, be it real food or petroleum. Otherwise, I would go nuts and feel like a freak. Well most of my close friends would agree that I am a freak but I am ok with that, just not the nut case freak type. As if that clears it up for you....
So the past two days are the type of days you dread. The days that test your resolve and will power. Last night, we had Chinese takeout. Not horrible but I had plans to make some fish balls. Yesterday was a bust b/c the Lawyer and I also had Pizza Inn. I did have a friend show up who only ate the tops of her pizza and not the crust and this totally fascinated me. I am sure I was wonderful conversation material due to my fascination! I had never thought of doing that. Honestly I am not sure I have the will power to do that either, come to think of it. BUT, we had our day and then we got back to it today. I have learned thru my weight loss journey that it isn't about the food, it is how you treat the food, and I am not letting it rule me. So what if I had two meals that were from a restaurant, today I rode on my spin bike hard and ate better. One bad day, does not make for a completely bad week. Work stress has certainly NOT been helpful , but if you work, you have stress at some point. Thankfully, I got thru it and tackled our meal tonight. I got a late start again due to another crazy work day, but I was able to bake the fish until it was flaky, then put it in bowl with cheese and egg, almond and seasonings and throw it in a pan full of coconut oil and fry up some tilapia cakes. (Find the recipe on 24/7 Lowcarbdiner.com and search for tilapia tots. ) My version of crab cakes. Then I just made a pan of white rice. Not one of my better meals but much better than take out!
Speaking of out...so I get a request from Monkey's third grade teacher to discuss her lovely benchmark scores. She will need an Academic Improvement Plan even though she is smart as a whip she just could care less about tests or what they do to her outlook. I too was a horrible test taker and had all over the place scores. Yet I was a B, low A, student. So thankfully, this teacher so far has been wonderful so we shall see what her plan is for Monkey. Even if I home-school, she has to take the dreaded benchmarks. I don't' think half the adults could pass one of the tests these days!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Cracker Barrell and Fish balls
September 23rd, 2013
Mid-semester report cards came out. (Does this ever not feel painful?) So Monkey has a great memory...until she needs to write it down. Then she has sudden amnesia. I had a long talk in the car with her on the way back from dropping off the Lawyer, reluctantly, to art class. Monkey is the kid that quotes, almost verbatim, commercials, video game stories, and movies! She also was told that she needed much prompting and re-directing. I told her that isn't going to cut it. She successfully remembered to bring home a school planner without my prompting and she remembered to put her shoes back in her room, without me harping at her. (Well the pair she had on in the car, NOT the pair at the foot of my desk she kicked off after school. Baby steps) I reminded her, ironically, that she has a great memory but that mommy has done WAY too much remembering for her and now she has to retrain her brain so that she remembers the things that mommy used to remember for her. I got way too much to remember for everyone so momma needs a break! Got to keep retraining her and getting her to not rely on others to get her by. Have to rethink this one and my strategies.
New Strategy tonight, her nightly 1 chapter required reading is now followed by a couple sentences about what she read written in her journal. I am trying to train her to 1) write neat, 2) have reading comprehension, and 3) make that comprehension into a writing lesson so she connects the two. Neither of the kids are great writers but then again you have probably figure out nor am I! Practice, practice!
So my cooking went awry yesterday, well at least for dinner. I did manage to have hubby cook an entire package of bacon to warm up on school mornings, while I made pumpkin muffins and bread for school breakfasts. But our afternoon plans changed so last night we let Cracker Barrel feed us and while I don't like to go out to eat all that much, it was late after a family reunion and it was better than most choices glaring at us. Monkey had green beans, corn, and chicken strips, Lawyer had 2 giant pancakes and 2 strips of bacon. (Her daddy ate breakfast too, must be a genetic thing). I can't plan for every meal like I should due to lazy weekend attitudes and sudden family trips. I can be smart about our derailments though and sometimes you gotta let someone else do the cooking but it should not have a drive thru!
So tonight I beat the tar out of some pork steaks, drowned some carrots, half an onion, and some red potatoes in olive oil and sprinkled Cavenders, and salt and pepper. Wrapped it up in foil and threw it, literally, in the oven before taking the Lawyer to art. Came home and cut ends off of fresh green beans and dumped some wonderful Coursey's meat chunks in it and put it to boil for a while. Looks awesome, now I have to wait until hubby and Lawyer get home. Did I mention I hate waiting?
