And We Have Achieved Normalcy! | SoCal Marisa http://socalmarisa.com/2011/09/27/and-we-have-achieved-normalcy/

As Granpa used to say "See ya round like a donut!", SoCal Marisa

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As Granpa used to say "See ya round like a donut!", SoCal Marisa

New Blog Page

Just a reminder I am moving to a new personal blog page. I have made a post today so please go to http://socalmarisa.com to see the latest in our world.

Hopefully soon we will have everything transitioning a lot smoother.

As Granpa used to say "See ya round like a donut!", SoCal Marisa

Meatloaf & Meatball Recipe

Currently, my newest task is to change up my recipes to be dairy free. After the boy was taken off dairy I realized I am seriously going to need to change my recipes. Apparently I use a lot of dairy in my cooking.

This recipe will make 3-2+ pound loafs. I usually freeze the other two for later baking. This can also be used for meatballs.

6 pounds Ground Beef (1 warehouse store tray)
2 Cups Chicken Stock
4 Eggs
1 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1/2 Onion, Grated
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl whisk egg with chicken stock. Stir into egg mixture Onion, Garlic, Basil, Oregano, Salt, Pepper, and Bread Crumbs. When mixture is nice and soupy add Ground Beef and blend. I find it easier to use my hands for this. When well blended divide into thirds and place each third into a loaf pan. Cover with your favorite BBQ Sauce. Bake uncovered at 350 for about an hour to hour and 15 minutes. Check internal temperature when center reaches 170 degrees meatloaf is ready. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve. If there are any leftovers drain off juices before storing or the meat will get soggy.

For Freezing I vacu-seal in individual 2 pound blocks and defrost later then place into loaf pan and cover with bbq sauce before baking.

For Meatballs. Round meat into individual meatballs at your desired size and set aside. Heat Olive Oil in pan filing about 1/4 of the way up side of pan with Olive Oil. I use a Cast Iron pan for my frying for better heat conducting. Fry meatball in Olive Oil over medium heat. Using tongs, turn ever 2-3 minutes to brown on each side.  When cooked through remove to a large bowl covered with foil and let rest while cooking the remainder. Or plop into your favorite sauce. Or make meatball sandwiches. Either way....Enjoy!

As Granpa used to say "See ya round like a donut!", SoCal Marisa

This Weeks New Challenge

Sometimes life throws us curve balls. Our most recent curve ball is the recommendation from the boys pediatrician to cut dairy from his diet. all dairy; as in cheese, and milk, and ice cream, and cheese, and milk, and milk like products. Did I mention Cheese and Milk? This is going to be fun. She also suggested going organic. Well that's going to be cheap and easy right? I mean all those chemicals cost money so if we don't buy food with chemicals in it then we are saving, right? Thought so.

Well I'm not going to let this get under my skin. No, not me! I'm going to take this challenge head on. OK. So you want him off dairy. Fine. He's off dairy. I have to say I thought it was going to be a challenge. So far so good. He's been off dairy for 3 days now and there has been a positive change in his personality. He's slowed down a bit. Hmmmm. No more hyper boy?! I think I could really get into this!

Now to tackle the whole organic thing. hmmm. Well that shouldn't be too bad. Eat more fruits and veggies right? So the whole family may benefit from this. Finding yummy organic stuff is going to be the fun part. We are foodies and I think this is where the real challenge is going to happen. But I know how to cook and bake. So that just means I stop being lazy in my preparing of food and actually cook. Oh and bake too. I'll have more control over my kitchen. Right?

Cut back on sugar and absolutely no artificial sweeteners. Hmmmm. This is where I'm going to have to get creative. But like I said. I can do this. I just need to re-vamp some of my recipes. Or just not let him eat them. heh-heh-heh. Oh wait, that's not the best thing for the family is it?

We decided on baby steps. We started with the dairy. That's an easy fix and in our family dairy is the most consumed item(s). The boy is now drinking Almond Milk and he seems to be enjoying it. The cheese is going to be our downfall I'm absolutely certain of this. For now he doesn't miss it, but he will. I have to find a good alternative before he does miss his cheese. The others, well to be honest we just cannot afford to throw all of our food stuffs away and restock. Granted some of the stuff can go like the mac n cheese blue box and those ramen noodles that include a salt lick in each package. But for the most part we are going to have to be very careful in our label reading and buy better food items.

Today was our first go at re-vamping a family favorite recipe.....meatloaf. To be fair I use the same recipe for my meatballs so I needed to make sure I could do this. After some careful thought I replaced my cream with chicken stock and it wasn't stellar like my previous recipe but it was pretty darn good. The most important thing is the kids ate all of their meatloaf and I'm sure the hubby will when he gets to his dinner. All-in-all I'm pretty happy with that correction. Now let's just hope the rest are a success as well! My next re-vamp, brownies! Wish me luck!

As Granpa used to say "See ya round like a donut!", SoCal Marisa

What's a Mom to do?

Day 43 of Summer Vacation

It's 6:30 in the am. The sun has barely risen and you're awakened by your 10 year old daughter standing next to your bed, white lipped, and looking green, saying she is going to throw up. Good morning mommy.

As you're holding back her hair listening to her not so quietly cast her accounts, you hear the telltale screech you have trained yourself to listen for which indicates your 6 year old son is now having a seizure. Great. In a flash you have your daughters hair tied back in a ponytail and you run into the boys room to help him through the seizure.

less than 5 minutes later he's cleaned up and soundly sleeping once again. Now back to focusing on the girl. Getting her stomach under control took a lot longer than dealing with the boys seizure. In either case they both sleep the morning away.

