Housekeeping

Ha!  I fooled you!  (I meant the figurative kind of housekeeping.)

Just a few things that have been on my mind . . .

My nails update:  Shockingly, much better than I expected.  My left hand looks wonderful, but growing out.  My right (dominant) hand, which endures all the abuse, is the worse for wear.  I have broken two nails and severely chipped another.  It is truly amazing to me that they have lasted this long though.  I don't get another mani until next week, so we will see how they fair for the rest of the week.



Left, looking good!



Right, a little rough!



My mother just sent me some fingerless gloves she knitted.  Love, love, love them!!

Thanks Mom!!

And lastly, a very cool thing.  There is a website for book fans, not dissimilar from Facebook.  It is called goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/).  You can see my widget to the right.  You can get book reviews, book suggestions and, better yet, keep track of books that you have read and books that you want to read.  You can also connect with your friends who enjoy books!  Check it out and feel free to friend request me.

As far as being MIA . . .the children had a snow day last week, on Friday.  So, they went to school a total of three days last week.  My hat is off to those who homeschool.  I don't know how you do it.  They would eat me alive!

What's for Dinner - Week 1/3/11

Happy New Year!  It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone.  The years just fly by with children anymore.  They keep getting bigger and hungrier! 

One of my goals this year is to continue with the menu planning and posting.  My mother was laughing at me the other day at my organization.  This woman is amazing.  She would grocery shop for two weeks at a time, for a family of seven, off the cuff.  She would push one cart and pull another and manage it all without a list!  I am attributing my inability to do this to the fact that I am significantly older now than she was then; but my mother has always been known for her great memory.  I'm just happy that I haven't actually left anyone at the store yet.  Notice that I said actually left the store, just almost!  Thankfully, one of the benefits of having five children is the fact that they noticed the missing child!  Oh well, not one of my finer moments.

On to the food . . .

Monday:  Leftovers/Smorgasbord
                 I try to make it sound a little bit better than it is by calling it "Smorgasbord".  Sometimes it even fools the younger ones!

Tuesday:  Leftovers/CORN (clean out the refrigerator)
                 I don't know where it is all coming from, but we have a lot of food to kill off!  Again, trying to fool the kids into thinking it is something else.  I'm not sure it is going to work!

Wednesday:  Eggplant Pita Sandwiches/Greek Sandwiches
                 I'll offer a meat option for the children.  They will think I'm trying to poison them with an eggplant only option.  I love eggplant though!  Will try to convince them to try it.  It may work, as Patrick is at ski club this evening.

Thursday:  Roast Chicken, Cheddar and Bacon Stuffed Potatoes
                 We never had this a couple of weeks ago, so it is reappearing on the menu.  I will get the roast chicken from the grocery.  The children will love the cheddar and bacon potatoes.

Friday:  Seared Fish with Beets and Broccoli
                This is from Everyday Food magazine; their "light issue".  A perfect recipe for another one of my New Year's goals . . . lose weight and try to eat more fish.  They have a "grocery bag" section that has five recipes with a shopping list.  It helps make menu planning very easy!

Saturday:  Parmesan Chicken with Mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts
                The chicken will be a huge hit.  I am always amazed at how good brussels sprouts are when they are roasted!  Who would have thought?!  More from the magazine.

Sunday:  Steak and Potato Salad
                Enough said!  My carnivores will be drooling.  Ditto the source.

Have a great week!
 
Enjoy!

I am participating in Menu Plan Monday over at http://www.orgjunkie.com/!

What's for Dinner

Years ago, while visiting my parents, we found some of the old Datum IV logs.  Datum IV was the sailboat where the seven of us would spend weeks on end, in the summer, sailing on Lake Erie.  My mother, as a trusty first mate should, dutifully kept the ship's log.  This, in theory, details the vessels' port visits, daily mileage, weather, sea conditions and so forth.  In reality it became a chronicle of my mother's meals for each day.  Oh my, we had fun rereading those logs and howling over the entries!  I guess this is my attempt at the Quinlan family ship log . . . concentrating on the meals, of course.

Monday:  Sauteed Tilapia with Baby Spinach and couscous
                  This recipe is from my favorite cookbook The Six O'Clock Scramble by Aviva Goldfarb. The children have enjoyed tilapia in the past.  The spinach not so much.  It is a gamble how this meal will go over tonight.

Tuesday:  Salmon and Potato Leek Chowder
                  This is a Rachael Ray recipe.  It is actually left-over from last week.  The kids get popcorn chicken.  Maybe some of the more adventurous will give it a try (Liam).

Wednesday:  Mediterranean Sundried Tomato and Garlic Chicken
                   I received a sample of a seasoning packet from Lawry's in the mail last week and wanted to give it a try.  You add all of the fresh items and bake.  I thought it sounded good and should be a hit with all.

Thursday:  Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
                  I have some Market Day meatballs that I received for free for placing such a large order.  Unfortunately, one pound of meatballs just doesn't cut it with these guys, so I will have to buy another pound or so.  This is a huge family favorite and will make up for the fact that we had fish twice this week!

Friday:  Leftovers or Pizza if everything is gone.
                Incentive for everyone to eat well!

Saturday and Sunday:  We'll see.  I'm just getting started!

Enjoy!

I'm participating in Menu Plan Monday over at orgjunkie.com!