The Planet Zucchini

First of all, let me explain the title - anyone who has children knows that on Sesame Street whenever there is a skit about space, there is always a character from the planet Zucchini.  For whatever reason, (ok I'm a loser), I think this is hilarious.  Will actually thinks that Zucchini is a real planet, and I don't correct him!

This week is all about zucchini & squash. We also have to eat our CSA take: 4 heads of lettuce, one head of broccoli, 3 ears of sweet corn, 1 zucchini, 1 weird squash (that's the technical term) that Steve took without asking me - don't get me started, 2 quarts of string beans (I'll probably freeze them for winter) and one bunch basil.

Here's our meal plan for the week:
Tonight (Tuesday): Couscous Casserole - more about that later
Wednesday: Couscous Casserole Leftovers
Thursday: Burgers with Zucchini Patties and Sweet Corn
Friday: Chicken Fajitas
Saturday: My sister's Bachelorette Party!  Sayonara Zucchini!  Hell-o Continental Midtown!
Sunday: Grilled Pizzas with Peppers, Onions & Broccoli
Monday: More Leftovers :(

We are also having salad every night with dinner and later this week I'm going to make pesto with the basil.

As for tonight, I made a Couscous Casserole, a recipe my friend M gave me.  Seriously, it was SO good!  Steve had thirds, Will exclaimed "Mmmm!" when he tried it! Here's the recipe with my changes:

Couscous Casserole

Adapted from Parents Magazine

• 2 T. Olive Oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. garlic
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large zucchini, cut into thin slices
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 4 cups pasta sauce
• 1/2 cup couscous - this is the one thing I totally changed from the recipe. I think this is far too little. I used one box of Near East Whole Wheat couscous. It was about 1 1/3 cups dried couscous.
• salt and pepper
• grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the zucchini and put it on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Bake for 8 minutes or so, then take them out & set aside. Set oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a skillet over medium-high heat, saute onions and garlic in 2 T. olive oil. After about five minutes, add the meat and stir; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the meat is no longer pink, then set aside.

4. Heat the stock and the pasta sauce over medium heat. Bring to a gentle bubble, then add couscous. Stir well, cover, turn off heat; let sit 10 minutes.

5. Spoon a layer of couscous into bottom a 1.5-2 quart casserole dish. Top couscous with a layer of zucchini, then with a layer of meat. Repeat until you have used up all ingredients, ending with a top layer of couscous. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

6. Cook for 25 minutes or until heated through.

The best part of the recipe is that you can basically throw whatever vegetables you have in the house in it and it would taste great.  I think the one change that I might make would be to use Israeli couscous since it would add some more texture.  I served it with homemade focaccia (Pillsbury pizza crust brushed with olive oil and garlic, salt, pepper and italian seasoning then baked according to package directions) and of course, salad.

We all enjoyed and since Will has speech on Tuesdays, I am now on the hunt for casseroles that I can make ahead and Steve can throw in the oven.  This is going in the rotation- thanks M! So far, it has been a successful trip to the planet Zucchini!

Tomorrow since we aren't having a new recipe, I have LOTS of topics to blog about including (but not limited to): the lunatics on Extreme Couponers, The Bachelorette, and my borderline obsession with the last Harry Potter movie. See you then!

Polka Dot Party Time!

All this pressure for a first birthday party!  First of all, there are no good themes for girl first birthdays.  You don't want to use up any character themes that you will inevitably have to do later (um...princesses, anyone!) but then if you move off the beaten birthday party path, you have to be uber-creative, which I am not.  Originally, I was going to do butterflies for Emma's first birthday, but after hitting decorations roadblock after decorations roadblock, I decided to go a little more general, and we gave her a pink & green "preppy" party with polka dots & plaid.  I'm really proud of how it came out, especially since I am the world's least creative and crafty person ever.

Here's a couple picks of how it came out:

The buffet setup:

The centerpieces - made of tin buckets from Target and daisy placemats from Homegoods:

As a supplement to her daisy cake, we had delicious Sugar & Sunshine cupcakes!

Finally the brownie tray with the daisy decorations that I made. I am only showing this as a warning to others who may try to use Wilton Sugar Sheets to decorate.  DON'T!!!  They were a total pain in the butt, and they looked a little too much like paper.  I think people were afraid to eat them because of it.

