Kids Eat Free

When I saw a sign at my favorite fast casual restaurant, Luna Grill,  saying, "Kids Eat Free on Tuesday" I decided to give it a try.  Maybe it would help solve the "What's for dinner dilemma."  I then thought about searching for other restaurants that might offer a similar deal.  I found an Italian restaurant called Borrelli's offering a free dinner for kids on Monday.

My family and I have never been to Borrelli's and we don't usually go out to eat on Monday.  When we walked in we were seated right away.  We were given menus and I asked if my kids can eat for free?  The waitress said, "Yes we've offered it for years and not very many people know about it."  I asked if Mondays were typically slow and if that was the reason for it.  She said it was one of the slow days of the week and yes that's why they do it.  You get one free kid's meal for each adult purchased entree.

We brought my mother along and she ordered spaghetti with meatballs.  My husband and younger daughter ordered the same.  I thought to myself, I could have easily made that at home without too much work.  I felt better when my older daughter ordered lasagna until we were told that it is not included in the kid's "eat free" menu.  We were also told that drinks were not included.  And both of my daughters wanted a Shirley Temple which cost more than any of fountain drinks offered.  My husband's attitude, "We're eating out, let them order what ever they want."  I typically would agree with that statement, but the only reason we were going out to eat on a Monday was because I wanted to make weeknight meals easy and not have to cook and clean every night. I didn't realize this would entail a few rules.  The waitress suggested that my mom order the kid's spaghetti with meatballs because it was a big portion, that way we could still get two free kids' meals, nevermind that she's a senior citizen.  I didn't see an age limit on the children's menu.  I ordered the Eggplant Parmigiana, I know it takes work to make.

Dinner was good and my daughters ordered dessert because they heard their father say,  "Order what you want."  The entire bill including the tip came to $61.00, not including alcohol.   I figured I could have bought the following:

2 boxes of Decco spaghetti         $6.00

Borrelli's Pizza and Itallian Food

2 jar's of Bertolli sauce                $4.00
Garlic bread                                 $2.00
Bag of salad and tomato              $3.50
_____________________________
Total                                            $15.50

Add a jar of Maraschino cherries  $3.99
2 liter bottle of 7-up                       $2.50
__________________________________
                                                       $6.49
Total                                             $21.99

But my kitchen remained clean with no dishes to wash.

Luna Grill

On Tuesday I decided we would go to Luna Grill to check out their "Kids Eat Free" deal.  This place is really a win, win for my family.  The kids' meals include a drink.  I ordered my favorite Mediterranean Chicken Salad, my husband had a Chicken Kabob Plate and the kids ordered Junior Burgers with a salad and fries.  They were actually too full to order dessert. The bill was under $26.00 and we came home to a clean kitchen. When I asked if there were any restrictions for the kids eat free promotion, they told me that you can't use your Luna Rewards Club card to gain points.  I didn't even know they had such a card.

I then started to searh for other restaurants that offer a kids eat free deal.  The North County Local Life Style Guide found several local restaurants. http://yournorthcounty.com/article/restaurants-where-kids-eat-free-in-north-county-san-diego/

It's worth doing at least once a week if you follow the rules.

Note: "When Good Enough is Perfect" NEVER comes into play for my professional or school work.   http://www.borrellispizza.net/
http://www.lunagrill.com/

Family Meals Minus the Stress

In my search to find an answer for the everyday dinner dilemma, I decided to check out Dream Dinners, a franchise that allows you to prepare dinners in their store.  The thought of making a mess in someone else kitchen is appealing.  They have the spices, the vegetables already chopped, and all of the ingredients you need to assemble the perfect dish.  The only thing you have to do is measure, stir and place into freezer bags. 

Full disclosure here, I have tried them before but I never analyzed it.  I decided to revisit this idea of dinner when they sent me an email last week offering 15% off the already assembled meals with no minimum purchase.  So I took them up on their offer but this time I took out my calculator and started thinking about my time and money.  I purchased four, three-serving meals and two side dishes for about $72.00.  But before I left,  just like they always do after completing you're meal preparation, they tempt you with food samples from some of the meals on the menu.  On the day I went, they had made a yummy, creamy dish called "Pub Style Chicken with Mashed Potatoes".  They offered a free three serving meal of this dish if I booked "today".  Needless to say, they sold me on scheduling my session.

