Monday thru Friday Smoothie Recipe

I am on week #3 of having "green" smoothies for breakfast Monday through Friday.  On the weekends, I need a break and go with an egg or a bowl of cereal.  It is crazy when a bowl of rice kris pies with some raisins feels like an indulgence!  I have come up with two favorite recipes that I have been switching between.  The key to getting a smooth smoothie - is to put in the greens and the liquid first.  Blend those until smooth before adding the frozen fruit.  I add the chia seeds straight to my glass so they don't get stuck in the blender.  

Green Smoothie #1

1 1/2 cup almond milk

1-2 cups spinach

1 frozen banana

1 cup frozen mango

1/2 avocado

1 tablespoon chia seeds

Blue Smoothie #1

1 1/2 cup almond milk

1-2 cups spinach

1 frozen banana

1 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 avocado

1 tablespoon chia seeds

Passover/Spring Cleaning

Passover is quickly approaching.  Monday night we will be eating matzah, a ton of eggs and potatoes.  In preparation we clean out all the chametz - this includes all bread products and anything that is not specifically kosher for passover.  To accomplish this, I spend days cleaning out our freezers, refrigerators, and cabinets.  I chuck anything that is half open or expired.  This year I actually checked every expiration date on our canned goods to make sure I wasn't keeping anything that was past due.  When I am knee deep in crumbs and expired food it sucks.  But when I have the clean shelves and crumb free couch pieces - I wonder why I don't do this more often.  I am really going to try to buy less frozen food and canned goods - to avoid having so much wasted food!

Favorite Podcasts

I am in my car a lot - whether it is driving to and from NY to visit my family or even just driving my kids around town.  I need a distraction that music cannot fill.  Often, my boys are listening to a book on CD or watching a DVD so I am so thankful for my headphones and my iPhone.  Here are my current favorite podcasts that keep me occupied…

#1 This American Life - my all time favorite podcast.  I love it for its mix of stories - some happy, silly or sad.  But they are all well crafted and told.  I heart Ira Glass!

#2 Ask Me Another - when I am getting tired after a long drive I go straight for the quiz show Ask Me Another.  My husband gives me strange looks as I start yelling out answers.  Yesterday, on a long drive back from NYC he heard me yell "Gumby!" and just shook his head.

#3 Doctor Who Podshock - last year I started watching Doctor Who ("new who" starting with the 2005 reboot) and became a huge fan.  I have watched all the current episodes and now I am working my way through the original series starting in 1964.  I got so into it I had to find a place that analyzed each episode and this is the perfect place!

#4 Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me - This is an old favorite for me.  It is a fun news quiz show that I also love yelling the answers to.  

#5 The Splendid Table - I love listening to the hosts smooth voice and how she explains recipes.  Makes me hungry!

#6 The Cultdom Collective - When Doctor Who Podshock went on a year hiatus due to Hurricane Sandy I had to find a fix and was happy to find this podcast.  Now anytime I have a new show obsession I can find a review from them.  I just listened to their take on the BBC Sherlock series (awesome!)

Crockpot Minestrone Soup Recipe

Crockpot Minestrone Soup Recipe

1 quart vegetable broth
1 can of chick peas (rinsed and drained)
1 can tomatoes (I am trying to use cartons to avoid any BPA issues)
1 can corn (and juice)
4 carrots - peeled and diced
2 parsnips - peeled and diced
1-2 cups green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare veggies and add to crockpot.
2. Add remaining ingredients to crockpot.  
3. Add 1 cup water if there seems to be not enough liquid.  
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
5. Serve with fresh bread or bread sticks.  

**  This soup is great because it mainly uses ingredients that I always have around.  It has no fat but is filling.  My boys do not like soup.  I use a slotted spoon to serve them the veggies and beans.  Still a good meal.  