I did have time to run to the grocery this am and was having no ideas as to dinner menus this week. I have learned to be patient as something will hit me and get the creative juices flowing. I found some GF Teriyaki sauce so going Asian on Wed night with some chicken and rice. Tues will do fish balls (tilapia and almond meal recipe I got from a friend. It has a much better name but this one is more fun we decided!) and what ever veggies I have in the crisper. Haven't made it to Th mentally yet so TBD. So if you see me, the couple that know who I am, standing in the grocery store staring at something. I am not catatonic. Well mostly...I am just thinking about what to do with whatever it is I am staring at and what to pair with it. So don't slip me psychiatrist/therapists numbers, I am just in deep thought. :)
Mid-semester report cards came out. (Does this ever not feel painful?) So Monkey has a great memory...until she needs to write it down. Then she has sudden amnesia. I had a long talk in the car with her on the way back from dropping off the Lawyer, reluctantly, to art class. Monkey is the kid that quotes, almost verbatim, commercials, video game stories, and movies! She also was told that she needed much prompting and re-directing. I told her that isn't going to cut it. She successfully remembered to bring home a school planner without my prompting and she remembered to put her shoes back in her room, without me harping at her. (Well the pair she had on in the car, NOT the pair at the foot of my desk she kicked off after school. Baby steps) I reminded her, ironically, that she has a great memory but that mommy has done WAY too much remembering for her and now she has to retrain her brain so that she remembers the things that mommy used to remember for her. I got way too much to remember for everyone so momma needs a break! Got to keep retraining her and getting her to not rely on others to get her by. Have to rethink this one and my strategies.
New Strategy tonight, her nightly 1 chapter required reading is now followed by a couple sentences about what she read written in her journal. I am trying to train her to 1) write neat, 2) have reading comprehension, and 3) make that comprehension into a writing lesson so she connects the two. Neither of the kids are great writers but then again you have probably figure out nor am I! Practice, practice!
So my cooking went awry yesterday, well at least for dinner. I did manage to have hubby cook an entire package of bacon to warm up on school mornings, while I made pumpkin muffins and bread for school breakfasts. But our afternoon plans changed so last night we let Cracker Barrel feed us and while I don't like to go out to eat all that much, it was late after a family reunion and it was better than most choices glaring at us. Monkey had green beans, corn, and chicken strips, Lawyer had 2 giant pancakes and 2 strips of bacon. (Her daddy ate breakfast too, must be a genetic thing). I can't plan for every meal like I should due to lazy weekend attitudes and sudden family trips. I can be smart about our derailments though and sometimes you gotta let someone else do the cooking but it should not have a drive thru!
So tonight I beat the tar out of some pork steaks, drowned some carrots, half an onion, and some red potatoes in olive oil and sprinkled Cavenders, and salt and pepper. Wrapped it up in foil and threw it, literally, in the oven before taking the Lawyer to art. Came home and cut ends off of fresh green beans and dumped some wonderful Coursey's meat chunks in it and put it to boil for a while. Looks awesome, now I have to wait until hubby and Lawyer get home. Did I mention I hate waiting?
I did have time to run to the grocery this am and was having no ideas as to dinner menus this week. I have learned to be patient as something will hit me and get the creative juices flowing. I found some GF Teriyaki sauce so going Asian on Wed night with some chicken and rice. Tues will do fish balls (tilapia and almond meal recipe I got from a friend. It has a much better name but this one is more fun we decided!) and what ever veggies I have in the crisper. Haven't made it to Th mentally yet so TBD. So if you see me, the couple that know who I am, standing in the grocery store staring at something. I am not catatonic. Well mostly...I am just thinking about what to do with whatever it is I am staring at and what to pair with it. So don't slip me psychiatrist/therapists numbers, I am just in deep thought. :)
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Kool-Aid and cucumbers
September 21st, 2013
So Monkey has developed kool-aid lip again. I have let her have lots of yogurt b/c Yoplait retooled it to use natural colorings and cut out the sugars and corn syrups.Yay! However, since I have been letting her have it a lot she has begun licking her lips again. This is the fun thing called food sensitivities for which they have no tests for. You just notice, "Hey when I eat X I get Y reaction". Kelly Dorfman in her book What's eating your child? called it being a food detective. Yep, I have got my trench coat and magnifying glass out on this one. We thought it was a soy allergy but turns out she has no food allergies, only food sensitivities...meaning it shows up occasionally but not consistently. My plan is to take Monkey off her beloved yogurt and cheese (read "dairy") for 10 days and see if her lip clears up. If so, I will have to limit her exposure to it. Thankfully, she does love Almond, Coconut, AND, Soy milks so not all is lost (except that they don't really have yogurts). These alternatives are great especially since they have great chocolate flavors! Just wish they would come up with a strawberry one, hint hint Silk and other brands!
So this is my life. Trying to avoid dyes and junk (chemicals) in our foods and then trying to figure out vague food issues when we do come across them. This is why I journaled, to chronicle her exposures and what worked and what hasn't. It keeps me sane. Well, as sane as my genetics allow me to be...I now share my ramblings with you, aren't you so lucky!
The newest thing in my life, besides the lip thing, is that Monkey (my best eater) has suddenly gotten picky and not adventuresome in eating. Yet the Lawyer ( the picky one) has decided she wants to try new things. Today I got her to eat a cucumber slathered in ranch and salt. (Ok, you say that is not very healthy drowning, it but the alternative is her processed chicken flavored stick...I win). The last time we tried the cucumber was after successfully getting her to try lettuce with ranch on it. She saw her sister dive into the dressing with carrots and cukes. I had a cuke on hand and unfortunately it had gone the way of the snowbirds in winter...south. It was SOUR. Too. Late. She screwed up her face like I gave her cod liver oil. Then I thought I would show her and ate one too. Then promptly spit it out so fast, and hard, it nearly missed my plate! So today, I made sure I had a fresh one and she tried it and...wait for it....SHE LIKED IT. Mountains can move people.
