as of right now...

right now & on my radar 10/03/12

Oops...I disappeared from blog-land again.  I seem to go through periods of time when I don't want anything to do with the world wide web (except Facebook and Instagram) and then there are the months when I get hooked once again on reading blogs and can't get enough of them.  Then I get overwhelmed and take abreak. It's a cycle I seem to repeat over and over...

some good things on my radar lately:

dating my husband. I love this line of the post "that even though we see each other a lot we are rarely connecting on the level that is needed to deepen our relationship. To become lazy in our marriage is the disease that can quickly kill it." I need to remember this in my own marriage and try harder sometimes. Real life certainly has a way, of getting in the way, of the life I want us to have. Found via this blog.

the mom stays in the picture. This article resonates with me so much right now as I lose my only child to adulthood in just a few short months. I have almost no photos of us together and am just starting to feel the regret of the decisions I 've made all these years in regards to photos of me. I know for a fact that she sees me differently than I see myself and I wish I had looked at it from this view earlier. Still have time to change things but am disappointed it's taken me this long to realize the ramifications of my own vanitly issues.

This post is EXACTLY the reason I stopped reading blogs and still do when I feel overwhelmed by it all. I would look at all these (seemingly) perfect lives and feel discouraged by my own life. That we didn't have a perfectly decorated house, or money to travel all the time, or time to travel all the time, and that I didn't have a cute sense of style or the figure to carry off a cute sense of style. I got really down on my life for a long time when really,  my life is good. It's a relief to read that others are just as overwhelmed as me.

I want to make these cinnamon rolls. My hips and thighs would like me to not make them...

planning a trip. just the girl and me. before she turns 18. One last mommy-daughter outing before she's officially an adult. And now I am going to cry.

wanting to learn to quilt. I have for years but the want is getting stronger each passing year.

making a list of things I want to do and make this Fall. Time just has a way of getting away from me...hopefully this will help.

deciding how I want to mine to look:)

craving hot meals like soup and casseroles (even though we just had 2 of the hottest days this year. 89 degrees, by the ocean, is crazy for us...)

cooking up some of these this weekend (when weather should be back to the normal 55 degrees it always is here)

reading Agatha Christie's Marple series.

working on perfecting our pizza dough recipe. Nate added red crushed peppers, herbs and a pinch of parmesan to the one on Sunday and it was really tasty. We've not sone so well at learning to grill the pizza though. Maybe we'll perfect it next summer.

 Considering doing this detox/cleanse again. Get myself ready for the holiday crap I'm sure I'll eat;)

jen 

 

right now 07-02-12

watching Magnum PI on Netflix. I didn't realize I couldn't watch all the Law and Order seasons through streaming so that was a bit of a disappointment:/ Finally moved on to Magnum which was one of my favorite shows when I was younger:) I still have a crush on young Tom Selleck;)

wearing 100% organic coconut oil as a moisturizer. I saw a few different articles about it/references to it and then I read Jess's blog entry about it and decided to give it a try. Amazing! My skin is so soft.  I tend to get dry patches on my face after being outside in the sun (even though I wear sunscreen) and after windy days(which is everyday here). I've been using it along with my usual moisturizer.

(slowly) working my way through Project Life. I fell behind. And then sort of caught up but not in any order. I seem to work on it piece by piece for different weeks without any consistency (I'm working on week 18 through week 25). Hope to be caught up (mostly) by the end of next week. I start a new album this week so that the book doesn't get too big and heavy and would like to have the first 6 months done before working on the second album. I'm taking the "unusual time off in the middle of the week" tomorrow to play catch up. Maybe I'll have something to share in the next few days. We don't have fireworks here so it will just be a quiet day at home for us.

accepting a change in vacation plans. I started making plans for our Oregon/Washington trip and then was blindsided by the other people in my household who wanted to" just go to Arizona". Arizona! In late july! It's going to be like 115 there...sigh. And we go every year. Double sigh. I'm at peace with the decision at this point but I was really upset the first few days after the decision was made. I like seeing new places and experiencing new things and I live with two people who DO NOT like change and I fear this means I will not see much of the world. Or even the US. I just need to start taking vacations by myself I guess...