Weekly Recipe Planning - April #1

This is a really strange week for meal planning.  We start the week with an overnight trip to NY to meet my new nephew!  We are then back in Boston to finish cleaning out the house for Passover.  I am officially turning the house over for Passover mid-day on thursday, so we will have a lot of "out" nights."  The next couple of weeks will be a little crazy because of passover - but we still need to eat!

Sunday:  Steak fajita leftovers
Monday: NY
Tuesday: NY
Wednesday:  Minestrone soup and whatever chicken leftovers I can find in the freezer
Thursday:  Out
Friday:  Out
Saturday:  Back to NY...

No More Packaged Microwave Popcorn!!! - part 1

Never eat pre-packaged microwave popcorn again!  Serioulsy!!!  It has a crazy amount of scary chemicals and doesn't taste that great.  Here is my #1 and easiest way to avoid pre-packaged microwave  popcorn again.

You need a plan brown paper bag - that you would use to bring lunch to school.  Put a 1/4 cup of kernels in the bag.  Fold down the top twice.  Put in microwave and pop for about 2 minutes.  I just push my handy popcorn button.  

You can season with butter, salt, sugar or any other seasonings you want.  That is it!  I just eat it plain - no salt, butter or oil.  Yum!

Why I love the Library

Libraries are great for Babies!

As a Mom the library has become a big part of my daily life.  When my kids were young it was a great place to escape the long Boston winter.  The kids would pull out endless books or play with the few toys.  I made plans to meet friends with similarly aged kids there.  Even at this early age my kids began their love for books.  They already had their favorite books that we had to take out every time we went to the library.  

Libraries are great for Toddlers!

As they got a bit older and I became more organized and motivated, most local libraries will have free programs for kids.  These programs can range from age appropriate story hour, sing-a-longs, movies, or even books with accompanying crafts.  If you have young children at home who are not in school it can be a life saver to have a regular activity during the week for everyone to look forward to.  As a stay-at-home-mom - I felt much happier and in control when we had a real schedule which involved actually getting out of the house and seeing other adults!  

Libraries are great for Young Readers!

Now that I have a 2nd grader who loves to read, we go to the library often to make sure he can devour the next book in Captain Underpants, My Weird School, Lunch Lady or whatever series he is into.  For my "almost" reader - it is so important to give him confidence, independence and interest in books and the library.  Right now my kids favorite thing to get from the library is books on CD?  My local library has a huge variety of age appropriate books on CD.  My oldest would always rather listen to a book on CD when we are in the car.  Even when we are at home he finds it most relaxing to listen to a book on CD and play legos.  

Libraries are great for Adults!

The more children I have the less "stuff" I want in my house.  I am a big believer of de-cluttering.  The less junk we have roaming around the house the easier and faster it is for us to clean it up.  As an adult I don't need or want any more books!  I would rather fill my bookshelves with a few precious books, picture frames and mementos rather than discarded novels.  For a while I would request books online from my library.  This wasn't the perfect solution for me because I would have to wait - pick-up the book - read it in 2-3 weeks and get it back before a started accruing a fine.  Once I discovered I could borrow e-books from the library for free I never went back to paper books.  With your library card, you can borrow free e-books from your local library.  I read these books on my kindle.  They can be also read on a smart phone or computer.  

Tips 

1. Fines for overdue or lost books is the biggest issue with the library.  I have been trying to designate a specific shelf for library books to help stop them from getting mixed in with the books we own.  I also try to encourage the kids to take 1 book at a time into their room for the same reason.
2. Sign up for email alerts.  I get an email notification when books are about to be overdue.  This will help with avoiding fines.
3. On many local library websites there is a section for recently returned e-books.  Your library will still have a finite number of copies of each e-book.  This has to do with licensing deals with the book publishers.  This can be frustrating if you are looking for a specific book.  If you really want a certain book you can place a hold on it, and you will be sent an email when it is available.  If you want to read a book now check out the available now section or recently returned.  Remember you can usually take out 5-10 e-books at a time. 
4. E-books will still have a loan time, usually 2-3 weeks.  When the time is up the book is zapped away from your account.  The best part is - no late fees!  My best trick:  if you are not yet done with the book, turn off your wifi (if you are using a kindle or similar device).  The book cannot be zapped away unless you are connected to the wifi.  For right now, there are no late fees associated with this.  Make sure not to turn your wifi on until you are done reading!

