Thursday, March 31, 2011

kids say the darndest

These last few weeks have been extra-challening for me at work for a variety of reasons, one of which has been my break-up with Dan. The kids have all met Dan -- he was kind of a "celebrity" with my preschoolers.

Well, needless to say, I just haven't known exactly what to do or say in this situation. I didn't want to make a "big announcement" or anything, since that seemed kind of weird, so I have just been quietly and honestly explaining the situation to individual children, as the conversation dictated. Only a couple of the kids "know," and that's fine -- I think the whole concept of adult relationships is super-confusing to preschoolers anyway, so as long as they know that he isn't my boyfriend any more, that is sufficient and clear enough.

So, I had a conversation with one of my kidlets at pickup time tonight that went something like this:

Me: _____, your mom is here, time to head home!
Kid: Oh! Hi mom. But I just want to play Candyland first.
Mom: let's go!
Me: We can play Candyland tomorrow, I promise. Besides, I need to get going and catch the bus! (This particular child was my last pickup of the night.)
Kid: Why isn't Dan picking you up? (Dan would occasionally pick me up from work, maybe about once every-other week or so.)
Me: Well, Dan isn't my boyfriend any more, so he won't be picking me up any more.
Kid: He doesn't live with you any more?
Me: No.
Kid: Where does he live?
Me: In a different apartment, in Minneapolis.
Kid: Oh. Who lives with you, then?
Me: Just me and Oliver.
Kid: You should get a new boyfriend, then.
Me: I will.
Kid: When?
Me: Not right now.
Kid: Tomorrow?
Me: No. In time.
Kid: Well, you should get one soon.

Oh sweetie, if it were only that simple! :)

FLOG

BREAKFAST:

I usually rock a single cup of black coffee every morning, but today I felt like something different. I made myself a mock mocha with Toddy concentrate, almond milk, and a scoop of Penzey's hot cocoa mix. Delicious!
And, since one cannot survive on sugar and caffeine alone . . .

Two slices of toast with almond butter and homemade raspberry jam.

LUNCH:

more peanut noodles, tofu, and veggies (leftover from yesterday)
and an orange (not pictured)

SNACK:
a Dr. Kracker, some saltines, and huge quantities of mild cheddar cheese with the kids

DINNER:

