Stuck in a Rut?

I love to cook, but I am stuck in a cooking rut. It seems like I make the same 6 or 8 meals over and over. It also seems that every show (ie Rachel Ray, Martha, Today, etc.) has cooking segments where they make things that look good, but you have to buy special ingredients in order to make them. I want real tried and true recipes that are affordable, easy, not full of fat that can become part of my meal repertoire. I like meals that can be made from the basic things I usually have on hand (like stewed tomatoes, a jar of minced garlic, potatoes).

So if you have the time-- I'd love you to post your dinner favorites.

Here are a few of mine:

*Taco Soup*

If you can open cans you can make this soup.
1/2 onion, chopped
2 (16 oz) cans of beans, drained (kidney, black, pinto, whatever)
1 (16 oz) can of corn, drained (or 1 cup of frozen corn)
1 Lg (26 oz) can of stewed tomatoes
1 (16 oz) can of tomato sauce
1 envelope of taco seasoning

Saute onion in a little olive oil. Then add the remaining ingredients. Heat through. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, corn chips. You can add ground beef or diced chicken if you like.

*Pork Tacos*

To the crock pot add a pork roast of your liking (I usually buy boneless picnic roast-- it's cheap). Add a small can of salsa verde, 1/3 cup of orange, lime or lemon juice, 1/2 onion chopped, 1 tsp minced garlic, salt, pepper, and a few sprigs of fresh cilantro if you have some and cook on low about 6-8 hrs.
The meat tastes so good. I serve it with corn tortillas, black beans, lettuce, sour cream and all the other typical taco fixin's (cheese, avocado, lime wedges, salsa, tomatoes)


*Creamy Pesto*

1 tsp Olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 brick of low fat cream cheese (or small container of the fat-free kind)
1 cup milk
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
2 tbs canned pesto or 1/2 envelope of pesto seasoning

Saute the garlic in olive oil. Then on low heat add the cream cheese, Parmesan and milk. Stir until smooth. Then add pesto. Serve over pasta. I put grilled or sauteed chicken and veggies like onions, red/green peppers, and zucchini on top.

*Eli's Favorite Soup*
aka Tuscan bean soup

1 onion, diced
1 tbs garlic, minced
2 cans white beans, drained
2 cans chicken broth
1 can evaporated milk
1 bag of ready to eat spinach, chopped
Salt and pepper

Saute the onion, garlic, and oil. Add the beans, broth and milk. Over medium heat bring to a soft boil, turn heat to low. Add spinach and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty bread.

I'm a gamer

It is true. Not in the World of Warcraft/Dungeons and Dragons sense. I like to play actual games with actual people face to face. I like social interaction. We are going to my parents house in Colorado for 3 weeks over Christmas and I am looking forward to our nightly game playing the most. Some of our favorites are:

• Hand and Foot - only we play with partners and that when you pick up the draw pile you only take the top 7 cards, not the whole pile.
  
• Fill or Bust - not to be confused with the mom and dad game-- Feel her bust.
  
• Speed Scrabble- I love Scrabble, but it moves way too slow. In this version each player starts with 5 tiles face down, the remaining tiles are placed face down in the center. One person says go and everyone tries to arrange their tiles into connected words. Once someone has made all their tiles into connected word they say, "take two" and each player takes two tiles and tries to arrange into words. Once someone has all tiles connected into words they say "take two". Play continues until all the tiles in the center are used and person able to use all their tiles wins. No board is used. The only score keeping is the person who wins the round gets 1 point.
  
• Psychiatrist- you have all played this game I'm sure. It is fun with a large group.
  
• The Name Game- this is for long drives when you are trying to stay awake. One person names a band/singer and the next person has to name another band/singer using the last letter of the name or if there is more than one word in the title, the first letter of the second word. Only rule is you cannot use the name more than once. For example, person one says "Postal Service", the next person has the letter "s" and could say "Seal", the next person would have the word "L" and so on. It is fun as most everyone loves music and it passes time quickly.
  
• I also like to play a few free online games like Tetris, Super text twist and Mah Jong when I am feeding Jacob and have only one hand free.
  

What games do you like to play when you get together? I'd love to hear your favorites.

Bitten-- more than once

Shopping for jeans is something I hate. I had a fun time once, but spent way too much and that pair is not fitting quite yet. Since we are currently without income and living off of savings, frugality is key. Recently a Steve & Barry's opened up in Vancouver. I had never heard of it before, but had seen Sarah Jessica Parker on Oprah (which I never watch btw) introduce her clothing line "Bitten" that is featured there. I found a great pair of jeans for $9.98. If are looking for an affordable outfit or Christmas gifts I highly recommend checking it out.

Also Jacob has started biting. I am not looking forward for teeth. OUCH!

Cute Cousins

This is Jacob with his 1 month and 10 day older cousin, Luke. They are buddies now.
We were in Seattle over the weekend with Eli's family. His grandmother passed away and we attended her funeral. It was a nice service held at the Catholic church she attended. The service was so interesting with all of the incense, holy water, and chanting of prayers.I had no idea what to do, but I like going to other churches. It reaffirms my faith in my own religion and gives me added perspective on why I chose it.

"I'm a real boy!"

Crystal reminded me I needed to update on Jacob's progress. Jacob has been nursing on his own since mid-October. Hallelujah! We tease that now he is a "real boy". Still, we aren't proficient at breastfeeding anywhere other than home. It is still too cumbersome in public. So I still pump to have a bottle for when we are out.