Now back to Monkey. I made enchiladas last night. They are not elaborate at all which may be my first problem. Hubby used to be an electrician in a former life and an older peer gave him the recipe, come to think about it I think it was written on a piece of torn box, fancy eh? Anyway, hubby and I made it last night. Warmed up corn tortillas with oil in skillet, had already fried up some lean ground beef, and had Monkey shred us up some cheese from a block of medium cheddar. (Side note: I stopped buying the pre-shred when sis-in-law [SIL] said they used wax and wood fibers to keep it from sticking together. Wow, never noticed. And that is what I loved about shredded block cheese was that it stuck to itself in wonderful globs!) We had a can of mild enchilada sauce and some onion flakes. She helped us build them so I thought ok she knows I have hid nothing in her food (burrito incident occurred where I tried to sneak in black beans...it did not go well). Sprinkled more cheese on top and then stuck in oven to melt cheese. She took one bite and it was a fight the rest of the time. Not sure if she didn't like the sweet enchilada sauce or what it was b/c she loves taquitos. She ended up choosing to not eat the meal and buy her an early ticket to shower and bed.
These are the type of nights I grew up with that I try to avoid........tears, angry words, huge aversion to dishes that will never be touched again due to a burned in hatred of said food from these fights. People, it isn't' worth it. While I am not going to be a short order cook for my kids, and while I do cook something different for the Lawyer, b/c she would choose nothing every time just to prove a point, I will not starve them nor will I let my non-picky one pitch a fit. I just so love these kinds of nights!
In all honesty, I think she did not feel well, was tired from a hot day at school and having to be "on" mentally all day, plus a sudden growth spurt. She has these occasionally moments where she wont' eat anything new and her usual favorites. They are just far enough apart that I forget we all lived thru it.
Growth spurts: Both girls did this when they were little, you remember they would cry FOR HOURS FOR NO REASON. I read, was told, heard, who knows, that they were experiencing a growth spurt and it would pass in about 2 weeks. Which is martian years that is like 6 months to a sleep deprived milking cow, er I mean mom...And guess what? It did. It went away. So I am chalking this up to a growth spurt. I mean this is a kid that eats sushi for crying out loud. I still won't eat that stuff myself! I want my food dead, very dead. Not roadkill dead, just dead and not still warm from the kill dead like some of you oddballs. Sorry hubby. I do love you though. :)
It is nights/weeks like this that I wonder why I am not hooked on Xanax or Valium! I might make my own kool-aid lip with some of that wine I keep for cooking after weeks like this! Cheers!
So Monkey has developed kool-aid lip again. I have let her have lots of yogurt b/c Yoplait retooled it to use natural colorings and cut out the sugars and corn syrups.Yay! However, since I have been letting her have it a lot she has begun licking her lips again. This is the fun thing called food sensitivities for which they have no tests for. You just notice, "Hey when I eat X I get Y reaction". Kelly Dorfman in her book What's eating your child? called it being a food detective. Yep, I have got my trench coat and magnifying glass out on this one. We thought it was a soy allergy but turns out she has no food allergies, only food sensitivities...meaning it shows up occasionally but not consistently. My plan is to take Monkey off her beloved yogurt and cheese (read "dairy") for 10 days and see if her lip clears up. If so, I will have to limit her exposure to it. Thankfully, she does love Almond, Coconut, AND, Soy milks so not all is lost (except that they don't really have yogurts). These alternatives are great especially since they have great chocolate flavors! Just wish they would come up with a strawberry one, hint hint Silk and other brands!
So this is my life. Trying to avoid dyes and junk (chemicals) in our foods and then trying to figure out vague food issues when we do come across them. This is why I journaled, to chronicle her exposures and what worked and what hasn't. It keeps me sane. Well, as sane as my genetics allow me to be...I now share my ramblings with you, aren't you so lucky!
The newest thing in my life, besides the lip thing, is that Monkey (my best eater) has suddenly gotten picky and not adventuresome in eating. Yet the Lawyer ( the picky one) has decided she wants to try new things. Today I got her to eat a cucumber slathered in ranch and salt. (Ok, you say that is not very healthy drowning, it but the alternative is her processed chicken flavored stick...I win). The last time we tried the cucumber was after successfully getting her to try lettuce with ranch on it. She saw her sister dive into the dressing with carrots and cukes. I had a cuke on hand and unfortunately it had gone the way of the snowbirds in winter...south. It was SOUR. Too. Late. She screwed up her face like I gave her cod liver oil. Then I thought I would show her and ate one too. Then promptly spit it out so fast, and hard, it nearly missed my plate! So today, I made sure I had a fresh one and she tried it and...wait for it....SHE LIKED IT. Mountains can move people.
