Skiing, Cooking, Life

Chris took yesterday off work so he could take the boys skiing during the last week of ski season. I don't fully approve of skiing so our deal is that I don't have anything - and by anything I mean any work - to do with it and it is wholly and entirely a dad and boy thing.

Our Bubby just topped 61 pounds and he is still a crazy-man on a leash so when they ski the pup goes to doggy daycare. Chris and the boys got to Pets Hotel only to realize they didn't have a leash. After wrestling him into the building (past all the pets, treats, toys and EXCITEMENT!) they got him settled and headed to Solitude. There were some mishaps on the way - like sliding down a slippery hill and nearly hitting a Land Rover - but the biggest was when they were getting their gear on and realized Brayden hadn't brought a jacket. Such a Brayden thing to do. You have to check, double-check and then check again with that boy. Then Chris realized he hadn't brought the ski passes. Such a Chris thing to do. You have to check, double-check... Brainy and Chris are so alike!

So they drove an hour home, got the leash, jacket and passes and four hours later were skiing. Poor guys. It does serve as a nice explanation as why I am so anal about asking questions like, " Do we have everything? Passes, coats, leashes etc." Because if you don't ask those irritating questions over and over you end up leaving things behind. I had tried to call when they were only a few minutes from home but they were using the iPhone as an iPod so music trumped messages.

Trying to decide how to best use my time without kids was a toughie. There was a lot of things needing to be done but I was just dragging. I decided to cook meals for the whole week so I could bank about an hour or more each day and make room for our additional school schedule. I made:

Pesto and mock ricotta stuffed shells:


Tofu Cacciatore:


Curried Chickpeas and Potatoes:




White bean and tempeh sausage patties:

Not pictured as they haven't been made into patties and cooked yet.

and Mocha Chip Vegan Muffins:


I kept a colander of trimmed spinach next to the stove and shredded it into everything. I was amazed at how it either made no difference at all or it added a little something to most dishes. For me, if I want to make sure we use something keeping it on hand like that really helps.

While making the white bean and tempeh patties I got violently ill. It was horrible. I managed to get most of the food into the fridge and collapsed on the couch. When everyone came home hours later they were all shocked by how horrible I looked. I was so sick. Ugh. So much for goofing off all afternoon after working all morning. Today I feel quite a bit better - if only by comparison.

In the end, the boys had a good day skiing with dad and I got a lot done - but the details were killer.