Menu....just a lonely menu

I am keeping my menu post short today.  Usually I like to write a few paragraphs of a certain topic that I want to write about but not today.  I am planning on blogging everyday this week because starting the first week of the New Year, I will begin my path towards a professional blog.  So I want to cover a few things this week before that happens.  I have big dreams and goals and I have EVERY intention on achieving them!  So stay tuned for lots of musings from your Peaceful Mamma!

Here is our menu for the week:

MON:  Out to dinner with a girlfriend.

TUES:  My wonderful sister's birthday dinner.  My hubby and son will join my family while I work.  I will join them all for dessert after my work shift!

WED:  Cheese Ravioli with homemade tomato sauce, steamed broccoli,  and homemade bread

THURS:  Tofu vegetable stirfry over brown rice

FRI:  Staying at cabin on the mountain for New Years with some great friends.  Our night to make dinner:  Artichoke-Spinach Dip (recipe to follow), Spaghetti feast, garden salad, and garlic bread.

SAT:  2nd night at cabin.  Big Taco Feast

SUN:  Brinner (Breakfast for Dinner)  French Toast and Egg Scramble

For more meal planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie every Monday.
Happy meal planning & cooking,

Alyson

"Live simply so that others may simply live."  -Ghandi  (My favorite quote of all time)

Menus and One Small Change

At the beginning of this year I joined a campaign that is designed to motivate people to reduce their carbon footprint on this planet.  If you know me, you know how passionate I have always been on this topic.  Honestly, I was born that way.  My mother has always been "green", even before it was popular.  In fact, in elementary school I was made fun of for recycling and not having Oreo's in my lunch.  I am sure the same people who made fun of me, have now joined the "green" bandwagon.  Which is good...the more people who do more green things, the less impact we will have on the planet.  I would like to thank my mom for teaching me such a big lesson at such a young age.  I am glad that I can continue my love for this planet and saving the planet into my adulthood and into my children lives.

The One Small Challenge is designed for everyone who joins to make one environmentally friendly change each month.  The change can be big or small.  The point is to take these small steps, which in turn will make big steps.  When I started this challenge at the beginning of this year, we had already been doing some pretty major things to reduce our carbon footprint but there is always more we can do and room for improvement.  Even though I only blogged about my One Small Change once, we continued to make changes throughout this year.  Now that I am moving my blog in a faster direction, I will be blogging about our changes every month.  My December One Small Change will be posted this evening.

Here are just a few of the changes we have made before this year and during this year:

• Composting ( I grew up doing this and continue with my growing family)
• Doing our best to eat locally, organically, and seasonally
• Growing our own food
• Preserve and freeze the food we grow for the winter months
• Use our own reusable grocery bags...no more plastic grocery bags.  (This we have been doing for a long time now)
• No longer buy or use zip-lock plastic bags.
• No longer use paper towels/napkins.  We only use reusable fabric napkins. 
• We try to carpool or limit our driving.  (This is a HUGE challenge, but we are working on it.)
• We reduce buying & bringing in plastic into our home.  (This is also a HUGE challenge.  It is so hard to avoid plastic.)
• When purchasing something, we choose the purchase with less packaging.  
• We recycle EVERYTHING we can.  I am pretty sure our recycling bin is always fuller than our garbage can.  
• Hang dry our clothes.    
• Many many more changes in our home.

I am excited to continue this challenge and hopefully motivate others to do the same.  Check back later this evening for our December change.

Now...on to our menu for this week:

MON: Roasted Cod w/ Warm Tomato-Olive-Caper Tapernade served over angel hair pasta and steamed broccoli

TUES:  Homemade Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

WED:  Homemade Veggie Pizza and a fresh salad

THURS:  My husband's company holiday party

FRI:  Garlic-Dill Salmon, Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, and Crunchy Pear and Celery Salad

SAT:  Potluck Party with some friends.  I am bringing my famous Artichoke Spinach Dip.  (I promise I will post it this week.)

SUN:  Vegetable Dumpling Soup.   (My grandma made me this before.  It was delicious.  This is not her recipe but I am going to try it.  I can bet you my grandma's is better!) 

Extra Cooking & Baking: (Most of these are for gifts)

Puppy Chow
Spiced Almonds (My wonderful friend, Jess, gave me this recipe.  It will be posted this week.)
Cranberry-Almond Granola
Homemade fudge
Christmas Sugar Cookies (My aunt's delicious recipe.  We are having a big cookie making day with my aunt and Ayden)

It is a busy week!  :)

Happy Cooking and Baking,

Alyson

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.  ~Native American Proverb

Menus and Storytime

I love to read!  I love to pick up a good novel or a book about something that I am passionate about.  Right now it is mostly Dr.Seuss and The Very Hungry Caterpillar that I read, but that is okay with me.  Later on, I will be able to sit an enjoy one of my books that is waiting for me to open.  As for now, I am enjoying sharing the love for reading with my son.  I am so excited to see him already picking up on how wonderful books are.  We read tons of books together daily.  He loves it, he literally sits and reads books for over an hour sometimes.  I love my lil reader!

