Will it never end?

the snow I mean.  We are apparently in for our 3rd snow storm in a month, here in the KC metro area this does not happen often.  This next one is supposed to be worse than the previous two, mainly due to the wind that will potentially make snow drifts that are waist high.  Excuse me? Yes, I said typed waist high.  Ugh.

On a brighter (and dimmer) note we bought our tickets to FLORIDA!!!  Having warm weather in my future makes me a happy kiddo!  On the flip side (dimmer side if you will) I have realized that I am probably not going to be able to complete the half.  My knee has been giving me a LOT of trouble the past 2 weeks and I haven't been able to train at all.  I have not been able to break this news to my friend who I was supposed to run it with.  Best case scenario at this point is I go, I try, and probably get picked up by the cart that picks up the slow people who can't finish it in time. (how mortifying)
I just don't think I can tell her I wont even try it......
But no matter what we will be in Orlando, warm weather, a fantastically amazing friend to see and lots of fun to be had in the days we are gone. 

Menu Plan Monday!

Teriyaki Chicken and rice *Monday*
Chicken Tortilla Soup *Tuesday*
Frozen Pizza *Wednesday*
Hamburger Helper -- don't judge, its a cheap meal! *Thursday*
Mushroom Risotto *Friday*
Wings, haven't decided if we're going to do a traditional buffalo wing or a peanut butter and jelly wing recipe I found online..... *Saturday*
Honey Mustard Chicken *Sunday*

I think we've got a pretty well rounded menu this week, we'll supplement with salads for the veggies and we *may* eat out one night this week.  We'll just have to see!

Leaving things to the las minute

Am I the only one who does this on REALLY important things?  Give me a dinner party, or just a party, to plan and I have 3 complete menu options, decor ideas music selections and a cleaning schedule that will make your head spin.  Weeks in advance.  Give me a test that will determine if  keep my several thousand dollar raise at work and 6 months to study for it and, eh, I'll get to it I'm sure.  Suddenly its 2.5 weeks to go and I'm freaking out because I realize that this is important, like really important.  Crap.
I've done the same thing with the half marathon training.  Granted, I've also been in some pretty significant pain during the process that hasn't helped, but still.  I am NOWHERE near the miles I should be, and I'm worried I wont be able to complete the half.  Now, this kind of reality check should be motivating to me.  Instead its another of my, eh, I'll get to it when I get to it items. 
What the heck is wrong with me?  I have been a lot of things in my life, not all of them very complimentary to be sure, but until lately I've never really considered myself lazy.  Sure I'd rather ask Spence to get me water if he's already up (or looks like he could be getting up sometime soon) but that's just good planning right?  I need to seriously get my head in the game here and start to take care of business! 
Maybe there is some sub-conscious fear of failing at the important things in life? That it will confirm my deepest fears that I'm not really good enough? That if I really try at something that it won't come together the way I want it to and I don't want to deal with that?  Maybe, but since I'm not licensed in psychobabble we'll probably never know. 
What I do know is that tonight instead of lounging in front of the TV, I will be reviewing a water loss power point and going over coverage scenarios on my laptop.  Tomorrow I will be at the gym, doing something productive instead of laying in bed and thinking about it.  It may not be the 7 miles I should be jogging but I'll keep going till I can't.  There.  Motivated. 

Menu Plan Monday!

Well I realized last week that I have every intention of eating certain meals on certain nights....but it doesn't always happen.  So I'm just putting all the meals I plan to make this week out there and we'll eat whatever sounds best at the time.  This week's food is not a super complicated recipe week.  And a lot of what I'm making we already have at the house, I'm excited to have a lower than normal grocery bill!

