Chicken Bake Samm

I am a day behind on my blogging and when I mentioned this to my boyfriend he had no sympathy for me. Am I addicted? According to my girlfriends the answer is yes. Regardless, it is fun. So here is dinner from yesterday:

Check back for the recipes for the chicken and asparagus...

Lasagna was a hit

The lasagna turned out well. No complaints. No rave reviews either. Joshua was very helpful in saying what he liked and some things that might make it taste better next time. I was happy to have used 3 jars of tomato sauce that had been in my garage on a shelf for several months. All of the other items were purchased for this meal. Except for a can of pears that took the place of our usual strawberries in the family salad. I liked the salad. Audrey liked the pears. And the birthday cake (thanks Leah and Rhonda!) Here is a picture of Audrey's plate:

Another day, two more items down

Another not so great day at Chez Audrey. I really should call it something else but we did buy the house because I was pregnant with her and we needed more room. It has been her house ever since. poor Maurene. Back to the point; Audrey did not nap today. When I asked for help making the salad at dinner she refused and decided instead to move all of the Tupperware to the bottom of her sister's excersaucer. I was able to make dinner but it was not great. I am, however, feeling pretty good about slowly emptying out the stockpile of items taking up space in the pantry and freezer.
When we get low enough Joshua and I have decided to start making better choices about how we spend our food budget. First, we are going to purchase a half share at Mellowfields Urban Farm here in beautiful Lawrence, Kansas. Second, we will buy what we can from The Farmer's Market and The Merc (our local Co-Op.) And last, we will purchase from companies we know to have ethical business practices. We are prepared to spend a little more and know that our dollars are speaking for us.

The wagon left us at the station

There are days when everyone naps, we have no meltdowns, and the kitchen is clean. Then there are days like today. When we have those days I make pancakes. Today we used the recipe from Deceptively Delicious for Pink Pancakes. Audrey loved them. She had seconds. Daddy knew what was in them and elected to have leftover lasagna. I thought they tasted fine. We had them with butter and powdered sugar.

No leftovers

Tonight I made a family favorite: Tuna Noodle Casserole (called Tuna Hotdish in Joshua's family) and there are no leftovers. Usually a recipe makes four to six servings so we always have extra. I guess the family liked it.

Audrey enjoyed her eggs for breakfast and even tried a pea at dinner. We had to substitute granola bars for cheese at snack time because daddy ate all the cheese last night. Another good day. On a  more somber note: Joshua sent me an article on middle age women and obesity. I think he is trying to be funny about my birthday. I have been going to the gym a little recently but I do not get in an hour every day. Might have to add to that so I do not become one of those overweight middle aged women.
P.S. After all my planning and two trips to the store I still forgot to pick up cream of mushroom soup for tonight's dinner.

Happiness is a good meal

Week one is off to a good start. After I commented that the pizza was very good Audrey said, "Because I made it." She is two and has a wonderful sense of self worth. I have purchased (almost) everything we need for our meals this week plus diapers, dishwasher soap, and toilet paper and am just a little over my $40 plan (I used coupons, thanks Jenn!) The only remaining tasks are to clean and organize the fridge so that leftovers are easily viewable and fresh vegetables are prepped. One problem with all of the this cooking is that now I have a lot of dishes to load in the dishwasher. But I am fat and happy. Here is a picture of Audrey's meal: