A Few Things...

Let's catch up on what I've read lately...

How to Raise a Boy. As always, and now more than ever, I'm conscious of the way we are raising our boys. This is a great article, and this passage particularly resonated:  "... the lessening power of men (straight and white particularly) is an unquestioned societal good. ... The only thing is: There are two future white men who live in my house, and I love them very much." 

Wait Until 8th—A Pledge to Delay Smartphone Usage in Kids. I hate the never-ending battle over technology. I think we're doing okay so far. We go through phases, but in general, our kids are still the "play outside until the sun goes down" types. Aaron has a gizmo gadget, which enables us to keep in touch when necessary. It's not perfect, but it gets the job done, and it's helping us fill the gap for now.

The most reasonable article about nutrition I've ever read. 

It's Hard to Delete Facebook Without an Alternative. After the news about Cambridge Analytica, I watched the whole #deletefacebook movement happen, but I still haven't deleted my account. Because it fills a need - it helps me keep in touch with my far-away family and friends.

Americans Love Seeing Swedish Dads Out With Their Kids. And This is a Problem. I loved this article. What's "normal" here is not normal everywhere. It'd be nice if we could learn from and be influenced by other countries and cultures.

Belly is Back! Fun to hear new music from one of my all-time favorites. Also fun to read about how they decided to get back together.

‘Exile In Guyville’ Decodes Feminism’s Generational Divide. Cool article about Liz Phair and feminism.

The Professor on a Mission to Make Math Lovable. This article is about my nephew-in-law, a ridiculously smart and sweet guy. "...there is so much poetry and philosophy in math, it is really more of a humanities discipline anyway."

NBC News asked men and women in different professions across the U.S. how the #MeToo movement has changed the way they interact with people at work - if at all. This is a sampling of their responses. Many of them are not surprising, but some sure did make me sad. I'm grateful I've worked in open and accepting environments and with really good guys throughout my career, although the culture has definitely changed over the years (and that's a good thing).

In the #MeToo Era, Raising Boys to Be Good Guys. Yep, I read this stuff every day. I am hyper aware of the influences in their lives, from seeing cheerleaders on the sidelines of football and basketball games (I'm grateful that they prefer baseball and soccer), to the types of books they read and movies they watch. It is getting harder, though. But I will make them do their chores (yes lawn mowing, but also dishes and scrubbing toilets and dusting), and I will keep talking to them.

Curiosity and What Equality Really Means, by Atul Gawande. I love reading anything by him, and this commencement speech to the UCLA medical school is no exception.

Talking to Boys the Way We Talk to Girls. As always, I'm intrigued by the differences in how we raise boys vs. girls. As a mother of boys, I want to be conscious of the biases and stereotypes that exist, so I can ensure we aren't demonstrating them at home. And when we do fall into those stereotypical traps, I want to recognize it and talk about it.

To end on a light note, here are a few recipes I want to bookmark. The Best Lemon Bars. I'd also like to try some new veggie burger recipes this summer. I'm going to start with either this, or this, or this. And I made this Watermelon, Feta, and Arugula Salad last week, and it's great. So light and refreshing - perfect for a cookout. Aaron enjoyed it and requested that I make it again.

Menu of the Week

I haven't done one of these in a long time. I've been stuck in a bit of a rut, making the same dinners over and over. There's nothing really wrong with that, as most of the dinners are healthy and enjoyed by all, but I do like to mix it up every now and then. I get bored, and I especially want to make sure my boys are game for trying new foods. I somehow managed to spend a bit of time looking through some of my old magazines, and I found a few recipes to try. Here's what went down last week...

Spicy Black Bean Soup
Winner! First, I love soups. They're warm and yummy in the winter, the boys generally do well with them, and they're an easy vehicle for veggies. But I hadn't tried a new one in a long time. Nathan likes black beans, so I thought I'd give this a shot. The main reason why this was a success was that he helped me make it. It was his first attempt at cooking on the stove, and he was extremely proud. I was a little worried that it might be too spicy, so I only included 1/2 of a jalapeno - I could've added more. But it was easy, super yummy, and healthy! The boys agreed that adding chopped avocado as a garnish is the best - they said sour cream made it taste too much like chili. Absolutely a keeper!

Parmesan Chicken with Mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes
Not super exciting, but another success overall. I don't eat chicken, so I had a salad with the roasted veggies. And I took the leftovers with me for lunch.

