Meal plan!

So, I did it. I made a real live meal plan. Kinda had to, since The H isn't around and I refuse to feed the little guy fast food or convenience food at every meal... though surely it would be *easy* to, I would be a very large and lumpy woman if I didn't make an effort to plan ahead. I do love food. Even the junky stuff.

Here is what we're having this week, in no particular order:


Trader Joe's black bean and cheese taquitos (I said not *every* meal) with pineapple salsa, Greek yogurt with fresh berries, and leftover mac 'n' cheese from lunch for the little guy

Grilled chicken with caramelized onion quinoa--this grain dish is from Squeaky Gourmet, and man is it a good one! Surprising how some of the tastiest things are made from the simplest ingredients.

Buffalo chicken wraps using the meat from a whole bird I'm cooking in the CrockPot early in the week

Cuban black beans with brown rice and poblano peppers (another Squeaky Gourmet inspiration)

Balsamic lime salmon with the world's greatest tomato soup

Gluten free mini pizzas with black olives and co-op pepperoni, plus whatever veggie odds and ends I have left at the end of the week--this will make a great Friday dinner so The H can enjoy our inevitable leftovers when he gets home

That covers my bases for dinners this week. I may switch it up and make one or two for lunch on a daycare day (more time to putter) and have leftovers for dinner. There is half a package of shrimp in the freezer with this recipe written all over it. My mouth is watering just thinking about that one.

Anything fantastic on your menu this week?

Summer dress

This is semi-related to clean eating...

I don't own any shorts that fit.* My smallest pair, which was tight a few years ago (and *just* fit in this photo)

are now saggy and baggy. They get me by for one wearing, fresh from the dryer.

So I've been leaning heavily on my skirts--brown cotton, black cotton, and denim. That denim one was a reach for me, since it's quite a bit shorter than the other two, but I'm happy with my legs and don't mind showing them off (yay running!).

For awhile now, I've been scoping out clearance racks at various stores, trying to add to my summer (and heck, year-round) wardrobe in my new smaller size without breaking the bank. I was thrilled to find two dresses that are not only cute on the hanger, but feel like they were made for me! I have a wedding shower to attend soon, and was dreading the thought of opening my closet to stare once again at the empty hangers and shapeless (on me!) garments that I can no longer fill out, top or bottom. When I tried this dress on, I knew I'd found my shower outfit.

And when the little guy looked up from the bench where he was reading a book and said, "Mommy looks fancy," I knew we had a winner.

Two years ago, I would never had chosen such a dress-it's so low cut! It's shorter than my shins!--but for whatever reason now, I was drawn to it, and was beyond pleased with the results.

There are so many great colors in the pattern; my next challenge will be finding jewelry to complement it. Thank goodness I didn't out(under?)grow my earring collection!

*Since drafting this post, I've been blessed with a pair of perfect denim shorts and a pair of linen-blend "walking" shorts, both for ridiculously good prices. But I still adore this dress. :)

Uninspired

That is what I am. Especially when it comes to food. Maybe some of it has to do with the heat, and more than a little The H's crazy work travel schedule this month. Blah. It's depressing to plan meals for me and the little guy, knowing he won't likely appreciate them like I want him to. :) The perils of being 3, I guess. Th H is living it up Marriott style again next week, then shortly after that, we're all tagging along on a jaunt to Connecticut. Know anything about it? Anything we must do?

Since I last had a decent post, here's what I've been up to...

June 27th - Ran a 5K with my superfast friend, set a PR with 22:56. Enjoyed a most delicious root beer float afterwards. 4th in my age group.

July 4th - Dusted off my old (free!) bike and went for a 10-mile ride. Owie.

July 6th - Braved the sore butt and went for another ride, only 5 miles this time. Meh.

July 9th - Ran a half marathon with a group of running friends, set a new PR of 1:53. We had to get up before 3am to make it to the race that started at 6am. 2nd in my age group. (I'm the nerd in purple.)

July 16th - Ran a 4-mile race near my parents' house, set another PR of 31:26. Up until the last minute before awards were given out, I was 1st in my age group, but suddenly that changed to 2nd.

July 21st - Rode 7 miles in the morning, and tried a run in the evening. Not my finest moment. Or run.

I guess I've been busy. But not in the kitchen, bummer. I'm still loving the Squeaky Gourmet book and plan to tuck it in my purse when I grocery shop tomorrow for the week The H is gone. I *need* to get back on track. My pants (ok, shorts... I'm no fool) still fit just fine, but my energy and willpower are starting to suffer a little. I'm off to blog-browse for a touch of inspiration.

What have you been up to? Any fantastic recipes you've made?

Summer staples

This afternoon, after a trip to the library and local coffee shop, the little guy and I stopped into our beloved Ken's Fruit Market for a few tomatoes. My mom came for a quick visit earlier this week and helped me plant some *beautiful* basil plants from the farmers' market, and it was about time to pick a few leaves for a caprese salad.

