How to Eat Steak for a Week

This week my meal planning was, once again, derailed. One very important thing about meal planning I have learned is sometimes you have to be flexible and improvise!

Monday was my birthday so my oh-so-amazing husband cooked me a very nice birthday dinner. The only problem was that he had bought $30 worth of filet mignon from Costco. Do you know how much filet that is? It was about four huge steaks. And seriously amazing. It actually was a really good deal even if we ate filet all week. I know, our lives our so hard.

Here is how our week went:

Sunday - I made a recipe I found on pinterest, crock pot buffalo chicken. I hated it. I'm not sure why I even made it, I hate buffalo sauce. I thought the ranch dressing mix would make it not so spicy but it was still flaming hot. Despite hating it, I ate it for dinner and choked it down for two lunches because I didn't want to waste the food. My depression era grandparents would be so proud.

Monday - Husband made filet, asparagus, and a caesar salad. That man can grill a steak.

Tuesday - Oh my gawd, dinner on Tuesday was so amazing. I made the Pioneer Woman's beef with snow peas with the leftover filet. It was divine. Seriously restaurant quality and really easy and really fast. I have a new favorite recipe. The only thing I would change is that I would double the sauce recipe. I like a fair amount of sauce over my rice. I think the fresh ginger is really what makes this stand out and you could use the sauce for any kind of stir fry. I could talk about this recipe for days. Let's move on.

Wednesday - Ok, down to the last filet. I made steak and eggs for brinner! Who doesn't love brinner? It reminds me of my dad. He always seemed to make brinner when my mom was working nights.

Along with the steak and eggs I made some skillet potatoes out of my recent farmer's market purchase. We finally made it down to our local farmer's market and then didn't have any cash. We only had enough cash to buy this little bag of potatoes. Total Farmer's Market fail. I felt all Charles Dickens like as I handed over my $3 and walked away with a tiny bag of potatoes. Please sir, may I have some potatoes? (Please read that with that poor Dickens British accent. Thanks.)



Hey look! It's Leo enjoying brinner. Except not. He only ate a tortilla. The boy turned down filet. I can't even.



Thursday: We had turkey/spinach meatballs with the Pioneer Woman's bow tie lasagna. I think I make this meal once a week. It is good, easy, and everyone eats it. Well, usually everyone eats it. I'm pretty sure Leo has eaten nothing but carbs this week except for the random two helpings of green beans he ate at daycare today. Also, if the Pioneer Woman didn't exist I'm pretty sure my family wouldn't eat.

Tomorrow we are going out to dinner with friends and Saturday we have a play/dinner date with friends. I'm starting to run out of recipe ideas. I have no idea what I'm going to cook next week. I'm starting to get sick of my tried and true recipes and I don't really have any new ones to try. Suggestions are welcomed!

The Nightlife

Oh the nightlife in my household. It is so hectic, crazy, and full of awesome. We pack so much into the approximately 2 hours we have with Leo after work that I'm surprised we don't fall down in exhaustion as soon as he is asleep. Sometimes Leo is in a great mood, sometimes he is a cranky toddler. Sometimes I'm in a great mood, sometimes I'm a cranky mess. Often times we get both sides in one night.

We started tonight with whining for mama's phone. To think that I was worried at one point because I didn't have an iphone or ipad and "omg would he be the only kindergartner who didn't know how to use any technology?" I worry too much.



I got him happily contained in his highchair with playdoh and crayons while I cooked dinner. This worked relatively well. There were only a few moments of whining when he couldn't get the playdoh out of the can (that stuff seriously creates some kind of mad vacuum seal in those stupid little cans). Obviously cooking dinner is a difficult part of the night. I don't want to ignore him but I also need to pay attention to what I am doing. I'm trying to think of more ideas to keep him occupied because him dumping out the contents of my pantry is driving me crazy.





Dinner can go in many different directions. Sometimes he eats. Sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes he dips his bananas in ketchup. Toddler eating is so confusing. I have given up on trying to understand it. I'm proud to say that most nights the three of us eat together as a family. Some nights it is just me and the little man. Even then I try to make sure I talk to him throughout the meal and not just stare into space out of exhaustion. I try my best to make sure he has a balanced meal but there has been more than one night where he ate goldfish for dinner.