Now back to Monkey. I made enchiladas last night. They are not elaborate at all which may be my first problem. Hubby used to be an electrician in a former life and an older peer gave him the recipe, come to think about it I think it was written on a piece of torn box, fancy eh? Anyway, hubby and I made it last night. Warmed up corn tortillas with oil in skillet, had already fried up some lean ground beef, and had Monkey shred us up some cheese from a block of medium cheddar. (Side note: I stopped buying the pre-shred when sis-in-law [SIL] said they used wax and wood fibers to keep it from sticking together. Wow, never noticed. And that is what I loved about shredded block cheese was that it stuck to itself in wonderful globs!) We had a can of mild enchilada sauce and some onion flakes. She helped us build them so I thought ok she knows I have hid nothing in her food (burrito incident occurred where I tried to sneak in black beans...it did not go well). Sprinkled more cheese on top and then stuck in oven to melt cheese. She took one bite and it was a fight the rest of the time. Not sure if she didn't like the sweet enchilada sauce or what it was b/c she loves taquitos. She ended up choosing to not eat the meal and buy her an early ticket to shower and bed.
These are the type of nights I grew up with that I try to avoid........tears, angry words, huge aversion to dishes that will never be touched again due to a burned in hatred of said food from these fights. People, it isn't' worth it. While I am not going to be a short order cook for my kids, and while I do cook something different for the Lawyer, b/c she would choose nothing every time just to prove a point, I will not starve them nor will I let my non-picky one pitch a fit. I just so love these kinds of nights!
In all honesty, I think she did not feel well, was tired from a hot day at school and having to be "on" mentally all day, plus a sudden growth spurt. She has these occasionally moments where she wont' eat anything new and her usual favorites. They are just far enough apart that I forget we all lived thru it.
Growth spurts: Both girls did this when they were little, you remember they would cry FOR HOURS FOR NO REASON. I read, was told, heard, who knows, that they were experiencing a growth spurt and it would pass in about 2 weeks. Which is martian years that is like 6 months to a sleep deprived milking cow, er I mean mom...And guess what? It did. It went away. So I am chalking this up to a growth spurt. I mean this is a kid that eats sushi for crying out loud. I still won't eat that stuff myself! I want my food dead, very dead. Not roadkill dead, just dead and not still warm from the kill dead like some of you oddballs. Sorry hubby. I do love you though. :)
It is nights/weeks like this that I wonder why I am not hooked on Xanax or Valium! I might make my own kool-aid lip with some of that wine I keep for cooking after weeks like this! Cheers!
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Fried chicken and fixins
September 19th, 2013
Hubby reminded me that I did not give a purpose as to why I am writing blog. I write for myself mostly b/c I find it is a creative outlet where I can vent and do no harm or hurt feelings, at least when I did it the old fashioned way. I write to share what I have been thru, and learned, thru having a husband who is gluten intolerant, a child who has sensory issues and a picky eater, and a child that has ADHD. I would say I am the only normal one in the family but I am the worst of them all but you dont' need to know ALL my skeletons!
I wanted to learn how we react to food. I have seen changes in myself that I should have noticed might also affect my children. When I eat chocolate...I get angry. As in I have zero patience with anyone or anything. So hubby can tell when I have dipped into something simply by how I react to things. Sucks actually b/c then I am so busted that I had sweets, which are my Achilles heel. After I read one of the 10 books on my shelf that discussed food and how it affects us, then I read another about how gluten sensitivity can affect your over health including your heart, I was in shock about foods power. But it began to make perfect sense. You eat processed foods full of sugar and sodium and you feel bloated and gross. You drink caffeine you go bonkers, well I can feel my heart beat if I drink more than 2 caffeinated drinks in a day. Heart gymnastics does not feel good let me tell you. So why wasn't I listening not only to my body but watching what my family was doing. (Monkey gets a Kool-aid lip from some food but for the life of me we can't figure out what does it b/c it happens so randomly!) Food rules our life...
So I have been cooking fresh food as much as possible, buying local and/or organic product. I used to think cooking an entire meal from scratch was the most difficult thing. But when I began to notice the differences, feel better, see the money saved by how far a meal stretched, and figured up the time to whip up something versus driving to, getting seated, ordering and then waiting on someone else to cook it, plus sticker shock of the end bill...not worth it. I keep a few types of meats frozen in the deep freeze (organic beef, chicken, and pork) and then occasionally buy fresh fish or shrimp and cook it that night when I can plan ahead. I also keep frozen fish as well. Now I am not a purist so if you look in my freezer you will see taquitos, Kosher mini hotdogs, and the almighty chicken stick that is the sustenance of the Lawyers life. I have found gluten free beef hot dogs that have meat parts I recognize versus other brands AND no red dye. IF I buy frozen food, I try to get something with as little ingredients as possible and not just junk. As I said I quit buying from the middle of the store b/c I began to read labels and then read what those cryptic chemistry words were and was horrified.