The polka dot balloons that started the whole idea:

Even Emma had a great time, she enjoyed her cake, but in true Emma fashion, she wasn't really into eating herself, but she was all about having my grandmother feed her bits of cake like she was a baby bird or something:

She did still enjoy her cake:

Above all, I think everyone had a great time, especially the other kids who bounced themselves into exhaustion (Thanks to B who let us borrow her bouncy house - you rule!)

In other news, this week's CSA take away: 4 heads of lettuce, 4 zucchinis, 3 cucumbers, a bunch of beets (I don't know how many because I didn't look since I think a. they are gross, and b. they stain so I refuse to make them), 1 bunch of broccoli and 2 quarts of string beans.  I'm bringing all of it up to the Poconos for our 4th of July weekend that I am lovingly naming "Operation Ruffage."  I'm also bringing up a couple of recipes including this one for zucchini patties and this one for zucchini bread.  I won't have internet access while I'm up there (is there a blogger app?  If so, fill a lady in!) so I'll see you next week!

Happy 4th of July!

Oh, Hello Summer...

Sorry I haven't been around!  It was the last month of school which is basically just pure insanity, and at the same time I've been helping to plan for different events for the 2 weddings that I'm in this summer/fall (Congrats K & S!  We can't wait!). 

The big event is coming up today because it's Emma's 1st Birthday Party!  I can't believe she's one!

This was her the day she was born:

And one from her first birthday:

Isn't it funny how she looks so different and yet exactly the same?  I went back and forth on her first birthday theme: butterflies?  Strawberry Shortcake?  I'll post pictures of the final theme tomorrow, but here's a little hint:

I will also be back blogging about our food trials and tribulations.  I can't wait to try all the recipes that people have given me! Now, in addition to limiting what we buy at the store, I'm trying to use up all the local, organic produce we have been getting from our summer CSA, Honey Brook Organic Farm.  for example, last week we took in: one head of cabbage, 4 heads of lettuce, 2 zucchinis, 1 head of arugula, 2 quarts of string beans, and 2 cucumbers.  Part of the blog will be seeing what I can do with these ingredients and the other part how I store up everything for winter. Since we threw out WAY too much last year, our goal for this year is to use or freeze everything so that we have it for later.  So far, I have 2 gallons (not that's not a typo) of strawberries and 1 quart of string beans in my basement freezer.  If you gave me a recipe, I'm on it!  I just have to wait until the ingredients become seasonal.

Not to be forgotten, Will has officially entered his terrible twos (how fun for us!) We moved him into a big bed, which had the unfortunate result of a 5:30am wakeup time.  Now we have trained him to stay in bed and yell, "Mom!  I'm up!"  Much to our dismay, this wakeup call comes at 6am.  Ugh.  Here's my current favorite Will picture. He was up at the lake playing golf with my dad:

Judging from his expression, I'm pretty sure he just bogeyed that hole. 

See you later!

Playing Catch Up

So I'm desperately trying to play blog catchup.  In the interest of time, here's the quick and dirty version of some of the recipes I've been making.

Sweet & Sour Chicken:Eh, just alright.  Pretty good, I guess.  Definitely healthier than real sweet and sour chicken, but obviously not as delicious and fried.  Steve liked it, but I have a weird hangup with citrus and chicken, as in, I don't like it.  So I had issues with all the pineapple. Will picked out the pineapple and left everything else.  As of right now, I'm still being owned by homemade Chinese food.

Baked Ravioli: Pretty good, although in reality, it really was just ravioli with homemade sauce baked in a casserole dish with cheese melted on top.  Tasted good, but revolutionary cuisine, it was not.  Still, on Tuesday afternoons Will has speech therapy so I have to plan for either a quick dinner or something made ahead of time that Steve can throw in the oven.  For the latter, it worked.  Would I make it again?  The jury is still out, but mostly just because it's not like it takes a Culinary Instiute degree to figure out how to make ravioli.

