Hello!
With the disaster in Haiti, I have become fully aware of my blessings. At night, when we watch CNN and see the ongoing crisis, I am so thankful for healthy children, my big and comfortable home, my salary, our healthcare system. Watching those people just waiting for help is amazing. Doesn't it keep us in check when we get irritated that we have to wait even half an hour for a doctor's appointment? Please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers and be thankful for every single blessing we have in our lives. I've said it before, our problems are just inconveniences... we are not sitting, waiting, as our loved ones are in terrible pain or worse, dying in our arms. The horror.
This week, I am going to build on something that I heard in church. Our Senior Pastor said: "Unlovely people are unloved people." His challenge to us was to spend FIVE MINUTES a day of undivided attention with each family member this week. (Watching tv does not count.) To count, you have to be giving the person full eye contact and full active listening. Okay, so take the challenge with me... and if you think you don't have enough time, remember I have six people in my family that I'm doing this with. :) I am also going to challenge myself this week to actually figure out how much my family spends on a monthly basis. Yes, I know 'roughly' how much we spend, but I am actually going to write it down on a spreadsheet so I can figure it out and know the ultimate monthly $ of our complete spend. This is my first step in a future financial challenge. I can do this... baby steps.
Menu this week
Mon: Pork tenderloin, smashed roasted garlic red potatoes, snap peas. The pork tenderloin I will coat with honey mustard (I have some that I bought premade at the store) salt, pepper, a little bit of dried thyme and rosemary (about 1/2 tsp each), and bake for 40 minutes at 400. Take out, cover, and let rest. Also throw in a whole bulb of garlic drizzled with olive oil and wrapped in foil. While the tenderloin is in the oven I boil red potatoes till they are tender - about 20 mins. The garlic should be done when the tenderloin comes out. I put some of the garlic (which I squeeze out of the individual piece - it pops out of the skin like toothpaste) in the potatoes and mash them. Then add butter, some milk or sour cream, salt and pepper. I leave the skins on. Yummy. Snap peas: little bit of olive oil in your pan, then I use a spoonful of the garlic and ginger blend and stir fry (keep them moving) for about 5 minutes. Add salt as needed.
Tues: Penne pasta with zucchini / mushrooms / carrots, grilled chicken, and white sauce. You can julienne your carrots and zucchini or dice them... just make them the same so they'll cook evenly. I slice the mushrooms. (You can use any of your favorite veggies with this - it is very versatile.) First put the penne on to boil. I either will cook the chicken (salt, pepper, drizzle of olive oil) in a grill pan on the side, grill outside, OR if you want to save on dishes, cube it up and cook just till it is done in your same pan. Set chicken aside, then saute veggies in a bit of olive oil and garlic, adding your mushrooms last because they cook quickly. Sprinkle with italian seasoning. If it gets dry you can add just a bit of white wine or chicken broth. Then as soon as the veggies are tender (doesn't take long!) add a pint of whipping cream, then the chicken back in... Toss with the now drained pasta and add at least a cup of parmesan cheese. Add some crusty bread on the side and you're good. This is very easy - you may want to add more flavor by seasoning your chicken with italian dressing (put in baggie and let marinate) or add some more italian seasoning. Update: I put in zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, snap peas (I didn't use them all Monday night) and frozen CORN. Then when they were all cooking, just before they were done, I added in about a fourth cup of cream cheese, and when that melted, I added equal parts cream and chicken broth. Then dumped in all the parmesan and tossed it with the grilled chicken and pasta. It was very yummy.
Wed: Tomato Basil Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. (Remember, I am a working mom! I get a break sometimes. LOL!) I do the grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread and add either ham or bacon to them on request. Tomato Basil Soup - SOOOOOO Good. Start with a can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, 1 cup tomato juice, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 cup red wine. Throw in about a tsp dried thyme and a couple of minced cloves of garlic. Simmer for 20 minutes. If you have an immersion blender, blend so that there are no "chunks" of tomatoes. I had to scoop out as many chunks as possible and blend in my blender and put back in the pot - either way - this really changes the way the soup looks / tastes. Add in half a cup of cream, bring back to a simmer, add in a handful of chopped fresh basil, blend again. You are done! We all love this soup so much. My oldest son took it to school the next day in his lunch and had the last bit on Friday night. He asked for it again on Saturday!
Thurs: Cheese and "beef" enchiladas, black beans, spanish rice. Recipe: brown ground turkey (I use the preseasoned taco ground turkey, but you can put in some taco seasoning - like half a package - when you're browning either beef or turkey if you don't have preseasoned meat) with half a diced onion. When it is brown, I add about a cup (or a little more) of shredded 'mexican blend' cheese. In another pan, melt one can of cream of chicken soup with a block of the smallest velveeta you can buy. If you buy a big (I think it's two pounds) use a quarter of it, and if you have the medium size, use half. Melt that and add in EITHER a can of mild green chili peppers (diced) which is what I use OR a drained can of rotel. Rotel will obviously be spicier. In a damp kitchen towel, microwave about 15 corn tortillas for about a 1 minute or a bit more. Carefully, while they're still pliable, fill with the meat/cheese mixture, roll it up, and put in a 9X13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. This recipe makes a lot - I fill the whole pan. Cover it with the soup/cheese mixture. Top with more shredded cheese if you feel like it, but you don't have to. Bake until everything is bubbly... maybe 30 mins at 350. These are very good and once you get the hang of it, actually very easy to make. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, rice and beans.
Fri: Sausage, potato, green beans. (This was posted before.)
Have a great week. Give thanks. Stay Strong.
Mecca
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