Menu Planning Monday

After yesterday's trip to labor and delivery, my MIL saved the day by bringing us lasagna for dinner. Yum! This allowed me to make some adjustments in our menu for the week.

Sunday: Lasagna
Monday: Minestrone soup and crusty bread
Tuesday: Beef stroganoff
Wednesday: Unstuffed pepper soup
Thursday: Pasta Con Broccoli
Friday: Taco night
Saturday: Cookie exchange!! Probably pizza since I will be prepping, cleaning and cooking.

What is on your menu this week? Visit OrgJunkie's website for TONS of menu ideas!

Trip to L&D #2

So. I am apparently THAT first-time mom.

Last night, I started having REALLY bad menstrual-type cramping from about 10:30 on. They were timeable and coming between 4 and 8 minutes Around 4:30 AM, right when C left to go tailgating and to the Browns game, I called him because they were take-my-breath-away painful and then he turned around to come home. I called the on-call OBGYN and he told me to come in. So they strapped me up to the fetal monitor and the contraction monitor and as soon as they did, it was obvious that I was NOT having contractions. Baby boy was seriously all over the place and they again had a hard time keeping the monitor belt thingy on his heartbeat. But the nurses and in-house doctor both said this is a very good thing, which is always reassuring. The in-house doctor checked my cervix and I have made NO new progress (still 1 cm and 50% effaced with baby at -2 position). They checked to make sure I do not have a UTI (which I do not) because they can apparently be really common around this time in pregnancy. So after three hours and no sleep for this mama, they sent us home around 9 AM.

The in-house doctor seemed surprised that the on-call OBGYN had be come in. She said normally they would have told me to drink lots of water and lay on my side and see what happened. Hmph.

I came home and went to sleep for a bit and C went to the Browns' game (die-hard fan that he is) and that is that. I guess I know that whatever contractions feel like, they need to be more intense than what I was feeling. Fingers crossed that my water breaks so there won't be any question, lol.

Thankful

I feel very blessed this Thanksgiving, and I wanted to take a moment to share some of the most important things in my life that I am thankful for.

• My amazing husband. My rock, my calming factor. The man who rubs my feet every night. I love you more than words can express.
• My stepdaughters. As frustrating as it can be to raise two teenage girls, they bring a light and laughter into my life that I never thought could exist.
• The baby boy in my belly. We have wanted you for so long and can't wait to meet you. Just be sure you wait until AFTER Thanksgiving. Mama wants her turkey dinner.
• Ozzie. Because you are the absolute best dog ever. And you are a great snuggle partner even though you take up most of the bed.
• My family and friends. They are truly amazing.
  
• Our health
• Steady jobs in a time of unsteadiness
• A roof over our heads and food in our belly

There is so much more that I can list, but this is the bulk of it.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Freezer Cooking Planning for Round Two

So, my first weekend of freezer cooking resulted in a few dishes. Currently in our freezer:

• Baked Ziti
• Chicken Enchiladas (with and without beans)
• Meatloaf muffins
• Meatballs for subs
• Vegetable and beef soup
• Orange cranberry walnut bread
• Cinnamon rolls (not going to lie; I have baked almost every pan. Looks like I will have to make more, lol)
• Chili

Not bad, but not enough. With four mouths to feed and a newborn to take care of, I want to make sure we have several weeks worth of meals, even though I am positive my mom is going to be bringing us some food as well. So this week, while I am on Thanksgiving break and home with no stepdaughters (they are at their mom's), I plan on being a busy bee in the kitchen. Here is what is on the docket:

• More cinnamon rolls (since we ate them)
• Breakfast casserole (recipe to come)
• Macaroni and Cheese
• BBQ pulled pork
• Unstuffed Pepper Soup

I am also going to stock up on our go-to, quick and easy meals which we often can just toss in the oven/on the stove when we have places to go. These include:

• Grilled cheese and tomato soup
  
• Chicken nuggets/patties
• French Fries
• Taco kits (and I mean the Ortega way)
• Pierogies from the little old ladies at a local church.

Also on the agenda is to stock up on lunch supplies for Chuck and the girls, as well as soups and such for me. Yikes!

Menu Planning Monday: Thanksgiving Week!

Seriously, how is it already Thanksgiving? Honestly. And how the HELL is it almost time for the little guy to make his big arrival??

