Tag Archives: I can do it

Quick But DELICIOUS

It’s a Man’s Job…Or Not

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I will be the first to admit, the grill has been the most intimidating thing in our postage sized backyard (think small and divide by 42). So when George was working his typical late day, I marched out to the grill determined to make dinner (or burn/blow something up). We’ve only had the grill for three years and I’ve never used it. Somehow that became George’s domain and not something I do. Whatever, roles happen in marriage so when he had asked me why I don’t try…I kept thinking…Yeah. Why don’t I? So…

Sockeye Salmon

Perhaps, I should step back for a second. Fish: I have traditionally failed at cooking fish (from a salt lick — it said add salt!!, to overly fishy nastiness)…Salmon has been categorized in my brain as…hmmm…FISH. So therefore, again, out of the picture (insert George talking about Omega-3s and how healthy they are…Omega 3 article). So fine. I will make take a detour.

Farm Raised or Wild Caught.
1. Which Salmon Should I Buy
– I chose Sockeye Wild Caught…it’s classified as fishy but with a cedar plank from Whole Foods (or Amazon.com)…it’s positively DELICIOUS (I promise). So if you purchase farm raised, I’d REALLY recommend the plank…it absolves all sorts of (fishy tasting) sins. I tend to think the wild caught, though more pricey, tastes better. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_xleu84BJU…I kind of love Alton Brown)

2. FDA article on Salmon

Wild caught is about $15/lb here. So maybe that’s a bit much. Sometimes I feel farm is better than none at all?

How I did it:
1. Purchase Fish (debone if necessary…which means pulling out little one inch tines with your fingers..lots of hand washing involved…some butchers remove them for you)
2. Soak Cedar Plank in water (the soaking part is key to fire prevention)
3. Put fish skin side down on plank and let it come to room temperature
3a. Chop up veggies, arrange on foil, lightly sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper
3b. Put up baby in a safe place
4. Set up your grill according to directions
5. Put some foil down, put your veggies on the foil on the grill and start
6. Cook until internal temperature is 130-145’F (I live by an internal thermometer…I use the regular one I use for all other meat in the kitchen)
7. Take fish and veggies off grill
8. Let fish set for a few minutes after it comes off the grill
9. Serve with a nice glass of wine

Admittedly, I was nervous about using the grill for the first time so I read: .
At the end of the day, it was surprisingly easy, quick despite my long post.

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Working as Mama

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Somewhere along the way, the idea of going to work became somewhat of a hobby. I draw energy, fulfillment, excitement from working. Add in baby, and I still like working. Happy Mommy, happy baby, happy family — right? Or if we’re going for cliche, “quality time with baby is still quality…time.” Add in two dogs, and I still like working. Add in…husband working nights…I waiver. Then my nerd-isms start kicking in. No help in the morning?! No baby — easy! 15 minutes out the door. Done. Add baby…1 hr. Add extra dog…we’re at an hour and a half. Sooooooooo I was bored and had some rare freetime.

In an effort to streamline my mornings and get to work on time without help (George on nights means 12 hour so we don’t see him for about a week), I physically drew out my morning and where I perform major morning tasks. My goal was to look for areas to gain time in the morning (mainly so I could eat breakfast).

It's okay, I know I'm a nerd
It’s okay, I know I’m a nerd

It’s been amazing! Breakfast in a mug as I walk around the house really solved so many problems!

Efficiency

Any(?) Mom’s H*ll: Dinner

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No frills required i.e. I just don’t do 50 ingredients or over complicated these days

I enjoy eating. Sorry but that’s out there. Ever since Sweetpea marched into our life, that thing called ‘free time’ has slightly decreased — imagine that?! In an effort to “have it all” and not eat cheesy fries daily, I made the inevitable decision to give up my 1-2 hours cooking routine (particularly when George works the 12 hour night shift) and find a reasonable solution. I have a few things that limit my day: a 2-3 hr commute (door to door), I make George’s lunches every day, and I value quality time with our lovely little lady.

Drum roll……..AMAZING DISCOVERY: FROZEN CROCKPOT MEALS MADE AT NIGHT!

I am testing several recipes and will share the results but for now here are some of my finds:

1. Crock pot liners: streamline cleaning…just throw out the bag after you remove your dinner
(such as reynolds slow cooker liners but oven bags work fine as well)

2. Cook your dinner at night!
Most days I’m gone for greater than 8 hours. The crock pot we have is programmable with a manual or temperature probe dependent (Hamilton Beach® 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker $49 from Bed Bath and Beyond). The issue with long hours is after the 8 hour cook time the crock pot kicks to warm, which still cooks the food READ: dried out dinner. So I usually am home in the evening for atleast 8 hours (including sleeping) so… a) Cook at night b) refrigerate in containers during the day and c) warm up at night.

3. Make a huge thing of rice for the week or if you get sick of rice use Seeds of Change (http://www.amazon.com/Seeds-Change-Quinoa-Brown-6pack/dp/B00GRT9PZY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1389587597&sr=8-2&keywords=Seeds+Of+Change)

4. Use microwavable veggies or steam fresh veggies in the microwave (http://www.amazon.com/Sistema-1103-Large-Microwave-Steamer/dp/B005D6XZ4O/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1389587700&sr=8-7&keywords=steam+container+microwave)

5. Have everything delivered! But I’ll write about that one another day.

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Mama Moment: Walks

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Urban Walking
Urban Walking

Walks. Easy right? Walk out of the house, lock the door, go for a walk. Done. HA! Somehow adding Sweetpea brings ridiculous game changing difficulty. Getting out of the house has been one of the most daunting things to do by myself with Sweetpea (add the dog in for fun). I thought I’d share.

Step One: Make the decision and commit to getting out of the house.

Step Two-Ten: Jackets (found) and put on, dog harness put on the dog, stroller prepped, coffee in un-spill-able container (coffee made), blanket that was supposed to be in the stroller spot is missing, find blanket, realize collapsible stroller is in the most awkward position ever, phone charged (enough), headphones in hand.

That’s all before clambering down the steps. The steps for us aren’t 4 nice steps right out of our house. It’s the flight of stairs to get to the front door that’s super challenging. Carrying Sweetpea, the stroller and hoping the dog stays at the bottom of the stairs is super fun to say the least — so slow is the name of the game.

***I make it out of the house!!!***

Front doors locked — check, house alarmed — check, the sense of accomplishment is beyond high. The accomplishment level is somewhere between Olympic gold and an Oscar. In my Super-mom minute, I casually flip the stroller into position and puff out my chest. Right about then is when I realize I’d forgotten my gloves and sunglasses. Going back into the house is simply not an option. I take a minute to connect my headset to my phone, put on my Amazon mp3 player, start my “Map my Run” and step out, dog in tow.

A block later, the phone dies…

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Drowning is Not an Option

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If my life were pots, I would have probably fifty. I like to keep things busy and once upon a time, 50 pots were not overwhelming. Now I’m barely coping with about five.

Pot one: Wife
Pot two: Mother
Pot three: Full time job
four: Part time job
five: me….working out and fitness

Somewhere in the mix, my brain went on the fritz and my ability to master all these little pots went down the drain. Some days my little five leave me feeling a sense of complete and utter –drowning. That’s a good analogy: drowning. I’m determined I don’t have to drown. I don’t have to (hopefully) give up personal appearance, an appreciation for my job, joyous moments with Sweetpea, and overall health. Afterall, I’m trying to be a good example for our little bundle of joy.