The best part of our nights is after dinner when we just play. This is the time where I get to really experience my son and see the amazing little person he is becoming. I bought Leo an old school Mr. Potato Head this week and it has been a huge hit. Best $8 spent ever.



The husband got me an ipod and speakers for my birthday and we have been having dance parties on the regular. Tonight's dance party included a lesson on how we don't use our instruments on the dog. I honestly do not understand why Frank doesn't just walk away. He just stands there and takes it.



Another favorite right now is the tunnel. Which had to be put away after Leo insisted on trying to walk while standing up in the tunnel which caused all sorts of visions in my head of how he was going to trip and crack his head open. In related news, Leo has a scratch on his forehead that sort of makes him look like Harry Potter. I need to find little glasses and a Hogwarts scarf asap.



After playtime, it's bath, last drink of milk, saying goodnight to poor daddy who is working late again, books and bedtime.

I hate to think about the time I spend with Leo during the week in terms of hours because if you look at it that way it seems like I don't see him very much. I pack so much into the time after work because that is the quality time I get with him. I want to teach him things, see him grow, and show him that I am there for him even if I am at work during the day. I really do feel that our time during the week is quality time. When I do stay home during the week I am not at all this engaged with Leo from 6 to 8pm because I am so done with dealing with a toddler all day.

I'll admit, some nights, when I am too tired or emotionally spent from work, I just hang out while Leo plays with his toys. Other nights, I'm actively engaged with him every minute until he goes to bed. Most nights include a lecture on how we don't stand on the dog or we don't ride the dog, or for the love of baby Jesus don't touch the dog's butthole!

Our nights have evolved so much from when he was infant and the focus was just on nursing, bath, and bedtime because he went to sleep so early. I am interested to see how they change over time as he becomes older and more independent. I hope the terrible twos do not take away my happy toddler playtime.


I definitely end every night in exhaustion but it is (usually) a happy exhaustion. I'm not exactly sure why these two are so tired.

A Whole Lotta Talk

This past weekend we went out to eat. I picked a restaurant that is in a plaza of restaurants by the Pond (ok fine, Honda Center). As we pulled into a very packed parking lot, I remembered that the Ducks were playing a big game that night. Sidenote: I love me some hockey. I'm hoping that if Rick Santorum actually becomes president, my love of hockey will ease my transition into becoming a Canadian because I will be getting the eff out of dodge if that happens. Ok, enough side rant about politics and hockey.)

Anyways, every restaurant was packed so we ended up going to this Irish pub that is a bar and restaurant with emphasis on the bar. It was very "You have a baby. In a bar." It took forever to get a table and forever for the waitresses clad in mini plaid skirts, tight tops and knee hi socks to notice us. Leo was quickly approaching flipping his toddler shit mode and I was crafting my acceptance speech for mother of the year for bringing my kid to a bar with scantily clad waitresses.

Finally, one of the waitresses paid attention to us, got our food, going, and made sure we had everything we needed for Leo. My husband remarked, "she must have a kid." You can totally tell when wait staff have kids. They just get it. The waitress as a mom got me thinking, I asked my husband, "so she's a working mom, do you think she spends lots of time and energy thinking/writing/talking/reading about being a working mom."

His response - "no you psycho-freak." Hmm, a simple no would have sufficed. The point is he thinks I spend too much time worrying and thinking about being a working mom. And I do spend a lot of time on this subject. I write about it, I read about it, I talk to other working moms about it, I talk to non-working moms about it. I went to my book club meeting today where I was the only working mom and I specifically told myself that I would not talk about it. Then I ended up making a working mom blogosphere reference.

I know I talk about it a lot. But the thing is I need to talk about it a lot. I need to talk (or blog) how I feel about it because I have a lot of feelings about being a working mom. I talk about it a lot in an attempt to help other working moms who might be feeling the same things and think they are alone. I know how heart-wrenching it is to leave your baby in the care of others and I know that it gets better. I read about it a lot in order to see how others make it work and to know that I am not alone. Hearing other women support each other in this role is inspiring and comforting.

