Menu Plan Monday for September 7th

Monday has once again snuck up on me. I have a good excuse this time - Husband has been on his "staycation" all week, and now today is Labor Day, which he was also supposed to enjoy at home with us, but he's been called away to meet with a client (I know, on freaking Labor Day) and then he'll be away for the week, so I've been dreading Monday. And here it is.

Another reason I've been dreading Monday? Because I won't be having standard Labor Day fare for dinner - I can't grill. I know lots of girls who can grill, my mother being one of them. But I'm not one. Never have learned, and right now, don't really want to. My little munchkin would positively go berserk if I were to go outside to the grill and not allow him, and he's much too little to fully comprehend that "hot" is bad. So anyway...unless I drag my butt over to Steak and Shake for some burgers and fries, we'll be having some pancakes for dinner.

Since Husband will be away, I may alter the menu, but since this was a last-minute trip, I'm going to post my menu the way I had initially planned it, and change it if need be as the week progresses.

Monday - Buttermilk Pancakes
Tuesday - Honey Mustard Chicken (recipe will be posted!)
Wednesday - Spaghetti and Garlic Bread (or garlic knots)
Thursday - Chicken fajitas (frozen meal, sorry, I'm cheating)
Friday - Beef Teriyaki
Saturday - Crock Pot Pulled Pork (recipe will be posted!)
Sunday - Famous Pan Pizza

What are you having for dinner this week? Don't forget to visit Org Junkie to get plenty of menu ideas!

My Husband Rocks Friday: He Did the Box!

Husband continued his staycation of pain yesterday - he accompanied me to my usual personal training session (where I also learned that I've lost a couple of inches over the last two months, woo hoo!), and was quite a trooper. We worked on both our upper and lower bodies, with a cameo appearance by my favorite workout/torture device, The Box.

I could tell that some of the machines (and more namely the weights that my trainer selected for him) were really challenging sometimes, but he powered through, even with walking lunges and The Box. Our trainer broke out a few new exercises, too, which were insanely tough, but Husband got to skip those. For the first one, we cradled an eight-pound weight behind our knee, and lifted our knee up high to the side over and over. Then for the second, we cradled the same weight behind the knee and lifted the knee backward repeatedly. Definitely burned the thighs and the butt a good bit.

Husband totally wishes that I would work on the strength in my hands, so I could rub his muscles and give neck rubs. In fact, he was going to ask my trainer specifically to focus on my hands, but he forgot. He was too busy having his butt kicked. He worked so hard and did such a good job.

It was a darn good workout. We were both totally drenched when we went to the nursery to pick up the munchkin. Husband's been hobbling around the house ever since, begging for mercy. I think I'll let him have today off. :) I don't think I'll be so kind to myself.

Fit Fusion: A tale of Husband exercising for the first time in a long time

There was a lot of squatting at Fit Fusion yesterday. Too much, if you ask Husband.

Husband is such a good sport. This week has been his "staycation" from work, and I've taken him to the Y with me twice so far. Once for my usual personal training session, and once yesterday for an aerobics class called Fit Fusion. It's basically a cardio and weights class, where you do a few minutes of intense cardio followed by intense weights, followed by intense cardio, and so on and so forth. It's a tough workout, it definitely kicks your butt, but it's one of the classes I really like because I feel like I get a really good workout from it.

As I was getting my gear, and his, for the class, I told the instructor that I'd brought my husband, and she seemed awfully impressed. I haven't been doing the classes at the Y for terribly long yet, but it seems that there aren't a ton of men who do them. I think I've seen 2. Maybe 3. Husband was the only dude in this class yesterday, but he didn't seem to mind, especially since we were in the back row (since I can't see without my glasses and I can't exercise with my glasses on, I purposely always go to the back row, because then I totally can't see myself in the mirror).

The instructor made a point to check in with him repeatedly, and he only really took one serious break, which I later learned was because he downed too much water at one point and started to cramp up a bit. Other than that, he was totally keeping up with the rest of us just fine. I was so proud of him!

After class, one of the other attendees came up to me and said her husband was home for the day and that she had invited him to come to class with her. He had told her that he would go run instead, which she doubted he would do. She was so impressed that Husband willingly came to class with me.

Husband tells me this morning that Fit Fusion broke him, that his legs are all frozen. I'm sure they are - we did a ton of squats and lunges yesterday! Hopefully, his legs will stretch out okay before our personal training session today!

Menu Plan Monday for August 31st

Can you believe it's almost September already? I've been shopping for Baby's Halloween costume and finding it hard to believe that it's going to be fall soon. I can't wait - I will be so happy once the weather starts to change!

