Tantrum Central

2/3 of our house have spent the day in a state of irritability. I won't mention names, but Thomas sure does deserve a good night's sleep. My fridge is currently stocked with leftovers from yesterday's chili and today's chicken peanut chow mein (it was yummy, see recipe below!), and there is still one uncooked meal from last week's menu. This basically means no Monday grocery shopping is needed this week. I'm a little worried for my social life because this is depressing news. Surely I'll find some way to survive (it's spelled J-A-V-A-J-A-C-K-S).

Grocery shopping is exciting (again- I know how sad this sounds), but this week it's extra exciting. I heard about an online meal planning service at MOPS. Dave Ramsey's name is all over it and although that was a bit of a turn off (sorry, self-help gurus are always a turn off to me, even if I agree they're helpful) I decided to give it a try anyway. The website is www.e-mealz.com. Basically you choose a plan (options include family of 4-6 or family of 2, low-fat, walmart, any store, etc) and then pay them $15 to receive a weekly menu and grocery list every week for three months. Their goal is to provide an interesting plan that costs no more that $75/week for a family of 4. The family of 2 plan should be roughly half the cost, but it fluctuates more. I chose the Low Fat Meal Plan for Two for any store. My goal is to save money, but it should also save me time. I don't mind the time I spend cooking and planning, but I have tried for 6 months and am not good at planning cheaper meals. What can I say, I love to cook exotic food.

So far here's what I think- They use some typical "low fat" corners which means the meals aren't necessarily "healthy". I should've expected this, but it's still a bit dissapointing. The meals don't sound gross, but they're not exactly what I would have picked out. They have a list of "staples" which they don't include in the price. These staples include eggs, milk, butter, salsa, etc. Not sure how much this will effect the overall cost. They do not list how much they are expecting the items to cost, so it's hard to price match while shopping to see where their planning and my reality don't match.

It'll probably be next week before I'm able to try out this experiment, but I'll let you all know how it goes! Leave a comment if you've ever used a similar service.


Chicken Peanut Chow Mein (from Cooking Light)

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups noodle mixture, 1/4 cup onions, and 1 1/2 teaspoons peanuts)

Ingredients

• 1 cup precut matchstick-cut carrot (I used 1 1/2 cups)
  
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed (I used 1 1/2 cups)
  
• 2 (6-ounce) packages chow mein noodles (I halved this and it was plenty)
  
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, divided
• 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast (I used 1 lb, 1/2 lb is only enough for 2 servings)
  
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
• 3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 cup presliced mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons bottled fresh ground ginger (such as Spice World) (I used 1 tsp ground ginger, it was a little too much)
  
• 1 cup (1-inch) sliced green onions (probably only need 1/2 cup, I only had 1/4 and it wasn't bad)
  
• 2 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Preparation

Cook carrots, snow peas, and noodles in boiling water 3 minutes; drain.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut chicken crosswise into thin strips. Add chicken and 1 tablespoon soy sauce to pan; stir-fry 3 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, broth, oyster sauce, sugar, and pepper, stirring well. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and ginger to pan; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add broth mixture, and cook for 1 minute. Add noodle mixture and chicken to pan; cook 1 minute, tossing to combine. Sprinkle with onions and peanuts.

Katherine - the Viking warior chef

I just noticed that my blog banner artwork is a little strange. All the kitchen tools in the apron pocket are normal...except one... huh.