I don't think that one can just do the whole working mom gig without talking about it. There is just too much going on. The guilt, the lack of guilt, the routines, the judgment, the lack of support, what support works, the list goes on and on and on. I think that women talking about their roles as employees and mothers furthers the advancement of work places that respect both.

So maybe my husband thinks I'm crazy for being obsessed with being a working mom. I say that all my talk helps me do what I do and there are many other things that make me crazy. Like me not letting Leo touch the toys at the children's hair salon because I thought they looked too dirty. Now that is being a psycho-freak.

Getting Crafty with a Framed Wreath

Gather round kiddies, it's craft time. I am going to tell you the story of these two lovely decor items. Which I think came out pretty cute if I do say so myself. This is my first attempt at a craft tutorial, please bear with me and I hope it makes just a little bit of sense.



The purpose of these framed "pictures" was to cover the accent windows in my master bedroom. I think the windows are nice and let in lovely natural light but my vampire husband wants them covered. And not because the sunlight makes him sparkle.




I tried to buy something to cover the windows. We used to have pictures from Cost Plus but we painted the bedroom Tiffany blue and I could not find anything that coordinated well with the color. So I decided to craft something up.

I started with two 16 x 20 open back frames from Michael's. I purchased unfinished ones and then painted them with espresso brown spray paint. The frames were on sale and I got both for $20. 16 x 20 frames are pretty pricey but the open back ones are less costly and I didn't need the glass since I was framing a wreath.

I took a piece of foam board and cut it to 16 x 20. Then I covered it with fabric and hot glue gunned the fabric around the back, making sure to pull tight so that the front was smooth.



You end up with a pretty fabric covered board to pop into the frame.

Ok, I know yarn wreaths are so 5 minutes ago on pinterest but I had a couple laying around and the color happened to be perfect. I removed all the little accessories which I had pinned on with straight pins (making for very easy removal).

To make new adornments for the wreathes, I cut a bunch of circles out of a linen type fabric and folded them in half till I had little rose looking things. I definitely did not invent this technique and I have seen it a million places. One place I did see it was on The Heir to Blair. That link will give you a much better description of how to do this.

Oh Lord my thumb looks terrible. I could really use a manicure. Husband - make that happen.

I used straight pins to fasten my roses to the wreathes and strategically wrapped some grosgrain ribbon for a little extra cuteness. Can I tell you how much I love grosgrain ribbon? It is girly and sweet and just so lovely. There is certainly nothing gross about it. See? See? I'm crafty and funny. My husband is so lucky.

To fasten the wreath to the board I looped some ribbon around the top of the wreath and hot glue gunned the end of the ribbon to the back of the board. Then I put the board into the frame securing with more hot glue gunning. In addition to gross grain ribbon, I also love my hot glue gun. My mom always hot glue gunned my girl scout badges on to my vest or sash. I was the girl with weird strings coming off her badges.

The wreath did not lie completely flat so I put a dab of hot glue on the back of the bottom part of the wreath to attach it to the board.

And there you have it, covered windows with something cute. I am still trying to figure out what to do, if anything, for the center above the headboard.

Another Week of Meals

Last week my meal planning went to hell. We had been out of town the weekend before, I was in trial and the grocery shopping just really didn't get done. We ate out way too much. I ate McDonald's breakfast way more than I would like to admit. It all just felt a little gross.

I tried to reign it in a little this week and actually plan some meals. This weeks recipes are as follows:

- The Pioneer Woman's lasagna. I used Rachel Ray's meat sauce in it. Just a little note, Rachel Ray's sauces always come out so mother-trucking watery. Homegirl puts way too much chicken stock in her sauces. There is no way that shit cooks in 30 minutes. You would have to cook it for 2 hours to not have a runny mess. Wow, I just got really worked up about Rachel Ray and chicken stock. It happens.

- Crock pot bbq chicken. I didn't really use a recipe for this, just chicken breast and a bottle of bbq sauce in the crock pot.

