Woman in Real Life

 

 

Happy What I Ate Wednesday! Thanks for your very kind comments on my high school grad dress post yesterday. I have met the sweetest people through this blog.

I hope you are enjoying some good, healthy food this week, along with a few treats. We all need a treat now and then, especially when it's January in a cold climate. Sunshine, why have you forsaken me?

I haven't done much thrift store shopping lately. The house is full up with dishes and stuff and any spare funds the last couple months went toward Christmas shopping.

Last week, my willpower faltered though when I got an email from the Salvation Army saying they were having a one dollar kids clothing sale this past Friday. The fact is, my kids don't need any clothing, but $1 for jeans? Why not?

Of course, I knew I wouldn't pass by the housewares aisle without having a peek. I loaded up on kids' jeans first. I even got each of the kids a coat for $1. Then I headed over to peruse the dishes.

I am trying my best to keep up my weekly meal planning. This is week four. Read on for this week's menu plan.

Last week started with Monday's Vegetable Soup with Lentils. This is a old favourite that my husband and I began making many years ago. The recipe follows. What I really like about this soup is that it's simple - you throw in the ingredients and let it cook for an hour. That gives you time to make a salad, slice up your bread, pour a glass of wine and relax.

She: likes to set up shop and sell me my own cookbooks

Insta-Friday -- my look back at the week using family cell phone photos. This week, I am showing pictures from last Saturday when we went to a wedding celebration.

My husband's cousin in Italy got married and came to the US and Canada for her honeymoon. Ontario in January? Interesting choice.

Anyway, some relatives of the newlyweds had a party for them. Yes, there were showgirls, but I'll get to that later.

I am a self-described cookbook addict. I love to read them more than I even like to cook from them. Now, I adore veggies, especially when someone else cooks them, but my knowledge of vegetables cannot compare to that of cookbook author Lora Krulak.

She kindly sent me a copy of her lovely book "Veggies for Carnivores: Moving Vegetables to the Center of the Plate." Don't be fooled by the word "carnivores." This book is all about vegetables.

First, I showed you my office organization for the new year. Next up was my kitchen organization. This week, it's the family room. Here it is after my cleaning and organizing mission, above.

Sure, it's easy to say that you've organized your space, right? But can you prove it? Maybe it just stays clean all the time. I wish.

Here's my scary before picture:

With two weeks of meal planning under my belt, I find I am enjoying the process. Outlining what I want to cook for the week and having all the ingredients available kind of forces me to stick to the plan.

Otherwise, I might be inclined to slack off some nights and make less healthy dinners. In my opinion, half of the struggle with cooking is the daily decision-making.

Last week started off with Monday's Curried Chickpea and Tomato Linguine. I used a recipe from Best Health magazine. It was simple to make and I quite liked the curry flavour combined with the pasta.

She: is constantly snacking

Him: would rather talk about Minecraft

Friday has rolled around again. Christmas is a distant memory. Two or three more months of winter to go. Not that I'm complaining...well, maybe a little.

Here, cell phone pics from the week...this week I'm showing you my Instagram photos. My son started an Instagram account this week, as did my husband. They aren't looking for followers. We basically just look at each other's photos. You can follow me @ziajojo if you like.

Last week, I showed you my home office organization. This week, the Organizing Revolution continues with week two - the kitchen.

I once read an article in Real Simple about a fabulously organized but seemingly relaxed mother. Her home was simple but lovely. I'm not saying I believe everything I read, but one thing she said stuck with me. Her secret was to ensure that, at the very least, her kitchen was back to clean at the end of each day.

On Sunday, I shared my vegetarian menu plan for this week. (Well, it's vegan for me and vegetarian for the other three family members.) Today, on What I Ate Wednesday, I'm looking at a few meals I consumed in the past week, before my menu plan kicked in. Visit me Sunday to hear whether my plan was a success. I'll share any of the recipes that work out.

I am finally joining my (crazy fit) buddy Laura for her menu planning challenge.

I always think about planning my meals for the week, but I rarely do it...at least not in any really successful way. But it's a new year and a perfect time to re-examine my priorities.

With all the effort that goes into holiday meals, sometimes we just feel like slacking off the rest of the days, don't we? Well, I do.

This What I Ate Wednesday, I have a few meals from the last week to share, but not many, because I just didn't make much or take many photos. I have spent a lot of time in pajamas.

Above, on Saturday I put together a lunch from whatever groceries were left in the fridge. I boiled a sweet potato and some regular potatoes and made a mash. I baked tofu in teriyaki sauce. I used leftover pesto on pasta. We had rapini and roasted veggies left from the day before. Finally, I boiled some carrot slices. I quite enjoyed the mishmash of tasty stuff.

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions. But, I like to start any new year thinking about goals and wishes for me and my family. As a freelance writer who works from home, one goal that's always at the top of my list is an organized office space.

In that regard, I am starting the new year off right, since I recently (finally!) completed my office organization quest. On the road to home organization, I have stumbled and fallen many times.