after eating such a huge snack this afternoon, I wasn't really all that hungry for dinner. Around 8:30, I started thinking maybe I should eat something, so I made myself a nice salad -- spinach with dried cranberries, pecans, feta, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Yum! I also had a slightly dried-out piece of peanut mochi for dessert . . . I realized, while digging through the cupboards looking for something else, that I had forgotten to close the ziploc the last time I ate a piece of mochi . . . good thing there was only one blob left! It was definitely more firm than usual, but not inedible. :)

~~~~~~~~~~

Stay tuned for a report on the April Fool's joke I plan on playing on my students tomorrow!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

FLOG

BREAKFAST:

I never ended up doing the dishes last night, which meant I had a lot of work to do when I got up this morning! My breakfast, two muffins and half an apple, was saved for the bus today.

LUNCH:

big Greek salad, raspberry-oatmeal bar, and cheese quesadilla (not pictured)

SNACK:

hummus, Dr. Krackers, and an orange
(I only ended up eating one of the krackers and half the hummus -- the quesadilla must have filled me up more than I expected! Saved the other half of snack for tomorrow.)

DINNER:
I know I posted peanut noodles earlier . . . but Pizza Luce won out, in the end! Mmmmmmmmmmm pizza! I stuck the noodles in the fridge at work for tomorrow.

I'm all packed up and ready to go again today, since I have choir practice tonight. I find that when I have plans in the evening during the week, I'm much more likely to actually GO if I head straight there after work, as opposed to popping home first. This means that I pack a lot of dinners to go, but that's okay! Just means I look forward that much more to cooking on the weekends, I guess!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

FLOG

FIRST BREAKFAST:

green smoothie made with plain Greek yogurt, spinach, frozen peaches, frozen mangoes, and orange juice

SECOND BREAKFAST:

sometimes you just can't beat the simplicity of plain, buttered toast, can you?

LUNCH:

more peanut noodles, plus a cara cara orange (AND a Newman-O and a small handfull of licorice, not pictured) :)

SNACK:

spelt pretzels and raisins

DINNER:

jerk tofu (using the jerk marinade from Vegan with a Vengeance,) a steamed artichoke, and LOTS of Spud Puppies. Mmmmmm! Who doesn't love a pile o' spud puppies every now and then?

DESSERT:

a scoop of vanilla ice cream, topped with a spoonful of raspberry jam

Sigh. All I want to do right now is take a shower and climb into bed with my book, but the kitchen is pretty disastrous . . . decisions, decisions!

Monday, March 28, 2011

FLOG

BREAKFAST #1 and #2:

"black and blue" smoothie at home, and two muffins for the bus

LUNCH:

whole-wheat linguine topped with fried tofu, a pile o' veggies, and the peanut sauce from Vegan with a Vengeance -- SO good! (and my first time making it!)

SNACKS:

one of the women who works in the main office at my work occasionally goes to Candy Land and picks up a big bag of popcorn . . . this week it was the plain ol' good stuff, but I do love that "Chicago Mix," too! Mmmmmmm popcorn!
and,

homemade white bean hummus and two Dr. Kracker flatbreads
and a slice of my coteacher's pumpkin bread, not pictured.

DINNER:

giant salad topped with apples, fennel, walnuts, bleu cheese, and homemade fig balsamic vinaigrette (sadly, I didn't have time to finish the whole salad, since I had to rush for the bus -- boo!)

TREAT:

ginger "Newman-Os" -- possibly my favorite pre-packaged cookie

POST-YOGA SNACK:

cereal hits the spot nearly every time

I have yoga class again tonight, (my last one of this series,) so I'm all packed up and ready to go! Hope you have a good Monday!

And, to answer Courtney's question about my fig balsamic vinaigrette, I just made a regular balsamic vinaigrette with fig vinegar. Mmmmmmm!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

FLOG

BREAKFAST:

Managed to make it through church without hunger pangs again this week . . . probably because I stuffed myself silly with this awesome breakfast burrito!

LUNCH:

Finishing up the leftover dal, some leftover red rice, and samosas from the freezer. I ended up freezing about a cup of dal for another time, since I'm so sick of eating it right now, but don't want to waste it. :)

SNACK:

raspberry oatmeal bar

DINNER:

Another pile of leftovers that I am desperately sick of, but tried my best with. It helped to add cheese and avocado to the beans and rice. I didn't end up finishing all of the greens or rice, since I was sort of saving room for . . .

a triple-chocolate and coconut cookie from the Wedge deli. :)

Off to get some stuff done in the kitchen and get ready for the week. 'Night!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

FLOG, and my first calzone

BREAKFAST:

I was expecting a longish morning and a busy day today, (and I was right!) so I decided to make myself a substantial breakfast -- two eggs, hashbrowns, and a green smoothie. Fueling up allowed for a fuss-free morning of shopping!

LUNCH:

After our run to Costco, dropping by my apartment to sort and put food away, and then dropping by Ann's apartment to put more food away, she and I walked over to the Uptown Diner for lunch. I ordered the veggie burger, (which, I must confess, is my go-to choice, since it's SO GOOD,) with fries, which are awesomely crispy and seasoned, but I'm never able to finish. :)

TREAT:

After lunch and running around Uptown a little bit, Ann and I popped into Isles Bun and Coffee for a puppy dog tail each. HEAVEN. Ann had never been before, so I was delighted to provide her with an introduction! :)

DINNER:

Believe it or not, I had never made a calzone before tonight -- and my first attempt turned out well! I used half-whole wheat Artisan Bread dough, and wrapped it around diced tomatoes, chopped spinach, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, a roasted red pepper, and some provolone. Mmmmm! Steamed artichoke with lemon butter for dipping. It was a glorious meal.

I should really head off to bed here pretty soon . . . if I want this "cold" to go away before it becomes full-fledged, I better get some rest! Until tomorrow.

Costco day is a good day :)

My friend Courtney has a Costco membership, and a couple of times per year, I tag along, spend way too much money, but have an awesome time in the process! Here is today's overload (and I apologize for the blurriness . . . I didn't realize the picture wasn't awesome until after I had put everything away! Whoops.)

I bought . . .
organic brown rice
organic spring mix (I shared a little with my friend Ann, who joined us)
organic spinach (also shared some with Ann)
kalamata olives
marinated artichoke hearts
ECOS laundry detergent
