a girls weekend. (plus nick)



 "wouldn't life be perfect if... goodbyes only meant until tomorrow."

this weekend, on her way home from a week-long beach vacation, my mom planned a weekend-long layover at my house. my sisters both drove in to visit, and it just so happened to be the same weekend that the hubs had planned a boys-weekend in Buffalo, so we had ourselves a girls-weekend. with nick.

 

we visited the topiary gardens, and we picnicked, and we went apple picking, and we made and ate an apple pie, and we made applesauce, and we played sequence, and we went out for brunch, and we shopped for my sister's new house, and we almost finished a little project, and we just hung out and had an absolutely wonderful time, and i only took 22 pictures the whole weekend.

i've heard people say that it is important to not view your life through a camera lens. that it is important to put your camera down and just be in a moment instead of documenting it. i guess i kind of did that this weekend - but only because my camera battery died early in the day and i don't have a phone that can double as an acceptable backup plan.

i managed to take 11 pictures, somewhat carefully spaced to maximize my battery life, before my camera was completely drained. so once it was dead, i stowed it in my purse and made up my mind to just rely on my mom and sister for pictures. but i wasn't entirely happy about it.

i wanted to take my own pictures. to capture the days from my own perspective. i felt a little bit sad and cheated that my own oversight and my dead camera battery took much of that opportunity away from me.

without my camera, i spent time marvelling over fish in ponds, searching for blue flowers, picking apples (lift, twist, pull!) and laughing so so much with some of my favorite people, and i vowed that as soon as i got home i would charge my battery and do better at picture-taking the rest of the weekend so that i could easily remember these moments with my sisters together and my neice and nephew at 6 and 4 and my mom at [REDACTED] and all of us all together in one place.

but then once i got home and charged my battery, i only took 11 more pictures the whole weekend. none of them had my mom in them. i only have a picture of one of my sisters. its a great picture of a sweet moment, but you can't even see her face in it. i took zero pictures of the faces of my mom and my sisters during an entire weekend that we spent together.

but i do have 2 pictures of the homemade apple pie a la mode.

so what does that say about my priorities?

i'm almost certain that i am overthinking this, because everyone just left this morning and i miss them all terribly and my house is so quiet and empty. but quite honestly, i don't think i have the right balance quite yet between experiencing moments and documenting them. because i had a wonderful time this weekend and i enjoyed every single minute and we laughed a lot and we made some fantastic memories... but i'm kind of disappointed that i don't have many pictures of those memories... no memory joggers to look back on later.

so i guess we'll all just have to get together again soon and do it all over again. and let's remember to get at least one group picture next time, mmkay?

meal plan monday: july 8.

there are not enough words to describe all of the awesomeness that was crammed into the long holiday weekend.

 

 
but unfortunately, there are not enough hours in the upcoming week to contain all of the ongoing summertime excitement around here. so basically, we're not eating this week.

Monday: Mark plays softball. our lodger arrives with his cousin.
Tuesday: Mark plays softball. Amanda Jazzercises.
Wednesday: community group. the lodger's cousin leaves.
Thursday: Mark plays softball. Amanda Jazzercises.
Friday: birthday party for Aunt Denise.
Saturday: Amanda leaves town. Mark goes to the O's game.
Sunday: Amanda drives home. Mark starves.

fish countering.

last week, i did something a little out of the ordinary. i stretched myself ever so slightly out of my comfort zone to overcome an irrational fear of trying something new. i didnt set out with this particular goal in mind, and i was dangerously close to turning back and continuing on with my normal routine. but then suddenly there i was: buying fresh fish at the fish counter in the grocery store. fish countering, to use it as a verb.