I decided that it is about time we start attending our local library's story time weekly.  Our first time going was two weeks ago and I was SO impressed with all games, songs, and stories.  The lady who runs the program is awesome and very energetic!  Watching Ayden dance, sing, and intently listening to the stories is amazing to watch.  Ayden loved it and I am pretty sure I loved it just as much as he did.  We are now going every week!  Being a mom is kind of like being a kid all over again.

For all you parents out there...if you don't already go to your local library's story time, I highly recommend it.

On to my weekly menu.  I am posting this really late week but sometimes that is how it goes.  As I am reading my new book on blogging, I am learning on how to write more with less computer time.  I will get there soon!  I have some fun, new things happening soon that I want to blog about, so I need to make sure I am consistent with this blog.  I am enjoying the seasonal cooking this month and the baking bug has gotten me!  A lot of my holiday gifts to others this year will be food items, baked treats, and canned goodies.  I am having a lot of fun being creative with it.  Don't you worry....I have some posts coming all about it.

MENU:

MON: Bronzed Sea Bass w/ Lemon Shallot Butter, Garlicky Green Beans, and seasoned brown rice.  (This was supposed to be our Sunday dinner but we went out to dinner with some friends instead.  And I replaced the Sea Bass with lean cod to save money.)

TUES:  Mushroom Stroganoff

WED:  Vegetarian Taco Salad.  (We subsitute the meat for Yves Meatless Taco Meat.)

THURS:  Spaghetti with homemade tomato and veggie sauce and a fresh garden salad.

FRI:  Fish Veronique with Garlic Broccoli & Mushrooms w/ Rosemary

SAT:  Mushroom Swiss Quiche and a fresh garden salad.  (Quiche recipe will be posted tomorrow!)

SUN:  Broccoli-Cheddar Chowder with leftover quiche.

Extras cooking and baking:
Thumbprint Cookies
Apple Muffins

Happy cooking and baking,

Alyson

"So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, A lovely bookshelf on the wall." - Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Imagine

I will be starting my Song of the Week back up soon but for this week...I am posting a song in remembrance and in hopefulness.

30 years ago today, John Lennon was shot to death in the name of hate and ignorance.  John Lennon was a beautiful human with a message of peace, hope, and truthfulness.  He touched this world with his music and beautiful words of peace.  I was born the same year John left this world, but I am glad that my parents played his music for me throughout my childhood.  Listening to his music as a child, helped me open my eyes to music and peace.  I will continue to dream of peace and do everything I can to spread peace.  Spend a few minutes today remembering him and refreshing your mind on why peace is important. 

Think peace.  Act peace.  Spread peace.  Imagine peace.






Peace, love, and understanding,
Alyson

"I see the world through different eyes now. (But) I still believe in love, peace, and understanding." -John Lennon

Menu Plans and Dreams

Sometimes I just have to take a break from blogging when life gets busy.  Traveling, work, holidays, and being a mom/wife had to be put first the past two weeks.  I am back in the game and ready to start working on some dreams I have made for myself.  I love blogging....every since I started in 2008!  I love being able to express myself in my own way and to sort out all my crazy thoughts through writing.  After lots of thought and talking to others I have decided to try and do it "professionally".  Yes....people have made this into a profession.  Since my husband's photography business is really started to grow rapidly, I will be at home helping him more with that business.  I couldn't think of a better way to do my own style of business and step this blog up a bit.  It will be a lot of work and it won't happen overnight but I am ready to make this dream come true.

My mother-in-law recently gave me a copy of book that teaches people how to blog professionally and spend less time in front of the computer.  I just started reading it and I will let you all know how it was in a small review when I am done.  Spending too much time in front of the computer is what has kept me from trying to blog professionally and everyday.  My family and being a mom is #1 in my life and I don't want anything taking my precious time away from that.  My hope is that this book will give me some tips and the knowledge to be able to be successful with my blog while keeping my family and kids #1!  So, keep a look out on some new changes but be patient...it won't happen overnight!  I am excited!

Here is my menu for this week.  I love being back in my kitchen again after some traveling!  We continue to be a part of the food revolution and eat as local, organic, and healthy as we can.  I hope that you are too!

MON:  Driving home from my in-laws.  We found a cute little local Thai place in Boise, Idaho

TUES:  Vegetable Fajitas

WED:  Vegan Tofu Pot Pie

THURS:  Vegetable StirFry

FRI:  Salmon with Red Wine-Morel Sauce, Vegetarian Stuffing, and Steamed Broccoli

SAT:  Civil War Game!!!!  We will be snacking all day at a friends house.  I am bringing my famous spinach artichoke dip.  Recipe will be posted on Saturday.

SUN:  Bronzed Sea Bass with Lemon Shallot Butter, Garlicky Green Beans, and seasoned brown rice

My Extra Cooking:

Homemade Applesauce and Canning
Dulce de Leche Apple Pie


What are you cooking this week?

Happy thoughts,
Alyson

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."-Dr. Seuss