Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 6

Not a bad shopping week. Not a great one, but not bad. Earlier this week, I posted my blissful shopping by bike from Sunday, but here's the Whole Foods haul from the midweek shopping.

No, it was not by bike, as I had two bags, one of them loaded down a six pack of pop and a jug of milk. Moved the fruit into the bowl for photo. (Can't tell much from plastic baggies.) I've become a total pear addict over the past couple weeks. I'm cooking with them, eating them as-is while working at computer or driving to pick up the kids at school. (Something I advise against, having had to wipe down the door handles, steering wheel and center console after a particularly perfect Red d'Anjou.)


Week 6 Grocery Numbers:
Trader Joes - $42.63
Whole Foods - $62.19
Publix - $15.76
Week 6 Total - $120.58

Year to Date - $940.71 Weekly Average - $156.78

I will need to either double my quantity of whole wheat flour, or just plan on purchasing every other week, instead of on the four week stockup. The rice & couscous amounts were perfect, so I'm getting better. Still have a ways to go until I get it down to under $120/week. Would probably be a bit easier if I cut back another supper or two each week to basics, but I'm going to see if I can manage without that.

Supper Wars
On the supper front, was a pretty good week. I expected loads of complaints, so was quite pleased with the less than average number I received.

BBQ Chicken Breasts (Split), Roasted Sweet Potatoes w/Garlic
Snap Beans, Oat & Whole Wheat Rolls
Have gotten the kids used to the mix of regular & sweet potatoes. Am down to just cutting one russet potato into wedges, with 2-3 sweets. (Big win!)

Mild Vegetable Curry, Bronzed Chicken Breasts, Brown Rice
There were protests over the curry, until I let them stir green peas into the sauce. (I planned it this way) Used coconut milk for the sauce, instead of yogurt, to lure in B2.

Herbed Turkey / Ham Sandwiches, Celery & Carrot Sticks
Assortment of Sliced Apples and Pears.
Lest the kids think "try something new" is always about the icky vegetables, we had a family wide taste test, with three different varieties of apple and two pears. Pink Lady Apples are still the favorite, though we did enjoy the Arkansas Black. Comice beat out d'Anjou as the pear of choice.

Veggie Omelets, Turkey Bacon, Cornmeal Waffles
Brinner! Kept the veggie amount in the kids' eggs a bit lower. They're still getting used to "stuff" in eggs. No complaints, but a few raised eyebrows & scrunched noses. The uncured turkey bacon from Whole Foods (365 brand) was a big hit. Waffles are always a win.

Basil Chicken/Turkey Meatballs, Whole Wheat Linguine and Sauce
The meatballs turned out really well. Wasn't sure they would, since it was the other portion of the mixture for last weeks Cheddar Packed Burgers. No worries, though. I'll be doing this again. Added a bit extra chopped basil and parsley to the sauce before serving. None of the kids commented on the extra bit of green, so they're getting used to it. Pretty soon, I'll have fresh greens added to everything (mua ha ha)

Moroccan Spiced Lamb Stew, Couscous, Nan
It was delicious! But... the girl loved the chickpeas and hated the lamb. The boys liked the lamb, and thought I was poisoning them with the chickpeas. Between them, the dish was, well, it was like a bizarro version of the Jack Sprat nursery rhyme.

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts, with Winter Veggies and Autumn Fruit
Cheesy Flatbread
Kids ate sweet potato, parsnips, carrots, pears and butternut squash, but were not at all interested in the sprouts. No surprise there, and I'm not willing to push that particular veggie just yet.

Friday's Moroccan Spiced Lamb Stew, complete with the little girl who rinsed the garbanzos and lentils, and did the garnishing. If she hadn't seen the label on the ziploc bag, it's quite possible she'd have liked the lamb. But, knowing it was lamb and not cow, she wouldn't touch it. Oh well.

Links
2009 Grocery Challenge
Supper Wars

Chattahoochee Challenge

Saturday, Feb. 7th, was the first race of the year for the clan. Part of the clan, at least. I ran the 10k, the kidlets ran the 1-mile Fun Run. (The oldest kid was away for the weekend.)

Complaints:
Had to get out of bed at 5:30.
It was cold.
I didn't get any coffee before the race.
Did I mention the cold?

Anyway. I'd picked up our numbers at Big Peach Running Co., so we were not pressured to get to the Chattahoochee Nature Center too early. Parked at St. Francis, and walked the mile to the start/finish. The boys walked; DD & I alternated walking and skipping, because it annoyed the boys. It was quite fun, and I think it helped keep us warmer than our walking pals.

The fun run started at 7:30. Here's my little runners:

DD - 11:37
B2 - 12:58

Rough times, noted by glancing at clock and trying to see where the munchkins were wandering off to after they crossed the finish line. I'm super proud of them, and will be helping them put together a playlist for the 5k they'll be run/walking with Dad next Saturday.

The 10k was at 8:00. Started in my normal back of the pack position. Hit the first mile in 8:43, then blew the official time by veering off to the park restroom at 1.5 miles. (There were no blue boxes at the start line! They had them for the summer race - where were they this time?) Made up some of my time by only walking through the water stops. The knee went numb & painful all at once at 5 miles, on the only mini-hill of the race. Slowed down to stretch out, then was fine coming back over the same hill in that last half mile.

Official time: 1:01:06

Watch time: 58:53

Got the first win for the 2009 goals - have gone faster than last year's 10k time. Now, let's get officially signed up for Run the Reagan Half Marathon, and see if I can knock out another one next week.

Once again, the race photos taken of me were all at the worst possible moments - while blowing out a breath, scrunching my face & squinting into the sun, etc., but the running kid pics were good, so I'll likely order one or two of my little runners.

Fun with Fitness & Organization on the iPhone

It will take me some time to see how I feel about these in the longer term, but here's how I've spent what little free time I had over the past couple of weeks:

iMapMyRide / Distance Meter
I keep track of runs & rides on the MapMyFitness website, via another app, Distance Meter. Have been using it since October, but I was willing to be wooed away from it. I tried to use this iMapMyRide, because it is from MapMyRun / Ride / Fitness. I don't like it. It's hard to say why. Sometimes the GPS is funky. Sometimes it randomly quits, mid-run.

It's not as easy to use as Distance, so I'm sticking with what I know. Distance had it's problems, but many of the random drops and trouble with incoming calls and texts interrupting the workout have been fixed. The screenlock feature is handy - really handy. Since it requires a triple tap to reactivate, there's no accidental switch offs when the iPhone is bouncing around in the zipper pocket on the back of my jacket or shirt.

Grocery iQ
Love, Love, LOVE this one. It's so easy to tap up my grocery list, especially when I'm heading to the Farmers Market. Quantities and notes about possible substitutions can go right into the phone, and it's really easy to navigate in the aisles. I can have one of the kids reading the list and doing the checking, which keeps them busy. (I know, they can do it on paper too. But since it's on a screen, there's not even a hint of complaining.)

