Summer meal plan, take 1

Somehow I missed Spring.  We were in an allergy infested stupor and now we've been seeing hot and humid.  when we got back from our NYC trip, it was in the 80s. at night. hot, sticky and just plain ol' icky.  Time to start meal planning again, and time to switch to our lighter, summer (no oven if possible) recipes.  I can 't use my old stand-bys of soup and chili. What's an overwhelmed, not really into cooking right now, momma to do?  Plan. Boooo! I know. Boring, but it really does help you stop staring into the fridge at 5 and wondering what to make.  So, I've come up with a general template for us and I'm going to go from there.  We've changed our habits again, so some of my old faithfuls have been tossed out.  I decided to have my template and use the meals that we gravitate towards anyway.  Then I can build from there. 

Barbie Oven.  That's a reg. sized cookie sheet. nice, huh?

So Summer Meal Plan, Take 1:

Sunday:  crockpot roasted chicken or chicken soup (or um... Fried Chicken from IGA in a pinch)

Monday: Meatless- smoothies and eggs/ burritos/ beans, rice and cheese/ grilled cheese/big salad/eggplant Parmesan try: Falafel and Cucumber Sauce

Tuesday: Pasta- turkey Bolognese/ chicken spaghetti/ creamy sausage, kale, ( I also add beans)/ kid pasta/ mac & cheese/Pasta "garbage" Salad (toss everything that needs to get eaten into the bowl!)

Wednesday: Fish- wild Salmon patties (from Costco) /stir fry/tilapia in pimento sauce/tacos/BBQ-baked

Thursday: Meat- crockpot/WW parmesan turkey meatloaf/turkey burgers/beef broccoli

Friday: Pizza try: 30 min. dough

Saturday: Grill out/New recipe/leftovers

Sides:

Salad

Quinoa

Cous cous

Bean salad

Coleslaw

Veggies and dip

Fresh fruit

Brown rice

cheese

edamame

Batchcook:

Bread- wheat and French

Pizza dough

Pizza sauce

Beans

Brown rice

Chicken

Pancakes/waffles/scones/muffins

I would love for you to comment with suggestions for recipes or commit to doing a meal plan if you haven't before.  Even if you just commit to doing one more homemade meal per week, you are taking a step in the right direction. I'm also trying not to use any convenience items (season packets, processed foods, etc).  Also, our Barbie Oven takes forever to heat up and then the kitchen is roasting (have I mentioned we don't have any a/c yet.  And when we do, it's only a window unit) so I want to keep it to a minimum.  Oh yeah, and our microwave broke.  Actually it.caught.on.fire.  really.  flames shooting out the inside wall. I can't make this stuff up.  The toaster oven has been my BFF lately.  And my beloved new non-stick pan--- I'll tell you all about this later this week. It rocks my world.  Yes, a non-stick pan.  who knew??

BTW, I keep most of my recipes online at delicious.com under sassyaztec if anyone is interested.  Go here to see. 

Mommy Down!

Exhibit A- Evil Cabinet Corner

Recently my FB status read: 

not sure if I'm more embarrassed that I whacked my head and unbeknownst to me, had the elementary school staff on the phone, or that they were so concerned that they sent the cops over to check up on me (this was after I called them back to let them know it was me and yes, I was okay) #OnlyInTheKindaCountry   

Looking for my cardboard box to crawl in.

I wasn't paying attention, hit my head on the corner of an upper cabinet door and literally, was knocked off my feet.  total collapsation, followed by big, HUGE, sobs of anguish.  Sassy was wide-eyed with concern.  Between sobbing and checking for how much blood I was dealing with, I rallied a few "Mommy's okay! Mommy's okay!"  I finally regained my senses and then came the realization that the phone was on "talk." O.M.G. I had to call back and fess up.  They most likely had call waiting and what in the world did it sound like on the other end?  I can't even imagine.  Um hi.... I think I just was on the phone with you when I hurt myself... 

After the confessions from the school staff that they weren't sure if they should call for help, I assured them all was well.  But that's not enough in the Kinda Country.  Nooosiree.  As I'm retelling my saga in full detail to BigDaddy, because OF COURSE he was out of town when this happened, I look out the window to see our local town police pull up.  for reals?  

Mr. Officer was called by the school to check on me.  Of course.  I can't imagine this happening to me if we lived in CA still.  But here, of course they would check up to see if I was okay. After discussing the events with local friends, we dissected each part.  Who the staffer was at the school, who she is related to, and whether or not she had me on speaker.  Who the officer was, whose husband works with him and the realization that he's the "new guy" (probably has been on staff for years, but didn't grow up here.) Then we did a play-by-play how it WAS a good thing they sent someone out, because what if someone had broken in and was making me call back to say I was okay, and BigDaddy wasn't even in town.  Yes, good thing they are looking out for this MamaBear. As Mr. Officer and I mentioned, "This is why we live here."  Indeed.

