It's a boy!

This post is a little late in coming - a sign of the times, the pace of life has picked up quite a bit!

The menu:

Mon: leftovers
Tues: Habanera Raspberry Salmon with Asparagus
Weds: Azteca (date night!)
Thurs: Cioppino Stew
Fri: Chicken Masala (not to be confused with MARSALA)
Sat: Leftovers!
Sun: BBQ Chicken Pizza (lunch) Curry Chicken and Broccoli Casserole (dinner)

Monday night I had a ton of homework to do in preparation for class Tuesday night; Nick was kind enough to take Mackenzie on a little play date adventure with a girl from high school that has a son Mack’s. I had some leftovers from Sunday’s meat loaf and hit the books. A rather lame night until the boys got home and we got to both share the joy of Mackenzie in an utter meltdown while mom and dad are exhausted and wanting to melt down themselves. Ah, the joys of parenting. The good news is that there is always a morning to follow nights like this and those mornings usually are full of hugs and snuggles that make up for whatever it was that happened (can you even remember when those little hands reach out for a big hug followed by an “I love you mom”)

Tuesday is by far the longest day of the week for the Bowsher clan - not in a bad way by any means, just lots of hours. I have class until 7 and Nick has flag football. We both love what we’re up to on Tuesdays but it makes the nights a bit of a juggle between getting Mack from preschool, dinner, trade off and the bedtime routine. After class, I met Nick and got Mackenzie to take him home and get ready for bed. I love the nights when it’s just me and Mack - I wouldn’t want this for my all the time routine, but it’s fun to have that time just the two of us every now and then. He’s so sweet and cozy as opposed to the rambunctious little monster he is when he’s rough housing and being “such a boy” with his daddy. After I got Mack to bed, I decided to follow through on the “menu” item originally intended for Monday - salmon. I had planned on making a simple lime/cilantro glaze and baking the salmon. BUT, I had seen a recipe on a blog that morning that just had to be tried! I fudged the ingredients a bit to work with what I had and it turned out amazing! It might have been ready to eat at 9:30 but it was definitely worth the long day leading up to the bliss of an excellent dinner accompanied by a little TV time by myself. Yes, I did have this dinner alone - Nick wasn’t home until way later but he got to have leftovers for lunch.

Leftovers!

Aren't these cool little sauce containers? From Daiso, you can fill them with anything and re-use. I used them to pack soy sauce for lunch. Perfect!

Nick and took I Wednesday off early to go to the doctor and have our ultrasound! Big surprise: we’re having another boy! I have to admit that I’ve been really hoping for a girl, but give how excited Mack is to have a little brother - I can get over it. We’ve always said only two kids, but who knows? (Nick is having a heart attack right now) After the doctor we went to Azteca. We had won a giftcard to Azteca along with movie tickets back in October after buying raffle tickets to support my mom’s women’s group. We finally used the dinner but we have yet to go see a movie - we are so lame! Free movie and we still can’t get it together to go?! Geesh. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised how good the food was at Azteca. I haven’t eaten there since I was probably ten. The portion sizes are HUMONGOUS but it sure was tasty! I also enjoyed a virgin pina colada - not my first choice but the waiter didn’t understand that a margharita can be made without tequila, seriously, he was so confused that I would even ask for that. Anywho - the pina colada was delicious!

Thursday was date night for me and Mackenzie! Nick was having a “man date” with Eric and so I had some time to myself with Mack. If you don’t already know this, a “date” between me and Mackenzie ALWAYS consists of a trip to Starbucks. This is so much the case that Mack will literally ask me where the coffee shop is if I tell him we have a date and we head somewhere other than Starbucks to start with. This date was no different. I picked him up at school and our first stop was the drive through SBUX by our house to get red cupcakes. Judge me all you want for cupcake before dinner - some times you just gotta live it up (a cupcake before dinner = living it up, apparently). Post-cupcake we headed up to the outlet mall to hit up the Adidas store. I scored two new workout tops that are -ahem- “pregnant body” appropriate. We also nabbed a new pair of shoes for Mack, which are pretty much the coolest thing ever. I love little kid shoes that mimic grown up shoes! I HATE kid shoes that have lights and plastic crap all over them - just a side note. After the outlet mall I put all the ingredients in the stock pot to make cioppino stew. Mack had PB&J - made all by himself. Stew was ready just after Mack went to bed. Another late dinner for me but lots of yummy leftovers for both mine and Nick’s lunches - ain’t nothing wrong with that!

