Come and Get It!

For more great menu ideas,
be sure to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

On Saturday night I was just too worn out, both physically and emotionally, to spend time in the kitchen. So I suggested to my husband that he pick up some cheeseburgers on his way home - which he did. Consequently, I still need to make Cheesy Cauliflower Soup. Other than Saturday, though, last week's menu plan went quite well. I truly think that the time I spend each Sunday planning for the week pays back dividends!

This weekend's produce basket from the Bountiful Basket Food Co-op contained the following items: Romaine lettuce, spinach, cabbage, asparagus, green beans, green peppers, tomatoes, red potatoes, onions, oranges, Braeburn apples, grapefruit, and blueberries. I also received an "add-on" of 25 pounds of carrots. I think this is the most "veggie heavy" basket I've received in the seven months I've been participating in the co-op. I'm not at all unhappy with that, though, as I really am a bigger fan of vegetables than I am of fruits. Many of the items from my basket will be incorporated into this week's dinner menus, as will several things left over from last week. The grapefruit and blueberries will likely be eaten for breakfast.

As I said last week, I've been thinking for several weeks about making some Baked Apple Chips. I'm really am hoping that this will be the week that I actually do it! I'd also like to try to make some Oven Roasted Tomatoes. I guess we'll see how busy life is as we begin the second month of 2012. We will be celebrating my husband WhiteRabbit's birthday this week, so I've definitely got to make some cupcakes.

Here is this week's meal plan:

• Monday - Butterfly Shrimp, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli with Cashews, Steamed Green Beans, Rice


• Tuesday - Beef Stew, Biscuits


• Wednesday - Hoagie Sandwiches, Crunchy Coleslaw, Kiwi and Pomegranate Salad


• Thursday - Veggie Stir Fry (asparagus, cauliflower, green beans, carrots) with Tofu, Rice, Orange Slices


• Friday - Dinner Out


• Saturday - Salad Bar, Breadsticks


• Sunday - Beef Stroganoff, Egg Noodles, Green Salad and/or Steamed Veggies (depending on what arrives in Saturday's produce basket), Country French Bread, Cupcakes

Happy eating!

Week in Review

Days My Alarm Went Off Before 5 o'Clock: 2.

Commutes to Downtown: 2.

One-and-a-Half Mile Commutes: 1.

Opportunities Taken to Learn Something New: 1.
(I attended a panel discussion on partisanship in politics at BYU.)

Gallons of Gas Purchased: 11.56.

Visits to the Temple: 1.

Other Opportunities for Service Taken: 1.
(I substituted on the piano in the women's and men's combined meeting at church.)

Opportunities Taken to "Break Bread" with Others: 5.
(Sugar Plum's friend David joined us for spaghetti on Tuesday night. On Thursday I had lunch with a friend at Gourmandise to celebrate her upcoming birthday. On Thursday night I had dinner at Paradise Bakery & Cafe with my long-time book club. On Friday night WhiteRabbit and I ate at the counter at the Market Street Broiler before seeing a play at Pioneer Theatre Company. On Saturday I had lunch at Olive Garden with some of my sisters and our mom.)

Prayers Offered on Behalf of My Step-Dad Who Suffered a Heart Attack This Week: Countless.
(He is doing well. They repaired one stent, and they are going to be putting in another tomorrow.)

Books Finished: 2. (Year-to-date total is 5.)

Movies Watched: 1.

What's for Dinner, Mom?

For more great menu ideas,
be sure to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Last week was another good week for meal planning. I tried one new recipe - Twice-Baked Potato Casserole - and it was yummy! I also have to say that I'm grateful for my Crock Pot, which I used twice this past week.

This weekend's produce basket from the Bountiful Basket Food Co-op is very similar to last week's. We received the following items: red leaf lettuce, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, corn on the cob, tomatoes, bananas, oranges, Fuji apples, Bosc pears, kiwi, and pomegranates. Many of these will be incorporated into this week's dinner menus, as will several things left over from last week - and much of the fruit will be eaten for breakfast or snacks.

For several weeks I've been thinking about making some Baked Apple Chips. I'm hoping that this will be the week that I actually do it!