Anyway, I only work two days this week and the girls leave to spend Thanksgiving at their mom's on Tuesday night. It is one of those weeks where I will be making due with whatever is in my cabinet and pantry. I spent a little bit at the grocery store last night to get us through the next few days, but I am keeping my fingers crossed we can squeak by without any more stops at the store!

Sunday: Homemade vegetable beef soup
Monday: Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Tuesday: Leftover soup or something on the go; girls to to their mom's
Wednesday: 1st birthday party for my friend's daughter. Cassidy's birthday isn't until December 11, but they will be in town for Thanksgiving.
Thursday: TURKEY DAY!!! will be hosted by my brother and SIL
Friday: Black Friday shopping with my mom and cousin then breakfast out! I am sure the day will hold many naps for this mama.
Saturday: Unsure!

What is on your menu for this week??

Cookie Exchange 2010: The Menu

Well, our invitations have been sent, so now it is time for my favorite part of party-planning!

Planning the menu!

Since I will be 39 weeks pregnant at my party (or lets face it, a new mom because it COULD HAPPEN), I am keeping it simple this year.

Or, that is the plan right now. But who am I kidding? That never happens. Last year's menu ended up being completely different than what I planned originally, which was just fine. I changed things up as I came across recipes I wanted to try or things I didn't have the ingredients for.

Since the party starts at 7, I focus on appetizers and drinks instead of a meal. Here is what I plan on making this year:

• White bean dip served with crudite
• Sausage cups
• Caprese skewers...red, green and white!
• Fruit salsa with cinnamon baked pita chips
• Tortilla spirals
• Hot chocolate and coffee bar
• Assorted sodas and beverages
• Plenty of cookies!

For right now, that is what I have planned. I am sure I will be making some changes and I will update as the next two weeks go along. I am going to spend some time perusing my cookbooks to see if anything strikes my fancy.

Next step? The decor! Stay tuned until next week's update!

Menu Planning Monday

I successfully cooked every day last week (aside from Friday when we took the girls to Panera and a movie and on Saturday because we went out to eat for my 30th birthday). Hopefully I can keep it up this week!

Sunday: Potato and leek soup
Monday: Turkey cutlets with cranberry pear chutney, cous cous, corn (this has been on my menu for like three weeks, lol. I froze the cutlets)
Tuesday:Leftover potato soup
Wednesday: Chili
Thursday: Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Friday: Not sure; C has to take the girls and I have plans with my mom
Saturday: Out to dinner and shopping with a friend

What's on your menu this week? Visit I am an Organizing Junkie for boatloads of menu ideas!

Baby Prep: Freezer Cooking, Day One

I definitely did not get as much accomplished as I would have liked today. I had to pick A up from a sleepover then take her to a birthday party. I then ran to the grocery store for a few things and then had to come home to wait for J to come home from an overnight birthday party at an indoor water park. But in-between it all, including going to pick up A, I was able to get a few things done.

So far, we have

• Baked Ziti (one pan in freezer, one for dinner this week)
• Chili in crock pot to make tomorrow(double-batch, one for dinner this week and one to freeze)
• Meatballs for meatball subs
  
• Cinnamon rolls (note to self: read directions, G. The dough was supposed to be split in half. So now the cinnamon rolls are GINORMOUS. I know this since I just HAD to bake a pan. Even though I have made these before, lol).
  

And I have Potato and Leek soup simmering on the stove as well for dinner for tonight and tomorrow.

I have to do my major weekly grocery shopping tomorrow even though we have enough for dinners for the week (menu to be posted tomorrow!) and then I will be able to pick up the missing components for my other freezer meals:

• Chicken Enchiladas (I am cheating and using a rotisserie chicken!)
  
• Beef and vegetable soup
• Macaroni and cheese
• Orange cranberry bread

So that is where we stand on freezer foods. I will be sure to post an update next weekend when I finish up!

Menu Planning Monday

Ugh, I seriously suck at all things related to the kitchen lately. Cooking, grocery shopping, menu planning. EPIC FAIL on all parts. We eat easy meals as often as possible and I basically do whatever I can to get out of cooking. Without further ado, here is this week's menu (which I hope to stick to):

Sunday: Chicken puffs, buttered noodles, corn
Monday: Spaghetti (I will be out with friends!)
Tuesday: Breakfast sammies and hashbrowns
Wednesday: Crock pot pot roast with potatoes and carrots
Thursday: Turkey cutlets with cranberry-pear chutney, cous cous, green beans
Friday: Beef stroganoff served with egg noodles
Saturday: Out to dinner for my 30th birthday!

