Blog Interrupted

This interruption was brought to you by the letter "V" as in V- virus.  And the letter "C" as in C- cold and C- cough.  And the number 2 as in 2 days of missed work. 

So for today, enjoy this picture of Hemi.  It's C- cute.

Menu Plan Monday

Last week's menu went as written, except Friday we had chicken enchiladas, brought to us by a couple from church, instead of the chicken noodle soup I had planned.

I'm a little late getting this week's menu posted as I'm battling a cold and couldn't think.

Monday: Hamburger Helper Italiano with peas

Tuesday: Chef Salad using the last of the Olive Garden salad and some ham lunchmeat I found on clearance

Wednesday: Marinated steak mock tenderloins that I found on clearance, broccoli with cheese, and baked potato with sour cream.

Thursday: Chicken franks (on clearance once again) with Bush's Baked Beans and celery and carrot sticks

Friday: Texas Hash

Saturday: Chicken Noodle Soup

Sunday: Hamburgers, california pasta salad, tater tots

For more menus visit www.orgjunkie.com

Can't get enough Mo

Kaia looked at this photo and determined that Mo looks "pathetic."

 

Mo loves to eat "statues"  also known as pistachios.

When I brought home "Up" to watch, he got mad.  He wanted Tinkerbell.

After insisting he needed nail polish on, he picked out blue because it was cool.  Then he turned to Kaia and whispered "it's blue!"  He then insisted I paint all 10 nails.

This is better than the cool nail polish he painted my feet with.  He chose a dark purple/red because it looked like blood.

Mo doesn't like it when I put "whirly things" in my hair.  They make his head spin.  I however like to put it into two braids.

Words of Wisdom

It's been a busy few days.  Bryce had an ultrasound this morning to check for pyloric stenosis.  He doesn't appear to have that.  He does however have gas, big surprise! 

Today, I want to leave you with these words of wisdom from my Conair Ceramic Straightening Iron's manual.  I have no idea why I was reading this, but I did.

"Do not use while sleeping."

And that dear friends, is my public service announcement for the day.   

Menu Plan Monday

Some of you may have received 2 menu plan Mondays via reader. Blogger was having fun with me and re-posted last weeks post first, then this week's post.  This is truly our menu:

 
Last week's menu plan went quite well.  We did decide on Saturday to have burgers and tater tots instead, so the spaghetti has been moved to this week. 

Monday:
Tacos with meat, beans (leftover from Friday) and clearanced salsa from the store.

Tuesday:
Leftovers from my Board meeting.  We almost always have food leftover, so I'm planning on Olive Garden soup, salad and breadsticks. 

Wednesday:
Spaghetti with leftover lasagne sauce

Thursday:
Roast, potatoes, carrots in crockpot

Friday:
Chicken noodle soup (leftover chicken from Saturday)

Saturday:
Hamburger Helper Italian pasta

Sunday:
Beef Pot Pie using leftover roast

See more menu plans at Orgjunkie.   What are you having this week?

You might be grumpy if...

If you are driving home and the DJ, who is also the Mayor (don't ask), irritates you and you begin telling him to shut up quite loudly, this is the country station is it not?  Not the annoying DJ/Mayor station, then you might be grumpy!

Yes, I'm having one of those weeks.  It's all caught up to me, things I have blogged about, and some things I have not.  I was really hoping that the upcoming 3 day weekend would help my mood.  That is, until this morning when I was stretching and heard a snap right in between my shoulders at the base of my neck.  Now I feel like I will puke with every movement.

So please tell me what you are doing this weekend.  I want to live vicariously through you.  Just don't tell me you are getting a massage, or you will join the ranks of the annoying DJ/Mayor.

Update: My awesome mom is paying for me to get a half hour massage today!  I hope to feel human again very soon.

Good-bye Boomie

No parent wants to help their child deal with death.  Wouldn't it be nice to protect them from it forever?  Unfortunately, Dana arrived home Wednesday to find Boomer laying on the floor dead.  Boomie had been Mo's kitty for many months now.  The hardest thing for me wasn't losing a cat that I loved, but telling my 3 year old to give his kitty one last love and hearing him tell me that he was still alive.

Boomer May 2002-January 2010

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

The menu plan continues to go well.  Monday night though we decided that rather than have Swedish Meatballs, Sweet and Sour sounded much better.  I made these for Christmas Eve and they were a hit.  I  like that with green pepper and pineapple in them, they have fruit and veggie included and this meal is very budget friendly!    Since this recipe has taken me some time to perfect, I thought I'd share it with you.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Ground Beef
Bread or Cracker Crumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper
1 can of pineapple chunks
1 green pepper cut into chunks
1/4 cup of Brown Sugar
1 T soy sauce
1 T cornstarch

Yes, that's the entire list!  First mix your ground beef with some bread or cracker crumbs.  I like to save french bread ends or the heels of a loaf and run them through my food processor.  The amount you use is up to you.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Once mixed in add the egg and mix again.  Roll meat into 1 inch balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Place in 350 degree oven until cooked (10-20 minutes depending on size).