 

it was for one of the new gluten-free recipes i decided to try last week, roast salmon with salsa. i probably could have just used my same old method of frozen fish in a bag, but the fish guy was so nice, and he didnt laugh at me for admitting that it was my first time fish-countering, and the whole experience was just so pleasant that before i knew it i was at home preparing fresh fish for dinner like it was no big thang.

this recipe was one of those sneaky ones that lures you in by only having three listed steps, but then hides extra steps in the ingredient list: things like 1 tomato, roughly chopped and 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped. i'm only assuming that using the handle of a spoon is an appropriate method for seeding a jalepeno pepper because that is how i did it because the recipe didn't tell me how.

so after the hidden prep steps was finally step 1: preheat the oven. thats it. a whole step just for that. so its not like they didnt have any extra room on this line to add - "chop all of the vegetables, and by the way this is how you seed a jalapeno." apparently that would be too helpful.

step 2: dump everything but the fish into the food processer and process.

their salsa looked way more appetizing than this. i'm no longer sure that my magic bullet is the same thing as a food processor. 

step 2.5 (disguised as a tip): skin the fish. the good thing about tips is that they are helpful, and they actually give information as to what exactly is the best way to skin a fish fillet.

so when they say to use a long sharp knife, they do not mean "eh, that medium sized knife with the broken handle should probably be sufficient." they mean "get the longest knife you own and even then you will wish you had a third hand to properly accomplish this task." it was messy and even a little ugly and my hands smelled like fish the rest of the night.

step 3: dump the salsa on the fish and bake in the preheated oven. btw, if you were planning on making any sides to go with this, you probably should have started them before now because the fish will be done in like 12 minutes and the asparagus will take twice that long. sorry we forgot to include that tip.

additional step 4: ENJOY! why recipe writers do not always include this as a final step is beyond me. its like a mandate to be happy with the results, and it has a subtle undertone of 'or else' which is just threatening enough to scare people into not saying anything bad about the food without being so terrifying as to make them run screaming from the room.

"but what if i dont find this food enjoyable? what is the alternative? i dont think i want to find out... the recipe clearly tells me to enjoy it, and it hasn't let me astray so far, so i must follow the recipe! mmm... delicious!"

since i was the one who added step 4, i dont have to be intimidated by it. so i can honestly say that the salmon was good. the salsa was kind of weird. and dinner as a whole, what with the triumph of the fresh fish procured by the fish countering, was kind of exhilarating and a little bit empowering, and everyone knows that the taste of victory is a sweet one. you should try it sometime. if you grocery store has a fish counter, that is. (sorry, mom. no fish countering for you)

meal plan monday: july 1.

so. gluten free week was... semi-successful. i did really well on Monday and Tuesday. and then on Wednesday i had a catered lunch meeting where i ate a delicious ham sandwich on a croissant and two cookies the size of my head. Thursday night i didnt feel like cooking dinner so we ordered a pizza. Saturday i went out for dinner with a friend to Noodles & Co. and then on Sunday we just ate leftover pizza. so... i made it 3 out of 7 days, and 8 out of 14 meals i managed to stay gluten-free. at best that's a 57.1% success rate, and at worst 42.8% depending on how you choose to measure.

i did notice that i felt better on the days and after the meals that were GF. i doubt i lost any weight this week, what with the cookies and ice cream i let myself indulge in here and there. (dont judge me, it was keeping my PMS at bay) and i didnt bother to weigh myself at all so i can neither confirm nor deny that. the new GF recipes i tried last week were DELICIOUS, so they will probably be repeated in the future and you should try them too.

Mark almost literally inhaled this steak, avacado and all. there were no leftovers.

based on this little experiment i'm guessing that i'll be able to manage one or two days each week that are GF, but its not looking to turn into a full-time lifestyle change in the very near future.

and that's really all i have to say about that.

Monday: citrus herb chicken with veggies.
Tuesday: chicken fried rice. (recipe)
Wednesday: 3rd of July party. typical cookout food.
Thursday: 4th of July party at the in-laws.
Friday: zuchinni, black bean, rice skillet. (recipe)
Saturday: lazy lasagna with salad.
Sunday: lunch out with college friends.

ps: MY BFITW IS COMING TO VISIT FOR THE LONG WEEKEND!!!
GET EXCITED!!!

he's famous.

text i got at work last week from the hubs:

"I just ate a 1 pound burger.