Wahoo, My First Tag.

Thanks Melissa. Here I go:

*4 JOBS THAT I'VE HAD
Floral everything- from sweeping the floor to designing (that's what you get growing up in a flower shop for 13+ years)
Pediatric Private Duty LPN- IHC Home care- (boring. Loved the kids, hated fighting sleep all night)
LPN-Crestview Care center (loved the residents, dumpy facility)
LPN- Highland Care Center (loved the residents and the facility)

*4 MOVIES THAT I CAN WATCH OVER AND OVER
Shall we dance
Aladdin
The Holiday
Beauty and the Beast

*4 TV SHOWS THAT I WATCH
Matlock (until recently when the Hallmark channel was dropped from the basic cable package, sad)
the Office
ANTM
The Martha Stewart Show

*4 PLACES I HAVE LIVED
Rigby, ID (glad I moved. too small.)
Chehalis, WA (glad I met my husband there, then moved)
SLC, UT (I'd move back)
Washington, UT (I'd move back)

*4 FAVORITE FOODS
Currently- pomegranates, pumpkin pie pudding (take instant butterscotch pudding, mix with 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice and 16 0z of pumpkin), MorningStar Veggie sausage (patties not links), Kettle Corn.

*4 FAVORITE COLORS
sage, black (arguably not a color), the lavender color of my Kitchen-Aid, blues

*4 PLACES I WOULD LOVE TO BE NOW
At my parents house in Colorado, Cabo San Lucas, A warm ski lodge sipping cocoa, asleep next to Jacob

*4 NAMES I LIKE, BUT WOULD NOT NAME MY Children
Ellie (my sister in law already used the name on Thursday)
Kennedy
Owen
Addy

It's official..... darn it

Eli has a thing for hanging diplomas on the wall. Mine recently came in the mail. Reality. I am glad to be done, but every time I see it I am reminded what I should be doing. Studying. I have to take a certification exam in order to work as a nurse practitioner. And for some reason I would rather enjoy my newborn. I am trying not to beat myself up about it, but come January 8th 2008 when my leisurely maternity leave is through I know I have to hit the books.
Someone (Emma I think?) had asked a while ago about what a nurse practitioner (NP) is and does. Well... A NP is a RN who has completed an advanced degree and education that increased their scope of practice. Scope of practice varies from state to state as defined by the individual State. For example, In Oregon and Washington NP's have independent practice with full prescriptive authority. Which means no physician oversight is needed to practice. Some states require a joint practice agreement with a physician which in most cases is merely a document that really has no meaning, just another hoop to go through.
Many ask so what's the difference between a physician, PA, NP?
A physician goes to medical school and follows the medical model.
A Physicians Assistant (PA) works under a physician's license as a dependent provider.
A NP practices independently under their own license using the nursing theory.
Nursing and Medicine practice differently but much of what we do overlaps.
Health care is changing. Due to insurance cost and education costs change was needed to meet the demand for quality health care providers. Each are qualified, but meet a different need.
So who is better? It depends on what your needs are. There are specialists of either discipline in many fields. I have worked with NP's in gastroenterology, hepatology, geriatrics and other fields who know much more that a general family practice physician in their area of expertise. There are various specialties an NP can choose like Family (FNP), Pediatric (PNP), Neonatal (NNP), Adult (ANP). I chose family.
So what do I want to do? Start out working at a clinic a day or so a week. Then once the kids are in school work at the VA for a while. I am not brave enough to go to war, but I would love to serve by caring for our veterans.
Look here or here for more info if you're curious.

Oh and Jacob's squeaks. Well, basically because he was so small, the cartilage in his trachea is not as firm as ours, which leaves his airway a little floppy and we have our little squeaker. I was in line at Walgreen's today and he was in the baby Bjorn. My jacket was zipped up over him. The line of people in front of me, kept turning and looking at me. One woman asked if there was a puppy somewhere. I had to show them my little noisy baby. I need to record the sound so I can remember it.

I'm so glad when daddy comes home....

I haven't shared much about a huge part of my life-- my husband, Eli. Therefore, because it was his Birthday on Tuesday I wanted to brag, I mean blog, about him.
When we moved to Washington state in June of 1999 my parents called the bishop in their new ward to find out when church started. A young man answered the phone and was so polite they never forgot the conversation.
Another time at the local Safeway my mom was frustrated as she was not able to find the buttermilk. That same young man escorted her to the right place. She was so impressed.
I was a lonely girl on her 16th birthday, this young man called and asked me out on my first date. I'll save those details for another day. But my whole family liked Eli from the start. He is kind, a hard worker, but most of all-- FUN. Eli is the life of the party. He is the jokester that makes everyone laugh. Although sometimes he is a little crazy. He likes to do things like wear a Speed-o or anything to make those around him either laugh or blush.
The coolest thing has been seeing Eli take on the role of dad. He is just naturally good at the whole baby thing. When he puts Jacob to bed Jacob sleep all night. Eli has a special way of wrapping Jacob, swaddled so tight all he can do is sleep 6+ hours. I love it when Eli gets home from work/school because he reads to and plays with Jacob so I can have a break.
In contrast to what a good dad Eli is, how about what a bad mom I am-- I tried to clip nails and poor baby bled so much he needed a band aid to save all our clothes.