This Week's Meatless Meals

Another week of (almost) meatless eating!

Twice we ate with other people this week, so we ate what they served us, including the leftovers (my father-in-law sent us home with a HUGE amount of lasagna that made lunches for four days). Rather than being legalistic I simply have focused on preparing meatless dinners on the weekdays when we're home, and avoiding meat myself for lunch unless there are leftovers or something that needs to be eaten. (We often eat meatless lunches around here anyway.)



Saturday: Lasagna at Keith's dad's house.

Sunday: French dip sandwiches (loosely based on the Pioneer Woman's recipe) and a salad.

Monday: Tortellini with alfredo sauce, asparagus.

Tuesday: Cream of broccoli soup from this cookbook, with bread from Loafer's.

Wednesday: Chinese takeout with my family, for my brother's birthday. And birthday cake of course. ;) (I made it from a mix, which I basically never do, but I made chocolate swiss meringue buttercream to go with it, and it was delicious.)

Thursday: Salmon en papillote, with spinach and cream, served over couscous with feta. This sounds super complicated but it's so simple! I learned how to cook salmon this way while I had this cookbook out from the library, and none of the recipes I found online were quite what I remembered, so I fudged it and it turned out fine.

Friday: Enchilada pie. Was planning on making clam chowder, but I decided 1) I need more potatoes to go in it, and 2) I'd like to serve it with bread, and it was too late in the day to make it. So change of plans!

Saturday: We are having guests! The french dip sandwiches were a trial run for serving them, so we'll be repeating those.

Lenten Eating: Meatless Meals and Penitential Shopping.

This Lent, I am trying to do two things with our eating. First, I am only shopping at Aldi, which is ... not my favorite. I love the Market District, with its huge selection of international foods, gourmet chocolate, and massive produce section. (And people who bag your groceries for you.) What I don't get at Aldi, I will try to buy locally--bread from the baker's, coffee from the local roaster, fresh fish from Wholey's. And my beloved Market District will be a last resort for things I can't get elsewhere.

I meant to go to a local market this afternoon but found that I'd forgotten my shopping list, so rather than getting all the kids out of the car into severely cold weather with certain knowledge I'd forget half the things I needed ...I got some fresh challah at the bakery (and a free slice of cinnamon bread for Michael!), and then some whole bean coffee from a local chain in the same plaza. The coffee I remembered, because my coffee jar looked like this.

And that was yesterday. I don't think it's a coincidence I took a long nap today while the kids slept ... something I never do!


I'm also trying to cook mostly meatless meals this Lent. Right now my plans are to cook with meat on Sundays, and perhaps one other day during the week.

I'm going to try not to rely too heavily on dairy, partly because Keith is sensitive to it, but when I typed out the meals we've had this week they all included cheese or cream in some form.

Here's what we've eaten so far:


Ash Wednesday: homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese on sourdough

Thursday: risotto with peas and mushrooms

Friday: carrot, apple, and ginger soup with salad and fresh challah :)



Some old standbys I anticipate using (some of which are also listed in this post):


Sweet potato and black bean tacos (this recipe makes a lot and everyone here loves it)

Mujadara

Meatless pizza (I know! Dairy! But there's also this which is completely amazing)

Enchilada pie

Fried rice



And some new recipes I'm looking forward to trying:


Squash, lentils, and goat cheese

French onion soup

Clam chowder

Soups from this cookbook

Little things for Lent.

Every Tuesday a Fat Tuesday.

The phrase wryly crossed my mind as I made pancakes for breakfast this morning. For "second breakfast," actually. I had already had my oatmeal, Keith whatever he'd eaten, and Michael his fruit and cereal. It was quite indulgent.

But the day had gotten off to a pretty bad start. I couldn't undo that, but I hoped perhaps to do something about it, to take control through an offering of something sweet and filling (because if pancakes don't bring happiness, then what food can?) and point my day in a better direction.

I felt the need to refocus; I ate pancakes. See? Fat Tuesday. (Okay, it's not that clever. I'm just telling you what was in my head.)

Although I'm still figuring out a few details about my Lent, I've never been this at peace about it as I am this year. I think largely because I can't change much about my life right now. I knew from the beginning that I couldn't give up the little material things that get me through the day--coffee (NOT black, thankyouverymuch), a secret stash of chocolate, reading fiction (which I thought of giving up but then ... it just isn't possible). The thought of it discouraged me in my very bones. Nor could I really take on very much in terms of extra prayer or other commitments. I am chronically sleep-deprived (think one three-hour stretch of unbroken sleep on the best of nights) and even though I'm sure I could squeeze in, say, a decade of the rosary every, the brain cells ... they just aren't functioning at that level.

In fact I may have had a few moments where I thought wryly in God's direction, "My LIFE is Lent right now!" And you know, that could be true--in the best way possible. My vocation right now lies precisely in living out these days in such a way that they point towards Christ. Tiredness and impatience (mostly with myself) are going to be a part of my days no matter what; but they can go beyond a mere exercise in frustration and be part of a path to holiness.

So for Lent I've tried to choose a few things to make that path a little straighter--easier to see, easier to follow.


1. Abstaining from the internet until Michael's naptime. After that I may use it at will. I have to laugh because Keith got me a new tablet literally two days before Lent started thus making internet usage that much easier/more tempting ... but I've found that starting the day without it does so much in making the rest of the time smoother. We--the boys and I--are all in a more peaceful place. And I find myself enjoying my children much more! This definitely feels like a fast, but I don't feel frustrated or isolated because it still leaves me plenty of time to do what I "need" to do online. (Although it is a large part of why I haven't been posting here or commenting on other people's blogs ...)

2. Making the bed every day. This usually doesn't get done til after 11. But it is a bit of order that wasn't there before.