After shopping, all the checked items can be moved into my history, making the staples quick to add to the next list or transfer to Favorites. I've gone back in and added notes about quantities for the next trip, so when I put it on the next list, it's automatic. Example: Bought flour on the stock up trip. Turns out I underestimated again this month, but not as badly as last month. What I purchased lasted 2 weeks, so I've doubled the qty in the favorites list, to have it come up properly for the next Farmers Market / Bulk trip.

Gas Cubby
I think I'll end up liking this one, but it will take a month or two to know for sure. I plugged in my gas purchase 10 days ago, along with the mileage, oil change schedule, tire rotation, annual emissions testing, etc. In the 10 days, I've yet to use a whole tank of gas. I've not even used a half the tank yet. Like I said, it's going to take a month or so to see how handy it really is, but I like the idea of it.

Lose it
Saw this on one of Apple's ads. Downloaded it, and haven't stopped using it since. I've been using it for a little over a week, and keeping track of food & exercise. I have customized calorie burn on types of runs, based on my heart rate monitor, which is rather neat. There are a lot of restaurant and supermarket brand name foods and meals available, but what I really find handy is the section which allows you to add your own recipes. For example, I was able to plug in the ingredients for Butter Chicken, including the batch of rice and side of green peas, and get a per person nutritional count. (It's 530 calories, in case you were wondering.) I'm not tracking all of the available info., just calories, protein and fiber.

To give the weight loss goals part a trial run, I'm doing three weeks with my daily calories set for a one pound per week loss. I did put on a couple pounds over the holidays, but it was within my "window", 3 lbs. either side of my average weight. I finished up the first week, and - sure enough - dropped one pound.

What's more - this app has made me aware I've not been eating enough calories. For the first few days, I was coming in 300-500 calories below the amount recommended for weight loss. Some days were fine, but seeing the actual numbers on days with 90 minutes of either running or hot yoga, I've probably been slowing down my metabolism. A bowl of blueberries and sliced strawberries may be super healthy eating, but it's not enough to make up for a 7 mile run, unless I use a much bigger bowl. Lose it had me tossing on an extra scoop of flax meal, and using 1/2-2/3 cup of yogurt, instead of just a couple of spoonful. (spoonsful? spoonfuls?)

Anyway, I'll keep using it, then switch over to "maintenance" as my goal after the three weeks are up. I'll have a virtual cookbook finished by then. I would really like to be able to sync the information for my custom foods and recipes to the computer. Not only would I not be in danger of losing all the data if there was a problem with the iPhone (touch wood), it would be nice to see it on the big screen while I'm doing menu planning and shopping lists. After all, I can't have both Grocery iQ and Lose it open on the screen at the same time.

My photos of the screen are lousy, I know. Here's the pretty version of the daily log screenshot from their website. For as much as you're entering each day, it's pretty simple. Doesn't feel as much like work as writing it all down. Of course, it can also be done through one of many websites, but that requires me to write it down too, so I don't forget it when I get home. If I'm writing it down, there's the little matter of having to also spend time digging up the quantities and remembering where I put the paper or notepad. I prefer Lose it.

Reason TV: Stimulis Ad

I'm avoiding conversations about the current battle over bailouts and stimulus packages as much as possible. It's gotten tiresome, both with liberal friends and with my ultra-right wing mother. Thanks to Reason TV, I no longer have to say a word. I can just send this link:

Dinner Conversation

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, I could completely see this conversation happening at our table. Add a middle child of the boy variety, and toss in a mention of space aliens or monsters from mythology, and... OMG! I think it may have actually happened, more than once.

Half Training, 1/26-2/1

Monday 1/26:
Easy Trail Run, 2.65 mi, 22:47
With teen (B1) and dog. Nice little run, not too tough on knee

Tuesday 1/27:
Hot yoga, 90 min

Wednesday 1/28:
Easy Run, 3.46 mi, 35:05
Tougher on knee; decided to avoid hills for a few days after this.

Thursday 1/29:
Easy Run, 6.2 mi, 1:01:20
With dog by river. No hills - great for knee.

Friday 1/30:
Hot yoga, 90 min

Saturday 1/31:
Long Run, 6.28 mi, 1:03:58
B1 ran about 3 of the miles with me, then spent time walking by river with younger sibs & dad.

Sunday 2/1:
Rest Day
Bike, 3.2 mi, 20-25 min (trip to store)
Family Hike, 3.5 mi, 90 min (Sope Creek)

Planning for this coming week will be a bit trickier. The Chattahoochee Challenge 10k will replace my long run on Saturday, so I'm trying to figure out whether to work in a long run on Wednesday or Thursday. Add two projects in the final proof stage, the possibility for a bit of freezing rain Tuesday morning, and the insanity which comes with any winter weather in Atlanta, and I'm not sure what's going to happen this week. I think it might be time to take the challenge from MizFit and Charlotte to add meditation to my daily routine.

S.A.D. Bike? Take it out for some retail therapy!

With the shorter days and cold temperatures, does your bike suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.)? I know Blooregard does. Patty, too.

Given my dislike of riding when temps are below 50 on the road bike, there's not much I can do for Bloo. I started running last winter to avoid the wind chill I created for myself on November-February rides over 16 mph. (Yes, I am a pansy.) Bloo is hanging out in the house, waiting for spring. He gets regular concerts from the young pianist in the family, since he's right by the baby grand. But Patty? No winter hibernating for her. She's my commuter/hybrid, so still gets to make the trips to the bank and to the store for groceries. Unfortunately, between temps in the low 40s and the off-and-on messed up knee, even she's been sitting for a week or two at a time.

This morning, I needed to make a quick store trip. Walked out to put my bag in the truck, and noticed Patty. She looked lonely and bored.

The sun was shining. It was over 50 degrees. My knee is feeling much better, now that I've given up tackling hills until healed. Tossed the TJ's bag in the basket, and checked the tires. Pulled on sweater & gloves. Grabbed the backpack, and we were off. Cannot remember a better traffic day on Johnson Ferry. No close calls with SUVs driven by women chatting on cell phones. Waved to a couple of runners, a walker, and a father & son doing yardwork. I just missed the left turn light onto Roswell Road, but didn't care. With the weather so perfect, there was no reason to get cranky over the wait.

Did the shopping. Paid. Packed the groceries myself. The cashiers are always perfectly lovely at Trader Joes, but can't seem to quite understand that when I say it has to fit in one bag, I mean it. Smiled extra sweetly at the folks giving me "the look" when I pulled away from the cart corral with Patty. (If you've ever carried anything other than a childseat on your bike, like a cargo rack or basket, you know "the look".)

