The Lunchbox MomLife that happens from lunch to lunch

004.26.10 Back – - – and Busy!

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Tis the season, and this year the season is extremely busy!  We have 2 boys in Little League, 1 in soccer, and our daughter is graduating from her school (8th grade is the highest grade for our school).  We are also in the final stages of advancing cub scouts, school projects, and spring field trips.  School is out on June 4th, and then we will start moving to my MIL’s house.  We decided her house has the better layout to combine our households. 

A girl can dream...

I have been busy trying to garden around the rain.  I got a great new gardening book this season by Barbara Pleasants (also a Virginian).  I have been reading her articles in Mother Earth News* for years.  I am using her “bag” gardening technique for my MIL’s backyard garden, because the heavy clay content keeps her yard wet for days after a rain.  It will give me the ability to experiment with bed placements.  This year I am focusing mostly on the basics:   tomatoes, peppers, cukes, and melons.  I am going to be putting in some blueberry bushes also.  Next year, I will expand some more, and then again for the 3rd year.  I love starting gardens and playing around with the plans and plants.  

One of my favorite things to do in reference to gardening is learn how our ancestors used their gardens to feed the family in the past.  We have a local historical site here, Meadow Farm Museum, that has a re-created kitchen garden.  They try to grow the garden the way the orginial family would have.  There are also medicinal herbs, because one of the owners was a local doctor.  Always an interesting place to visit and examine.  Another great place to visit and study veg gardens is Williamsburg.  They have beautiful flower gardens also.  I haven’t been in a while to go garden-seeing.  My husband just rolls his eyes, because I take pictures and ask questions of the re-enactors.  The re-enactors are actually a good source of information on the mundane information of colonial times. 

*I am an avid reader and subscriber to Mother Earth News.  I heartily disagree with their politics, but if you want to expand your knowledge of organic gardening, alternative energy, and “back-to-the-basics” living, Mother Earth News is the best.

003.31.10 We are taking a Spring Break!

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I have a ton of family and home obligations over Easter and Spring Break, so I am going to be taking a 2 week break from blogging! I am going to be getting a garden going at my MIL’s and yard clean up here along with various visits and guests coming, maybe even a short trip somewhere…

We plan on attending Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Mass services. Please attend services in your area and remember the real reason we live out a Christian Faith!

003.23.10 Menu Plan Monday on Tuesday

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 I seriously over-volunteered my time this year.  I am going to have to really think twice before I say yes to anything next year.  As a stay-at-home mom, I am lucky because I can volunteer.  I need to learn to pay attention to the little voice that says “not this time” and learn to take some time for myself.  Volunteering is great, but I have other things I want to pursue.  Balance, it is all in the balance.

So, here is another menu plan.  I am going to give myself permission to post these on Tuesday, because Monday is such a busy day for me.  I do not volunteer on Monday, but I do go to Adoration (it’s a Catholic thing) and reserve time to run errands and attend appointments.  When I become “super-organized” , Monday will also be my regular grocery shopping day.  Many recipes for this week’s menu plan come again from Leanne Ely’s Saving Dinner the Low-Carb Way .   She is one of my favorite cook-book authors and can be found at SavingDinner.com . 

  • Mexican Chicken Skillet with rice and black beans
  • Blackened Salmon (I use Paul Prudhomme’s RedFish seasoning as a dry rub), roasted potatoes, veg
  • Crock Pork Jambalaya
  • Sandra Lee’s Crispy Orange Beef with Broccoli 
  • Pizza Night
  • Chicken Curry with rice
  • Leftover buffet

I will just fly by the seat of my pants for lunches this week!  Thanks to Organized Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday!

003.17.10 St. Patrick’s Day Menu

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I did not get around to making a menu plan this week, but I did want to share our St. Patrick’s day menu:

  • Corned beef (not the canned kind)
  • Colcannon
  • Salad
  • Dessert (yet to be determined, but probably brownies)
  • Guinness

My mother-in-law is cooking the Corned Beef.  She is the one who is more familiar with it, coming from the British Isles. 

Colcannon is a regional dish from near Dublin, where my father-in-law’s people come from.  He was actually from Kildare County near Maynooth.  Colcannon is mashed potatoes and cabbage mixed together, usually with diced bacon in it for flavor.  (and lots of butter).  This recipe is pretty close to what I make, since I don’t use the bacon. 

I hope everyone has a great St. Patrick’s Day!

