Mom Always Wins. Eventually.

I don't know about you, but I still distinctly remember this version of Alexis.

That's the Alexis who passively objected to having her photo taken. She would look away, turn around, make a face, and do pretty much whatever was necessary to make sure I didn't get a good picture of her. Seriously, it was her super power for a LONG time. She didn't throw a fit, she just casually ruined the shot. EVERY TIME.

She changed her tune right around the same time she discovered that I was taking photos of other people. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but HELL NO IT WASN'T. Her face turned green with jealousy when she figured out there were other kids in my life and that those other kids were facing the camera and smiling.

She promptly put her super power back in her pocket and turned into a poser. A bit later, we started having days like the one we had this past Sunday.

All I wanted was for Alexis to try on her dance recital outfits. Just try them on ... nothing more. I knew I needed to make a few alterations and I wanted to be efficient about the whole process. Instead of efficiency, I got this.

"Momma, look at what I can do! Take a picture!"

 

"Momma, you have to take a picture of me in my tap costume!"

"Momma, take a picture of me in my jazz costume!"

And on and on and on. She tried on every costume she could find and then made me take approximately 25239509 photos of her in each one. She posed and she preened and she checked my viewfinder to make sure I was doing a good job. It was like she was the boss of me or something.

Nobody tell her that she has fallen into my little photography trap. Mwahahahaha!

For My Next Trick, I'm Going to Juggle Three Balls

I don't know exactly when it happened, but there was a moment somewhere around two years ago when I thought to myself, "I have got this thing all figured out. HUZZAH!" There was some back-patting and gloating and general wondering why everybody thought the whole work/life balance thing was so hard. I had it down and then some.

Let's all take a moment to mock me for being smug, mmkay? Because HOOBOY have I fallen from my pedestal.

You'd think seven years of practice would have taught me how to keep juggling when everything starts exploding, but it hasn't. At all. Lately I've found myself just sort of standing around with my arms at my sides as all of the balls go crashing to the ground.

Which is all to say I'm doing a whole lot of things all over the place lately, but I'm not doing any of them well.

I kind of know what needs to happen to get back on track. Mostly. It's going to be a slow process, but I figured the best way to kick it all off was to pick up all those balls and launch them at everyone. I did exactly that this past Saturday when I decided we were all taking a mini vacation to 7 Springs to go snow tubing.

Throwing snowballs and hurling down a hill with friends is a GREAT way to get that most important ball back in the air.

Alexis had a great time, as did I. So I think that counts as two things back on track.

Chick'n Parmesan

If you want to make me feel SUPER old, ask me how long I've been a vegetarian. That'll do it because that vegetarian thing is old enough to legally drink. And then some.

23 years.

HOLY HELL.

It has gone by faster than I can blink.

In those 23 years, a lot has changed. It used to be a challenge to find something to eat in certain circumstances. At restaurants I would have ot order something not on the menu ("Pasta Alfredo without the chicken," for example). At get-togethers with family and friends, I just avoided eating because not everyone understood that "vegetarian" includes not bacon. Not even a little bit.

Now, however, vegetarianism is a piece of cake because at least I'm not a Paleo person, or gluten-free, or any of the other specialty food needs that are far more common than they once were. The world seems to view not eating meat with a yawn and a "so what?" now.

THANK GOODNESS.

It is positively delightful to walk into a restaurant and have lots of choices these days. It's even more delightful to find options at the grocery store like this:

 

Veggie Patch sent those to me to try and I decided to do something a little off the beaten path with them. I took a typically meat-centric recipe and flipped it into a vegetarian recipe.

Chick'n Parmesan.

IT IS SO FREAKIN GOOD.

Ahem.

Sorry about the caps lock. Sometimes it's just needed.

You can substitute back to real chicken with this recipe, if you want. You'll just be looking at something a bit different than this:

Veggie products are pretty consistently low in calories and fat. That is how it's possible for me to eat absolute crap some days without blowing up bigger than a house. Balance! It's good!

And so is this.

Chick'n Parmesan (Vegetarian Chicken Parmesan)

1 package Veggie Patch Chick'n Cutlets
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red or green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (I used a food processor)
1 small zucchini, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices mozzarella cheese
grated parmesan cheese

Sauce
1. Place the olive oil in a large skillet and then lightly sauté the bell pepper over medium heat.

2. Add the onion, zucchini, and garlic. Continue to sauté until the vegetables are soft.

3. Add the tomatoes, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir and heat until everything is warm.

Magic Oven Action
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the chick'n cutlets in a oven-safe glass pan. I used a 9x13" glass baking dish, but a smaller one would work.

3. The chick'n cutlets are precooked, so there is no need to cook them. We'll warm them up, though, along with the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chick'n.  Dont' worry if you lose sight of the chick'n. You'll be able to find it when you need it.

4. Place a slice of mozzarella in the general direction of the chick'n cutlets so that you end up with a piece of chick'n topped with sauce and cheese.

5. Sprinkle parmesan over the top of the entire dish. I used about 1/4 cup, but you can use more or less depending on your mood and preferences and whatever.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.

Serve over spaghetti or make an amazing Chick'n Parmesan Sandwich, if you would like.

Note: Veggie Patch sent me samples of the Chick'n Cutlets, but that's about it as far as disclosure stuff goes. Shhhh! Don't tell them that I've been buying them for a while and already knew we liked them when I said I would love to try them!