The minimum order is six, six-serving meals.  The chicken dishes range from $24.99 - $38. for six servings while the beef dishes range from $38. - $45. The pork dishes range from $28. - $34. The shrimp and seafood stew meals run from $39. - $41.  When you break it down per serving, the range is $4.17 - $7.50.  It takes about an hour to to assemble six different meals, if you know what you're doing and don't spend too much time talking.  It's a reasonable amount of time out of my day and a reasonable price.  The best part of the deal is that I don't have to think too much about "what's for dinner."  However, I found that there's still some work to do once you get home.

Some of the meals come with a side dish of green beans, asparagus or potatoes.  Usually another side dish is needed such as a salad, rice, or beans.  I made the "Orange Bourbon Chicken" with asparagus, we did not have any leftovers the next night and my husband says the serving sizes are "skimpy".   I made rice and a salad to go with it and it was very tasty.

The assembly session at the store is fun with music playing in the background.  I can be very focused when I follow the recipes and even alter them, placing any cheese in a separate bag because some in our family don't like the creamy, smooth, melting chunks.  One daughter has a sensitivity to gluten, so I will be able to cook gluten-free pasta and scoop some of the sauce from the dish I make on to her pasta. 

For four dishes I save at least an hour a day without the stress.  As far as the cost,  I made a similar dish this week and here's what I purchased:
2 lbs of chicken breasts $7.98 ( I bought the family pack and took out 2 lbs)
1 bottle of Roasted Pineapple Habanero Sauce $7.99
1 lb of asparagus $2.99
1 1/2 cups of rice $3.00
1 bag of pre-washed salad, tomatoes, cucumber $4.50
1 loaf French bread $1.50
__________________________________
Total is $27.96

$27.96 is similar to what I would pay at Dream Dinners, but you wouldn't get the rice, salad, and bread.  So I subtracted those items and came up with $18.96.  This is about $12.00 less than I would spend at Dream Dinners.  So far, I like this idea and I'm looking forward to my session.

Note: "When Good Enough is Perfect" NEVER comes into play for my professional or school work.

A Little Help from My Friends

In an effort to figure out the dinner dilemma in trying to find balance, I solicited a little help from my friends on Facebook. It is clearly something a lot of busy people think about.  I heard from moms, grandmas, men and women.

Several people said they plan on Sundays, taking inventory of what they have on hand, what they plan to prepare during the week, and what items they need to purchase.  One mom said she plans for a week and takes the same schedule into the rest of the month.  For example; Monday - pizza, Tuesday - tacos, Wednesday - "white trash" (not my words), Thursday - left overs, and Friday - Friday night delight.  There are no plans for weekend nights, which is typically my plan too.

I met with one of my friends this week who said she had a similar plan but varied it according to what she had on hand or convenience packages she bought from Trader Joe's.   A number of friends and strangers I quizzed at the grocery store told me they make sure they have frozen bags of vegetables, spices, and dried goods on hand.  They then shop every couple of days for fresh produce and meat.  There was also a friend who manages to get to the farmer's market each week (I'm so jealous).  I'm lucky if I can make it there twice a year.

Casseroles and the crock pot came up a lot too.  For a crock pot, one must wake up earlier to put everything in so that it's ready when dinner rolls around.

Pinterest and Google searching recipes are also popular for finding simple dinners to make. 

I do enjoy cooking.  I guess that's why I can't just eat out every night.  During weeks where I can plan, I usually take the same approach as my former Girl Scout Troop co-leader suggested.  I aim for cooking three days a week, eat left-overs two days a week, and we eat out two days a week.  I'm also fortunate to sometimes get help from my mother who will pop in to cook dinner. 

In my quest for answers on Facebook, I had one long time friend who said this:
"My question for you is....how much time are you spending on prepping/shopping/cooking? Have you compared your value of time to that of a hired hand (part time) my guess is, you would be at same cost or less to have someone do all of that for you. You may be surprised."

I will look into this in the following weeks.

Note: "When Good Enough is Perfect" NEVER comes into play for my professional or school work.

Fun, Germs, and Fast food

With President's day kicking off the week, I thought it was going to be a good, fun, short week .  We did what many Americans do on a long weekend and had a barbeque.  Which basically means it's time for my husband to cook and I don't have to think about the family meal.  It is usually enough for one day of left overs too.

I had planned on this weeks blog continuing the discussion of planning dinner for a busy parent, but that will have to wait.  With work, school, my husband out of town,  and my youngest daughter coming down with the flu, that all went by the wayside and I just had to take a breath and remember my motto, "good enough". 