103.08.10 Menu Plan Monday 3/8/2010

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Another week, another menu.  I have been behind in menu planning, but have managed to use up some of the meat in my freezer.  I had to shake up my daily routine to make sure I include exercise and limit my time on the internet.  Ok, I admit it, I am a link-a-holic.  I can’t seem to help myself. 

 

Anyhow, Lent continues, and we have been doing very well with meatless Friday.  Here is the menu without further ado:

  • Sesame Steak (made with flank steak–Family favorite)
  • Hamburgers
  • Breaded Chicken breasts
  • Lemon Chicken
  • Wednesday night Beans-n-rice, kids can have tacos
  • Friday night pizza
  • leftover buffet

Lunch ideas for the kids:

  • Tuna and crackers
  • Chicken nuggets
  • Cheese sandwich on Friday
  • Jelly or Ham sandwiches

To bake this week:

  • Cinnamon bread
  • Sandwich rolls (new bread machine recipe, the kids love them!) I will post recipe for this tomorrow.
  • French Bread

Have a good week!  Thanks to Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

003.01.10 ‘We Walk by Faith’ survey in our #catholic diocese

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Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us!

 Well, this post started out completely different, but I think these two things go together: 

Fr. Z points out and adds commentary to an interesting thread in Catholic blogs on the duties of priests and lay ministers.  Fr. Z then points out we should pray for priestly vocations and for all priests.  Since I am opinionated and Catholic, I feel it is necessary to add my two cents.

First, I am a convert.  I am the mother of 4 living children, 3 of them boys.  I have to remember that we are blessed and grit my teeth when they are wrestling each other, fighting, and creating mayhem in general.  I figure that God gave us boys so that we could provide a son for each of the traditional Irish vocations of service:  military, police/firefighter, priesthood.  Funny enough, these are the careers that fascinate them the most.  We have attended for all of their lives a Tridentine Rite parish.  I LOVE the Traditional Mass.  I am not loving the politics and the divisions in our parish right now.  If I could teleport myself into the Mass and never have to deal with the “community” it could be perfect.  However, this parish has always encouraged boys to consider the priesthood, and to do that, they have Altar Boys!  Women are not allowed on the Altar during Mass.  And guess what, it works.  We have attended for years and have seen priestly vocations pop up regularly. 

So, because of the aforementioned unfriendliness at our “regular” parish we sometimes attend a Novus Ordo Mass where our kids go to school.  This past Sunday, we were invited (during Mass!) to take a survey at the parish (thing number 2 from above).  This survey, called “We Walk by Faith” is intended to be a “self-assessment” of the parish in the general categories of Word, Worship, Community, and Service.  I was as honest as I could be on this thing, because I am entrusted with the souls of my children.  Religious education outside of their parish school leaves much to be desired.  My  husband and I also both mentioned the NEED for Altar Boys.  NOT Altar GIRLS!  There is nothing, nothing, in this parish that encourages priestly vocations.  Women have taken over the Lector and Cantor roles (both traditional to the formation of priests), the sacristan is a woman, and many of the EM’s.  We encourage our 3 boys to think about the priesthood, but this parish does not re-inforce that to my children. 

The path back to the Traditional Faith of the Church is going to be long and generational.  There are great signs everywhere, and the young priests are very Traditional.  I guess when you have to swim against the tide, even in seminary, you learn your Faith.  And if you decide that you are going to fight for it, you practice your Faith.  I hope and pray that the lay people of the Church re-discover the necessity of the priesthood and encourage every boy to consider the priesthood.  It is a hard, self-less, and wearing job.  But so is the military and other vocations to true service. 

I wanted to share this prayer, written by Bishop Loverde of the Arlington Diocese (it has been a hand-written note in my wallet for years, so the authorship may be wrong)

Oh God, grant that one of my sons may become a priest!

I myself want to live as a good Christian and

want to guide my children to always do what is right,

so that I may receive the grace, O God, to be allowed

to give you a holy Priest!  Amen.

