2014 weekly menu | #42

i was really happy to find the skinnytaste cookbook on my last trip to target.  you know i love gina's website and have enjoyed every recipe i've made from her site.  what makes this cookbook even more exciting for me is that the photos were taken by penny de los santos, one of my favorite food photographers.  good food + beautiful photos = perfection.

so of course it came home with me. and it inspired me to pull out another cookbook to make up this week's menu.

weekend eats
saturday: hawaiian luau at the nd gala
sunday: the habit with sofia and friends for her birthday

making this week
monday: pan seared rosemary and sage pork chops from the paleo kitchen cookbook, roasted veggies
tuesday: crock pot chicken, salad, mac and cheese (making the chicken stock again as well)
wednesday: sweet and spicy salmon from the skinnytaste cookbook, brown rice, roasted sesame green beans
thursday: chicken pot pie soup from the skinnytaste cookbook
friday: homecoming football game

in other news: i am working on updating my blog.  i haven't changed it in far too long.  may have to learn some html coding and bring back the uppercase.  it's time for improvement.  so excuse me while i try a few things out, move things around and figure this little space out.  hopefully in the end you will like it even more.

thanks for stopping by.

sassy @ 9

sofia has been called sassy all her life.  it's something about her attitude.  i was not a fan of that nickname.  to me it meant rude, disrespectful and having an attitude.  

so when it came time to put her nickname on her softball jersey i wasn't sure this was a good idea.  

but then i did a google search of the word "sassy" and it brought up this definition: lively, bold, and full of spirit; cheeky. that definitely described who she is and how she lives her life.

she has an amazing spirit.  she is gentle and fierce. intense and sensitive. reserved and bold.

she is all in.

she loves 100% with all of her heart.

she is creative and energetic.  she doesn't hold back.

she is beautiful.

she has the biggest sweet tooth of anyone i know.

she is so funny but takes life seriously.

she is most definitely stylish.

she is still so much a little girl who fights growing up.

she does great things with lots of energy.

she is a risk taker who feels secure in the choices she makes.

and goes confidently.

she is a girl who doesn't put limitations on herself (and won't let others put them on her.)

she is sweet, thoughtful and caring but with a strong will.

she is joyous, smart, friendly and dramatic.  we love all that about her.

in my google search i found the urban dictionary definition of "sassy": possessing the attitude of someone endowed with an ungodly amount of cool.  well that sums it up!

happy birthday to my sweet and sassy girl.

love,
mom

2014 weekly menu | #41

vietnamese vermicelli bowl 

we're at that point in the year where bobby and i just look at each other and wonder how we will keep it all straight.  who needs to go where? what will we have to sacrifice? what did we forget? when will it end?  it's a whirlwind of activities (and more now that we've added softball to our lives).  we love it all and can't imagine giving something up.  so we muscle through and get it done, try to enjoy ourselves along the way and take deep breaths.

yoga on monday mornings helps.  so does keeping a weekly dinner plan so i don't have to think about it.

weekend eats
saturday: mexican take out
sunday: sushi with friends

making this week
monday: pasta with meatballs
tuesday: carne and pollo asado tacos for sofia's birthday
wednesday: turkey chili, cornbread
thursday: miso glazed salmon, vegetable stir fry and brown rice
friday: football game

cheers to a good week.

creative adventures | the art of calligraphy

i have long been a fan of handwriting.  it comes from my dad who would show us the exercises he used to do when he was in school.  we would fill pages and pages of lines, circles, swirls and loops.  over and over.  i loved it.

then in school i would seek out those friends who had good hand writing and copy their style. i remember in junior high changing my writing to that fat lettering that spread across the page because that's how my friend wrote. i'd find the pen she used and copy her font letter by letter.

i never took calligraphy.  the pointed pen kind of scared me and it seemed so formal and laborious. but more and more people are bringing it back, in a modern style that looks formal and easy.  it was love at first sight.

so a few weekends ago my sister and i took a class in manhattan beach with a calligrapher named laura hooper.  i've been following her blog and instagram for a while and when i saw that she was coming to LA i jumped at the chance to take her class and i love that my sister was on board with me.

we were so excited to take the class and be with other people that enjoyed handwriting as much as we did.  each student had a personalized place setting ready for them when they arrived.  ink, pen, workbook, paper, nibs, a card, pencil and that awesome tote to carry it all in.

they had a mimosa bar, muffins and crescents for us as well. we had to take it easy on the mimosas or our writing would come out crooked.

i love all the details .

then it was time to get to work.  making lines, circles, swirls and loops.  she would demonstrate the letter on the board and we would write it over and over on our paper.

they would come around and correct little mistakes, like making my capital E look just right.

