Kaput

My menu planning has become something I'm lucky to do 15 minutes before I start preparing. It's driving me crazy! Maybe it's just the time of year. Maybe it's that I don't yet know what to cook for Joe. Maybe it's the stress of his illness. I don't know. He goes in on Thursday for a heart cath/angiogram. Depending on what they find, he may get a stint or angioplasty. We will have to wait until it's over to know. Needless to say, our stress levels are high.
I'm continuing to look for sites with heart-healthy recipes so I can get back into my weekly menu planning. Until then, I'll take it one day at a time...

Last night, I fixed Grilled Orange Chicken Fingers, butternut squash, brown rice, and spinach salad. Everything was yummy and the kids asked for seconds!
Tonight, Joe is eating left-overs and the kids and I are having Zesty Corn Quesadillas and fresh veggies with ranch.

Diagnosis Changes Everything

Trying to figure out how to proceed with my menu planning. Last week, DH was diagnosed with Coronary Artery Disease. He's only 41 and in pretty good shape. But, his family has lots of history of heart problems...among other things. So, I've got to get more serious in my planning and preparing of the family meals. Not just for him but for our boys as well. You never know who's genes they got!
We don't get final numbers of how bad things are for a couple more weeks. The Calcium test he took a week and a half ago showed blockage. The Nuclear Stress Test he'll take on Friday will tell us more. From there, we'll hopefully move forward with a diet plan and medication. Then, I'm hoping he'll be returning to his old self. It has been about 6 months since he's been able to exercise without pain. He misses his runs and mountain biking.
After consulting both the American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic sites, this is the menu I've come up with:

Mon: Joe was out with a client so I served Rigatoni I'd had in the freezer with a spinach salad.
Tues: Shrimp and Vegetable Risotto; steamed squash and zucchini; grape and craisin salad with walnuts
Wed: Chicken & Asparagus Penne; whole grain bread; fruit salad
Thurs: Veggie & Hummus Pitas; Orange slices
Fri: Happy Hour
Sat: Asian Pork Tenderloin; Snow Peas with Water Chestunts; Brown Rice with Apricots; Mango Slices

This is going to take some getting used to. I'm hoping to find more places to pull recipes from. If you have any, please pass them along!

Menu Monday

Week of October 20

Monday: Roasted Shrimp and Orzo; salad

Tuesday: Potato Soup; Raw Veggies

Wednesday: Tangy Pineapple Chicken; Rice

Thursday: Roast Beef Swirlwiches; fruit

Friday: Out of Town with Friends and They're Cooking!

Saturday: Out of Town with Friends and They're Cooking!

Sunday: On the Road

An Invitation To Look At My Rear - Tell Me, Do You Like What You See?

Well, yesterday, I finally did it. I invited everyone and their brother to look at my rear...I put a bumper sticker on my car. A friend of mine had a clever political sticker and I complimented her on it. She offered me a second one she had. With some hesitation, I took it. Actually, I had no problem taking it. It was applying it on my car that caused me some angst. It actually took me about a week to work up the nerve. I worried about what everyone would think of me. After all, I know what I think when I see folks sporting "that other candidates" sticker! Besides, I have to go to my church 5 days a week. What would they think?
I suppose I should explain. See, I've held my political views since I can remember. They differed from those of my family (the one that raised me; not the one I raise) so I can't say I was born this way. And over the years, I've seen a shift in the views of many who now cloud religion and politics. To them, somehow being a Christian means you can only vote for one party. Well, I will tell you I am a Christian and I don't vote for "that" party. I've learned that God has always given us choices. He hopes we make the right ones; he loves us regardless; and he never takes our choices away. His son spent a lot of time with folks who were less fortunate as well as those who were, shall we say, undesirables. He treated them like He did anyone else. He fought for them. I apply this to how I live and that's why I vote the way I do. Unfortunately, I believe many people have taken their own morality and tried to impose it on everyone else. Taken away their God-given choices and tried to make one way the only way. I believe that if you choose to live a certain way or make certain choices that's your right. Just because something isn't a law doesn't mean you will change the way you chose to live.
So, with the explanation out of the way, I can tell you I had a few other drivers smile at me today. And, I got a good feeling when I passed someone who had a sticker for "my" candidate. There aren't that many days left until the election. So, my sticker won't be on for long. But until then, make no mistake, I'm a CHRISTIAN MAMA FOR OBAMA.

Guess What's Finally Here?

Three things:

1. Those cooler temps are finally arriving. Why just today, the second day of Fall, Charleston was a brisk 78 degrees. By all accounts, this does beat the heck out of the 90-some degree weather we had last week. But, truth be told, we don't get Fall here. The leaves don't turn pretty shades of red, gold, or orange. They just die and fall. They go from green to brown. And I mean the crunchy brown, not the pliable brown. But, alas, it has arrived. We wake to temps in the 60s that climb to the 80s by lunch. That makes it a bit hot for jeans or jackets. So you have to decide between the two. Jeans with a sleeveless top or a jacket with shorts? Conundrum, I tell ya. Hope you're enjoying Fall wherever you are.

2. Darius Rucker's Learn to Live album is finally for sale. I must tell you, I have loved Hootie for, well, ever. I don't miss a Homegrown concert, except this year due to poor, poor planning on my part. Earlier this year, Darius, gone solo, entered the country music scene with Don't Think I Don't Think About It. (Number One on the Charts!!!) Well, it was love at first listen for me. The tone of his voice is perfect for this genre of music that has somehow found its way into my soul. It isn't that he's really changed anything. I think country has changed to meet him. If you listen, and I dare you, to a country station, you'll see what I mean. For crying out loud, Kid Rock has a country hit right now! So check our Learn to Live on iTunes.

3. Maddie is home! My friend Loreen and her husband finally have their little girl. Loreen and Maddie touched down in Charleston today after a very long flight from Vietnam. Keeping up with her blog over these past two weeks brought back so many memories of our trip to China to unite with our daughter. I imagine right now, Loreen is trying to get her boys to start thinking about going to bed. She may even think she's going to get Maddie to go down. But, the time change will play a big part in her plans. It may be a week before Maddie realizes she shouldn't get up at 3 AM to play. Ahhh, the memories of those things that we thought would kill us. But now that they are memories, we kinda miss them.

Weekly Menu 8/22

I believe all recipes this week, other than the Shrimp Fajitas, can be found in previous posts. It really isn't like me to cook something more than once. At least we'll know it's gonna be good!

Monday: Chicken Coleslaw Wraps

Tuesday: Pizza Night

Wednesday: Red Chile Pork Tacos w/Caramelized Onions; Salad

Thursday: Shrimp Fajitas

Friday: Happy Hour

Saturday: Taco Meatball Ring

Sunday: CORN (clean out refrigerator night)

Weekly Menu 9/15

Monday: Chicken Wings Waikiki; Cole Slaw; Fruit Salad

Tuesday: Baked Ravioli; Salad; Garlic Bread

Wednesday: Overnight Casserole; Rolls

Thursday: Fiesta Wraps; Chips with Bean Dip
(repeat of last week because things got so hectic that we ate out instead of fixing these)

Friday: On the Road Again Until Sunday