Archive for the ‘Menu Monday’ Category

Surprise!

May 10th, 10 / 2 Comments

Getting married means that most likely you and your significant other live with each other, which is part of being “newlyweds” that creates lots of surprises. You know what I’m talking about if you ever had a roommate (perhaps in college) and you opened your fridge up to find all the milk gone and your leftovers mysteriously missing, or you woke up in the middle of the night thinking your house was burning down when in fact your tipsy roommate started baking a frozen pizza and passed out drifted off before removing it from the oven.

 

Being married means you sometimes stumble across odd things that you know you didn’t do. (Yesterday B found a zipbag full of parmesan cheese in the cupboard near the pots & pans, it was concluded I did this and then put the cheese grater in the refrigerator.  Other than this however, I am perfect.) You must account for the other person doing something crazy or numbskull-esque & then deal with the aftermath. It means you run out of shampoo and toothpaste faster than expected, and every now and then you discover that SOMEONE mysteriously got into your chocolate stash. It can be a rude awakening after 4+ years of living alone.

Anyway, we live in a small condo & I am OCD so everything has its place. Imagine my surprise this morning when I went to throw a tissue away in the guest bath & found this greeting me:

surprise 2

(Safety harness hanging from my towel hook)

 

surprise 3

(Foul weather gear hanging from my guest shower.)

 

I was left to conclude we’d either had odd burglars, RB had developed an opposable thumb & re-decorated rather than opening the door to all his food OR….my husband had been through.  And then I found this in the window-sill when I went to water my basil:

 

 surprise 1

(Converse sneakers a/k/a, sailing shoes.)

 

Marriage. May it jump out & surprise you, time and time again. And may your husband not be part of knocking down a 43 foot boat in the Detroit River during inclement weather.

Menu Monday, Sailing Ahoy!

Menu Monday

Mar 15th, 10 / 1 Comment

Yum! I thought as it was Monday I’d actually try to, you know, post my weekly menu. It is a little crazy as B has some sailing to attend to & won’t be around for all of the meals, but I have a fabulous girlfriend coming over for some wine & a movie, so I’ll manage to make do! Lets see how the week is shaping up:

  • Monday

Turkey, organic cheddar, organic lettuce & red onion panini on whole wheat flax seed bread with a side of sweet potato “fries”

(This meal couldn’t be simpler – assemble your panini’s, brush the outer sides of the bread with your butter/margarine spread of choice and toss into the panini press, George Foreman grill, or frying pan with a second frying pan on top to squish it down. Toast for 2 minutes or until melty & delicious. Peel & slice a sweet potato or two, arrange “steak fry” sized slices on a cookie sheet, brush with olive oil & sea salt & bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping them over half way through.)

  • Tuesday

(Organic) Homemade marinara sauce served over whole wheat pasta, topped with fresh mozzarella & a small side salad.

  • Wednesday

Pan roasted pork tenderloin, served with sides of wild brown rice & steamed long green beans. This is B’s favorite meal!

  • Thursday

Triiivia night! Lets go team!

  • Friday

Girls night! I’m going to assemble a home made pizza, with a whole wheat crust, goat cheese, roasted garlic, basil, and a little home-made marinara sauce from Tuesday that I’ll thicken up with some organic tomato paste! Voila!

 

What are you having this week?

Domesticity Win, Married Life, Menu Monday, Recipe ala Daisy, The Kitchenettes

Resolve

Jan 1st, 10 / 7 Comments

Well now that it is officially 2010 I suppose I should set out my resolutions for the year, now that the pork, collard greens & black eyed peas have been eaten. I’ll start with the cliche and move on from there.

  • Overall Health- being a lawyer and being married to a lawyer means B & I can both get sucked into a sedentary lifestyle. Desk sitting, typing all the live long day, and only getting up to walk to the coffee maker, the printer or the drinking fountain. Needless to say we’ve discussed that we’d both like to put an emphasis on working out together & eating better. We are attending a bike swap in a few weeks to try and pick up a new bike for me so we can take advantage of our lakefront paths this summer, and Legally Fab & I are “pals” on Lose It, and iPhone app that lets us track our weigh ins, food we eat & exercise. Menu planning works well for us, so I just need to work on remembering that every meal counts!! In a few years B & I would like to start a family and I’d like to start that journey in tip top shape. B  has a history of heart disease in his family that we’d like to mitigate as much as possible- so here is 2010, the year of making good decisions!
  • My Evening Attitude- I leave for work at the crack of dawn so during the week B & I only get to spend time together in the evenings. I’d like to continue making an effort to be in a good mood when he walks in the door, because that first five minutes can dictate how the rest of the evening goes. Marriage requires work, and I’m willing to stop complaining about the commute make an effort to smile and ask him how his day was first.  I like to tidy up the living room and put some music on before he gets home- and I find that on those days, we both have a much more enjoyable evening,  as compared to the days where I’m grumpy and complaining.
  • Signed Copies- I’d like to start researching the topic of the novel I’ve always dreamed about writing. It will be a long process but it will never happen if I don’t start now. (If only step one was a fancy new iBook laptop, if only….)
  • Save the Planet- well ok, not literally. But I’ve made a big effort to switch to gentle, more natural cleaning products (vinegar & essential oil based) and I’d like to keep that up. I’d also like to make a big push to remember to use my fabric shopping bags at the grocery store. Every little bit helps, right?
  • Travel- B & I have a trip to Europe planned in September (Munich, Bavaria & Prague!) but I’d like to take advantage of the occasional airline pass that my Dad throws our way and take a three day weekend with The Hubs somewhere new. It is easy to always want to use our vacation time and passes to go back to New Orleans or Savannah, but maybe this year we can spend a weekend in Maine or Vermont to watch the leaves change colors, or perhaps go to DC and spend a weekend exploring museums.
  • Use The Good China- life is short. Enough said.

All of that said, I have to look back on last year’s resolutions of which I had three: be healthier, find a job and start a savings account. I won on all three of them! I lost 20 pounds before the wedding (yay!), I found a job and there is currently a positive balance in my savings account. I’ll give myself a proverbial pat on the back and hope that this upcoming year finds all of us as successful in our endeavors! Now tell me kids, what are yours?

Family, Menu Monday