Italian Chicken with salad : marinate chicken breasts overnight in Italian dressing, coat w/ Italian bread crumbs and then bake at 350 until done.
Grilled cheese and soup: this one didn't make it to the table last week....oops? so its back on the plan for this week.
Boboli pizzas garlic bread and salad: purchase the pizza crusts, add sauce cheese and whatever else you want to eat on the pizza and bake
Baked honey mustard chicken and green beans: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Honey-Mustard-Chicken/Detail.aspx
Chicken and cheese quesadillas with a chips and salsa appetizer: seems pretty self explanatory...
Chicken Cordon Bleu and corn: my mom got some of the little frozen ones at Sams Club a while ago, its time to remove them from the freezer lol.

Death....ok not really....just kinda

That sums up how I feel today.  Last night was way too late, and involved just a bottle teeny tiny bit more wine than it probably should have.  Eh, oh well, it was also totally worth it.  I've talked on here about my friends before, and how freaking blessed I feel to have such awesome people in my life.  Last night was a prime example of why I love my friends.  Usually during the week 3 girlfriends and I get together for dinner and wine.  It's just a low key, relaxed evening (that has been known to last until the early morning hours on occasion...) where we can all catch up, talk about whats going on in our lives and just be girls.  Well last night we decided to extend the invite to our better other halves as well.  One of the things we usually at least touch on during our "wine nights" is that its baffles us that our husbands/boyfriends just don't seem to feel the need to go hang out with their  buddies the way we feel the need to have weekly time with each other.  Every week all of us say to the guys some version of "hey why don't you call the guys and go out for a beer/watch a game/play pool ANYTHING except sit at home while I go out tonight"  99% of the time we all get the same response....."nah". 
So you can imagine our (the girls) surprise when it was the guys who weren't ready to go home last night!  Apparently when we force invite them to do things and don't give them an option to say no they do enjoy getting out of the house! 
All in all the evening was a success, and I got a chance to try out a new recipe that I think will be making its way into our rotation.  Cheesy Chicken Bundles  http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/cheesy-chicken-bundles/Detail.aspx

Snow day.....just not for me.

So we went to bed on Sunday night with the forecast of snow.  LOTS of snow.  But lets be honest, the weatherman predicts snow on a pretty regular basis throughout the winter and its really never as bad as they think it will be.  Except for yesterday.  Apparently the snow plowers also thought the weatherman had over promised on the amount of snow the KC area was supposed to get, because they sure were not out overnight clearing things off (at least not in our area).  Spence took off to work at his usual time, and didn't get there until an hour after he was supposed to open the store, oops?  (generally a 20 min drive tops)

I woke up to all my teacher friends posting about how excited they were about their snow day, and I will admit felt some jealousy.  I took some pretty pictures of the snow, I'll get them posted in the next few days....hopefully.

Today, its not snowing anymore, but my friends who had snow days yesterday still have snow days today.  The roads are actually worse today than yesterday because its a whole 7 degrees outside! brrrrrrr......I need some hot chocolate!

Menu Plan Monday!

Monday: Mac N Cheese with salad
1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (12 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
garlic, salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until done; drain.
In 8x8 inch baking dish, stir together macaroni, shredded Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes
 
Tuesday: Meatball sandwiches
1lb ground meat
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
1 jar pasta sauce
Mozzarella cheese slices

Combine meat,  bread crumbs and egg, shape into balls.
combine meatballs and sauce in saucepan, cook until meatballs are done all the way through.
Serve meatballs on hot dog buns, or hoagie buns with melted cheese slices on top.
(I'm using the the leftover hot dog buns from last weeks chili dogs)

Wednesday: Pasta carbonara and Cesar salad
3 cups uncooked tube pasta
6 bacon strips,
diced 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 cups milk (I use 1% and its fine)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cubed (reduced fat)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, cubed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon until done (we don't like our bacon crisp, so I don't cook it super crisp). Remove to paper towels. In the drippings, saute garlic until tender. Add the milk, cream cheese and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and bacon; heat through. Drain pasta; toss with sauce.