Seafood -y Goodness

With the Linguini

Lunch the Next Day :)

Nick got home early on Friday and he was the one to prepare our delicious meal! I love coming home to a house that smells delicious and a yummy meal already on the table. That’s one of the best things about crock pot meals - everyone gets to come home to that. In this case, Nick made dinner and had the whole thing plated and ready to go by the time I walked in the door. Thanks Nick! The funny part is that he didn’t know what he was making - thinking it was Chicken Marsala he was really confused by the bright red sauce that he was using for the chicken. He was actually making Chicken Masala. Funny part is once he tasted it, he was so much more happy with what he had actually made than what he thought he was making. Nice little surprise I’m sure. Marsala = Italian sauce made with white wine and mushrooms. Masala = Indian sauce made with tomato, cumin and lots of other spices.

With Rice!

Yay! We made it to the weekend! I love waffles on Saturday but I’m willing to give it up if every Saturday can go like this. We actually got to sleep in! Mack woke up super early but he went into the living room, turned on the tv - then got himself juice and breakfast. He chilled out until Nick and I woke up around 8:15. Nick and I are usually up at 5:30/6 on the weekends and force ourselves to “sleep” until at least 7 - 8:15 was a real treat!
Not wanting to waste the day away in our pajamas, we quickly dressed and headed out: Nick with Muffin for a run, Mackenzie and I with Tucker for a walk. The plan = meet at Starbucks. The plan did not work. We both went to different SBUX and waited around for eachother. Nick actually went to both SBUX, twice! He missed me the first three times, but we finally ran into each other on the street and walked together to the Starbucks downtown. My 2 mile walk became a 4 mile one, and I have no clue how many miles Nick ended up putting in going back and forth between coffee shops.
We spent the rest of the day picking up and prepping for our move between the master bedroom and the current family room. Then it was time to head off to dinner with my mom at Cheesecake Factory - funny enough, I got Chicken Marsala which is my favorite thing on their menu.

Sunday was an all out football day. Nick and I were off to an earlier start than Friday but we got all of the food prepped before the games and even got to make some brownies with Mackenzie. For the first game, Nick made BBQ chicken pizza. For the second game, I made Curry Chicken and Broccoli Casserole. My mom used to make this for me when I lived at home and is far and away one of my favorite meals. It’s great because even though it takes time to bake, it’s pretty simple to make and you have leftovers for days.

All Ready to Go

x2!

Both games were incredibly boring until the ends but it was nice to see some of our friends. Our friend Jeff (who made the beer for Kyle/Erin’s wedding this summer) brought me some homemade ginger ale which is the best thing to give a pregnant lady ever! I’m in love with this stuff!

A great weekend and then, it's back to work! Monday, monday! Always comes too soon!

Now, to real life...

After a great week of eating healthy and fun meals, this week’s menu was a little bit hodge podge - but it was a crazy week, that was initially super busy and then petered down to a relaxing and productive weekend. Real life looks more like this, but I'd like it to taste more like last week!

The menu:

Mon: Enchiladas for MNF - not really, but it was Monday and we did have people over for the game
Tues: Fend for Yourself! Literally, Nick had flag football and I had Italian class. I grabbed a $5 footlong from subway before class. Ate half before, and the other half I shared with Mackenzie back at home after class.
Weds: Pizza x2. Nick made BBQ Chicken and also Pesto Chicken pizza. Ironically, the meeting I went to after work also served pizza. I was pizza’d out! Nick made a joke that he had been slaving over the oven and I had cheated on him with delivered pizza! LOL, sorry Nick!
Thurs: leftover pizza (and I may or may not have made a giant thing of noodles and tomatoes at 8:00 that night - don’t judge!)
Fri: late night sandwiches and a bowl of kix - no, this was not the plan, but we went to the mall right after work, then hit up H Mart and by the time we got home, we were neither very hungry or in the mood to cook
Saturday: Italian Wedding Soup
Sunday: Meatloaf Pot Roast - the ghetto roast if you will :)

The only thing we used a recipe for this week was the Italian Wedding Soup… everything else was off hand or things we’ve made up before. Recipes to follow.