The ride home was just as lovely. Not only did I feel so much cheerier for having skipped the drive and worked in some exercise...

...doesn't Patty look so much happier?

Now, as soon as the loaf of Honey Oat & Whole Wheat Bread is finished baking, we'll be packing everyone into the truck for a quick drive over to the Chattahoochee NRA, for a hike. No excuses to stay inside on a day like today.

As for the Retail Therapy, here's the grocery haul:

• Black Beans, 15 oz - .79
• Whole Bean Coffee, Volcano, 12 oz - 6.49
• Chocolate/Vanilla Joe Joe’s - 2.49
• Veggie Tortilla Strips, 12 oz - 2.59
• Sliced Smoked Gouda, 8 oz - 2.99
• Green Beans, Frzn, 24 oz - 2.29
• Whole Milk, 1 qt - 1.19
• Applegate Slcd Turkey, 7 oz - 3.69
• Kayem Sliced Honey Ham, 12 oz - 3.84
• Emp. Kosh Split Chicken Br, (3.99/lb) - 8.50
• Petite Red Potatoes, 1.5 lbs - 2.99
• Sweet Onions, 2 lbs - 2.29
• Total - $42.63In addition to the foodstuff, there's a bottle of laundry detergent, which was carried in the backpack, along with the potatoes and coffee beans.
  

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 5

This week was my stock-up week. I posted the farmers market trip earlier this week, but here's my regular shopping. I'm not sure how long I can wait until my next market trip. Four weeks is a long time, when you get spoiled by the massive selection of produce that's fresher than at Publix/Kroger and far less pricey than at Whole Foods. I think I have the rice, nuts and grains right for this month, though I'm iffy on the flour. Will probably need to double the quantities for next time, but I did manage to get at least two weeks' worth in one trip, which is an improvement. Also, I bought extra beef, lamb and ground chicken and turkey, which is in the freezer. Should mean lower protein costs over the next week or two, depending on how I plan, and a faster drop on the weekly average, I hope.

The numbers:
Regular Shopping & Stock-Up Week
Costco - $20.98
Dekalb Farmers Market - $124.65
Publix - $50.03
Whole Foods - $39.19
Week 5 total - $234.85

Weekly Average - $164.03

Year To Date - $820.13


And, in this week's supper line-up:

Hoisin Lamb Stir Fry w/Snow Peas & Cashews, Spicy Bean Sprouts, Rice
The lamb was a big hit. None of the three cared for the water chestnuts, or the side of bean sprouts, but otherwise, it was liked. (I couldn't tell my daughter this was lamb. Luckily, she didn't ask, so I didn't have to lie.)

Cheddar Packed Turkey/Chicken Burgers Homemade Honey Wheat Buns Roasted Sweet & Russet Potato Wedges Salad
Modified from the cheddar & tomato packed burgers we had a couple weeks ago. Kept the onions and fresh herbs, dropped the chopped tomatoes. Big Success. (Batch of the burger mix is in the freezer, waiting to become meatballs for the next noodle night.)

Boeuf Bourguignon, Green Peas in Butter Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Parsnips
Made straight from Julia Child's cookbook this time. Usually, I keep the mushrooms on the side, but I mixed 'em in. Boys wouldn't eat them, but admitted to liking the flavor of the beef & sauce when the mushrooms are added - which is a step in the right direction.

Orange Pan Glazed Tofu, Veggie Fried Brown Rice & Kale
Other than one kid (out of the blue) fussing about brown rice, and one adult fussing about the chopped kale, went well. Everyone loved the tofu & orange sauce.

Chicken Breasts w/Paprika, Onions & Cream Risotto, Steamed Broccoli & Cauliflower
Called Supremes de Volaile Archiduc in my Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Julia Child). The chicken always comes out perfect, though I usually go with the tarragon version of the sauce.

Portuguese Potato & Kale Soup Cheddar Packed Turkey/Chicken Burgers Oat/Whole Wheat Bread
We thought the soup was wonderful; the kids just liked the broth & potatoes. Combined the spicing from one recipe and the bacon slice start from another to make it. If I had sausage in the house, I'd have gone with the first. Knew the kids wouldn't eat it as the main course, so I pulled out the leftover turkey burgers from Monday (in freezer for Saturday's lunch) to serve with smaller cups of soup. Since the bread was straight out of the oven, dessert was a toasted slice drizzled with honey. (Mmmmm.)

Macaroni & Cheese, Steamed Broccoli & Cauliflower
Ditalini with a homemade cream sauce. Let little people grate parmesan, asagio and cheddar cheese. I'm pretty sure they grate about twice what finally ends up in the pan - there was much giggling over the sneaking of cheese samples.

Working on a couple of comfort food nights during my menu planning for next week. We may or may not have snow, but we will definitely have colder temps and wet weather, so that stew beef I cut from the london broil will be showing up with some barley and/or potatoes soon. Not sure if the kids might like wheat berries better, but barley is what I have, so that's where we'll start.

Link:
2009 Grocery Challenge
Supper Wars

Peter T. Dog (T is for Troll)

My running buddy (9+ year old lab) has been on a daily aspirin regimen for a couple weeks now, and it is really making a difference! He'd been slow getting up from the floor, tiring quickly on runs, and generally mopey, so it was time to try something for the arthritis. He's 80 pounds, so the vet said one pill is a good dose for him. Started slow, with a tablet every other day, while we waited to see if it caused stomach upset. It didn't, so he's now a one-a-day dog. He's eating normally, diving through shrubbery while chasing squirrels and birds, and is generally back to his normal cheerful Petey-self. I'm really glad this is working, because the stronger options the vet mentioned all required regular bloodwork, to check for organ damage. Aspirin is far less scary. (And less expensive.)

Anyway, since Saturday's long run w/out proper wrapping of knee, I've been having a tough time with inclines. I can make it uphill okay, but coming back down is not fun. Wednesday's 3.4 miles with inclines were not so fun, so I drove over to Riverside Park, for the long, FLAT path & crushed gravel trails. Seeing as how Pete's back to being the running fiend, I brought him along. Figured we'd go a bit slower, and I'd loop back early if I noticed him wearing out. He didn't. In fact, he was pulling me along, off and on, throughout the entire 6.3 miles, which hasn't been the case in a while. We greeted other runners, walkers and cyclists, stopped at every trail sign and about half the trees, and chased geese. (Technically, Pete chased geese. I was dancing around, avoiding goose poo on the grass.)

Biggest burst of towing capacity came from him as we approached his favorite spot (okay, one of hundreds of favorite spots) along the trail. He raced down the slope to his watering hole, underneath the bridge (see above). Not only did he drink, he wallowed. Climbed in the water and inched along on his stomach in a crouch, so he could be the wild water dog he knows himself to be. I was very glad for the elastic in the waist leash, because he scooted on his belly with amazing speed to get under the bridge. Once there, he proceeded to plop himself down on the sand, and rest his paws in the water, waiting.