Thursday: Grilled cheese and tomato soup
I use Velveeta in our cheese and just the normal condensed tomato soup with 1% milk
 
Friday: Baked Buffalo Wings
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 chicken wings
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup hot pepper sauce (I'm getting some from Buffalo Wild Wings)

Line the bottom of a broiler pan with foil, spray the top lightly with Pam.
Place the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt into a resealable plastic bag, and shake to mix. Add the chicken wings, seal, and toss until well coated with the flour mixture.
Place the wings onto the prepared baking sheet, and place into the refrigerator. Refrigerate at least 1 hour
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dip the wings into the butter mixture, and place back on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and crispy on the outside, about 45 minutes. Turn the wings over halfway during cooking so they cook evenly.

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Chicken Parmesan and garlic bread with salad
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
7 ounces Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces pasta sauce
6 slices Monterrey Jack cheese  (or mozzarella cheese if you prefer)


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Dip chicken breasts into bread crumb mixture to coat.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add coated chicken and saute for about 8 to 10 minutes each side, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
Pour tomato sauce into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add chicken, then place a slice or two of Monterrey Jack cheese over each breast, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.  serve over pasta

Nostalgia

I saw a post on Facebook today from my Alma mater that Interterm started up on the 4th.  For those of you who may not know what interterm is (and unless you went to good 'ol BU you probably don't) its when the students come back for the month of January to take one class until the semester starts (I've also heard this called J-Term).  Its required 3 of the 4 years to graduate at Baker.  Now those of you I'm explaining this to are probably like "ugh that sounds awful! What about winter break?!?" But just wait, it gets better.  The classes aren't your typical math/science/English courses, oh no sirree.  They are designed to be fun, low key classes. 

One year I took a class that taught me how to play chess, another year I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and my freshmen year I took a class where we read the (very thin) book "Who Moved My Cheese" and talked about what we wanted to be when we were real live grown ups. 
Students also have the option to take travel interterms, surfing is a popular one, as are some trips to Europe.  You can also do an internship or something else that is productive if you feel so inclined.  And I guess I should mention there are some that actually counted toward like history or English requirements, I just never took those!  I remember one that a history prof did that the students built a plow using only tools that would have been available in the pre middle ages, one that taught how to sew your own clothes, Irish dancing etc.

Some of my favorite times at Baker happened during Interterm.  Partially because the classes were easy and fun, (and short), and partially because it was so great to be back from home after a good solid week or so of seeing family and get to just chill for a little while before the spring semester starts back in full force.  Its a month of hanging out with your friends, parties, relaxation and everything that college "should" be according the any TV show you've ever seen.

Laziness and all it entails

There are several things in my very pampered, addicted to modern technology life that I claim I cannot live without.  My iPhone, the DVR, my nook, the electric wine opener (even with as much as I've been cooking I still maintain that wine opener is the most used appliance in my kitchen), waterless cookware etc.  I have to say though, that I think our netflix subscription may be attaining that same status.  Spence and I have breezed our way though some Mad Men episodes, watched almost 4 complete seasons of "Psych", Hana and I have re-discovered the trash TV that was "Buffy" and I'm betting I can find several other TV shows I used to love and had forgotten about.  It has a ton of old movies I like, and some newer ones that have snaked their way to the top of the queue.  With all these addicting things on the TV you may wonder how I get anything done around the house.....its quite simple.  I don't.  I sit like a bump on a log while the laundry piles up, floors get dusty etc.  Which brings me to one of my goals for the year of 2011. 

Get into cleaning pattern I can maintain.

I know myself and Spence well enough to realize we will probably never be the "make your bed every morning" couple.  But I would really like us to be the "put the laundry away before it gets worn again" couple.  I feel like I do a good job at maintaining the cleanliness of the main parts of the house (kitchen, guest bathroom, dining and living room etc), our bedroom however is a totallly different story. Our laundry takes over the room in a major way.  As a result of this I never feel super motivated to clean the rest of it up, cause really, it doesn't make a huge impact when 4 loads of clean laundry are at the foot of the bed.  So my first goal is to get in the habit of putting each load of laundry away as we get it from the dryer.  Ugh.  It doesn't even sound fun.  I think part of this goal is going to HAVE to be getting our closet revamped too.  I have a vision of additional shelves, more hanging space and a much neater place to keep all our clothes. Excuse me while I go price out closet organizer systems......more to come!