I didn't know they put your picture on the wall :)"

yup. he ate an entire pound of beef, all the fixin's, AND a milkshake for lunch that day, just because his boss said "hey lets go out for lunch today." i'm so proud. all he got was a picture of him with a giant stuffed cheeseburger hung up on the wall, but now he keeps reminding me of how "famous" he is. so even though he's not one for resolutions of any sort, i have a feeling that if he were to start now, his non-resolution list for this year would look something like this:

1. get picture hung on burger joint wall (be famous).

2. get picture on 'repeat offender' section of the wall.

meal plan monday: june 24.

ok. let's do this thing. you know, the thing i've probably hinted at vaguely for a while without really fully explaining it because i've been spending all my time overthinking it in my own little head: let's go gluten free. but let's not get crazy, for now its just for a week. just an experiment of sorts for a little bit to see what happens.

miss you already...

there's a history of gluten-sensitivity in my family, and i'm just curious to see what (if anything) not inhaling bagels and pasta and hot dog buns on the reg might change for me. weight loss? less bloating? less lethal flatulence? (there's really no subtle way to say that) hopefully all of those, but maybe none of those. and if nothing else, it made meal planning exciting again, and i've got not one but TWO new recipes in store for this week: check it out!

Monday: roast salmon with salsa, rice, and asparagus. (recipe)
Tuesday: zucchini black bean skillet. (recipe)
Wednesday: crock pot chicken enchilada soup. (from freezer)
Thursday: chicken fried rice. (recipe)
Friday: skillet roasted strip steak with pebre sauce and avocado. (recipe)
Saturday: citrus herb chicken and veggies on the grill.
Sunday: breakfast for dinner: veggie omelettes.

if this gluten free trial period is something we like and becomes a real thing for us in the future, i'm probably going to need to figure out even more new recipes - so dish: do you have any tried-and-true and/or quick-and-easy gluten free meals? please to be sharing!

long weekends are the best.

i love long weekends. i especially love sunshiney long weekends.  and then you throw in date nights, friends, yardsales, family, and fun parties and i am a firm believer that every weekend should be a long weekend.

i had all sorts of good intentions to thoroughly photo-document all of the fun that was had, but instead i just enjoyed the photobooth silliness at Grandma Lorraine's 80th birthday party, and the excitement of Pretty Big Jenga, and the first bonfire of the season, and i let other people take the pictures.

although i did manage to take about 10 different pictures of the fruit bowl i put together for the picnic on Monday. because obviously i have got my priorities nice and straight.

meal plan monday: jan 28.

i am sick of meal planning. yes, i recognize its benefits and i appreciate the stress it alleviates in my life. and yet, at least in its current format, i am so over it. its boring. its bland. and i've lost some really good recipes in my archives that i'm just too lazy to scroll back through every time i want to find a specific recipe. i think its time for a change.

but i'm not there yet. i'm not sure what should change or how to best implement said change. and so until i figure those things out, here's another lame-old meal plan for this week just so i can go to the grocery store with a plan so Mark can stop scrounging around the cupboards trying to find something to eat.

Monday: taco night.
Tuesday: soup from a can.
Wednesday: crock pot roast and veggies.
Thursday: fish, rice, and a veggie.
Friday: grilled cheese and tomato soup.
Saturday: grilled chicken penne pesto pasta with roasted asparagus.
Sunday: Super Bowl deliciosity.

if anyone has any suggestions for how i could change up my meal planning process so that i dont just give up on it, pleasepleaseplease let me know!

meal plan monday: jan 21.

thanks to Meg, i think i might have found my new favorite way to cook fish!

this whole "fish in a disposable packet" thing made for super easy prep and cleanup, and the fish and veggies were delicious. even Mark, who is not a huge veggie eater, said that he really liked these ones, and ate them all. (it might have helped that i seasoned then with old bay)

this week, i'm not trying anything new. just a string of tried-and-true favorites with a date night thrown into the mix just to keep life fresh and exciting!