My purpose, you remind me, is that I was trying to explain that taking a bit of time to read labels, make things ahead where possible or do some prep work the day of is how I coped with our "issues". I have been asked why I do what I do and how I do it. I hear no one has time. I have the same 24 hours and was the most procrastinating person you know and I make meals for my family. I am not June Cleaver nor am I up all night cooking. I begin to think about dinner in the morning, actually I think of food all day long, it is not any wonder that I am not 2000lbs! But if I think about what I am in the mood for, what I have on hand, and what I have had recently it begins to be easy. I record and watch cooking shows, I pull recipes from magazines I think of countries we can visit with food! Do we eat out? Yes. Do I buy junk, yes but only occasionally. If I am going to waste calories I want that food to be worth it so I make pies and cookies that are better quality ingredients so I know what I am putting in my body even if it isn't "healthy". Food, I have learned, is not the problem. It is how we treat it that is. I don't' want food as my master or the master of my kids.
For example, tonight I had a school function at 5:30. I had to be there around 5:15. My girls were doing an after school activity up until almost 4. I took frozen purple hull peas, and I keep a bag of just ham chunks I buy at a local meat shop and I drop a chunk in with 2 cups in a pot and cover with water. I boil the peas and then cover and turn on low for about 45 min. I did that about 3pm. I took uncooked chicken strips, cut into nuggets, and then soaked them in a buttermilk and egg mixture for about 30 min. in the fridge. I had several scoops of a GF(Gluten Free) flour blend in a bowl on the counter to dredge the chicken in before I put them in a deep skillet. I took 4 yellow potatoes and washed them off and put them in a pan and covered them with water and sat them on the stove so I was ready. I ran to school, which is .6 mile away, and brought them home. They each got one snack and then had to do after school activities. Piano, get on a school math program, and read 1 or two chapters out of a mom approved book. While they did this, I took chicken out and dredged it thru flour on cournter, turned on potatoes, and dropped chicken into skillet and grape seed oil. I had dinner on the table by 4:30. Lawyer, the picky one, got her beloved chicken sticks and a potato, Monkey got what I got...although she thinks she was eating black eye peas and not purple hull. Hey, I will call them ice cream if she will eat it! So the two of us had GF fried chicken, peas, and potato.(Yes I did feed hubby, he came home later).
We had a home cooked meal, not from a frozen bag (ok the peas were but they were packed fresh so get over it) and it took me as much time as it did for a friend to drive across town to get sandwiches from a local chicken chain. I saved gas, calories, and my blood pressure. Winner winner chicken dinner!
Hubby reminded me that I did not give a purpose as to why I am writing blog. I write for myself mostly b/c I find it is a creative outlet where I can vent and do no harm or hurt feelings, at least when I did it the old fashioned way. I write to share what I have been thru, and learned, thru having a husband who is gluten intolerant, a child who has sensory issues and a picky eater, and a child that has ADHD. I would say I am the only normal one in the family but I am the worst of them all but you dont' need to know ALL my skeletons!
I wanted to learn how we react to food. I have seen changes in myself that I should have noticed might also affect my children. When I eat chocolate...I get angry. As in I have zero patience with anyone or anything. So hubby can tell when I have dipped into something simply by how I react to things. Sucks actually b/c then I am so busted that I had sweets, which are my Achilles heel. After I read one of the 10 books on my shelf that discussed food and how it affects us, then I read another about how gluten sensitivity can affect your over health including your heart, I was in shock about foods power. But it began to make perfect sense. You eat processed foods full of sugar and sodium and you feel bloated and gross. You drink caffeine you go bonkers, well I can feel my heart beat if I drink more than 2 caffeinated drinks in a day. Heart gymnastics does not feel good let me tell you. So why wasn't I listening not only to my body but watching what my family was doing. (Monkey gets a Kool-aid lip from some food but for the life of me we can't figure out what does it b/c it happens so randomly!) Food rules our life...
So I have been cooking fresh food as much as possible, buying local and/or organic product. I used to think cooking an entire meal from scratch was the most difficult thing. But when I began to notice the differences, feel better, see the money saved by how far a meal stretched, and figured up the time to whip up something versus driving to, getting seated, ordering and then waiting on someone else to cook it, plus sticker shock of the end bill...not worth it. I keep a few types of meats frozen in the deep freeze (organic beef, chicken, and pork) and then occasionally buy fresh fish or shrimp and cook it that night when I can plan ahead. I also keep frozen fish as well. Now I am not a purist so if you look in my freezer you will see taquitos, Kosher mini hotdogs, and the almighty chicken stick that is the sustenance of the Lawyers life. I have found gluten free beef hot dogs that have meat parts I recognize versus other brands AND no red dye. IF I buy frozen food, I try to get something with as little ingredients as possible and not just junk. As I said I quit buying from the middle of the store b/c I began to read labels and then read what those cryptic chemistry words were and was horrified.
