Week 6 Soccer Dinners

This week, like all of them at the end of the school year, was an exercise in determination. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, and keep slogging on. Just 3 more weeks to go! I can't wait. I mean, I can, because my kids are growing up too fast for my comfort. On the other hand, I'm feeling pretty desperate for a break. And because there's no such a thing as a pause button on life, I'll gladly take the summer break.

My husband and I went out for a late lunch one day this week, so the kids got peanut butter sandwiches, baby carrots, and fruit for dinner that night- we weren't hungry enough to eat, ourselves. The rest of our week looked like this: pan fried chicken thighs with frozen vegetables and fresh spinach on watermelon, roast pork with roasted sweet potatoes and steamed russet potatoes, fresh vegetables, and fresh pineapple, and bbq'd pacific red snapper served with frozen vegetables and fresh carrots.

Now, I've seen a lot of discussion online about fresh fish being mislabeled and sold under improper names. It seems like a pretty common problem. I'm not actually certain we ate red snapper for dinner- I think it was possibly Pacific Rockfish. Keep that in mind when you're shopping! If you want more information about sustainable seafood, things to avoid, and so on, I found this excellent Seafood Watch program through the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The MB website also has some great live cams - from jellyfish to penguins!

I created a couple of mason jars for the start of my baking experiment. I've been too busy to bake much this week, but I hope to get some done next weekend. I did experiment with my pear/pecan/vanilla muffin recipe. I think it could be better, so I'll keep adjusting. Once I think it's perfect, you'll find my recipe under "breakfast". Unfortunately I ran out of flour, and haven't had time to get to the grocery store, so I had to stop at my 2 prepared jars. And because I'm storing them in the cupboard next to my dishwasher, which gets pretty hot, the ground nut portion of my recipes will be added when I actually bake- I don't want the nuts to go rancid.

How are the last few weeks of your school year going? Or are you lucky enough to be done with school already? Do you have some exciting summer plans lined up? We're pretty excited to be seeing my brother and his family. We're going camping (tenting) for a week, and I'm taking my Advanced Diploma in Nutrition course. 

Today I'm planting my herb garden. I can't wait to start using my own fresh herbs in the kitchen. I have a feeling I'll be planting more than I actually can use, so in a few weeks (once they start to take off in growth) if you're in the area and want to pick up some fresh herbs, just drop me a line!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, friends!
Stacy

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