Menu Plan:

I know its Wednesday and it makes more sense to do this on Monday....but oh well.

*I do not really cook with measurements once I've made something more than about twice, if you read this and want to make something but have questions on the recipe I can give more precise amounts*

Monday: Chili dogs and salad / Frito Chili pie and salad  *we have a LOT of leftover Chili from the new years party, this seemed like a good way to use it up!
Tuesday: Corn dog casserole * 1 box jiffy corn bread mix, 3-4 hot dogs, some cheese.  Prep the corn bread mix per the box instructions, mix in sliced up hot dogs, add a handful of cheese.  Place into 8x8 pan (sprayed lightly with non stick spray) top with cheese and bake for about 25 min.* serve with ketchup and mustard, tastes like a corn dog, I'm not even kidding.
Wednesday: enchiladas with sour cream sauce *brown 1 lb hamburger w taco seasoning,  for sauce: combine 1 can fat free cream of chicken soup with equal parts reduced fat sour cream.  Place meat, 4 cheese Mexican blend, green chilli's (or salsa) and sauce mixed above in tortilla.  Roll and place in 8x8 pan.  Repeat till pan is full, top with the rest of the cheese and sauce.  Bake at 350 till bubbly*
Thursday: Beef Stew *cut up stew meat, place in baggy with flour, season salt, garlic salt and paprika shake to coat.  Place meat and flour mixture, carrots, potato, celery and other desired veggies in crock pot with a can of beef broth, fat free cream of mushroom soup, some red wine, minced garlic, cumin, parsley and other desired spices and water (or more beef broth) if addl liquid is needed in crock pot, cook on low 6-8 hours*
Friday: Garlic Cheddar Chicken and salad  *defrost and pound chicken breasts thin, dredge in mixture of melted butter and garlic and then coat with Italian breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.  Place in 8x8 pan, add any remaining breadcrumbs to the top of the chicken, bake 350 degrees till done (about 25-30 min)*
Saturday: Minskys pizza *heaven*
Sunday: Baked Buffalo wings

Setting goals:

OK I will admit to being pretty awful at following through on long term goals I set for myself.  I'm really just lazy, and that's all there is to it.   BUT I'm going to go ahead and set some things out there that I would like to accomplish this year.

~Get a part time job
~Paint/re-tile the hall bathroom
~Re-tile the entryway (this may be a 2012 project but we'll see)
~Read 40 books
~Get myself into a house cleaning routine
~Run a half marathon

I'll revisit these goals in later posts to talk about why I'm choosing them.  For now I'm good with just having them out in the universe.

Being Realistic....

really stinks.  I mean, really.  I like to live in the world of butterflies and sunshine where I can sleep late and not work full time.  Where magically my house is spotless, meals are cooked and I have lost approximately, oh say, 40 lbs just by thinking positive thoughts.  Sadly, this is not the life I live.  I'm not calling this a new years resolution, because I really stink at upholding those.  But this year we've decided to start being more proactive about our finances.  We have both taken credit cards out of our wallets, and they are tucked away someplace that could be accessed in an emergency, but not so accessible that they will get whipped out anytime we think we need to use them. 
We are on a 3 year plan to be credit card debt free.  I think we can do it in 2.5 but 3 is totally realistic and doable.
I started looking around for part time gig, something pretty blah more than likely but with Spence going back to school and the roommate moving out this spring or summer I want to have some extra built back up to have a decent cushion.  We'll see how that all goes......

So that's my non new years resolution, even though it comes at the start of a new year.