Food. Reboot.

Ian asked for Moosewood recipes this week. That's how I know how bad it's gotten.  Felix's giant hot dogs for his birthday hardly felt like a treat.  Whoops!

I am not in a routine with so many things still and I'm spending way too much time lamenting it. I just need to do it!!!

"Long December and there's reason to believe, maybe this year will be better than the last."

I made a new pandora station today.  Blue's Traveler.  Perhaps it's moving back to my hometown, or driving by the Caribou turned Chipotle that I worked at all through high school or my girls going to my elementary school, but I'm feeling nostalgic like whoa.  Blue's Traveler Pandora is essentially my high school soundtrack.  It was just what I needed to motivate me for my afternoon cooking extravaganza.

Prompted by Ian's Moosewood requests I made a drastic menu plan and grocery list for the week, blew our whole food budget for the week on two grocery stops this morning and it was go time.

I made seven dishes this afternoon.  It felt phenomenal. These are the moments I know where I'm right where I should be.  Some people thrive on a good progress report or streamlining some mundane task or giving a killer presentation.  Me?  I am downright high when my fridge and freezer are stocked and my week is planned out and I can BREATHE.

A lot of my inspiration came from a cookbook I stumbled across and requested from the library Family Cooks.  So far so incredibly good. I actually focused a lot on breakfasts and lunches this week.  I've found I can't just plan dinners and rely on cereal and sandwiches long term. This makes everyone bored and lazy with food and inevitably after eating poorly for the first two meals of the day we give in to convenience for dinner.

Coincidentally those were the dishes I was most impressed with in this book.  Her ideas for overnight parfaits and porridges were especially appealing.

Today I bought 12 8oz jelly jars from the hardware store and filled them with "Summer Berry Porridge".  Kefir, yogurt, rolled oats, maple syrup, berries and chia seeds.  The oats and chia seeds soften overnight and result in a fancy feeling grab and go breakfast. JUST WHAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR MY WHOLE COOKING LIFE.

I also made a batch of breakfast burritos for Ian.  Sausage, sauteed onions and peppers, hot salsa, parmesan, spinach. I was feeling bad that my guy goes to work without a homemade breakfast.

I then made two lunch salads. Quinoa and carrot and apple.  The kids weren't as big of fans of the carrot and apple as I'd hopedbut I'll put some in the girls lunches regardless. I've found they eat things better when it's their only option.  I'll add a cut up cheese stick. That should do the trick.  I love the quinoa salad.  Red quinoa, baby kale, parsley, carrots, celery, dried cranberries and a simple lemon vinaigrette.  I'll probably add some feta and walnuts and sunflower seeds to make it feel like a legit lunch.  Yum.

To finish I made some Chocolate Chia pudding which, admittedly, took a few bites to get used to, but once I did sprinkled with berries, it was delicious. We like dessert in this house.  Healthy dessert is a good thing.

For dinner tonight I made a Cottage Pie, from Moosewood.  The kids will choke it down and Ian and I both like it.  It's always a welcome blast of veggies and I love the unusual combination of fennel and dill in it.

 This + eggs and cottage cheese baked in a pie crust til golden and bubbling.  Yum.

Wait that's only 6...oh yes! I also made some banana muffins also from Family Cooks.  I was dubious because they used coconut oil for the fat which I've only had moderate success with in baked goods, and ONLY whole wheat flour.  They are delicious.  I amy never make "normal" muffins again.

So I feel pretty set for breakfasts and lunches.  I got some good lean smoked ham and chicken and smoked salmon for lunch proteins.  For dinner we are trying Pakistani Kima, a simple ground beef curry, Tuna patties, One pot pasta with whole wheat noodles and kale, wild rice soup, potato leek soup (spring rain weather is good for soups!) Zucchini bread to go with all that soup, and then fish and roasted chicken for the weekend.

I may be resistant to routine, but groceries and heavy cooking on a Monday never served me wrong.  One foot in the right direction!