One drawer at a time...

We are less than two weeks before passover where I begin my spring cleaning.  I am not ready to deal with cleaning out my cabinets and finding all the crumbs in the couch and half eaten granola bars in my purse.  Instead I am going to start my drawer a day challenge.  I get to a point where I feel that every drawer I open is disorganized and overflowing.  I don't have a ton of time to tackle an entire room (who does?).  It seems much more manageable to do one drawer a day - no more no less.  I start with a brainstorm session.  I am going to list every drawer that needs my attention.  Each day I will organize only one drawer.  I am only done when everything that has come out of the drawer has a place - organized back in the drawer, organized in another place, or in the garbage.  Here is my list…

Living Room

Entertainment Center cabinet 1

Entertainment Center cabinet 2

Entertainment Center cabinet 3

Entertainment Center cabinet 4

Kitchen

Junk drawer (pictured above)

Upper pantry cabinet

Tupperware cabinet

Wine glass cabinet

Dinning Room

Buffet drawer 1

Buffet drawer 2

Buffet drawer 3
Buffet side left
Buffet side right

Office

White cabinet left
White cabinet Right

Master Bathroom

Upper drawer
Lower drawer
Big cabinet

HIMYM - Ignoring the last five minutes of the finale

SPOILER ALERT!!!

I have been a huge HIMYM (How I Met Your Mother) fan from the very beginning.  My favorite sitcom of all time was Friends and HIMYM attempted to fill this void.  I have enjoyed re-watching all of the episodes on Netflix.  I find myself laughing out loud while doing the dishes or folding laundry with re-runs on.  I have mostly enjoyed the journey with the characters.  Now I am not one for endings - but if we must end can it please be happy?  This is a sitcom - happy endings can happen right?  I watched the finale last night with my husband and when it ended I almost started boo'ing.  Seriously, they killed off the mother and Ted went to be with Robin?!?  I think the powers that be thought this would be a nice way to round out the series and make all the people that loved Robin and Ted together happy.  This was just a huge fail.  Robin and Ted didn't belong together anymore.  They changed and evolved and the creators had this end planned from season 2.  I am disappointed that they weren't able to step back and realize that their characters had led them in a different direction.  I hope that I can forget about the last five minutes of the finale.  I don't want the last page to ruin all the fun I had watching over the last 9 years.

Healthy Pancakes

Healthy Pancakes

1 cup white flour

1/2 whole wheat flour

1/2 almond meal (very fine)

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp flax meal

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs beaten

2 cups fat free milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp melted butter

Optional:  blueberries (fresh or frozen), chocolate chips, nuts

1. Combine all dry ingredients
2. Add egg and milk and whisk until the batter is smooth.  
3. Add the melted butter
4. Heat griddle and oil with nonstick oil spray
5. Use laddle or ice cream scoop to portion out pancakes.
6. Add any optional ingredients.  
7. Flip when small bubbles form on top of pancake.  Depending on heat of grill 1-4 minutes
8. Finish cooking 1-2 minutes
9. Top with butter, syrup, or whipped cream

 Let me first say that I love getting recipes online.  There are so many wonderful ideas out there.  I hate how 99% of these recipes are online.  There is a long story about the recipe, a million step-by-step pictures and then all the way at the bottom is the recipe.  I hate scrolling all the way down to find out if I have the ingredients or the time necessary for the recipe.  So I am switching it up.  One or two pictures (we all know what a bowl of flour looks like!) the recipe and then any thoughts at the bottom. 