Seared Fish with Beets and Broccoli, Beet Greens, Rice
I used cod for this, and it was okay, but I think I've determined that I prefer a flatter fish such as flounder for this type of dish. I loved the veggies, though. I had never cooked a fresh beet, and it was pretty easy - will definitely do it more from now on, because after loathing them as a kid, I now rather enjoy them. I also sauteed up the greens with some garlic and olive oil - yum!

Red Leaf Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
This is my favorite winter salad.  Kevin and Aaron had leftover chicken with it; Nathan had a plate of sweet potatoes, walnuts, green beans, and cheese.  Works for me!

A Few Things...

Yep, that's my mantra at the moment.  I'm getting shit done.  I feel productive and fulfilled.  I do question our ability to keep it up, but one day at a time...  In the meantime, here are a few things that have hit my reader lately...

How would you describe yourself in five words?  I love this.  My list just a year (or even a month!) ago might've looked different.  I've been thinking about what my five words might be, and it's harder than it sounds.  Perhaps:  mom, yogi, planner, optimist, juggler.  (You all understand the type of juggling I am talking about.)  What would be on your list? 

Jeff Tweedy on why the album still matters.  I feel the same way.  I know most people don't buy albums.  Honestly, most of my friends don't even buy music at all.  But it still matters to me.

Why I Want My Sons to See Me Naked.  This perfectly captures my thoughts on the subject.  I'm starting to enjoy more privacy in the bathroom, but Nathan still walks in unannounced on occasion, and neither of them flinch if I'm getting dressed in front of them.  I'm happy that I'm able to model self-confidence and a healthy body image to my boys.

The only way I will ever cook broccoli again.  A post that provides me with a tip that gets Aaron to stop whining about broccoli?  Yep, that's worthy of sharing.

And another one to love from Jenny.  This reminds me - it's almost time to start thinking about Aaron's birthday.  The end of the year festivities require a bit more advance planning.  I already love his initial ideas, though, so I think we'll be able to get it done.

Being a Stay-At-Home Parent is a Luxury...For Your Spouse.  I love this.  I still remember the day, last summer, that Kevin made a comment about how we seemed to be having a lot of really fun weekends.  It took him a while, but he realized how nice it was not to have errands and chores filling up our weekends.  I was free to keep up the house during the week, so our weekends became open for fun family quality time.  It was definitely a luxury.  One that I will miss, no doubt.  But I hope that perspective stays with us as we attempt to balance everything going forward.

A Few Things...

Just a few things I've run across lately...

Have you watched Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee yet?  It's a web series by Jerry Seinfeld - basically he takes a famous friend out for coffee, and the show is their conversation.  It's very entertaining.  I loved the most recent episode, with Jon Stewart.  I also really enjoyed Sarah Jessica Parker.  And Tina Fey.  And Ricky Gervais.  And Louis CK.  Oh my gosh Alec Baldwin cracked me up.  So many good ones.  You get to see a little of their real personalities, which can be fascinating when you only know them as their characters.

I love Eddie Vedder.

Every now and then, Kevin will throw out a comment about Harvard into a conversation, and my reaction is always "our kids are not going to Harvard".  Of course you can get a good education at Harvard, but something about it - and the rest of the Ivy League - has always made me uncomfortable.  I think this article helps articulate what it is.   I want more for my kids.

Here's another trick for getting your kids to try new vegetables.

Tina Fey and Jason Bateman are awesome.  Here's yet another movie I want to see.

Being informed and fashionable is natural for women.  I liked this opinion piece in the Washington Post.

I am going to Amsterdam in just a few weeks!  I loved reading Simone's post about her recent visit.

Holy wow this is an amazing transformation.

Born in the USA turns 30 this year, and there is a tribute album.  Must check it out.

I think about how good my kids have it all the time.  We are lucky to be able to provide so much for them, and yet I worry about spoiling them.  How do we ensure they understand?  This article is good and in line with our way of thinking.

I like reading inspiring parenting posts, and I've run across a few good ones lately.  Sometimes they are too short to be well-balanced, but they often provide good reminders.
This one reminded me to slow down.
This one made me stop and think about the questions I ask them at the end of the day.
This one made me feel good about our full bookshelves.
This one made me smile and think of my two awesome boys, who never stop, get pee everywhere, and love their Mom.