My lunch, or at least the first half (I'm sure I'll need more protein in a bit), was a delicious rainbow of summery colors: red tomatoes and green basil with some cubes of fresh white mozzarella, next to half of a juicy golden orange peach and emeralds of kiwi. Everything was SO fresh and SO succulent that I quite simply forgot to take a picture. Not everything was locally sourced (peaches and tomatoes aren't ripe here in the mitten until later, and I've yet to see a kiwi plant here) but I'm pleased I was able to support local business with my purchases anyway. These gorgeous shocks of color are sure to be major players in our meals for the next few months.

What is your favorite summer produce?

Oh where, oh where has The H gone today?

Oh where, oh where can he be?

That's right. Vegas, baby. Which means I can eat shrimp this week!

The little guy and I are actually on week two of four "Mommy and Caleb" weeks in a row. Forgive my inevitable lack of creativity toward the end of this month. Super-humid weather and cooking-for-one (more or less) weariness is bound to catch up with me.

We did all right today; I was pretty proud of myself for remembering to marinate some chicken breast in Garlic Expressions dressing last night. It was easy to throw those on the grill after church, reheat some quinoa, and toss a few ears of corn onto the grill. With the addition of some sweet local cherries, our lunch was complete.

For dinner, we packed a picnic and headed to a local beach/splash pad with my in-laws. Playing in the water always gives him a big appetite! He mowed through a whole sandwich (blackberry no-sugar jam + almond butter on local whole-wheat bread), grapes, apple slices, two gluten-free blueberry muffins, and some Special K cracker chips.

My lunches this week will be leftovers (shrimp + quinoa with veggies, chicken breast + spinach salad, gluten-free spaghetti with meat sauce...) but as for dinners, I'm kind of flying blind right now. That is a pretty terrible place to be, for someone who is trying to eat clean anyway, so I will try to get my act together and form a decent meal plan. If only it weren't so *hot* I could probably come up with a great list in no time!

Squeaky-clean eating

Ah, Sunday night. How'd you get here so fast? Having The H gone Thursday/Friday, planning the little guy's birthday party (and then hosting and cleaning up after it) on Saturday, spending time at church, then grocery shopping, meal planning, and a bit of gardening (more on that later) on Sunday all have a way of making precious "time off" go by too quickly.

In the interest of efficiency, I focused on just one resource for planning my menu this week, rather than pulling favorites and newbies from various places. The majority of my meals come from the book "Squeaky Gourmet: Simple * Clean * Food" by Maureen Jeanson and Jamie Wilson.

 (source)
The authors were kind enough to send me a copy this past winter, when I was out of work and looking for some hobby reading to occupy my time. I'm excited to try them--we made three of them today alone!--and share the results with you. Virtually, of course. Unless you call ahead.

Here's what I came up with:
Mexican Burgers + Mom's Mexican Rice
Chicken with Olive-Tomato Relish + Quinoa with Caramelized Onions
Honey Lime Chicken + Lemon Quinoa with Asparagus
Sweet Potato Breakfast Cakes + Vanilla Cappuccino Shake
Thai Coconut Shrimp - this will be a lunch for me, since The H is allergic

I *love* flipping through a new cookbook or magazine for fresh ideas. The H couldn't believe how many sticky-notes I had flagging the pages of this book already. It's shaping up to be one of my new favorites! Hopefully in a few days I'll be able to post a more thorough review as I get a chance to cook through more of the recipes.

Decadent crispy chocolatey goodness

When you think "rice crispy treats" what might come to mind (other than the fact that I spelled it with a "c" because the "k" version is a registered trademark) is the gooey marshmallow version that begins with melting a whole stick of butter. Perhaps you've even had one that includes chocolate or butterscotch chips (I know I have...yum).

Well. This recipe contains none of those. And it's phenomenal.

Chocolate Hazelnut Crispy Squares
from Clean Eating Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 3
serves 24

1/2 cup unsalted raw hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups unsweetened brown rice cereal (gluten free, if you so desire--Rice Krispies are not)
3/4 cup rolled oats (again, GF if you need that)
2 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (70% cacao or more), broken into pieces
1 cup unsweetened dried pitted dates, pureed
1/2 cup unsalted hazelnut butter (or other unsalted natural nut butter)
2 Tbsp raw honey

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine hazelnuts, cereal, and oats. Mix well and set aside.

2. Melt chocolate in a double boiler (small bowl set above a pot of simmering water). When melted, remove top part of double boiler from the heat and stir in pureed dates, nut butter, and hone. Stir carefully with a wooden spoon until combined. If mixture becomes difficult to mix, set over simmering water as needed.

3. Add chocolate mixture to bowl with cereal and fold in with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. Spread into a 9"x12" pan, pressing firmly to even out the top. Refrigerate 30 minutes to let bars set. Cut into bars and serve.

These can also be rolled into truffle-like balls rather than into bars.

Nutrition information per 1 1/2 inch square:
Calories - 110
Fat - 6g
Carbs - 13g
Fiber - 2g
Sugars - 7g
Protein - 2g
Sodium - 0.25mg
Cholesterol - 0mg