Monday: turkey burgers. (recipe)
Tuesday: pasta in vodka sauce.
Wednesday: crock pot chili. (recipe)
Thursday: tilapia with rice and a veggie.
Friday: date night!
Saturday: taco night.
Sunday: soup from a can.

just a dash.

my sister didnt believe that it was possible to buy fresh cilantro by the quarter-ounce. before tuesday, i didnt know this was possible either. i thought it only came by the bunch and i was doomed to either plan tons of recipes in a row that all used cilantro, or end up throwing away the majority of the fresh herbs i bought because i couldnt use them all in time.

well, overabundant herbs beware! you are no match for my grocery store skillz and single-serving cilantro! you doubt? a demonstration!

more convenient? yes. more expensive? also yes. i'm thinking that the ultimate solution to my fresh-herb conundrum might involve trying my hand again at growing an herb garden and praying that my black thumb doesnt doom it to being a pile of dead sticks like the oregano...

dear universe.

you knew that mark and i were starting a certain-dvd-based-excercise-program-that-shall-remain-nameless-because-i-said-i-wouldnt-mention-it-for-a-while and its coordinating meal plan. some may even go so far as to call it a diet. you knew that this meant that i was swearing off the sweet stuff for a while. you knew that this would be hard for me, the girl who has been known to snack indiscriminately on anything from skittles to oreos to jellybeans to nutella-covered-marshmallows and anything inbetween.

i decided this would be good for me. i told myself i could do it.

but seriously universe?! what gives? i decide to stop eating sugar and sweets and treats, and you go and reward my health-conscious choices with not one, but FOUR parties in a week!??  thats just cruel. do you even know the pain it has caused me to turn down ice cream cake, toffee bars, bridal shower cake, chocolate chip cookies (twice!), brownie cookies, chocolate chunk brownies, pumpkin roll, AND ultimate chocolate birthday cake? all in the past 5 days!!?!

we are fighting. (but not really please dont strike me dead with lightning)

love always, Mando

politics and chickens.

i am not an inherently political person. i dabbled with it a few years ago, but mostly, i just stay away. i dont like watching any sort of election-related anything on tv, i steer clear of political conversations at parties, and if i do happen to get trapped in one, i rarely say anything. i have a few basic opinions of what i believe is important and right, and i try to make informed decisions based on those beliefs before heading out on election day to vote for one candidate over another. the thing is, for the most part i just prefer to keep these opinions to myself, especially on the internet.

so now that you have that background information, i want to tell you that i did a mildly political thing today: i went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. this in itself is no big deal, really. i've eaten a lot of Chick-Fil-A over the years, ever since i got my first high school job there. but since this particular restaurant has found itself in the middle of a ridiculous political sh*tstorm, suddenly my chicken was making a statement today. and it was a statement i was happy to make.

but for clarity's sake, i'm just going to throw a few things out there.
i do not support: hate, discrimination, or bigotry of any kind.
i support: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, ethcial business practices, Biblical family values, and tasty chicken. 

fresh from the garden.

so, our little turnip that we harvested before vacation never got eaten. we Mark followed all the suggestions for how to store it, but it still got mushy before we had a chance to eat it. it was so sad, since it was the first thing we Mark had picked from our Mark's first ever garden.

but now we can finally say that we have eaten something that we Mark grew - a cucumber!

and a giant one at that. the thing was about the size of my forearm! i'm not usually a big cucumber eater, but i figured since we Mark went to all the trouble to grow the thing, the least i could do would be to spend a few minutes on pinterest searching for a recipe that called for cucumbers. so that's what i did.

i used this recipe for tilapia with cucumber salad. and you should try it sometime. it was seriously good. and that's quite a compliment coming from me, who is historically not a cucumber fan.

as a bonus along the way, with the help of the internets i also learned how to chop green onions, and how to chop fresh cilantro. (neither of which came from our Mark's garden) i'm not linking to the videos i used because its a little bit embarrasing how simple they are. if i ever thought that i was even the littlest bit proficient in the kitchen, needing to watch those videos wiped away every last bit of pride i might have been holding onto. by far, the coolest thing i learned was how to store my extra cilantro in the fridge.

