Sunday dinners are my favorite. I usually have time to make something that I wouldn't normally be able to during the week, so I try and take advantage of that. In addition to making a lavish dinner, I also caught up on some cooking for the family.
For Brielle, I made these spinach pancakes but subbed the bananas for applesauce since I didn't have any. She actually liked them better this way so I think I'll stick to the change. I also made these zucchini & tuna fritters which she absolutely adores, so they are a regular staple in the house.
For the man (and me) I made a big batch of this cheesy bacony goodness but I didn't have any corn or celery so I left that out, and I added zucchini and leftover chicken that we had in the fridge from earlier in the week. This soup is amazing. I make big batches of different soups as needed and freeze them in single portions. We reheat them during the week and take them to work in our thermos for a nice warm lunch.
Ok, on to the main event. The ribs.
These babies took almost 4 hours to make but they were oh so worth it. I added Boursin shallot & chives to the mashed potatoes for some extra yum factor. I'm also happy to report that my picture looks almost as good as the one on the website but you can be the judge.
I didn't have any red wine so I increased the beef broth. And I hate that the recipe calls for just orange rind (what do I do with the rest of the orange??) so I threw the segments in with the sauce. It cooks for so long in the oven that they just kind of disappear into the amazing gravy anyways.
Try this recipe out for your next Sunday dinner, you wont be disappointed!!
For Brielle, I made these spinach pancakes but subbed the bananas for applesauce since I didn't have any. She actually liked them better this way so I think I'll stick to the change. I also made these zucchini & tuna fritters which she absolutely adores, so they are a regular staple in the house.
For the man (and me) I made a big batch of this cheesy bacony goodness but I didn't have any corn or celery so I left that out, and I added zucchini and leftover chicken that we had in the fridge from earlier in the week. This soup is amazing. I make big batches of different soups as needed and freeze them in single portions. We reheat them during the week and take them to work in our thermos for a nice warm lunch.
Ok, on to the main event. The ribs.
These babies took almost 4 hours to make but they were oh so worth it. I added Boursin shallot & chives to the mashed potatoes for some extra yum factor. I'm also happy to report that my picture looks almost as good as the one on the website but you can be the judge.
I didn't have any red wine so I increased the beef broth. And I hate that the recipe calls for just orange rind (what do I do with the rest of the orange??) so I threw the segments in with the sauce. It cooks for so long in the oven that they just kind of disappear into the amazing gravy anyways.
Try this recipe out for your next Sunday dinner, you wont be disappointed!!
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| Balsamic and brown sugar braised beef ribs with Boursin mashed potatoes |
2019 Resolutions
Finances
1. Get out of debt - minimum payment of 300/month with additional ideas and ways to increase payments listed below
- this is going well; I've managed to put more than the minimum on so far
2. Do various challenges - spending fast, pantry challenge - money saved goes on to debt
- currently challenging myself to keep groceries below $400, more on that below
3. Buy second hand, no new books all year
- nothing purchased yet!
4. Do all survey receipts, petro points receipts - use points accumulated for gift cards, extras for us (a want not a need) - currently have $123 in petro points (started the year with $121)
5. 20 minutes a day for swagbucks surveys - use points accumulated for gift cards, extras for us (a want not a need) - currently have $65.12 in points (started the year with $61)
6. Raise money by selling things - extra money goes on to debt OR is used for extras only (a want, not a need)
- have a few things to return this week
7. Be diligent about price matching, frugal shopping, wasting less (food) and only buying what is needed
- so far so good
8. Reduce monthly groceries gradually & put the extra money on to debt - current budget is $400/month, lets see how low it can go
- total groceries for January so far is $86.28 - spent $16.88 this week on needs for the baby (milk, eggs, etc).