Weekly Recipe Planning - March #2

Sunday - Pancakes - healthy with blueberries a huge hit!  (recipe to follow)
Monday - Grandma's Chicken, Oven Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Carrots
Tuesday - Salmon Noodle Casserole
Wednesday - Pizza Playgroup - take-out with the boys friends over!
Thursday - Lentil Burgers, acorn squash, Roasted Cauliflower
Friday - Steak Fajitas, guacamole and beans
Saturday - Leftovers

My most "pinned" pin

I love pinterest.com!  I have loved it since the moment I clicked on my first pin.  I have always loved to tear out recipes, design ideas and crafts from magazines.  I was just going through a long ignored drawer of old magazines and I found folder after folder of saved clippings.  But there was always the problem of how to use them.  When would I ever pull out that disorganized file of random torn papers?

I love pinterest so much.  Any time I come across a website with an article, recipe or craft I want to save for later I cut and copy the address into my pinterest account.  I so enjoy seeing what recipes my friends are thinking of trying or even see what is occupying their time - wedding planning, redesigning a kitchen, baby gear!  It is so searchable - if I remember somewhere back in my head that I had this great cookie recipe I wanted to try - I can search just my pins to find it.

I have 960 pins!  The majority are websites and links from other people.  This snack pin is an original from a recipe by my friend Lori.  Now that I am committing to this blog I will put my original posts on pinterest and see how it goes.

If you want to pin this post click on the red "P" at the end of this post.

The perfect football Snack

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On an ungreased cookie sheet arrange waffle pretzels in a single layer.

Unwrap millions (not really) of hershey kisses (this is the part that takes forever! little hands can be very helpful or do it front of the tv).

Top each pretzel with a hershey kiss.

Melt hershey kisses for 2 minutes in the oven.  DO NOT OVER MELT!  You might think that longer is better - in this instance it is not.  The chocolate becomes very hard and neither the pretzel nor the m&m will stick.

As soon as you take the pretzels out of the oven press m&m's into each hershey kiss.

Cool in the fridge or even on the counter.  You can store in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.

*** Make them your own - one of my friends swears by rollos instead of hershey kisses.  Try peanut m&m's?  Use your favorite team colors for a sporting event.  We are die hard New England Patriots Fans so we had to use Blue and Red.

Special Time

Having more than one child makes everything busier.  As the kids get older there is homework, sports, music lessons, play-dates, birthday parties, field trips, parent teacher conferences…  times 3 for me!  I have been trying to find time to have special time with each child.  I am working on finding something that each one of my kids and I can do together that we both find enjoyable.  #2 and #3 are still on the younger side - so our special time is more like going for ice cream, reading a book, going for a walk.  #1 and I have found that we love to paint pottery together.  Today the stars aligned and we had a couple of hours for just the two of us.  We spent a really wonderful hour at the pottery place.  We thoughtfully picked out our pieces to paint, we concentrated on the primer, we consulted on our color choices, and gave constructive feedback on the finishing touches.  I loved spending an hour where I wasn't nagging him to do his homework or to take a shower.  I loved that he wasn't begging for a snack or for some iPad time.  I hope these are the times that our relationship deepens and grows.  I hope he remembers these times when he is a moody teenager.

Stop Re-committing - just commit

I am the queen of "re-committing" when it comes to diet and exercise.  I can look all the way back to law school where I would proclaim I was on this or that diet - that I was going to be at the gym 5 mornings a week or do yoga in my living room every night.  Fast forward 14 years I am still doing this!  Last monday I showed up at my gym after a weekend of junk food and little to no exercise - I proclaimed to my trainer "I am re-committing!  No more junk - green smoothies every day and hitting the gym 6 times a week!"  Becky turned and looked at me "enough of the recommitting!  can you just commit and be done with it."  Those words rung true with me but how do you make that happen?  Make small reasonable goals?  If you slip off your plan for a meal or a day jump right back on instead of jumping off for a week?  I read that if you do something for 30 days in a row, it is a habit.  Maybe you need to stick with something for 30 days and then it becomes easier?  So, Becky, I am not re-committing to healthy eating, exercise, blogging and doing other creative things - I am just committed!