Here is this week's meal plan:

• Monday - Pork Chops with Sweet and Sour Sauce, Grilled Pineapple, Rice, Corn on the Cob


• Tuesday - Green Salad, Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce, Garlic Bread


• Wednesday - Steak and Vegetable Fajitas, Fresh Guacamole


• Thursday - Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips with Leftover Buffet


• Friday - Fend-for-Yourself Friday


• Saturday - Green Salad, Cheesy Cauliflower Soup, Breadsticks


• Sunday - Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Muffins, Berry Smoothies

Happy eating!

Week in Review

Commutes to Downtown: 3.

Classes Attended: 1.

Trips to the Grocery Store: 2. (One in the pouring rain.)

Gallons of Gas Purchased: 13.68.

Registration Forms for Women's Retreat Mailed: 174.

Visits to the Temple: 3. (But only one temple visited.)

Sunday School Classes Taught: 1.

Other Opportunities for Service Taken: 2.
(Took dinner to neighbors on Tuesday, and helped with the women's meeting at the senior center on Wednesday.)

Books Finished: 1. (Year-to-date total is 3.)

Teenagers in the House on Saturday Night to Celebrate Sugar Plum's Birthday: 10.

Movies Watched: 1.

Time for Dinner!

For more great menu ideas,
be sure to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Last week's meal plan went quite well. I did end up making a few changes (but having a plan and adjusting it is so much better than having no plan at all). Sugar Bear's science fair project was due on Wednesday morning, so I spent Tuesday evening helping him finish that up, leaving little time or energy for dinner preparations. I had Sugar Plum make a pot of rice, which we ate with some leftover chili, enchiladas, and sweet potatoes. We then ate Tuesday's menu on Wednesday, and the Caesar salad and baked Parmesan tomatoes from Wednesday's plan on Saturday night with some spaghetti. Because my sister had been raving about the cinnamon bread at Great Harvest Bread Company, I was planning to get some for Sunday. In the spirit of the Pantry Challenge, though, I decided to thaw a loaf of a plum bread I made last summer and put in the freezer. I also shredded some baked potatoes I had in the fridge and added them to the eggs - which made them even yummier. All in all, it was a good week - with reasonable and effective adaptations.

I am really pleased with Saturday's produce basket from the Bountiful Basket Food Co-op. We received the following items, many of which will be incorporated into this week's dinner menus: red leaf lettuce, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, tomatoes, avocados, bananas, oranges, kiwi, a mini-watermelon, and a pineapple. (I'm hoping some of this will last until next week, specifically the pineapple, which I'd like to grill with some chicken or pork, and the avocados, which I'd like to make into guacamole for fajitas.) This week's dinner plans are also affected by Sugar Plum's upcoming 16th birthday (as we'll be having a party with her friends on Saturday and she is choosing the main dish for dinner on Sunday), by our taking dinner on Tuesday night to some friends who just had a baby, and by my extra-busy schedule on Thursday.

Here is this week's meal plan:

• Monday - Rice Pizza


• Tuesday - Green Salad, BBQ Boneless Spareribs (in Crock-Pot), Twice-Baked Potato Casserole


• Wednesday - Green Salad, Broccoli Quiche and/or Cheesy Cauliflower Soup, Mini-Watermelon


• Thursday - Leftover Buffet with Apples, Oranges and/or Pears


• Friday - Fend-for-Yourself Friday


• Saturday - Sugar Plum's 16th Birthday Party


• Sunday - Creamy Crock-Pot Chicken, Rice, Brussels Sprouts, French Loaf, Cheesecake

Happy eating!

1/13/12 Happy Things

• Sleeping until the sun started coming up.


• A beautiful pink sunrise.


• Sipping hot chocolate while checking email.


• Glorious sunshine warming my face.


• Spending time with my smart, fun, insightful friend Karen.


• Filling my gas tank for $2.85/gallon.


• Reading on my Kindle while waiting for Sugar Plum's bus.

Come and Get It!

For more great menu ideas,
be sure to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

I had two disappointments with last week's meals. First, the Sweet Potato Fries on Wednesday weren't crispy. I think that I either used too much oil or else I cooked them too close together. I loved the flavor of the fries and their dipping sauce, so I'll definitely be trying this recipe again, in search of the perfect crisp sweet potato fry. The second disappointment occurred on Saturday night, when I made clam chowder. I adore clam chowder, and I was really looking forward to eating a hot bowl of it with some warm bread. Unfortunately, my first spoonful told me that something was wrong - and we determined that the half-and-half I had used was spoiled. The carton was dated January 15, so I had no reason to believe that it might be bad - and I had just poured it into the pot. I sadly poured the whole pot of chowder down the drain. So disappointing!