9. Buy new car and pay down as much as possible (and get on a reasonable repayment plan) - this should be the only debt we are carrying in to 2020
Health & Wellness
1. Exercise 3x per week
- 5 out of 13 days so far - not great, needs improvement
2. Minimum of 80oz of water per day
- 3 out of 13 days so far - an embarrassment! In fairness, most days I only fall a few ounces short but I feel like if I counted that it would be cheating
3. Do various food challenges (no carbs, no sugar, no processed foods, meatless Mondays, etc)
- smoothie challenge from last week was a fail (2 out of 7 days). Starting over today, so far so good
Finances
1. Get out of debt - minimum payment of 300/month with additional ideas and ways to increase payments listed below
- this is going well; I've managed to put more than the minimum on so far
2. Do various challenges - spending fast, pantry challenge - money saved goes on to debt
- currently challenging myself to keep groceries below $400, more on that below
3. Buy second hand, no new books all year
- nothing purchased yet!
4. Do all survey receipts, petro points receipts - use points accumulated for gift cards, extras for us (a want not a need) - currently have $123 in petro points (started the year with $121)
5. 20 minutes a day for swagbucks surveys - use points accumulated for gift cards, extras for us (a want not a need) - currently have $65.12 in points (started the year with $61)
6. Raise money by selling things - extra money goes on to debt OR is used for extras only (a want, not a need)
- have a few things to return this week
7. Be diligent about price matching, frugal shopping, wasting less (food) and only buying what is needed
- so far so good
8. Reduce monthly groceries gradually & put the extra money on to debt - current budget is $400/month, lets see how low it can go
- total groceries for January so far is $86.28 - spent $16.88 this week on needs for the baby (milk, eggs, etc).
9. Buy new car and pay down as much as possible (and get on a reasonable repayment plan) - this should be the only debt we are carrying in to 2020
Health & Wellness
1. Exercise 3x per week
- 5 out of 13 days so far - not great, needs improvement
2. Minimum of 80oz of water per day
- 3 out of 13 days so far - an embarrassment! In fairness, most days I only fall a few ounces short but I feel like if I counted that it would be cheating
3. Do various food challenges (no carbs, no sugar, no processed foods, meatless Mondays, etc)
- smoothie challenge from last week was a fail (2 out of 7 days). Starting over today, so far so good
4. Get serious about diet/food
5. Reserve drinking for weekends and/or special occasions
- so far so good
6. Read for 20mins per day
- 6 out of 13 days, needs improvement
7. Read one book per month
8. Live in the moment - worry less (worrying means you can’t possibly be living in the moment)
9. Less nagging, more loving
10. Less judging, more enjoying time with people
11. Less judging, more enjoying time with people
And some newly added ones:
12. Blog once a week
- 3 out of 3
13. Spend more time with positive people
- can't say that I'm exactly around negative people right now so I call that a win
14. Spend more time with family
- hung out with my parents on Friday and my brother & family on Sunday
15. Get my back looked after and be pain free by the end of 2019
16. Go to the dentist regularly
Organization
1. Clean out under the basement stairs
2. Take on a minimalist approach - get rid of “stuff”, clear the clutter
3. Stay on top of cleaning by doing something small daily/every other day
And some pictures from my daughter's 18th bday celebratory dinner...
5. Reserve drinking for weekends and/or special occasions
- so far so good
6. Read for 20mins per day
- 6 out of 13 days, needs improvement
7. Read one book per month
8. Live in the moment - worry less (worrying means you can’t possibly be living in the moment)
9. Less nagging, more loving
10. Less judging, more enjoying time with people
11. Less judging, more enjoying time with people
And some newly added ones:
12. Blog once a week
- 3 out of 3
13. Spend more time with positive people
- can't say that I'm exactly around negative people right now so I call that a win
14. Spend more time with family
- hung out with my parents on Friday and my brother & family on Sunday
15. Get my back looked after and be pain free by the end of 2019
16. Go to the dentist regularly
Organization
1. Clean out under the basement stairs
2. Take on a minimalist approach - get rid of “stuff”, clear the clutter
3. Stay on top of cleaning by doing something small daily/every other day
And some picture :)
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| Breakfast of champions - spinach pancakes, grapes & breakfast sausage |
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| She loves her food...whole wheat pasta with chicken & tomato sauce |
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