Monday, February 17, 2020

Empty Nest Menu #26


Monday
- Grilled Soyaki Chicken, kale with kimchi and shallots{customize my veggie box}

Tuesday - Italian Stuffed Peppers, mashed garlic potatoes
Wednesday - Mexican Tilapia, summer squash {I need to go get a haircut after work}
Thursday - Deli Turkey in sweet potato wraps (lettuce, tomato, avocado), Cabo Chips
Friday - (freezer) Black Bean Chili from last week, cookies as a treat! {Gina on call}
Saturday - OUT {still on call - work on taxes, filing, leftover yardwork from Sunday, groc shop}
Sunday - Salmon "Burgers", Brussels sprouts, veggie crisper clean-out {last pick-up at Wedding Oak Winery}



Gina

Friday, February 14, 2020

5 thing Friday - work, oatmeal, plant babies, parking, eyesight

The sunset view from a stairwell at work:
Working late on Tuesday was not as big of a chore as I thought it would be.  {My energy level is holding steady}  I got everything done that I needed to do and got plenty of rest.  It wasn't ideal, but it got done. 
The Oatmeal Chronicles:  whole oats with a chopped apple or banana, some walnuts or pecans, and a sprinkling of candied ginger or baking spices.  Sometimes I go wild and add a splash of half and half!  I do not love oatmeal, but I have to improve my cholesterol and my BP.  Still drinking coffee black.  Still eating loads of veggies and very little red meat.
That's not to say I don't falter now and again.  Onion rings are my kryptonite.  
 I repotted my $1 poinsettia and it is still hanging on.
 You would think this window would be ideal for my indoor plant babies but they don't seem to be thriving.  Maybe some plant food would help.
 This is the view from the (rainy) parking lot at work.  Gradually, the lot is being emptied out - people are being reassigned to off-site parking in prep for building a new medical office building that will go right here.  Parking is already terrible so its about to be 1000 times worse.  Even on fair weather days it will be a pain in the neck - add to that rainy Spring weather.
The saga of mother's eye surgery continues.  This last graft seems to be healing better.  We have a follow up in a couple of weeks and she is hopeful that her eyesight will be good enough to allow her to get her driver's license renewed.  Looks like 2020 is going to continue bringing lots of change.
OH!  Happy Valentine's Day!


Gina

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Weekend re-cap: wine, firepit, bluebonnets

Hubby and I have dropped 3 of the seven wine clubs and hope that will free up the budget to explore new places.  You don't have to be a wine club member to sit and relax at a winery, after all.  We can't drop two of them that are essentially new to us (so we still have 3 club memberships) and there was a pick-up to attend last weekend at one of those.
  The owner's son remembered us and was very gracious.  And, it turns out that I won on their cork-guessing contest, so we took a complimentary bottle outside to sit and relax.
Even though the skies were grey, it was pleasant to sit out in their yard listening to live music while wrapped in a Mexican blanket.  We took some cheese and crackers with us and chatted with the musician while he was on break.  He's a young guy who we've seen many times before and is very talented!
 By the time the sun broke through, it was time for us to mosey over to Highlands and check on things.
 And look what I found - baby bluebonnets!

 While we were there, we decided to stay awhile and build a fire.  Some deer wandered through and we sat and watched them.  It was very peaceful.
 Sunset added a touch of gold to everything.
We headed home to Teddy afterwards and fixed dinner.  The next day we putseyed around the house, getting things done here and there, including solving the mysterious appearance of small black bees in the den - turns out they were some sort of wood boring bee that hitched a ride in some logs we had in the fireplace.  Mid-afternoon we grabbed a lunch and hung out at The Growler Room for a bit, playing games and relaxing.  At home we made creamed turkey and watched a movie until bedtime.  It was good to get some down time in prep for this week. 


Gina

Monday, February 10, 2020

Empty Nest Menu #25

The lantana I planted near the pump house died.  So I made a cactus garden!  

