I’m going to start trying something new with my menu plan. I’d really like to work more meatless meals into our diet, for reasons that will probably be the subject of another blog post once I get my thoughts together. No, I’m not going to become a vegan. :) My goal is to have fish one night (which should work well until I run out of the salmon in my freezer that I bought on sale), beef or chicken three nights, and meatless three nights. Don’t hold me to that, ok? It’s just a loose guideline for now. And feel free to send me your favorite recipes for filling meatless entreés!

Monday: Chicken & bacon quiche (leftover from Sunday), carrots, rolls

Tuesday: Garlic-potato soup, salad, French bread

Wednesday: Baked salmon, sautéed green beans, brown rice w/ mushrooms

Thursday: same as Tuesday

Friday: Beef tacos, fresh fruit, chips & homemade salsa

Saturday: same

Sunday: Breakfast for dinner—whole-wheat waffles (didn’t get around to trying this recipe a couple of weeks ago, so trying it now), scrambled eggs, fresh fruit

Visit Menu Plan Monday over at Organizing Junkie for more menus.

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Recipe: Garlic-Lemon Marinade for Salmon (more…)

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Anna has finally crossed the 20-pound threshold, which means she can face front in the car! I know it is recommended that kids stay rear-facing as long as possible, and I originally wasn’t in any hurry to turn her around. But since this peanut allergy thing entered our lives, I want her where I can see her sweet little face, so that every time she coughs I’m not wondering if she’s ok. (I’m sure that will get better with time, but I’m still a little jumpy.)

We went to Staples yesterday for her first forward-facing excursion. I think she liked it. She even instinctively knew how to use the cupholder. Smart kid.

This was one of those times where she let out a big smile after I took the picture each time. I gave up after a few shots.

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Oh dear, Monday’s almost over and I almost forgot! Funny thing is I had this done early this time; I just forgot to post.

Monday: Grilled chicken sandwiches, sweet potato wedges

Tuesday: Burgers, potato wedges

Wednesday: Chicken quesadillas, fruit, chips & homemade salsa

Thursday: Grilled chicken sandwiches, sweet potato wedges

Friday: Baked ziti, green salad, French bread

Saturday: same

Sunday: Chicken & bacon quiche, green beans, rolls

Check out Menu Plan Monday for lots more menus.

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… when Anna brings me a book and wants me to read it to her. I mean, how can you refuse a child who wants to read a book? I love it! I tell you, I’m not getting a thing done around here because every five minutes she’s toddling up to me with that little “uuh, uuh, uuh” and holding up a book, and I just drop everything and plop down right there on the floor with her in a heap of smiles and cuddles.

We’ve always read to her, but she’s really gotten more into her books the past several weeks. She wants to pick out her book herself, she watches and listens more attentively, she wants to read the same ones over and over, and she’ll sit through 4 or 5 now rather than just 1 or 2. She’s amazing!

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Peanut, that is. And apparently, Anna doesn’t.

After discussing it with her doctor, I decided to try Anna on some peanut butter for Friday lunch. I gave her a little taste on a spoon to see if she liked it, planning to make her a little sandwich if she did. I was watching her for a reaction, but I honestly didn’t expect to see one. Not MY kid. That’s the kind of thing that happens to someone else’s kid, right?

It wasn’t even a minute until she started pulling at her ears and rubbing at her face. Coincidence, surely? No, she was clearly agitated about something. Then I saw the little bumps on her face. Oh, crap. So I squirted a dose of Benadryl into her and called the children’s clinic. She ended up with an epinephrine shot, a prescription for an Epi-pen, instructions for strict peanut avoidance, and a referral to an allergy specialist. Just like that.

She never had any swelling in her mouth or trouble breathing; however, if she reacts again, it could be more serious.

There are still a lot of things we don’t know about how this will affect us. A visit to the allergist will determine just how sensitive she is and what kind of avoidance we need to practice. I sincerely hope she’s in the “don’t feed her peanuts” category rather than the “don’t let her within a mile of anyone who has ever even thought about eating peanuts” category.

At least we’re already ahead of where a lot of families are in terms of food preparation. We hardly ever eat out, we make most things from scratch, we don’t rely heavily on pre-packaged convenience foods, etc. So hopefully it will come down to a few little tweaks here and there.

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Monday: (leftover from the weekend) Chicken tacos, fresh fruit, chips & salsa

Tuesday: Oven-baked salmon, sugar snap peas, brown rice

Wednesday: Chicken-rice casserole, green beans, carrots

Thursday: same

Friday: Breakfast for dinner—whole-wheat waffles with strawberry topping, scrambled eggs

Saturday: Grilled burgers, potato wedges

Sunday: Chicken quesadillas, fruit, chips & homemade salsa

Visit Menu Plan Monday for lots of other dinner ideas and recipes!

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I’m a couple of weeks late with this, but Anna finally got to swim in a “real” pool at the home of some church friends of ours. I didn’t know how she would react, but she loved it!

After a little while, Anna wanted out of that toddler boat, so we put her life jacket on her so she could move around in the water a little bit. The life jacket made her float on her back (maybe I need to look for a different kind), but surprisingly, she liked it anyway.

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Anna found her daddy’s shoes the other day and decided to give them a try. :)

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Here I am, getting this up late again! Oh, well. I am so not in a cooking mood lately. The burgers and the manicotti are already made and frozen, so maybe by Thursday I’ll get over my cooking slump. As always, check out Menu Plan Monday for more ideas.

Monday: Chicken strips, leftover grilled veggies, sweet potato biscuits

Tuesday: Burgers, potato wedges

Wednesday: Spinach manicotti, green salad, French bread

Thursday: Macaroni and cheese, green beans, carrots

Friday: same

Saturday: Chicken tacos, Mexican rice, fresh fruit, chips & homemade salsa

Sunday: same

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