Shopping

I just saw a commercial a meatloaf pan that looked amazing. This teaches me a few things.
First I now know I am tired. I suspected my judgement was becoming increasingly impaired. I should not go to the mall. We sometimes buy meatloaf from wegmans and eat it but I've never made it. Why would I need a special pan?
Second there is a pan for meatloaf with an awesome lift out tray so your meatloaf doesn't fall apart. How cool is that? I don't really want meatloaf right now but I am hungry. For cinnamon rolls I think. Not with cream cheese frosting though. I don't like cream cheese frosting. And someone in the show was drinking hot chocolate. Maybe it was actually a commercial for coffee creamer. I don't drink coffee but the creamers seem so cool. My friend Ashlee comes over with hot chocolate and offers to get me some a lot. I want some. Do you think the marshmallow lovers swiss miss plus coffee creamer in a paper cup would do the trick?
More importantly, do you think it would go with meatloaf?

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Grocery Shopping

Since my newest hobby is thinking about food and spending less money on groceries I decided I should share that today I went grocery shopping with wild abandon. the evidence:
I bought cherries. hello 5 dollars a pound.
I bought apple apple at the grocery store even though i know it is 30 cents cheaper at target. I got two boxes.
I let my kids pick their own cereal. and then their own box of fruit snacks. Of course I made Danielle swear on her life that she would brush her teeth after she ate them, which she did not do a few hours later.
I got butter with boxtops for education on it.
And Margarine. I love box tops brands- I cut them out and then give them to someone else because my kids aren't even in school yet.
I bought dannonino- also known as the most expensive kids yogurt on earth- you get like one spoonful of yogurt for the same price as other yogurts.
I bought lunchables- even though they are 50 cents cheaper at target. My child asked for them and I just put them in the cart.
I bought a half gallon of milk instead of a bigger one.
I bought gallons of water. someone asked us if we had a boil order on our water the other day. I guess it didn't taste good. So I got some water. and water bottles- with the sports tops that are awesome. Mark has already dumped one on the family room floor. It was a kids bottle with added fluoride.
I bought the most expensive kind of apples- just because I like the way they taste.

reckless abandon.
I almost bought some rainbow chip chips ahoy.
so at least you know I haven't completely lost all control.

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Groceries

Today I went grocery shopping without my children. OK it was the other day- but you an imagine. I missed them so much. So I decided to nag myself for everything I saw that I wanted. I compulsively added items to the cart and then decided I wanted a different flavor. I ran from the cart to another aisle. I talked to the lobsters for a few minutes and cried when I had to leave them. I ordered every single kind of cake item.
I moved around the cereal boxes. I dumped all the granola bars on the floor. Then I picked up 4 or five varieties of fruit snacks and lots of chips. I picked up the pooping chicken in the easter candy and bought myself a stuffed animal. When I got to the aisle I hugged everyone's legs and told them if they looked funny. I got a twix and one of those bottle pop suckers. I had already eaten two jelly beans from the bag I ripped open and thrown the rest on the floor. I also had to go get the contents of my wallet from where I had thrown them down in disgust. I had hot dogs and lunchables, as well as every variety of dannonino yogurt.

not quite satisfied, I decided to cut out the middle mad entirely. I decided I didn't get the right fruit on the way home and had to go back for yellow apples and handi snacks. Then I got myself some cake with a princess plate. I put it on the table and went to watch shows. Each time there was a commercial break I got a new fork to get another bite. Then I just wiped frosting in my hair and threw the rest of the food in a pile on the floor. I dumped my cool-aid on my lovely pile then brought my nectarines to the basement. I took one bite of each of them and hid them behind a toy bin to rot. I emptied the bag of goldfish crackers in my bed then jumped on it to get them nice and crumbly.

When John came home, I blamed Austin the dog.
I think it was the yogurt all over my shirt that betrayed the truth...

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Dear friend

Dear costco muffins,
I love you. I miss you.
Lets go out.
I love your new packaging. I still can't decide if I like chocolate or blueberry more. I wish you lived closer so I could keep testing.
It's this kind of research that I went to college for.
And I hate sams club. I would never cheat on you.
Especially now that I am trying to track my food on weight watchers and you are more than half of my daily points.
Xoxo
Janae

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Food on Thought

source I took the image from another blog. Sorry but no Lemon Bars were around long enough to be photographed so beautifully.

