Real Food: My Saturday Strategy

I love Saturdays.  It's a quiet day when I can catch up on my personal life and wind down from the week.  The irony is that my favorite task on my day off is similar to what I spend lots of time doing at my job during the week.  I spend time each weekday morning planning and prioritizing my tasks so that I know what I need to do and when I need to do it to get the most important tasks done first and in the most effective manner at work.  Type A personality that I am, this kind of planning is downright fun for me. 

Recently I've honed some areas of household management in the same kind of way.  Reid and I are on  a tight budget.  There are things we're doing now that I would have once described as drudgery and kill joys like calculating expenses and meal planning.  However, I've found that spending 30 minutes to an hour of time planning each weekend can really save me A LOT of time and stress during the week.

Our Saturday mornings begin with a strategy session where Reid and I eat breakfast, update our budget, and my favorite part of all, plan the weekly menu.

We have a small white board on the fridge with a space for each day of the week (we found said white board out by the dumpster, but that's another story).  After we go shopping for groceries, I write the week's plan up on the board, and add any notes about prep work I need to remember to do days in advance.  Reid helps with some preparation too, and so his notes are starred. As a result of my meal plan, I'm never at a loss for what to cook each night, and I stay ahead of the game the night before to make sure I've thawed, soaked, or otherwise prepared for the next day's meals.  In a real food kitchen, planning ahead is a big key to success.

A lot my of Facebook friends have been asking about recipes I've posted.  So I've decided to share my meal plans here and update throughout the week with information about recipes that were particularly successful.  I'll also share my little tips and tweaks for saving money, improvising on ingredients, and saving time.

So, here's this week's plan. Many of the recipes I'm using are linked below:

Saturday: Creamy Fennel and Greens Soup  with bread
Sunday: Roasted Chicken with potatoes
Monday: Ginger Orange Beef Stir Fry with carrots, snap peas, and broccoli & sprouted rice
Tuesday: Crockpot Chuck Roast Supreme with left over rice from Mon
Wednesday: Crockpot Chicken Quinoa & Roasted Cauliflower
Thursday: Salmon Cakes with Sauteed Kale & Garlic
Friday: Left Overs :)

We just finished the Creamy Fennel and Greens Soup for dinner.  Not my favorite but it filled us up and was a good use of the beet and turnip greens we had left over from our CSA order last week.  The fennel was something I'd never cooked with before, so trying it in a soup was a good start. 

My only other new recipe this week is Monday's stir fry, which I'm sort of making up myself.  So we'll see what happens!

Gettin' Around

Just an update on how we're getting around these days... This Wednesday Reid had a five week follow up on his ankle.  According to x-rays it's healing nicely.  He has physical therapy ahead to slowly begin putting more and more weight on his left foot. The great news is his cast came off and he's in a boot.

Trying not to freak out about the circular saw being used to cut the cast off.  My physician's assistant sister assures me it doesn't cut skin.  I don't buy it.

Free at last.  He had some cuts from the original fall that didn't really heal completely while in the cast.  He's lost a lot of muscle mass as well.

He's happy because the cast was getting itchy.  It's much nicer to be able to take the boot off now and then for his skin to breathe.  In addition after four weeks of waiting, we finally received a temporary handicap parking tag from the state.  It's made trips around town much easier.

In the mean time Reid's come up with some pretty interesting ways to carry things and maneuver around:

Reid sleeps outside the covers with his leg propped up and covers up in his favorite quilt my mom made for us.  He left his quilt in the living room one night, and this is how he brought it back to the bedroom while on crutches.

 The greeter at Sam's offered Reid one of these motorized carts.  He heartily agreed.  He's been talking about riding one since he first got the cast. Dreams really do come true ;)

Making breakfast and packing lunch is a breeze rolling around the kitchen in a office chair! :)

Just Keepin' It Real

These past two weeks have been a whirlwind, and yet more evidence that life is what happens on the way to your plans.  I certainly wasn't expecting to receive a phone call on September 28th from my husband asking me to take him to the hospital to see if his ankle was broken.  I certainly wasn't anticipating the 9 hours it took to be seen in the ER.  I definitely wasn't prepared for his fractured fibula. And I certainly was unprepared for the serious adjustment it takes to getting used to life without a mobile husband.

So this week my living room looked like this:

And the kitchen, like this:

And this:

What you can't see are the three bags of trash that are just sitting by the door because, well, that's the husband's job.  I honestly have never been to the dumpster in this apartment complex before. 

In these past several days, I realized just how much Reid does around here.  He wakes up early and cooks breakfast for us while I get ready for work.  He washes almost all the dishes for the day, and  cleans out the dishwasher too.  He helps with cleaning and sweeping and mopping.  And even makes the bed according to my ridiculous OCD standards. And while I don't expect him to help as much as he does, it is always a blessing.

Now that he's got the cast and his ankle is more stable and protected, he's been attempting a lot on his own.  He uses this green chair to roll around the kitchen making breakfasts or lunch (I leave much earlier than him, and he's on his own for most of the day when he's not at school).

