Meal Plan Monday October 31st, 2011

Homemade Green Tomato Sauce

Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili

Tomato Italian Soup and Grilled Cheese


Garbanzo Beans and Quinoa

Tortilla Soup


Black Bean Enchilada Casserole


Green Spaghetti with Homemade Green Tomato Sauce

Fricase de Pollo con Papas

Butternut Squash Mac n' Cheese

• 2 cup butternut squash, diced
• 2 tablespoons veggie broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Gluten Free flour
• pinches salt, pepper, and garlic
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 2 cups broccoli (or other veggie)
• GF bread crumbs (I have some made out of GF pumpkin bread, yum!)
• pasta

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add butternut squash. Cook until squash is softened and drained. Place in a food processor, add broth, and pulse until mixture is smooth. Set aside.
2. Prepare pasta, drain and set aside.
3. In a pan, heat butter over medium-low heat until melted. Whisk in flour and let cook for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk, butternut squash, salt, pepper, and garlic. Continue to whisk until the mixture begins to thicken (1-2 more minutes). Once thickened, remove from the burner and mix in cheese, continuing to whisk until melted (if the sauce seems too thick, add a little more milk.) Stir into pasta. Toss with broccoli (or chosen veggie), move to oven safe dish. Top with bread crumbs, broil until top browns.

What's for dinner this week at your house?  Find other great menu plans at Organizing Junkie.

Wordless Wednesday October 26th, 2011: Pumpkin Farm

Seems it has become our tradition to visit Stocker Farms in Snohomish for our yearly Fall celebration. Each year it seems to get bigger! We even got to hang out with Hobo Mama's family!

Tell All Tuesday October 25th, 2011

Just when I think everything is running smoothly, it all seems to fall apart again. I am frustrated by everything. Nothing is good enough. I don't want to be touched by anyone, and my kids just have no way of understanding no matter how many times I try to explain. I feel like I am being beat up from the inside and out.

While Little Three is overall not as strong in moving, it seems that s/he is always moving about. And does get in a few good kicks here and there. I got one in the ribs and lungs so hard I almost drove off the road it surprised me so badly. Being glad for a nice strong, healthy baby only gets you so far before you just want a break!

When it was just L1, and before L2 was mobile, our DVD and CD collections were never a problem. Now I can't keep them away from them, and it is all a giant mess where they are getting ruined. We put the kid movies up where they can't reach, but they have started watching non-animated movies and now want to explore the whole collection. All the time. We have tried to come up with some options to get them out of the way (we DO want our children to know this house is theirs too and limit the things we have to teach them are off limits in our home) but so far they all involve buying new storage systems (not an option right now).

I want everything to just WORK, you know? I would like to wake up in the morning, rested, make breakfast, move into our day where we can play, read, craft, and everything else without all the grief. But, I am willing to bet that is what everybody wishes, no matter what their life.

I have a lot of apologies to make today. I have yelled and screamed and pushed aside too many times to be ignored (not that any times should be ignored) and I really need to find a way to reset myself and get back to where we were. How do you regain your composure and balance when you know things have gone awry? How do you make amends to the people you love when you know you have acted out?

Meal Plan Monday: October 24th, 2011

Tomato Italian Soup and Grilled Cheese

Our homemade sauerkraut.
A mix of red and green cabbage and apples.
(Hence, the pink!)

Roasted Root Veggies over noodles

Garbanzo Beans and Quinoa

Ziti

Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Polish Sausage with homemade Sauerkraut and Potatoes

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Soup

Balsamic Lentil Soup with Homemade Bread

Spaghetti

Thai-Style Pumpkin Soup
1 tbsp olive oil
6 chicken breasts - cubed
3 garlic cloves - minced
1 tbsp ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2-4 stalks celery - diced
2-4 carrots - diced
2c pumpkin
1/2c peanut butter
6c stock
1/2c mango nectar
1/2c lime juice
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2c cilantro - divided
1/2c heavy cream
1 tbsp cornstarch
2-4c rice
3 green onions - minced
1/2c peanuts - chopped

Cook chicken, garlic, ginger, and red pepper in skillet. Transfer to crock pot, add celery, carrot, pumpkin, peanut butter, stock, mango nectar, lime juice, rice vinegar, and 1/4c cilantro on HIGH. In separate bowl, combine cornstarch and heavy cream, add to soup and simmer on high until thickened. When ready to eat, ladle around rice, top with cilantro and peanuts.

What's for dinner this week at your house?  Find other great menu plans at Organizing Junkie.

Wordless Wednesday October 19th, 2011: Leaf Walk!

THIS is what makes living in the northwest easier through the long, gray, dreary winter!

Tell All Tuesday October 18th, 2011

I turned 28 this last week. Still not old enough to consider lying about it. But, starting to get tired of the effort I put into celebrating for my husband and boys to get little in return. Really.

This was my husband's birthday: 

This was mine:

My sister made pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting.

It isn't like I got nothing. My sister made cupcakes, SCRUBBED the furniture that so desperately needed it, and dyed my hair. Her boyfriend gave me a pumpkin spice candle. And my brother replaced the memory card for my camera (that my husband lost). My husband brought me blueberry muffins, and bought himself brownies (yeah, explain the fairness in that one). The only card I received was from my chiropractor! I know this just sounds whiney, but WHAT HAPPENED TO CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS?!

UPDATE: I did get to go out to dinner with my larger family last night. It was nice. Hubby is still waiting for my gift. I guess they were out. :-)

Wordless Wednesday October 12th, 2011: NO FEAR

This week I had the goal of cutting out how many times I say "Be careful" to my boys. It was hard.

Spider wrapping a moth.

A giant spider they also stopped to watch.

Tuesday Tell All: October 11th, 2011

This week I have committed one of the "pregnancy sins". I defend the move by saying the dye is vegetable based, non-ammonia, and I am THIRTY FREAKIN' WEEKS PREGNANT AND DESERVE TO FEEL GOOD!

Blue Hair!            

My boys have TWO new favorite movies this week. I can't feel too bad about one being The Princess Bride. I do have some guilt about letting them watch X-Men: First Class. It is more intense than I thought I would be ok with, but the good news is that we watch together and have had some really good conversations (well, as far as conversations with a 2 and a 4yo can be) about violence, emotions, and the non-reality of movies.

I think I am finally getting to a better place in my parenting again. I have been talking with some of my friends that have things a little more in hand than I do, and even the ones who think they don't because we are all on the path to create a world better than the one we live in now and believe our parenting is paramount to that goal. But, man has it been hard as our children get older to find the best way to meet each day with respect and patience. Even my  husband has had a hard time, so we are glad to look to some great books and discussions to continue adapting to our children's behavioral milestones.

We are STILL keeping up with our Weekly House Blessing. I really do give it credit to keeping our home more peaceful. Now, if only we could figure out the laundry...

See more confessions:

Moorea from MamaLady is graciously hosting the Natural Parents Network Gathering: Pacific Northwest Edition.  Here was her confession before everyone arrived! http://mamalady.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/the-natural-parents-are-coming-hide-the-stroller/

There is also a new page encouraging you to unburden yourself. The Honesty Conspiracy. Go check it out.