Waiting for what? His keen "wild doggie" senses detected the approaching older couple with smallish dog. As soon as their feet hit the bridge, he let loose with the barking. Bouncing, tail wagging, but still...

My dog, the bridge troll. I'm so proud.


And, a regular old snapshot from the bank by the trout fishing area:

Unexpected Results: Orange Pan-Glazed Tofu

Unique experience in the Supper Complaints Department (SCD) tonight. (The SCD is open daily, between 5:30 - 7:00pm; Noon-1:00, Saturdays & Sundays.) The children loved the orange pan-glazed tofu (modified slightly from Heidi at 101cookbooks), but there was a complaint from the adult segment of our market. Not about the tofu or the veggie fried rice, but about the chopped kale added at the end. (Wuss!)


I fully expected complaints from the kids about the sauce and veggies. Did not get one. Letting them run orange segments through the juicer and slice the carrots & green beans must have helped avoid the "What is this?" question which sets off so many whines. The sauce, by the way, was amazing. Sweet and slightly sour, and just begging for me to toss in a bunch of chilies when I want to make a non-kid version, sometime in the future.

I still have a bunch of the organic kale, so I'll be finding another way to serve it in the next few days. Maybe a Portuguese stew with potatoes like I saw on Anthony Bourdain's show on Travel Channel the other night - though that was technically a dish from the Azores. (Not sure if I grabbed the right video clip for the link. It's a sketchy day for the cable modem today, and I couldn't wait through the lagtime.)

Finished up my weekly shopping early this week, with a post run (3.4 miles - sore hilly miles) stop by Whole Foods yesterday. $39.19, plus $10 for a bottle of Sustainable White. I'll put together my full list for this stock-up week and the totals tomorrow, ahead of schedule, but here's a snap of the goodies. I didn't originally plan to buy more strawberries, but the big boxes of Driscoll's just looked soooo good. Between snacking on whole strawberries with my daughter last night, this morning's breakfast, and slicing several to mix in my spinach salad at lunch, we've gone through more than a pound already. It's cold season though, so I fully support any way of getting extra vitamin C into our systems.

Happy Belated Yoga Day

Saturday (25th) was National Yoga Day. Yeah, I didn't know there was an official day for it either. Found out from MizFit's weekly poetic Friday post. I was on a long run Saturday, so hot yoga was on Friday and Sunday for me. The belated yoga day was Tuesday (27th), when I had a yoga buddy. We struck a deal for mid morning, mid week yoga. (No babysitting issues.) Since it would be taking up his lunch break, I was going to have to cater the post-yoga meal. No problem.

Three hours before class - Vanilla whole milk yogurt on blueberries and half a banana, topped with two tablespoons of ground flax. Was slightly under four ounces of yogurt, and the fruit portions were fairly small, too. If you've not taken the hot bikram classes, the room is kept around 105 degrees, so you really don't want much in your stomach when you walk through the door into the studio. As for the whole milk yogurt, I know. The fat content is higher, we can get the same nutrients and calcium in the lower fat versions... blah, blah, blah. Don't care. Just like with ice cream and cooking with butter - having the whole version, we're satisfied sooner, and eat less.

The 90 minute class was great. I think I'm finally starting to get my knee comfortably stretched back out from Saturday's 8-miles of unwrapped knee. Yoga buddy liked the class, so much that he wants to go again. If I can drag the teenager out of bed early enough to watch his younger siblings, the early Sunday morning class is probably a go.

As for the food? Lunch - avocado and mango in honey/ginger/lime dressing, with chopped cilantro and celery. Topped with roasted cashews for protein (and salt - definitely needed salt after class), and a clementine.


And, because I'm being photo happy today, supper. Boeuf Bourguignon, cooked straight out of the Julia Child cookbook. Served up the mushrooms to the kids too, as their "try something different" for the day. (Technically, a "try it again, maybe you'll like it this time" for the day. And, it may be working. DD ate not only the mandatory single half a mushroom, she also chose to eat a second. Yea!) Sides of green peas w/butter and mashed potatoes and parsnips with garlic. And, a glass of Cab from Argentina.


Overall, a good day. Looking forward to (fingers crossed) another class with the yoga buddy on Sunday.

2009 Grocery Challenge - Week 5 - Farmer's Market Stockup!

I love being in the kitchen after a trip to the farmer's market. Did my stockup shopping. Didn't get a picture of everything together, as the bounty didn't fit on the counter all at once. I do have photos from the couple hours after getting everything put away. Starting with this happy bowl of fruit, right by my aprons. Peaches, valencia oranges, pink lady apples, bananas, limes, avocado - and a bag of dried pineapple chunks, which are candy substitutes for my daughter, the resident sweet-tooth.




Supper! Lamb, marinating in garlic, ginger, honey, red wine and soy sauce. Red and sweet onions, cilantro, water chestnuts and snowpeas (trimmed by little people), ready to be stir fried with more ginger & garlic, with rice and bean sprouts on the side. Sure I could make this from the supermarket, but the snow peas and bean sprouts would not have been anywhere near as crisp, and the lamb would have been older, more expensive, and from sheep loaded with antibiotics and hormones. (Recipe from Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper cookbook.)


Now that I'm stocked back up on whole wheat & oat flour, it's baking time! Oatmeal breakfast muffins, honey whole wheat buns for Monday's cheese stuffed turkey burgers, and bread for sandwiches in packed lunches. Between this and the Lamb Stir fry in Hoisin, the kitchen - no, the whole house - smelled amazing!

I'll need to get a few items at the supermarket, like Very Vanilla Silk and the evaporated milk I use when cooking. It doesn't make sense to pay almost $2 per can at the int'l market, when it's only 87 cents at Publix. (Total reverse of the coconut milk pricing.) I'll post a full list at the end of the week, but here is the shopping list from the main trip:
Spent time dividing the lamb & beef for multiple meals. The turkey and chicken will also be doing double duty. I'm mixing with minced onion, garlic, parsley, basil and chopped scallion - a little over half will be used for cheese stuffed burgers Monday, the rest scooped into balls and frozen for a meal next week. Another plus to the meat & poultry from the farmer's market? Never been frozen, so it keeps far better when I do things like this.

Half Training, 1/19-1/25

Monday 1/19:
Hot yoga, 75 min

Tuesday 1/20:
Easy Run, 3.12 mi, 28:35
Hot yoga, 90 min
Reward for running on 22 degree morning. Was 20 minutes into class before my toes & fingers were no longer chilly.

Wednesday 1/21:
Power yoga, 75 min
I'm counting this as strength - lots of core & upper body work.