3. Reading this book.


Pretty simple. No bright halos around here. But a little more peace, and a little more attentiveness.

Pre-Lenten Pondering

Oh geez. I committed myself to Jen's seven posts in seven days challenge. On a week where I'm finishing up an editorial session (which I'm badly behind on), celebrating a family birthday, and visiting more people than average. (Seriously, some weeks I'm home alone the whole time, but somehow this week I'm going out or have someone over almost ever day!) I had this idea it would help me prepare for Lent somehow ...? Something about discipline.

Anyway, this is my largely unedited stream of thought. Not very disciplined, but there you go.

So, Lent. Keith has asked that we give up dessert as a family, so we'll be doing that. But I am still figuring out what I ought to do for myself.

Last Lent I put a lot of effort into organizing my homemaking. I planned meals and kept a close budget while shopping, and stuck to a loose routine in my housekeeping chores. And it was great. (And then I got pregnant and tired and it all sort of fell apart again. :-P) I feel like I need something similar this year--NOT the meal-planning, chore-organizing sort of thing, because I am just not there yet. But something that helps me figure out where my focus needs to be as a wife, mother, and homemaker. That helps my life feel purposeful and a little less scattered and frantic.

I don't mean the busyness that comes naturally from having littles, because that is part of where I'm at; but how to live where I'm at in a way that opens the door to grace and growth in holiness and love of God. I feel that Lent is the ideal time to "make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed." So how can I make living my vocation at this stage in life easier and more fruitful?

I have a couple ideas, but one that's giving me some puzzlement is the idea of harnessing my time in the morning. The reality is that for most of the day I have little control over my day's structure. I try to keep mealtimes and bedtimes in order, but all it takes is one screaming child to throw things off! I have long felt that getting up before my offspring would help me so much, in practical and psychological ways--having that time to pray, read, or just sit with a cup of coffee before the day makes its demands. But there are two problems. First, I wake up every morning in the middle of a baby sandwich. When I move and take my body heat away with me, it's only a matter of time before the babies wake up. Second (and more important?), sleep is still a very precious commodity around here. I truly don't feel lazy in wanting to grab every moment of it I can!

So ... do I just tough it out and get up a half hour or fifteen minutes earlier anyways? Or commit to something lighter like saying a morning offering in bed with a baby sleeping on either side? Anyone have any other ideas...?

Unquick Takes ...?

I missed 7 Quick Takes because I am fasting from the internet on Fridays (although I may have checked Facebook in the evening. ahem.), but I had some bite-sized thoughts, so I figured I'd go ahead and post them quick-takes style. There aren't seven of them. But they're kind of chunky, so I guess it balances out. ;)

1. The past two nights Michael has "bonded" with an object or toy at bedtime, which he then refuses to be separated from throughout his nighttime routine. He does have a stuffed monkey that he cuddles with when it's time to sleep, but these have been random things. Two nights ago it was a road sign from a Brio set, which I made the mistake of taking from him when we settled down to nurse. Many tears ensued. Last night it was a baby hairbrush I gave him to play with while I changed his diaper. He held onto it throughout the diaper change and as I got him in his pajamas. He chewed it while Keith read his bedtime stories to him, and used it instead of his fingers to stroke the animals in his touch-and-feel book. I didn't take it from him while he nursed; since he couldn't suck on it at the same time, he decided that it should go in my mouth. We said goodnight to Keith, and then Keith was required to nom it. When we said goodnight to the Blessed Mother statue and picture of the Sacred Heart, instead of patting them like he normally does, he tapped them with his hairbrush. I think he would have snuggled up with it in his crib if I hadn't coaxed it away and replaced it with his monkey.

2. Recently one of the secretaries at the Oratory contacted me asking if I wanted to do some basic data entry work for them. I was just thinking that I'm at a point now where I have time to do something extra (especially since Michael STILL isn't moving around ... we're pretty sure at this point he's going to skip crawling altogether), so it's a great way to bring in a little extra money. More than I expected it to, actually. What a blessing. :)

3. I have all these intentions to write posts about Lent, but never sit down to put effort into writing them. I think it's some combination of laziness and lack of confidence. Which about sums up my writing life of late. I am applying to a fellowship, which is an act of faith for me of sorts. I don't expect to get it (although it would be PERFECT; I really admire Greg Wolfe and his work with Image), but if I did? To be honest, I think my first reaction would be sheer terror. Hehe. Anyway, applying is an action that I am taking, and while I do care about whether or not I get accepted, I see the true point of that action being simply to move, to break free at least a little out of this post-grad-school inertia. (I almost typed post-partum. But you know, I think it has much more to do with just feeling burnt out from academia ... and feeling like I am not as amazing as an MFA was supposed to make me.)

4. I missed the yarn along too, so I'm going to ramble about knitting a bit. I had a spare skein of Malabrigo Sock lying around, so I decided to participate in Malabrigo March. Any opportunity to win yarn is one I'm willing to jump at. ;) I'm knitting Poe from Corrina Ferguson's Seven Sonnets collection. I love pattern collections that are built around a theme or concept, and one that's built around poems? Yes!

I've also signed up for a class on triangular shawl design at Natural Stitches in April. I am pretty excited about this class. It cost a little more than I'd anticipated (I think because it's being taught by a well known designer), but luckily I already have all the supplies I need except graph paper. My only concern is that I won't learn anything that I haven't already from the Craftsy course. We'll see.

5. As part of Lent, I've been keeping careful track of how much we spend on groceries, and how much each meal costs us. I know we can spend less than we do and I'm trying to figure out how to do that. This week, we ate out twice--once for a friend's birthday, and once for brunch on Sunday. I knew that eating out cost more than eating at home of course, but I didn't realize how MUCH more. Yikes. It was pretty amazing having a night off from making dinner, but the cost kind of stressed me out.