This week has been a little crazy but I had the chance to play around in the kitchen on Wednesday and Thursday. I had a lot of fun using the time to make some new recipes from scratch!
On Wednesday I started with sautéed chicken breasts that my mother-in-law had made as a base for dinner. I turned that into what I'm calling "Farmers Market Chicken" because I mostly looked in the fridge and used the veggies we had. I cooked ziti and seasoned it with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking. I cubed the chicken breasts. Then I took the two peppers, onion, and broccoli we had and sautéed that with some minced garlic, salt and pepper. I mixed the vegetables, pasta and chicken and threw some honey Dijon dressing on top for taste. For an experiment, it was really yummy!
On Thursday, I knew I wanted to use this whole wheat pizza dough we buy at Trader Joe's. At $0.99 a pound, it's a steal and I buy several so I can keep some in my freezer and take them out when I'm ready to use them. I came up with this recipe, which I'm calling "Sephardi Style Chicken Calzone".
I cubed chicken breast and sautéed it with olive oil, cumin, turmeric, paprika, curry, salt and pepper. Then I par boiled miniature potatoes, drained and cooled them. Once they were cool, I quartered them. I cut up 2 onions and sautéed them in the dirty chicken pan so I could scrape the seasonings out of the pan. I rolled the dough out into a long rectangle, and layered onions, chicken and potatoes over half it. Then I folded the other half over the chicken, potatoes and onions and pinched the edges together. Baked it for 12 minutes on 450 degrees and it was done. I made one large calzone from each pound of dough because I was pressed for time but this recipe would be better if the pound of dough was split up into 3 or 4 pieces and individual calzones made.
All in all, the recipes came out yummy and the eating was good! :)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
A much needed break....
Taking a break from my job search led to this snuggle and picture! Unexpected and wonderful!
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Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Life Changes and other stuff...
Life is complicated. Life is also unpredictable. I think that sometimes we start to take the blessings in our life for granted and G-d decides to shake things up a bit to make us understand that we need to see every blessing in our life for the beautiful thing that it is.
Maybe a little background would be helpful. Two months ago, we moved our family out of the tiny apartment we owned and into my in-laws house. We rented out our apartment and the idea was that this way we'd be able to save money and be able to buy a house. This was shortly after our son, D was born. My in-laws are fabulous people, but it was hard to be in someone else's house. Just when I started to feel like I was okay with the situation (my MIL and I figured out how to work together in the kitchen etc), we got hit with a doozy of an announcement, that I was being laid off.
The stress of looking for a job is one that most people experience at some point of their life. In my experience, looking for a job is hard enough when you have one to leave, but being in the position of needing a job and not having one while you are looking, is even more stressful. I'm a worrier by nature and there is a lot to worry about when it comes to looking for a job;
Quite honestly, my first reaction was to flip out. I was stressed and super upset. My second reaction was also to flip out! And yet, being in the position of being laid off for the first time, I find myself calming down and breathing deep. My husband has been extremely supportive and helpful, which has done huge things for my stress levels. And I read a blog of a friend, frumdoula.blogspot.com, who wrote about being able to realize we aren't in control. G-d is.
Part of the magic of being a parent to a young child is that they are able to see G-d everywhere. They see and understand that a butterfly is a miracle, that G-d is giving us a blessing in the form of a summer shower and that slowing down for a snuggle with them is often the best medicine you can be prescribed. Our daughter, A, has noticed that I'm more stressed out and has taken to giving me random hugs. When I pick up D, he always seems to be smiling that special smile, the one he reserves for me. And with their help, I am able to take a deep breath and remember that G-d has a plan for us. He is in the driver's seat, so I can enjoy the scenery with the kids.
Maybe a little background would be helpful. Two months ago, we moved our family out of the tiny apartment we owned and into my in-laws house. We rented out our apartment and the idea was that this way we'd be able to save money and be able to buy a house. This was shortly after our son, D was born. My in-laws are fabulous people, but it was hard to be in someone else's house. Just when I started to feel like I was okay with the situation (my MIL and I figured out how to work together in the kitchen etc), we got hit with a doozy of an announcement, that I was being laid off.
The stress of looking for a job is one that most people experience at some point of their life. In my experience, looking for a job is hard enough when you have one to leave, but being in the position of needing a job and not having one while you are looking, is even more stressful. I'm a worrier by nature and there is a lot to worry about when it comes to looking for a job;
- will people respond to your emails/phone calls,
- will you get interviews,
- how do you look,
- how do you sound,
- did you prepare enough,
- are you capable of doing the job,
- what will they say when you tell them you need to leave early for religious reasons,
- will you like working there,
- are the benefits what you need,
- is the compensation what you need etc!
Quite honestly, my first reaction was to flip out. I was stressed and super upset. My second reaction was also to flip out! And yet, being in the position of being laid off for the first time, I find myself calming down and breathing deep. My husband has been extremely supportive and helpful, which has done huge things for my stress levels. And I read a blog of a friend, frumdoula.blogspot.com, who wrote about being able to realize we aren't in control. G-d is.
Part of the magic of being a parent to a young child is that they are able to see G-d everywhere. They see and understand that a butterfly is a miracle, that G-d is giving us a blessing in the form of a summer shower and that slowing down for a snuggle with them is often the best medicine you can be prescribed. Our daughter, A, has noticed that I'm more stressed out and has taken to giving me random hugs. When I pick up D, he always seems to be smiling that special smile, the one he reserves for me. And with their help, I am able to take a deep breath and remember that G-d has a plan for us. He is in the driver's seat, so I can enjoy the scenery with the kids.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Return to the daily grind
So that time that all new, working mothers dread has arrived. Maternity leave is over and it's back to the daily grind. Being back at work brings it's own set of problems and blessings to an already groaning table. As I muddle through my first day back at work, I can't help but look at the day and reflect.
