Pizza Week

We've had pizza twice this week.  It was homemade, so that means it's okay, right?

I also may have eaten the leftovers for breakfast this morning so that kind of means that three meals this week were pizza. I'm getting really good at flipping it off of the peel though!.  I have this garlic cheese spread stuff that was just sitting in the fridge unopened.  So I put a nice layer of that onto the dough, then sauce, then some shredded cheese, then tomatoes (the second time was anchovies cause they were in the fridge).  Sooo good and garlicky.  The husband just had sauce and cheese since he can't eat garlic/onions and just wanted plain pizza.

Also, the "Eat from the Pantry" isn't working.  It doesn't make sense to do it now (well, it does but still).  Our bank is currently offering $10 back for every $100 we spend in groceries until mid-March.  I'm not upping the amount I'm spending because that wouldn't save any money.  But, I've also decided that I'll just shop as normal until mid-March.  That way we can get a few bucks back and that doesn't hurt.  Once it's over, I'll try the challenge again.  In the meantime, I will try to use up more random things from the pantry (like the garlic cheese stuff.. yummmm).

Food Waste Friday

This photo was actually taken on Sunday but I thought it would be silly to leave gross food in my fridge for another 5 days.

(Please excuse my very messy kitchen - I was currently in the midst of making dinner when I decided to clean out the fridge.)

From left to right: Turkey Shepherd's Pie, Lentil/Black bean chili, Lemon Chiffon Yogurt (I probably shouldn't admit that it went bad back in December..), Sweet Mashed Potatoes, 2 containers of pasta sauce that I meant to freeze (but kind of ran out of room for in the freezer and then forgot about them), Leftover Chinese food from Tuesday - Wonton soup and Lo Mein.
Not pictured but thrown out today: Leftover stir-fry.  I made it way too salty so I shoulda thrown it away that night but thought I might eat it later in the week.

Pretty much all leftovers. See why I need to work on us eating leftovers? I even tried to get some of them eaten by putting them in containers ready to go for lunch. Unfortunately, sometimes the lure of going out for lunch is so much better than leftovers.

Oh well, hopefully next week is better.

Yesterday's Schedule

So, since I can't breathe at work, the company was nice enough to let me work from home for the time being.  I have no idea how long this will last, could be 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years (wouldn't that be nice?).  They are starting on construction and it's only going to get worse before it gets better.  Really, I'm happy that they're letting me work from home because I guess they technically could've just said "Get over it" but they didn't.. and that's why I really love working there.  Plus, I love the job. 

Anyway, the whole reason for this is that I now know why people (specifically SAHP or WAHP) write lists out.  They need to make sure stuff actually gets done and they're not sitting up at 1AM thinking of things to do the next day. I'm completely scatterbrained working at home but I'm also getting a ton done which is a huge contradiction. 

For example: Yesterday's Schedule:

• 8:55 Wake up and walk dog (oh it was nice to sleep in)
• 9:00 Check work email and "clock in"
• 9:15 What's for breakfast??
• 9:17 I have no idea how I ate a bagel so quickly... let me check facebook, gmail, my google reader, etc..
• 10:00 Ohh the Rachel Ray show I haven't seen this in forever
• 10:45 Pick up files because I need to work
• 11:00-2:00 Randomly run back and forth between kitchen (where files are) and living room (where laptop is)  I don't want someone from work to IM me and think that I'm not actually working.  I don't know why I didn't bring the laptop into the kitchen. Isn't the whole point of a laptop it's portability?  Why am I running back and forth every ten minutes?  Every time I walk by I also need to clean something (Did you know my house is grossly messy now that I see it all day long?) - clear the coffee table, clean the end table, empty the dishwasher, snuggle the dog (very important), throw food in the crockpot (check it 9 times so it can't cook properly).
• 2:30-4:00 Oh shit!  It's already 2:30, I need to get more work stuff done.   I actually sit still and get through about 4 hours of work in 90 minutes. 
• 5: 00 Husband comes home.  I sign out of work.  Human interaction!  I want to talk to him (nonstop) and he just wants to unwind a bit. 
• 6:00-11:00 Dinner, tv, phone with my mom
• 11:00 Bedtime but, wait, the finale of Worst Chef is on - I NEED to know who wins.
• 12:00a Okay, bedtime.. I need to remember to call my sister and grandmother in the morning.  Oh I should write a list of things I need from the office too.  Shit!  I forgot to check my work voicemail, let me call now.
• 12:15 For real this time, bedtime. 
• 12:26a The dog just cried a little and scratched at his crate.  Does he have to pee?  I'll pretend I'm sleeping.
• 12:28a He did it again.  Okay fine, take the dog out to the tree (with shoes on the wrong feet so I almost break my neck).  It's cold outside tonight (in my pajamas).
• 12:34a Dog cries again.  I have conversation with him (in whispers so I don't wake the husband) kindly explaining that he does not indeed have to pee again and he just wants to play and we're not playing righ tnow because its 12:34am and it's time for bed.  Mommy has to work again in the morning and we need to sleep now.
• 12:34-1:00 Toss and turn thinking about the things I want to do in the morning and wondering if the dog is mad at me and really wants to go out for a walk.  Finally pass out sometime after 1am. 