Fusilli with Spinach & Asiago Cheese: This one is delicious!  Try it.  Try it now.  The recipe is delicious as is, but I usually beef up the amount of spinach and tomatoes, because I figure more veggies can't hurt. I usually do 10oz. of spinach (one small container of organic baby spinach) and 1 whole pint of grape tomatoes, halved. It's a great Meatless Monday recipe, but also wonderful with shrimp scampi on top.

Other than that, we're doing a ton of grilling since the weather is finally nice!  Is there a summer meal better than hot dogs?  No way!

Steve and Will have been keeping busy fixing up the yard for Emma's first birthday party which is coming up in about a month (Happy 11 month birthday, Emma!).  Here's the evidence that Will has been helping with the weed whacking:

This weekend we're headed up to the Poconos - hopefully to relax, recharge, and most importantly, outlet shop, before heading home for the craziness of the last 3 weeks of the school year. 

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

Too Little Time!

Sorry I haven't been around more - there is just too much to do in each day and not enough time.  Of course, I could blog after the kids go to bed, but it really interferes with my 9pm bedtime.  Last night we tried to watch The King's Speech, which I have been wanting to see for ages.  Steve really enjoyed it.  I fell asleep at approximately 8:40pm.  If the first 20 minutes of the movie is any indication, I may have actually liked it!

We've also been busy with the prep for my sister's wedding this August. Last Sunday I took the kids to her bridal shower where I indulged in brunch for the second week in a row (Is there a meal that is better than brunch?  Eggs, Pancakes AND Crab Cakes = Nirvana) and she took home lots of great loot from her VERY generous friends.  We managed to get a couple of cute pictures like this one of me and the bride to be:

And this one of my mom & Emma:

On the food front, we are plugging along with our experiment.  We basically are out of everything, so our grocery bills have been a bit higher, but we are still trying to use what we have before buying more stuff, and we're also eagerly awaiting the start of our organic farm share.  This time 2 weeks from now I will be complaining about sweating my butt off as a pseudo migrant worker in the pick your own strawberry fields. 

I am going to try to post more recipes, and as we've gone further into this journey, many people have given me recipes that I am eager to try so I'm going to try to get them in!  Here's the meal plan for this week:

Sunday: Sweet & Sour Chicken - a new Rachael Ray recipe.  I will not be defeated by homemade Chinese Food!

Monday: Toasted Ravioli

Tuesday: Will has speech therapy now on Tuesday afternoons, so we have to plan super-simple dinners or we'll be eating at 8pm.  Not a good situation when my bedtime is at 9pm. We're either having burgers or hot dogs with grilled asparagus and potato chips.  A perfect summer meal!

Wednesday: Gorditas!  Yes, homemade Taco Bell. Don't judge.

Thursday: The opposite meat from Tuesday. So...if hot dogs on Tuesday, burgers on Thursday. Or vice-versa.  Probably with salad and mac & cheese.

Friday after work we're going to trek up to the Poconos for the weekend.  Steve and I actually look forward to the Friday night trips because we get the chance to stop at McDonald's with no guilt.  So the tentative Friday night menu will include: sweet & sour sauce (with a generous sprinkling of chicken nuggets), fries, and Steve's obligatory gallon of vanilla milkshake.

Enjoy the week & I will try not to drop off the face of the planet (unless the world ends, which it very well may)!

Reflection

For most people, December is the usual time for yearly reflection.  As teachers, Steve and I often have to remind ourselves that the "year" doesn't actually begin in September and end in June.  As such, we tend to reflect on our yearly progress right around May, when the wrap up for the current school year begins and/or we're so burnt out that we have dreams of summer and a new school year.  In the spirit of the "pantry raid" project, it seems like this is a good time to reflect on what (if anything!) we've accomplished:

Here's the data: Since 2/28, I have been grocery shopping 13 times.  I have spent a grand total of $969.19.  This averages out to $74.55 a week.  Not bad!  I have nothing to compare this to since we weren't really tracking our grocery spending before, and I guess I could figure it out, but I don't feel like it.

