CityMama™

Creating a family mission statement

Recently in my Parent Journey group at my Beloved Hippie Church™, we discussed creating a family mission statement (like companies do, although Guy Kawasaki prefers "mantra") to act as a framework not only to help shape and support expected behavior, but also to act as a reminder of our own "family values."

The discussion came at a perfect time because J. and I have really been struggling lately with how to get Bunny and Wallie to be better listeners—better family members—without have to constantly goad, remind, and yes, yell at them. We were really good at laying down the law (rules) and getting the girls to follow them when a big consequence was looming (like no Christmas presents, for example), but what was lacking was the WHY that made following the rules (listen, do their chores etc) something the girls wanted to do year-round.

Why was it important that the girls listen and communicate better or help the family a little more with age-appropriate chores? We wanted to be able to show that our job as parents wasn't to make their lives miserable, but to help them be the best girls they could possibly be.

Creating the family mission statement also helped to take the focus off of rules and chores (because that's just one part of being a productive member of a family), and put the spotlight back on what it means to be a Butler.  Did we just want to raise obedient, helpful automatons? No, we want to raise caring, sentient, confident, emotionally intelligent human beings. Hopefully, having a mission statement will help us along this path.

Let's Meal Plan Together for 1/25/10

Oh, this week. It's only Monday and it's already...gah.

J. is still on his paleo diet (and I am counting points, ahem), so if you are new to CityMama, that's why our meals have a decidedly low-carb focus. We eat lots of lean proteins, lots of veggies, and J. avoids carbs 99% of the time.

• Monday—Spicy Mexican vegetable soup and arugula salad with yogurt dressing (made with our sheeps' milk yogurt), the girls also had spinach-chive pasta with a little marinara sauce.
• Tuesday—Grass-fed organic beef bourguignon, roasted broccoli, and garlic mashed potatoes
• Wednesday—Pork tenderloin with roasted veggies (Kabocha pumpkin, rutagagas, purple potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts)
• Thursday and Friday—J. cooks because I'll be out of town
• Saturday—Bean soup, crusty whole-grain bread, a big salad (J. will probably just have salad)
• Sunday—would love to grill some fish, served with salad and stir-fried veggies (depending on what looks good at the farmer's market)

How about you?

Sheep's milk products from Garden Variety Cheese CSA, first share

Sheep's milk products from our Garden Variety Cheese CSA, first share
Originally uploaded by citymama

Back in August, J. and I gifted each other a ewe (really a share in dairy CSA) as a 15th wedding anniversary present. Her name is Camellia, by the way. Our money went to support the care and feeding of Camellia and her sisters in the non-milk-producing (and therefore non-cheesemaking) months, and in return, come spring, we'd get sheep's milk products and also (vegetarians close your eyes) lamb. Or, a wool comforter for those who did not want meat.

This morning I picked up our first share: a quart of yogurt, a pint of fresh ricotta, a container of sheep's milk "feta" (a brined cheese), and a wedge of Moon Flower which is a hard cheese, sort of a cross between an aged pecorino and manchego.

Tonight the sheep's milk feta went into our salad and was met with a resounding, "YUM!" Tomorrow's breakfast might be the ricotta drizzled with honey or the yogurt swirled with cherry preserves. Part of that yogurt will definitely get the savory treatment--for lunch tomorrow I much add some smushed garlic, sea salt, and chopped veggies to it and scoop it up with a spoon.

It's nice to know that our money went directly to supporting the farmer during the time when she's not making cheese (her main source of income), and even nicer to know exactly who made these delicious items.

Note: If you aren't sure what's what just by looking at the photos, you can hop over to flickr and see the notes I have posted.

Crazy for pickles

My brother and I used to drink pickle juice straight out of the jar when we were kids, that's how much we love pickles. Happily, I have passed my pickle love on to my daughters. They especially have a fondness for Bubbie's Bread and Butter pickles. We can stand at the fridge plucking them right from the jar and shoving them into our mouths. Pickled vegetables, with their zing and zest, are just so satisfying. Love this video in which the owner of local (to me) pickle shop talks all things salt-pickle. Fascinating.

P-O-M-E-G-R-A-N-A-T-E

"There's a boy in my class who has a crush on me," said Bunny as if she were relating any other part of her day, like whether she library or what was on the hot lunch menu. There was no silliness or emotion behind it. It just...was.

It was one of those moments when the family was all together-together, but focused on various individual projects. Her words came out of nowhere.

J. and I looked at each other then responded in a similarly nonchalant fashion asking, "How do you know?" and "Did he tell you?"

"Weeeeell, no. But he always comes over to talk to me and ask me questions. Like how to spell 'pomegranate.' Stuff like that," she shrugged.

"And that's how you know?" I clarified.

"Yes." she responded, totally sure of herself.