Odd time for an update I know, but I HAVE to distract myself from ebay. I just realized that you can type in Janie and Jack and you find over 3,000 listings of discounted, slightly used clothing from my favorite children's store. It's my favorite, but Eden has basically nothing from there because it's ridiculously expensive. Well, not ridiculously. The clothing, fabric, and design are all phenomenal- but I can barely bring myself to pay full price for clothing at Old Navy (and rarely do at that) so $80 for an infant dress is a bit crazy to me. Thomas and I recently took a small "vacation" to Houston--- interuption: can I call it a holiday? it was just a little weekend getaway/refreshing trip. Isn't that what the brits refer to as a holiday? it's such a useful term, AHEM--- Thomas and I recently took a small holiday to Houston and I got to actually buy something from Janie and Jack. Maybe it's because it's my favorite time of year, or because my daughter was born so close to the holidays, or because I'm a mind-warped-American-consumer, but there is just something so special about THE Christmas outfit. I went nuts last year trying to find the perfect one. Let's just say Janie and Jack had about 10 to choose from and I couldn't resist. Sooo, here it is:
Can't you just imagine it with tights and a red satin headband?? These pictures don't really do the fabric justice. Now if only shopping for myself was so easy.

It's getting cold---- YAYAY!!!

It might seem odd at first, but if I was asked what my favorite-can't-live-without kitchen tool was I'd have to say my laptop. I try to keep all of my favorite recipes on here, use google way too often for recipe substitutions and measurement conversions, and watch hulu while cooking. In preparation for making chili tonight I opened up my blog to get the recipe (they're all on the sidebar!) and was shocked that I had never posted about this! Thomas and I bought a firepit last winter and broke it in by having a chili and smores party. Recipezaar is often a go to site when I'm looking for classic dishes and want to compare a variety of recipes. I found one titled "The Best Chili You Will Ever Taste" and haven't ventured to another recipe since. Well, here you go!

THE BEST CHILI YOU WILL EVER TASTE

Ingredients

* 2 teaspoons oil
* 2 onions, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 lb lean ground beef
* 3/4 lb beef sirloin, cubed
* 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 can dark beer
* 1 cup strong coffee
* 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
* 1 can beef broth
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 3 1/2 tablespoons chili sauce
* 1 tablespoon cumin
* 1 tablespoon cocoa
* 1 teaspoon oregano
* 1 teaspoon cayenne
* 1 teaspoon coriander
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 4 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans (I HALF THIS)
* 4 chili peppers, chopped

Directions

1.Heat oil.
2.Cook onions, garlic and meat until brown.
3.Add tomatoes, beer, coffee, tomato paste and beef broth.
4.Add spices Stir in 2 cans of kidney beans and peppers.
5.Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
6.Add 2 remaining cans of kidney beans and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Decisions, Decisions

There are some BIG life changes looming over the horizon for our little family. Until we know for sure what we are doing in January I can't plan. People, I NEED to plan!! It's stressing me out and affecting my ability to make decisions. We're not talking about big decisions that actually require insight and spousal approval. We're talking should we get two or three pumpkins-when should I eat lunch-what conditioner should I use on my hair-should I spend an extra $2 organic milk???????. I get myself worked into a ball of anxious energy over the tiniest things, and seem unable to make the slightest move without asking Thomas' opinion. Poor guy! :). BREATH.

For my sake (ok, for Thomas' sake too) decisions need to be made- by me- throwing all caution to the wind and not worrying about what anyone else thinks. This might seem like a silly exercise- but I need to jump start my independent thinking processes. So I'm going to type out a list of decisions without consulting Thomas. Ok, here we go....

1) GET MY HAIR CUT- there, I made a decision - been fretting over that one for weeks
2) DO TAKEOUT FOR DINNER TOMORROW- I guess to make this a really good decision I should decide where.....(fighting urge to ask thomas).....(trying not to feel horribly conflicted because that's the point of this exercise)......Rancho Grande
3) ORDER THAT DRESS I'VE LOOKED AT EVERYDAY FOR A WEEK, in two sizes so I know at least one will fit right.
4) STOP MAKING THIS LIST AND GO TO BED!

But first, I want to leave you with a little eye candy. A little perk for reading through such a personal rant. Not being able to make a hard and fast decision has led me to create a little inspiration board of ideas for Eden's upcoming celebration (excuse the poor image quality). Enjoy!