I
am eating meals at weird times, which I think is partly what is throwing me
off.
Despite
my zombie status, I managed to complete my mask making and am happy to report
that I can shut down my sweat shop. (Out of fabric and unless there is some kind of uptick in demand, I don't plant to try to get more. Not interested in trying to procure more elastic).
No one is happier than Mini who
served as the pinner-of-folds in the masks and Curly who trimmed all the
dangling loose threads.
 |
| Roasted vegetables and pasta - I may have added a bit too much olive oil as I quadrupled the recipe and wanted to be sure the veggies didn't dry out. I will be more stingy with the oil next time. For the record: Lad loved it and didn't complain about extra oil. My meat eaters ate an entire 3.5 pound meatloaf plus part of the gluten free 3.5 one I made. They do love my meatloaf. |
Fun
fact, when I first started making quinoa, I was pronouncing
it: QUINN-KNOW-AH. It was in a recipe for gluten free
protein balls that I now consider one of my greatest pleasures in life.
Glad I was able to find good ole QUINN. . . you get the picture, despite my
incredibly goofy pronunciation, the grocery stock person
did help me find it.
I
also went to Costco yesterday. I know gluten for punishment. I wanted 2 rotisserie chickens for
dinner. We had other dinners I could have made for dinner, but I wanted
to shop when it was cold and rainy because I assumed other people would not
bother and it might be a smaller line to wait in.
 |
| Nothing screams excellent blog content like photos of one's grocery stash. I know, that's what you come here for, right? |
Well, then I realized they had chickens in the ovens. Done in 20 minutes. I didn't anticipate being there that long, but
since I had unique food items on my list from Lad it did take me every bit of
20 minutes.
Note to son with specific food requests: Don't text me hummus and then fail to respond when I arrive at the hummus isle and ask you "Roasted red pepper or Roasted pine nut?"
Grocery shopping is a grouchy-inducing experience - DO NOT ADD TO IT.
Grocery shopping is a grouchy-inducing experience - DO NOT ADD TO IT.
I went in thinking I really didn't have much to get, mainly just chicken.
$500 later I exited the store and one of my blackberry containers fell out of
the cart and the blackberries scattered in the parking lot. The checkers had handed me a box as an after-thought, balanced on top of my overflowing cart. Did me no good.
 |
| Corner of my dining room. A room that just started to look normal since we shoved all the baby gear typically stored here, like high chairs and bouncy seats down to the basement storage room. Of course they will devour this in the near future anyway. Have no fear. |
The other night I made a beautiful tray of roasted vegetables for Lad served over pasta. The other kids wanted some, but I boxed them out. I had made meatloaf for them and since I don't want to make veggie meals and meat meals every night, I wanted to preserve the leftovers for Lad's next few meals.
Have I mentioned that I am having loads of fun over here?
Have I mentioned that I am having loads of fun over here?
Last
month (when I wasn't buying enough for 2 different meals every night: vegetarian and meat-filled), Coach and I went to the grocery store and we bought $648 worth of
groceries. For real.
10 comments:
Oh my goodness. I wrote about my grocery store experience too, but nothing compares to YOURS!
Gluten-free, vegetarian. What's next? Hmmm, peanut allergies? Poor you!
So, the blueberries were toast?
I do like quinoa, and I knew how to pronounce it; I wish I knew that I could have helped you.
I can't imagine the cost (and time) feeding that many people.
My biggest take away from this post is that you ARE having fun.
:)
Just think of all the money you would save if your whole family went vegetarian! Since they seemed interested in Lad's dinner maybe you would make that for all of them to see if they could deal with not having any meat.
Do you have Instagram? If so, you should follow @iamtabithabrown. She posts a ton of vegan/vegetarian recipes. I don't eat that way but I swear looking at her food makes me think I possibly could. And also, her voice is so comforting.
I just learned to say quinoa in the past year. I mean, I guess it's been around since Jesus but now it's trendy. Psst-I've never tried it. Is it good?
I could never do the grocery shopping you do, MAD PROPS. It's hard enough for four people. Also, you earn a purple heart for actually going shopping inside a store. I am madly in love with my Instacart shoppers here and am spoiled. I may never go inside of a store again.
Happy Mothers Day, friend!
I was totally in my thirties before I learned the proper pronunciation of quinoa - I heard someone say it and was profoundly grateful that I had never actually had to say it out loud.
For fuck's sake Lad, we're in a fucking pandemic and RIGHT NOW you need to start a fancy-ass new diet? Really? READ THE ROOM.
No one with half a brain is going to judge you for having to store food in your dining room right now, you have six kids, if you don't want to go shopping every day you're gonna have to stack some stuff up. I'm finding the same thing on a lesser scale - I'm annoyed by how cluttered the kitchen is, but that's the only way to have enough food for a week and a half at a time.
You said "gluten for punishment", which is hilarious in the context of diet and grocery fuckery. Not judging - I just poured diet pepsi down my cleavage.
You are better mom than me - one because you actually feed your family and two - because, if I was in charge of feeding my family and one of them announced they are following a different diet than the rest of us right now? My response would be less than accommodating.
