Monday:
B: Cereal and fruit
L: Leftovers
D: Chicken merlot with mushrooms (crock pot)
Tuesday:
B: Omletes
L: tuna salad and carrot sticks
D: Leftovers
Wednesday:
B: Overnight apple and raisin oatmeal (crock pot)
L: Leftovers
D: Vegan Lasagna
Thursday:
B: Pancakes and applesauce
L: Leftovers
D: Hibachi chicken and shrimp
Friday:
B: Muffins and fruit
L: Crab cake sandwich
D: Vegan "black death" wrap
Saturday:
B: Eggs and toast
L: Leftovers
D: Sticky chicken and rice
Sunday:
B: Cereal and fruit bars
L: Leftovers
D: Leftovers
Friday, March 27, 2009
A day in the life...
In this video you'll see Gabe, the tattle-tale diner, the game of "lets reorganize the pantry," children launching themselves onto bean bag chairs and more random moments of our daily life. Enjoy.
More on baking bread
At the request of a friend, I recorded the process of forming the dough into a ball and then into a loaf.
At this point in the process, my dough had already risen and been separated into 2 portions. The way that I'm forming the dough ball here is the same technique you will use to form the dough for the first rise, and also if you desire to make dinner rolls or hamburger buns. (Though you will want to pinch the bottom of the dough ball together tightly and roll it around to smooth out wrinkles on the bottom.)
At this point in the process, my dough had already risen and been separated into 2 portions. The way that I'm forming the dough ball here is the same technique you will use to form the dough for the first rise, and also if you desire to make dinner rolls or hamburger buns. (Though you will want to pinch the bottom of the dough ball together tightly and roll it around to smooth out wrinkles on the bottom.)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
23 weeks
Right now I have a good amount of energy and, for the most part, only a few annoying pregnancy symptoms. My sciatica has been acting up a bit and getting a good night's sleep can be a challenge, but overall I feel great!
Small Successes
1. All major furniture moving that can happen now has happened. We've rearranged our room to make space for the desk and have actually found the new setup quite cozy. I love my room now. Yay!
2. I found a good, affordable pair of dress shoes for Addie at Target. Finally, she can wear dresses again (without looking ridiculous in sneakers or freezing her toes off in sandals.)
3. Steve and I went to the Sysco food show yesterday and got some great ideas (and literature with ordering forms) for the restaurant. I've never seen so many vendors or so much food in one place!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Meal Plan Monday
Monday:
B: Bacon and egg biscuits
L: Leftovers
D: Pasta E Fagioli
Tuesday:
B: Baked Oatmeal
L: Leftovers
D: Chicken Burritos
Wednesday:
B: Cheesy Fried Potatoes
L: Taco Salad
D: Chick peas and veggies with brown rice
Thursday:
B: Cereal and fruit
L: Leftovers
D: Leftovers
Friday:
B: Muffins and applesauce
L: Crab cake sandwich
D: German Potato Soup / Grilled cheese
Saturday:
B: Blueberry and cream cheese french toast
L: Leftovers
D: BBQ chicken over baked potatoes with steamed veggies
Sunday:
B: Cereal and fruit bars
L: BBQ chicken pizza
D: Chicken and dumplings (my great-grandmothers recipe)
B: Bacon and egg biscuits
L: Leftovers
D: Pasta E Fagioli
Tuesday:
B: Baked Oatmeal
L: Leftovers
D: Chicken Burritos
Wednesday:
B: Cheesy Fried Potatoes
L: Taco Salad
D: Chick peas and veggies with brown rice
Thursday:
B: Cereal and fruit
L: Leftovers
D: Leftovers
Friday:
B: Muffins and applesauce
L: Crab cake sandwich
D: German Potato Soup / Grilled cheese
Saturday:
B: Blueberry and cream cheese french toast
L: Leftovers
D: BBQ chicken over baked potatoes with steamed veggies
Sunday:
B: Cereal and fruit bars
L: BBQ chicken pizza
D: Chicken and dumplings (my great-grandmothers recipe)
Friday, March 20, 2009
Mind over clutter
Deep in the trenches of clearing out our spare room, I found this blog post encouraging me to do what I know needs to be done. Just get rid of it already!