Thursday 1/22:
Easy Run, 6.75 mi, 1:12
On the treadmill, so I guessed by run time, as opposed to the 7.5 miles on the computer. Played with inclines while running, to approximate terrain, but I don't know if that makes up for the stride difference on the belt.

Friday 1/23:
Hot yoga, 90 min

Saturday 1/24:
Long Run, 7.98 mi, 1:22:06*
Knee started to hurt pretty bad at about 6 miles.

Sunday 1/25:
Hot yoga, 90 min
Skipped the recovery run. The knee was unhappy. Heat & stretching was good.

*This route is a little hilly. I like it, since each uphill is followed by a longer downhill. The downhill seems to be the tough part for me, as my knee hurt worse on each downhill. It's the patello-femoral thing, with my kneecap not tracking correctly. Doesn't bother me on shorter runs, flat terrain runs, or in warmer weather. When it's below 60 degrees on hills, I have a sleeve... which I chose not to wear. Won't make that mistake next week.


Stopping by Big Peach Running Co. to sign up for my first race of 2009. The Chattahoochee Challenge 10k, February 7, over at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. Don't think the kids will be running with me this time. My oldest is holding off for a 5k, and I haven't been able to get a straight answer from the little ones about the 1 mile fun run.

It was a toss up between this and a 10-mile race in Greenville, SC. Travel aside, I'm not sure I'm ready for a 10 mile race yet - though I'm seriously considering trying the Run the Reagan Half Marathon on Valentine's Day, just one week later. If I do, the kids will be running or run/walking the 5k with Dad. After all, what better way to celebrate than to do something good for our hearts?

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 4

Regular Grocery Shopping
Publix - $34.22
Dekalb Farmers Market - $51.52
Publix - $43.70
Week 2 total - $129.44

Weekly Average - $146.32

Year To Date - $585.28


Shopping Lists:
I kind of blew it this week on the whole grocery budget thing. A little lax in general, but here are a few big red flags:

1. The $15 in meat for one meal.
2. Running short on flour, again.
3. Blueberry B Monster Smoothie
4. Ice cream, when I had a perfectly good batch of cookie dough stashed in the freezer.

Attempt at justification:

1. Tried out a honey peppercorn steak recipe with the kids. Tough to do without steak. We don't do it that often... so there.
2. I'll be better about this for the next four weeks, as I have a much clearer idea of how much flour we go through now.
3. I knew I had less than an hour between yoga class and Friday reading at the elementary school (2nd & 4th grade classes). Enough time to shower, no time to fix lunch. The $3 smoothie waiting in the fridge prevented a fast food debacle.
4. It was Red Velvet Ice Cream.

Will be heading over to the International Farmers Market this coming Sunday, for the stockup shopping trip. No froufrou coffee, no crazy chocolate confections. Staples. Fruits. Vegetables. Protein.

For a bit of a lark, here are photos of my haul from two of this week's shopping trips. First, the farmers market ($51.52):

Next, the regular old grocery store ($43.70):


Less than $8 between the two register tapes, but what a tremendous difference in the quality and quantity of food!

Links:
2009 Grocery Challenge

Overall, the plan is still going well. The kids are helping with more food prep on nights where there's not too much homework. As an example, on Sunday, B2 mixed up the cornbread muffins and peeled parsnips and garlic cloves. DD sliced apples for the pie. B1 (14 y.o.) offered his younger siblings loads of advice on proper technique... given his vastly superior experience, gained over his "many years of cooking." Supper line-up for Week 4, with lunch from Monday (MLK Holiday):

Green - Hit; will make again
Red - Miss; try a new variation, or not
Black - Mixed results; tweak & try again.

Black Pepper-Honey Steak
Mashed Potatoes & Parsnips
Green Beans, and Cornbread Muffins
Apple-Cranberry Pie
Recipe for Black Pepper-Honey Steak was from The Splendid Table (NPR). It. Was. Delicious. The whole meal was a hit, except for the pie. Two children were put off by the cranberries in with their beloved apple slices. (I'm beginning to think those two may not actually be my children, but strange little alien pod people, put here to test the limits of human patience.)


Turkey Tacos & Black Bean Salad (Lunch)
Butter Chicken, Brown Rice, Green Peas (Supper)
Kids were a little iffy on [not-so?] mild curry this time. They ate it, but went through more ice water than usual at supper. I didn't notice a big difference, but the jalapeno I used in making the curry paste may have been a bit hotter than last time.

Fried Rice with Scallions, Edamame & Tofu
Picked up the recipe from RunningWithFood. Different flavor and consistency than the way I usually make it. Was tasty.

Leftover Night:
Mexican Pizza, w/meat from Turkey Tacos
Fried Rice w/Scallions, Edamame & Tofu
Butter Chicken & Green Peas (OK, this was just me)

Chicken with Lentils & Couscous
Kids picked out the yellow & red pepper, but I didn't get a lot of whining. I'm going to take that as progress.

Linguine w/Italian Sausage & Veggies,
Cheesy Toasted Flatbread, Broccoli
The onions were chopped small enough to get past, but the red peppers were picked out... again. Halved grape tomatoes, no problem. I've upped the amounts of fresh parsley & basil to get them used to extra green in pasta. I plan to sneak in fresh chopped spinach next time. One likes it, but the other two will only eat spinach as long as they don't know it's there. (Again... pod people.)

Had planned chicken breasts sauteed in butter with tarragon, rice pilaf and salad for Saturday... which was scrapped in favor of a meal at Tijuana Joe's Mexican Cantina.

We spent extra time at the park, playing a imaginative version of space-pirates-meet-intrepid-explorers, incorporating elements from Stargate SG-1/Atlantis, Firefly, Captain Drake (hence the pirates), and the many incarnations of Star Trek. Oh! B2 made sure we knew all of our close quarter battles were with light sabers, so Star Wars was in there too. The playground was empty, except for us. Not sure why, as it was a sunny day with temps in the 50s, but we took advantage of all that extra space.

Links:
Supper Wars

Beating boredom on the treadmill

What can keep me from complete and total brain death during a long run on the treadmill?


Burn Notice marathon on USA. Grabbing my water bottle and running shoes, and heading off to the YMCA.

Considering the public health hazards of the gym I've been learning from Charlotte's post today over at The Great Fitness Experiment, maybe I should take a bottle of lysol and a travel size bottle hand sanitizer, too.

Update: Somewhere between 6.5 and 7.5 miles. I'm guessing closer to 6.5, given the faulty math of the typical treadmill. Had to reset the computer on the treadmill, as it frowns upon workouts over 60 minutes. Total time - 1:12:35, due to having stepped on the treadmill 12 minutes before the top of the hour. Great run today, even if it was inside.

Fun with fried rice

Whether it's veggie-fried rice as a side dish with skewers of marinated & grilled chicken or loaded up with cubes of baked tofu or chicken, fried rice is a weekly dinner favorite in our house. To be honest, I think I could serve it every other night for a few weeks before getting any complaints.