For the past two weeks I've been adjusting to life without Reid's help, and I know it sounds like complaining because let's face it it could be worse, but it's been kind of tough.  And some times I don't want to do it.  Work is busy (but good) and I'm behind in school.  In addition to his broken ankle, Reid is going through some hard things with school, and it just seems like things don't come as easy as they used to.  But Reid and I know that this situation is not out of the hands of our loving and sovereign Father, and we know this is in fact an opportunity to walk in faith.  I was listening to one of my lectures tonight (yay for getting homework done!), and the professor said, "Faith is acting on the truth that God has revealed to you."  God usually doesn't show us the whole picture of how things will turn out.  Instead He asks us to take the step we can see in front of us.  God has graciously and clearly shown us what's in front of us.  Reid will continue to work hard at school and trust God for the result, and I'll keep on doing what I can to care for Reid and our family even when some times it feels like too much.


I suppose that means I'll be taking out those three bags of trash :)

Houston Happenings: Eating

Here's an update on some of our other adventures.  Most of our week is spent at school (Reid) and work (Ronda), so our "fun" things have to wait for the weekend.  However, R&R happen to both be fairly content homebodies, so our trips to try a few new restaurants and our Saturday jaunts to Whole Foods are about as wild and wacky as it gets for us.  Right now it's too hot to go out much, but we're hoping to see more of Houston as the weather cools.  In the mean time, it's odd how excited we two can get about going to Whole Foods shopping.  I'm enjoying meal planning, and Reid and I both enjoy the eating.  I like to see how well I can purchase what I need for the meals I've planned while staying on budget.  Right now the only thing putting us over is a serious ice cream addiction I'm trying to break.  Haagen Daas chocolate peanut butter-it's just so good. ;) But I'm kicking the habit (after we finish the pints in the freezer that is...)

Here are some of our homemade creations:

Summer Gazpacho

Meatzza (Pizza with ground beef as the base) and plum salad. That green plastic plate is so fine dining!

Homemade Egg Drop Soup (one of Reid's favorites)

Cod with Roasted Tomatoes and succotash

Same succotash from above mixed with leftover quinoa and some nitrate-free all-beef hot dogs from Applegate.  Reid added a little cayenne to this wonderful frugal creation so that used up all our left-overs.

Skillet Lasagna (grain-free).  We used eggplant for "noodles." The basil came from our "garden."  Yes, we're growing basil on our balcony.  Couldn't keep Reid away from the dirt for long.  Of course I'm not complaining; I've already used basil sprigs in several dishes. This recipe has definitely become a favorite. 

Spiced Lentil Soup with Roasted Tomato and Eggplant.  I had an extra eggplant leftover because I over-estimated on the eggplant for my lasagna above.  I diced and roasted it so it wouldn't go bad. It worked out great because I threw it in this soup for some serious deliciousness.  The green stuff is wilted kale. 

Finally, I made peach cobbler over Labor Day weekend as a special treat.  I used almond flour for the crumbly part, so it's grain-free (and also sweetened only with honey. Except if you count the giant scoop of Haagen Daas Ice Cream).  It was delicious even if it did make a giant mess in my oven.

Duh, I should have known that juiciness would be running everywhere. 

In addition to Whole Foods, we have made a visit to a local farm.  Right now all the farmers are struggling due to the drought, and the produce at the farmer's markets has been really scarce.  However, I did discover that purchasing raw milk is in fact LEGAL in the state of Texas, so you better believe I was on the hunt for a quality source.  We found just what we were looking for in Tomball, about 45 min away.  We drove up to Gramen Farm several weeks ago.  They raise pastured cows, goats, and chickens.  It was amazing! We bought beef liver, heart, and some stew meat from a cow that had been processed the day before.  We also bought a freshly processed chicken.  Of course, we sampled their raw goat and cow milk.  Delicious! We bought a half gallon of cow milk and drink it in two days with meals.  The couple that owns the farm were people after our own hearts.  We took up so much of their time shooting the breeze about all sorts of health topics.  The farmer's wife makes most of their toiletry products and we ended up buying some of her tooth powder.  So yes, we now "brush" our teeth with powder.  And you know what, it feels like a dental cleaning after every brush. :)

Houston Happenings: Driving

I've been busy with my first weeks of my new job, but I wanted to update you with some of our goings-on!  One thing we do a lot of since we're trying to learn our way around is drive.

Houston is a labyrinth of loops and highways. 

On my way to work I have to drive on two different highways.  When I need to exit I often have to cross over several lanes without much warning to get where I need to be.  It can be fairly difficult when traffic is thick.

Scary! But I'm getting used to it now and have actually stopped cutting off the circulation in my fingers from gripping the steering wheel so tightly.  The good thing here is that our traffic in Houston is just like our thunderstorms.  It doesn't last very long.  You're never really stopped anywhere for long, and most of this time it clears up within a few miles.  And people actually use their blinkers for the most part! It's amazing :)

Thankfully, I'm getting comfortable weaving in and out of traffic lanes because we don't have our "foreigner" NC license plates as an excuse anymore.  We both are officially registered in Texas.  It was an ordeal getting our license plates installed on BOTH the front and the back, but the local Toyota dealership helped us out.

