monday mommy



leo + alice

how was your weekend?  ours was pretty good.  we celebrated the break in the heat by getting some yard work done.  then last night, around midnight, hendrix got sick.  he feels great this morning but he is not taking into account my lost of sleep.  ha!  mike is home sick with what seems to be whatever stomach bug hendrix has/had.  so this morning i am slowly but surely getting some things done and playing nurse.  sick kid and hubby make this momma sad. and tired.  so, i will be back later today or tomorrow with some breakfast ideas.  i'm well on my way to kicking that nemesis' in the butt.
my brother spent his weekend cleaning his basement and he found some old pictures of our grandparents.  i am not sure when the one above was taken, but i love it.  until recently, i had only seen one picture of my grandfather.  he died long before i was born.  my father looks a lot like his dad.  you can read more about alice here and here.

things i love this week

oh darling nursery photo by ashley + colin dworak



so many lovely things and people this week....

oh darling {mom + baby} boutique is now doing a nursery design + decor set up at the beginning of each month.  this will be a great way to help new parents envision the nursery of their dreams. or better yet, visit with ashley + colin about adding unique elements to your nursery...they custom paint stuff, people!

like bbq? check out the heart ministry center's 7th annual holy smokes bbq dinner and fundraiser at anthony's steakhouse on thursday, august 30th from 5:30 - 9:30.

amy is killing it....this week she debuted homemade nutella (!!!) on her blog.

this vet office is the best.  our cat whitey is now back home, healthy, and happy...thanks to their excellent care.

i am lucky to be part of such a kind and proactive community. please sign this petition for a couple of high school sweethearts to have the chance to share their big news in our school newsletter.

another community i am lucky to be a part of...gretna has banded together for baby knox thomas lewis.  donate or come to the spaghetti dinner on july 14th at st. pat's in gretna!

fast, veggie laden, summer dinners that can be prepped in advance.

a friend from high school's husband is chronicling the life and times of their new baby girl. 

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this week's posts in case you missed them:
hello, july!
breakfast and the oven are my enemies
next week's dinner

GSW::seven



peace love ice cream buy here





somehow i was under the impression that it was not thursday.  i don't know what day i thought it was, but it wasn't thursday in my head.  holidays in the middle of the week really throw a momma off.  i sure hope you all had a good one.  now i am here to give you a plan for next week's dinners.  all of the dinners are quick, veggie heavy, and have some element that can be prepped in the morning or the night before. 

1.  fish tacos with cabbage and confetti salad
{to make the salad combine 1 can of rinsed black beans with 2 ears of roasted corn (kernels cut off the ears), 1/2 a red onion ( chopped), 1 red pepper (chopped), the juice of 1 lime, salt, and a handful of chopped cilantro. this salad keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge.}

2. italian sausage topped with roasted red peppers and onions served with coleslaw
{roast one red pepper and one onion in the oven for about 30 minutes at 425 degrees.  once skins look blistered, remove and put in a ziploc bag for a few minutes.  carefully open and peel off the skin of the red pepper and onion, cut into strips.  can be done up to one day on advance. the coleslaw should be made the night before. grill sausages and top with peppers and onions in a hoagie bun.}

3. grilled chicken* with a blt salad
{*DALS is pretty much the authority on grilled chicken so just go with whatever looks good over there if you need an idea for your grilled chicken*.  if you are going with a marinated chicken, prep the marinade in the morning and let the chicken steep all day. for the salad...cut up romaine lettuce and arrange a thinly sliced, sweet onion on top with some halved cherry tomatoes. in a skillet, fry 1/4 lb. of bacon until crispy.  add 1/2 c. of cider vinegar and 1/2 c. sugar in the skillet with the bacon, bring to a simmer.  cook until sugar dissolves.  immediately pour over lettuce and onions, combine and serve immediately.}

4. egg salad sandwiches with cucumber salad
{make the salad the night before and the cucumber salad in the morning.  and, yes, this qualifies as dinner when it is 1000 degrees outside and/or you have 1000 million things to do...or you have a lot of eggs and cukes.  plus, it is faster, cheaper, healthier, and better than takeout/fast food.}