Both Steve and I have lost about 5 pounds each.  I attiribute this to the following: 1) the stomach flu.   We only had it once, but it nearly killed me.  But: I didn't gain any of the weight I lost back!  2) One of the reasons I think our grocery bill hasn't necessarily gone down THAT much is because we are buying more expensive foods.  Before we were eating a fair amount of processed foods and we've cut almost all of that out in favor of mostly organic, whole foods.  I clip coupons and the only problem with whole foods is that there really aren't coupons out there for broccoli or bananas.  All the coupons are for processed crap that we don't eat and as a result even though we're buying less, we're spending just about the same.  Before you think I'm being all judgy about the food, we still do buy some processed foods, just way less than before.  We LOVE: Wise potato chips, Jiffy corn bread, brownie mix, and I truly believe that a life without Kraft macaroni and cheese is not a life to be lived.  But we've cut way back, and I think our waistlines have benefited. 

If anyone is interested in reading how we did it, I would highly recommend picking up a copy of Michael Pollen's Food Rules. It's just that: simple food "rules" to live by, and it has nothing to do with losing weight or dieting.  It really is about living healthier and being aware of where your food comes from.  It's very balanced, non judgmental, non-crunchy granola. It's everything that I am with the exception of the balanced and judgmental part. Oh, and it's only about a hundred pages.

So there's my kinda crappy reflection.  The good thing that came out of this project was that we're eating healthier, being more aware of what we purchase and how much we might be wasting, and I think that we're going to try to keep up with it.  We have about 3 weeks or so until our farm share starts and then I'll transition the blog to how the hell we're going to keep up with that.  12 quarts of strawberries this week, anyone?

Here's the meal plan for this week:
Sunday: Happy Mother's Day!!! I'm not cooking a thing :)
Monday: Eggplant Stacks with Pasta (attempting - pathetically - to bring back Meatless Monday!)
Tuesday: Chicken Nuggets with Peas (pathetic, I know, but we had it all in the house)
Wednesday: Fusilli with Spinach & Asiago Cheese
Thursday: Tacos.  The real kind with the crunchy shells and the ground beef. Steve's request. 
Friday: Who knows?

In the spirit of Mother's Day (and what do mothers do better than brag about their kids!?!), here are my favorite two pictures of my little cherubs.  Here's me and Emma:

And here's one of Will getting ready to hit the links:

There were obviously some outfit "readjustments" that were made without my approval :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Thai it, You'll Like It!

Tonight's dinner: Thai Lettuce Cups.  In a word: a-maz-ing!  These are totally going into the regular rotation.  Personally, I think they rivaled the PF Chang's lettuce wraps, and that's a high bar that's been set.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts (that's right, just two - this is a great meal for stretching your dollars!), cut into VERY thin strips
• salt
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 red bell pepper cut into VERY thin strips
• 1/4 cup sweet thai chili sauce (in the asian foods aisle)
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 head iceburg lettuce, cut into quarters and leaves separated
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts (I left this out because we didn't have any in the house and it was awesome anyway - I don't even think I would add them next time)

Here's what you do:
Season the chicken with salt.  In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil.  Add the chicken and cook until 1/2 done. Then, add the pepper and season it with salt.  Continue cooking, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain about 1/2 the liquid that will accumulate in the pan.  Put the pan back on medium heat and stir in the honey and the chili sauce and cook until slightly reduced. Add the lime juice and the basil and stir just to combine.

You can lay them out on a platter, but we did ours kind of like tacos - with the lettuce "cups" on one platter and the chicken on another and we just assembled them at the table. Here's the final product:

I served ours with chicken dumplings on the side, and everything was gobbled up.  We learned that Will likes dumplings with gyoza sauce (he ate 3!).  We also learned that he can't be trusted with communal dip.  We're pretty sure that he triple dipped those dumplings. Listen, I'll take my gyoza sauce with Will's saliva in it if it means that he actually eats dinner, which he did.

While I was at the doctor's office over spring break I stole a bunch of recipes out of an issue of Food Network magazine. I can feel your judgment, but in my defense, I was waiting over 20 minutes past my appointment time and I would assert that I am OWED those recipes. This was one of them and I'm going to try another later this week for Buffalo Chicken Strips. 

One last thing: I just have to share that I stuck my head into Will's room this afternoon and witnessed the cutest moment between him and Emma.  With all the toys in the house, the two of them decided to play in the laundry basket. 

If this is all it takes to make them happy, next Christmas: Tide and dryer sheets! :)

See you soon!