it seems like such a clever little trick, (i'm kind of surprised i havent seen it all over pinterest)(ok so i just searched 'store cilantro' on pinterest and came up with a zillion pins. nvm.) so far its working great, but now i think i might need to do some more research to find recipes that use cilantro!  

eatin' good.

sometimes i forget that cooking doesnt always necessitate hours of prep-work and stress and mess to create deliciousness. sometimes you just need to find the right recipe - one that understands your human limitations and allows you to throw together an impressive dinner in a half-hour or less because pretty much everyone has things they would like to do during their evenings that are kind of impossible if you are spending the entire evening in the kitchen.

this is one of those recipes. its a crock-pot recipe, which are the kind that i usually plan it out so that i can do all the prep work the night before, (i think i spent a grand total of 35 minutes of prep in the evening) and then all i have to do in the morning is remember to plug it in and turn it on.

Prep Step 1: gather ingredients. dont forget to snap the all-important stereotypically-obligatory-obviously-overstaged-food-blogger-ingredient shot. because without this, no one will ever take you seriously.

Prep Step 2: form meatballs. i ended up with 22 out of a pound of turkey, but that number could vary wildly depending on how big you prefer your meatballs to be. i put mine on a waxpaper covered plate and left them in the freezer overnight. i had every intention of transferring them into a ziploc freezer bag before i went to bed, but i forgot. they survived.

Prep Step 3: mix up sauce.  this turned out at least 10x better than the last time i tried to make crockpot sauce... i think probably because this time i actually got the right kind of canned tomatoes. (note to self: diced is NOT an acceptable substitute for crushed) i mixed everything in a ziploc bag and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

Actual Step 1a: make any and all necessary alterations. you see, my wonderful crockpot is not one of the fancy ones with a built in timer. this is usually not an issue, except for when recipes call for any cooking time that is less than 10 hours. which is most of them. i used to just ignore these recommended cooking times, until the great overdone rubbery mac n cheese debacle of 2012, after which i realized that they put cooking times on these recipes for a reason. so, borrowing the sort of ingienuity previously only seen in my kitchen during episodes of 'cooking with men,' i added my own make-shift crock pot timer of sorts by making use of Mark's plant-light timer, so that the crockpot would theoretically turn on a few hours after i left, and turn off right around the time i got home.

Actual Step 1b: dump everything into the crockpot. it really is just that simple. as you head out the door to work, cross your fingers that the timer will actually turn everything on when its supposed to and you wont just come home to a pot full of cold defrosted tomatoey mush.

Actual Step 2: enjoy! the timer worked, which is a good thing because these really are quite delicious and it would have been a real shame to miss out on them. we chose to make our meatballs into subs. we also plan to eat the rest of the leftovers on pasta for dinner tonight.

and look at that! less than 3 steps for dinner prep! that is my kind of cooking right there.

Bonus Recipe:
this meal took me about an hour to make, which is pretty impressive since i was simultaneously baking cupcakes, all while working with even less counter space than i usually have in my teeny tiny kitchen because i was behind on the dishes. i used yellow squash instead of zuchinni, and i just chunked it up instead of shredding/julienne-ing it. (ps the only reason i knew what julienne meant was thanks to that crazy merchant guy in Aladdin. or was it Return of Jafar?)(it also makes julienne fries!) the only thing i would have done differently would be to take more time chopping the tomatoes, so i wouldnt have so many seeds in the final product. you should totally eat this. it was good.

so those are my latest kitchen adventures! i know i'm supposed to be cooking less and less now, but even though its summer, it was really nice to remind myself that i am in fact capable of greater culinary feats beyond what i sometimes let myself believe.

meal plan tuesday: may 29.

this week's meals are all subject to change with little to no notice, because it is wedding week here in MD. Mark's one and only sister is marrying her high-school middle-school sweetheart this weekend, which means that this week has the potential to be a bit crazy, especially since both Mark and I are part of the wedding party.

part of my wedding party duties involved the burdensome task of spending the majority of this past weekend at the beach with the bride-to-be and the other bridesmaids. we did important things like work on our tans, eat and drink some fabulously unhealthy things, and try to convince the bride-to-be that she really needed to get her picture taken with the guy who brought an inflatable swan to the ocean.

she refused, so i took this stealth shot instead.