craving cold tropical cocktails. I guess Arizona will be good for something. Like cold cocktails. By the pool. At 10:00 at night when it's still 100 degress out...

failing at posting the "what we're eating" post. Life got in the way. I still cook each week. And 80% of the time I stick to it...LOL.

reading Death Comes to Pemberley. I expected to like it more because Pride and Predjudice is one of my favorite books ever. I've read it at least 20 times. And watched the film (BBC TV version with Colin Firth) at least that many times. I'm having a hard time getting into it though. Not enough Elizabeth and Darcy time together maybe...

freaking out a little lot about the fact that Alex will be 18 in less than 6 months now. She starts her Senior year in a few weeks. How can this be? I get emotional if I think about it too much but it's been on my mind lately. Especially after making a trip to Arcata, Ca to check out Humboldt State University last week. It's one of the schools she's looking into. As is Arizona State University (which we'll take her to check out when we're in Arizona) and Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. We''ll be making a trip down there soon to check out that area and school also. I'm encouraging community college in SLO for 2 years and transfer to Cal Poly. That's because it is the closest of all these schools and I like the idea of only being 2 hours from her rather than 8 hours or even a state away...kids grow up SO fast...

 

Jen

 

 

 

 

 

 

on the menu this week 06/04-06/10/12

Monday: Roasted veggies (zucchini, bell pepper, onion, salt, pepper) + quinoa +slow cooker black beans (I adapted these slightly) + red sauce + green chile sauce= Homemade burrito bowls:) I also added avocado. They were delicious.

Tuesday: Chilaquiles (also served with aforementioned green and red sauce)

Wednesday: Black Bean Taco Salad with lime vinaigrette

Thursday: Split Pea Soup with Rosemary+ bread

Friday: Fire Pot Soup

Saturday: Baked toastados with tomatillo salsa (saw this on my friend Erica's blog last week. )

Sunday: Summer pasta salad with roasted vegetables (from The Roasted Vegetable Cookbook)

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Last week:

As I stated before...I like them all. The only disappointment was the Mango Rice Salad. Not our favorite. Shrimp was tasty though.

jen

on the menu this week 05/29/12-06/02/12

I am super late with this. We were out of town for the Memorial Day weekend and I've been thrown off time-wise since then.

All my recipes this week are from Cooking Light. Not because I have a thing for Cooking Light it just worked out that way. I found one recipe from them and then another and then another. Before I knew it I had the whole week planned out from their website. Nate was actually skeptical of the menu this week because I used to have a subscription to Cooking Light magazine and it seemed like everything we made from there was bland and tasteless. And 8-9 years ago they didn't feature many vegetarian recipes so usually I only got one or two recipes from the magazine that we could use. I'm here to say that I am a convert to their recipes again. Everything we've made this week has been super good.

Tuesday: Roasted Cauliflower pasta + Oven Roasted Green Beans

Wednesday: Toasted Barley, Green Beans, and Shiitake Mushroom salad with tofu + steamed broccoli (I actually used Farro for this since I didn't have barley on hand. Worked perfectly.)

Thursday: Pinto, Black, and red bean salad with grilled corn and avocado+ chicken for me (I added some cheese to Nate's for extra protein)

Friday: leftovers or we're eating out with friends

Saturday: Indonesian Vegetable Salad with peanut dressing. Our friend Kate is from Thailand and she made us some peanut sauce that we are going to eat with this salad so I won't be able to tell you how this dressing is. her's will probably be extra good since it's more authentic:)

Sunday: Mango Rice Salad with grilled shrimp.

 

As I stated above: everything I've made so far this week was really good and I wouldn't hesitate to make them again.