Saturday's produce basket from the Bountiful Basket Food Co-op contained the following items, many of which will be incorporated into this week's dinner menus: romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, avocados, English cucumbers, radishes, bananas, Fuji apples, tangerines, Asian pears, blackberries, and black grapes. Much of the fruit will be eaten for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. I love blackberries with vanilla yogurt and pecans! I'm also planning to make some Baked Apple Chips this week. Maybe some Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips too.

Here is this week's meal plan:

• Monday - Ramen Noodles with Toppings (bacon, tomatoes, radishes, carrots, green pepper, black olives, and cheese), Black Grapes


• Tuesday - Chinese Chicken Morsels, Rice, Broccoli with Cashews, Cucumber-Radish Slaw


• Wednesday - Caesar Salad, Baked Parmesan Tomatoes, Twice Baked Potato Casserole


• Thursday - Tostadas


• Friday - Fend-for-Yourself Friday


• Saturday - Minestrone Soup, Breadsticks


• Sunday - Grapefruit or Oroblancos, Scrambled Eggs with Ham and Cheese, Cinnamon Bread, Hot Chocolate

Happy eating!

One Little Word for 2012

For 2011 I chose Order as my one-word theme for the year. I didn't utilize my word as much as I would have liked, and I know that there were periods of time when I didn't think about my word at all. Still, I think that going through the process of choosing a word was a useful exercise. Working toward "owning" my word - even sporadically - was a helpful practice too, and I have made some progress in decluttering, prioritizing, and remembering what matters most.

For 2012 I want to make a bigger deal of my One Little Word - although I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to do that. The word I've chosen is Fullness.

full·ness \ˈfo͝olnis\

noun : the state of being filled to capacity

• the state of having enough or more than enough


• the state of being complete or whole


• (in or alluding to biblical use) all that is contained in the world

Phrases — the fullness of one's heart : POETIC/LITERARY overwhelming emotion; in the fullness of time : eventually

Synonyms — plenty, abundance; completeness, wholeness

Antonym — emptiness

As I was trying to decide what word to chose for 2012, my thoughts were on the ideas of stretching, growing, and being (or having - or doing) more. The connotation of those specific words wasn't exactly what I wanted, though. Then I happened to be looking at this month's pick for one of book clubs - Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts - and my eyes caught on the subtitle - A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. I was especially taken by the word Fully. Fullness? I wondered. Was that to be my word? When, later that day, I happened upon an article entitled "Living the Abundant Life", the word Fullness seemed to be confirmed as mine.

Ali Edwards has written about the One Little Word concept (and her 2012 word Up) here. Young adult author Justina Chen posted her word for 2012 on Facebook: Rejoice! Some of my IRL friends have also posted their 2012 words: Amy chose Cultivate. Holly chose Aha! Leslie chose Calm. Sheri chose Purpose. Sue chose Variety.

Have you chosen a word for 2012?

What's for Dinner, Mom?

For more great menu ideas,
be sure to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

The holidays were terrific, but it's back to "real life" this week - back to school for the kids today, and back to work for my husband and me on Tuesday. Having dinner planned ahead of time will help with the transition from holidays to rat race and make the evenings go more smoothly! (Depending on what comes in Saturday's produce basket from the Bountiful Basket Food Co-op, I reserve the right to change Sunday's menu.)

Here is this week's meal plan:

• Monday - BLT Salad, Cheese Bread


• Tuesday - Baked Potatoes with Ham, Broccoli, and Cheese


• Wednesday - Chicken Nuggets, Sweet Potato Fries, Apple Nachos


• Thursday - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Apple Slices


• Friday - Fend-for-Yourself Friday


• Saturday - Clam Chowder, Breadsticks


• Sunday - Pot Roast with Gravy, Potatoes, Carrots, Rolls

Happy eating!