It's easy to make, and cooking the rice in the morning while packing lunches means super speedy prep for dinner. Just 15-20 minutes to a homemade one-dish meal. What more could a mom ask for on a busy sports / music / homework night?

Last week, I saw a photo of Fried Rice with Scallions, Edamame and Tofu over at Running with Food. It looked delicious. I've served tofu fried rice, with edamame succotash on the side, so this sounded like a good fit for the family.

The combination for the liquid was a little different than what I usually fix. I usually use a little bit of chicken or vegetable stock (ice cube form, stored in freezer), and add a bit of soy sauce and ginger. RWF's recipe uses soy sauce and more ginger than I use (garlic and red pepper flakes optional), so the flavor is just a little different. Without the extra broth, the rice was ready a few minutes faster - and I can't say I noticed any lack of the flavor for skipping it.

There were only a couple of things I changed in making this. First, I used an egg, not egg substitute. Second, the kids prefer tofu with a sturdier texture, so the tofu was pressed for an hour or two, to remove some of the water, then cubed and stir-fried in garlic sesame oil.

It was really tasty, and will probably be repeated around here sometime soon. Now, to see what else RunningWithFood is cooking.....

Anticipating the "Ouch!"

Yesterday, when I said hot yoga was good, but not as exhausting as a 2 hour bike ride in August? I take that back. I went to a Power Yoga class today, and I can already tell it will be tough to roll out of bed into the cold tomorrow morning. Up dog, downward dog, planks, and a bunch of positions I couldn't begin to pronounce. I haven't done so many pushups at one time since 6th grade. (Broken arms, followed by 4 years of marching band meant no gym class after that.) The muscles of my upper body and core will be screaming, if the whimpering I'm hearing from them now are any gauge.

Putting away a stack of towels on the top shelf of the linen closet, my triceps trembled. From lifting bath towels over my head.

I think it's time to consult the trainers at the Y for an upper body / weight regimen. The running and cycling have given me lovely legs - it's a shame to keep them paired to these arms.

Half Training, 1/12-1/18

Monday 1/12:
Hot yoga, 90 min

Tuesday (w/dog):
Easy/Trail Run, 4.03 mi, 42:39

Wednesday:
Unplanned Rest Day (School Stuff)

Thursday:
Easy Run, 3.12 mi, 28:31
Hot yoga, 90 min
Bike Commute, 2.5 mi

Friday:
Hot yoga, 90 min

Saturday:
*Long Run, 4.25 mi, 45 min

Sunday:
Rest Day (Birthday Party w/kidlets)

*Long run on Saturday was planned as a 6 miler. My toes were going numb 30 minutes in, so I looped back home. Am wearing thicker socks for the below 30 degree runs.

The temps are still rather low this week, so I'm not pushing myself too hard on the mileage. I have the hang of layering and am now keeping my toes warm in the right socks on cold days. It's breathing in the cold air which gets me. The inside of my nose and my throat feels as though on fire once I get the heart rate up. Shooting for more running days, but shorter runs, which should help me get used to the cold... just in time for Spring, which won't be long, here in Georgia.

I started a 10 day pass with Atlanta Hot Yoga last Monday. I'm taking as many classes as possible, to get a feel for how crowded different class times are, and to experience the different styles of the instructors. After the 10 days are up, I'm going to work two classes in each week, either on stretch/strength days, or for crosstraining. I can't begin to explain how heavenly it is to hang out in the 90-95 degree room. It's not quite as exhausting as a two hour cross country ride on the bicycle in August, but it's doing good things for my chilled limbs and Winter Blahs.

Inaugural Day

There are so many people commenting on the inaugural speech, and our new President, from all points along the political spectrum. I'd like to take a minute to highlight a different speech from today. Senator Diane Feinstein, a woman who I respect, though I disagree with her often, spoke of the significance of today's historical event - which happens in our nation every four years, before her introduction for the new President & Vice President. The transition of power from one leader to the next which the US celebrates. No violence. No civil war.

In a world where political strife is too often settled with violence, we come here every four years to bestow the power of the presidency upon our democratically elected leader.

Left or Right, it doesn't matter today.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 3

Regular Grocery Shopping
Publix - $85.51
Trader Joes - $24.62
Whole Foods - $20.45
Week 2 total - $130.58

Weekly Average - $151.94

Year To Date - $455.84

Not a bad week. The average is now close to the $150/week target of my "normal" shopping patterns. With one more week to go, it looks like the once-a-month stockup is going to make a big difference. I'll need to get better about the quantities I need for each month, as I've needed to purchase replacements for several staples already. I seriously underestimated the brown sugar, rice, flour and oats, along with a few other items. We're eating a very good variety of fresh fruits and veggies, and organic where the cost isn't too prohibitive. The budget planning and ongoing attempt to keep the kids trying new foods, as well as familiar foods in new types of cuisine are tying together nicely.

Starting next week, I'll also be posting my actual shopping lists w/costs. I'm working on a pricebook-type record, so I can get a better handle on quantities needed during the stockup trips.

Links:
2009 Grocery Challenge


Odd week with menu planning. Ended up juggling a few days around, to accomodate project boards for one child, internet reasearch for another, and a couple of birthday parties. Started the week with the disasterous introduction of rutabaga, but ended on a pleasant note with what the kids are calling a chinese spaghetti dinner.

Green - Hit; will make again
Red - Miss; try a new variation, or not
Black - Mixed results; tweak & try again.

Casserole Roasted Chicken w/ Winter Veggies
Chicken was tasty. The lentils & leeks got past the kids. Carrots and potatoes were also good. The rutabaga was a sticking point for all of us. It will not be included in the future.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts, Peas,
Risotto w/Roasted Butternut Squash
Kids picked out mushrooms, and were less than enthusiastic about the butternut squash.
I loved the risotto, and will be making again. Probably with barley next time. Will just scoop out the kid portions before I add the mushrooms.

Cheese Pizza and Salad

Chicken Fried Rice, Garlic Green Beans
Using extra two chicken breasts cooked w/lemon pepper on Monday.

Breakfast for Dinner, a.k.a Brinner
Whole wheat & flax waffles, applewood smoked uncured bacon, cheese omelet (w/spinach, onions & peppers in grownup version), yogurt & berries for dessert.

Mac & Cheese, Florets Polonaise
Broccoli & cauliflower, blanched and tossed with lemon juice, olive oil, sauteed minced garlic, fresh bread crumbs and chopped hard boiled eggs. Need to dice the hard boiled egg finer next time. DD finds hard boiled eggs "creepy", so they need to blend with other crumbly bits.

