Naturally Optimistic

I had a moment of profound sadness this morning while lying in bed. I was thinking of my upcoming trip to the grocery store. I was thinking that I am so bored with the current repetoire and I need to try some new recipes. Then I started thinking about my favorite cookbook - Hollyhocks & Radishes. This got me thinking about a conversation I had with my mother-in-law and her sister (my aunt-in-law?) last year about this time. The three of us had begun to meet up a few times, every couple of weeks or so for Happy Hour. It was a fun time when I really felt like I was getting to know the both of them a bit better. On a more personal & adult level. Without husbands, significant others or children around, the conversation was often different and more intimate that I had experienced with these two incredible women before. I enjoyed those times immensely. We started talking about the aforementioned cookbook as Joan (A-I-L) had given it to me at a bridal shower she hosted for me. I...

Over here ...

This week's meal plan is posted. I also put up some pics of the No Knead Bread which turned out great! Super easy and delicious. Especially if you like rustic breads - great for buttering and gobbling up. I tried making Applesauce Muffins from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook on Saturday morning - they were SUPER yummy (and healthy to boot!). Pics up of those too. (can you tell I just learned how to use my macro on my camera? Sheesh)

So I got a new cookbook for Valentine's Day! I'm so excited because I've wanted Deceptively Delicious for a while now and my hinting must've paid off! Because I'm really needing to slim down and bit and eat healthier in general, I thought - why not try these recipes? Why not start eating more veggies, more fiber, less saturated fats - why not now? Dahlia has no problem eating veggies right now, but I know that will most likely change so - hey, let's start some good habits now. So yesterday was my puree day! I headed to the store and set out to make up a bunch of purees for the week. A chance to play with the food processor - whohoooo! I started by roasting butternut squash. It smelled delicious. I kind of just wanted to eat it! While the squash was roasting & baked some chocolate chip cookies - healthy ones! No butter (trans-fat free smart balance), no egg yolks, but chick peas! Crazy. They turned out really good. We actually really loved them. Carrie - 1. ...

I've been trying for the past several months to do a weekly meal plan. I absolutely HATE the words "what do you want for dinner?" so it's much better if I think about this once and have all the appropriate groceries on hand (with one or two "back ups" just in case we're REALLY not in the mood for something in the plan when that day arrives). This makes it much easier for deciding what to have for dinner too. If Steve asks that awful question and I say "I don't know" then we go back and forth and back and forth and often what I suggest gets shot down. But if he asks and I say "we're having Potato Corn Chowder (which we're having tonight) then he usually says "oh, okay." MUCH less stress. I don't know why that was a big stressor, but it was! Anyway - Last week's plan was this: Monday - Homemade Pizza w/Salad Tuesday - Quick & Easy Italian Meatball Soup (from the new cookbook - MUCH better than the navy bean ...

Pretty mellow today....the usual morning routine - up, shower, dress, get baby up, bathe her, dress - breakfast for both of us - then on to whatever we've got going on. We were on the phone with Apple for a long time today trying to figure out the wireless connection nonsense. (solution - get another Mac and dump the dell + linksys router! Amen!), we sent 3 packages - which entailed wrapping, packing & walking to the post office to send. I watched the rest of "21" which I enjoyed, I finished my book (After Dark) and started another (Gods in Alabama). I did some work including tweaking our WAB listing (for festival submissions) and final listens on soundtrack tracks. I tried a new recipe (eggplant parmesan - review...pretty darn good) and now I'm knitting & watching men's beach volleyball. Someday Dahlia will have her blanket. Tomorrow's Friday! Tomorrow we send off the soundtrack for duplication. Saturday my parents come to town. Sunday we have anothe...