The best laid plans...

...never survive the first encounter!

My menu (dinner meals): original - what happened
Monday: pasta and maranara - check!
Tuesday: tacos - did't happen, ended up going caving and eating two wonderful meals at a friend's parent's house (not out to eat, good!)
Wednesday: short ribs and egg noodles plus veg - we'll see, but as I have a 5:30 appointment 30 minutes from my house and these take 3 hours in the slow cooker....I'm thinking we'll adjust to leftovers or frozen pizza
Thursday: leftovers plus apps at New Year's parties - if we eat the leftovers tonight, we'll do the tacos tomorrow so we're full enough we don't gorge on apps
Friday: Chicken pizza - NEW RECIPE! - I have off, this should happen
Saturday: Pot roast & fixins' w/ homemade bread and homemade ice cream for dessert
Sunday: Spiced pork loin w/ peach sauce - NEW RECIPE! (also a starch and veg)

Friday - Sunday breakfast/lunch meals w/ be eggs and toast or french toast or pancakes. Generally make one meal at brunch and then have dinner.

I think I need to work on eating more fish and turkey and lean meat.... I have a fish cookbook...some of those 52 new recipes are going to be fishy!

Almost the end of the decade...

We are less than a week to the end of 2009, and the first decade of the 2000 era. Hrm. Makes a person think, doesn't it? In my own personal little history, it makes me reflect on the first almost three decades of my life. All doldrums aside....it's been a pretty good first 1/3 of my life.

But, as it's also almost new year's eve, I got to thinking about resolutions, and hopes for 2010. I do have a few resolutions:

1. Get Fit.
2. Landscape my front yard a bit more to my liking.
3. Eat healthier by cooking more at home, specifically try one brand new recipe a week for 52 weeks.
4. MAKE, and eat more ice cream.

Fit. I changed the title of this blog, and it's purpose sometime last year. I got the ball rolling, and then it rolled to a stop. There wasn't a wall or a hill that stopped it....more of a loss of momentum. So I need to get back on track. Specific goal is to go to the Y my 12 times a month 10 of 12 months this year. I'd say 12 of 12, but that is entitlement....W/ trips and such, I'm hoping to hit 10. So, guest passes, friends with Y passes...this is a call to action. Classes, lifting weights, training for races...let's hop to... I can do it alone, but I'd love company when I go.

Landscaping the front yard. I really, really hate that very small rock. It will take some time, some preplanning before spring, and some muscle to get rid of it, but I want to at least make a DENT this spring/summer/fall. Along with that I'd like to reclaim my grass from the weeds that are my lawn, and make sure my garden(s) flourish again this year!

Eating better...sigh. Part of getting fit, but hard to do with limited time. So, this year I will find the time to make dinner. I started this week. Today I made a menu for the week. Tomorrow I will go shopping for things I need for the rest of the week. This week's new recipe: Spiced pork loin w/ peaches. The rest of the week has recipes to use up what is in the cabinets and offset w/ some other things.

Last year I resolved to eat more ice cream. I failed miserably! I didn't eat more, I barely ate any! But, there is hope! For my birthday this year I have been given an ice cream maker as a present, and so far I have made two batches ice cream. This bodes well for next year's resolution... Make and Eat more ice cream!

ANd now, I have been up way to long, have to go to work tomorrow after a week off, it's time to go to bed.

Tis the Season!

Tis the season of Christmas, and I find myself with an over-abundance of holiday cheer. I very much desire a Christmas tree, decorations about the house, warm cookies and hot cocoa. Yes, today I officially began 'hot cocoa' season with a lovely cup whilst at work. Today is <20 F our, and tomorrow and Wednesday we are expecting snow. A true early winter blizzard and walloping, if one believed CNN, which I don't. After all, CNN has become a sensationalist news entertainment channel/website/organization anyway. I don't doubt some areas will have a nice blizzard though, and I certainly wouldn't mind the beginning of snow season.

Tomorrow, hopefully before the snow flies, the Window Guys will be coming to finish the install of our front window (read fixing a factory oops), and installing two others. I certainly hope they finish the front window tomorrow, because then I can pick out a christmas tree and make w/ the decorating!

I am trying to decide what has caused this plethora of good cheer and good will towards my fellow man (most of them, anway). I think part of it has to do with finishing my CIH exam, but also, I think I'm just due for a non-bah, humbug type of year.