new menu

i'm going a little trader joes crazy lately.
it's a great place to shop, my sister works there, it's right around the corner so it's easy to work in a shopping trip after work and well, everything is easy and good for you! can't beat that!!

our meals in no particular order:

~TJ's tilapia citronette that we never made last week. it has roasted veggies (asparagus and carrots) and instead of plain quinoa, i picked up a pack of TJ's "harvest grains blend" which has couscous, orzo, baby garbonzo beans and red quinoa. i'll cook it up in the rice cooker with some organic broth, EVOO and kosher salt

~TJ's mandarin orange chicken, organic jasmine rice, sauteed bok choy with garlic

~TJ's cabernet beef pot roast cooked in the crock pot with TJ's baby confetti potatoes (a mix of red, white and purple potatoes), TJ's french green beans sauteed with garlic.

~TJ's flame broiled turkey meatballs simmered in timmy's homemade BBQ sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, big salad

~grilled buffalo burgers on whole wheat buns, TJ's hawaiian style BBQ chips, sliced seedless cucumber, red bell pepper and carrots with TJ's tzatziki dip

lunches are pretty much always leftovers.

breakfast is our daily smoothie which i have discovered is awesome with TJ's coconut milk and starbucks matcha powder...it's just dried green tea and has a big antioxidant punch! i also make sure to sneak in organic spinach and half an avocado. it's a great meal first thing in the morning and the kids love it.

menu this week

lots of quick fix meals this week because we're so busy.
i'm only planning 4 meals a week since one of us is gone 3 nights a week lately.

(TJ's = trader joes)

meal #1
TJ's ham, caramellized onion and gruyere pizza, caesar salad

meal #2
TJ's tilapia citronette with grilled asparagus and sliced carrots, quinoa

meal#3
homemade lasagna made with ground turkey, goat cheese, whole wheat noodles and my "special sauce" which includes tons of veggies and even pureed pumpkin!, TJ's garlic naan (we prefer this over garlic bread these days)

meal #4
kung pao chicken and broccoli over brown rice, TJ's coconut curry chicken stix

my babies

we had a great 4th of july and there is nothing better than dressing your kids alike and taking pics.

enjoy!

made me chuckle

a game of tag...

for my dear friend jen...

1. Were you married at the time? Yes.

2. What were your reactions when you found out you were pregnant? i was at my SIL and BIL's house and headed out to target early in the AM to get a test. it was glaringly positive. i remember looking at my reflection in the bathroom mirror and seeing myself as a mama.
i ran upstairs and shoved it in tim's face. he went nuts. it was one of the best moments in my life.

3. How old were you? hmmm. 27?

4. How did you find out you were pregnant? I took a test because i was off BC and obsessive about knowing if i was. i wanted to make sure i wasn't. haha. well, let's just say i was surprised!

5. Who did you tell first? tim. and then brian and linh. (sil and bil)

6. Did you want to find out the sex? Nope

7. Due date? april 1 2005. april fools day!

8. Did you deliver early or late? 7 days late

9. Did you have morning sickness? nope. just major food aversions.

10. What did you crave? taco bell bean burritos...hold the sauce.

11. Who irritated you the most? no comment ;)

12. What was your first child's sex? Boy

13. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? 20lbs?

14. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? nope

15. Where did you give birth? valley, alabama

16. How many hours were you in labor? 46 loooong hours

17. Who drove you to the hospital? timmy

18. Who watched? tim, laryssa, mil, mom, dad (dan and fil were outside the door)

19. Was it natural or c-section? natural forcep delivery

20. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? uh yeah. at 36 hours. i was climbing the walls.

21. How much did your child weigh? 7 lbs, 4 oz

22. Did your child have any complications? no

23. What did you name him/her? william (liam) baxter

24. How old is your first born today? 3

our menu 7/5 - 7/11

TONITE: grilled korean bulgogi beef, jasmine rice, sauteed mix of broccoli, carrots and snow peas

SUN: leftovers (i work)

MON: homemade pizzas: one veggie, one meat, salad (we never had this last week)

TUES: chicken cacciatore over brown rice, salad

WED: leftovers (tim works)

THURS: red snapper piccata, orzo with zucchini (didn't have this last week either), corn

FRI: fried chicken, potatoes au gratin, green beans

when is the last time you pulled an all nighter?

i'm headed out the door for work.
it's 4 something in the morning and i've been awake since 6am yesterday.
tonight my kids decided mommy needs zero sleep....the fun events of the wee morning hours even included a trip to wal-mart for some rice milk...since, well, we were out and *someone* can't sleep without it.
yawn.
let's hope i survive my morning shift at starbucks.
sheesh.
i think the last time i did this, i was in labor.
need sleep. need sleep.