my sister just posted this picture from their quick trip to tahoe. to all her sisters she wrote, "i know this fills you with longing..." well it sure does! especially the summer constant sight of beach towels drying over the hedges. what a great house. oh show me the way to go home.
photo credits: 1. summers, 2. tin, 3. IMG, 4. Tin
so duh, i just found out there's a whole flickr group dedicated to the muffin tin munchie idea. some of the images there aren't so inspiring to me- like putting m&m's and cheetos in the wells- i don't really need exciting presentation to get my daughter to eat m&m's, ya know? but there are also a ton of images of inspiring tin ideas full of fruits and veggies and good protein sources that look so fun to eat i think it just might work to get cate to try foods previously shunned (and maybe me too). thanks for the heads up, shawn! and look at one of her awesome tins- she made it even more fun for her little one to gobble up nutrient rich food by making pesto dip into "algae", lettuce into "seaweed", blackberries into "sea urchins" and pistachios into "oyster shells", to name a few. what a fun mom you are, shawn, i want to be like you!
this is a great idea from my friend jill the farmer (and inspiring photo by her, too). to keep your kids snacking healthy use a muffin tin and fill with good options. leave it out/ in the fridge all day for their grabbing pleasure!
as for dinners this week: i just did inventory to see what i had in the fridge as far as produce and perishables so i can use it all up along with staples from the pantry. i spent the budgeted grocery money on our fun holiday weekend, so i'm not grocery shopping this week. but we have plenty to eat. simple meals, including some breakfasts for dinner- my favorite and cheap! the menu:
monday: grilled cheese, caesar salad, baby carrots + dip
tuesday: cheesy eggs with salsa, apples, bran muffins
wednesday: rice and broccoli casserole*, canned pears
thursday: blueberry flax pancakes, banana smoothies
friday: whole wheat pasta + marinara sauce, garden salad
*rice + broccoli casserole (one of our oft made dinners): cook some brown rice and spread it in the bottom of a 9x13. steam lots of broccoli and spread it on top of the rice. mix in a bowl: one can cream of mushroom, a cup or two of mayo, some lemon juice, and salt and pepper. spread on top of broccoli. cover with shredded cheddar cheese. tear bread (stale is great) into bite size pieces and spread on top of the cheese. bake in a hot oven till cheese is bubbly. especially yummy for lunch the next day.
1. cozy cate + make eggs
2. water garden
3. feed + water the doggie and the chicks
4. read scriptures and pray
5. tidy house + a load of laundry
6. go on a run
7. bathe and get dressed
then...
make dinner (cause it takes me that long to do 1-7).
being decaffeinated is hard.
best tip ever ever ever to help your child learn to ride a two wheeler: take the pedals off. they push it around and push it around with their feet until they are so comfortable balancing that you put the pedals back on and they ride away. it really works and was so awesome. we didn't have to run behind her once. woohoo, go cate!