- Cat Cora's broccoli slaw.

- Skinny Taste's mac n cheese.

Here is the breakdown of prep and eating for the week:

Sunday: I made the meat sauce and assembeld the lasagna throughout the day. I didn't use mushrooms in the sauce, instead I put in zucchinni and carrots. Then I popped in the lasagna about 40 minutes before dinnertime and dinner was served. I love this lasagna but Leo didn't really eat it. I had random stuff in the fridge for him but it was a bummer having to make a separate meal.

Monday: As soon as I got home from work, I threw the chicken in the crockpot. It should cook on high for about four or five hours. I usually go to be around 11pm so this works out. We had leftover lasagna (Leo ate random stuff again). Tonight I will also cut up sweet potatoes to bake fries tomorrow and prepare the broccoli slaw dressing. For my sweet potato fries I toss them in olive oil, paprika and sea salt. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. They are good but don't come out very crispy. I'm still trying to perfect this technique.

Tuesday: We'll have bbq chicken, sweet potato fries, and broccoli slaw. I have one more day of trial on Tuesday so I know I'll be tired and won't want to do any additional meal prep.

Wednesday: Leftover bbq chicken. I might use it to make quesidillas. I'll throw together a veggie side. Probably just steamed broccoli or sauteed zucchini. Something easy. I'll prep the skinny mac n cheese. I will probally cook the whole recipe and get it ready to bake the next day.

Thursday: Skinny mac n cheese, broccoli or zucchini as a side (whatever is left over from Wednesday). I have not tried this recipe so I hope it is good. I love mac n cheese but I usually use a Paula Deen recipe where I double the cheese. It is like a cheesy, delicious heart attack in a casserole dish.

Friday: Leftovers baby! We gotta eat up whatever is left over in the fridge so I can start the whole process again on Saturday.

Saturday: The husband better take me out to dinner for all my hard work cooking during the week.

The Thoughts of a Working Mom

It is not secret that I think a lot about being a working mom. I mean, I kind of talk about it constantly. To the point where my sister says that I need to just realize my kid is awesome and get over myself. While she has a point, there are a few things that have been floating around in my head for a while about being a working mom.

First, I'm pretty damn proud about being a working mom. Of course I have my moments of self doubt and I will get upset if people say rude things to me about it or if I read stupid things about it (for example the comments on babble.com are a sure fire way to get me spitting mad), but for the most part I am proud of what I do and confident in my decision to work. The one thing that really makes me question everything is when I see working moms with grown children who are complete fuck-ups. Like can't hold a job, dropped out of school, drug problems, relationship problems, etc. I'm a very "the proof is in the pudding" kind of person. I know that me being a working mom is right for my family because we are all happy, healthy, and thriving. But when I see grown children of working moms all screwed up, I always wonder if they got screwed up because their mom worked too much. I realize this wondering is stupid because there are plenty of grown children of stay at home moms who are also big fuck ups. But still it always makes me wonder what went wrong.

Second, at Leo's daycare they have little figurines of people dressed for different professions. There is a doctor, firefighter, chef, and such. One of the figurines is a woman dressed in a black suit with a cell phone and briefcase. The other day when I dropped Leo off, he was playing with the figurines and his teacher held up the woman in the suit and said, "here's a lawyer, just like mommy." I have to admit, my heart swelled with pride. My son was playing with his teacher and hearing about how his mother is a lawyer. My son will grow up knowing that women can be anything that they want, including a lawyer. This made me very happy.

Third, one day this past week I was walking up to the daycare to pick up Leo. I ran into my very good friend from law school who was also picking up her son. She asked me about the trial I was in and I asked her about her arbitration. For a split second I thought, look at us in our cute suits, talking like fancy lawyers, on our way to pick up our adorable sons, we kick ass. I have to say the working mom gig can bring about many moments of questioning the choices we have made so I will definitely take the moments were I feel like I'm kicking ass and cherish them.

Now you know the working mom thoughts that have been floating around in my head this past week. There has been a little bit of questioning accompanied by feeling very happy about what I do.