In a saucepan add a tiny bit of oil and saute the green pepper over medium-high heat for a few minutes.  Then add all the pineapple chunks, and most of the juice.  Set aside a small amount of the juice.  Add your brown sugar and soy sauce.  Mix the cornstarch in with the pineapple juice.  Then pour into your saucepan.  Add the cooked meatballs and stir.  Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until sauce is thick.  Add more cornstarch (mixed with a small amount of cold water) if needed.  Serve over rice and enjoy!

Babies of 2009

Each year our paper has an insert called Babies of 2009.  We needed a good photo for the boys' announcement so I had a mini photo shoot with the boys this weekend.  Here are my favorites:

I had my friends voting on Facebook, but in the end decided to go with Dana's favorite (his vote has the most weight) and we used the 3rd photo.  I of course think they are all adorable!  I just wish I'd gotten all of Brendon's cradle cap off his forehead prior to this weekend. 

Menu Plan Monday

Last week's menu plan was a success!  I stuck to it every single night, the only variance was on Enchilada night, I was tired and running late so we didn't have any extra veggies.  The red cabbage dish received mixed reviews, and provided some fun when I accidentally added mango vodka instead of lemon vinegar.  Both bottles are next to each other on the counter and both have pour spouts.  Luckily I caught it fairly quickly.  Having a plan added a moment of organization and sanity to our usual chaos and so I present this week's menu.

Monday:
Swedish Meatballs over rice with peas.

Tuesday:
Marinated steak (I'm pretty sure I still have some in the freezer), boiled potatoes (from my friend's garden), wilted lettuce salad.

Wednesday:
Meatloaf, broccoli with melted cheese

Thursday:
Ham (frozen leftovers from Christmas), macaroni and cheese, fresh veggies with dip.

Friday:
Pinto beans in the crock pot, cornbread muffins/saltines with butter.

Saturday:
Spaghetti with meat sauce (frozen from last week's lasagne), salad

Sunday:
Roast Chicken, stuffing (with celery and onion), sweet potato and gravy

See more menu plans at Orgjunkie.   What are you having this week?

Crafty

I couldn't figure out how Mo was bringing items in to me I could have sworn were on top of the fridge.

Never mind the mess.  Let's focus on what's important here.  Our son is way too crafty, and lucky he didn't break his neck!

Working Out

I was going to jump on the treadmill for 10 minutes before getting into the shower.  I was, but when I saw this, I decided on a blog post instead.

Maybe the racetrack made New Year's Resolutions?

Menu Plan Monday and some goals

I don't make New Year's Resolutions, but I'm always setting goals and attempting make our lives better.  So why not rededicate myself to a few tasks with the new year?  This is especially helpful after the hectic Fall and Winter we have had.

2009 was all about just keeping everyone alive and healthy, but not necessarily in shape.  In 2010, both Dana and I are trying to get more exercise.  He needs it for hunting and for his knees, I need it to get back in to my pants!

Growing up my best friend's mom always had the menu plan posted on the fridge.  I loved seeing that Tuesday was pot roast, Thursday spaghetti and knowing that it was Swedish Meatball night on Friday when I was spending the night.  Most of her meals were on a budget and cooked in the crock pot too.  I know that my week goes so much better when I'm following a menu plan, but I struggle to create one.  In theory it's not hard.  You look at what you have on hand, write down what you want to eat for the week, and make a list of what you need to pick up.  I some how look at that menu planning sheet (I have a nice magnetic pad from Betty Crocker) and break out into a cold sweat.  What should we eat?  I might get 2 days filled in, and never get further.  But I'm going to make the effort to plan a lot more.

And on that note, with my lack of planning, dinner is often a rushed $5 pepperoni pizza.  That's it, no veggies although I'd like to add some, the boys are crying to be fed and Kaia and Mo are vying for my attention, and I'm exhausted.  So with my planning there will be more fruit and veggies on our menu.  Even if it's just carrot and celery sticks, I'm going to try to have veggies with every dinner, and pack them into lunches.

I hope all of these efforts will make for a happier, less stressed Kihn home.  Do you have any plans for the new year?

So now for this week's menu:
Monday:
Beef and Veggie Stir Fry, Rice, Egg roll

Tuesday:
Sloppy joes, Broccoli with cheese

Wednesday:
Beef Enchiladas with green sauce, fresh veggies with ranch for dipping

Thursday:
Sausage smothered in red cabbage and mashed potatoes

Friday:
Homemade Lasagna (sauce will cook in crock pot all day) and salad

Saturday:
Up in the air.  My sister in law's Birthday is on Thursday, so we may have dinner some time this weekend.

Sunday:
Easy Huevos Rancheros

The Twinkies

Just chillin on their first New Year's Day.  Hope your year is off to a great start!