Meals These Day

...or "How to feed yourself without really trying."  Heh.  Life around here has slowed WAY down.

First, Aunt LoLo moved back.  That whole week was kind of a free-for-all.  And just in case you were curious, trading babysitting for pizzas is a totally valid way to plan meals.  Hey, it worked for us!  And then there was the night we traded babysitting for take-out Chinese...and the day Dad brought a trunkful of hotdogs and fruit just as an excuse to come see all his grandkids.... it's a rough life, I know!!

How about the night we had smoothies for dinner?  (frozen berries, soy milk, and SPINACH.  Totally healthy dinner.)  (OK, this is what I ate for dinner....it was the kids' dessert, after Wonder Daddy made them a fabulous dinner that I wasn't here to eat.)

Can't forget tortilla chips and bean dip (drain and rinse a can of black beans, and blend with half a jar of salsa.  My kids eat this by the cupful, I've made two batches since last week.)

Then there was the night I let Ernie choose: corn on the cob, bread and butter pickles, and milk.  Umm...WOW.  Wonder Daddy??  THANK YOU for making fried egg sandwiches for you and I that night.  From the bottom of my gut, thank you.

However, last night I redeemed myself: fried eggs, grits with cheese, and a huge skillet of braised collards with onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a splash of balsamic vinegar.  (That's Monday.)  As a side note, Ernie surprised us and ate THREE helpings of grits and eggs!  Big shock, another "white" food that she adores...but it's new, and she tried it, and that earns total points in my book.

Tuesday, I have a big tub of pinto beans defrosting (always cook extra beans!!)  I'll mix it with the leftover greens from last night, and add a few cut up sausages*.  With farofa on the top (seasoned, sauteed mandioca flour.  Kind of like bacon flavored bread crumbs, they're Brazilian.)  I made bread yesterday, so the kids can eat that, or the rice that I'll make to serve with the beans.

After tonight?  Here are some ideas kicking around of things to make:

White bean with tuna dip/spread.  Because chips/crackers with dip is just GOOD right now.
Grilled tofu.  I  have a carton of extra-firm clunking around the back of the refrigerator that really needs using up.  Little spicy-little salty-little sweet sounds pretty good, no?
Homemade udon.  OK, no, not really.  I do NOT have the patience to make noodles right now.  But I wouldn't mind if someone else did....

(And yes, a more realistic list of what I'd LIKE right now would be takeout Mussamun curry, fried chicken from the deli at the grocery store by my old house...  Oh, and maybe a banh mi from the asian market in the same neighborhood....Bad Myrnie!  :)  (Sheesh guys- NOT in the same meal.  Eww :)

We have some special foods to plan this week, too.
I'm thinking this cake, with strawberries and whipped cream.  The special girl is rooting for carrot sticks, carrot soup, and cheese pizza for dinner.... I'm getting ready to stage an intervention.  I think.  (If it were her favorite foods, I'd totally go for it, but she's never eaten soup OR pizza willingly, so..???)  Oh, and her love of carrot sticks has reached it's end.  Dinner sounds like a dud.  Wracking my brain for what she really likes....contemplating boiling up 15 pouches of ramen noodles, just to rock her world.  We don't buy them very often, they're a treat....)

This site is inspiring me, though.  What's inspiring you these days?

--Myrnie

*"Ballpark" brand.  ahem.