A dear friend came over yesterday and helped me clear out the spare closet. I had been dreading this task for a year, at least. The longer I put off doing it, the bigger the undertaking seemed to be. We were sitting in the room, discussing all the changes to be made and de-cluttering still to do, and I mentioned my anxiety over clearing out the closet. After taking a quick a look and pronouncing that it wouldn't be as bad as I was expecting, she pulled out a single item and said, "What would you do with this?" Good Will, I said. She dropped it in the box, and stepped back to the closet for another item. Attic, was the determination and in the box it went. In the course of the next 30-40 minutes we had filled up 2 bags of trash and allocated all remaining items to their appropriate sorting boxes. I think I knew all along that the job wasn't as overwhelming as it seemed to be, I just needed some help getting started.
"Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task."
-William James
A dear friend came over yesterday and helped me clear out the spare closet. I had been dreading this task for a year, at least. The longer I put off doing it, the bigger the undertaking seemed to be. We were sitting in the room, discussing all the changes to be made and de-cluttering still to do, and I mentioned my anxiety over clearing out the closet. After taking a quick a look and pronouncing that it wouldn't be as bad as I was expecting, she pulled out a single item and said, "What would you do with this?" Good Will, I said. She dropped it in the box, and stepped back to the closet for another item. Attic, was the determination and in the box it went. In the course of the next 30-40 minutes we had filled up 2 bags of trash and allocated all remaining items to their appropriate sorting boxes. I think I knew all along that the job wasn't as overwhelming as it seemed to be, I just needed some help getting started.
"Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task."
-William James
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Baking Bread
I am by no means an expert baker, but have been working at this recipe for several months now and have had consistently tasty results. Here is a tutorial for making plain white sandwich bread. This recipe makes enough dough for 2 loaves, but you could also make dinner rolls or hamburger buns. This time, I made one loaf and 10 dinner rolls.
In the bowl of a stand mixer combine 1 Tbsp active dry yeast and 2 Tbsp sugar. To this, add 1 3/4 cup rice milk (you can use regular, I'm just a non dairy gal) that has been heated to between 100 and 110 degrees. (Too cool and the yeast wont activate. Too hot and you'll kill it.)
Whisk until yeast is dissolved, then add just over 3 Tbsp of vegetable oil, whisk again. Let this sit for 5 minutes so the yeast has time to activate. It should look bubbly and frothy.
While the yeast is activating, weigh out 1 lb 8 oz of bread flour and measure 2 1/4 tsp of sea salt. After the yeast has activated, add around 1 cup of flour and the salt and turn mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) to the lowest speed to incorporate. Then slowly add remaining flour, or as much as it takes to clean the side of the bowl. (I usually will have to add more, depending on humidity, up to 1/3 cup.) Pay attention to how much dough is sticking to the sides and underneath the paddle.
Remove the paddle and switch to the dough hook. Start mixer back on lowest speed and add another sprinkling of flour if needed. (It might not seem like much, but you can see the difference between how clean the bowl is with the paddle and how clean it is with the dough hook. You want a nice shiny bowl with nothing sticking to the sides.) Turn mixer up to medium speed and knead for 5 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. The easiest way to do this is to pull the sides together toward the back. Rotate, and repeat, so you're stretching the dough around to one point (the bottom of the ball.) The skin should be smooth and elastic with no tears. Pinch the dough together on the bottom to seal and gently shape. Transfer to a large, generously oiled bowl and cover tightly with saran wrap then a tea towel. Place in the oven (which is off) along with a shallow dish of steaming hot water. Allow to rise for one hour.
After the dough has doubled in size, punch down and remove from bowl. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Gently work in your hands to remove excess air bubbles and form into a rough ball shape. Weigh the dough, then cut into 2 equal portions. Take one portion and repeat process of forming a ball to get the nice, tight smooth skin on top. Put this side of the ball down on your work surface. Using your fingers, gently press into a rectangle, about the length and width of a 9x5 bread pan. Working lengthwise, tightly roll the dough and pinch the seam to close. Turn ends under and pinch to close. Place in bread pan sprayed with cooking oil. Cover with a damp tea towel and place in your microwave with a cup of steaming water. Let rise 45 minutes.
Take second portion and divide into 2 oz portions (I ended up with 10.) Gently form each portion into the same ball as before, being sure to tightly pinch the bottom to close. Place ball on unfloured surface, cup your hands over top and roll until skin is tight. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, enclose in a plastic bag and let rise for 15 minutes.