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Standout from last week:

The Southwest "Chicken" wraps. Nate and I couldn't believe how delicious these were. We had them for lunch at the cabin this past weekend and then for dinner the night we got back. Both times we ate them we couldn't believe how good they tasted. These will definitely be making it on the menu often. They could be used as good hiking food too. Easy to make and carry with us:)

 

on the menu this week 05/20-05/28/12

Sunday: The sweet potato burgers I was going to make Saturday night + steamed artichoke. These were good but I am still searching for the perfect veggie burger. These were a little too sweet for me- wanted more of a savory flavor but liked the addition of sweet potato.)

Monday: Rainbow Stir-fry. Added some tofu for additional protein. Exchanged the baby corn (because baby corn freaks me out)  for broccolini instead. Delicious.

Tuesday: Date night! Chipotle and The Avengers. Good times:)

Wednesday: Chilaquiles with pepitas, charred corn and black beans

Thursday: Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew with couscous.

Friday: Southwestern "Chicken" Wraps (for the road- we have to clear the lot of pine needles at the cabin this weekend before summer hits and they become a fire hazard)

Saturday: Vegan Black Bean Soup + French Onion Hot Dogs

Sunday: Leftovers from Saturday:)

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last week

standout: The Quinoa Puttanesca. Hand's down the best thing we ate. Everything was good but this was REALLy good.

 

jen

on the menu this week 05/14-05/19/12

this week in food:

Monday: Coconut Lime Tofu with Spinach, Tomatoes and Quinoa. Had this Monday night. Really good but I will probably tweek it some the next time I make it.

Tuesday: Quinoa Puttanesca + sauteed zucchini. This was amazing! Definitely going into rotation often. Easy and quick.

Wednesday:  Roasted Chickpea Fajitas.  

Thursday: Portland Porch lettuce wraps. 

Friday: Cilantro Shrimp + Baby Bok Choy with crispy garlic and orange sesame sauce (never got around to making this from last week's menu)

Saturday: Sweet potato veggie burgers + steamed artichokes

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Last week:

The standout- Quinoa with oven roasted tomatoes and asparagus. This was by far my favorite. It was such a simple recipe but so rich tasting. Definitely moved into the favorites folder.

 

jen

 

Prom 2012

This past weekend was Alex's Jr/Sr prom. She was worried at one point that she wasn't going to have a date because the boy she's "talking" to was not going. And you don't swoop in and invite a girl that is "talking" to another guy unless you are really just friends. With no hope of a romantic hookup. Thankfully Alex's friend Joey stepped in and invited her so that she didn't miss her junior prom

He wasthe perfect date for her. They are old friends and have fun hanging out together. He has no romantic feelings towards her and she the same for him so they went to prom to have a good time (Last year she went with the boy that broke her heart this year and their night was full of drama). This year: No drama. No hurt feelings. They went to have fun. I love that she made this choice because I do not like teenage drama. I remember my own teenage years and looking back at all my drama in high school, it means nothing to me now.  I wish I had know how little it would matter all these years later so I could have relaxed and enjoyed my high school years. Anyway...I digress.

Alex's group this year was a lot of fun. She seems to be settling into her "group" of friends and now that a few girls I didn't like so much are out of the picture it seems like she has a great core group of girls that she hangs out with. There is still drama but usually it involves some boy and the drama between all of the girls is much (MUCH) less than it used to be.

Love these girls:) Besties ! I love that even though two of them didn't go to prom they showed up to see their other friends off on the party van.

the whole group of girls.

Life is always so much better when you have really wonderful friends that make you smile and laugh:) Isn't it:) I hope her senior prom is as amazing as this one was for her. She had a wonderful time and they didn't get home until 4:00AM!! Thankfully she was staying at someone else's house so I didn't have to deal with that arrival time. Or stay up worrying until that arrival time. I just got to see her very tired body at 8:00am when she was dropped off at the house. 

I let her out of Mother's Day breakfast and told her to sleep. We spent the afternoon together after she woke up. This made for a really good day for all parties involved;)

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Jen

P.S. Does anyone remember looking this good in high school?? I was so awkward. These girls seem so confident and self assured. And gorgeous. I never looked this good...even at prom.

right now 05.11.12

enjoying this series from NY Mag- I love to read about what people eat every day. Seriously. I'm food obsessed though;)

obsessed with Zumba again. Which is good for my well being. Not so much for my wallet.

reading Fifty Shades of Grey. I don't usually go in for smut erotica books but I had to see what all the talk was about. Loved the SNL skit for the book:)

watching Sherlock Season 2 on PBS. Have you seen it? LOVE it. He's my favorite Sherlock Holmes. I'm a little Sherlock Holmes obsessed too.

thinking about our vacation this summer.  Oregon and Washington.  Trying to plan and see friends and drink beer. It seems so far away but at the same time coming up on us so quickly. I have to make sure there is enough brewery visiting for my husband and enough other stuff to entertain two teenage girls. This is our first vacation in years that isn't to Arizona to see my family. At least 5 years. Our last family vacation that wasn't to Arizona was to Florida. Alex was 12.

craving sushi.

loving my life lately.  Good friends, family, working-out, eating healthy. It's amazing what that can do for a person's well being:)

working my way through Law and Order still. On Season 8. We've been busy the past few weeks and I haven't had as much time to watch it like I was able to last month.

excited to take photos of my daughter for her prom tomorrow night. Her dress looks amazing on her. Really a WOW factor dress.

listening to a LOT of Beastie Boys. So saddened by the death of Adam Yauch. They were a huge part of my adolescence.

 

Okay...back to work. It's a beautiful day and I am stuck at my desk. Switched my days off to Mondays and this is my first Friday in a while.

jen

 

 

 

 

 

 

on the menu 05/06-05/12

I'm back from my juice cleanse! Well,  partial juice cleanse.

I've been looking forward to eating lunch again. Drinking juice all day and just having a small serving of protein with lightly sauteed veggies or steamed veggies in the evenings can get quite boring. I feel great though and that was the final result I was looking for. We've actually been continuing the juicing for part of our day since we both liked it so much. Our breakfast consists of juice as does one of our snacks. It's what works for us right now.

Menu:

Sunday : Roasted sweet potato and black bean tacos + red cabbage slaw to top tacos with. We already ate this obviously and it was really tasty. We didn't use any cheese opting instead to keep it vegan and they were really good. I gave a couple of tacos to a friend who also loved them and has requested I make them again in the near future. I topped it with some basic cabbage/carrot slaw for some crunch also. You won't even miss the cheese, trust me.

Monday: Garden Vegetable Soup. Changed out the potato in the recipe for 1/2 cup sweet potato and 1 cup of squash. Neither Nate or I like the starchiness of plain potatoes anymore (I still love mashed potatoes but am opting to only eat them at holidays) and I find myself replacing the potato in most recipes with other veggies. Delicious soup and easy to throw together.

Tuesday: Eating at the Farmer's Market!

Wednesday: Quinoa with oven roasted tomatoes and asparagus + roasted brussels sprouts

Thursday: Roasted Beet and Hass Avocado Salad with Orange Dressing + leftover soup

Friday: Indian Yellow Split Pea Soup with Spinach

Saturday: Spicy Cilantro Shrimp + Baby Bok Choy with cripsy garlic and orange-sesame sauce

You may have noticed that we are going largely vegan this week (the exception being the shrimp on Saturday) and we've made this decision for two reasons.

ONE: We like the way we feel without eating dairy. I LOVE cheese. LOVE it. L.O.V.E. it! I don't feel good eating it though. I am congested by even the smallest amout of dairy and my stomach doesn't like it that much either. Even Alex has removed it from most of her food choices because she believes she is lactose intolerant. This in no way means we aren't going to eat cheese sometimes (because I LOVE it) but we don't feel like we need it every week. It will just be making an appearance here and there. Like on pizza;)

and TWO: We watched Forks over Knives last week and even though we were already a largely plant-based diet household we are going to cut out even more of the animal-based food we do eat. The movie was hard to watch because honestly, it was not made very well. I felt like I was watching a movie in science class or nutrition class circa 1988. The information was really great though. It renewed our belief that we are doing the right thing by eating mostly a vegetarian diet for the past few years.