Mark's wedding party responsibilities this weekend had him go-karting in full racecar gear, eating crabs for dinner, and having a celebratory cigar with the groom and groomsmen. let me tell you guys, being a bridesmaid or a groomsman is really rough stuff sometimes.

but this week is when the fun starts. we're basically on-call every evening and need to be ready at a moments notice to help with anything from favors to flowers and programs to escort cards. but since its always best to at least start with a plan even if you might end up changing it, heres what we've got:

Monday: lunch with friends, memorial day picnic with family.
Tuesday: pasta in jar sauce, a veggie.
Wednesday: citrus herb chicken with rice and a veggie.
Thursday: most likely dinner out after softball for Mark,
     dinner out before my nail appointment for me.
Friday: rehearsal brunch.
Saturday: wedding deliciousness!
Sunday: can't think this far ahead.

meal plan monday: april 23 - may 7.

i had every intention of photographing every single thing that i ate while i was in Europe. a collection of delicious European food pictures would be good memories, and good inspiration for future meals at home. it was a good plan. honest. i even took this picture of the airplane food we were served on our first flight, just to be thorough.

this was the best airplane food ive ever eaten.

and then when we actually got to Europe, i forgot to take any more food pictures. at every dinner, by the time i remembered that i had been planning to photo-document my culinary experience, i was already stuffing my face full of deliciousness and the time for picture taking had passed.

lucky for you though, i did manage to keep a written account of what i ate, so i can still tell you, even though you'll have to suffer through without the mouthwatering visuals. although, maybe that will work in your favor, since  you wont have to be even MORE jealous of my vacation than you already are. (i'm just assuming you're jealous, because if i were in your shoes i would be all "ok enough already ya snot! stop yammering on about your fancy European vacation and get back to whining about your messy house like the rest of us normal people!" which is to say that if i werent me i would be jealous of me.) (gosh, that sounds really snotty when i say it that way. how about we just get on with the food and forget this self-indulgent conversation ever happened, kk?)

Monday: Lunch: Chipotle burrito at the airport.
     Dinner: salad, tortellinis, and cheesecake on the plane.
Tuesday: Lunch: chicken sandwich from a rest stop gas station.
     Dinner: salad with bread, cheese, and apples, chicken with apples, rice,
        green beans, sweet potatoes, baked apple with ice cream.
Wednesday: Lunch: chicken wrap at a rest stop.
     Dinner: couscous with vegetables, ground beef and mashed potato pie,
        chocolate crepe and espresso.
Thursday: Lunch: salad, salmon, rice, and fruit tart at the Louvre.
     Dinner: onion quiche and salad, best steak ever, mashed potatoes,
        ratatouille, ice cream.
Friday: Breakfast: croissants, yogurt, granola, fruit.
     Early Dinner: cheese tart and salad, meat and potatoes, creme brulee.
Saturday: Lunch: huge eggplant parmesan pizza.
     Dinner: big flat pasta with pesto, fried pork and potatoes, tiramisu.
Sunday: Lunch: raviolis in a white sauce, fruit pie.
     Dinner: lasagna, chicken saltimboca, tiramisu again.

not mentioned: mid-day snacks of lots and lots of gelato!