For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com!

Cookie Exchange 2010: The Invites

It is that time again! Time to start preparing for my annual Cookie Exchange! Yes, I will be about 38 weeks pregnant for my exchange, but you know what? It will be something to take my mind off of the baby coming and being uncomfortable at the end of my pregnancy. Plus, with all the nesting and cleaning, my house will probably be spotless! I will be doing my best to keep things simple and will be doing TONS in advance!

When planning your party, be sure to allow PLENTY of time for guests to mark it down on their calendars and schedule the party in. Weekends around the holidays book up super-fast, as we all know, so I like to allow 3-4 weeks for my guests. I wanted my invitations to go out at the LAST minute this year, just to be sure that I was not having any pregnancy complications. It is looking like Little Dude is nestled in for the time being, so I will be addressing and sending out invitations this week!

One month in advance, send out your invitations!

Last year, I handmade my invitations for my first Cookie Exchange. This year, since I am pretty far along in my pregnancy, I decided to use VistaPrint's always awesome deals and order them. I got 100 invites for free, plus the envelopes and return address labels. All for around $15! Here is the front of the invitation:



And the back with the rules for the Exchange. Sorry for the terrible picture quality. And I am just too sick right now to fiddle with it and my limited Photoshop skills.

Stay tuned as next week I plan our menu for the cookie exchange!

Trip to Labor and Delivery

I just got back from a brief visit to L&D. I called off today because I hadn't slept and have had a continuous headache and nausea for a few days. Then I started to get some floaters in my vision so Chuck and I decided it would be best to call. Because my BP was elevated at my last few visits, she wanted me to go right to the hospital. They strapped me on to the monitors for an NST. Little Dude had been moving away all day so I wasn't really too concerned. He was moving lots and his heart rate was right on; the in-house OB said he sounded "textbook perfect." My BP was still elevated slightly, so she had me turn on my left side and we got a normal reading. No contractions either. She called my OB and they sent me home. I have an appointment with my regular OB tomorrow anyway, so I am sure she will discuss things with me then.

Needless to say, I started to panic. This weekend I am getting my bag and baby's bag packed JUST IN CASE. I was trying to throw some stuff in a bag on the off-chance they wanted to keep me overnight. It really kind of made things REAL. I honestly feel like we have so much to do and I need to get it into gear.

I think I need to get some of my freezer meals done ASAP as well as getting our bags packed!

Apple Cake

A staple at most of our holiday parties and family gatherings, my mom's apple cake is always a hit. For Halloween, I decided to make this to serve with hot cider upon our trick or treaters' return. Delicious and moist and relatively easy, it is definitely worth serving at any fall gathering.

Mom's Apple Cake
Ingredients
3 Eggs
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C oil
2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C chopped nuts (optional)
4-6 apples, peeled and chopped (I used 5)

Directions
-Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 baking pan
-Beat eggs, sugar and oil until well blended. Add rest of dry ingredients and combine.
-Fold in apples
-Spread in pan and bake for one hour, until golden brown on top.

Slow-Cooker Chili

What better to eat before heading out to trick or treat than a hot, steaming bowl of homemade chili? I will admit that most of the time I just dump a bunch of stuff in my crock pot and hope for the best; this time, I paid attention to what I was doing and you know what? This was the best damn pot of chili I have ever made. It seemed to have the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, which is exactly what I was going for! My favorite thing about chili is that you can completely tailor it to your own needs and heat level!


Slow-Cooker Chili
Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef, browned (I used 90/10)
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
Can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with chili (the small can...10 oz?)
14 oz can dark red kidney beans with juice
14 oz can light red kidney beans with juice
1/3 C brown sugar
A few splashes of worchestershire (maybe around 1 tbsp?)
A few splashes of hot sauce (depending on how much heat you want)
1 tsp paprika
Dash of crushed red pepper

Directions
Toss it into a crock pot and let it cook on low for as long as possible. The longer it simmers, the better!