Menu of the Week

photos via Martha Stewart

Every now and then, I complain about the energy it takes to decide what to have for dinner every night.  I hate eating the same things all the time, and I want to continue to find healthy meals that both the kids and I enjoy; so I like trying new recipes.  At the same time, I've been doing this for years now, so I do have a pretty good collection of tried and true recipes.  The problem is, they are all over the place.  I have a binder where I keep recipes clipped from magazines.  I also have plenty of cookbooks, a recipe box containing some family favorites, and I obviously also look to blogs and pinterest for inspiration.  My favorite strategy is searching this blog to see what we ate in the same month a year ago.  I'll probably still do that at times, but I'd love to pull our favorites offline.  Clearly I have plenty of ideas - my problem is figuring out a new strategy for organizing them.  Or at least...organizing the recipes that are already in my rotation.

When deciding on a week's menu, I typically choose a poultry dish, seafood, pasta, a meatless dish or two (such as soup, stir fry, eggs...), and Friday nights are almost always either Mexican (burritos, quesadillas) or pizza.  I typically plan five meals, counting on leftovers at least one night, and one night of going out or a "quick and easy" dinner (fish sticks, mac & cheese, grilled cheese...), especially if Kevin's not home for dinner.  It changes, because our schedule changes.  Baseball nights require something fast, Kevin goes out of town or has work dinners, etc.  So I need to organize our recipes into those categories so I can strategize before each week.  I'm thinking a new binder.

In the meantime, here's a peek at what we've been eating this week...

Marinated Chicken, Rice, Grilled Asparagus
Grilling season is here!  The patio table is out, and we had our first night of dinner outside.  It was awesome.

Penne with Shrimp, Peas, and Pesto, Salad, Baguette
Sometimes categories mix, like this pasta with shrimp - which category would you put it in?  Hm.  Both boys love this and ate every single bite.  I'm thinking that makes it a 'pasta', which are often sure things.  

Cream of Broccoli Soup, Grilled Cheese
My love of veggie soups continues.  The boys did well with this, although it's not a favorite.  I want to try this one next time.  

Vegetable Frittata with Roasted Potatoes and Garlic
I actually didn't have green beans, so I used asparagus instead.  I also cooked this in the afternoon so it was ready to go for our early before-baseball dinner.  It was still good for Kevin's after-baseball dinner.  

Homemade Pizza, Salad

Menu of the Week

This was my last weekend with a kitchen.  They are gutting my kitchen today, so I will be without a stove/oven/sink for the next few months.  Holy hell this is going to be hard.  In preparation, I decided that everything I made for dinner for the week leading up to the demo should make good use of the stove.  These are meals we won't be able to enjoy quite as easily for a while.  I also baked some brownies, just because. 

I'll post another "menu of the week" a few weeks down the road, so you can see how I'm managing to feed my family without a kitchen.  If any of you have good recipes that require only the use of a grill and/or microwave, please do pass them along. 

Vegetable Enchiladas, Yellow Rice
The boys still weren't fans of this.  As a result, I don't think I'll be making enchiladas again for a while.  Kevin and I enjoyed it, though, and I do love being able to pull a homemade meal out of the freezer.

Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Onions, and Mushrooms, Asparagus
Always a favorite, and it makes the house smell so good.

Pesto Orecchiette with Chicken Sausage, Salad
This one was ridiculously easy and well-liked by everyone.  Success!  With a burner on the grill, I could actually make this type of meal this summer too. 

Thai Vegetable Curry, Brown Rice
I used this recipe as an outline, but curry is one of those things that you make up based on what you have available.  I had green curry, and bottled ginger, and the veggies I used were carrots, green beans, button mushrooms, and zucchini.  I also decreased the broth quite a bit and served it with brown rice.  I made it pretty mild in an effort to get my kids to try it - Nathan wouldn't, but Aaron liked the sauce and ate a ton of mushrooms with his rice and leftover chicken.  I loved it, and I'm looking forward to leftovers for lunch.