This will be a fun week, as Husband happens to be off, so we're having a super-fun staycation. He'll be coming with me to the Y this week, which should make for some fun work-out-related stories as the week progresses. As a result, I'm making a lot of his favorites this week, so enjoy the Husband-focused meal plan for the week!

Monday - Waffles
Tuesday - Meatloaf
Wednesday - Spaghetti and Garlic Bread
Thursday - Awesome Chicken Cutlets
Friday - Glazed Pork Chops
Saturday - Burgers on the Grill
Sunday - Pioneer Woman's Fried Chicken

By the way, we started watching "Arrested Development" on Hulu today, and wow, I guess we really missed some funny programming! We're only on the fourth episode of the first season, but I have a feeling by the end of the week, we'll have watched the whole thing. So far, I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it yet!

Ribs on the Barbie

For yesterday's dinner, I made country style boneless ribs on the barbie. I love barbecued pork. I would eat ribs for dinner every night if I could. By the way, when did pork get expensive? I don't remember it being so darn pricey! Made-at-home ribs really aren't very hard and really ought to be made very, very often. Here's a super easy recipe to follow:

Ribs on the Barbie
(No picture because they were too yummy!)
Printer-friendly recipe

1 bottle your favorite barbecue sauce
2 pounds country style pork ribs (boneless)
Salt
Pepper

Put the ribs in a large pot with a lid, barely cover with water, cover and bring to a boil. Once they boil, turn the heat to low, put the lid back on, and leave them for an hour. Take the ribs out and dry them on some paper towels. Try not to look at them, they're kind of gross-looking when they're boiled. But, from what I've read, boiling ribs is what makes sure that they stay tender.

Next, heat up your grill nice and hot. The goal is to baste and flip the meat often, for about 20 minutes. The basting lets you build layers of flavor, and since barbecue sauce has a ton of sugar in it, the sauce can burn if you don't turn it frequently.

Then, polish off those ribs with whatever fixings you like with your barbecue. Definitely a yummy dinner!

What's on Your Nighstand: August

I'm only marginally late this month, at least it's still August!

It's been a busy reading month. I've enjoyed a lot of books this month, but my To Be Read pile seems to keep growing, as usual.

Polished off this month:
1. This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
2. Escape by Carolyn Jessop
3. Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife by Irene Spencer
4. Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons: A Novel by Lorna Landvik (a re-read of an old favorite)
5. Lost Boy by Brent Jeffs

Still to be read:
1. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer - Just started this last night. I used to read a lot of true crime, so hopefully it won't be too disturbing for me (the girl who hates scary movies).
2. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - It's quite possible I'm the last person on the planet who hasn't read this. A friend loaned it to me and insisted I read it.
3. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - I'm around page 50 and kind of stuck but people keep telling me it gets better. I hope so.
4. Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall - I know, another book about the FLDS. For whatever reason, I'm fascinated by those people and can't get enough of them.
5. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult - This will be a re-read, as I read it when it first came out. Our book club selected it, and it's been a while, so I need to refresh my memory.

Don't forget - you must tell me what you're reading! I just love book recommendations.

My new obsession: Tastespotting

As you all know, I'm a glutton for recipes. Good ones, bad ones, I've got a three-inch three-ring binder full of recipes I've found that I want to try. I'm always on the lookout for new sources, and in the last few weeks I've come across what could very easily be described as food porn...a website called Tastespotting. I can't quite recall how I found it, but wow, I'm glad I did.

Basically, Tastespotting seems to be a collection of the best food-related photography on the web. That might sound ridiculously boring to you, but I love food photography. I'm trying (slowly) to improve my own snaps of the food I make, so Tastespotting is a good reference for me in that respect. It also seems to be laden with many, many desserts, which are of course my favorite kind of recipe. Some of the pictures link back to a blog that's kind enough to list the recipe they made, some just talk about what they made, but I've found several great new food blogs through Tastespotting, and over 50 recipes this week that I've printed to add to my infamous To Be Cooked binder. Seriously, I'm going to have to get another binder. Soon.

When you've got a few minutes to kill, I highly recommend you check out Tastespotting, just try to keep the drool off your keyboard.

P.S. - This was a totally unsolicited rave, I don't know who runs Tastespotting and they don't know me, I just wanted to share.

Spinning kind of sucks...at least according to a first-timer

Today, I went to a beginning spin class. I was mildly relieved to learn that we would be spending some time to tweak the bikes appropriately, and that the entire class was only 30 minutes long. I've been on a spin bike for a few moments at a time previously, and every time, it was ridiculously uncomfortable. Today was no exception. Our instructor told us that it's perfectly normal to absolutely hate the "saddle," but that Target and Wal-Mart sell some kind of gel contraption you can put over the saddle to make it more comfortable. (I checked it out at Target, and it was $18. I'm not sure I need it that badly.) She also said that it should be something that either gets less uncomfortable with time or that our butts just get used to it. I'll believe it when I feel it.