frozen mixed berries
Sugar in the Raw
roasted red peppers
mini bell peppers
organic peanut butter
Jelly Belly jellybeans
ibproufen
fresh salsa
sugar snap peas
organic salted butter
a baby watermelon (part of a 2-pack I split with Ann)
fresh artichokes
fat-free Greek yogurt
a papaya
whole almonds
Craisins
organic diced tomatoes (part of an 8-pack I split with Ann)
baby bella mushrooms
green beans (I split the package pictured with Ann)
broccoli (I split the package pictured with Ann)
sweet potatoes (I actually only squeezed a few of the case I bought in the photo!)

My total? Just under $180, for ALL of that food! I still can't believe it!

How do you feel about Costco? In general, I do prefer to buy as much organic and/or local as possible, and I am a member of my co-op and enjoy shopping there. However . . . it is hard to say no to Costco's prices! (It was also nice to see families there, stocking up on produce -- how else could you feed a pile of kids on a very limited budget?)

I'll return later with my daily FLOG!

Friday, March 25, 2011

FLOG

FIRST BREAKFAST:

pumpkin smoothie! (I'm going to have to buy another can of pumpkin, because these are sooooooooooo good!)

SECOND BREAKFAST:

pumpkin, millet, and chocolate chip muffin. (I guess it's a pumpkiny day?)

THIRD BREAKFAST:

Since I was STILL HUNGRY after two mini-breakfasts, I also enjoyed a slice of Grandma Joyce's "sock-it-to-me" coffee cake. :)

LUNCH:

repeat of last night's dinner . . . leftover pizza, with a spinach, pecan, dried cranberry, and bleu cheese salad. Mmmmm!

and a handfull of . . .


SNACK:

red bartlett pear

DINNER:

Tiffany suggested Cafe Latte for dinner, which I haven't been to in AGES, so I thought, why not? :) I totally pigged out and had a giant Caesar salad with artichokes and olives (and homemade croutons!), a "spread sampler" with guacamole and egg salad, (although I couldn't finish all of that delicious bread, even with Tiffany's help,) and a slice of cherry-almond cheesecake for dessert. Now, the food at Latte is always good, but really, I go there for the desserts . . . and their cheesecake NEVER disappoints. It is dense and creamy and rich, not overly sweet, and absolutely perfect! (Plus, they use a shortbread crust, which I find far superior to a graham-cracker crumb crust.)

I am now nursing a cup of "Gypsy Cold Care" tea, since I can't seem to kick this mild congestion/fatigue business. Sigh. An early Friday night for me, I think!

Happy weekend to all!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

FLOG

FIRST BREAKFAST:

cold cereal with unsweetened almond milk

SECOND BREAKFAST:


LUNCH:

leftover red beans and rice, chard, and portobello mushroom, and a red bartlett pear

and half a cheese quesadilla:

(what can I say . . . I was HUNGRY today!)

and an organic mango lollipop for dessert:


SNACK:

a mixture of spelt pretzels, almonds, raisins, and dried apricots

DINNER:

Now, even though I have plenty of leftovers in my fridge that could have easily made for a delicious and healthy dinner, I was craving pizza tonight, in a BAD way. (I blame the fact that my bus stops two blocks away from Pizza Luce, and that slice counter is always calling my name!) I figured, since life has been so stressful lately, (and since I seem to be coming down with a cold . . . you know, feed a cold, starve a fever?) I better indulge. I went the cheap route, though, and picked up a decent frozen pizza from Target -- their Archer Farms Italian imported pizzas aren't half bad! This one was the "Mediterranean Arugula and Tomato," and I've tried the spinach and goat cheese one before, too (I think I like the goat cheese one better, but this one is pretty good!) I'm not a huge frozen pizza fan, but these guys contain all real ingredients (albeit not organic, but still pronounceable,) and look and taste good!

OH -- and I had salad with my pizza! Spinach topped with pecans, dried cranberries, bleu cheese, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Yum!

Off to finish the laundry . . . 'night!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

FLOG

I have another long day ahead of me today, (church choir practice tonight,) so I'm all packed up and ready to go again!

BREAKFAST:

pumpkin smoothie, made with plain Greek yogurt, canned pumpkin, a frozen banana, a little agave, some pumpkin pie spice, and orange juice

SECOND BREAKFAST:

pumpkin chocolate chip muffin!

LUNCH:

the last of the stir-fry (finally!), some diced mango, and a raspberry oatmeal bar
AND, some mac and cheese and sliced cucumbers with ranch dressing (part of the kids' lunch, and I couldn't say no! Mmmmmmmm salty, creamy mac and cheese!)

SNACK:

another apple-fennel-walnut-bleu cheese salad (a weird snack, I realize, but it will up my veggie quota for the day!)

DINNER:

provolone, avocado, spinach, tomato, and Vegenaise on whole-wheat bread, and a red bartlett pear
not pictured: one of Laura's toffee bars during church choir practice break time (shout out to Laura! Thanks for the ride home, and hope you are reading this!)

Happy hump day!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

FLOG, muffins, and blog suggestions

I don't know why this happens, but I already find myself eating more healthfully when I FLOG! Does anyone else experience this? I don't think my basic intake changes much, (I still eat lots of veggies, whole grains, etc.) but I snack less -- I'm less inclined to eat "junk" at work when FLOGging. Awesome!

Anyhow, here's today:

BREAKFAST:

I ate the oatmeal at home, and packed the banana for post-chiropractor, bus snack

not pictured . . . a Mexican Mocha from Spyhouse! (My chiro appointment finished earlier than I was expecting, and it was so friggin' cold and rainy, I felt like a little extra caffeine and warm-up could only help!)

MID MORNING SNACK:
a slice of American cheese, a few saltines, and a small handfull of raisins (not pictured, again!)

LUNCH:

Leftover rice and dal, some diced mango, and the last butterscotch pudding (and a few bites of someone's leftover birthday cake . . . but it wasn't very good, so I threw out the rest of the piece I took.)

SNACK:

two Dr. Kracker flatbreads and some homemade white bean hummus

DINNER:

Leftover rice and beans, chard, and portobello mushroom.

~~~~~~~~~~

I have had the urge to bake since Sunday afternoon, and finally got around to it tonight! Behold, Diann's Pumpkin, Millet, and Chocolate Chip Muffins:

I got a dozen standard-sized muffins, plus a dozen minis from her recipe, (but I did add extra chocolate chips . . . gasp!) which the kids will happily gobble down tomorrow. I'm just excited to have something besides dry cereal or bananas for "second breakfast!"

~~~~~~~~~~

I'm shopping for new blogs to add to my blogroll -- anyone have any suggestions? Please let me know if I'm missing any of your favorites!