Rhymes With Kurger Bing

Hammie talked his Daddy into going to Kurger Bing for take-out. We hardly ever go there because it's vile. Hammie saw a commercial featuring their special Incredible Hulk toys and begged to go, so Dad gave in.

Anyhoo, I came home from work to see these sitting on the counter.


















My first impression was OMG, why did they shape their nuggets to look like CHICKEN FEET? Then I realized they're supposed to be crowns. Right?

New Salad Creation

I've been incorporating at least one salad night per week. This week we had taco salads with spinach as the "green." I had leftover taco meat, so it worked great.

Then, I concocted this recipe based on one I had at a restaurant. It was good! G chose to use his chicken for a spinach caesar, but I forgave him Ü. Cheese and "weird" dressing freak him out.


















4 cups baby spinach
2 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2-3 Tbs. crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
sprinkling of sliced almonds for crunch
5-6 Tbs. homemade balsamic vinaigrette

Divide ingredients between 2 plates and enjoy.

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 Tbs. balsamic vinegar (I could eat this every day)
juice of 1/2 lemon
cracked black pepper, to taste

This recipe makes enough for 4-5 individual salads. However.....I dress Bill and my salads lightly.

Mulligatawny Soup

2 Tbs. olive oil (I used a bit less)
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 granny smith apple, chopped
1/2 cup flour
2-3 tsp. curry powder (I used 2 1/2)
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked rice (I only use brown rice)
cracked black pepper

Cook the veggies, apple, and chicken (if not cooked ahead) in olive oil for 12-15 min. on medium heat. Combine flour and curry powder in a small bowl. Add to the cooked veggies/apple, reduce heat to low and cook for 3-5 mins. This will get rid of the floury taste. Add the chicken broth, cover and simmer on low-medium for 30 - 40 mins. Stir occasionally. Add the rice during the last 15 mins. If you've cooked your chicken ahead, add it in with the rice. Stir in black pepper before serving.

Serves - 5 people

This soup is more like a stew, will warm you up on a cold night, and is very filling. I used a braeburn apple and Bill said the recipe at work used a much more "tart" variety. Hence, the granny smith reference.

Cooking Ahead

I mentioned in my last post that I was going to cook some chicken so that I would have it for meals during this hectic week. Here's what I did night before last.


















Chicken cooking for salad and a new soup recipe. It's called Mulligatawny soup and Billiam was very excited to see it featured in our new copy of Family Fun magazine. Apparently it's a favorite of his in the hospital cafeteria. I made the soup....it was soooo yummy! G really loved it. I will post the recipe soon.

I love these inexpensive grinder spices. The steakhouse one is quite versatile.


















Brown rice for the soup.
























Here I've chopped peppers, celery, and carrots for the soup. All I will need to do is chop an apple (Billiam says this "totally makes it") and onion to toss in. I'm very freaky about combining veggies in one baggie. After I snapped this picture I put damp paper towels in the bags to keep the veggies from drying out. It's a trick my grandma taught us all.


















I plan to make spinach salads with chicken, low fat gorgonzola, sliced almonds, and balsamic vinaigrette. Easy peasy.

"Rest" Week.......HA HAHAHAHHA

According to my running plan, this week is my rest week. That means I only have to train 4 days and they're shorter runs. Like, 2, 2, 2, 3 (miles). YAY!

However......I got out of bed at 11:20 last night because I realized I had forgotten to check Ree's backpack to see if there were any events I needed to plan for. Boy are there ever.

Tuesday - 2 hour class on how to prep Hammie (and Ree by default) for kindergarten. I actually was aware of this one. I think there are 3 of these classes and we will be trained on how to use the *free* materials at home. Kinda like {gasp} homeschooling.

Wednesday - 1 hour parent group meeting for Ree. The director is going to discuss the various kindergarten options and how they decide to place the kids in her class. Then we will hear from other parents who have had kids transition.

The first portion will be very helpful, but the second annoys me because I've learned that hearing other people's stories......doesn't prepare me in any way for what my own kid is going to encounter. Last year I was sick for this meeting and Bill came home very doom and gloomy. Every kid is different and I'd rather trust the experts and be optimistic than hear other people's horror stories. But that's just me. Hopefully I am expecting the worst and will be pleasantly surprised.

