Re-purposed food

I used to dread leftovers. The dreaded food that takes up space in the refrigerator, that is avoided and ignored while we wait to see if the other person is going to cave in first and eat it. The food no one wants to eat, because why would you eat something you already ate when you can just cook something new? But letting that food go to waste is pouring money down the drain. So why not make it into something new? Here are some ways I re-purposed my leftovers over the last two weeks.

Initial Meal:
Garlic chicken: chicken breasts marinated in lime juice, garlic, cilantro and olive oil, then grilled.
Cowboy beans: pintos cooked with ham hock, garlic, onion, garlic, bacon, chorizo, jalapeno, bay leaf,  and cumin. I made a double recipe because I had a 2 lb bag of beans and a large ham hock, so why not?

Re-purposed:
Cooked the leftover chicken over low heat with a can of diced tomatoes with green chilis, some salsa and spices, then shredded it. Made some rice that I cooked with chicken stick and seasoned with lime zest, served cowboy beans over it, topped it with some of the shredded chicken, cheese, sour cream, scallions and a slice of avocado. Delicious!

Re-purposed again as taquitos:
I had some leftover flour tortillas. I "refried" the cowboy beans, layered on some shredded chicken and cheese, then rolled it up and pinned it with a toothpick. Dropped it in the deep fryer for a few minutes until crispy. Voila! Taquitos! Dipped in sour cream and salsa and they were amazing.

Maybe the Food Network would like to give me a show...hmmm, what could my show be called? The Leftover Lady...nah. 

And just for good measure...since we're in the kitchen cooking, I'll leave you with my download of the week to jam out to and put us in a good mood to think and re-invent our ingredients.

Ben Folds "You Don't Know Me" (feat. Regina Spektor)

This song is so catchy and bouncy. Every time it comes on I can't stop my head from bobbing side to side. And Regina Spektor is sheer genius. I love her completely. I hope you like it!

The meal plan

I've found that meal-planning and budgeting go hand-in-hand. I chart out a dinner plan for two weeks at a time and it helps me stay on task at the grocery store, make sure I buy/use ingredients in a good time frame, eat or re-purpose leftovers, plan ahead around busy days or late nights, multi-use expensive ingredients, and mainly eliminate the "oh crap, what am I cooking for dinner tonight?" conversation. So here is the meal plan I am using this week:

Sunday: grilled margherita pizza. Scratch-made dough, fresh buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil
Monday: penne pasta w/ a homemade red sauce and roasted squash, onions and bell peppers.
Tuesday: venison tacos, Spanish rice and black beans
Wednesday: leftover pasta
Thursday: spaghetti w/ meat sauce, garlic bread and salad
Friday: pot roast over rice
Saturday: birthday party
Sunday: lemon shrimp scampi served over linguine, roasted broccoli
Monday: garlic chicken, Cowboy Beans (Mexican Made Easy recipe)
Tuesday: pot roast leftovers
Wednesday: garlic chicken leftovers
Thursday: shrimp scampi leftovers
Friday: marinated grilled venison loan with hand-cut sweet potato fries
Saturday: jambalaya with shrimp and leftover chorizo from the Cowboy bean recipe


I hope this inspires you to start meal-planning! I'm always looking for new things to try, so if you'd like a recipe from me or have one to share I would love to hear it!

Words to my child

I started this blog as a place to talk, have fun, and share things. In life I am a happy, upbeat positive person. I don't allow myself to show anyone when I am feeling anything less than happiness. Maybe that doesn't make me real? I just don't want to bring people down, I don't want to show my weakness, I want to be full of grace in all things. But this feels good. Can I let my guard down a little and share a piece of my heart with you? Share something with you that I haven't shared with anyone else?

Monday, Nov 1, 2010

To my beautiful child,
We don't know each other yet- it'll be some time before God "knits you in my womb" (we hope!) but the thought of you intoxicates me. I have loved you for so long, I have dreamed of your face, imagined the way you'll feel in my arms, singing to you and covering you with love. Your daddy and I have been married for almost 6 1/2 years and to me, it felt like this time could just not get here fast enough. (He's sleeping right now and looks absolutely adorable.) But I know God has a purpose and a plan for our marriage, and the reward has been great. I have had to trust in His timing and ask God to give me peace and patience while he worked things to His design. I have so many plans for you-- not as in controlling your life and decisions, but as in who you will be as a person. A kind, warm, compassionate, driven, successful, humble, motivated Christian person who people will love, respect and admire. I pray that I will serve you well, that I will do my job, that I won't let you down. This is a love letter, my precious. I want you to know, as a mere glint in your father and mother's eye, you have always been loved and will always be loved. I cannot wait to share our lives together!

Heart,
Your Mom

Try and try, and try....and try again

Today I just want to throw my hands up in the hair and say, "I quit! I'm done. I'm not doing this anymore!" Unfortunately, if I allow myself to quit and be done, I won't become a mother. I am so over this.

The Hubby is acting like an a-hole. I'm sure he is just reacting to me and my less-than-sunshine-and-puppies attitude, but I just don't think he gets it. He doesn't get that I've worked 7 days straight, just got home from an out-of-town working weekend, and I am always emotional when I'm tired. Last night, as soon as I felt the undeniable pang of a menstrual cramp my heart tightened like a fist was around it and I couldn't catch my breath. And I'm just so angry. A friend and I and our respective spouses were all ready to start trying in February. Month two, mission accomplished for her. And I am ecstastic for them! Two weeks ago, my close friend at work and her husband started trying and BAM! Pregnant their first month. We were very excited that we might only be two weeks apart and could share in the joys and pains of first time pregnancy together. Nope. Once again I've been left disappointed, so angry at the sight of blood it makes my eyes well up. I don't want to chart days and pee on sticks and practically drag my husband to bed with no regard to his utter exhaustion.

The first four of the seven stages of grief are: shock & denial, pain & guilt, anger & bargaining, "depression" & reflection. The first month I was definitely in denial. I had convinced myself that I was pregnant. As the months have passed I've told everyone that I wasn't stressed about it. That I was trusting in God's timing. That I was okay with letting it "be what it will be."  But in my heart of hearts I have sailed through all of those emotions listed above. Right now I am angry and fighting the "depression" bug. My mind says: It's not working. What is wrong with me? Is God punishing me? What have I done wrong? What if I'll never be called "Mama"?  Will he love me regardless? I don't want to unburden myself on my husband because 1) He doesn't understand. 2) I don't want him to feel guilty. 3) I don't want him to know how weak I am.

I'm done with trying. I don't know if I have enough emotional energy left in me. I want to be hopeful. I want to fight back and say that I went through it all with dignity and strength, that I kept my grace and composure. But really I just want to throw something, to break something, to rail against God, to surrender to the darkness that I feel pulling at my ankles, to bathe in my self-pity. It's so unbecoming, isn't it?