What To Make for Dinner...

photos via here, here, here, and here

...when you don't know what to make for dinner.  I'm sure we all have a list of these.  Stand-by meals.  The ones we always have the ingredients for, the ones we make when we're feeling lazy or just don't have the energy to pull something new together.  Here is what's on my list:

• Quesadillas - I always have tortillas, black beans, and cheese (I keep shredded cheese in the freezer) on hand.  I add to that whatever I might need to use up - half a red pepper, cilantro, corn... 
• Pasta - This is on everyone's list, right?  There's nothing easier than pasta and sauce.  When I make sauce, I try to freeze half.  Also another easy dish in which to throw any extra veggies.
• Soup and Grilled Cheese - I always freeze half of my homemade soups, so I often have soup I can pull out to enjoy, but I am certainly not above opening a can of Progresso either.  Tomato Basil is a favorite of my boys.
• Breakfast - My husband is not a fan of breakfast for dinner, but my boys and I often enjoy eggs or pancakes when he's traveling. 
• Pizza - I always used to make my own pizzas, but I've chosen to enjoy ordering pizza as an easy way of taking a night off of cooking dinner for the family.  We do this once or twice a month.  Although...I've also recently enjoyed making mini-pizzas on whole wheat english muffins.  Top with a little sauce, fresh mozzarella, and any veggies you might need to use up.  
• Paninis - Hot sandwiches (ham/turkey and cheese, tuna melt...) are another easy option.  I've made these more often since I got a nice big grill pan.  Serve with fresh fruit or soup.
• Pierogies - I often have a box of these in the freezer.  I typically serve with cinnamon apples, so I usually choose this when I have a few apples that need to be used up.  And peas, which brings me to vegetables...

It is easy to keep lots of fresh veggies in the house in the summertime, but I find it to be more difficult in the colder months.  I always have potatoes, onions, and carrots; and the three veggies I always keep in my freezer are corn, peas, and chopped broccoli.  They are super easy to microwave and add to any of these quick meals.  They are also vegetables that my boys will eat.

So now I'm curious...What's on your dinner stand-by list?

Menu of the Week

images via cooking light, martha stewart, and stephmodo

I haven't done one of these in a while.  I've been in a rut.  But one of the many benefits of having a blog is that I have a place to store all the recipes I like, so when I need some inspiration, I don't have far to go!  I scrolled through our family favorites and picked out a few recipes.   I also knew I wanted to use up some sausage that's been in the freezer for a while, so I went to Stephmodo for ideas.  Her blog is always great, and I especially like it for mealtime inspiration.  She didn't let me down - she had the perfect recipe for me.

Here's a look at what we ate last week:

Almost Meatless Sloppy Joes, Garden Salad
I continue my efforts to keep meat to a minimum.  I used ground turkey in these sloppy joes to make them even healthier.  I'm sure beef would've been tastier, but I thought they were pretty good this way.  I liked having lettuce on my sandwich as well for a little extra crunch.  My boys did well with these too.

Ginger-Soy Chicken Thighs, Scallion Rice, Spinach
The boys love this chicken.  I didn't attempt to serve them spinach, though.  That was for me and K - they had steamed carrots.  

Vegetable Enchiladas, Saffron Rice
This is only my second time making these, and I will definitely start making them at least a couple times a year.  It's a great recipe, because it makes two pans, so it's easy to do what I did - serve one and put one in the freezer.  I love making two meals at once!  Also love that it's veggie, and my boys ate all of it.  I will say, however, that the sauce recipe needs a little tinkering - I haven't quite figured it out.   I think it may just need to be doubled, because the flavor is good - it just doesn't make enough for my taste.  I added a can of enchilada sauce to it, and it was perfect.  

Rigatoni with Zucchini and Sausage, Garden Salad
Can't go wrong with pasta and fresh parmesan.  I had been wanting to use up some sausage, so this was perfect.  I loved how easy this was, and it was a great weeknight dinner.  My big boy did really well with it, but my little guy opted for some spaghetti sauce on his.  

For the Love of Ice Cream

via Gayana Etsy shop

Love this.  I am an enormous ice cream lover, so it fits perfectly.  Speaking of, I have some bananas foster and chocolate chocolate chip calling to me now...

Oooooh, how good do these look?

Right?  Add these to my must-try list.  It's another way of using those browning bananas instead of just automatically resorting to banana bread.  It's basically bananas, coated in chocolate, rolled in goodies, and frozen.  Super yum.  Can't wait to try them!  View the recipe here.

*image via Framed

Cherries!