Thursday - Home visit with Ree's "staff." These are always good meetings because we get to hear how well she's doing. Hopefully this will cancel out the anxiety and fear I will have carried over from Wednesday's meeting.

So, the morale of this story.....this really isn't a rest week. At all. Tonight I plan to cook some chicken to use in recipes on our busy nights. That should help some.

Unofficial Endorsement

Ever heard of a Keurig coffee system? They're the best invention for people who like 1 cup of coffee a day. People like......Bill and I. We bought a mini Keurig with Christmas money from my lovely parents and it was a great investment. All you have to do is load the pod of coffee into it's chamber, fill the water resevoir and push the go button. As you will see in the picture (excuse the water spots, flashes are cruel), when you close the chamber, a sharp needle thing pierces the pod to let water through.

It's a little hard to find the pods locally, but they're really not that expensive when ordered from Keurig's website. I just ordered some and paid about $30.00 for a month's worth. I love ordering sample packs. You get 5 pods per pack and it's fun to try different flavors (german chocolate cake, creme brulee, etc. Variety is the spice of life, you know.

If you want to learn more, visit www.keurig.com.

Cute Little Hammie

The little kids (and the dog) are always very excited when I get home from work. Hammie followed me back to the bedroom and told me all about what he ate for lunch and was being very sweet. Usually when I ask about school he says "just nuffin, Mom." I have an old habit of telling the kids "I always wanted one just like YOU" and today he said "I like you too Mom......I......wanted you......for Christmas." I sorta doubt that, but it was a nice sentiment anyway.

Ree on the other hand.....I made the mistake of singing along to her video and got "Mama! I'm gonna spank your butt!" She knows we say hiney or bottom, so using the other 'b' word was for effect. Naughty. She's sorta been like that all evening.

Then there is G. He told his buddies via headphone that he was now allowed to play video games a bit on school nights. I interjected that it was on a day by day basis and would be evaluated every Friday and he said "keep your two cents in your pocket, MOM. What's for dinner?"

I liked my conversation with Hammie the best!

Officially Out-Numbered

Bill's sister, my sister-in-law, called and there's going to be a new baby GIRL in the family! So in June, there will be 6 girls and 4 boys in the Galloway/Gardner combo of a clan. Poor boys......what doesn't kill them will only make them stronger.

Whoa.

Lookie what I found when sorting Hammie and Ree's toys today. I'd like to know who approves these Happy Meal delights before they're mass produced. I mean, what are these "artists" thinking?


















These were supposed to have something to do with the Wizard of Oz. Yes way.


















These are obviously Star Wars toys, but they look puzzled and angry. It had to have been an exhausting creative session for the artists. They obviously couldn't agree on a design and said to hell with it......we'll just stick heads on some spaceship thingies and call it a day.

Anyway.....2 garbage bags went to Goodwill, and 1 went in the trash. Not bad for 2 1/2 hours of work.

Toffee Brittle Drop Cookies

These are among the most boring looking cookies I've ever made. However....they're perfect for anyone who isn't a fan of super-sweet, chocolatey treats. Here is a picture of Hay's recipe.



















You may want to use mine.

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar (weird name for a powdered substance)
1 package Heath toffee bits

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Either line cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly spray them with Pam. Mix butter, sugars, vanilla, and salt on medium speed until blended. Mix in the 3 eggs. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Incorporate into the sugar mixture a little at a time. Once the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed, stir in the toffee bits.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfulls onto the prepared cookie sheets. (Side-note, I always bake one cookie sheet at a time.) Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool for one minute, then move to cooling racks.

This recipe makes a lot. I froze 3 dozen cookies and had plenty for the fam.

Tired Kids

The above picture was taken an hour ago. Never mind Ree's discarded jeans and Prince Charming and Sleeping Beauty nearby.

Well, I think we mostly survived the first (full) week of school. 3 weeks of holiday/snow days were too much for everyone involved. Even Ree's teacher said she was more than ready to be back. All 3 kids have been tired every night and I think they're definitely ready for the weekend. The 3-day weekend!

