Week one

Week one had its ups and downs as can be expected when you take on a new challenge.  All things  considered, it has been quite successful.  I am still working to tweak the produce allowance as $5 is not going to cut it for this health seeking  chica, but I think $10 to $15 should suffice as we do have a ton of canned fruits and vegetables compliments of my sisters and my mom.  I never really mastered the art of canning.  I can run for a very long time unassisted and without overextending myself, but when it comes to preparing canned goods and having them taste good (or be edible at all), one of my family members had better be involved or there is no hope. 

I of course believe in complete disclosure, so you will hear about my failures just as much as my successes.  That said, we did eat at McDonalds twice in the past week (which is actually a record for us we rarely eat there), but hold your horses it isn't as bad as it sounds.  Well I guess it is as bad as it sounds we ate lunch there on Saturday and Dinner there last night, but with good reason.  In Fremont (the town I grew up in and where my parents still reside) there is a Mc Donalds with a playland.  When we get all the kids (minus the newborn breastfed neice) together these day (6 in total and the oldest is 7 while the youngest turns two today) it is a bit crazy to say the least.   Imagine a circus act gone terribly wrong or a kindergarten class... unsupervised and you will have some idea of what we are dealing with when we get together nowadays.  So we have found that McDonalds  (which is my very least favorite restuarant) is a wonderful place to take them to burn off energy.  They play for an hour or two and then sleep like never before when we get them back home.  It is priceless these days so I find myself reluctantly enjoying McDonalds in a way I never imagined possible.  My mom, sister and I can sit and leisurely enjoy a cup of coffee while they play (with much less fighting than if we were at home I might add) and the kids think it is the greatest gift ever!

Successes from the past week include:  Eating farm fresh eggs on several occasions and using up hashbrowns that had been in the freezer a very long time; Cooking a free range, farm fresh chicken and I am using up the leftovers to make Chicken Tetrazzini tonight. Of course, using up the old instant mashed potatoes and the very random produce that was left in the fridge when I cleaned it were the best two moments thus far, but I am sure there are more successes awaiting me around the corner!

Tonight I am hosting a super fun Origami Owl party so if you attending no worries I had a bunch of Tastefully simple dips in the cupboard so they are on the menu tonight along with one more cheat I bought us yesterday Shrimp and Lime Empanadas and they are delicious!  Hope to see some of you here 6:30 tonight (if you are running late still stop by we are more of an openhouse style gig) the basement has been labeled the kid zone so if kids are an issue bring them along!

Vern out