For the busiest of parents, there's always fast food and restaurants. And despite the guilt, my choices were "good enough".   Dinner at Chick-Fil-A sufficed one night.  I couldn't take my daughter with a temperature of 103 degrees into a restaurant, she was contagious.  At least the next night, we ran into an eatery that is a little healthier, Luna Grill, serving fresh Mediterranean fare.  I can't say the same for the rest of the nights.

I also failed to get items for our school fundraiser.  This week they were asking for themed donations for the upcoming auction that would be part of the fundraiser.  I had planned to buy items, but it just wasn't possible.  A busy mom has to prioritize and learn when to take a breath and say "it's good enough". 

My only saving grace was the thought that we did something educational for our kids this holiday weekend.  I couldn't let them sit around and be a couch potato on their day off from school.  We took them to the tide pools at Cardiff State beach.  It was a great way to enjoy nature, learn about some coastal creatures, and take in the beauty of living near the beach. 

The mussels, crabs, dark purple sea cucumbers and bright starfish were amazing and a great way to enjoy our surroundings. 

Perhaps an upcoming blog will be about healthy fast food for your family.  Food for thought.

Note: "When Good Enough is Perfect" NEVER comes into play for my professional or school work.

A common way to enjoy nature and the beauty of our surroundings is by taking a stroll near local tide-pools. A personal favorite San Diego pastime is walking the beach and tide-pools during a low-tide sunset. It’s a gift to capture the overwhelming beauty of a pristine beach, rocky reef, and beautiful sunset. The captivating green seaweed illuminates the water while the dark purple sea-cucumbers slink across the sand, orange starfish jumble the rocks, and fluorescent green sea anemones reach for the sun along the water’s edge.
If you're looking for a great way to spend a few hours at low-tide, here are a few of my favorite San Diego tide-pools:

1. Seaside Beach in Cardiff-by-the-Sea: With a large parking lot and gorgeous tall cliffs, Seaside Beach is home to my favorite tide-pools in San Diego County. Located just off Pacific Coast Highway, at the South end of Cardiff State Beach, these pools are easily accessible for a quick tide-pool trip or great for a long beach day, soaking up the sun and catching some surf. If you walk further South from Seaside, you reach the cliffs of Solana Beach and some beautiful caves in the cliffs. Please make sure to stay clear away from the cliffs as they are constantly eroding and can be very dangerous.

- See more at: http://www.sandiego.com/san-diego-blog/tide-pooling-great-san-diego-pastime#sthash.yLlnZy1A.dpuf

common way to enjoy nature and the beauty of our surroundings is by taking a stroll near local tide-pools. A personal favorite San Diego pastime is walking the beach and tide-pools during a low-tide sunset. It’s a gift to capture the overwhelming beauty of a pristine beach, rocky reef, and beautiful sunset. The captivating green seaweed illuminates the water while the dark purple sea-cucumbers slink across the sand, orange starfish jumble the rocks, and fluorescent green sea anemones reach for the sun along the water’s edge.
If you're looking for a great way to spend a few hours at low-tide, here are a few of my favorite San Diego tide-pools:

1. Seaside Beach in Cardiff-by-the-Sea: With a large parking lot and gorgeous tall cliffs, Seaside Beach is home to my favorite tide-pools in San Diego County. Located just off Pacific Coast Highway, at the South end of Cardiff State Beach, these pools are easily accessible for a quick tide-pool trip or great for a long beach day, soaking up the sun and catching some surf. If you walk further South from Seaside, you reach the cliffs of Solana Beach and some beautiful caves in the cliffs. Please make sure to stay clear away from the cliffs as they are constantly eroding and can be very dangerous.

- See more at: http://www.sandiego.com/san-diego-blog/tide-pooling-great-san-diego-pastime#sthash.yLlnZy1A.dpuf

A common way to enjoy nature and the beauty of our surroundings is by taking a stroll near local tide-pools. A personal favorite San Diego pastime is walking the beach and tide-pools during a low-tide sunset. It’s a gift to capture the overwhelming beauty of a pristine beach, rocky reef, and beautiful sunset. The captivating green seaweed illuminates the water while the dark purple sea-cucumbers slink across the sand, orange starfish jumble the rocks, and fluorescent green sea anemones reach for the sun along the water’s edge.
If you're looking for a great way to spend a few hours at low-tide, here are a few of my favorite San Diego tide-pools:

1. Seaside Beach in Cardiff-by-the-Sea: With a large parking lot and gorgeous tall cliffs, Seaside Beach is home to my favorite tide-pools in San Diego County. Located just off Pacific Coast Highway, at the South end of Cardiff State Beach, these pools are easily accessible for a quick tide-pool trip or great for a long beach day, soaking up the sun and catching some surf. If you walk further South from Seaside, you reach the cliffs of Solana Beach and some beautiful caves in the cliffs. Please make sure to stay clear away from the cliffs as they are constantly eroding and can be very dangerous.