My purpose, you remind me, is that I was trying to explain that taking a bit of time to read labels, make things ahead where possible or do some prep work the day of is how I coped with our "issues". I have been asked why I do what I do and how I do it. I hear no one has time. I have the same 24 hours and was the most procrastinating person you know and I make meals for my family. I am not June Cleaver nor am I up all night cooking. I begin to think about dinner in the morning, actually I think of food all day long, it is not any wonder that I am not 2000lbs! But if I think about what I am in the mood for, what I have on hand, and what I have had recently it begins to be easy. I record and watch cooking shows, I pull recipes from magazines I think of countries we can visit with food! Do we eat out? Yes. Do I buy junk, yes but only occasionally. If I am going to waste calories I want that food to be worth it so I make pies and cookies that are better quality ingredients so I know what I am putting in my body even if it isn't "healthy". Food, I have learned, is not the problem. It is how we treat it that is. I don't' want food as my master or the master of my kids.
For example, tonight I had a school function at 5:30. I had to be there around 5:15. My girls were doing an after school activity up until almost 4. I took frozen purple hull peas, and I keep a bag of just ham chunks I buy at a local meat shop and I drop a chunk in with 2 cups in a pot and cover with water. I boil the peas and then cover and turn on low for about 45 min. I did that about 3pm. I took uncooked chicken strips, cut into nuggets, and then soaked them in a buttermilk and egg mixture for about 30 min. in the fridge. I had several scoops of a GF(Gluten Free) flour blend in a bowl on the counter to dredge the chicken in before I put them in a deep skillet. I took 4 yellow potatoes and washed them off and put them in a pan and covered them with water and sat them on the stove so I was ready. I ran to school, which is .6 mile away, and brought them home. They each got one snack and then had to do after school activities. Piano, get on a school math program, and read 1 or two chapters out of a mom approved book. While they did this, I took chicken out and dredged it thru flour on cournter, turned on potatoes, and dropped chicken into skillet and grape seed oil. I had dinner on the table by 4:30. Lawyer, the picky one, got her beloved chicken sticks and a potato, Monkey got what I got...although she thinks she was eating black eye peas and not purple hull. Hey, I will call them ice cream if she will eat it! So the two of us had GF fried chicken, peas, and potato.(Yes I did feed hubby, he came home later).
We had a home cooked meal, not from a frozen bag (ok the peas were but they were packed fresh so get over it) and it took me as much time as it did for a friend to drive across town to get sandwiches from a local chicken chain. I saved gas, calories, and my blood pressure. Winner winner chicken dinner!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
In the beginning....
September 18th, 2013
This is my first entry and my exposure to the blog world. I have opined in handwritten journals to either lament or vent. My techy hubby decided to get me into the 21st Century and make me set this up.
So why did I call it the Wistful Pioneer...It was a journey I began last year. My youngest was diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten. We were given the usual route of you should try meds, but I am in clinical research myself and am a bit leery of pharmaceuticals used for the wrong reasons. Don't get me wrong, medicines are great in the right moment, but we live in an age that instead of facing our issues we just decide to take a pill and hope for the best instead of getting to the root of the problem.
So, back to my daughter (whom I shall refer to as Monkey)...we had a wonderful 1st grade teacher who herself was ADD and understood my child and helped her adapt and learn as best as possible. Monkey did ok with this teacher and managed to learn at an ok pace. The teacher did warn me that not every teacher would be so willing to adapt. I shook my head in ignorance and said, "un huh" and wandered off in my usual fog. Then second grade happened. I call it OCD meets ADD and all hell broke loose with me in the middle. It affected my marriage, my job, and my other daughter. It took all of one month in school before this teacher told me that she had 25 years of teaching and she knew when it was time for the children to be on ADD meds and now was Monkey's time. I cried. I got mad. And then I obeyed.
After much research and debate, I asked to start on Ritalin. We did 10mg. Of course for about 3 weeks she was wonderful...until the non eating zombie appeared. Oh the teacher was ecstatic! She had a well behaved zombie, er I mean child now. I lasted until the Dec break. I was miserable and she was not my happy go lucky, adventurous eating child anymore. I began to read any book I could lay my hands on. I have read over 10 books, as I look over at my book shelf, on ADD/ADHD. I landed on some interesting things. This blog is about where I was, where I went, and where I am going. This is about ADD, food, and just random crap. :) If you are still with me by this point, you are either bored...or interested and possibly even desperate like me for answers.
The 2 books I found the most fascinating were about nutrition and vitamins. My hubby is gluten sensitive so I began reading about food and learning to cook gluten free and have it not taste like Styrofoam. I read about wheat and how it has changed since the 70s and all the new diseases we have that are caused by food. I have found some wonderful websites, Sarahbakesglutenfree.com that have been a life saver. The most interesting thing I found is that if you read labels, and really think about what you are putting in your body, things happen. Good things. So hence my title of my blog, whistful pioneer...I began to think like a pioneer on cooking and food in general like how my grandparents would have cooked. I found that if I cut out as much processed food as possible that I might lose weight and my kids would develop healthy eating habits. While my hubby and I are not horrible eaters or overweight, we could both stand to tighten up and eat better. So back to the good things that happen.....after I began shopping the perimeter of the store buying healthier chips, organic where sensible, and balancing fast carbs with slow carbs and protein...my hubby commented that he could actually think more clearly. I too began to feel better and not be so fog brained. (I can't help the dingy that is natural). I had also made sure that where we were not getting natural vitamins in our food we were taking supplements. I began to notice a difference in Monkey and so did others around her which was encouraging.