So yes, a schedule is going to have to be made.  Today, I'm meeting my husband for lunch and dropping off/picking up files from the office.  I'm going to speak to human beings (besides my husband)!  How exciting!

Shrimp and Broccoli Orzo

Here is the recipe that Wanda requested.  It's a very simple recipe that I started making when I was actually trying to lose weight (which I should probably start again...)  It comes from: Weight Watchers Take-Out Tonight! : 150+ Restaurant Favorites to Make at Home--All 8 POINTS or Less.  They call it Pesto Shrimp & Orzo Salad.  Since I change things around (and am randomly out of ingredients like pesto and shrimp today) we tailored it to our tastes..

Shrimp & Broccoli Orzo (Makes 4 good size portions)

• About 1 cup Orzo
• 1/2 lb Shrimp or Chicken
• 1-2 small heads of Broccoli (I chop up the stems too)
• 1/3 - 1/2 c of Mayo (fat-free if you're being healthy could probably sub for yogurt or something simliar as well)
• 1/2 TB dried basil (or 1 TB fresh if you have it around)
• 1 TB olive oil (If you have pesto around - use that instead of basil/olive oil)
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• Dash of crushed red pepper (optional)

Cook orzo.  When there is a few minutes left, I throw the broccoli in with the orzo so they can cook together.  Drain and reserve 1/3 c of the cooking water.  Cut chicken/shrimp into bite size pieces and then sautee in a pan.

Stir together the rest of the ingredients along with the cooking water.  Add in the orzo, broccoli, and chicken/shrimp and stir so everything is coated.  Sometimes I throw in pine nuts (to make up for the lack of pesto) or additional vegetables if I want it to be a bit different.  The other night I threw in some toasted walnuts for a bit of crunch.

We like it warmed but not too hot.  I do tend to like it peppery too so I'm generous on that end.  It's also good as leftovers and served cold.

Crock Pot Wednesday

I needed something to make for dinner tonight and since Debbie runs Crock Pot Wednesday, I figured why not just throw something in the crockpot and see what happens. 


Buffalo Chicken
 2 chicken breasts (that's all I have)
 1/2 pkg of ranch dressing mix
Maybe 1/3 c hot wing sauce

The measurements came about because that's just what I had laying around.  Apparently, even though I thought there was more chicken in the far reaches of my freezer, there isn't.  There's been an opened package of ranch dressing mix sitting in my cabinet for longer than I'd like to remember.  As for the hot sauce, well can you really go wrong with hot sauce?  There was proabbly around 1/3c left so I just added a bit of water to thin it out (and get the rest out of the bottle). 

I mixed the hot sauce and ranch dressing mix together and just poured it on top of the chicken.  I'll cook it on low for probably around 4-5 hours.  Then I'm thinking it'll be shreddd and we'll have Buffalo Chicken Nachos or Tacos tonight.

Healthy?  Could be better could be worse.  Depending on spiciness, I might add a little butter when I shred the chicken in order to cut back on the spice. 
Tasty?  I think it will be.. hopefully..

Honestly, crock pots generally worry me and I always feel like I'm going to do something wrong.  I  have no idea why I feel this way, I just do.  I always follow recipes to the "T" with crock pots (except leaving out onions and garlic for the husband).  So, this is my first time just kind of winging it and hoping for the best.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed. 

Do you have any good recipes for me to try out?

Update: It was pretty good.  Probably could've used more hot sauce because I was expecting it to be spicier.  I think in total it was in the crockpot for 4 hours on low.  I may have taken the lid off twice to check for doneness though (I know you're not supposed to do that but I just couldn't help myself).  I shredded it and we made the Ultimate Buffalo Chicken Nachos.  We still have a bunch of leftover chicken which I'll probably freeze so we can have it again in a few days/weeks. 

I'll try and update with a photo because my phone for some reason won't email it to me right now.  It was very tasty though. 