I have to say this is not my standard morning. Usually my heart doesn't pump this fast unless I'm on the hamster wheel burning the calories, but this was my morning. Not the best one for the books, but we all survived. The rest of our day was a relatively quiet one. Messages to his Pediatric Neurologist and recuperating from the excitement of the early am. Tonight it will be early baths and bedtimes. Just last night I "cracked the spine" of Jane Eyre, and that's funny considering I'm reading it from my Kindle. Maybe tonight I can finish chapter one. I am determined to read at least one classic for every 4 fun books. Just one. That's not too much to ask for right? It's the simple things that keep me strong.

To think two years ago I was a complete mess every time Hayden had a seizure. Now I can multi-task in the middle of one? My how I've grown. [she rolls her eyes] I need a cape, haha! His doctor says he will outgrow these seizure....um, when? I know, I know, it's not in my hands or the doctors hands. God's in control. I am thankful his neurologist believes he will outgrow them. When I'm feeling negative I need to go to the reserves and rely on my Faith. In writing this I realize I really need to get on my knees tonight and get some perspective and re-center. Alright, that's it for my venting. Time to get back to work and start dinner. We're having stir-fry tonight. Yum. If these kids are going to bed early tonight then I need to get their bellies full! Here's to praying tomorrow is 10,000 times better than this morning and seizure free!

As Granpa used to say "See ya round like a donut!", SoCal Marisa

Miracle Meal?

It seems like just yesterday it all happened, yet it was 2 years ago when Hayden had a Grand Mal Seizure. What started as a 5am wake up phone call from his grandparents turned into a few months of chaos. Our worst fears are for something to happen to our little ones when they are in the care of someone else. Not that they didn’t do the right thing in making their panicked call to 911 but the fact it wasn’t either my husband or myself making that call instead of them. The not knowing if he is ok. Not being the first to talk to Doctors & worse yet, not being there for him when it all happened. The 30 minute frantic drive just to get to him. Then seeing your four year old son lying there, in a hospital bed no less, all lethargic and almost lifeless is absolutely terrifying. This was our life changing moment.

When you are in the eye of the storm of your life changing event, the world seems topsy turvey and oh so out of control. When you’re in the eye of the storm days fly by so fast, nights are a sleepless blur, exhaustion is the one constant in your ever changing world.  Luckily, I had an awesome group of women who supported us. Without them I don’t know what I would have done. What did they do? How did they help? They did the simplest and easiest thing to do; they brought us meals. They picked up my daughter from school at a moment’s notice. They called. They prayed. 1 John 4:7 says “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” There is no greater truth then this simple yet profound verse. Now I’m not here to preach to you about my God. But I do believe. My faith is that much stronger from the love I received from those who supported us.

As I said before they brought us meals. There is nothing more humbling then a friend showing up at your doorstep with a hot meal for you and your family. But it is the most uplifting of things to do; for both parties. I have been the one showing up on a friend’s doorstep years before that same blessing was bestowed upon me. Wanting to help a loved one, being the person to prepare a meal and deliver it, give a hug and leave knowing you have fed someone who was in need. And by fed I mean their bodies and their souls. Being on the other side of that door and having a friend feed me, it is a true kindness really.

This bringing a meal is an old fashioned custom. One custom I am glad has not completely died out. If you take into consideration our lifestyles, for the most part our community is very “I” focused. How many of us have joked about the neighbor bringing a cake to welcome another neighbor to the neighborhood? Was that such a bad custom? In hindsight, I think not. Who knows you may become good friends because of that simple welcoming gesture. Bringing a meal to a loved one is an important thing. Doing anything to help reduce the strain is an important thing. If you’re not a cook then drive-thru’s and delivery work just as easily. Food is food. When you’re in the eye of the storm having a gourmet meal is the last thing on your mind. Eating is the last thing on your mind. Sadly, feeding a hungry family is the last thing on your mind. Fighting the storm is your primary focus. If you know someone who is in the midst of their storm there is so much you can do to help without hindering them. There are a few websites out there dedicated to helping loving groups of people set up meal plans. Care Calendar is one such site. It’s a few clicks and an email is sent out to those on your list indicating the loved ones need. Very user friendly. Take Them A Meal is another such site. Same set up. Same premise. Both help organize a group of people who want to help.

Some things to consider when bringing a meal.

• Use disposable containers. They have more on their mind to worry about then whose dish goes where.
• Find out if there are food allergies you need to be wary of.
• Bring it hot. The whole point is for them to not have to cook.
• Don’t over bring. If you’re part of a group who has set up a meal schedule then the recipients will have leftovers and lots of them.
• Communicate with your family on when they should expect you. There is nothing worse than not being ready for a friend to show up. You may think its ok but they probably need time to prepare themselves.
• If you can’t cook send a gift card. Order a pizza. Hit a drive-thru. Buy a Frozen Dinner.
• Don’t assume they have everything needed to complete the meal. Parmesan cheese to top, salad dressing, bread, drinks, dessert. They may not have had the chance to go grocery shopping.
• Get in and out quick. Don’t stick around hoping to share the meal with them. If they need a shoulder to cry on be that support but don’t move in.
• Send a card. Sometimes just receiving a warm card in the mail gets there at the right time and helps when needed most.
• Don’t forget to love them. =-D

Remember, if there isn’t a group who comes together to help, that doesn’t mean you cannot still step up on your own. I hope this helps you in the future when you want to help someone who is going through their life changing moment. Such as the birth of a new child. Death of a loved one. Sickness. Disease. Anything. The saying goes “The way to his heart is through his stomach” that doesn’t mean just men. Feed the body, feed the soul.

As Granpa used to say "See ya round like a donut!", SoCal Marisa