Retroactive Menu Plan

Tuesday's Dinner by Candlelight

We diverged so much from my menu plan last week that I'll use it for this week's menu plan (except for Saturday).  Here is what we really ate during the last week of January:

• Monday: Ziti with Italian Turkey Sausage
  
• Tuesday: Sesame Crusted Chicken, Quinoa, Green Beans
• Wednesday: Venison Burgers, Pea and Carrot Salad
  
• Thursday: Chicken Fajitas, Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
• Friday: Pizza
• Saturday: Baked Rice With Sausage, Peppers, and Mushrooms 

Notes: I reduced amount of rice in Saturday's baked rice recipe from 3 cups to 2 cups and used 4 cups liquid, cooking it in the rice cooker instead of the oven.  For Thursday's cornbread muffins, all I did was prepare a box of Jiffy cornbread mix according to the box directions and add 1/2 cup canned pumpkin.  The results were moist and yummy!

Can Failure Lead to Happiness?

I was struck by the words of Ephesians 2:10 last weekend. It was the featured verse at a weekend retreat for women from our church. The same passage is what I had chosen on New Year's Eve as my prayer for 2010:

Image Source: R. Bowman

I am still in the process of absorbing the truths in that verse. For most of my life it has been success that motivates me. When I succeed, I feel good about life. My faulty way of thinking goes something like this:

"If I could just _______, then I'd be happy."

• be on time
• get the house clean
• enjoy more time outside
• see that person I've been meaning to call
• etc., etc...

The last few weeks in particular I have been failing spectacularly--and often. Doing things my way and striving to succeed isn't working. Yet when I look back into the past, I see many points at which God used failure to redirect me to something better and more fulfilling.

After a failed college choir audition, I wound up joining another group, where I learned the gospel song "Through God's Eyes". Some of the words I remember are:

If I looked at myself through God's eyes,
would the reflection I see be like Christ?
If I looked into God's eyes to see myself,
would his love and joy be flowing through my life?

...I want to walk hand in hand with You,
so that you can show me what I must do.
If I looked through God's eyes,
what would I see?

The undeserved blessings of my husband and children, my years learning about authentic worship--these I would not trade for any of my former ambitions. Nevertheless, I still get caught up in the quest for success. I pin my hopes on what I want to accomplish in a day, rather than asking God to "show me what I must do." How silly. He's already prepared the good works for me.

Instead of just trying to cross things off my to-do list, I need to inquire of God what he has prepared for me each day. Our agendas might might differ sharply or have much in common. But I'll never know (and have peace about my choices) if I don't ask.

Efficient Bathroom Cleaning for Busy Moms

Having a clean bathroom lifts my spirits. However, our household has three little ones going in and out of the main bathroom all day long. Not surprisingly, sparkling surfaces don't last long. When I'm on top of my game, I do a quick bathroom clean up while a child is bathing or putting on their pajamas.
Non-toxic cleaners are the key to this strategy, since I can tackle the sink and toilet without worry. I try to keep cleaning supplies where I can readily access them whenever I am in the bathroom. I've also found that I can use whatever supplies are handy for the job--toilet paper or baby wipes can sub for paper towels; daily shower cleaner works for light cleaning of almost anything, including the bathroom mirror!

Frequent bursts of efficient bathroom cleaning work for me. I am thankful I now know how to keep hand towels off the floor and the main bathroom passable. Once I discover how I can keep both of our bathrooms clean, I will sing for joy.

Craft of the Week: A Valentine for My Superhero of a Husband (Shh..don't tell yet!)

I am married to a superhero (which isn't easy, by the way). And I thought he deserved a more masculine valentine from me this year--in 3D, no less. Cute frills and lace are not his style. Cards are more "my thing", but I thought this one might be fun to hang on his door. Maybe it will be a prelude to a real superhero gift--a DVD or poster or something funny.

I could not decide which message idea was better. "My hero" was an inscription on a conversation heart candy that I found. The words were off center however, so I flipped the candy over and rewrote the words myself with a red pencil.

"You ignite my heart" was the other statement I composed; I decided to have it be the second layer message. So after my husband removes the hero message, he'll see the second underneath, like this:


After all my waffling, I now have layered meanings and a valentine rich with symbolism. Not only does my man ignite my heart, he has to contend with a sometimes prickly companion who knows she should treat him more softly than she does.

So that will be next year's challenge--to design a valentine for my husband that is still masculine, but somehow smoother around the edges, reflecting changes in the way I relate to him.

Will you be making or getting a card for your spouse this year? What kind of design do you think men usually appreciate?

Menu Plan for the Week of 1/25

One of my favorite dinners last week was the Turkey Sausage and Egg Casserole. I didn't make a menu plan; the recipe was born of necessity. With several of us recovering from stomach troubles I made the casserole gluten and casein free to be easier to digest. Though it is actually more of a breakfast or brunch entree, I might make the casserole again for lunch one day this week (or next).

To catch a small glimpse of our first candlelight dinner table, see the snapshot in this post. When last week began, I was out of town, so my husband and I will return to the habit and dine together this Tuesday evening, once my three cherubs are snug in their beds.

