Crock potting mom.....

Apple Sauce chicken - from - you guessed it - Stephanie O'dea.  The girls are asking for bigger salads each night.  Not sure if this is a reflection of my cooking or they really like the salads with dinner.  We can't have a dinner with out salad now. 

This dinner got a "eh - it's okay...." 

I can't win them all - at least we are having dinner together every night....

Will get better in about two weeks when I start my new position...  yipee!

Dinner tonight - Pot Roast and Cranberries - brought to you by Stephanie O'Dea

I altered the dish slightly -

• she mentioned that it was a dry roast - so I doubled the red wine which added immensely to the flavor.
• I changed out the cranberries for cherries - which is supposed to be "good" for a person in my condition
• added carrots to the pot as a side veggies which made yummy carrots.

The verdict- 3 out of the 5 of us (baby included) gave it thumbs up.  I have no appetite right now - and especially meat.  I made the pot roast because my hubby thinks that every night should be a meat night.  Me - if I had meat once a year I would be happy.

However  - I think this one will be going on the "make again list and don't alter."

Cheeres!

Running on a treadmill....

I feel like I am running on a treadmill! 

My bible readings, prayer time and alone time is suffering.

Thank GOD the baby is moving now or I would forget I was preggers.... 

Work is closing in and I am not coping well. 

I feel like a failure with my kids - one more dinner plopped in the crock pot today - Baked Zita - with a huge veggie twist (shhhhhhh  they don't need to know there are carrots, zucchinni, cauliflower or squash).  It will be done by lunch and they can snack on it till dinner.  They are home from school and I have parent teacher conference that I smidged in between two meetings - one having me run back to work at a high rate of speed. 

I love living in Chicago - everything is centralized - but at times I feel more frazzled trying to get from point a to point b. 

I will be so glad when 4/16 is here - I am going to plop myself in bed and not get out till the 17th - when we leave on a mini vacay of sorts.

I feel like such a slug and failure.  I have, however, retreated to a quiet room to read prologue from Park. 

I just want to know how I lost control of my time and my commitments?  How does this happen?  How do I prevent it?

Non-Productive

I feel so non-productive today.  I am in a daze.  It's kinda like I am walking in a fog. 

I feel like the only thing I did productive today is start dinner in the crock pot before leaving for work. 

Thank goodness for a year of slow cooking!  Today's dinner - Apricot Chicken and rice. 

I am hoping this turns out better than the root beer pulled pork fiasco.  I almost bought real root beer today - but then I would have to hide it from my children who think root beer is their "treat" since we don't push pop or kool aide in our house.  We have a boring house I am afraid - water and soy milk. 

I am  really anal about what they eat in my home - cause I can control that.  I tell them - if I tightly control what they eat at home (I figure about 80% of the food they eat) then I can let the parties, sleep overs and get to gethers go (the 20% I can't control). 

With that said - I did not buy the root beer but put the recipe on the calender about three weeks from now....  Way after Easter.

UGH - Easter - what am I going to do for Easter dinner!!!!!

Mystery Knit

Ok - Mama confession......

I spent some time at work trying to get things done.... and was feeling really stressed. 

I ran away....  Sad I know.  I just went downtown to fondle some yarn, looking for nothing in particular, but had a couple of patterns in my bag.  Let me clarify - I ran away because of stress from work - not because I don't want to be a mommy. 


 I decided to start this knit - a Mystery Knit - because it peaked my interest - a bit of the pattern every few days?


Of course - it's in purple - using mixed purple beads since the yarn is a variation of purples.

I now remember why I do not like to knit with beads - the stringing of the beads.


As it was - I also ran to Michael's so that Rowan could have supplies she needed for school (pom poms, craft paper, sock yarn, seed beads).  Ok, so maybe the last two were not supplies for Rowan by supplies for mama.......



But rest assured - I had things under control.  Nat and Rowan were set up with two movies from Netflix, including books to read, and dinner was in the crock pot.  I was an EL ride away or a brisk walk if needed (and apparently my butt is needing it lately).

Dinner was from  Stephanie O'Dea at A Year of Slow Cooking.  Our family loves her ideas for recipes in the crock pot. 
Tonight was the root beer pulled pork.  Consensus was simply blah.  I think, had I used real root beer, as opposed to diet, it would have been a little better.  We agreed to do a second round of it in a few weeks. 

Me - not much of a meat eater - so wasn't impressed.  With the baby - still not a meat eater.