Weekly Meals, Part Two

So, last week was CRAZY as far as eating goes.  Cody and I both had super stressful weeks and celebrated our birthdays.  There was not a meal plan in sight.  I made one…but then completely threw it out the window.  Most of my meals came in the form of instant-meals from this company.  Annie's was my savior and go-to for the week.  The upcoming week is looking to be less kooky, here's to hoping!

Saturday: Eating Out (celebrating a friends birthday)
Sunday: Spicy Orecchiette with Steamed Veggies
Monday: Quinoa and Spinach Baked Casserole
Tuesday: Butternut Squash Soup with Tofurkey Rollups
Wednesday: Veggie & Tofu Stir-Fry
Thursday: Broccoli Calzones with Tomato Dipping Sauce
Friday: Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

This week I found a lot of my recipes on this website.  It is the Martha Stewart Vegetarian Meal website.  I usually search online for meals that look good and then make them my own.  That is my plan this week with my many Martha-inspired recipes.

I leave you all this morning with this aDORKable picture of my boys.  Aren't they the cutest?

The hubby and our puppy :) 

Birthday Gifts & Big Changes

Happy Birthday to me!!  I turned a year older on March 18th.  And, for my birthday I…….. bought a new car and landed a new job!!!!!!!

The car: Cody's car broke down about 3weeks ago and it has been so difficult carpooling.  We work different schedules by about a two hour difference.  This meant a lot of waiting around for whoever was stuck without the car for the day.  We shopped for a few weeks (VERY limited market in Juneau) when we stumbled across this car. It is a 2008 Hyundai Accent.  I can now drive to work, getting 45mpg, and be a happy clam.  (note: Cody's car breaks down and I gift myself  with a new ride…typical.)

The Green Machine :) 

The job:  While I loved my job and the people I worked with at Spunky Sprouts Preschool, I needed a change.  The main contributing factors to this were that I missed teaching and I needed more financial stability (aka: higher salary).  The main reason though was that I missed being in the classroom.  I supervise at the preschool and spend a good portion of my day pushing papers.  This isn't ideal. I miss the kiddos, the broken chalk, the days spent teaching class morning meetings.  So, I made the decision to seek out a public school job.

At the front of my class, back when I was teaching 3rd grade in Illinois. 

And, one week after interviewing I was offered a position as the new pre-k teacher at Glacier Valley Elementary School.  The position starts in April and I will be under contract for this year and next year. All day teaching…ahhhhh, sounds glorious.  Not to mention….summers off!!

My birthday was two days ago and I have to say that this was a fantastic way to spend it :)

St. Patty's Sunday

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

We spent our St. Patty's Day enjoying a hike out at Fish Creek with some good friends and our favorite puppy, Specks.  (Sidenote: Specks is about to turn four….so he isn't really a puppy).  Anyways, our hike was beautiful and the weather held off and allowed us a few hours of sunlight and cloudy-ness.

Fish Creek.  

Crab legs found on the beach. 

Views from the island that we hiked.  

Abandoned boat at the end of the trail.  

After hiking we ran errands, bought a new couch, and did some housework.  It was a pretty typical Sunday.  Now we are tucking into some Vegetarian Shepard's Pie.  Yumm :)

Just a typical Sunday and the Thompson-Middleton household.

Weekly Meal Wrap-Up

So, I just thought I would update you on whether or not the weekly meal pan works.  The verdict is….It works!! Ok, so it worked for the most part. Obviously, there were some slight deviations.  Mainly this was due to not feeling like eating what I had planned and running out of certain ingredients.  I really liked having the meal plan though.  It helped me as far as grocery shopping and it helped me mentally plan my days.  I highly recommend it.

Fried polenta drizzled in a creamy mushroom sauce.  Side of fakin' bacon-wrapped asparagus. 

Saturday: Polenta & Mushroom Potpie  Fried Polenta in Mushroom Sauce with Asparagus

Sunday: Vegetable & Rice Crock Pot Soup (perfect for a long hiking day!)

Monday: Grilled Tomato Cheese, & Basil Sandwiches with leftover Veggie Soup Tomato Soup

New twist on the classic grilled cheese & tomato soup combo. 

Tuesday:  Teriyaki Tofu with Quinoa and Oven Roasted Veggies Vegan Cheesy Rice Bake 

Wednesday:  Fend for yourself day!  (aka-leftovers and such)

Thursday: Homemade Veggie Pizza

Friday: Vegan Baked Macaroni or Cheesy Rice Bake Pesto Pasta with Steamed Veggies

Quick and easy pasta served with delicious veggies.  

Saturday: Date Night! (We went to Chinese for lunch with friends and enjoyed leftovers for dinner.)

I am all shopped up and planned for this upcoming week.  The post with the meal plan is in the works.  Other than that, I am going to attempt to bring you guys some awesome veggie recipes this week.  I have been slacking on recipes, but it is my passion at heart so I plan to post some more in the upcoming days.

Do you create a weekly meal plan? 

Cody's Birthday!

Today is Cody's birthday!! He is getting pretty old (but he's still younger than me…doh!) We are planning a very fun and relaxing day in Cody's honor.

The hubs after a jog.  

Cody awoke to this delicious multigrain breakfast wrap.  It consisted of eggs, fakin' bacon, and sauteed potatoes.

Yummm….breakfast :) 

For lunch we splurged on some tasty chinese from our local restaurant, Zen, with some great friends.  They bought our drinks for our birthday presents (booze is pricey up here).

Spring rolls, fried rice, veggies, and tofu.  Oh, and a little Corona.   

Then, we took a trip to the local secondhand bookstore.  Success!  We are such nerds at heart.  

Bookstores=the most peaceful places on earth. 

Now, we are back home contemplating a nap/watching Where The Wild Things Are (a personal favorite).

Specks is just as lazy as the rest of us. 

Sometime today I am planning on making an eclair cake, courtesy of my mothers recipe.  She is the best at making birthday treats. I planned to make this last night so it would be ready today.  But, this whole sharing a car-thing has been cramping my shopping style.  Here are some other recipe links that will be contributing to my belated birthday concoction.

Paula Deen's Eclair Cake
Easy Vegan Eclair Cake

Obviously, I will need to find a balance between the two recipe's.  Ha ha.

What are your favorite birthday treats?? 

Alaska Rental Construction

My blog post today is short and not-so-sweet.  This is because I came home to this…..

This WAS (note: past tense) our driveway.  No notice of the construction starting (or even a mention that it might happen).  Just pulled in the driveway and this was blocking my way.  I am literally parked right behind the backhoe.  I just stood there and stared at the hole for awhile to try to figure out how to get to my house.  My house is at the bottom of the hill.  It was a treacherous trip.

Tomorrow will be less random…I hope.  Cross your fingers for me.

Waking Up Is Hard To Do

How I feel about mornings, as told by one of my favorite women in the entertainment industry.  

I always wake up at least 90minutes before going anywhere so I can have some time to myself to drink coffee, think about my day, lounge, and wake up!  This Sunday Cody let me do just this.  I woke up to cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting and steaming hot coffee.  Delicious :)

Yummy. 

Specks feels just like I do in the mornings. 

Sometimes, I just need to wake up super sloooooowly.  I am sure many of you feel the same.  Cody, however, does not.  He wakes up 15-30minutes before he leaves the house.  He rarely eats breakfast but he somehow still has time to shower, drink coffee, and get dressed up all spiffy in that short timespan.  I envy this quality of his.  For now though, I am content being a sleepyhead each morning.

Happy Monday Morning :)