Monday: Lunch: margherita (cheese) pizza, gelato, and cappuccino.
     Dinner: penne pasta in spicy tomato sauce, meatballs and roasted
        potatoes, baked cream.
Tuesday: Lunch: margherita pizza, canneloni in tomato sauce.
     Dinner: spiral pasta in pesto sauce, lemon rosemary chicken with
        salad, chocolate mousse.
Wednesday: Lunch: airplane pasta with salad and weird lemon dessert.
     Dinner: airplane chicken sandwich. (not eaten due to motion-sickness)
Thursday: frozen raviolis with jar sauce. (back home, in case you couldnt tell)
Friday: soup from a can.
Saturday: pan-fried tilapia, corn-on-the-cob.
Sunday: salad, chicken, rice, and corn at the in-laws.

cappuccino just outside the Vatican.

for this week, just for the sake of getting back into the swing of things, i have a feeling its going to be another week full of mostly-quick-and-easy meals. (as if the meals i plan are ever long-and-complicated... ha!) also, i dont really have a good idea of what all food we have at the house right now since Mark made a list when we got home on Thursday and did the grocery shopping for me since i had to go to work and he got to stay home. he's awesome like that. so assuming that he pretty much stuck to the basics, here's my best guess at the week:

Monday: grilled chicken salad with fries.
Tuesday: frozen tortellinis and jar sauce.
Wednesday: grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.
Thursday: soup from a can.
Friday: dinner at the O's game.
Saturday: fish and rice with salad.
Sunday: hopefully grilling outside for Mother's Day.

but if i could figure out a way to get my hands on all the fresh bread we ate with every meal and some more gelato, trust me, i would be happy to just eat that all week.

raspberry, hazelnut, and chocolate truffle... mmm...

meal plan monday: april 2.

too tired today to post anything real thanks to a lazy weekend filled with a combination of staying up too late, spraypaint, hanging out with good friends, lots of fun, video games, and even wrestlemania. (yes, really) its all i can do right now to wrangle my sleepy little brain cells long enough to hash out a meal plan and a grocery list. and at the rate i'm going, it will be a small miracle if we wind up eating anything other than macaroni and cheese all week.

actually now that i think about it, that doesnt really sound all that bad...

source

Monday: macaroni and cheese.
Tuesday: chicken quesadillas.
Wednesday: grilled chicken salad.
Thursday: zucchini, blackbean, and rice skillet. (recipe)
Friday: fish, rice, and asparagus.
Saturday: soup from a can. and hard-boiled eggs. dyed, of course.
Sunday: Easter deliciousness with the in-laws.

meal plan monday: march 5.

well, we've got one week of our new extra-healthy lifestyle under our belts, and i think for the most part we did all right with it. i only ate one M&M all week, Mark started lifting again, we tried a new recipe that was very tasty and left our kitchen a complete mess, and i learned how to hard-boil an egg. (turns out i must have missed that chapter in the how-to-be-a-responsible-adult book)

this was dinner on wednesday, NOT me learning how to hard-boil eggs

since this whole thing started after i weighed myself at a stranger's house and discovered 10 extra mystery pounds, i feel the need to tell you that i think their scale was wrong. because i weighed myself on our scale a few days later and it told me that i had lost 5 pounds already, and that's just crazypants. and no, i am not going to even consider the notion that it might be OUR scale that is broken. what normal person would believe a stranger's scale over their own? especially when your own scale tells you nicer numbers?

in other kitchen-related news, work in there got started over the weekend in the form of fixing and painting the ceiling! the counters were cleared, and everything got draped in plastic dropcloths. it looked kind of similar to a kill scene from Dexter.  (or at least what i imagine one would look like, as i never really got into that show.)

of course we did this AFTER we cleared all the counters

so the next step will be trim paint, and then color for the walls, and then a fresh coat of trim-color paint on the cabinets and drawers, and then a shelf installation, and then i'll get to move everything back onto the counters instead of having it all live on the card table in the nook.

so here we go for another week of light, healthy dinners.

Monday: tilapia with rice and salad.
Tuesday: soup from a can.
Wednesday: chicken and mushrooms in a white wine sauce. (recipe)
Thursday: turkey sandwiches.
Friday: Mark is on his own for dinner cuz i'm heading to NYC for
Saturday: BIRTHDAY

Sunday: WEEKEND!