Breakfast

The biggest food area I struggle in - after menu planning - is breakfast for myself.  It has to be portable and easily thrown together during the week, because I don't eat when I first get up.  I'm pretty much off "sweet" breakfasts like waffles or pancakes, and they are too much trouble 

to take to work, you gotta bring butter and syrup too.  

Cereal or toast are boring and don't usually fill me up until lunch.

If there's no cold pizza to be had, sometimes I'll have dinner leftovers, or a sandwich.  Why not?  

Last month I had a perfectly delicious breakfast courtesy of the leftover roasted peppers that I'd bought when I made Moussaka for Sunday dinner.  I'd used a layer of roasted peppers in the dish instead of the eggplant and it was divine.  The leftover peppers topped some toast, along with feta cheese, and some cayenne pepper that a kind soul had left in the kitchen at work. 

I had a version of this for lunch the next week, and I'm planning on buying another one of those jumbo jars of roasted peppers from Costco again soon for more.

Snapshot - Rollin' in my 5.0.....

My stupid Iphone is refusing to play anything but the same 20 songs over and over again, so I unearthed the old Ipod and took it to work.  Loving it already.

Just to show how old I am, when this song came out and was a huge 

hit, it was sold out in the stores here.  A friend and I drove to Kelowna to buy the

 cassette single (yes, that's what I said) and listened 

to it over and over on the drive home.

Fratelli Pho

I grabbed the wrong tupperware container from the fridge the other morning - a container 

that did not contain my lunch, so I headed out to find something 

cheap and fast and healthy - no fast food today, sir!

 It was Pho day at Fratelli, so I waited my turn and ordered a small bowl.  

The charming lady whipped up a bowl, added "medium spice" at my request, 

and sent me on my way in no time.

It was very delicious.  With the exception of the lime, which came 

out of a plastic container, everything was super fresh.  

The beef was tender and the broth was flavorful.  

 A definite winner for a quick lunch downtown.

Green bean stirfry

My time organization skills and menu planning are gone, baby, gone.

I've given up trying to plan meals in advance, which then leaves me scrambling daily to figure out a healthy meal to get on the table quickly and cheaply.  Argh.

I don't love food as much as I used to.  I don't love cooking, or reading cookbooks, 

or menu planning.  Which is fine, whatever, except when it comes to 

having to feed your family 7 days a week.

So I'm on the lookout for fast, healthy, cheap meals that picky 6 year olds will eat.  Easy and fun.

This one is good - Szechuan Beans and Ground Pork.  I used ground turkey, and omitted the spice for the kids.  Ah, spice.  I miss you so.

Recipe: Szechuan Green Beans with Ground Pork

Grocery Shop March 12

Juice boxes, iced coffee, taco kit, condensed milk, school snacks, popcorn chips, dried thyme, ice tea, margerine, butter, whipping cream, puff pastry, carrots, spinach, bell peppers, watermelon, bananas, cucumber, lemons, celery, sausage, chicken, deli ham, pepperoni.

$108

Snapshot

Goodbye, snow!  Hello, more walks!

Chicken Casserole

We had my parents over for Sunday dinner, and I was totally craving my Mom's chicken tetrazzini, but I was feeling a bit "meh" about cream of mushroom soup.  I know, what is up with that????

Anyhoo, I found the perfect solution in this creamy chicken spaghetti casserole.

It was super simple to make and the chopped up olives sounded - and were - so delicious.

A new family favorite for weekend dinners.

PS - my posts are embarrassingly short because I try to write when the kids are asleep or occupied.  Guess how often that lasts more than 5 minutes?

Instagram - 70 books reviewed

We are now up to70 cookbooks reviewed, and 54 have been returned to the shelf.

8 additional books scooted out the door untested:

A Spanish cookbook that I've held onto for years.  When I bought it I cooked one recipe out of it that wasn't great,so I don't know why I've kept it.

2 Rachael Ray 30 Minute books.

A super healthy cookbook with alkaline balancing and soaked cashews and probiotics, and I'm too tired for so many steps and effort.

A Cooking Light book from the dollar store.

Also from the dollar store - a Food and Wine book that was just too darn fancy for us.

An old Emeril Legasse book picked up at a book sale.

A beginners cookbook also from a book sale.

Intentions for March

How things went in February

Not well, actually.  I've been back at work for 2 months and everything seems like a struggle.  There is never enough time in the day to do what I need to do, much less what I want to do.  I'm exhausted all the time and I've gained 8 pounds.

Yoga and walking every day - This has suffered a lot.  I'm taking my 2 classes a week at the studio, but most weeks that's been it.  I need to fine some inspiration and new energy for my practice.  And walking?  Nope.

Reading - nope.

Menu planning - ugh.  I have lost all interest in food, cooking and planning.  I'm starting to resent even having to do it.  Not a place I want to be or ever thought I would be.

Say Thank You to the Mister - not enough.

I'm feeling like I've lost sight of what my plan was for intention setting, so I also went back and looked at my January intentions - 

Yoga every day - nope.

Drink lots of water - ha!  Next.

Use my Fitbit - I don't even know where it is since I changed the battery.

Keep Calm - nope nope nope.

So! Back to basics.  Focus on family and health this month (not that my family isn't always my main focus anyway.....)

Intentions for March -

Yoga every day again.  Even if it's just a few poses or stretches.

Drink lots of Water

Eat more veggies and fruits

Read with The Boy every night