- See more at: http://www.sandiego.com/san-diego-blog/tide-pooling-great-san-diego-pastime#sthash.yLlnZy1A.dpuf

A common way to enjoy nature and the beauty of our surroundings is by taking a stroll near local tide-pools. A personal favorite San Diego pastime is walking the beach and tide-pools during a low-tide sunset. It’s a gift to capture the overwhelming beauty of a pristine beach, rocky reef, and beautiful sunset. The captivating green seaweed illuminates the water while the dark purple sea-cucumbers slink across the sand, orange starfish jumble the rocks, and fluorescent green sea anemones reach for the sun along the water’s edge.
If you're looking for a great way to spend a few hours at low-tide, here are a few of my favorite San Diego tide-pools:

1. Seaside Beach in Cardiff-by-the-Sea: With a large parking lot and gorgeous tall cliffs, Seaside Beach is home to my favorite tide-pools in San Diego County. Located just off Pacific Coast Highway, at the South end of Cardiff State Beach, these pools are easily accessible for a quick tide-pool trip or great for a long beach day, soaking up the sun and catching some surf. If you walk further South from Seaside, you reach the cliffs of Solana Beach and some beautiful caves in the cliffs. Please make sure to stay clear away from the cliffs as they are constantly eroding and can be very dangerous.

- See more at: http://www.sandiego.com/san-diego-blog/tide-pooling-great-san-diego-pastime#sthash.yLlnZy1A.dpuf

Planning Dinner

"What's for dinner mommy?" says ten year old.  "Hmmm, I don't know," I reply.  "What?"  "Do you want us to starve?" she says.  That was our conversation on one weeknight this week.  It seems when 6:00 pm rolls around and I don't have something on the stove, my family will starve.  Of course I would never want my family to go hungry.

When I wake up in the morning, it's one of the first things I think about.  My mother always says, "If you don't put something in the crock-pot then you better start cooking at 4:00."   "Really," I tell her, do you know how short that makes my day?"  In an effort to be a good wife and mother, I constantly look for answers on this very subject.  I tried planning on Sunday, preparing some recipes and then freezing.  But the problem is, I can't keep it up week after week. 

I took out one of my favorite cook books, The Cancer Fighting cook book, by Rebecca Katz iwth Mat Edelson.  I bought this book after my father was diagnosed with cancer and quickly enjoyed many of the recipes I tried.  In the video below, I'm taking some short cuts that in my opinion, don't sacrifice taste, but make it easier on a busy person like myself.

Note: "When Good Enough is Perfect" NEVER comes into play for my professional or school work.

Organize, organize, organize

The key to stretching the hours of you day, I'm told, is to be organized.  In my mind, that means scheduling everything.  I write down my appointments, my kids and husband's appointments, and the many appointments of my parents. (You'll have to read my other blog to understand why I need to know their appointments.)  I put them on my calendar on my I-phone too.   There's also Siri.  She's very helpful for when I have to remember to buy ingredients for the clam chowder my daughter's class is making for their week studying marine animals or for remembering the checkbook for piano lessons at the beginning of the month.

A friend of mine recommended using Google calendar and syncing it to her phone and other devices.
http://m.imore.com/how-edit-calendar-defaults-alerts-and-sync-settings-iphone-and-ipad But I have another friend who said this, " I put all my events in Google calendar, then instantly ignore my calendar, then frantically stress out getting ready for said ignored events".  That can be me sometimes.  It's almost as though I have to plan for my plan.