Weekly Menu Planning - March #1 and Recipe Share

Every monday morning I take out my white board marker and plan the meals for the week.  I use this menu to make my shopping list for the week.  Sometimes our menu is like the one for today with two or more "Out" - entries.  I like to write it down anyway - it makes me feel like there is a plan for the week and I am in control!

If you asked my kids their favorite meal that I make, I am fairly certain that it would be "Chi Night!"  Which is Vegetarian Chili.  We call it "Chi Night" because everything starts with "Chi."  Chili, cheese and of course chips.  I always double or triple the recipe (or more if my brother-in-law is coming for dinner!).  I am trying to alter the recipe to use dry beans - but for now here it is.

Veggie Chili Recipe

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 zucchini diced
1 summer squash diced
8 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic or 1 tsp jarred
1 14 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
1 14 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 c caned corn
1 envelope chili seasoning (or make your own)

Prepare veggies.  Heal oil over medium heat in a large pot.  Add garlic and onion, sauté for 3-5 minutes.  Add peppers, mushrooms zucchini and squash.  Sauté until veggies are soft - 5 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients.  Stir until combined, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes (or longer).  Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and chips.  Leftovers are amazing!

30 days of blogging...

I am committing to myself to do 30 days of blogging a row.  I want to see what it looks like and how it feels.  Sometimes writing something down makes it easier to do…  lets do this!

Minutes from my meeting

Yesterday I had a meeting with myself.  After gathering my thoughts and writing down how I got here this is where I went.

Things that made me happy…  dance, volunteering, debate, lawyering, helping people, writing, youth group, teaching, community, knitting, co-workers, being excited, crafts, being connected, keeping busy

Things that I need to change…  not busy enough, feeling disconnected, blessed but not giving back enough, wasted law degree, not feeling accomplished, bored

Action items…

1.  Have family raise money and participate in a walk for cancer research.  I have found walk in May near our house.  I have been trying to find more information but I just found their Facebook page and sent a message.  I would love for the five of us to participate and raise money.  I think this will be an invaluable teaching tool and work towards doing some good in the world.  My husband was diagnosed with cancer when we were 24 one month after we were engaged.  12 years later he is doing really well.  I would love to help plan the event - hopefully I will get some response from them soon.

2.  Volunteer during the week.  I have a big block of time on wednesdays thanks to my amazing mother-in-law taking #2 and #3.  This is where I feel like with this amount of time I need to be actually "doing" something good.  I have been trying to find a good volunteer opportunity for me but it has been hard.  Part of me feels like I should utilize my law degree - but then I feel like I am not trained to help people.  I haven't been practicing for 8 years!  Maybe I should focus on a new area.  I have contacted some places - I need to follow up.

3.  Writing.  Even if it is never seen by anyone else I am committing to writing on this blog five days a week monday through friday.  I might sprinkle back in my old ideas of recipes and crafts but also keep writing about my thoughts and progress on the next chapter in my life.  I already feel more centered and motivated after two days.

4.  Debate/teaching.  I loved the debate team in college.  I have thought a lot about getting involved in this over the years.  The problem I always come upon is that it is very weekend centered.  I want to spend time with my kids and husband on the weekend - maybe when they are much older.  I might want to explore teaching at a high school or community college.

5.  Dance.  Dance was my favorite thing I did.  I danced all the way through school until law school.  After law school I went occasionally - but I was frustrated with my fitness level and changing body.  I have spent a ton of time researching dance schools that have adult classes.  I found one in the town next to mine that has adult classes.  The timing isn't great - 12:15 on saturday - but maybe if I go once a month just to get the juices flowing.  I already bought new shoes!