This week was a little busier than our typical weeks - although, this seems to be becoming the “typical” for us. Monday we had people over for the game, Tuesday I had Italian class right after work (I leave early to get there on time), Nick actually dropped Mack off to me at EvCC when my class was over so he could make it to his football game on time, Wednesday I had a meeting with DVS Sno-Co about the Chocolate Lover’s auction coming up in March (excited! This year’s theme is Egyptian and I love the colors and ideas so far), Thursday Nick had a playdate for Mack with one of his friends from highschool who has a boy Mack’s age - a perfect time for me to sit down and study with no distractions, Friday we were supposed to go to a birthday party/game night, followed by staying the night at my mom’s house, having breakfast in the morning, coming home to meet some friends for an early dinner, then the hockey game, Whew! Sunday would have been our only time to actually sit down for a moment. We decided to miss the birthday party and the overnight at my mom’s. Sorry Ashley! The house looks like a hurricane hit and we were all pretty tired. It was nice to just go to the mall and pick up my wedding ring (all better!), venture over to H Mart which is an awesome Asian grocery store; we love it because it has an amazing selection of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as an unmatched offering of meats and seafood - at GREAT prices. After H Mart we decided to swing by QFC and “red box” a movie. We picked up Date Night. I actually liked this movie, it was silly and stupid but it was funny and entertaining.

Saturday was not a “sleep in day” by any means. Nick and I both woke up around 5 and while we were both still trying to sleep, Mack came out of his room just before six and was ready for the day to begin. At least it was waffle day! We mass cleaned the house on Saturday - not just cleaning but organizing things, getting rid of stuff etc. I feel so much better about life! When Mack went down for a nap, both Nick and I decided to take a break and we watched Shutter Island on Netflix. We didn’t get through the whole thing before Mack was back up and ready to PLAY! Speaking of Netflix, when we were on Orcas Island, we picked up Season 1 of Carnivale from the front desk of the hotel and started watching the series. We only got through the first two episodes, but we were hooked, I decided to add it to our Netflix queue (which you can now do straight from the Wii console, instead of picking out DVDs on a computer only - loving the new lay out Netflix!!). I’m really excited for the DVDs to come in the mail since the show is a little off beat and “weird” - I’m still at that point where I have absolutely no idea what is going on, but really want to know! I cooked up some Italian Wedding Soup with Mack who is becoming quite the chef’s helper. He loves pretending to read the directions “next it tells us to…? Mom, what does it tell us next?” I love it! Some day, somebody is going to be very happy with all the cooking he has learned! Who knows, maybe even we’ll be enjoying his cooking when we’re old and gray :) We also decided to make his giant cupcake - a silicone mold he got for Christmas. He didn’t really understand what it was going to come out like until the whole thing was baked and we put the two pieces together - then he flipped out, stomping his feet so excited, “I really like that big cupcake mom! I really like that big cupcake dad! I really like that! I like that! Look at that cupcake! I really like that” On and on he went about it. Gotta love the reaction of a happy 3 year old - nothing beats it!
That night we went to the Silvertips game. Now, the Silvertips have had a TERRIBLE season and the ticket sales have been incredibly low, which is why I was so shocked with the game was a sell out, the arena was packed and charged with energy AND the Silvertips played really well - they actually WON - beating Seattle. This game was the first time I’ve ever been present for a “hat trick” which is when a player scores three goals in one game - Nicely done Maxwell! I can’t believe how many people throw their hats down on the ice, crazy!
Sunday, we slept in and lounged around the house until the Seahawks game which was a depressing show - which is the nicest thing I can think to say. Playing like that proves everyone correct: we had absolutely no purpose playing in the playoffs. Oh well, there’s always next year? After the game we finished Shutter Island - a good movie. I thought it was going to be really scary, but it’s more of a psychological intrigue than a “thriller” - just my style :) The rest of the day was fairly lazy - I wasn’t feeling well and took a nap, Nick went on a run, we did a little laundry, then Nick took a nap….boring, lazy day - but so deserved! I definitely can’t do that every Sunday, but I have to admit, it’s nice every so often to just chill out. I’m pretty sure I wore my pajamas all day, until I took a shower and changed into different pajamas before bed lol. That’s what weekends are for though, right?

Recipes are Up

Recipes are up! Because my blog is just the "out of the box" standard, I don't have the right spacing for sharing these with you guys. For now, I've created a separate page for each recipe, but as the time goes by, I will move these to the "Recipes" page I created awhile back. You should see these at the top of the page along the header.