Around everyone's else appointments, there's scheduling in work, completing my assignments for my graduate class and including my husband's work schedule.  He travels frequently so I have to figure out when it's my turn to play "single mom".  My husband just recently came off a 17 week traveling schedule.  He's a camera guy for CBS sports and his last NFL game for the season was the "deflategate" game.  I thought I had made it through.  I did not get pneumonia like I did one year. My kids seemed to be good and I managed to get through Christmas buying everyone's presents and planning a dinner for 33 people.  But I learned last week that I did not make it through unscathed.  We received a letter from the school district saying one of my daughters had 13 tardies to school.  Let's see, that would be the 13 of the 17 Mondays my husband was out of town.  I got the kids to school on time, before the bell rang.  My older daughter's class is in the front of the school, so no problem there. She doesn't have any tardies.  But my younger daughter with the shorter legs has further to walk.  Her class is in the back of the school and poor thing just can't make it.  At first I was upset, but I'm doing my best..... it's good enough, I keep telling myself. 

Another note to self, I'm only a part-time single mom, so for more insight on the juggling act of single motherhood,  I'll direct you to the following blog:

www.jennifertubwell.wordpress.com
"When Good Enough is Perfect" comes into play when my husband is out of town.  It has to or I'll go insane.  I have to tell one daughter I can't go to "Take your parents to lunch day" because I'm on a field trip with my other daughter.  I try to take turns with my two kids for school events.  Fortunately they are scheduled in advance and I can work them into my work and school plans.  But there is the "mommy guilt" of not being able to do it all.  The guilt especially sinks in when I see some moms who are on the PTA, at every field trip, help out with every fundraiser, and they're in the classroom almost as much as the teacher.  I just have to tell myself, I'm doing my best and it's good enough.
 
For a working mom, it is more than just scheduling appointments and activities.  There's also dinner to think about.  If I don't plan dinner or ask my husband to plan, we wouldn't eat.  This takes work and the focus for next weeks blog.  I'm not so sure my family will accept "good enough" when it comes to food.

Thanks for reading!
Note: "When Good Enough is Perfect" NEVER comes into play for my professional or school work.

Can we make a day last 34 hours?

My parents, kids, husband, and mother-in-law

Many of us have asked the question, "Can we stretch a 24 hour day?"  In my late teens to early twenties, I needed that extra time for college assignments, my job and my internship.... not to mention I tried to have a social life.  In my mid 20's to 30's it was all about career.  I needed more hours in the day to finish that investigative report or break a news story. Because of my career, I moved a lot and needed extra hours to learn about the community where I lived.  Yuma, Charlotte, Phoenix, and Dallas all had interesting sites to explore. This was also the time where I got married and added the title of wife to my profile.

Then, sometime in my 30's I took a look at my biological clock, it was time for family before it tick toked away.  I love being a mom to two beautiful girls.  The baby and toddler years required long days and little sleep.  I don't really think it matters if you're a working mom or stay at home mom.  Unless you have hired or volunteer help, you're not getting a whole lot of zzzzzz's.

The title to Liz O’Donnell's book, Mogul, Mom,& Maid is great. It captures it all.  Her book tells stories from moms from all walks of life and looks at how they juggle it all. Of course we moms know it's a balancing act.  One of the things she advises is to get more sleep.  It's good advice, but hard to follow.

Now, as I try to struggle with the kids' activities and work, I find my parents and mother-in-law aging. My husband and I are the turkey, the peanut butter and jelly, the Nutella, the meatballs, or whatever else you decide to put on your sandwich.  We are the Sandwich generation. But according to www.caregiver.org it's mostly the women being the caregivers.

• Estimates of the percentage of family or informal caregivers who are women range from 59% to 75%.¹
• The average caregiver is age 46, female, married and working outside the home.²
• Although men also provide assistance, female caregivers may spend as much as 50% more time providing care than male caregivers.³

Of course my husband helps, he's my rock, he's very supportive,  but I take on most of the care giving scheduling and responsibilities.

I've also decided to take Graduate courses.  It's something I've always wanted to do and never did until now.  As a reporter I was learning new things everyday in a profession I love.  So in 2015 I'm back at school to get my Masters.  I want to teach and give back to young journalists.

Which brings me back to my subject line, "Can we make a day last 34 hours?"  Of course the answer is no, but we in the Sandwich Generation can learn to let go and figure out when good enough is perfect.  In my following posts, I'll try to figure it out and give tips along the way. Maybe we can find ways to get inspired and magically stretch 24 hours into 34.
Thank you for reading.

References:
¹Arno, P. S. (2002, February). The economic value of informal caregiving, U.S., 2000. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.
²National Alliance for Caregiving, & AARP. Family caregiving in the U.S.: Findings from a national survey. Washington, DC.
³Family Caregiver Alliance. (2001). Selected Caregiver Statistics (Fact Sheet). San Francisco, CA: Author.