So who has time in this world to cook like our grandmas did? Well I am thankful that I work from home at an awesome job that allows me to be able to prep dinners but I have a friend who works late and she is able to cook for her kids in the am and on weekends to give them fresh food so anyone can do it, if you want to change bad enough. I used to be a horrible planner and if I had to plan..I went blank usually. So what has helped me recently was to clean out my pantry. Ever notice you buy junk either b/c it was on sale, you were hungry, or it looked like a good idea for a dinner....for another day. Only to shove it in the back of the pantry/fridge/freezer and forget. I hated how much money I threw away. Especially after hubby and I decided to "straighten" the pantry and found an expired can from 2007! Gross. So I looked at the beans I had (slow carb) found a fast carb (potatoes), and used, or bought, meat to make a meal. It became easier b/c I had a stocked pantry. When I managed to wean down my pantry to bare bones is when it became hard. Then I had to use my little pea brain to...to...it is painful to say still....PLAN. I managed to do it and survived. How you say? I will tell you.
You know all of those stupid half used notebooks your kids bring home at the end of the school year? Yeah I collect them and those are my pads I use to jot down food ideas. I watch cooking shows, I check out my mags that always have some great meal idea that I can use or adapt to my picky family. I have managed to get us to eat our meals together too which I enjoy so I want to plan a meal where we can sit together. We turn off the TV and no one is allowed any electronics at the table...which includes me, my iPad and my Hayday addiction....yeah it is bad. So the trick was to get the kids involved in cooking which is fun sometimes other times not so much b/c I can't hide ingredients or modify...if they are watching. So that is a balancing act but they love to help and get excited they had a hand in the meal. I have branched out my oldest, I shall call her....the lawyer...food choices. This is the kid that if ever they have a Peanut Butter or Tyson Chicken Sticks shortage...she will starve. She does like my take on my own version of a the golden arches burger.With less embalming fluids and more things like...um...real meat.
So for instance last night I squished as flat as my arms could squish two patties. I season them with my own concoction and then I either grill or pan fry in olive oil. Don't hate on me, I am from the south and I can't talk with out the word "fried" or "fixin" mixed in at some point in the conversation! So I fried the burgers with some organic onion slices, actually I steamed them b/c I covered them in a skillet. I also sauteed some yellow squash, and made garlic roasted red potatoes in the oven. We had a side salad of sliced cucumbers with a drizzle of Italian bruschetta dressing. Kids loved it, well lawyer hated the squash and cukes but that is better eating than sticks that are basically breading with some chicken flavor!
Back to the title and my story....I thought if I cooked like a pioneer or ate what was in season like my ancestors did, I might feel better and Monkey might calm down and not climb the walls. I began to buy local organic foods thru a coop or organic items at my grocery chain. I began to balance by making sure I had a slow carb/fastcarb/protein so we felt full and I lost some weight! (fyi, while the pounds are not dropping like flies, I am losing slow and it is staying off and I feel better...might work better if I laid off the homemade muffins and cakes..but that is another confession..uh I mean blog post for another time). We also either cut out bread or eat whole wheat (don't tell my kids!) So far so good.
Oh, and if you haven't followed well or I jumped around too much...I too am ADD and I get distracted and go off on tangents so hang with me...I usually get back to my thoughts...usually being the operative word. If you are still reading, wow. You are REALLY bored.
This is my first entry and my exposure to the blog world. I have opined in handwritten journals to either lament or vent. My techy hubby decided to get me into the 21st Century and make me set this up.
So why did I call it the Wistful Pioneer...It was a journey I began last year. My youngest was diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten. We were given the usual route of you should try meds, but I am in clinical research myself and am a bit leery of pharmaceuticals used for the wrong reasons. Don't get me wrong, medicines are great in the right moment, but we live in an age that instead of facing our issues we just decide to take a pill and hope for the best instead of getting to the root of the problem.
So, back to my daughter (whom I shall refer to as Monkey)...we had a wonderful 1st grade teacher who herself was ADD and understood my child and helped her adapt and learn as best as possible. Monkey did ok with this teacher and managed to learn at an ok pace. The teacher did warn me that not every teacher would be so willing to adapt. I shook my head in ignorance and said, "un huh" and wandered off in my usual fog. Then second grade happened. I call it OCD meets ADD and all hell broke loose with me in the middle. It affected my marriage, my job, and my other daughter. It took all of one month in school before this teacher told me that she had 25 years of teaching and she knew when it was time for the children to be on ADD meds and now was Monkey's time. I cried. I got mad. And then I obeyed.