BigBoy in the Big Apple

I took the train up from VA to NYC over a year and a half ago, for a Sister Trip for the holidays.  BigBoy was not happy.  "'Why don't I get to go?"  I explained to him how much walking you need to do, you have to listen and pay attention and little kids just can't go.  I decided on the fly that 6 was the magic age.  I really thought he'd forget and something else would be the most important thing ever, taking its place.  nope. no dice.  at his 5th birthday:  "When I'm six I get to go to New York with Mom!" And then of course at 6, he remembered. He cashed in and I had to pay up on my year and half old promise.


BigBoy and I took a long weekend trip to NYC. Imagine if you will, being trapped with Buddy the Elf. really.


Spin around continuously in the revolving door. check.
Pick up nasty things from the street and play with them. check.
Jump up and down and clap due to an approaching subway. check.
Say "Thank you" and give the courtesy wave to taxis stopped at the crosswalk. check.
Dragging legs and complaining it's.just.so.much.walking. (after getting off the subway). check.


I was waiting for him to start pouring maple syrup on his spaghetti.

For some reason he is in love with the Statue of Liberty.  I think this is what sparked his interest in NYC in the first place.  So of course, SOL was a must do.  We also managed to fit in seeing Little Airplane Studios, Lion King /Times Square and Central Park.  We used a double decker bus tour that you can hop on and off all over the city.  Not my first choice, but I realized after the fact, that it totally fit the bill.  Squeeze in your various trips on the subway, rides in glass elevators, ice creams a la Mr. Softie, hot dogs, petting a mounted police horse, cab rides and you have yourself a fabulous 6 year old trip to NYC!

I also realized how country lovin' my kids are.  BigBoy was excited about everything.  and overwhelmed.  But he truly shined at Central Park.  He ran "off hand" and couldn't wait to climb all the boulders.  He was beyond happy and totally in his element again.  He listened to me again. Paid attention to his environment again. He was in control of his world again. It was nice to have him back for a fleeting moment.

BigBoy in his NYC Happy Place

But I was also proud MamaBear.  He was polite and independent. Ordering for himself in the cafes and always saying thank you and please. I'm also here to proclaim that New Yorkers aren't mean and nasty or unfriendly.  They ARE impatient, but luckily we were doing things during the week and off rush-hour times.  People smiled a lot at him, helped him and engaged him in conversation.  They were NICE.  and helpful. pinkie promise!

The trip was a fantastic experience for him and at the end of the day, all the hyperventilating and shvitzing I did worrying about BigBoy being taxi-road kill was totally worth it.   He won't remember mom freaking out about him not holding my hand on the sidewalk. or pulling him back after leaning over too far at the subway platform. or telling him over and over not to touch ANYTHING.  What he will remember is seeing Lady Liberty for the first time. or how awestruck he was seeing the "animals" at the Lion King. or how the Mr. Softee guy flipped his ice cream cone upside down before handing it to him and both of them cracking up together. or how fun it was climbing the rocks at Central Park. or the coolness factor of riding up 20 floors the glass elevator in the middle of a Times Square hotel. THAT makes it worth it.  

I'm not so sure I could handle another trip like this anytime soon, but I'm happy we were able to pull it off.  Thanks Aunt Bebe and Mr. Andrew for your hospitality!!  Now Sassy wants to know when SHE gets to go to NYC, just girls, and see Lion King too. sigh. I need another cupcake.


What we did:
Amtrak train, Northeast Lines
Little Airplane Studios, South Street Seaport  (tours on T/Th at 11 & 4) Ask for Robbie- he's fabulous!
Times Square & Midtown (near Aunt Bebe's work)
Mr. Softee (YUUUUUM!)

City Sights NY Double Decker Tour Bus, all around town + Statue of Liberty Ferry
Tour ride south to Battery Park
Statue of Liberty  unless you get there at the crack of dawn, it WILL take you all.day.long.
Tour ride north back to Gramercy


Central Park, hopped on tour bus for a quick ride south
Lion King, Times Square
Cool Elevator Ride, Marriott Marquis (they have bathrooms here!)
Pax Foods for a quick bite
Subway ride to Gramercy

Walked with my sis to sugar Sweet sunshine (BEST cupcake evah!) a must-do on MY list. ;)
Madison Square Park. Note: they have a cool art installation going on, statues are located on top of random buildings all over the area.  We had a lot of fun finding them.
Penn Station, Home!