Good writing ...

"Good writing is an experiment in meaning that works. The experiment that works is a product of many experiments that fail. The failure is essential, because through trying, failing, trying, failing, we discover what we have to say." Donald Murray

I hate the failure part. I hate working and reworking for hours only to discover I don't like what I've written any better than I did a cup of coffee and a pot of tea ago. But this is one of the gifts of writing, one of the gifts of art, that we are forced to deal with ourselves as we do it. It's not brute strength, it's not sheer determination, it's not luck (though those are certainly involved at times). It's looking inside and seeing what's really there and working with it until we find something authentic. That thing, that true thing, may come out in the form of a poem or a story that takes place in another world. ("Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth." Camus.) But the truth that is finally revealed, that we finally figure out how to tell, that we finally craft into art, is truly part of us. And that is why the failure is so important, because that's the only way to the truth.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday
B: scramble, toast, coffee
L: brunch w/fam
D: chicken coconut soup
Prep: soak oats for baked oatmeal, make apple sauce, make pesto for Fri

Tuesday
B: baked oatmeal w/yogurt, apple sauce, coffee
L: leftover coconut chicken soup
D: chicken/veggies/rice w/peanut sauce
Prep: get roast out

Wednesday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: leftover Tu dinner
D:chicken/black bean/zucchini quesadillas w/creme fraiche, chips
Prep: soak roast, sprout quinoa for Fri meal, make chicken salad

Thursday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: chicken salad
D: date night, picnic out?
Prep: sprout quinoa for Sat meal, soak roast

Friday
B: scramble, toast, coffee
L: chicken salad
D: roast, pesto quinoa, bread
Prep: make chicken salad w/leftovers (save some for Sun curry), make baba ganouj

Saturday
B: scramble, toast, coffee
L: w/Joe & Hailey, beef/broccoli quinoa salad (kind of like this), flatbread w/baba ganouj
D: quiche, toast
Prep: make quiche crust

Sunday
B: leftover quiche
L: Turkish poached eggs w/homemade bread
D: chicken curry w/rice, creme fraiche, flatbread

See more menus at Menu Plan Monday hosted by orgjunkie.com.

Quinoa

Doesn't this recipe look good? Quinoa is quickly becoming one of my favorite foods. And then I read this interesting article, which made it even more appealing. I think I'll have to try the quinoa pudding!

And who knew this is what the plant looked like!


Any quinoa recipes to share?

Menu Plan Monday

Monday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: leftover lentils w/sausage
D: black bean & zucchini quesadillas w/chips and homemade salsa
Prep: sprout quinoa

Tuesday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: leftover lentils
D: leftover quesadillas
Prep: make cookies for Walstroms

Wednesday
B: scramble, toast, coffee
L: leftover lentils or soup
D: sausage/white bean/kale soup
Prep: start defrosting steak, bake bread

Thursday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: chicken soup
D: steak, salad, break
Prep: sprout quinoa

Friday
B: scramble, toast, coffee
L: chicken soup
D: burgers, homemade fries, salad, bread
Prep: make quiche crust, soak oats for baked oatmeal, sprout lentils for lentil loaf

Saturday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: beef/broccoli/quinoa salad w/leftover roast
D: quiche, toast

Sunday
B: leftover quiche, coffee
L: beef/broccoli/quinoa salad leftovers
D: lentil loaf w/cucumber raita & hummus, carrots
Prep: make hummus

See more menu plans at Menu Plan Monday hosted by Orgjunkie.com!

Finger Foods

This morning, Riley decided that she wasn't going to eat the scrambled egg yolk with mushrooms and creme fraiche ... at least not with a spoon. But she was quite happy picking through the pile with her fingers, and actually managed to get most of it in her mouth. So ... scrambled eggs ... the new finger food?