After much research and debate, I asked to start on Ritalin. We did 10mg. Of course for about 3 weeks she was wonderful...until the non eating zombie appeared. Oh the teacher was ecstatic! She had a well behaved zombie, er I mean child now. I lasted until the Dec break. I was miserable and she was not my happy go lucky, adventurous eating child anymore. I began to read any book I could lay my hands on. I have read over 10 books, as I look over at my book shelf, on ADD/ADHD. I landed on some interesting things. This blog is about where I was, where I went, and where I am going. This is about ADD, food, and just random crap. :) If you are still with me by this point, you are either bored...or interested and possibly even desperate like me for answers.
The 2 books I found the most fascinating were about nutrition and vitamins. My hubby is gluten sensitive so I began reading about food and learning to cook gluten free and have it not taste like Styrofoam. I read about wheat and how it has changed since the 70s and all the new diseases we have that are caused by food. I have found some wonderful websites, Sarahbakesglutenfree.com that have been a life saver. The most interesting thing I found is that if you read labels, and really think about what you are putting in your body, things happen. Good things. So hence my title of my blog, whistful pioneer...I began to think like a pioneer on cooking and food in general like how my grandparents would have cooked. I found that if I cut out as much processed food as possible that I might lose weight and my kids would develop healthy eating habits. While my hubby and I are not horrible eaters or overweight, we could both stand to tighten up and eat better. So back to the good things that happen.....after I began shopping the perimeter of the store buying healthier chips, organic where sensible, and balancing fast carbs with slow carbs and protein...my hubby commented that he could actually think more clearly. I too began to feel better and not be so fog brained. (I can't help the dingy that is natural). I had also made sure that where we were not getting natural vitamins in our food we were taking supplements. I began to notice a difference in Monkey and so did others around her which was encouraging.
So who has time in this world to cook like our grandmas did? Well I am thankful that I work from home at an awesome job that allows me to be able to prep dinners but I have a friend who works late and she is able to cook for her kids in the am and on weekends to give them fresh food so anyone can do it, if you want to change bad enough. I used to be a horrible planner and if I had to plan..I went blank usually. So what has helped me recently was to clean out my pantry. Ever notice you buy junk either b/c it was on sale, you were hungry, or it looked like a good idea for a dinner....for another day. Only to shove it in the back of the pantry/fridge/freezer and forget. I hated how much money I threw away. Especially after hubby and I decided to "straighten" the pantry and found an expired can from 2007! Gross. So I looked at the beans I had (slow carb) found a fast carb (potatoes), and used, or bought, meat to make a meal. It became easier b/c I had a stocked pantry. When I managed to wean down my pantry to bare bones is when it became hard. Then I had to use my little pea brain to...to...it is painful to say still....PLAN. I managed to do it and survived. How you say? I will tell you.
You know all of those stupid half used notebooks your kids bring home at the end of the school year? Yeah I collect them and those are my pads I use to jot down food ideas. I watch cooking shows, I check out my mags that always have some great meal idea that I can use or adapt to my picky family. I have managed to get us to eat our meals together too which I enjoy so I want to plan a meal where we can sit together. We turn off the TV and no one is allowed any electronics at the table...which includes me, my iPad and my Hayday addiction....yeah it is bad. So the trick was to get the kids involved in cooking which is fun sometimes other times not so much b/c I can't hide ingredients or modify...if they are watching. So that is a balancing act but they love to help and get excited they had a hand in the meal. I have branched out my oldest, I shall call her....the lawyer...food choices. This is the kid that if ever they have a Peanut Butter or Tyson Chicken Sticks shortage...she will starve. She does like my take on my own version of a the golden arches burger.With less embalming fluids and more things like...um...real meat.
So for instance last night I squished as flat as my arms could squish two patties. I season them with my own concoction and then I either grill or pan fry in olive oil. Don't hate on me, I am from the south and I can't talk with out the word "fried" or "fixin" mixed in at some point in the conversation! So I fried the burgers with some organic onion slices, actually I steamed them b/c I covered them in a skillet. I also sauteed some yellow squash, and made garlic roasted red potatoes in the oven. We had a side salad of sliced cucumbers with a drizzle of Italian bruschetta dressing. Kids loved it, well lawyer hated the squash and cukes but that is better eating than sticks that are basically breading with some chicken flavor!
Back to the title and my story....I thought if I cooked like a pioneer or ate what was in season like my ancestors did, I might feel better and Monkey might calm down and not climb the walls. I began to buy local organic foods thru a coop or organic items at my grocery chain. I began to balance by making sure I had a slow carb/fastcarb/protein so we felt full and I lost some weight! (fyi, while the pounds are not dropping like flies, I am losing slow and it is staying off and I feel better...might work better if I laid off the homemade muffins and cakes..but that is another confession..uh I mean blog post for another time). We also either cut out bread or eat whole wheat (don't tell my kids!) So far so good.
Oh, and if you haven't followed well or I jumped around too much...I too am ADD and I get distracted and go off on tangents so hang with me...I usually get back to my thoughts...usually being the operative word. If you are still reading, wow. You are REALLY bored.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)