6.  Charity knitting.  Last weekend I cleaned out my basement and found boxes and boxes of yarn.  Once I finish a baby blanket for a new nephew that is coming next month I want to quickly make scarfs to donate to homeless shelters.  I began researching different knitting charities - I should look into that more.

Ok - I feel like I have made some progress.  The thing I am most surprised about is that I had already made a lot of progress prior to my meeting.  I have been thinking about what makes me happy and what direction I want to move in.  I have been doing a fair amount of research and work.  Getting all of this information down has been so helpful.

A Meeting with myself

So obviously my first attempt at this blog was not entirely successful.  I am not sure where I am exactly going to go with it from here since it has been 1 year and a half since my first handful of posts.  I was looking for a place to get some thoughts out and this seemed to be a good one.

I just brewed a cup of tea (although I would rather have coffee but trying to cut back), sat down in my dinning room (the cleanest room in the house) with my laptop a pen and a blank notebook and I am going to have a meeting with myself.  I wonder if the simple act of taking the time to write this is actually me avoiding this meeting?  

Regardless, why am I having a meeting with myself?  I am in a period of transition and have been having a very difficult way finding where I should go next.  Backing up…  I was an attorney for 3 years until having my first son.  I happily left my law firm to stay home with #1.  It was not easy being home - I was so lucky that my husband's job provided enough money for us to allow me to do this - it was what I wanted to do.  There were amazing days and really hard days - but I do not regret that decision at all.  One year later we moved houses and towns.  2 1/2 years later #2 came along.  #1 was in pre-school for 9 hours a week.  We were busy with classes and play groups.  I was busy and happy.  2 years later we moved houses and towns again (hopefully we never move again!).  #1 was in school 15 hours a day and I had the little ones home with me.  My three boys filled my days with so much to do.  I was soooooo busy and happy.  This fall #1 is in 2nd grade not getting home until 3:30 or 4:30 most days, #2 and #3 are in school 15 hours a day.  My afternoons are still busy going to gymnastics, soccer or other activities.  I fear for when they all have homework - but for know we are able to get #1's work done. 

Not going back to work when #1 was born was not a hard decision.  I didn't love what I was doing.  The hours were bad and the pay was even worse.  Even though it wasn't a hard decision I had to constantly grabble with it.  I went to law school and barely began to practice.  I knew I wanted to stay home when the kids were young but what was my long term plan?  I finally began to feel confident and maybe even proud of my decision - even if sometimes I felt like I was the only Mom in Boston staying home with her children.  My plan was once the kids were all in school I would go back to work.  I would work in the non-profit world doing the good that I always wanted to do.  This was a great plan when I didn't actually have to do anything.  Now that it is here how do I accomplish it? 

The first two months of all three boys in school was extremely busy.  There were all of the Jewish holidays grouped together.  We were getting into a routine and I was enjoying a little time to myself.  When I became bored of the gym and shopping trips I didn't know where to turn.  It is not like I am ready for a full time job.  #2 and #3 need to be picked up most days by noon!  But I have these pockets of time where I feel like I am wasting my life.  Not my whole life - just that portion of it.  I am scared that I have missed out on the last 8 years of a career and there is no way to jump start it now.  There is an emptiness that I have been feeling when the kids are at school - or even when they are home and happily listening to a book on CD (that is their favorite thing now!?!).  I know I have so much to offer - but how and where to get it out?

My husband has been extremely supportive.  He was the one that suggested this meeting!  When I talk to him about how I am feeling he listens and keeps saying that I really need to focus on an area or cause that I want to be involved in - hence the meeting.  He also suggested brainstorming things and activities that used to make me happy and try to get back to some of them.  I feel like I have become very one dimensional.  I am a wife, mother, homemaker.  These are all amazing things - and I take great pride in these jobs!  Now that I have kids and not babies - I need more…

I haven't been to a business meeting in so long - was that just the introduction?  Should that have been handed out as background material prior to the meeting?  Now I actually need to get to work...