the key here is practice makes perfect and that's what we need to do now.  practice and make adjustments to the basics so we come up with our own individual style.  that will be fun. i'll be ready to address envelopes if anyone wants to hire me...

after the class i made reservations to have lunch and debrief at a local restaurant.  we knew we had to go to little sister - an asian and french fusion restaurant just blocks away from the hotel.

oh man, the food here was outrageous.  we ordered a cheese plate of bucheron and apricot preserve with lavender.

followed by the chicken banh mi with shrimp chips and a side of pho.

the grilled pork spring rolls which we wrapped in lettuce and dipped in that incredible sauce were just perfect.

i had a great time learning something new, eating something delicious and hanging out with my sister.  looking forward to our next adventure.

around here | september

as september winds down and we head into the "busy holiday season", i realize that i didn't do a good job of documenting some of the fun stuff that's been going on around here.

i never posted the first day of school photo for these two.  he's in 7th and she's in 3rd and so far the year has been great for both of them.  he's on a block schedule and taking fencing as his elective.  she is working hard and loves her teacher.

the water polo team had their first game in the new pool.  and they won both games!

jord's been playing a lot more and the team is getting better.  he's scored 8 goals this season, a huge improvement from last year.

she started playing softball 3 weeks ago and is loving it.  we knew she would be good at it but we are so happy she is enjoying being on a team.  she's gotten some good hits and has the biggest cheering section.

another fun gig for encore at guitar merchant.  the kids get better every time they perform.

and of course there's football games and halftime shows.  the band is in transition with a new director but they are doing well.  first halftime show featured songs from pirates of the caribbean and indiana jones.  this friday it's avicii.

got over the hot days last week and enjoying the cooler fall weather, just in time for it to heat up again this weekend.

my sister and i took a calligraphy class and we are having fun playing around with our supplies.  i'll be ready to address holiday cards if anyone wants me to.

and then there was movie night at school.  such a great event on our beautiful campus.  there was a family picnic, games, cake walk, dance-a-thon and cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2.  this is the first event for the new pto board and they rocked it.

the band was asked to play at a taping of a reality tv show at notre dame.  the reveal is top secret but i'll share details when the episode airs.

i volunteered during the junior retreat at notre dame when they visited a senior living facility whose residents have alzheimer's and dimenstia.  it was tough to see but inspirational to watch these young kids help out with feeding, singing and talking to these adults.  their slogan for the 3 day retreat is "let's go make a difference." and i think they did.

bobby and i went to the 3rd grade parent social over the weekend.  the host family went all out with a seafood boil.  we had lobster, crab, shrimp, and clams.  there were biscuits, corn, potatoes and sausages.  the decor was perfect and we left with full bellies. 

working on some of these mini 4x4 albums to document our toronto trip.  and the gold one is for a getaway in november that i'm so excited about.

pushing myself to get back to working out.  i've got a good schedule of running and yoga.  now i have to add some strength training and other cardio.  it's hard to get motivated when i'm not training for a race.

looking forward to october.

2014 weekly menu | #40

bread pudding with kahlua sauce that i made for a school social.

lots of evening events this week which always makes dinner planning that much more important.  what i need to work on this week is prepping so that i'm not rushing when i get home to get dinner on the table.

we have 2 evening meetings, band rehearsal, softball practice, a home football game and the first band parade of the season.  so we will likely not have a meal at home with the five us together.  some weeks are just like that.

weekend eats
saturday: seafood boil for our 3rd grade social
sunday: burgers and hot dogs to celebrate family birthdays

making this week
monday: chicken pomodoro paninis, caesar salad
tuesday: bbq salmon, green beans, mashed potatoes
wednesday: carnitas tacos, salad (moved over from last week)
thursday: vietnamese vermicelli bowl with chicken, spring rolls
friday: home football game

i'm trying to step out of our usual meals and looking for inspiration in other cookbooks, cultures and resources.  there is so much good food to try.

have a great week.

2014 weekly menu | week #39

chocolate chip banana bread for our pto meeting last week.
making some this week for us.

we have definitely fallen off the whole30 program after completing the 30 days in august.  we brought it all back; sugar, dairy, gluten, legumes, and an occasional drink or 2.

this week it's all about figuring out the balance in our life.  enjoying the good stuff but being aware of how we that makes us feel; feeling tired vs. being full of energy, restless sleep vs. a good night's sleep, feeling heavy vs. feeling light.  eating right makes a huge difference and all it takes is awareness and some prep work.

weekend eats
saturday: pizza at our school's movie night
sunday: appetizers at a cocktail party

making this week
monday: seared ahi tuna salad
tuesday: bbq chicken, broccoli and cheddar baked potatoes
wednesday: turkey burgers, oven fries
thursday: carnitas tacos, salad
friday: pizza - if we don't make it to the football game

enjoy your week!