Kate Moss is supposedly the one who coined the phrase "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." I want to give her a little hug. A squishy one with lots of padding. Lots of people have criticized this as promoting anorexia, and I know people who have used it for motivation to work out and have a healthier lifestyle.
Whatever works for you personally, sometimes I like to think of foods that do in fact, taste better. I would theorize that Kate Moss has never eaten lemon bars made by Jutta Olivetti. Maybe you haven't either. Lucky for me I can't ask her to make them for me every day without a great deal of shame. Also she would probably just say no and stop talking to me. They are AMAZING.
My sister Claire would understand- she had FANTASTIC lime bars at her wedding. I would even YELL ABOUT THEM THEY WERE SO GOOD!!!! I don't know if you can imagine me shaking with enthusiasm. Shaking my jiggly parts. I think I ate about 1000 calories in lime bars that day. and that is a conservative estimate.

Anyway I've been thinking a lot about food today for two reasons.
1. I haven't eaten any junk food. So it is all I can really logically think about.
2. John doesn't like most of the junk food I like. For example, he doesn't appreciate the beauty that is the Panera Bread valentine sugar cookie. He doesn't like Caramel corn. He also doesn't like Lemon bars.
who did I marry here? I think deep down in his soul he loves eating healthy food. It would probably be his dream to eat a healthy Tofu meal every night. Seriously he likes Tofu but not grape tomatoes. He claims they aren't good.
Wrong.
It feels good to know that I'm right about something. again.

Do you think I would have more willpower if I had this fantastic Photo from HoneyandJamPhotos on Etsy?
I Love this etsy shop- it has a bunch of food stuff in it. It reminds me of my sister in law Brooke who has a country style that is ADORABLE. She can totally pull of shabby chic and make it look more chick than shabby (unlike the person writing this post for example).

I couldn't stop thinking about Lemon Bars so I had to stop what I was doing and make a little poster about them. Nom Nom Nom.



So what have you been thinking about today? and I mean what have you been thinking about food...

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Modified Thanksgiving Menu

Since everyone in my family is now sick I have decided to revise my Thanksgiving menu.

For Me: Peppermint Popcorn I made with Claire. Lots of it.

For Everyone:
Saltine Crackers
Applesauce
Pedialyte Popsicles
Pedialyte
Toast
Bananas

Last time Danielle had to flu she got REALLY dehydrated. I've also never dealt with a breastfeeding baby who has the flu- I was doing really good trying to wean him and he isn't keeping much of anything down so should I keep trying to wean and throw more saltines at him? Because this baby DOES NOT CARE for saltines. I read this article about how you should continue breastfeeding so the push to wean is going to get moved back again. Do you ever feel like life looks at your well made plans and laughs at you? It took me such a long time to come to the decision to wean Mark and I've been so wishy washy about it. How. When. Where- these questions are much less solid than it was to decide to breastfeed. I had to work so hard to be able to do it I never thought about how it would end. Although just like with breastfeeding I appreciate the crap loads of unsolicited advice I've received. he he- and the solicited advice. why is it that the people who are the most opinionated and pushy are the one's you don't actually ask?
Overall I think Mark has moved backwards in terms of weaning- from 4 times a day back to I don't know how many but I know I've done three loads of throw up laundry today. John has also done some, before he joined the sickies.
My kids are so sick and sad. Danielle wanted me to hold her but at one point she smelled too bad so she got to take a bath first. Danielle learned to swish water around her mouth to get the bad taste out. she wanted to go to bed tonight. She also made it to the bathroom several times to throw up and I'm really proud of her. Mark has had several baths.

Oh well- it gives me more time to make the rainbow jello Danielle wanted, and explains why I felt so sick all week. Sometimes when you think you could be accidentally pregnant it is really the flu. Other times just your standard monthly crazy paranoia.

Still good to keep lots of pregnancy tests on hand. and Saltine crackers.

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Positive Post #7

image from All-Pie-Recipes.blogspot.com

Today wasn't a day where I felt the most positive to be honest. (cue sad music) Tuesday I didn't end up going to Utah because I didn't feel good and Danielle had a fever. Now Mark has been screaming at me all day and wanted to be held. And I'm a walking disaster. Everything I touch seems to break. For example- I over corrected to get off the curb at the bank and rammed my car into a post. I damaged the paint and two panels of my car.
I have a history of hitting poles, but I thought I moved past that stage in life in high school, where I hit stationery objects over five times my senior year. It is so hard to focus when my kids are screaming at me the whole time. Poor Nichole probably wonders what the heck is wrong with me. I could have been at a shop hop and eating Old Spaghetti Factory with my family, who loves me. I wouldn't have hurt my car if I wasn't driving it. I probably wouldn't have had a mini panic attack last night either. boo on that crap.
reflective segue
Maybe I'm being punished for promoting childhood obesity by taking my children to McDonalds and feeding them chicken nuggets. IT IS MONOPOLY TIME THOUGH! I could win. OK probably not but I love monopoly time. a lot. and Danielle had fun on the play place. Mark didn't like it. So he threw chocolate milk on the floor. and ketchup. and ranch dressing, and nuggets, and fries, and everything he could get his hands on. He practiced his screaming skills. I should never chicken out on a trip again.