Yesterday I was a mess. I was nervous about everything; from what to wear, getting the kids out of the house on time, forgetting my key to the office, (which I did and it caused me to be locked out for 20 minutes!) to leaving my son at daycare for the first time. Even though I've already done all this with my daughter, it's presented new challenges this time around. Instead of being worried about pumping, I'm worried about having the energy to be an Ima to be two beautiful children after working all day. Fortunately (and unfortunately!), I fall back into the routine of pumping every three hours easily.
This time, I'm not alone in my quest to give my son only breastmilk, as a friend and I sit in the pumping room, a divider between us, and chat as we pump. Work is slow in the morning and quickly picks up steam once my emails and voicemails are returned to me. Lunch with another friend is a welcome diversion as we escape the freezing office to sit outside on this hot summer day and eat our lunch. It feels like I'm falling into a work routine too easily, but then I stop to think for a moment and the feeling of missing my kids overwhelms me.
While I was home with both kids, every day was a battle. Lines were drawn, battles picked and by night, my energy was gone. It was depressing to find that after years of wishing to be a stay at home Ima, that I didn't have what it took. After long talks with my husband, I found that it didn't have to be that black and white. There was a middle ground to be found because as much as I couldn't cope with going from a "full time working Ima" to a "stay at home Ima" without a transition, I couldn't expect my daughter to go from a completely scheduled and social environment to being with me all day without a transition either.
The upsides to being back at work are nice. I get to see my friends everyday, we have a predictable routine and I'm pitching in to help us succeed in a very real way. Seeing my friends everyday is so nice and helps me feel connected (which is often downplayed in this technological day and age!). Having a predictable routine allows me to use my energy more effectively (something most Imas can't get enough of!) because I know what to expect for the rest of the day. And bringing home income helps me feel less stressed about our monetary situation.
And even with all this, being back at work has really made me realize that even though it will be hard, I do want to be a "stay at home Ima", with all that entails.
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Yesterday I was a mess. I was nervous about everything; from what to wear, getting the kids out of the house on time, forgetting my key to the office, (which I did and it caused me to be locked out for 20 minutes!) to leaving my son at daycare for the first time. Even though I've already done all this with my daughter, it's presented new challenges this time around. Instead of being worried about pumping, I'm worried about having the energy to be an Ima to be two beautiful children after working all day. Fortunately (and unfortunately!), I fall back into the routine of pumping every three hours easily.
This time, I'm not alone in my quest to give my son only breastmilk, as a friend and I sit in the pumping room, a divider between us, and chat as we pump. Work is slow in the morning and quickly picks up steam once my emails and voicemails are returned to me. Lunch with another friend is a welcome diversion as we escape the freezing office to sit outside on this hot summer day and eat our lunch. It feels like I'm falling into a work routine too easily, but then I stop to think for a moment and the feeling of missing my kids overwhelms me.
While I was home with both kids, every day was a battle. Lines were drawn, battles picked and by night, my energy was gone. It was depressing to find that after years of wishing to be a stay at home Ima, that I didn't have what it took. After long talks with my husband, I found that it didn't have to be that black and white. There was a middle ground to be found because as much as I couldn't cope with going from a "full time working Ima" to a "stay at home Ima" without a transition, I couldn't expect my daughter to go from a completely scheduled and social environment to being with me all day without a transition either.
The upsides to being back at work are nice. I get to see my friends everyday, we have a predictable routine and I'm pitching in to help us succeed in a very real way. Seeing my friends everyday is so nice and helps me feel connected (which is often downplayed in this technological day and age!). Having a predictable routine allows me to use my energy more effectively (something most Imas can't get enough of!) because I know what to expect for the rest of the day. And bringing home income helps me feel less stressed about our monetary situation.
And even with all this, being back at work has really made me realize that even though it will be hard, I do want to be a "stay at home Ima", with all that entails.
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Monday, June 28, 2010
Potty training boot camp
Well, I've been thinking about doing it for a while now and I've come to the conclusion that the time has arrived to put my daughter through a potty training boot camp. Now is the perfect storm for it!
The timing now is working out wonderfully.
1. She just finished school and is off until I return to work in a few weeks. (I have the time to spend dedicated to making sure she goes to the bathroom!)
2. She's been peeing on the potty consistently for the last few months but this weekend, she spontaneously started having bowel movements on the potty too. (I was starting to have nightmares about all the kids that refuse to use the potty for bowel movements!)
3. She noticed that adults wear underwear and she wants to as well. (I want to skip the pull ups stage anyways, I think it just makes the training harder and they are really expensive!)
So, tomorrow's mission is to buy underwear and start our journey! Hopefully it won't be too long or hard and I can't wait to be back to only having one kid in diapers!
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The timing now is working out wonderfully.
1. She just finished school and is off until I return to work in a few weeks. (I have the time to spend dedicated to making sure she goes to the bathroom!)
2. She's been peeing on the potty consistently for the last few months but this weekend, she spontaneously started having bowel movements on the potty too. (I was starting to have nightmares about all the kids that refuse to use the potty for bowel movements!)
3. She noticed that adults wear underwear and she wants to as well. (I want to skip the pull ups stage anyways, I think it just makes the training harder and they are really expensive!)
So, tomorrow's mission is to buy underwear and start our journey! Hopefully it won't be too long or hard and I can't wait to be back to only having one kid in diapers!
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