this week....

 Did I mention that I got my widsom teeth pulled last week..  eek.  Doesn't that swelling look macho? 

So, I've been eating a lot of these... and wishing that I had done this all when I was 16 like the rest of the world.

 

Because of the whole wisdom teeth ordeal, Brad and I knew we would be spending a lot of time at home.  So we decided it would be a perfect time to start potty training Lillie.  I definitely didn't think this one through all the way when I agreed to it.  I got my teeth yanked out on Thursday and on Saturday Lillie was peeing all over the floor.  My patience was tested, but Brad was a champion and powered through the weekend.

I was worried when we sent Lillie back to school that it was all for not.  And interestingly she still refuses to pee at school on the potty.  However, she seems to be VERY GOOD at holding it.  I know this isn't what we are aiming for - so we have some huge challenges to overcome at school.  BUT, at home she is doing great.  This weekend she hasn't had one accident and she even did number 2 on the potty today!  What success.  Lillie's "reward" for using the potty is two chocolate chips - and for some unknown reason she insists on eating them outside on our balcony (photo above).

In other news, this little nugget is rolling over!  It started with putting her to bed swaddled, on her back, at night for a snooze.  Brad found her one morning on her belly.  Hmmm.  We'd seen her turn up on her side for a couple weeks, but on Thursday evening Lillie, Brad and me were all sitting at the table eating dinner and Mary Hardin was in the "living room" on her play-mat.  I think she thought no one was watching and she would pull a fast one on us.  But we all got to catch a glimpse of her rolling from her back to her stomach!  

 And it broke my heart, but I followed the doctor's orders and finally rid our freezer of all that breast milk.  Why did I start tearing up?  What is breast milk so emotional for me? Inhale, exhale.

And this afternoon I've been cooking - for the week ahead.  A friend recently asked what our week nights look like - so here is a glimpse of how dinner comes together.  It involves pre-planning.  Between 5:30 and 6pm we all four get home - and everyone needs to eat.  Mary Hardin gets a bottle right away and we scramble to put dinner on the table as fast as humanly possible.

Here is the secret - I cook on Saturday and reheat during the week.  This week's plan (recipes below):
Sunday:  Breakfast for dinner:  Southwest Egg Muffins with Black Beans & Corn and Crescent rolls.
Monday: Hamburger Soup & Cheddar Cheese biscuits
Tuesday:  Easy Rice, beans & veggies
Wednesday:  Baked Ziti
Thursday:  BBQ sandwiches
Friday:  Chicken Tamale

Today I made...

Cheddar Cheese Muffins from Eatathomecooks.com
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of ground red pepper
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups. In a large bowl, with a fork, combine the dry ingredients.
Melt the butter and cool it slightly. Stir in the milk, then beat in the egg. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in 1 cup of cheese. Divide the batter into the muffin pans and top each muffin with a bit more cheese.  Bake for 15-20 min.

 Two Veggie Baked Ziti pans (and an individual serving for one of Brad's lunches).

And Veggie Hamburger Soup (adapted from this recipe).
1 lbs. hamburger
2 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
 2 cans beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can tomato sauce
1 can black beans, drained/rinsed
2 cans Veg-All, drained/rinsed
1/2 cup rice
big squirt of ketchup
 2 cans water
Brown the hamburger, onion and green pepper together. Drain and rinse under hot water to remove the grease. Put back in a large soup pot and add all the other ingredients. Simmer it for a few hours.

The other dishes I will hopefully cook the day of or night before...

From Pinch My Salt  Southwest Style Egg Muffins with Black Beans and Corn
- adapted from Egg Muffins Revisited Again at Kalyn’s Kitchen
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed*
1 small can diced green chiles
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
8 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray twelve muffin cups, either metal or silicone, with nonstick cooking spray. Don’t forget this step, the eggs will stick if the cups aren’t well greased, even in silicone! If you are using individual silicone muffin cups, arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the beans, corn, and green chiles.
3. Spoon one heaping tablespoon of bean mixture into 12 muffin cups; there will be some left over.**
4. Divide shredded cheese between the muffin cups.
5. In a mixing bowl with a pour spout, whisk together eggs, sour cream, cilantro, cumin, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.  Fill each muffin cup with egg mixture, about 7/8 full. With a fork, gently stir the mixture in each cup.
7. Place muffin pan on the center rack of a preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are light brown, puffy, and the eggs are set.
8. Let muffins cool for a few minutes before removing from the muffin pan or cups. Loosen gently with knife if they seem to be sticking.  Eat immediately or let cool completely and store in plastic bag in refrigerator or freezer.  The Egg Muffins can be reheated in the microwave.
Recipe notes: *To defrost frozen corn, I place it in a colander and run warm water over it for about a minute.  **You will probably have some of the bean and corn mixture left over but don’t throw it away.  I heated it up in the microwave, added some salt, pepper, and cilantro and enjoyed it as an afternoon snack!

Easy BBQ in a slow cooker (thanks Byerly)
1 boneless Pork Shoulder Roast (2 1/2 pounds)
1 onion chopped
12 ounes (at least) of your favorite BBQ sauce
4 TBspoons honey
Lightly grease the slow cooker.  Put in the meat - top with onion and sauce.  Low for 7 to 9 hours.  Pull apart and enjoy!


Chicken Tamale Casserole from Cooking Light

• 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1/3 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• Cooking spray
• 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

• 1. Preheat oven to 400°.
• 2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
• 3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

And if all else fails, which at least one night a week it does, we do pizza - because everyone loves some "ZIZZA" (Lillie's word)!