 

Reid and I are sporting our water bottles which we take every where.  That particular week the temps were up to 109 degrees.  It's cooling down to mid 90s now.  The weather is extremely dry even for Houston, and as you may have heard some pretty serious wildfires are spreading north of us.  Please lift up those affected in your prayers.  I'm hoping to update again soon about Reid's first weeks of school and some of our other adventures. 

I Got a Job!

So I kind of lied to you.  If you look back to some of my first announcements of our move to Texas, I told you that both Reid and I are going back the classroom - Reid to the U of H classroom and me to the public school.  From the beginning something told me I wasn't going to be in the classroom in the way that I had first imagined, but I dutifully filled out the forms (and paid the big bucks!) to get my teaching license transferred to TX.  After all we were moving across the country for Reid's school, and I needed to have all my options open.

Over the past two years working at a great ministry in Wake Forest, I learned a lot about my work style and the type of work that excites me. I love the organization part of it all, creating efficiency structures, and managing time to increase effectiveness.  Always an avid to-do list maker, I've finally discovered what I should have realized all along: I love to plan (and the feeling of checking things off that list!)! When I think back to teaching, I remember how much fun I would have lesson planning for the week (strange, I know) and thinking through all my plans for the first day of school.  So I think it makes sense that my next career move would push me further into this area of strength. I decided to pursue jobs that would allow me to use and improve on these qualities.

As I engaged in the job search process, I got some genius advice from my dad who helped me to use my network of friends and acquaintances from my past work experiences and Teach for America to connect with potential opportunities here in Texas.  Within a week of reaching out to some folks, I had filled out four applications for four jobs in which I had personally connected with the key decision makers.  None of these jobs were directly in the classroom.  All of them were office support/project management positions within the world of education and education reform.

So the process has finally come to an end, and I'm happy to announce I have a job! Yours truly is the new Teaching Excellence Alternative Certification Program Coordinator at YES Prep Public Schools! In the end, I had a total of four interviews and two job offers.  I took the job at YES, and I start on Monday! Reid and I are so thankful for how the Lord provided this great opportunity in such a short time after we've arrived here!

Just so you know what I'm getting into, YES Prep is a charter school network that exists to increase the number of low-income Houstonians who graduate from a four-year college prepared to compete in the global marketplace and committed to improving disadvantaged communities. YES Prep was the first public school system in the country to make college acceptance a graduation requirement, and what they require, they work really hard to help their students achieve! Currently 80% of Yes Prep graduates are  enrolled or have already graduated from college, compared to 25% of low-income students nationwide who enroll as freshman.

YES Prep seeks out highly qualified individuals to teach in their schools including many Teach for America teachers.  They support their teachers with the Teaching Excellence program which provides initial and on-going training. My role in the organization will be to help coordinate the Alternative Certification Program within Teaching Excellence to help first year teachers who majored in subjects other than education to  complete the necessary coursework and tests to obtain a Texas teaching license by the end of that first year.  The Teaching Excellence program is top rated in the state, and we will be working to make it top in the nation! I'm excited!

So in the end, I do get to be a part of the classroom.  I'll be supporting new teachers and helping them serve their students! I'm looking forward to this, and am so thankful that God has allowed me to do something that I enjoy and believe in!

Thanks to all our friends and family who have been praying! We realize that moving to Texas with no job seemed a little crazy! But our God is faithful, and He has provided!

Exploring

We have been out do some exploring.  This weekend we traveled to Dallas/Fort Worth area about 4.5 hours away for a friend's wedding.

It was beautiful and fun! Amy is a friend from way back, and we're excited for her and Rob! They are moving to Minnesota, far away from their home state of TX.  We understand a little of what they might be going through.

We've also explored more than our fair share of this city.  We've been lost a time or two - once on the way to an interview.  There are SEVERAL major highways that intersect here, and all of them have feeder roads that you use to access everything.  CONFUSING! Here's a nice shot of one little part of the city.  It does not do the 104 degree temperature justice. And the traffic is never this sparse!

We also visited Houston's large and fancy mall, the Galleria.  It seemed as though every designer had their own store in this place.  There was even an indoor ice skating rink.   We saw two different girls dressed in brightly colored dresses for their 15th birthday celebrations (I know this event has a beautiful sounding name, but I don't know how to spell it.  I definitely need to work on my Spanish.  German is not exactly useful here.).  I also saw three women at different times dressed in a full burkha.  There is so much diversity here.  And SO many people.  The world is here in Houston!

In the midst of all the new things we're experiencing, our apartment feels like a home and a refuge.  We were able to have our one and only friends here, Will and Jenn, over this week.  They've been in the city for a year and gave us the skinny on all things Houston!

We've been doing lots of little errands this week, and I have had some job interviews.  We're hoping to do some more touristy things later this week including a trip to the zoo and to Pearland (for some more shopping with less people hopefully!).  We may even throw in a trip to the National Funeral History Museum.  Some interesting stuff they've got going on here!