Bake rolls at 375 degrees for around 15 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure you still have steaming water in your oven, they will continue to rise while baking.
After removing your rolls increase oven temp to 400 degrees. Put bread in oven (check that steaming water again!) and bake for 20-30 minutes or until browned. (Mine is usually done in just over 20.) Remove bread from pan asap and let cool on cooling rack. (To check doneness, tap on the bottom of the loaf, it should sound hollow.) Allow to rest at least 5 minutes before cutting.
And that's it! Hot, fresh and delicious. (I know there are are several steps, but each step in itself is very easy. I usually am able to make this while the kids are up and running around without a problem.) Let the bread cool completely then wrap in saran wrap, or better yet, stick in an old grocery store bread bag.
In the bowl of a stand mixer combine 1 Tbsp active dry yeast and 2 Tbsp sugar. To this, add 1 3/4 cup rice milk (you can use regular, I'm just a non dairy gal) that has been heated to between 100 and 110 degrees. (Too cool and the yeast wont activate. Too hot and you'll kill it.)
Whisk until yeast is dissolved, then add just over 3 Tbsp of vegetable oil, whisk again. Let this sit for 5 minutes so the yeast has time to activate. It should look bubbly and frothy.
While the yeast is activating, weigh out 1 lb 8 oz of bread flour and measure 2 1/4 tsp of sea salt. After the yeast has activated, add around 1 cup of flour and the salt and turn mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) to the lowest speed to incorporate. Then slowly add remaining flour, or as much as it takes to clean the side of the bowl. (I usually will have to add more, depending on humidity, up to 1/3 cup.) Pay attention to how much dough is sticking to the sides and underneath the paddle.
Remove the paddle and switch to the dough hook. Start mixer back on lowest speed and add another sprinkling of flour if needed. (It might not seem like much, but you can see the difference between how clean the bowl is with the paddle and how clean it is with the dough hook. You want a nice shiny bowl with nothing sticking to the sides.) Turn mixer up to medium speed and knead for 5 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. The easiest way to do this is to pull the sides together toward the back. Rotate, and repeat, so you're stretching the dough around to one point (the bottom of the ball.) The skin should be smooth and elastic with no tears. Pinch the dough together on the bottom to seal and gently shape. Transfer to a large, generously oiled bowl and cover tightly with saran wrap then a tea towel. Place in the oven (which is off) along with a shallow dish of steaming hot water. Allow to rise for one hour.
After the dough has doubled in size, punch down and remove from bowl. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Gently work in your hands to remove excess air bubbles and form into a rough ball shape. Weigh the dough, then cut into 2 equal portions. Take one portion and repeat process of forming a ball to get the nice, tight smooth skin on top. Put this side of the ball down on your work surface. Using your fingers, gently press into a rectangle, about the length and width of a 9x5 bread pan. Working lengthwise, tightly roll the dough and pinch the seam to close. Turn ends under and pinch to close. Place in bread pan sprayed with cooking oil. Cover with a damp tea towel and place in your microwave with a cup of steaming water. Let rise 45 minutes.
Take second portion and divide into 2 oz portions (I ended up with 10.) Gently form each portion into the same ball as before, being sure to tightly pinch the bottom to close. Place ball on unfloured surface, cup your hands over top and roll until skin is tight. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, enclose in a plastic bag and let rise for 15 minutes.
Bake rolls at 375 degrees for around 15 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure you still have steaming water in your oven, they will continue to rise while baking.
After removing your rolls increase oven temp to 400 degrees. Put bread in oven (check that steaming water again!) and bake for 20-30 minutes or until browned. (Mine is usually done in just over 20.) Remove bread from pan asap and let cool on cooling rack. (To check doneness, tap on the bottom of the loaf, it should sound hollow.) Allow to rest at least 5 minutes before cutting.
And that's it! Hot, fresh and delicious. (I know there are are several steps, but each step in itself is very easy. I usually am able to make this while the kids are up and running around without a problem.) Let the bread cool completely then wrap in saran wrap, or better yet, stick in an old grocery store bread bag.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Meal Plan Monday
Most of my planning if simply for breakfast and dinner since the kids and I eat leftovers, sandwiches and veggies for lunch. This is the first plan I've completed in several months and felt an instant weight lifted off my shoulders after filling in the last day. We went shopping Saturday night and stuck to our list, knowing that impulse buys would be a waste. Such a change from just grabbing things that we like to eat, without a plan of how or when we'll use them.