Dinners This Week

Monday:
{5:00 Indoor Picnic with Papa}

• Broccoli Walnut Pockets, Chicken Strips
  

Tuesday:
{5:30 Kids, 9:00 Candlelight}

• Steamed mussels, Fish, Potatoes
  

Wednesday:

• Venison Burgers, Cabbage Salad
  

Thursday:

• Chicken Pot Pie

Friday:

• Shrimp Quesadillas
  

Saturday:

• Baked Rice with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Green Peppers - New (thanks, Frugality in the Hudson Valley!)
  

Misadventures and Shared Moments

Despite a series of misadventures, we made it to
Oklahoma to see my sister and parents. We arrived minus one important purple suitcase, but that wasn't the airline's fault. It was mine! I seemed to be a magnet for mishaps on this trip. My eldest daughter, on the other hand, was a generator of creative solutions.

Her solution to the missing case of kids' clothes started with a question-- "Do they have a second hour?"
By that she meant Sunday school. Her proposal was that her younger sister wear the skirt we had with us and attend the first hour. Then my eldest would swap clothes with her and wear the skirt for the second session. Meanwhile, her grandma and grandpa came up with another solution: a last-minute Saturday night shopping spree. My idealistic, cost-free idea to find clothes to borrow did not happen, but we did appreciate having our needs met. On Sunday morning, however, the girls chose two wear two "vintage" dresses that had belonged to me as a girl.

Solution Gal's next idea was a contingency plan, in case our minivan broke down (which it thankful did not). If we had to abandon the vehicle and walk the rest of the way to grandma's, her little brother could be pulled in the wheeled suitcase--the black one I did manage to put in the trunk.

Fog and sickness also assailed us on our trip, but we enjoyed the 60 degree weather and fine views of grass further south. And there was still some of Mom's fruitcake left!

Besides marveling at my daughter's ingenuity, I also was amazed by God's goodness in providing a job to my younger sister. I had not seen her since the summer and it was important to reconnect in person. Furthermore, my children got to spend time with their grandparents, creating a paper bouquet for them to keep during the quieter months ahead.
On the way back home, we broke our journey in Kansas, where Jhona lives. After meeting over Company Girl coffee several months ago, I enjoyed getting to know her and her kids as three-dimensional people. We appreciated how she welcomed us so warmly.

Now it's back to real life. I am hoping to be less forgetful in the coming weeks as we settle back into a routine!

Recipe for Turkey Sausage and Egg Casserole (Gluten and Casein Free)

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. turkey breakfast sausage
  
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
• 4 eggs, beaten
  
• 1 cup grated yellow squash or zucchini
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup rice milk
• 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

How to Make It:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brown sausage in a medium saute pan (there is a homemade turkey sausage recipe here). Turn off heat and add grated squash (it will cook somewhat with the retained heat). Remove sausage and squash mixture from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard and rice milk. Add beaten eggs and whisk to blend. Stir in browned sausage and grated squash.
3. In a greased 2 quart baking dish, press cooked rice to form bottom layer of casserole. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt evenly over rice. Add egg and sausage mixture.
4. Bake at 350 F degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until eggs are set in the middle.

This recipe is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday at the Nourishing Gourmet.

Craft of the Week: Hand Shaped Paper Flower Bouquet

Yes, our crafts are back. With Valentine's Day coming up, I plan to resume posting a craft every week or two. This week's kid-friendly idea I can't claim credit for creating. My 6-year-old daughter remembered making these flowers at MOPS last year. She decided to whip up a simple bouquet for Grandma and Grandpa during our recent visit over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.


Materials Used:

• colored construction paper
• drinking straws (or chenille stems)
• transparent tape
• scissors

What She Did:

1. Traced and cut out hand shapes.
2. Taped each hand around a straw.
3. Curled the fingers to form petals.

Her grandma was absolutely thrilled to receive a paper bouquet, especially when she realized that her granddaughters' traced hands were what formed each blossom. I was amazed my daughter took the initiative to make something that was so easy and meaningful to create.

This idea is linked to Works for Me Wednesday and

Thankful and Conflicted

Today was the second day this week that I had plans to be somewhere by 9:30 a.m. We arrived at 10:00 for our play date. Hopefully tomorrow we will be better prepared to depart on time since my daughters are starting a ballet class at 9:30 in the morning. They've been dancing for joy ever since I shared the news that I had managed to sign them up.


Immediately after the last ballet class we will, Lord willing, travel south through Kansas to Oklahoma to visit my parents and sister. The last time I was there was about six months ago, and I'm looking forward to reconnecting with them and attending church in the sanctuary where my husband and I were married.

I am thankful that my husband has decided to take my daughters to school each morning. He's away most evenings, so this is a chance for his to grab Daddy-daughter time and it makes my mornings less hectic. We also enjoyed our first candlelight dinner of the year. I surprised my husband by setting the table with porcelain plates that I found on clearance after Christmas. These plates will be used exclusively for our weekly dinners as a couple (which works well since I found a place setting for 4 and we are a family of 5).