Menu Plan Monday

Monday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: salad, bread, cheese, tea
D: sourdough blueberry pancakes, milk
Prep: make granola, make creme fraiche, start lentil sprouts

Tuesday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: black bean quesadilla w/creme fraiche & cilantro
D: quiche, toast
Prep: make quiche crust, start bean sprouts

Wednesday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: leftover quiche, toast
D: curried lentils w/sausage & sauteed chard
Prep: make bread

Thursday
B: leftover quiche, toast, coffee
L: leftover lentils & sausage
D: date night

Friday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: leftover lentils
D: steak w/sauteed kale & balsamic sauce, potatoes, wine
Prep: start sprouting quinoa

Saturday
B: scramble, toast
L: tuna melt, carrots
D: sausage/white bean/kale soup
Prep: soak oats for baked oatmeal

Sunday
B: baked oatmeal w/apple sauce and yogurt, coffee
L: leftover soup, bread
D: roast chicken, quinoa/zucchini salad
Prep: make quinoa/chicken salad for lunches

See more menus at Menu Plan Monday hosted by Orgjunkie.com!

Cleaning & Poetry

I hate cleaning. Which I believe should be a given, but apparently it isn't. Some people like cleaning. I wish I were one of those people. But I do love having a clean house (not that you would know that if you've visited since Riley was born ... or before that, for that matter, but much more so now). Anyway, I'm a hot or cold girl, and if it can't be clean I don't really care if it's kinda clean, cause kinda clean isn't clean. Or tidy, actually. I care more about tidiness, which apparently isn't next to godliness, but I still like it better. If my living room is organized, I'm happy. If it's vacuumed and the windows are clean, I'm happier, but organized is usually good enough.

But today, cleaning was inspired. Not because I cleaned for an hour, but because I found this stuck in one of my old books part way through (I was sorting books to sell to Smiths so we can get a used Ergo, which I'm excited about). I love that. I forgot about it. Then I was reminded, sat to write this post, and smiled through the rest of cleaning dreaming about how I might fight for time to write tonight.

He ate and drank the precious words,
His spirit grew robust;
He knew no more that he was poor,
Nor that his frame was dust.
He danced a long the dingy days,
And this bequest of wings
Was but a book. What liberty
A loosened spirit brings!

Emily Dickinson

Menu Plan Monday

I used to think it was a slight waste of time to create a menu for the whole week ... ahh, I have learned.

Monday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: weekend leftovers
D: chicken mushroom quinoa casserole, salad
Prep: prep sourdough mother

Tuesday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: leftover casserole
D: quiche, toast
Prep: bake bread

Wednesday
B: leftover quiche, coffee
L: leftover casserole
D: roast chicken, salad, bread
Prep: make chicken salad

Thursday
B: leftover quiche, coffee
L: chicken salad leftovers
D: date night

Friday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: chicken salad leftovers
D: homemade pizza, salad, wine
Prep: make pizza dough

Saturday
B: scramble, toast, coffee
L: leftover pizza
D: tuna melts, carrots

Sunday
B: sourdough blueberry pancakes, coffee
L: leftover pizza
D: curried lentils w/sausage & sauteed kale
Prep: make next week's meal plan

Apple Blossoms

We hung out in the back yard for a while today. She was quite taken with the apple blossoms.

But ultimately decided that the petals were not very tasty.

Gel

Finally got a good gel! Thanks to tips from this cook and this post!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday
B: granola, yogurt, coffee
L: leftover beef/broccoli/quinoa salad
D: vegetable curry w/naan & baba ganouj
Prep: feed sourdough, make cookie dough for Weds.

Tuesday
B: eggs, toast, coffee
L: leftover quinoa salad or curry
D: spaghetti, bread, salad:
Prep: bake bread, bake cookies, make granola

Wednesday
B: granola, yogurt, coffee
L: roast chicken, quinoa w/zucchini
D: potluck w/friends
Prep: make chicken salad & save chicken for casserole

Thursday
B: granola, yogurt, coffee
L: chicken salad, carrot sticks
D: date night
Prep: start soaking black beans

Friday
B: granola, yogurt, coffee
L: chicken salad, carrot sticks
D: chicken/mushroom casserole, salad
Prep: start soaking quinoa

Saturday
B: scramble, toast, coffee
L: leftover chicken casserole
D: big salad, bread, salami, cheese, wine
Prep: soak oats for baked oatmeal

Sunday
B: baked oatmeal w/yogurt & apple sauce, coffee
L: scramble, toast
D: black bean/zucchini quesadillas w/chips & guacamole

Check out other menus at orgjunkie.com!