At some future point, I'll have to take the time to make a better blog page and layout. In the meantime - work with me!

Resolutions Resolved

One of my new year’s resolutions was to get back to eating healthy and substantial food. Nick and I decided to start a “menu” for each week, write out the menu on the weekend, get the necessary groceries and then cook the food throughout the week. The side effect of this is that you have leftovers from each night – wa la! Lunches!

Nick and I made our first “menu” and then went to the grocery store (forgetting the list – of course!). We managed to get enough of the stuff that we could wing it on the recipes throughout the week.

Here’s what we had:

Monday - Chargrilled Chicken with Risotto (in honor of Italian class starting the next night)
Tuesday - Chicken Gyros
Wednesday - DATE NIGHT - went to Mukilteo Lodge
Thursday - Linguini with Capers, Olives and Anchovies (ha! Just kidding, we sub’d out the anchovies for bay scallops and mussels - good choice!)
Tonight - Noodle Stew with Chickpeas (in the picture it looks similar to the pasta fagioli from Olive Garden)

The second part of the resolution is to get back into a healthy lifestyle - not just going to the gym - but waking up early, taking the time to pack a lunch, eat a good breakfast, prepare mentally for the day etc.

Looking back, this week has gone exceedingly well. It’s been a busy week but things have just clicked together, Nick and I are happier, we are being better parents, Mack is happier (and therefore less prone to temper tantrums aka “the symptoms of being three”). I feel rested, energized and excited for things to come. We’ll definitely be continuing this new routine.

Here’s what the week looked like:

Each morning Nick has gotten up early and gone for a run with Muffin dog. While he’s out running, I’m getting in some last minute z’s, waking up/stretching/picking out my clothes, etc. When Nick gets back he makes breakfast for Mack and smoothies for the two of us. I get Mack up and situated in the living room where he has a morning routine of his own - he watched Mickey Mouse in the dark, with his sunglasses on, eats his breakfast and when Mickey is over, he moves into our room and watches Handy Manny while I finish getting my hair/make up done. Nick is usually out the door and on his way before Mack’s second show starts, so the half hour that I’m getting ready is also a nice time for me and Mack - he usually tells me stories or what funny thing is happening in his show, things that he will do at preschool that day, etc. It’s a favorite part of my day (sometimes it’s my least favorite part too, because if I’m in a hurry Mack almost always has a meltdown, kids are good for knowing bad timing :) )
After dropping Mack off at school, I head into work, sit down with my yogurt and whatever fruit I’ve packed for the day and then catch up my blog subscriptions - chiefly Peanut Butter Fingers.

For lunch, I’ve been hitting the Women’s Wellness Center for the circuit training and then come back to the office in time to enjoy whatever lovely leftovers I have from dinner the night before. Yesterday, I pushed myself especially hard and when it was time to leave the gym I noticed it was raining :( I decided to grab a cup of tea and then, noticed an ad for this - Klesick Family Farm. Can’t wait to give that a try! Back at the office, I enjoyed leftover salmon and grilled veggies from our dinner at the lodge (perfect after workout meal) and was ready for whatever the day had in store for me.

Dinner, following the above menu has been really fun. It’s nice to come home and not have to open the cupboards trying to think of what to make tonight. After a long day of work, it’s nice to just look at the menu and bust out the appropriate cook book and hop to it. Nick and Mack are lots of help in the kitchen and it’s good family time together. It also means we can get Mack to bed at a much more reasonable hour - leaving time for Nick and I to be grown ups and have some time to ourselves before we’re off to bed too.

Going a little out of order now, I started Italian 2 on Tuesday night! I’m so excited that EvCC is offering this course again and that I get to be in it! The professore is so much fun and makes the class go by in a jiffy!

Wednesday night Nick and I did a little date night - deciding to use one of our fun gift cards we acquired over the month of December (we won a couple dinners out and we were given some gift cards for Christmas) - I love gift cards!

This weekend will also be a fun “Date Weekend.” We’re headed up to Orcas Island - first time ever! We plan on hiking Mt. Constitution which you can check out here.

My goal is to post the recipes for the above meals. They were all very good (aside from the Stew which I have yet to try!) and were not only nutritious, but easy to make and looked beautiful.