under the sea and on the wing

Why do I dislike Mondays so much? With how I am, I really should welcome the beginning of our routine going back to normal but for some reason, I have such a hard time getting there. Even when things go super smoothly, I just feel....blah about Mondays.

Not that today went badly. It didn't. SweetPea rocked her lessons, PorkChop has been a dream baby again, still waiting on Pickle's report card and waiting to discuss Peanut and Punk's and getting ready for our first road trip of the year this weekend. So while I should be really thankful, I am just blah.

Our new recipe of the week was bread bowls with cheese and broccoli soup. I cannot wait to have dairy again. Its really hard sometimes to cook meals for the family that I know that I would enjoy if I could only eat them. And yet, I know that I can't because of PorkChop's stomach. I know that its going to come down to testing him for allergies eventually if it doesn't stop. Right now, he is still refusing any solid foods but will gladly eat paper.... which makes him vomit each and every time. He has sucked on a strawberry a time or two and that has always ended with a bright red angry rash around his mouth. We are finding that our weekend fires are having an adverse reaction as well. His eyes get very goopy, he coughs a lot and sounds wheezy. Couple that with his dairy reaction and I know that he is suffering from allergies. Doesn't surprise me since none of my children (or myself, I am finding out) can tolerate dairy but his reaction is rivaling Peanut's.

I figure that I can probably wait until he is closer to age one before asking for testing, maybe longer if I am diligent on keeping track of foods/stimuli and reactions.

new recipe resolutions

Part of my New Year's Resolutions for this year was to try new recipes. I want to try a new one at least each week, every other week. Why? Because its too easy to fall into a routine of the same old, same old and just stick with what is comfortable.

So I have been pouring over my cookbooks, the internet, asking friends and family... anything to inspire me to reach beyond my personal comfort zone and try to broaden my family's horizons.

Today? I made spinach and sun-dried tomato chicken breasts in the crock pot.

This? Was amazing! Hubby assured me that it was much better with the feta cheese (I cannot have dairy right now because of PorkChop) but even without, I really enjoyed it! It was recommended to be served with polenta but since I have never made it (heard of it, tasted it, etc), I opted to serve this over rice with broccoli on the side.

SweetPea wasn't too impressed but she hasn't been impressed with much lately, food-wise. The older kids, as they came home, all expressed interest in getting to try this dish too based on the smell. So I will probably be making this one again before the month is over.