Lost Weekend

Our annual "Lost" weekend has come and gone. So sad.  The weekend before the season premiere my husband and I hole up on the couch and watch the entire previous season.  We dont leave our pjs for the whole weekend (which might be my favorite part)  It was easier this year since there were only 16 episodes.  It feels (almost) too long when the seasons are 24 episodes long. 

Anyway, we've done this every year before the new season starts.  Well, except when the 2nd season started because I thought the show was stupid and only my husband watched it.  But the 2nd season had a big break where I caught up on everything in about a week (I fell in love quickly with the show).

Last night was the season premiere.  I don't know if anyone reading this watches the show so I won't be posting any spoilers.  I don't want to ruin anything.  We normally get together with friends so we can all watch the show together.  Ya know, gasp and cry in unison and throw out our random theories during the commercial breaks.  Genereally, the husband and I get into ridiculous debates about the philosphy behind the show.  That's when I tell him he needs to read more philosophy books and throw my philosphy minor at him.  One of us usually breaks and starts laughing and the debate is over.

It was a bittersweet weekend and a bittersweet season premiere.  Of course, we were excited that the show is back, but it's the beginning of the end. 

I did make sure to mention to the husband during the weekend that, hopefully, this time next year we can be rewatching the final season at 3am between feedings of a baby.  Perhaps that wasn't the best way to word it..

We broke.. already

Well, we broke that whole "No food shopping" thing.  Yes, it was quick.  But, there were some good reasons for it.

1. We were out of olive oil.  Yes, it's not a big deal since I have spray, vegetable oil, and peanut oil but still.  It was on sale so the husband picked some up.  If it wasn't, we would've just done without.
2. We were out of paper towels.  I probably have 5-6 kitchen towels hanging around my kitchen currently (not counting the clean ones in the pantry) but when I'm dealing with raw meat I prefer paper towels.  Plus, with three animals there are random spills happening all the time.
3. This is the main reason:  My husband wanted to pick up some fruit. 

How could I say no to that?  Growing up he barely ate fruits and veggies.  The only "vegetables" his parents made were boiled broccoli/cauliflower, canned creamed corn, and baked potatoes.  I'm not sure what fruit he ate.  Off the top of my head I'm thinking just strawberries and apples.  Yup, that's pretty much it.  So, when Mr. Picky Eater decides he wants to pick up some fresh fruit (and I don't have to go to the supermarket) I will gladly let him do that. 

I'm okay with this and I'm not counting it as fully breaking the challenge.  Everyone needs fresh fruits/vegetables every once in a while and that's okay.

Car Loan - GONE

Well, we're now saving an extra $350 a month.  My car loan is officially paid off - about a year and a half early!

I bought my little Honda Fit May 1, 2006.  We went out to my parents one weekend and we were bored so we stopped by the car dealerships out there looking for a used car.  My car at the time kept having this lovely sensor go off.  We nick-named it "The $1000 Sensor".  No matter what it was (major or minor) it ended up costing $1000 and it happened 3 months in a row.  It just made sense to put that money towards a new(er) car.

I didn't have a job and I was finishing up my degree, a used car would be perfect.  We walked into the show rooms.  Did you know used Honda Civics are like 12-13k?  That is crazy!  But then I saw this pretty little black car perfectly placed in the middle of the show room.  It was shiny and smooth and had that new car smell. 

"We just got it off the truck today, ma'am"  Oh, I'm sure you say that to everyone. 
"No, for real.  It's the new Fit.  Sport Edition.  Only 16.9k"  Really?  What's a Fit?  Can I really buy a new car for only 4,000(ish) more than a used car?  A brand spanking new car that no one has sat in or picked their nose in?  Really, me, a poor college student?

Yup, I could and I did.  I love my Fit.. you really can fit all sorts of things in it.  This is especially good for random trips to Ikea when we decide to buy big shelving units and the only way we can get them home is my car with the random seats folded down. 

So, anyway, pressing that payment button to pay off the remaining balance - awesome.  Seriously.  I never thought I'd ever buy a new car (it never really mattered to me if stuff was new or used) let alone PAY OFF a new car.  Now that it's all paid off, I'll probably be keeping it forever until it is completely run down to the ground (cause that's the type of person I really am).  But, it's really and truly all mine now.  Woohoo.

Home from Work

I'm either home from work or working from home, who knows?  It's just for the day.  Well, actually it's been on and off since the beginning of January. 