cue dramatic music:

Then a miracle occured: my children took a nap. Not Child as in Mark but children. They both slept together at the same time. For Two hours. Danielle never takes a nap anymore but I knew if she didn't it would be disastrous for us. As in I shouldn't be around people when I want to curl up in a ball and die or cry. and she went to bed. I cleaned up all the kid stuff and vacuumed.

I don't remember what else I did, but I think it involved nothing productive which is perfect. Milk Duds might have been present.

Then Sister Lord invited me over for apple pie making. I was supposed to bring a young woman but she canceled and I was still invited. So I went. Right now I am eating that apple pie. Some people have told me I wouldn't get along with Sister Lord- but I'm convinced they are wrong. The woman knows how to do a lot of things I want to be able to do. I've decided we are going to be new best friends. I'm going to learn how to smock. I don't have a ton of interest in learning how to cook- if I did I would have learned it from my mom, but I do want to know about French embroidery technique.
I wonder if my mom and Sister Lord would get along... My mom's pretty neat you know, even if she doesn't really like apple pie.

End Positive Post #7

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Positive Post #3

This is like a month challenge. Except the month challenge on my etsy shop blog ended up being only 28 days long. That is a month- February 75% of the time style.
Crap I bought the wrong caramel corn. This is devastating.
My sister Claire makes good caramel corn. but my husband doesn't like it.
whatev.
In other news I am glad people leave comments on my blog- I like it. Even though honestly more action is happening in those than with me. I just thought I should apologize on the blog because I started the fight on the blog. not perfectly clear. You will be happy to know I think everything is worked out.

So now let's talk about some positive things- I found a hilarious website about moms!



moms are so competitive. I follow these moms on twitter that talk about breastfeeding their babies forever and ask me if I've tried herbal remedies to deal with depression.
I think part of why moms get so crazy competitive is that we don't have standard criteria. There is no board out there giving out mommy grades- you get an A and you get a c minus because you feed your child the wrong kind of fruit snacks. Sometimes it would be nice to have a set of guidelines- don't you think?

So what would your mom guidelines be? Do you feel strongly about anything?
I feel strongly about naptime. I have a crush on it.

I am also grateful that this caramel corn is too terrible to eat, because that will help me be healthy.

End Positive Post #3 of 31

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Sunday Thoughts

Just so you know there is a wrong way a correct way to mix up your hot chocolate. You might think this doesn't really matter since it is blazing hot outside. But it does. It matters so much that I am revealing to Brooke that I cheated on her with another potter. You see I bought this mug from Vegan Dish. I can't help it. It is PINK, for crying out loud! Who doesn't want a mug that says "vegan" on it and is pink. Every holiday where we are supposed to get presents I want to send one of these to Karen and TJ. TJ is actually Vegan which I wish I was cool enough to be. I started weight watchers and red meat is a lot of points so I stopped eating it and one week later started to get the mysterious bruising on my legs.
Oops. Guess I will start taking iron supplements or something. I think I actually meant to give this mug to Karen and then got a letter sent back to me from her address and just waited and kept the mug. I plan to call her and get her address again. Still really behind on birthdays this year... Just Karen and Peter and Kathryn and all their kids and TJ and several other people behind though, so no big deal. I did finally get my mother in law that birthday present yesterday. Her birthday was last month.
Anyway this weekend I took a break and ate hamburgers two days (heavenly) which I normally don't eat at all. I don't really deserve to use my vegan mug. When Erik visited he used it and I almost asked him not to but wouldn't that be rude to tell your guest that they can't use your very special mug?
Maybe I need another mug. Make that two mugs- one for Karen and one for me.

The correct way to make hot chocolate: Microwave water for 1 minute and 15 seconds.
THEN put the powder on top.
NEVER put the powder in the cup before the water- there is nothing more disgusting than this.
I like to fill my big mug up and use 1.5 chocolate packets. Today I accidentally used two.
no good.
I ate it anyway. I love the Marshmallow Lovers packets. I wait until the hot chocolate isn't scalding anymore and mix them in. I love how the marshmallows are in a separate packet so they don't just melt as soon as you put the mix in the water.

