Penance

Well, I'm still working through last week's menu.  The coming week's has not yet been determined because I haven't ordered our produce this week, and there's still plenty left from last week.

We went away to Austin and San Antonio for a sibling-sponsored holiday during Spring Break (more in another post) and vegetarianism went out the window with bedtimes, naptimes and limited tv for J!  We didn't specifically look for non-carnivorous eating places while we were away, but there sure wasn't much choice for a vege-lover in amongst the other offerings, usually only one token choice on a menu.  Having said that, I did have the best falafels ever, and when we shopped the food carts in San Antonio's El Mercado (Market Square) the best of our finds was a bean and cheese gordita.  However, we ate a LOT of meat in four days.  More than we usually would in a week, even when we're not fasting meat.

So now I am doing penance!  My digestion still isn't back to normal, and I will have to be creative in the kitchen to use up or store the remaining produce that was abandoned for four days.  Add to that, the need to rest from our hectic holiday schedule, and the J is all out of routine (thankfully not too grouchy today but took much persuasion to get to sleep), and that C had his (late) 4-month check up today with shots and it looks like a long night ahead.

Now that my moan is over, let me assure you that we had a great time, today is good, and tomorrow will likely be better.  I promise photos soon.  Just need to relocate the cord somewhere on the kitchen counter with all the unpacked holiday detritus that needs 'filing'.

Doomed and Delighted

This week's menu is doomed before we finish it!

First, the chilli I defrosted on Tuesday night from our freezer was mislabeled "vegetarian" so we broke our fast unintentionally.  As my brother put it, "This eggplant tastes really meaty!" (wink, wink)

Second, I have no idea what veges I'll be picking up in our food co-op produce tomorrow, so I may have to rethink half of it.

Third, we hope to do an overnight trip sometime this coming week as N is on Spring Break, so that will throw meal planning out the window anyway.

But for what it's worth, here's the plan:

Wednesday: Homemade Fish'n'Chips with salad

Thursday: Cheese Burritos

Friday: Sweet Potato (Kumara) cakes with Mango Salsa

Saturday: Crunchy Chicken Casserole with seasonal veges

Sunday: Pasta with tomato and vegetable based sauce

Monday: Baked Salmon with seasonal veges

Tuesday: Corn Chip Casserole (yes, more Tex-Mex!)

The good news is that we've been enjoying the company of guests this week: my brother and our friend, Kristen.  A few late nights talking so far.

J also took delivery of an 'I-Spy' quilt that Grandma had sent over.  He has had lots of fun finding all sorts of things on it, especially stars and kiwifruit and vehicles.  He's had it on his bed for the last two nights and naps, and we are delighted that he slept through the night both times (for the first time in ages).  Yay!

Why You Should Visit the Library Regularly

In the six months we've been here, we've visited the local branch of the Dallas Public Library at least once a week.  (I think we've been more regularly than we've made it to church!)  Anyway, the upshot of having J and C charm the librarians each week (and shuffle the kids' DVD section) is that one of those gracious ladies handed us complimentary tickets the other week (and a second gracious librarian made sure we'd been given them when we checked out our books).  We're either well-loved or notorious!

And today N took J for a Dad and Son outing to "Big Bird's house" (a.k.a. the show Sesame Street Live) in Grand Prairie.  God really blessed us, because not only were the tickets free but while he queued to enter the parking lot (for $15) a woman approached the car and handed N a parking pass to the VIP parking area that she didn't need.  So it only cost them the gas to get there and back!  (There was a side trip to the Scottish restaurant for a kiddo meal on the way home, since the parking money wasn't used).

There was a play area in the foyer before the show.

The characters were pretty true to the tv version.

J was entranced as soon as the music began.

He cried at intermission, but just said, "Bye bye Elmo.  Bye bye Big Bird..." when the final curtain fell.

It's a Matter of Taste

I cooked the Jerusalem artichokes from our produce basket the other night.  I had trawled the internet for recipe ideas, even finding this site dedicated to lovers of this particular tuber. They have a similar nutritional value to potatoes, I discovered.

I ended up roasting them because it seemed the simplest method to prepare (i.e. hands off, yes, I can deal with whatever you need for the next half hour, J).  They were easy enough to cook, and only discoloured a little (a bit like how kumara does when you cook it).

And the verdict?  Well, N and I weren't that excited.  It reminded me of some other taste/smell I can't pinpoint.  Not disgusting, I'd eat them if I was served them, but I won't be going out of my way to buy some.  Having said that, J was quite happy to eat his serving and some of ours.  This is the boy who will generally only eat potatoes in the form of chips or wedges.  Believe me, we've tried lots of other ways too!  So I guess that if we end up with these little nuggets again, J will be feasting on them.