After we all figured out how high our saddles should be and how far forward (or backward) the saddle should be, we hopped on the bikes to go through a quickie 10 or 15 minute class, learning some of the terminology of spin class and practicing some of the moves and hand holds. At first, it seemed easy. Then we did standing. And "jumping." Not so fun. At first, getting up off the saddle feels good, but then when you sit back down, it's like your body revolts against the concept of sitting back down.

I guess now I have the know-how to take an actual spin class. Here at our Y, they're done in the dark, so you can focus on just you and what you're doing, rather than trying to compete with your neighbor, which is something that's appealing to me. That and the idea that no one will see how pathetic I am at spinning. I mean, I loved bicycling when I was a kid. I enjoyed riding my bike all over the place, but I haven't owned a bike since I was about 15 or 16, so I'm more than a little rusty. That and spinning isn't a whole lot like bicycling - it's really a totally different kind of experience. I'm mildly afraid to take an actual class, because just the 10 or 15 minutes of spinning we did this morning seems to have done quite a number on me. I know it is a really good work out, though, so I'm sure I will drag my lazy butt to a spin class at some point...just not tomorrow. It's going to take some serious nerve and some coffee to get me in there.

Tell me, my faithful friends, have you ever done a spinning class? If so, was it so bad you thought you might die? Did the seat get more comfortable over time?

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

Admittedly, I've heard a lot of people talk about Jonathan Tropper over the last few years, one of them being Jen Lancaster (of Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office fame). I should have immediately gone out and bought everything he ever wrote after Jen Lancaster sang his praises. She cracks me up - surely she wouldn't steer me wrong.

When my best friend and I spotted this book at Borders, we both had read a little bit about it, and thought it was worth reading. Boy, was it ever. A Tolstoy quote I have always loved sums this book up pretty well - all happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. The Foxman family is very unhappy...in many, many ways.

The Foxman family has just lost their patriarch and are gathering in the family home to sit shiva for seven days. In some families, this would be no big deal. Judd Foxman has enough going on in his life before his father passes away and he's called home, and the hits just keep on coming. This was just one of those books where the characters are so vivid and the complexities so interesting that you feel really invested in the book, and those are my favorite kind of books. Sure, some of the themes in the book might be old, but there's no crime in that. Families are often the most interesting subjects to read about.

In the week of shiva, the family members lives will change in various ways. Each of the twists feels authentic, and while I didn't want the story to come to an end, the title kind of told me that the end wasn't going to be neatly packaged with a bow or anything. Real life never is that way, and reality was one of the big things going for this book. I certainly wouldn't mind reading another book by Mr. Tropper in the future with this family at center stage.

There are several passages in the book that are positively laugh-out-loud, and several that are quite raunchy (reader beware, if that kind of thing bothers you). Overall, though, it was an amazing read and I was almost sad to finish it last night. I definitely will be keeping my eyes peeled for other books by Mr. Tropper. It's clear that he's got quite a gift. His writing style was fully absorbing and multifaceted. Fans of Nick Hornby and and Tom Perotta will feel right at home.

A very good chocolate chip cookie recipe

I came across this recipe, calling itself the end-all-be-all chocolate chip cookie recipe. I'm not sure I'd 100% agree with that, but they are definitely quite tasty. I've made a lot of chocolate chip cookies over the years, from the original Toll House recipe to Alton Brown's infamous Chewy recipe, and I think my favorite is still my recipe, but this one was a pretty good one, too. I was also able to scoop the cookies nice and small without them burning at the edges, which was nice.

Don't these cookies look yummy?


One thing I love about chocolate chip cookies is how easy they are (or ought to be) to make. I love a good, easy recipe! This one's no different. Keep in mind, though, this recipe makes a million of them! Well, not a million actually, but a ton. I haven't made them all yet, but I'd guess it'll make at least 6 dozen, if not more.

End of the Search Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Dine and Dish
Printer-friendly recipe

1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 12-oz bags of semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Mix butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs in large bowl.
3. Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Stir in one bag of the chocolate chips.
5. Drop dough by rounded measuring tablespoons, about 2-inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Place several of the reserved chocolate chips on top of each cookie (This step is not necessary…you can mix them all in, but the presentation of the cookie is better with this step in place).
7. Bake 9-12 minutes or until light brown. (I baked my small cookies for 8 minutes.)
8. Cool slightly.
9. Remove from cookie sheet, cool on wire rack.