002.27.10 A forced blogging break

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Well, we aren’t sure what happened, but for some reason, the whole blog was down and out this past week. My husband fixed everything (he is my computer guru) when I realized what happened. I don’t think I could re-explain what he told me happened even if I tried.
Anyhow, we are back up and running, and I can log in again and post. Thanks for your patience and we now return to our regular scheduled broadcast…

002.15.10 Menu Plan Monday 2/15 (includes Ash Wednesday)

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As mentioned in a previous post, Ash Wednesday kicks off Lent this week.  So we have 2 abstinence days and 1 Fast to observe.  (My younger children do not observe the Fast yet).  When I do menu plans, I usually only have 1 night set as routine.  The rest of the days I choose from my list.  This week Wednesday and Friday can’t be changed up, so I am designating those in the plan.  Something I hope to do this Lent is try some food storage recipes, especially bean recipes.  The kids have been forewarned ;0)

  • Wednesday (Fast and Abstain)  Ash Wednesday Beans  (I will serve these with tortilla and cheese for the kids)
  • Friday (Abstain)  Cheese Pizza on whole wheat crust
  • Teriyaki pork chops, broccoli, rice
  • Lemon Chicken with dipping sauce
  • Breaded chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, green veg
  • Steak, baked potoato, green veg
  • leftover buffet

Lunches:

  • sandwiches, chips, dessert
  • chicken tenders
  • cheese and crackers for Ash Wednesday
  • pasta salad
  • leftovers

Need to bake:

  • brownies
  • cinnamon bread for breakfast

Thanks to Organized Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

002.14.10 Let’s talk about Lent…

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Still Life by Jean-Baptiste Chardin

Lent, the 40 day journey before Easter, starts very soon.  This is a time of self-examination and sacrifice.  All Catholics are called to re-examine their lives and re-direct them towards God.  I usually start Lent out with a bang, but as time goes on, and daily life ensues, forget to remind myself of the Lenten sacrifice I chose, or adding to my prayers, or even just offering the day to God.  We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God, especially me.  So, once again, I will begin this Lent with gusto and a plan, and rely on my guardian angel to knock me in the head when I forget.  Hmm, maybe I need a refrigerator calendar for this.  At least by tring to keep up with my menu plans I can plan in the days of Abstinence and Fast.  I have already fore-warned my 3 boys that we will be eating some meat free meals.  After groaning and moaning about it, they are ok.  Remember:  What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

As many of us know, Ash Wednesday this year is Feb 17th.  It is a day in the Church when we FAST and ABSTAIN.  It is NOT a day of Obligation.  For those of you who are not Catholic each of these terms mean something.  As practicing and observant Catholics, we are required to follow the 10 commandments and the 6 commandments of the Church.  One of the commandments says we must observe the days of fasting and abstinence appointed by the Church.  To observe the Fast on Ash Wednesday, I can only eat one full meal and (at the most) 2 smaller snacks that would not equal a full meal.  If I was sick, or pregnant, or nursing, or doing hard manual labor, the Church would excuse me from fasting.  Since Ash Wednesday is also a day of abstinence, none of the food I eat can be meat.  We cannot eat soups made from meat either.  Fish is allowed (so is frog meat, go figure, however I understand that frog legs are popular down in Cajun country).

The last term, Day of Obligation, is easily explained.  It is a day when our duty as Catholics compels us to go to Mass.  These are very special days in the Church, like Christmas and the Feast of the Ascension.  All days of Obligation have something to do with the life and mission of Jesus or His Holy Mother, Mary.  All Saints Day (Nov 1) is also a day of Obligation.

002.10.10 Sewing through the last storm gave me this…

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Last snowstorm I decided I would not clean and nest through it, I would sew as much as I could.  I caught up on my mending (yeah!) and began piecing together a dress I had cut out before the reality of “THE SNOW” set in and destroyed my routine.  The kids being home utterly changes your day to day.  It seems as if I can’t get out of the kitchen when they are here.  Today is another snow day, as we got another 3-4″ in blizzard like conditions this morning.  This is the first day they have missed this week. 

taken at 8:30 am, but does not do the wind and blowing snow justice

 Anyhow, this is the dress I cut out: 

Butterick pattern B4849

I wanted to have it finished by February, but sometimes things don’t work out.  I have gotten the bodice sewn (there is alot of trim on mine, and that adds to the time it takes me.) and here it is:

bodice detail

I am getting started on the next step, which is waistband facing.  For some reason, the pattern instructions on the facing are driving me crazy.  I have quite a bit of experience sewing, but it has been a while, so maybe I am just having a mental block.  Here is the bodice with part of the facing pinned to it: 

bodice with facing

After the waistband, I construct the skirt, add the zipper, hem the skirt and sleeves, and I am finished.  It sounds like alot, but the hard part is really over.  I hope your own projects are coming along ok…

Good luck to everyone facing down the storm today!

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