Monday
- Crockpot Black Bean Chili, corn muffins, chopped onions and bell peppers {customize produce box}

Tuesday - Schwarma-seasoned Chicken Breast, Tomato Chickpea Salad {pick up Mother in Brenham to bring to eye doc in Austin, work late}
Wednesday - Tuna Salad on whole grain toast with sliced cucumber, chilled pan-roasted red pepper strips, and low salt kettle chips
Thursday - Mushroom Ravioli al Fredo, broccoli, streamed carrots
Friday - (freezer) Meatball Soup (add extra veggies), leftover corn muffins from Monday
Saturday - OUT {release at STW!}
Sunday - Pan Fried Trout, spinach salad with red onion and lemon vinaigrette, corn {working extra hours?}



Gina

Friday, February 7, 2020

5 thing Friday - clothes, Winter decor, mother, wineries, produce

Does anyone else borrow their Hubby's socks?  I know it seems strange.  But he has colors I would never buy for myself because I just don't think about it. 
One of the things I like to do for Spring is closet cleaning.  We need to go through our wardrobes and look at what we may need to replace/repair.  That might be part of our Sunday morning before we go and do.  I need to take all of his slacks to the cleaners, too.
So exciting.
I still have my Christmas wreath up - I just took off the sparkly reindeer and added some gold berries.  I think it looks rustic glam with the burlap ribbon against the chocolate brown door.  
I also left out the pinecones because they look like Winter to me.  I know it feels like Spring here lately, but there's no sense in replanting this pot just now.  Typically we get snow or ice in February, and true to form, we woke up to a lightly snow covered backyard yesterday morning. 
 Last week my mother got another partial thickness transplant of her right cornea.  I hope this one heals better than the previous one.  Its very hard on the elderly to undergo so many procedures and stress.  And she is constantly worried about her vision, driving, and living independently.  Really all I can do is help her troubleshoot some situations so that she is intentional about her own safety.  
When I am with her, I try to encourage her to be careful, but not fearful.  I want her to feel as confident as she can.  People who are worried about falling are more likely to fall.  Park near the cart return, grab a cart to steady yourself up the parking lot to the store.  It will help you return to the car safely, too, making you more likely to be seen.  Also, bright clothing helps!
Driving home from her house last week I stopped by Rising Sun Vineyards.  The drive up to their property is so lovely.  {see what I mean about the weather?}  One of the owners was there pouring and she remembered me and thanked me again for the article I wrote for the website back in November.  I enjoyed a glass of wine on her porch and got to meet her marketing lady, too.  Such a friendly winery and such beautiful views.

We were eating so much kale and though we really like it, I wanted us to have more variety in our produce boxes.  Enter Rainbow Chard - so mild, easy to saute, and so delicious.  I paused the Imperfect delivery for the week because I had plenty of veggies, but we will start back up on Monday.  Its been great at keeping us accountable for eating fresh veggies and we get to try new things!



Gina

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Weekend re-cap: Real Ale, Vista, Desert Door, Perissos, Highlands, lots of music

We started our Saturday at Real Ale in Blanco.  They were having a BBQ cook-off to benefit the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation. 
  I'm pretty sure that's not on my healthy eating plan.
 What a gorgeous day it was!
We walked all around the place, listening to live music.  We had plans to visit Esperanza Winery afterwards, but we headed to Vista Brewing in Driftwood next.  Time to explore!


The yards just outside of the tasting room were fairly packed so we sat inside and I enjoyed a tasting of Dark Skies (a black lager aged in Sotol barrels), On the Grounds (a brown ale with Spokesman Coffee), Lorenzo (Imperial Stout with Mexican hot chocolate spices), and Grato (Lambic-style ale aged with Italian plums in Bending Branch wine barrels).  

Inspired by the beer with the smoky Sotol taste, we popped over to Desert Door.  
We each had a bartender's choice cocktail, which ended up being raspberry lemonade with Sotol and fresh mint.  We planted ourselves on the patio, listening to live music and enjoying our snack of cheese, crackers, and pistachios.
 
We listened for a bit, then headed home.
The next day we had a pick up at Perissos to attend.  We enjoyed a tasting of all of the wines.



And ended up sitting in our lounge chairs for a bit, and napping.  We headed home at sunset and made pizza and salad, then laid on the couch and tried to keep our eyes open watching TV.  And now its hard to believe its already Wednesday.  I think this weekend coming up we will take Teddy with us, especially if the weather is nice.


Gina

Monday, February 3, 2020

Empty Nest Menu #24

Salad night from last week - prepping it like a lady boss!

Monday - Pesto Tilapia, skillet squash {customize my produce box}
Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Breast, chard, chunky mashed potatoes with garlic
Wednesday - Pork Rib Chop, Brussels Sprouts, sweet potato
Thursday - Sausage Farro Skillet with green bell pepper, onion, carrot
Friday - Chicken Breast with Swiss Cheese and Mushrooms, baked russet potato
Saturday - Cheese Enchiladas, salad with avocado, tomato, orange bell pepper {winery pick-up at 7 Creeks}
Sunday - Turkey SOS on whole wheat toast, steamed carrots


Gina