*Image from Martha Stewart

As you know, it's cherry season, and the big boy loves cherries.  The little boy is starting to love them, too.  What I don't love is having to pit them.  What a pain!  Enter this OXO Olive & Cherry Pitter.  I am truly not a gadget girl, but I think I must have this one.  Problem is, my birthday and Mother's Day are already behind us.  Hm.  I think I may just have to get it for myself.  I'll earn it by picking my own cherries at the farm and making a cherry something.  Here are a few recipes that have caught my eye:

Fresh Cherry Tart - I'm such a sucker for tarts
Cherry Lemonade - I have a big bag of lemons just waiting to be turned into lemonade.  Adding cherries would make it extra special, don't you think?
Cherry Pie - I've never made a cherry pie before.  Perhaps it's time to give it a try?
Seared Chicken Salad with Cherries and Goat Cheese Dressing - Yum. 

Pops!

I am determined to fill our summer weekends with fun.  I know the summers fly by, and while I adore lazy afternoons, I also want to make sure we take full advantage of the warm sunny days.  I am working on filling our calendar - some big things like our upcoming beach vacation, but mostly small things like visiting our local farmer's market, filling up the kiddie pool, and making homemade ice pops.  

I just got these  Rocket Pop Molds, and I am psyched to try some fun recipes.  I almost got this book, but then I found out all the recipes are online anyway.  I then stumbled across some other fun ideas, such as lemon yogurt with raspberries, mango orange popsicles, strawberry yogurt popsicles...  There are so many!  I know I'll have fun finding different combinations of fruit, yogurt, juice.  I think I may have to try mango-orange first, because I already have all the ingredients and I don't want to wait any longer!

Looking Past the Children's Menu

I read this article in the NY Times yesterday.  It's essentially an interview with a restaurant owner, but he talks about how important the family time associated with having dinner is to him.  He has vowed never to have a kid's menu at his restaurant, and he has always made his kids try new things.  The article struck close to home. 

I have always complained about children's menus.  Although they can be convenient and less expensive, can't they come up with something a bit more imaginative than chicken fingers?  I don't like to be wasteful, but they could also at least offer some real fruit or vegetable.  Some kids actually do eat fruits and veggies.  Or perhaps offer a smaller version of regular menu items. 

When we went on vacation to Puerto Rico, it was a challenge to find decent food for the big boy, but the best meals he had were at restaurants without a children's menu.  We went to Morton's, and he split a lobster tail, broccoli, and mashed potatoes with me.  Now that's a meal!  As my husband and I like to say, the presence of a children's menu is not what makes a restaurant kid-friendly.  Any restaurant can be kid-friendly at 5:30.  Morton's didn't have crayons or plastic cups or even small plates, but they had no problem serving us, and we enjoyed a nice meal. 

It's interesting how everyone has a different philosophy about food.  I am sure it goes back to the way we were raised.  I very clearly remember holding my nose while taking my required "just one bite" of beets.  Man, I hated beets!  But now I'm happy my mom made me try them.  I am determined to avoid having super picky kids, and of course I want them to be healthy, so I work really hard to provide a good variety of foods.  Sometimes the big boy gobbles it up; sometimes he crosses his arms and looks at me like I'm crazy.  Usually it's somewhere in-between.  My rule is that he just has to try everything on his plate.  If he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to finish it.  Every night is different, but I just keep trying.  It's not easy, but we've made a ton of progress, and now my three-year-old is eating a pretty wide variety of foods.  I am confident that he'll grow up to enjoy different tastes and textures; and even if he doesn't appreciate it now, I am also confident he'll grow up to thank me for having him try.

All of these pictures are from last Summer.  It was a vacation week at home with my sister and brother-in-law visiting, and we were particularly adventurous in our cooking.  We had lots of really great meals.  In the second picture, the big boy is excited about mussels!  That one surprised me.  He was fascinated by the lobster, as we all were.  I've found that involving him in the preparation really helps, too.  He's so much more likely to want to try something after he's helped prepare it.  

I'm Hungry

Are there certain food combinations that call out to you any time you look at a menu?  I can look at a menu and know what my husband will order.  He's a meat guy, though, so it's easy.  I am probably pretty predictable, too.  I tend to be drawn towards particular flavor combinations.  Here's a glimpse of the flavor combinations that make my mouth water...

What flavor combinations are your favorites?

Tomatoes and Basil

(only in the summertime, though - nothing beats fresh tomatoes and basil!  That's why my mom's Summer Ziti is one of my favorite meals ever.)

Fig and Proscuitto and Blue Cheese

Goat Cheese and Lemon and Asparagus

(Goat Cheese and anything, really!)

Raspberry and Almond

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate

Raspberry and Almond and Dark Chocolate!

Banana and Caramel