Once John made me hot chocolate and he put the powder in the bottom and there were those disgusting little packets of hot chocolate mix that weren't mixed in all the way- it is harder to get all the chocolate if it is on the bottom.
It was nice of him to make me hot chocolate though. I guess.

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Sunday Thoughts

I love Maple Bars.
and twix bars.
and mint milano cookies.
and bagels.
and chocolate covered almonds.
and bear claws.

a lot.

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It has Finally Arrived

The Candy Purge

Well Everyone- It has finally arrived. It started Tuesday when we had to put Danielle to bed at 6:30 and she wouldn't eat her dinner. Of course I think a few days after Easter every parent laments their lives, but I am sick of Danielle not eating. We lock her in her seat, she makes aliens with her peas.
It is so hit and miss with her- she will eat all sorts of healthy foods sometimes. Other days I am wondering when she will wake up in the middle of the night to eat.
When we moved to Scranton she lost five pounds. I took a child development class that said you shouldn't really force kids to eat- you should give them healthy options. I have always tried to have healthy food available for her- I've never seen a kid that liked peppers as much as Danielle. But five pounds is way too much for a toddler to lose. We started forcing her to eat. Then I found out she was anemic. She has gained weight though, and is back up to the original weight. I guess moving was really stressful for her.
The first day after the candy purge- Danielle found Daddy's candy on his desk from Easter
Day two- Danielle got the Nutella off the counter.
Day three- Danielle found leftover starburst from the diaper bag.
Day Four- She climbed on the desk and found some chocolates I had from Valentine's day. Really- I still had chocolate?

If I ever want candy I will ask Danielle where to find some.
I think all of our candy is gone.
I don't know who misses it more- me or Danielle.
probably me.

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Cooking Lessons with Maunifa

My friend Maunifa is from Syria. She is super awesome because she is bossy and opinionated. I like bossy people. She seems to think I need someone to come and clean my house every week. I totally agree. Also I shouldn't eat salad dressing because that makes you fat. And one day a week I should put my kids in daycare so I can have a day to myself. I wish I lived in her world.
Maunifa loves to cook. She is teaching me.
Carlie tells me that good photos make a good food blog. Since I am not a food blog I don't have to take great food photos, but really food is one of my major loves in life. I think about it probably about 60% of the time. Or more. The first time Maunifa cooked for me she made something with rice and lamb and okra and a spice mixture she made herself. I was almost as excited as I was about the turkey at the Nelson's house. I LOVE TURKEY. Needless to say I have a huge mom crush on her- who just makes Syrian food every day? Someone from Syria. This is food I would pay a lot of money for in a restaurant. She is teaching me how to make it. Next week I am going to get a lamb at the Arabic store. I don't know how I feel about it- since I wish I was a vegetarian I decided to never eat lamb again- then she fed me something wonderful and now I ordered some. That 7 year long fast ended soon.
It is good for me to have to prepare the foods though- that makes me want to eat meat less. Just imagine if I had to hunt the animals or clean them. I would never eat meat. I think our society let's us be more emotionally detached from food with our production and food supply.
The last Syrian Meal- Falaffal and pitas with onions, lettuce, tomato, and a mixture of parsley tomatoes and other stuff. Quite healthy.
except the deep fried part. Maybe I need a deep fryer. Everyone seems to have one- just like everyone has a crock pot. Or a dirty festering stink pot, as I like to think of them. How else can I deep fry my falaffel and cook my lamb for four hours- then act like I just whipped it up in no time. Also how the heck do you spell falaffel? falafel falafal fallafel whatever.

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Food Storage Danielle Style

Some people say that food insecurity leads to food hoarding. So does that mean that food storage is an example of food insecurity or good planning? And when my daughter does her own type of food storage, should I be worried about her?
Now we all know that Danielle has inherited some raccoon genes from me. She loves shiny things and almost always picks her sparkly shoes (except on boots day- or when she picks the sandals that don't fit her yet.) Now I have discovered that she is also part squirrel. She stores food. It is always funny when Danielle asks for "cack" and if you don't answer fast enough she shows up with crackers. Now goldfish crackers are usually stored in the red shoes. Pretzles are frequently stored in the sneakers. There is almost always food in at least one pair of shoes on the rack. Like a whole bag of goldfish crackers. Or about 40 dice. Dice go in the boot, of course. Today we stopped her from putting half of her oreo cookie (John gave it to her, not me) in her shoes.
I am glad that Danielle is learning to be self-reliant. Soon she will learn to bring a chair over to the counter so she can get on top of the fridge and get her own cookie. Which she will store in her shoe for the coming famine.

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