Goodness, I’m getting forgetful lately. I always plan my menu, but I forget to post. I guess it doesn’t matter much; my menu planning is mainly for the benefit of me! Check out Menu Plan Monday for more ideas.

Monday: Black bean tacos (with homemade salsa), Mexican rice, fruit (you’ll likely see this meal quite a bit—it has become a staple in our “meatless meals.”

Tuesday: same

Wednesday: same

Thursday: Roasted chicken hash, green beans, rolls

Friday: David’s office Christmas party

Saturday: same as Thursday

Sunday: Pan-seared tilapia, baked sweet potatoes, sugar snap peas

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This is my mom with her two precious granddaughters, having a good time!

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Yes, indeed! I just made Apple-Walnut Muffins (sans walnuts so Anna can eat them) using ground flax seed in place of the eggs. This is a common trick for vegans that I just learned about. I’m not a vegan and have no intention of becoming one, but I do have a goal of reducing consumption of animal foods and eating more plant foods (without resorting to what I call “fake foods” like soybeans made to resemble meat), so this fits the bill. I was quite pleased with the results! They’re moist, fluffy, and delicious!

To do this: for each egg, combine 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed with 3 Tbsp. water and mix well. Let stand a few minutes until it is gel-like. The texture is a bit like egg whites. This supposedly works in things that are enhanced by a “nutty” flavor, like some quick breads and muffins, whole-grain pancakes and waffles, oatmeal cookies, etc. (So I wouldn’t recommend scrambling up some flax goo to go along with your bacon and biscuits!)

And unlike many healthy, eco-friendly alternatives, this one actually costs less. The box of ground flax seed cost $2.49 and supposedly has 52 tablespoons in it. You can’t get 52 eggs for $2.49. And I didn’t look very hard; I just bought it at retail price without a coupon, so I’m sure you could come by it for less.

I’m looking forward to trying this in the wheat-oat pancakes I make frequently, as well as whole-wheat waffles and oatmeal-raisin cookies.

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I thought about not posting this week, as we have several meals with family and friends, and towards the end of the week there will probably be an odd assortment of food left to use up. But even those meals away from home required some planning, so I thought I’d go ahead and share. There are a few yummy recipes, too. Mostly desserts. :)

Monday: Stir-fried veggies over brown rice, rolls

Tuesday: Soup dinner with our community group—I’m bringing lentil soup and bread pudding for dessert. (We’re also having a couple of other kinds of soup, with salad and cornbread).

Wednesday: Dinner with my family

Thursday: Thanksgiving—I’m supplying orange-glazed sweet potatoes, apple-cranberry pie, and praline pumpkin pie.

Friday: Dinner with my family, but I’m serving brunch that morning—brunch casserole, home fries, baked apples

Saturday: May be leftovers; if not, we’ll have something simple like baked potatoes or grilled cheese

Sunday: Chili (from freezer), baked potatoes

Visit Menu Plan Monday for more menus this week.

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I’ve been taking Anna to the toddler story time at the library for several months now. She knows the rhymes and songs and motions very well now. We do them some at home, too. Last night, we were doing a few in her room, and she decided to get her little baby doll and make the doll do everything she would usually do! She was flying her in the air during the Mother Goose rhyme, just like I would fly Anna in the air. She was pointing to her eyes, ears, nose and mouth during the body rhymes, just like I would do with Anna. She even made the doll clap after each little song, just like she does. Everything I do with Anna, Anna was doing with the doll. It was so cool! She’s been doing things like feeding the baby with a bottle or sippy cup for a while, but this is the first time I’ve seen her make the doll represent herself this strongly. Pretty neat!

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The “Oh no! I forgot!” edition. I had this done on Sunday, I just neglected to post it. I’m sure you were all on the edge of your seats wondering what we were eating this week.

Monday: Black bean tacos, Mexican rice

Tuesday: same for David and Anna, girls’ night for me!

Wednesday: same

Thursday: Pan-seared tilapia, baked sweet potatoes, sugar snap peas

Friday: Chili, cornbread, salad

Saturday: same

Sunday: same

Check out Menu Plan Monday for lots more menus.

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I’m so excited! We finally got the camera I’ve been wanting for a long time, thanks to God’s amazing blessings and David’s patience in deal-watching. I’ve enjoyed taking pictures the past few days and not having my child run out of the frame between the time I push the button and the time it takes the picture!

One of the things I’ve been eager to do as soon as we got a good camera is take good pictures of rescue dogs for their adoption pages. It combines the passion we have for animal welfare with the desire to use what God has given us to bless others. Even though I’ve barely scratched the surface of the camera manual, I just couldn’t wait to start practicing taking pictures of dogs. So on Saturday morning we loaded up the car and headed down to the All About Labs ranch. (You may remember that All About Labs is one of the rescues that helped us save the abandoned dogs this past spring, and the rescue we were fostering Russ for.)

So I was using the “Creative Auto” setting, which gives me a little bit of exposure control but still does most of the work. I think Saturday was more about getting used to photographing large, excited, rambunctious dogs that wanted to get right in my face than learning how to use the camera settings. I’ll work on that for next time.

And I should add that Anna did great around those big dogs, and they did great around her as well. They would run up to us and jump on us, but they would run up to her and just stop. It’s amazing how many dogs instinctively know to be gentle around a child. Anna giggled as they sniffed her and ran all around her and wasn’t the least bit afraid them!

So here are a few of my favorites:

This is actually one of the pups from Rescue #2. He’s grown!

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David’s parents were so excited to have Anna out at their house in Boulder! They secured a crib, high chair, and some other necessities (and a few not-so-necessities) and had a little room set up for Anna.

Granddad and Anna enjoying the view from the deck:

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At the Children’s Museum:

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We just took a trip! With a 19-month-old! I know people do it all the time, but we were pretty hesitant to undergo either a car trip or a plane ride with a toddler. But David had a conference in Denver last Thursday-Friday, and since his parents live in Boulder, we thought it would be a good opportunity (while his plane ticket was paid for) for me and Anna to tag along and extend the trip through the weekend so Anna could finally see her Nana and Granddad’s home.

I fully intended to get a picture of Anna on her first plane ride, but it just didn’t happen. She was quite a handful on the ride out, but we managed to keep her entertained and avoid a complete meltdown. All of us were glad to be off that plane. Fortunately, we had sprung for the direct flight. After that flight, we marveled at how we had originally debated whether or not it was worth the extra cost. It was.

So while David was cooped up in a hotel conference room, Anna and I were out enjoying Denver during what was probably some of the best weather they’ve ever had this time of year. (more…)

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