Chinese Ginger Scallion Meatballs,
Noodles in Hoisin w/Spinach
Combined sweetened cranberries, shallot, garlic and fresh ginger with an egg yolk, then mixed into ground chuck with chopped scallions and 5 spice powder. The sauce for the noodles: sauteed yellow onion and shallot, thin sliced carrot, 1/4 cup red wine, 1 cup chicken stock, 1/8 cup soy sauce and hoisin sauce. I think it was about 1/8 cup hoisin, but added to taste. Dropped several handfuls of spinach into the sauce when adding the browned meatballs. I've been asked to use sliced green beans next time. Maybe I will, maybe I won't.

Links:
Supper Wars

Too much of a good thing?

I overdid it on the exercise today, by 2.5 miles. Didn't mean to. I missed my workout yesterday. Had planned to go to a 90 minute yoga class. Dropped the morning class plan in favor of the 4th grade Biography Fair. (Seeing my Wilbur Wright was more important, of course. B2 was fantastic!) The evening class plan went by the wayside because of rush hour gridlock. Even with a make ahead dinner, and a helpful teen, it would have meant 90 minutes in traffic to get there. I checked the traffic reports at 60 minutes. Sigh.

Figured slacking off during my first week of a half marathon program would set a bad precedent, so today turned into a make up day. Hit the road for my regular three mile hill run, then came home and changed for the 10:00 am hot yoga class. Only took 15 minutes to get there, seeing as how it's not rush hour. Gotta say, hot yoga after a 30 degree run (19 with windchill) was bliss.

Home for a shower, some leftover lentils & couscous, then work. Only a couple things promised today, so I wrapped up mid afternoon, with plenty of time to make a Trader Joes run. (There were several requests this morning for an eggs & bacon breakfast, but no time - so we're having "brinner" tonight. Needed a few things for the waffles, veggie omelet and... bacon.) Grabbed my bag & basket, pulled on gloves and coat, headed out. I run lots of mornings and follow with an afternoon ride to the bank or store. No big deal, right?

Started out fine. Little tough going uphill, but I think I still had residual warmth from yoga in my muscles. Did my shopping, unlocked Patty from the shopping cart corral, and started home.

OUCH!

I don't know if it was the added weight, but the trip home was agony. I was cold. Everything hurt.

Everything still hurts. Even my pinky toes are complaining. That could just be the cold, though.

What I already knew:
A day with both run + bike/store = GOOD
A day with both yoga + bike/store = GOOD

What I learned today:
COLD run + HOT yoga = VERY GOOD
COLD run + HOT yoga + COLD bike/store = QUIT WHILE YOU'RE AHEAD, NITWIT!

I'm tossing back ibuprofen, and wondering how I'll stay awake through fixing supper, music lessons (x3), multiplication tables and spelling, laundry and breakfast muffin baking.

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. At least the flowers are pretty?!

Running Buddy

When we got back from the riverside trails today, Peter T. Dog spent a few minutes rolling around and shedding all over the carpet, then passed out for two hours. He was so wiped that he snoozed right through mail delivery. I forget sometimes he's hit the senior years, especially when he's dragging me after random squirrels and birds. Maybe our cold weather runs should be limited to the three milers?

Butternut Squash Risotto

It's cold outside. I have a 4 mile run today, but am putting it off until the temperature hits 40 or above. I'm waiting for changes for a map from a client, my kitchen is clean, and the laundry is switched. I can't pick up my copy of Nation of Sheep by Andrew Napolitano, or I'll keep reading and miss the run. It's a good book. Plus, it will make me cranky, and then I'll spend most of my run grumbling, since I'll be pushed for time and cranky. So, I'll blog last night's dinner.

Modified from a recipe in The Farmers Market Cookbook
(bought at Costco several years ago... or was it Sams?)

1 cup Brown Rice
1/3 cup Lentils
Rice cooked according to package directions; lentils tossed in about 1/2 way through cooking.

Butternut Squash
Olive Oil
Thyme
Salt & Pepper
Peeled, seeded and cut. Roasted in olive oil with seasonings at 400 degrees for 30 mins or so.

Leek, sliced
Yellow Onion, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, chopped
Baby Portobello Mushrooms, sliced
Fresh Parsley, chopped
Carrot, rough grated
1/2 cup Vegetable Broth
2 Tbs Butter
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Handful of chopped walnuts
Handful of chopped walnuts
Cook onion, leek and garlic in butter over medium high heat. When onions start to color, add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms start to fry, then add carrots. Cook until carrots start frying, then add rice, lentils, parsley and vegetable broth. Cook for five minutes, then stir in half of the grated cheese. Serve, topped with walnuts and remaining Parmesan.

-----

39 degrees. Woo hoo - almost there! I'm off to get changed for my run, so I can get back home & heat up the leftovers for lunch.

Officially In-Training

With the kids back in school. I spent last week adjusting back to a "normal" schedule. Ran four times, a total of about 14 miles for the week. Hadn't quite decided what to do with my late winter / early spring, so I spent a bit of time thinking about it while I was getting back up to daily official exercise. (Lugging laundry, ironing, cooking, cleaning, etc. - exhausting, but not officially exercise.)

While putting my Saturday run into my Runners World training log, I noticed the calendar. I'm 11-12 weeks out from the ING Atlanta Half Marathon. Just enough time to start an intermediate improve-your-time program. I don't see why I can't tackle the "run a half marathon faster than 2008" goal right now.

There are a couple of 10k races between now and March 29th, so I stand a good chance of checking the P.R. for that distance off the list, too. Any 5k races over the next few months will likely be with my kids, so it's their fun that counts. (Times count too, but in an neener-neener I run faster than you, you stinky boy/ snotty girl way, common to siblings everywhere.)

I'm reading up on Hal Higdon's Intermediate Half Plan (12 week), as well as the Long Program - Half Marathon Training (10 week) at Runner's World. I'll probably end up with a mash up of the two, but here's what I have come up with for this week:

Monday - Stretch/Strength
Tuesday - 4 mile, easy
Wednesday - XT / Rest
Thursday - 3 mile, hill
Friday - Stretch / Strength
Saturday - 6 mile, long
Sunday - 3 mile, easy

The Rutabaga Revolt

"It's not fair! Why don't YOU ever have to try anything new?"

This is what I was asked last week, during one of the Try Something New suppers. That I've been alive a lot longer, and have already tried many of these foods, doesn't occur to them. I'm just a big meanie, forcing them to eat unpronounceable dishes. So, I decided to join the kids in the trenches of our Supper Wars.

I took a casserole-roasted chicken recipe I've used (a variation of) for years now, one we all like, and followed it to the letter this time. Instead of choosing to use a few root vegetables, I used all the veggies on the list: potato, sweet potato, carrot, onion, leek, onion, and... lentils and RUTABAGA.

