Meal Plan Monday

So, I nearly ALWAYS have a menu sketched out, but I decided I'd try participating in the Meal Planning Monday hosted at I'm an Organizing Junkie. I actually started my menu on a different day due to the fact that I just returned from a LONG visit to my parent's house! I think I'll be able to swing a full week with the remainder of my menu!

Monday- Pan Fried Tilapia with  Roasted Balsamic Vinegar Asparagus
 1 lb of Asparagus (cleaned and broken/cut)
 2 tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar
 1 Tbsp of oil
 Salt and Pepper to taste
 Oven set to broil

Toss the Asparagus in the Balsamic Vinegar and Oil mixture, salt and pepper as desired.
I drizzle the remaining mixture over the top and add more if I so desire!
Lay out on pan and put under broiler for about 10 mins or until Asparagus becomes soft.


Tuesday-Beef Bok Choy
   1 lb of beef tips, good quality(I cut my own and save some $$ that way)
   1 lb of baby bok choy
   Carrots (I eyeball the amount my family would enjoy)
   Onion
   Bell Pepper (usually one large one)
   1 tablespoon of minced garlic (I make my own minced jar of Garlic using the food processor, WAY cheaper)
   Soy sauce
   Splash of Teriyaki Sauce
   Garlic Salt and Crushed Red Pepper flakes

After cutting and cleaning the veggies, I set them aside and saute my beef tips in a hot pan with Garlic, garlic salt, and about a teaspoon or two of Teriyaki sauce.

Once cooked to the desired doneness, I put them in a bowl and add a little soy sauce, olive oil and some more garlic to the pan.

Then I take the carrots, the onion, bell pepper and ends of the bok choy and saute them in soy sauce and a dash of red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it). Once the onions and ends of bok choy start to turn slightly translucent, I add the leaves of the baby bok choy and mushrooms if you choose to have them. These will saute quickly, so if I want a little more sauce, I'll add soy and a dash of teriyaki! Served over brown rice!! YUMMY
 
Wednesday-Store bought sauce and Spinach Cheese Tortellini

Thursday- General Tsao's Chicken

Friday- Leftovers!!!

Saturday- Edamame and Gyoza (easy because they are premade! I just make my own Gyoza dipping sauce!) Should make for a GREAT movie night meal!

Sunday are our easy days...meaning we kind of eat leftovers or easy meals! Sometimes we go out to eat,  but usually it's what's in our freezer or pantry!

I just realized that my first post with MPM makes us look like big Asian food eaters, but that's just what we have in our fridge for this week! I don't generally seem this "themed".

Borrowed Time

Ever felt like you were living on borrowed time? I don't mean in the morbid sense. I know that Ryan will be leaving soon, I don't know specifics, but I know soon. Here lately, I've found myself really enjoying the simple things with him, like waking up with him in the mornings, hearing his voice in my home, listening to the girls exclaim "Daddy" when he walks in, being able to talk to him, and discuss the day-to-day. I've even found myself enjoying the annoying things, like the way he NEVER cleans the sink after dumping his razor out, the extra clothes in the laundry, the scuffs left on the hardwood from his boots, and his annoying habit of NEVER throwing out leftovers! When he's gone, it's the things that annoy me that I miss the most.

I was wondering last night, if Jesus felt the same way. He knew when he would die, how he would die, and at whose hands...yet he choose to live every moment of his 33 years to what I think would be the fullest. I wonder if he found himself enjoying the little things in life, like a hoard of children crowded at his feet, meals with friends, the temple, and a wedding or two. I think Jesus also realized that there was more to this world and choose to spend time with some unsavory characters, because their lives are worth it. The sick, the dieing, the downtrodden, the weak, the poor, the sinners and the forgotten were worth moments of Jesus' short 33 years on this planet. I wonder what more I could be doing with my borrowed time.

B90

So, yesterday was my first day of actually participating (I was traveling, as in various airports at various moments!), and I really feel confidant that I can in fact read the Bible in 90 days. Granted, I did read a little too much (I still haven't convinced my laptop that it's old friends with my printer....they are currently not talking so I had to try and remember what I was suppose to read. All I could recall was Exodus 20-40). Since I finished part of tonight's reading last night, I will take this chance to catch up on the readings I have missed.

Exodus was a firm reminder that I am so ever grateful for Jesus and his sacrifice! All the rules and regulations regarding the construction to the Temple, sanctification, offerings, etc were overwhelming. Amidst all that I did find that there was one verse repeated about three times. This verse was speaking to the Israelite's and gently reminding them, that they should be mindful of how they treat "aliens" because they were once treated as outsiders in Egypt (Exodus 22:21, 23:9).  I think it would serve as a nice reminder for how we should treat people in our own nation/community/church/family.

I also found great joy in Exodus 23:2, "Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong".  We (Ryan and I), have recently started trying to set this expectation for Kaelyn (3 1/2) and her behavior. Rarely is she taking part of a naughty behavior, but we are called to do more than just not take part of that wrong doing, we are called to be different than the crowd and stand against the wrong.

The Bible in 90 Days!

So, I'm a little late joining the "challenge", but every year one of my resolutions is to read the bible from Front to Back! Needless to say, I always end up reading large portions, but I never complete it (I do good until March, then I become very sporadic). So, I thought, perhaps joining a group that is trying to read it all in 90 days will be just the swift kick in the tush I need! Since I am late, I will have to make up the first few readings, but I think it will be a blessing indeed! If you are interested, here is the link!  Perhaps I can handle 90 days!

Another resolution, to start working out twice a week til June, and then maybe up it to three times a week! This is also another resolution I break, so I'm going with small goals!

2009 Recap and what 2010 has to hold!

So, last year I posted a recap of the previous year on my myspace page, and this year I figure this would be the most appropriate place! This is what 2009 held for us!

2009
-Moved from Oklahoma to New Jersey
-Rented our Oklahoma home out to some really good renters!
-Kaelyn turned three and had her first birthday party at Chuckie Cheese!
-Bought our second home! LOVE THIS HOUSE!

-Kaelyn started dance, made some FABULOUS friends and had her first Recital!
-Anna got her tongue fixed and had her first birthday
-Ryan completed his training for the KC10, and went on a "mini-deployment"
-I started homeschooling Kaelyn and have really started to enjoy staying at home, although a career is still in my future!
-We became a 2 car family!!
-Ryan's family visited!
-Finished our basement!!
-Anna had swim lessons...hates it!
-Kaelyn started swimming with minimal assistance
-Ryan started his masters
-Spent Thanksgiving with Ryan's Family
-SURPRISE!!!
-Spent Christmas and New Years with my Family

2010
-Pending deployments/trips
-Kaelyn will have finished her first year of homeschooling
-Looking to start a new college degree....considering nursing!
-More on our surprise
-Trip to OK for a wedding!



I know it doesn't look like much, but it's been a GREAT 2009 and I can't wait to spend 2010 with my great friends and more time enjoying my family! Happy New Year!

Georgia on my mind!

I am in my lovely home state of Georgia now, and hopefully I can get back into the habit of blogging, although I don't think I ever established a habit of blogging! All this traveling has taught me few things. The first of which, is that people don't think kindly of a woman and two small children traveling by themselves. I got a lot of comments along the lines of "That poor woman" or "Where is your husband?". After explaining that I am a military spouse and don't always have the luxury of a husband who can serve as pack mule, I got the look. The one that simultaneously says "I am so glad I am not you, but I am so glad that you can say that with a smile". Then they usually ask if they can help! Thank you, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, for your help!

Just like with make-up, accessories and dessert, LESS IS MORE.
When you are the only adult traveling in a party of three, less is still too much. Kaelyn (3) is unreliable in her willingness to carry or roll her carry-on and depending on how long of a day, she could also be half asleep and crying as you make her walk from the plane to baggage claim (ie California trip). Anna (15 mos)  isn't at an age where I trust her to walk, so she is carried along with my purse (aka diaper bag) and our book bag. I've tried to find ways to streamline it, and on our return trip I think I am going to be investing in carabiners...I really want the one called a Mommy Hook.

 I went from four bags on our Cali trip, to two bags on our GA trip (not including Kaelyn's diaper bag). I think this gem of a hook would be great to hold my purse, Kaelyn's bag when she inevitable decides she's tired of carrying it, and our coats! That would free up a whole arm, and take me down to just one bag! I've also had the brainy idea of sewing on a ribbon loop on both ends of the girls blankets so that they can be carried this way as well. For those of you trying to figure out why I don't use a stroller, easy, when I'm the only one responsible for getting through security, a stroller is too much (I already take up 8 of those little trays, I can't be expected to get a stroller through as well). We also encourage/expect our girls to learn to walk with us in crowds from an early age.


Homeschooling and traveling takes a lot of PLANNING!

I don't generally plan our weekly lessons, we have an end goal set, but our daily goals are not planned. This makes it difficult to know exactly how much to bring and what items will need to be packed. I know, I know, I know, why not just stop homeschooling while I'm traveling? If we get out of the habit it would be difficult to reestablish it. That and our cousins are public school students who don't have the luxury of setting their own schedule, so we do homework with our cousins and no one is left out or distracted!

PRAYER, PATIENCE and a GOOD ATTITUDE!
I can't stress these enough. Kaelyn even hears these when she gets impatient with lines to get seated on the plane, "Kaelyn, when we fly we need to have lots of Patience and a very Good Attitude to have a great experience". I want my kids to understand that when life presents you with a tough or less than ideal situation (ie traveling alone with two small children), YOUR ATTITUDE affects whether you have a Good experience or a Bad experience, and you can choose to have a good one!

Hiatus

So, for the last few weeks I've been on the road traveling since we expected Ryan to be traveling over the holidays with Uncle Sam as his Travel Guide. Hence the absence....and I'm leaving yet again on Saturday to go to my family for Christmas!!! Georgia you are on my mind!

Thought it might be nice to tell a funny on Anna, my sweet darling chubby child who doesn't know when or how to STOP eating!! She has some GREAT thunder thighs and chubby cheeks! While at my mother-in-laws, who runs an at-home day care, Anna watched an older child exit through the gate, go to his bag, grab a snack from his lunch box, and come back in the gate. Shortly after that child returned, Anna took off. I didn't think anything of it, seeing as her Aunt was in the next room, but when Anna came back, she had the older boy's lunch shoved in her mouth and a bag of his snacks in her hand!

Yes, my daughter is THAT kid, the one that will sneak back into the classroom during recess and EAT other people's lunch.