5. french bread pizza stuffed with summer's bounty
{go to the store and buy a loaf of french or italian bread from the bakery section.  cut in half, lengthwise.  hollow out the slices a bit.  shred or thinly slice some garden or farmer's market goodies...zucchini, kale, onions, eggplant, swiss chard are all good options.  saute in a pan with a bit of garlic and olive oil.  add mushrooms or ground sausage, if you like. you can prep the filling the night before.   spread some marinara or pizza sauce on the bread and top with your fillings.  top with mozzarella and bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  or until the cheese is melted.}

cool treat AND a boredom buster...
make ice cream in a ziploc bag

it's still hot. have a cool drink...
minty orange iced tea

the oven and my nemesis

i don't remember the last time i turned on my oven on.  i have only used the stovetop three times in the past two weeks.  mostly, i have been cooking dinner like it is 1995...on my george forman grill, in the crockpot and in the toaster oven.  i long to turn my oven on to make some pie. but i refuse to do such a thing to myself when it is 100 degrees outside. so what have i been cooking? among others: sausage & peppers, grilled zucchini ribbon salad, pasta carbonara, cheeseburgers, sausage stuffed swiss chard, kielbasa with latkes and shrimp tarragon rolls. only a couple more days and the heat wave will be broken.  hopefully. it brings some rain. the corn needs it.  i need it.  i got big plans to do some breakfast freezer cooking.  breakfast and i have been fighting lately.  i cannot bear to make anymore eggs for hendrix, but i have no backup plan.  if i don't have a plan, then i turn hangry. hangry is a condition where mommy turns crazed and angry with hunger right around 10 am.  it's not pretty.  however, the last two mornings i have made breakfast grilled cheese.  cream cheese, berries, a drizzle of honey on wheat bread grilled on....you guessed it! the george foreman.  what do ya'll eat for breakfast? 

hello, july!



art by katie rodgers of paper fashion found via pinterest





hi, friends.  it seems like july just appeared out of nowhere, doesn't it?  maybe it is just me. we had a nice relaxing, yet productive, weekend.  on sunday, we had hendrix's cousins and friends over...there were 6 children under six...for supper, swimming, tie dye, and watermelon eating.  hendrix had a blast.  however, our poor kitty, whitey, started getting sick over the weekend.  i thought she was really sick, but thankfully it is just some bad teeth. she is in surgery right now and hopefully will be home later today.  we've been surviving the heat wave in our non-air conditioned house, but i am looking forward to a break in the heat.  tomorrow is the fourth and we are planning on laying low perhaps we'll try to hit the ralston parade and, for sure, the fireworks. we'll try to get some swimming and eating in, too.  i think i am going to make this red, white, and blue salsa.   i'll be back soon with a weekly menu plan and more.  whatever you do for the holiday tomorrow...i hope it is grand and spent with all those that you love. xo!

things i love

happy saturday!  here are a few things that i love this week....

it's PRIDE day!  hooray for being kind and celebrating everyone today.

i found this blog through someone who follows clementine's on twitter.  michelle gives us a beautiful look into what family is really like with small children...chaotic and lovely.

avocado ceasar salad with salmon

and, finally, hendrix planted this corn with his daddy....

springfield, ne | june 29, 2012

one more thing...hendrix now says "BANANA CHEESE!" when his picture is being taken.  he used to say "PICKLES!" which was equally funny...

banana cheese!





garden{REVOLUTION}::four



parsley, rosemary, oregano

where: my aunt theresa's backyard in omaha, ne

awesomeness: hendrix and i put together this little herb box for his aunt tree-cee on mother's day. she moved into a beautiful home with beautifully landscaped flower gardens, but there is really no place for veggies.  she loves to cook with herbs for the extra flavor and their ability to eliminate the need for added salt.  we try to give her a ton of veggies and herbs during the growing season, but this allows her to have herbs ready at her back door.  this is a great example of how even growing a bit of food can really elevate your cooking and save you bucks.  by growing her own herbs, aunt theresa isn't forced to buy those $3 clamshells of fresh herbs at the grocery store every time she wants to add flavor to her cooking.  even better...she knows right where those herbs came from. and that is awesome.

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garden{REVOLTION}:: one, two, three

if you are thinking about adding a garden to your yard or are wanting to get into container gardening, remember that clementine's offers consultations and garden prep.  consultations start at $40, email clementinespandp@gmail for more info.  now is the perfect time to start planning your fall gardens.