Suz - Would you believe I found myself BACK at Costco again today? I needed big flower planters for my mom's patio for Mom's day. I didn't see them the other day. Then Delilah texted me last night and told me they were back by the clothes. Ed and I went to grab 2. Last time there was no counting people and this time we waited in a line for 10 minutes just to get in. I told the customer service about my fallen blackberries and how the workers just stacked everything up like a leaning tower of pisa and I got $ back. Ed was eye rolling all the way, but I was ticked. Please, no more food limitations or diets or anything. My last credit card bill was half of what it usually is, which surprised me. Maybe my biggest grocery bills are on the next bill. Happy Mother's Day, Suz!
Beth - I don't think I would save much. I fear if they all ate vegetarian they just would not fill up as easily and they would eat MORE. Unimaginable. That veggie pasta dish was amazing though and I could certainly pass that off as a meal. I could not eat it though. I do not eat gluten free pasta. I do not do Instagram. I am sure there are amazing recipes out there. Preparing two different meals is OBNOXIOUS! I still think it is part of his need to control us. Happy Mother's Day!
Kari - Glad to know I was not alone in the mispronunciation. And yes, it is good. I usually toast mine to put in my chocolate protein ball recipe, etc. I once had it on a salad warm in a restaurant in DC when Ed and I were visiting schools. I am so used to my 'usual' Cobb salad that I was like, Um, can you just make me a Cobb? Ed STILL makes fun of my hesitation to try new things. Hey, eating out is a tough place to TRY something. $$$ if you don't like it! anyway, it was amazing. Coach has been shopping with me once a week usually which helps. Sort of. Happy Mother's Day to you too!
Ali - I still see the grocery stock person who helped me find quinoa and I chuckle thinking she probably laughs at me at home along with all the old men whose wives send them to the store and they can't find shit. I love 'READ THE ROOM' - trust me. I want to strangle him. He is also doing no-dairy. This has been his 'thing' the last few times home. I buy 5 gallons of 2%, 1 skim and NOW 2 things of almond milk - a week. My fridge is like a giant jenga puzzle. Always trying to guess what is going to come crashing down next. I am trying to be accommodating to him because I think this is all part of his control issue bull shit and I want no additional excuses for him to hate on us. I did not even catch the GLUTEN FOR PUNISHMENT . . . so fitting. Awesome. Hope you have a great mother's day!
Gigi - I have been thinking that once I am done with my current manuscript/memoir I will write a book called 'The just-so sister and true pandemic nightmares.' Lad made himself a pizza for lunch on cauliflower pizza crust that I bought TO USE AS A VEGETARIAN DINNER. I was like, 'Um, I am limited on my veggie meals, and you are eating one for lunch. Then you have to have a sandwich for dinner.' Coach ended up grilling salmon for dinner, so Lad escaped the sandwich thing, but SERIOUSLY! CLUELESS. He didn't like me correcting him and when Coach mentioned that pizza has to count as a dinner, Lad looked at me and asked me why I complained about him. I wanted to slap him in the face BECAUSE THIS IS BULL SHIT! But instead I denied complaining and Coach was like, oh she didn't mention it. I just know Mommy bought pizza for a dinner. Anyway - hope you have a great Mother's Day!
Just wanted to say that I have been vegetarian/ vegan for many years, and my family eats meat. I never make two separate meals. Just one; generally it is a plant-based meal with meat on the side. It means that there is a shift from a meat-centric to a plant-centric diet; the guys get their meat but it is not the focus of the meal. Anyway, if you're interested I have a ton of recipes on my site under the heading Soul, Food. If you're not interested, scroll on past :)
FWIW, I love quinoa but for all my years of vegetarianism, I have never eaten millet.
Nicole- I kind of thought that was the eating arrangement in your family. I was thinking I might ask you for tips. I will definitely check out that part of your blog. Thanks for pointing that out. I had not noticed it. Lad has done vegetarian before and then remembered how much he loves meat, so we shall see if he sticks with it. Millet was recommended for this millet, carrot, spinach cakes. It looks SO MUCH like quinoa but supoosedly it sticks together in the cakes better than quinoa. Ed scored some millet at Whole Foods the other day. I made the recipe and they liked them. Very labor intensive but I made a bunch so now Lad has leftovers.
[Trying to leave a comment here. Form seems weird, but I'll try...]
I usually like grocery shopping, but I haven't been in one to shop in weeks now. The last time I was there we had arrows on the floor leading in and out, but after that it was *festival seating* grocery-store-style. In other words, chaos. So you stumped the store manager with millet? I did that with crystallized ginger once. I felt like I should have gotten a gold star for it. How often does that happen?
Ally - yes, your comment worked. Thanks for stopping by. I agree, when a grocery manager shrugs on a food item the shopper deserves a gold star. I think I would need to be much more oragnized to order groceries online. At least Coach has been shopping with me these days. I don't mind going on my own, but if I shop when no one is home (back in the 'normal days') then bringing my haul into the house on my own and putting it all away is my biggest drag. I need to plan my shopping so I enlist my EATERS to help unload.
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