Menu Plan Monday

Monday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: Coconut Red Lentil Soup leftovers
D: scramble, toast
Prep: feed mother, start quinoa sprouts, start yogurt at 4

Tuesday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: lentil soup leftovers
D: roast chicken, quinoa w/squash & zucchini
Prep: feed mother, make chicken/quinoa salad w/leftover chicken, start chicken stock

Wednesday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: chicken/quinoa salad leftovers
D: quiche, salad, bread
Prep: feed mother

Thursday
B: leftover quiche
L: chicken/quinoa salad leftovers
D: date night
Prep: feed mother

Friday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: leftover something
D: coconut chicken soup, fresh spring rolls (carrots, jicama, sprouts) w/sweet chili sauce
Prep: feed mother, soak oats for baked oatmeal

Saturday
B: baked oatmeal, coffee
L: leftover coconut chicken soup
D: dinner with in-laws
Prep: feed mother

Sunday
B: scramble, toast, coffee
L: leftover coconut chicken soup
D: homemade pizza
Prep: made pizza dough, feed mother, write next week's menu

See more menus at Menu Plan Monday hosted by Orgjunkie.

On another note, my Recipe Test Tuesday attempt was a botched experiment. I just don't have the time or organizational ability to pull it off right now. However, it is rare that a week goes by that I don't try something new in my kitchen. In the future, I'll link these experiments to GNOWFGLINS as a Tuesday Twister and post them as such on my site. For this week's recipe test see the post for Coconut Red Lentil soup below. Hope you try it!

Recipe Test ... uhh ... Sunday - Coconut Red Lentil Soup

Ryan's never said, "God bless you, Jen," in the middle of a meal before, but this Coconut Red Lentil Soup drew it from his lips. The picture transfer from the camera to Ryan's computer to my computer (long story) just isn't going to happen given my crazy week, so you'll just have to rely on Heidi's picture from 101 Cookbooks. Where does she get all those cool bowls? The only modification I made to the recipe was to add red curry paste to give it more of a bite. And I think I also added more raisins, which surprised and delighted me with their punch of sweetness. Hope you try it!

From "The Writer on, and at, Her Work"

an excerpt
by Ursula K. LeGuin

Her work, I really think her work
isn't fighting, isn't winning,
isn't being the Earth, isn't being the Moon.
Her work, I really think her work
is finding what her real work is
and doing it,
her work, her own work,
her being human, her being in the world.

So, if I am
a writer, my work
is words. Unwritten letters.
Words are my way of being human, woman, me.
Word is the whorl that spins me,
the shuttle thrown though the warp of years
to weave a life, the hand
that shapes to use, to grace.
Word is my tooth,
my wing.
Word is my wisdom.

I am a bundle of letters
in a secret drawer
in an old desk.

Writers: Please find and read the rest.

Menu Plan Monday

This week is spring break, and we're celebrating with some more exciting breakfasts as well as a bit more shared kitchen responsibility (yippee!), ergo the homemade pizza (which didn't happen last week but which Ryan, except for the crust, can make himself), tuna melts, yumm bowls, and scrambles. Good to have you home honey!

Monday
B: banana carmel sticky buns, hard boiled egg, coffee
L: tuna melts, carrots w/hummus
P: feed the mother, pick up milk & eggs from the farm, make granola, start garbanzo sprouts
D: Curried Sprouted Lentils w/cucumber raita, naan, spinach salad

Tuesday
B: yogurt, granola, coffee
L: Moroccan Carrot Soup (see Recipe Test Tuesday on, yup you guessed it, Tuesday)
P: feed the mother, make quiche crust
D: company for dinner - quiche (me), bread (me), fruit salad (mom), uncle Steve and Grandma Effie are off the hook

Wednesday
B: scramble, toast, coffee
L: leftover Moroccan Carrot Soup
P: feed the mother, make pizza dough, start lentil sprouts, soak flour for pizza crust
D: homemade pizza

Thursday
B: scones, yogurt, coffee
L: leftover pizza, salad
P: feed the mother, make bread
D: date night out

Friday
B: sourdough pancakes with blueberries instead of peaches, coffee
L: leftover buffet or yumm bowls
P: feed the mother, start quinoa sprouts
D: Coconut Red Lentil soup, side? (any suggestions?), more naan?

Saturday (Farmers Market!)
B: scramble, toast, coffee
L: big salad w/fresh market veggies, bread w/cheese
P: feed the mother
D: leftover Coconut Red Lentil soup

Sunday
B: granola, banana, raw milk
L: Squash Boats with Quinoa
D: roast chicken, steamed veggies, bread
P: feed the mother, write next week's menu, make curry chicken salad from chicken leftovers (Mon/Tues lunch)

Looks like a good week! I must be in a spicy mood with curry lentils, Moroccan soup, etc. Hmmm ... maybe we should let Ryan know :)

See more menus at Menu Plan Monday!

Phantonyms and Loose Usage

I was browsing the archives of On Language today and learned something while reading an article entitled Phantonym. Apparently enormity doesn't mean enormous (as I thought it did). It means great wickedness. I'm glad my students didn't know that last week when, referring to the state reading test, I said something like, "Don't be overwhelmed by the enormity of the test because we're going to spread it out over four day." While I, along with many other teachers, believe many of the standardized tests to be a great wickedness, I certainly didn't want my students going into the test with this thought in mind.

Other words I was using incorrectly? - disinterested and fortuitous.

So, though fortuitous, it was a fortunate wandering that led me to this article, for I believe that many teachers miss the enormity of the effect our language misuse has on students (and children in general) and being reminded by someone disinterested in education is a good prompt to reflect on this.

Isn't phantonym a great word? Any others come to mind?