Last night Billiam asked if we have any plans to have his Mom visit so we could go out. Which, we hadn't officially talked about. So, he says he thinks we should spend the weekend doing deep-cleaning. Maybe do 1/2 Saturday, 1/2 Sunday. He's full of fun and excitement, isn't he? Gosh, I can hardly contain my enthusiasm at the thought of sorting Ree and Hammie's toys, dusting, mopping,listening to him steam clean the carpet (I don't know why but that sound makes me crazy), etc. Even though......it's desperately needed. Maybe we can get it done fast and still do something fun.

I know I should stop whining and be grateful that he helps with the cleaning. I am grateful. Really, I am.

Still Going......

Thanks for the words of encouragement and advice about training! I'm still on track with my plan. I think my body is starting to get used to it, but it's been a little hard to adjust. I'm trying to get a feel for how my food and water needs are changing. My blood sugar got pretty low on Sunday before dinnertime and last night I could tell that the liter of water I'd had during the day wasn't enough. I think I'm slowly figuring it out, though.

My main obstacle is that there still aren't sidewalks to run on and it's dark before and after work. If there were sidewalks, I would feel semi-okay running in the dark, but the combination isn't safe. If I get up early, the treadmill will wake G up. So I'm forced to run on the treadmill right after work. That kinda throws a kink into the familial evening schedule. It'll get easier as we get closer to spring.

The Training Has Begun!

Even though I'm feeling overly sluggish today, I just did 1.5 miles on the treadmill. I've started reading anything I can find on training. It sounds like I need to start taking vitamin C (I know I should already be) and eating more green veggies. Oh and I need to check out this whole acai berry thing. I've seen it on a couple top 10 lists for healthy foods/supplements.

I have a quick, funny Ree story. It seems she enjoys turning the lights off in the gym at school. The teachers say she gets great enjoyment out of hearing all the kids squeal! She takes after her Dad. I did about anything I could to not attract attention to myself in school.

Tomorrow I will run 2 miles. I hope.

Lost My Marbles

I enjoyed running last summer and fully intended on starting back up once all the snow was gone. I've already been exercising 5-6 days a week, doing my Wii Fit, treadmill walking, and Tivo'd Fit network programs.

One of my staff asked me if I was interested in joining a group of people at work who are going to run a local 1/2 marathon. I've been waffling for a good month. Part of me really wanted to, but 14 miles? Well, yesterday the team leader sent out an email with a list of people who had verbally committed. I scrutinized the list and decided that if they could do it, so could I. He also included a very feasible looking training plan, so I went for it. I figure even if I walk half, my finishing time won't be too embarrassing.

I start training this weekend. Please pray for my sanity, because I think I've lost it. Oh, and if anybody wants to come cheer me on/drive me home/pick me up from the medical tent, I'll need all the help I can get.

Clam Chowder

I made a batch and a half of this chowder New Year's Day for Mom, Dad, Lisa, and my fam. I think it's better as a "regular" batch, but it was still good. I found the base recipe (potato soup) in a Paula Deen magazine. I added in the celery, carrots, and clams.

1 bag frozen cubed hashbrown potatoes (smaller the cubes, the better)
3 cans reduced sodium chicken broth
1 can reduced sodium cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup each diced onion, carrot, and celery
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 - 8 ounce block reduced fat cream cheese, softened and cubed
2-3 cans clams, drained and slightly rinsed (tuna sized cans)

Combine the potatoes, broth, soup, veggies, and black pepper in a sprayed crock pot. Cook on low for 6+ hours. Add the cream cheese and clams. Cook on high for 30-45 minutes until cream cheese melts and soup becomes creamy.

Serves 6-8

New Year's Eve Hair

I decided to experiment with my old velcro curlers the other day. Quite a risky idea considering we were going to a party later. So, I put some volumizing mousse in my wet hair and went to work rolling away. My family thought I'd finally lost my mind completely. Billiam said "don't think I've ever seen you like THAT before."

Anyway, I left them in all day and took them out about 4:00. Here's the results. Likey?