"Do you have a crush on him?"

I continued the banter while I futzed about in the kitchen so she didn't feel any pressure to respond, but she did.

"A tiny one." And then she smiled.

Big.

"But I'm not going to tell him, because it's just a tiny crush." She showed me how small by pinching her thumb and forefinger almost together.

And that's where we left it.

I know a time will come when she won't want to tell us anything, but I kinda hope it never does. I want her to always be able to tell us about her secret and not-so-secret crushes while I make dinner and J. sits at the dining room table reading and Wallie colors.

We have the best golden globes party food

We have the best #goldenglobes party food
Originally uploaded by citymama

Let's Meal Plan Together 1/18/09

Warning: Lamest weekly meal plan ever.

I'm starting this week without much of a plan. I'm hoping you'll share your ideas and I'll be more inspired.

Monday—Leftover tri-tip and veggie stir-fry, brown rice, leftover lentil salad

Tuesday—Individual baked mac 'n' cheeses, green salad. (I found the cutest ramekins with little woven baskets they nestle in on sale at Sur La Table for $2.50. I've been looking for awhile so this was a score! I'll use them for individual tarts, chicken pot pies, etc.)

Wednesday—Taco bean soup, I think? Or maybe a big veggie soup because that's sounding really good to me right now as I watch the rain pour down in sheets.

After that, I'm just not sure.  I didn't get to the farmer's market this past weekend so I'm feeling a little up a creek without a paddle.  I would love to know what you are cooking so I can feed my family for the rest of the week.

Have a great week, blog friends!

Homemade Herbed Breakfast Sausage

 

Turkey breakfast sausage

This is a fun and easy kid-friendly cooking project for your weekend breakfast.  The best part about making this sausage is that you know exactly what goes into it.  This is my mom's recipe. One of my earliest memories of my mom cooking is her making batches of this sausage and freezing it. I used 96% fat-free turkey, but she uses pork. Which is delicious.

Herbed Breakfast Sausage

Note: I use a food processor to chop the onions, garlic, and herbs, then I combine that with the ground pork (or turkey and egg white), salt, and chilis. Also, wet your hands before forming the patties to keep them from sticking to your fingers.

1 pound lean ground turkey or pork

1 egg white (omit if you are using pork)

1/4-1/2 yellow onion depending on what you like

1 clove minced garlic

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

8-10 chopped fresh sage leaves

1 tsp salt

crushed red chilis to taste

Combine all ingredients, form into 6 patties and pan-fry or grill (over medium heat), or bake until cooked through. (I baked the turkey sausage for about 30 minutes on a lightly-oiled foil-lined pan at 325º.)

CityMama--now on your iPhone!

Introducing the new CityMama iPhone app created by MotherApp (as in "mother of all..." not "moms.") Now you can read CityMama easily from your iPhone while you are waiting in the carpool line or at the dentist's office! Get recipes and more on the go! So fun!

You can download it here.  It's FREE!

Let's meal plan together (albeit LATE!) for 1/11/10

Well, it's the first meal plan of the new year (I think?) and we're off to a bangin' start, aren't we?

This year I am more committed than ever to focusing on feeding my family well, supporting local farmers, and seeking out quality ingredients, and eating healthfully. I challenge everyone to buy one less boxed or frozen food meal per week, and try (just try, I know it's hard, I'm busy, too.) to make one from-scratch meal per week. Then next month: two. (Okay, okay, one small step at a time.)  More on this in a later post.  I've got a cooking challenge rolling around my head and I hope you will join in.

This week's meal plan is courtesy of Bunny, my seven-year-old, who sat down at the end of Christmas break and wrote this one out all by herself. See if you can guess the pattern.

This week I will be challenged to make this menu be the best it can possibly be. Bunny had fun coming up with it (I train 'em young), and she'll definitely be helping out in the kitchen.

• Monday—Macaroni and Cheese (which we will do next Monday with whole wheat elbow macaroni and the first sheep's milk cheese from our adopt-a-ewe CSA! More about that--and my philosophy about cooking and feeding my family if you are new to CityMama--here.)
• Tuesday—Teriyaki Chicken (organic boneless/skinless breasts in ginger-soy-garlic-sesame marinade); brown rice, green beans
• Wednesday—Whole Wheat Waffles (and homemade breakfast sausage, recipe to come!)
• Thursday—Tacos (maybe with Turkey?)
• Friday—Frankfurters (What are your favorite nitrite-free hot dogs or sausages?)
• Saturday—pot luck dinner with friends
• Sunday—Soup (not sure what kind yet. Got any ideas for a soup that starts with "S"?) We'll also have party fare as I'm hosting a little rip on dresses and fake tans Golden Globes party.

Back to regularly scheduled meal plan next week.  I'd love to know what you are cooking and if you made any cooking resolutions for 2010.