Our anniversary trip to Yosemite was AMAZING. I will be doing a post about it and posting pictures from our trip. I've been trying to get it all down in my Project Life book too and it's overwhelming to try to describe how good the trip was. I can't believe I haven't seen Yosemite until now! I only live 4 hours from it!

Also, I will be doing another Project Life post. I still haven't figured out how I want to take photos of it. I am still 3-4 weeks behind because I've just been too busy. With the anniversary trip and my birthday and things going on with Alex. Plus I was promoted to manager at work and I'm still trying to workout 4-5 times a week. Life gets overwhelming in general sometimes. I sometimes think it worked out well that I didn't have more children. I don't know how I would have the time for anything more on my plate...

anyway. Will be posting more often I hope. Crossing fingers:)

Jen

 

 

 

on the menu 04/15-04/24/12

This will be the last "on the menu" for a couple of weeks. I'll be picking it back up on May 7th again but for part of next week and the first week of May I'll be participating in a juice fast with my friends Kelly and Craig. Nate is also doing it. We all watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" on Sunday night and were all inspired to try a short juice fast. We are, of course, doing a modified one ( juice for breakfast and lunch, healthy snacks, protein and steamed veggies for dinner). I have my doubts that I could do a full on "juice only" fast because I am cranky without real food each day! Nate and I were already juicing every morning up until last month when the time change happened. I let it fall off our agenda because I was already having trouble getting up on time in the morning without the additional stress of juicing (you have to clean the juicer right away or the veggies and fruit puld dries & cleaning it later a real pain in the ass). Anyway...I LOVED juicing. And felt 85% better when i was doing it so this will be a nice 7-10 days recharge for me.

We are also heading off in a couple of days to Yosemite and so the recipes this week are ones I did because they are either super easy, or they are recipes I am making for our trip. I also have a few "let's eat what we have so nothing goes bad while we are gone" nights planned.

Sunday: Spaghetti and "meatballs"

Monday: Migas

Tuesday: Pizza. (Nate had a coupon for a free pizza)

Wednesday: Spicy Mexican Lentil soup (one of our favorites) Half of this will be frozen for the camping trip.

Thursday: Hearty Minestrone Soup I leave out the cabbage (I didn't have it the first time I made this recipe and I've never added it in the other times we've had this soup) I do add a couple of small zucchini, 1 yellow squash and a cup of chopped green beans in exchange for the cabbage:) Half of this soup will also be coming with us on the trip.

Friday:  "fend for yourself" night:) At this point we'll be trying to eat whatever we have left in the fridge that doesn't involve food we're taking.I hate losing food to mold when we're gone on trips.

 The rest of the time we'll be camping and juicing. Some of the recipes we'll be having on our camping trip include: Almond Butter granola bars (can't find recipe I'm using online), BBQ Salmon, Pinnacles scramble (made into breakfast burritos).

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last week:

1.Kale and Egg bake: This was perfect. Easy. Delicious. Did I mention easy.

2.Baked Black Bean taquitos: These were really good. Even without all the salsa, guacamole and sour cream (or in our case- greek yogurt). They were a pain in the butt to make though because I used mini corn tortillas and they were too small. Also, dipping them in hot water needs perfect timing or else they literally fall apart as you take them out of the water or if not in water long enough, they do not roll up. This was an exercise in patience for me. Worth it in the end but tougher than I expected it to be...

3.The Bella Meatballs. The "meatballs" were great but I felt like they needed some kind of sauce with them. The "meatballs" themselves weren't dry , they were browned on the outside which made them kind of crunchy so I felt they needed some kind of sauce to go along with them. I crumbled some of the leftover ones into a salad the next day and they were delicious. So I would totally recommend trying the meatballs. I'm just glad I didn't serve them on toasted bread. The veggies were amazing though. The balsamic glaze really made the recipe.

Didn't get to the muffin tin pizza. Maybe in a few weeks.

 

jen