Menu Plan Monday (aka what we've been eating)

Well, it's safe to say it's been almost 4 months since I've written one of these posts. Perhaps there is some correlation with the fact that Kyler is also almost 4 months old...

Anyways, I did not plan out meals while I was on maternity leave (March and the first two weeks of April), and then I attempted the next two weeks to do so but will admit that I have some AMAZING friends who brought me meals AGAIN once I returned to work, and my husband and I decided that if I am working, we might as well take advantage of my income and get takeout at least once a week. Which was nice, but I honestly did miss cooking. There is just something satisfying about knowing what is actually in what I'm eating.  And I think in general, I eat healthier when I cook versus when I select something off of a restaurant menu.

MENU PLAN FROM MAY 2012

In May, I started menu planning again, but as I was trying to just survive the school year, I never posted about it.  I used the "Once a Month Mom" Whole Foods May 2012 menu and selected a few dishes off of it and as her recipes suggested, made a double batch.  

So in the month of May, we had these dishes twice: 

1-Spicy Beef Lettuce Wraps (I actually made these again tonight with turkey instead of beef, and I cooked 1/2 cup of quinoa and added it to the mixture to stretch it a bit farther- you don't even notice it's in there- yum!... oh and I also left out the peanuts, used red pepper flakes instead of the sriracha and used many more green onions)

2- Sesame and Cilantro Vermicelli Salad (again, left out the peanuts)... and I made this again tonight as a side with the lettuce wraps

3- Grilled Pork Chops with Garlic Lime Sauce

4-Summer Vegetable Chicken Enchiladas

My thoughts: I really liked having meals in the freezer while I was working... I wasn't a fan of the way the vermicelli thawed- it tasted too watery, but the rest of the stuff froze beautifully.  I don't have a need to do once-a-month cooking right now, but I'm sure I will again once school starts.  I think selecting just even 4 dishes off of a menu like the ones on that amazing blog can be a huge help! 

Other things I've been cooking: 

Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins- These were Grant's birthday treat!

Virgin Mojitos- I made a mint-infused simple syrup and then added fresh lime juice, more mint leaves, sparkling water & ice... yum!

This week's Menu Plan

Mon: Pizza with Grant's parents and cousin

Tues: Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps (see above), Sesame & Cilantro Vermicelli Salad (see above), strawberries

Weds: Goat Cheese, Pesto & Red Pepper Pizzas with Tomato, Watermelon, Tomato & Mint Salad

Thurs: Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burritos (I roast onions and sweet potatoes and then half the ingredients-they sound weird but totally work- from this recipe)

Fri: leftovers

Sat: leaving for vacation!

Sun: vacation!

Have a good week!!

Lessons Learned: Random Thoughts Part 2

14 weeks into parenthood, here are some of my thoughts/questions. I don't even know who/ if anyone reads this blog anymore since I stopped writing for a few months when I returned to work, but if anyone is out there (I know you are K.L., and thank you for being my faithful audience! You too hubs!!), feel free to answer my questions! (however some are simply rhetorical...)

1- Why do they put the sayings/ prints/ etc across the front at the top of a onesie? I know that's where it belongs, but due to the bib(s!!) my little guy is always wearing, you will never know that he is "the smallest OSU fan," a "party pooper," a "Miami baby," "mommy's little tiger," etc unless I take the bib off for a picture. Perhaps they should put such sayings in a different place.

2- Why is it that whenever we are trying to rush out the door, the magical angle of the car seat makes him poop? Never seems to happen when I'm not in a rush.

3- How do you convince a baby that is super hungry or super tired that if he stops screaming he can eat or sleep?

4- I wonder if the reason so many moms "let themselves go," aka stop caring about their appearance is partially due to the reality people will only glance at you but will stare at your baby forever until you start to walk away?

5- Why doesn't every retail business have a drive thru? It would be so much easier to get errands done if I didn't have to get him out of the car. Starbucks at Morse and Hamilton, please consider this. It's pretty easy to convince me I deserve a treat these days. However... My secret wish is that I lived somewhere where I could walk everywhere... Like a small city in the south of France, perhaps?

6- How is it that we think it's so cute when babies have chunky thighs, chubby cheeks and multiple chins, yet we spend so much time and money trying to avoid these things? (I am NOT pro-obesity or anything, I just find this humorous!)

7- Why are the cup holders on my stroller so shallow? Is it a scheme to get me to buy the extra one that attaches on that I have yet to figure out how to install? If I never had to maneuver thing over any bumps perhaps that shallow one could work.

8- Why don't adults smell as good after a shower as babies do after a bath? Is it the products or do babies just smell better?

Well, that's all for now. Enjoy the cute pics of my little man... One with a bib, one without;)

Three months!!

The little babe is not so little anymore. Weighing in at 12 lbs, 13 oz (as of last Weds, so it's probably more now), he is nearing the end of his time in 0-3 month clothing and size 1 diapers.

The past two months have been CRAZY trying to balance working full-time and still loving on him as much as possible. His daycare providers love him but it still breaks my heart that he is there for 9-10 hours a day. Can I say we were thriving as a family these past few months? No, but we love being parents, and we have been surviving. Looking back, if I had a choice, I would have taken a bit more time off of work.

One of my love languages is quality time, so naturally when I'm with Ky I want to be 100% engaged, not multitasking. As soon as we walk in the house we have mama and Ky time, where I put him on my lap facing me with his back resting against my legs. Until it is time to feed him, we talk and sing... Ok, I sing, and we both talk, gazing into each other's eyes. It is one of the highlights of my day. He loves songs with motions, like "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," (which we sing in English and French) and "If you're Happy and You Know It." He smiles all the time and every now and then he will giggle and it is just so sweet.

We still have him sleeping in our room, which was part of the survival plan until summer break... But tomorrow is the last day of school so we may be transitioning him fully to his crib. He had been napping in it on the weekends. Speaking of sleeping, he now will lay his head on your shoulder. Melts.my.heart. I had the privilege of nannying for my nephew five years ago over the summer, and I still remember how sweet he was when he would do that when he was tired... It's even better when it is your own kid. Love my cuddly boy.

He rolls onto his left side all the time, grabs onto toys and loves to suck and chew on his hands... I just can't wait to watch him grow and develop this summer!