So while we've managed to get this year off to a good start in some ways, I find myself stymied in others. Being somewhat of a contrarian, January puts me in a dilemma. I resist the cultural momentum to diet and make resolutions because that's what everyone else is busy promoting. But in fact I do want and need to be transformed. However, in my case, willpower and self-discipline will not accomplish much. So I come to God helpless and humbled, hopeful that he will carry on his work in me. Whatever good changes happen this year will not come from my strength of will, they will be wrought by Him.

"...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

"...it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."

Philippians 2:13 (ESV)

Menu Plan for the Week of 1/11

Image from stock.xchng

A practice my husband and I have decided to resume is a weekly candlelight dinner. Since he is graduate student and takes evening classes (only one semester left!), he often has to miss dinner with us. So a late dinner as a couple once a week is our way to reclaim some time together. I will try to take some snapshots of the spread, which will usually be a more elegantly arranged version of whatever is on the menu for Monday.

Occasionally I have made a less expensive meal for the kids so the two of us can savor more gourmet fare and keep our grocery expenses reasonable. I am wondering: has anyone else has done these type of intimate dinners for two? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Dinners This Week

Monday:

• Vietnamese Chicken (in the slow cooker), rice, cabbage stir-fry
  

Tuesday:

• Arizona Skillet, Sizzling Shrimp Quesadillas

Wednesday:

• Lamb Burgers, Vegetable Kebabs

Thursday:

• Chicken Pot Pie

Friday:

• Baked Ziti with Italian Turkey Sausage, Salad
  

Saturday:

• Venison Roast, Rice, Mixed Vegetables

Christmastime 2009 Recap

Now that the new year has begun, you won't hear much from me on resolutions. My thoughts on the matter are captured well here by Jamie at Steady Mom. I've shared other random ideas on self improvement and attainability in this article.

Meanwhile, I am still reflecting on the time we spent together as a family between Christmas and New Year's Day. It was a rare opportunity to slow down and enjoy having my husband at home with us.

We did:

• re-enact the biblical Christmas story as a family (minus a sleeping boy).

• enjoy homemade cinnamon rolls from the frozen dough that my sister-in-law made for us at Thanksgiving.

• decorate gingerbread houses at the home of some friends of ours.

• make microwavable salt dough ornaments.

• purge the house of excess junk and miscellany when my husband organized all the toys.

• take a sudden two-day excursion to Kansas City, where my parents-in-law live. My kids also got to play with two of their cousins from Chicago who were visiting with their parents (my SIL and her husband).

• shovel hundreds of pounds of snow from our l-o-n-g driveway.

• remain safely ensconced inside our cozy brick house from the evening of December 23 to December 27.

• watch several movies at home as a couple. I'm still pondering the documentary we watched, Let the Church Say Amen. It has great potential for fostering a group discussion on the role of the church in society.
  

We didn't:

• remember to hang and fill Christmas stockings until December 26th.

• travel to Ohio to celebrate with my grandfather. I felt heartsick about not going.

• bake Swedish tea ring, Christmas cookies, or other traditional holiday edibles.

• feast on my husband’s holiday specialty—Garlic Spaghetti. The reason: I forgot to buy ground beef.

• attend a Christmas Eve service at a church.

• stay on schedule for our Advent readings from Preparing for Jesus, by Walter Wangerin, Jr. We should finish mid-January. It has been wonderfully vivid so far!

• send Christmas cards by post. A belated e-mail newsletter had to suffice—again.

• watch A Wonderful Life...yet. It’s been a yearly tradition for my husband since he was a child.

• enjoy even one bite of my family’s traditional fruitcake. I missed it.
  

I hope you were able to savor some meaningful moments and traditions with your family in the last few weeks as well. Feel free to comment and share some of what you did or didn't do as you wrapped up 2009. I'm glad to be back with the Company Girls this week!

The Winter Road Trip that Wasn't

We knew we might have to nix our plan if the weather didn't cooperate. But the reality of canceling our trip was more painful than we imagined. I was incredibly disappointed, and so were my grandparents. I found out they were even planning to wait to open Christmas gifts until after we arrived. Instead, the unopened gifts for our children would have to be mailed. The delight of celebrating the holidays and his 90th birthday with exuberant little voices became a dream unfulfilled.

In hindsight, we should have been ready to go whenever the road conditions were favorable. In this case, that would have meant leaving two or three days earlier, and we weren't prepared enough to do that. Winter travel is not something with which we have much experience; we prefer to avoid it altogether. But we'd rather not avoid it the way we had to this time.

I have enough confidence in my grandparents' love to trust that our relationship is not irreparably damaged by this great disappointment. Still, it is hard to talk with them on the phone, not knowing when we can manage to arrange another trip. And we also don't know how many days they have left on this earth. Still, I remain thankful for the many wonderful times I've shared with both sets of grandparents in the past. My husband had far fewer happy moments with his grandparents before they were gone.

So in this new year, I resolve to be thankful for God's abundant gifts to me, past and present. Remembering His past faithfulness helps me believe that His goodness will continue, even when events do not unfold in the ways that I might hope or expect.