Backstory:
     We had a water main break in the building right after the new year.  It was this terrible horrible loud bang and then a lot of screaming. You put a bunch of NYers in a building who hear a loud bang followed with screaming and they think 9/11 is happening all over again. I don't even think you would have to be NYers to freak out about that.
     My first thought (after terrorist bombing) was that a filing cabinet fell over on someone. I heard people screaming and a wooshing noise. We all went running towards the noise (smart, I know). Someone is screaming "GET OUT GET OUT ARE YOU OKAY OMG OMG AHHHH".
     It sounded like the roof was caving in. Water and oil were pouring out of the lead pipes randomly throughout all of the offices. It was starting to smell quickly. Meanwhile a guy from a different department ran in and was like GET OUT NOW! GET YOUR STUFF AND GET OUT NOW!!!!
     People are all clamoring down the stairs.  The building was not collapsing. It would have made more sense to calmy exit the building.  But mass hysteria is so much easier in these situations. 
Police and Firemen showed up and blocked off the road. We milled around. They let us go home.  For the few minutes that I was still in there the oil smell was strong and it was hard to breathe.  The office was fully closed for 2.5 days but then re-opened. 

So anyway, I have asthma and I really can't breathe in the building.  The finally did an air quality test (2.5 weeks after it all happened) and sent us the results.  Now, if any of us knew how to read the results, that would probably make it all much easier.  I just know that when I walk into that building my throat gets dry automatically and after a few hours I can't breathe. 

They still haven't let the pregnant ladies back into the building (all the more reason why I should've tried harder to be pregnant by now).  They moved me into a different part of the building where the air is supposedly better.  Yet, I have to constantly walk back and forth to my office to get all my stuff.  I lasted most of last week but by Friday, I was definitely hurting.  I went to the doctor and he put me on prednisone.

Now that I'm on prednisone I have the lovely side effects of dizziness and nausea.  Lovely.  All on top of still not being able to fully breathe properly.  All of that combined made it so I'm working from home today. 

Weekly Meal Plan

This is what we're eating this week. I generally write out a meal plan for the week including breakfast, lunch, and dinner but then rarely stick to it each day. I'm going to try to do better with that as well which is why I'm taking part in Meal Plan Monday.  As long as I have 5 dinners planned out and they get eaten at some point, I'm happy.

• Breakfasts all week: Bagels - I bought 2 dozen the other day since it was close to the same price as buying a 1/2 dozen. I could only fit 6 in my freezer so we still have a bunch to finish up.
• Lunch: Leftovers from dinners and I'm allowing myself (and husband) one free lunch out

• Monday: Pizza (the dough has been defrosting since Saturday so we need to use this up
• Tuesday: Shrimp & Broccoli Orzo
• Wednesday: Tacos or Nachos with leftover roasted chicken
• Thursday: Chicken (and whatever fish I can find in the freezer) Paella
• Friday: Stir Fry
• Saturday: Out to dinner with friends
• Sunday: Superbowl so I'll probably make a few appetizers to bring to a friend's house.

I also have a batch of olive oil bread in the fridge from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking that I'll make a loaf of whenever it seems like it would be good with dinner. It's a great book, I should do a review of it one day.

Let's hope I can actually stick to it this week!

Food Challenges?

Eating from the Pantry.

I've done it before because I tend to be a packrat when it comes to my pantry and food shopping. Last time I did it for 6 weeks without any food shopping. We picked up milk and fresh fruit once. Seeing as I'm the only one who drinks milk, it's much easier to go long periods without milk in this house.

The cabinets and pantry (and freezer...) are starting to get super full again. Well, they're overfull if I'm being totally honest. I was on the phone with my sister the other day and she told me she won't open my fridge or freezer because she is afraid stuff will fall out onto her. If that's not a wake up call, then I don't know what is.

So, I'm hunkering down. No more food shopping until March 1st at the earliest. I guess I'm officially/unofficially joining the Eat from the Pantry Challenge. This will be easy. Honestly, if there were some disaster that forced us to stay indoors (with electricity) for 8-10 weeks, we'd probably still be fine. Don't get me wrong the meals would get weirder and weirder, but we'd survive. Depending on what we decide to do for Valentine's Day, I may need to go food shopping for that but I might not have to. I need to make a list of all the random stuff that's hidden in the far corners of the kitchen so I know what to use up.

We also need to do much better about using up our leftovers. So maybe I should start the Food Waste Fridays that another of my favorite blogs does. We'll see how it all goes. I don't want to try too many things at once and overwhelm myself.

Eating from the pantry and eating all (or at least more) of our leftovers will definitely save money. I know this in my head.. it's just all putting it into practice that seems to be the hard part.