I didn't have anything against the rutabaga, I have just never felt the need to tackle one in my cooking. I'm sure my mom told me stories of her own childhood traumas, probably meant to allay the trauma she was inflicting on me with overcooked, previously frozen, brussels sprouts. You know, after the starving children would be grateful to have what you are turning up your nose at... at least I don't make you eat what my mother served us... blah, blah blah.

Peeled, chopped and roasted the veggies, along with the chicken breasts. Smelled fantastic. People were hungry. Scooped out the chicken & vegetables and turned the pan juices into gravy. Couscous was to be on the side, and I even made pilsbury crescent rolls, figuring I might need a bribe to get them past the lentils in the gravy.

The chicken was fantastic. The potatoes, leeks, onions, carrots - all delicious. There weren't even complaints about the lentils. There was only 1/2 cup in the whole dish, so the kids probably assumed those were bits of herbs and not a big deal. But the rutabaga? Nope.

The texture was about halfway between a potato and a carrot. The taste was about what you'd think carrot/potato would taste like, too. Pretty good start. But the aftertaste? Hard to describe. Not cabbage, but something like it. I ate mine, because I was setting an example, and really hungry. But I didn't like it much, either. I moved the bar lower than usual, and set one piece of rutabaga as the target. Two children made it. Middle child (B2) chose to go without a crescent roll, rather than finish the second bite of his rutabaga chunk.

Not every battle can be won, and it this case, I'm not sure I'd want to win. Tonight will be a peace offering. Chicken breasts, plain old green peas, and some pasta tossed in olive oil & garlic.

I'll stick with my original meal plan, but they can try butternut squash and barley risotto some other time.

Brussels Sprouts & Me: A Hate/Love Relationship

As a kid, I HATED brussels sprouts. I know that's not uncommon for kids, but I had the kind of hatred which leads one to declare "when I have a daughter, I will NEVER make her eat brussels sprouts!"

My mom always made sprouts from the frozen brick. She'd boil until falling apart, which she did with most vegetables, now that I think about it. Sometimes, the brussels sprouts would go fancy, with a bit of butter, or sprinkle of cheese. Didn't help; they were always nasty.

When I was about 20, I had a boyfriend who liked the darn things. Being the loving girlfriend I was, I cooked them. Not frozen. Fresh from the produce section brussels sprouts. Blanched, then tossed in with butter, salt, and some sort of citrus. They were pretty good. 17 years went by without me repeating the side dish, though.

This year, while working on my day after Thanksgiving meal plans (official holiday dinner on Friday, due to Thursday half marathon), I came across a recipe for Oven Carmelized Brussels Sprouts with Autumn Fruits. Pears, apples, fresh thyme... I had to try it. And it was amazing. Have fixed Brussels Sprouts this way a couple of times since then, and loved it just as much as the first.

Late in the week, while thinking about my bin full of sweet potatoes, I read Hangry Pants' write up on colorful food on a gray day. (On a side note - love the She Says / He Says of Hangry Pants! Taste tests of new Trader Joes products, grocery shopping, healthy cooking, and ice cream.) The colorful food was sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts. And I thought:
IF Sweet Potatoes + Fruit = Good Stuff
AND Brussels Sprouts + Fruit = Good Stuff
THEN Sweet Potatoes + Brussels + Fruit = Really Good Stuff

So, I picked up a pack of fresh brussels sprouts at Trader Joes. Cut them in half, and tossed with:
Sweet potato
Carrot
Parsnip
Sweet Onion
Garlic
Apple (McIntosh, I think)
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Whole Grain Mustard
Sea Salt & Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
Brown Sugar (teaspoon)

My daughter helped with the prep, and we popped it in the oven at 425 degrees. 45 minutes later, the kids had a little of the roasted veggies alongside their mac & cheese and steamed broccoli... but no brussels sprouts. I was okay with that.

Anyway, dinner was delicious, and I will definitely make this again. Thank you again to She of HangryPants for the inspiration!

Supper Wars - Week 2

This week went pretty well. Only six days this week. Power was knocked out for the neighborhood on Wednesday, so we ventured out for dinner.

There was one day when I was sure the kids would love dinner, and was totally wrong. Fortunately, knowing I'm keeping tabs on what they like and don't like, they're more open to discussing what exactly it is they don't like, if it's just a part of the meal. Making them food critics and part of building the family cookbook is putting the stops on the general "yuck" complaints.

Green - Hit; will make again
Red - Miss; try a new variation, or not
Black - Mixed results; tweak & try again.

Ginger Chicken & Noodles (Old favorite)
Vegetable Stir Fry w/Zucchini
Kids still not into zucchini. Sticking with celery, carrots, broccoli and onion.

Beef Tacos, Black Bean Salad
Leave out the mango next time, and use mild salsa.

Baked Teriyaki Tofu & Veggie Fried Rice
Steamed Broccoli & Carrots

Tomato & Cheddar Packed Turkey Burgers
Oven Roasted Potato & Sweet Potato Fries,
This is where making the kids food critics helps. They liked the overall flavor, as they're used to me putting diced onions and chopped herbs into burgers. The diced tomato pieces were the offenders. I'll be leaving them out next time.

Mac & Cheese, Broccoli & Carrots
Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/ Sweet Potato
Kids tried the sweet potato & carrots in the sprouts. I count myself a lucky mom there's never any battling over broccoli, so I didn't push them too hard on the sprouts.

French Onion Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Cheddar & swiss on homemade egg bread? Instant win.

Links:
Supper Wars
2009 Grocery Challenge

GC 2009 - Week 2

Regular Grocery Shopping
Publix (1/5) - $75.64
Trader Joes (1/8) - $19.54
Week 2 total - $95.18

Weekly Average - $162.63

Year To Date - $325.26

Mostly produce, dairy and meat this week, plus a few items for packing school lunches. If I had to guess, I'd say I'm about halfway through many of the staples (rice, couscous, sugar, tea). I underestimated how quickly we go through flour. Between bread, rolls, waffles, muffins, cookies, it's a lot more than I realized. Will increase the quantities during my next stock up trip, in two weeks.

Links:
2009 Grocery Challenge
Supper Wars

Time for a haircut

I realized something odd this evening. I have used writing instruments as hair accessories three times this week. Happens at my desk, when I lean back in my chair. My hair is officially half way down my back now, the longest it's ever been in my life. Even a ponytail gets caught, these days.

It's been six months since my last trim. (Was putting it off, out of fear I'd ask for a pixie cut.)
Avoiding tangles requires nightly braiding.
I've felt the weight of the ponytail, bouncing, on longer runs.
The ends are practically strawberry blond, from sun, sweat and chlorine.

Will schedule cut for next week. Taking off about four inches, and getting a couple of recommendations for future style change. Will not be talked into any color treatments, though.

Of course, my hair will know exactly what I'm up to, and begin several days of "perfect", just to mess with me.