Monday:
B: Scrambled eggs and toast
D: Herbed Chicken and Veggies in the crockpot
Tuesday: Bake sandwich bread
B: Oatmeal, muffins
D: Leftovers
Wednesday:
B: Cereal
D: Soft tacos
Thursday:
B: Blueberry pancakes and applesauce
D: Chicken stroganoff and steamed veggies
Friday:
B: Oatmeal, fruit bars
D: tuna salad
Saturday:
B: Omletes
D: Chicken and vegetable sauce in the crockpot with pasta
Sunday:
B: Cereal
D: Sloppy Bunnies and zucchini/squash saute
Monday:
B: Scrambled eggs and toast
D: Herbed Chicken and Veggies in the crockpot
Tuesday: Bake sandwich bread
B: Oatmeal, muffins
D: Leftovers
Wednesday:
B: Cereal
D: Soft tacos
Thursday:
B: Blueberry pancakes and applesauce
D: Chicken stroganoff and steamed veggies
Friday:
B: Oatmeal, fruit bars
D: tuna salad
Saturday:
B: Omletes
D: Chicken and vegetable sauce in the crockpot with pasta
Sunday:
B: Cereal
D: Sloppy Bunnies and zucchini/squash saute
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Small Successes
1. When a large can of food was dropped on my foot and broke my middle toe I was able to contain my response, being in front of the children, to "HHUUUUHHHNNN!!"
2. I de-cluttered the top of our clothing storage (rubbermaid drawers) and cleared out several items in our bedroom to make space for our new 14 drawer dresser arriving today. Hooray for Craigslist!
3. I've made a detailed list of all items going to the dump and readied items to go to the attic and my parents for storage. By the end of the week the spare room should be mostly empty. Huzzah!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Bald is Beautiful
Steve volunteered to shave his head to help support St. Baldrick's, the fastest growing volunteer fundraiser for kids cancer. I think there were around 230 people who got their heads shaved last night, and between them they raised over $150,000. (Sorry for the poor image quality, this was from his phone camera.)
(And yes, that's a Superman shirt Gabe is wearing. Complete with velcro tabs on the shoulders for a little red cape.)
(And yes, that's a Superman shirt Gabe is wearing. Complete with velcro tabs on the shoulders for a little red cape.)
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Now that's impressive
The Ritchey Family sang the National Anthem at the UAB Blazers vs. Memphis basketball game on Feb. 26, 2009.
Young Love
Recently, the kids have started insisting on kissing the picture in their nursery of the Christ Child and Mary in the mornings, before nap time and before bed. Addie is especially taken with the baby Jesus, pointing up at the picture and making the sign for and saying Jesus (Dee-sa.) She gently kisses baby Jesus and then lays down on her belly to kiss Mary's feet. Gabe is more taken with their Patron Saints, St. Irene and St. Gabriel. There's a lot of love in that room.
Friday, March 6, 2009
It's a girl!
Meet Little Miss Flutterbump!
Profile with leg extended
Face shot (left hand up by the face) and profile together
Baby foot
Profile with leg extended
Face shot (left hand up by the face) and profile together
Baby foot
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Celebrating the Small Stuff
Small Successes for the week:
1. I cleaned out and organized my pantry. Tossing items that we were never going to use and ones that had passed their expiration date. Finally, I can see what we have at a glance. Hopefully, this will help me start menu planning again.
2. I have pulled out the Home Organizer I made several months ago and started to put it to use again. During my first trimester I was thankful just to be able to keep everyone happy, fed, and in clean clothes. Now that I've got my energy back I can get back to my routine of weekly cleaning and maintenance. I've also updated my to do lists, weekly schedule, and master grocery list.
3. I've made headway in cleaning out and de-cluttering our spare room. We have about 4 months to get this room completely cleared out and transformed into the twins new room, so the new baby can stay in the nursery. I've mentioned before how overwhelmingly destroyed this room is, so I'm happy to say that I can actually see the bed (which a friend is taking off our hands this week) and have completely clear walking space around it. The bookcase has been cleaned out and all books are now in storage. I have 4 boxes marked Attic, Goodwill, Put Away, and Paperwork which I sort into when I get the chance, and small, sorted piles of items to keep that don't have a home. We'll talk about the closet another day.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
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