My 2011 Movie Viewing

In the Theater

The Help
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2


On DVD or Via Netflix Streaming

Spiderman 2 (2004)
Spiderman (2002)
Soul Surfer (2011)
Star Trek (2009)
Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Amelia (2009)
The Green Mile (1999)
She's the Man (2006)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010) (yes, again)
21 (2008)
Twilight (2008)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010)
The Social Network (2010)
Tangled (2010)
Apollo 13 (1995)
Inception (2010)
Invictus (2009)
Valentine's Day (2010)
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
The Karate Kid, Part II (1986)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
Remember the Titans (2000)
Ramona and Beezus (2010)
Flipped (2010)
When in Rome (2010)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

HaPpY New YeAr EveRYoNe!

I love beginnings. I love the feeling of starting new.
Starting new means anything is possible!

Happy 2012!

Time for Dinner!

For more great menu ideas,
be sure to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

We were traveling for the holidays most of last week, but we arrived home on Christmas Eve and enjoyed our traditional Christmas brunch yesterday (updated with the addition of oroblancos from the Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op and a recipe from Pinterest for peppermint whip cream). This was the menu:

Grapefruit and Oroblancos with Maraschino Cherries in the Center
Denver Omelet Scrambler
Cinnamon Rolls
Berry Smoothies
Hot Chocolate with Peppermint Whip Cream

Although I'm hoping that we'll have some additional moments of relaxation this week, both my husband and I are back to work for several days. All three of my kids are here until Wednesday, but my college-age daughter will be traveling again during the second part of the week with the Cougar Marching Band for BYU's appearance in Armed Forces Bowl. On Friday night, my husband and I will be with some of my sisters and their husbands for take-out food, laughter, and games. On Saturday night, we will enjoy our traditional New Year's Eve activities - eating Chinese take-out and watching movies.

Here is this week's meal plan:

• Monday - Extended Family Christmas Party


• Tuesday - Ham, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Spaghetti Squash, Pumpkin Dessert


• Wednesday - Caesar Salad, Cheese Bread


• Thursday - Potato Enchiladas, Fresh Guacamole


• Friday - Adult Holiday Party


• Saturday - New Year's Eve


• Sunday - Chili Beans with Rice, Red Velvet Cupcakes

By the way, we'll be utilizing several items leftover from Bountiful Baskets from the past several weeks, including butter gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery, onions, spaghetti squash, romaine lettuce, tortillas, red potatoes, and avocados. The co-op is taking a couple of weeks off for the holidays - but I'll be eager to make my contribution on January 2 for a basket on January 7. (We got some delicious corn on the cob and a mini-watermelon on December 17 that we devoured before leaving town!)

Happy eating!

"Oh, Come Let Us Adore Him"

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Vacation Trip - Day Five

San Francisco Airport
Returning Home


On Saturday morning - Christmas Eve - after eating breakfast at the hotel, we headed back to San Francisco. After returning the rental car and checking in for our flight, we spent some time in the airport relaxing and reading, and then we ate lunch at a restaurant in the airport. Shortly thereafter, we boarded our plane.

Our flight was full, but fortunately we had an uneventful trip back to Salt Lake City. We didn't want to leave the warmer temperatures of Monterey - but it was nice to be home

Christmas Vacation Trip - Day Four

Monterey Bay
Exploring More of Cannery Row and Watching the Sun Set


Our destination "to do" list contained three items:

• Visiting Monterey Bay Aquarium,


• Driving the 17-Mile Drive, and


• Renting Surrey Bikes.

On the morning of the fourth day of our trip, we completed the third item, renting two surrey bikes from Bay Bikes and riding them up and down the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail. Four-wheeled bikes are allowed only on a portion of the trail, but we had a great time seeing the sights as we rode up to Lover's Point and down almost to Fisherman's Wharf and back again.

Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail








After we returned the bikes, we walked around Cannery Row some more, exploring San Carlos Beach and then enjoying lunch at the Trailside Café - where I ate a delicious vegetable sandwich with shoestring potatoes - followed by dessert at the Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop - where we also bought a bag of Peppermint Bark.

San Carlos Beach and More




Sugar Plum was convinced that this seal (on the right side of the photo) wanted to came to shore to play with her.
WhiteRabbit said that he was telling her to get off his beach.







After an afternoon nap, we went to Asilomar State Beach for the sunset. How I would love to watch a sunset on the beach every day!

Asilomar State Beach