This week in meals

Since one of my New Years goals is to bring my lunch to work, I decided that this week I would focus on dinners that can be stretched into lunch without feeling like I was eating leftovers. I also am trying to make sure that these meals are basically healthy for us while still tasting great. Also, on Saturday night when we were out to dinner with friends I had a grilled kale salad and fell in love. I even recreated it for lunch yesterday but PB eat most of it. Its now getting rotated in our usual roasted veggies. PS. Tonight we are going out to on of favorite bars in the neighborhood to watch the B.C.S. National Championship Game and Wednesday we have plans as well so this week might seem a little light.

In clockwise order
1. Fennel Gratin from French Revolution I might try to lighten this one up (Greek yogurt, I am looking at you) but regardless, we love fennel and am excited to take it to a new place
2. Lasagne from Punchfork. A duh. So hearty, can make it healthier and something that I will look forward to eat for lunch.
3. Grilled Kale from Rachael Ray. Ok so the word grilled can be scary for those living in the city but I used a grilled pan for this yesterday and was pleasantly surprised with the results. With just a little olive oil and salt and pepper beforehand, once grilled, I bet you could really dress it however you want. I used mustard, lemon juice and a little more olive oil. Delish!
4. Chicken Chili from The Girl Who Ate Everything. This time of year screams chili to me. My mom makes a really yummy version of white chili and I can't want to replicate it.


What are you eating this week? Anything I should try?

Work in progress

Notice anything different about the blog today? Since part of my goals for the new year has been to fancy up the ol'blog, I decided to attempt to teach myself some tricks and tools in Photoshop (actual Pixlr since it is free). So bear with me as I attempt to make things a little more professional looking around here.

PS. If anyone wants to teach me Photoshop for exchange for something, I am all ears!

Double Booked

Sloan's Planner Seen on NYTimes

How do you guys keep track of your schedule? I have to be honest about this, I am not always the best and have been known to double book myself on more than one occasion. I use my Outlook, Google and my phone calendar all synced and I still sometimes miss things. I used a Filofax when I graduated college and after reading this article in the NYTimes about Sloan Crosleys (disclaimer, I love this woman) affection for her red Louis Vuitton planner and the yearly ritual of replacing the pages, I am tempted to bring back my Filofax. There is something to be said for writing this down in ink! What about you, how do you keep track of your calendar?

My dream version....seen on Fashion Squad

New Years Goals

Like almost everyone this time of year, I have some goals and aspirations for 2013. And since this a public space, I figured that it wouldn't hurt to put them out there...and kinda make me own them even more. So here goes, in no particular order....
1. Bring lunch to work! For a long time, I was doing really well with this. And then for some reason, I fell off. Time to get back on especially since my next goal is...
2. Think about the money that I spend. For a time, my spending freeze was only really for clothes and fun things that they sell at the check out of Urban Outfitters. For 2013, I would like to take it to the next level. I am talking coupons, using cloth napkins instead of paper towels and becoming better at doing my own nails to limit the manicures.
3. Travel. The reason that I am trying to be better about my money is because PB and I have been talking about taking a trip. Maybe Paris, maybe Berlin, maybe some place we don't know yet. But a passport will get stamped.
4. Teach myself blogging tricks. Ok so I know that this blog isn't the visually attractive blog out there. I do like some of the little things on here but I want to be better, for both you and me. So I plan on spending a new extra hours at night and over the weekends to teach myself some tricks of the trade. Just a heads up, when I do learn something new, I will most likely brag and look for some encouragement.
5. Comment more on other blogs. I know how important it is when people take the time to comment on this blog (THANK YOU) and I need to pay it forward. Let others know I virtually love them.
6. Reply! Like everyone else out there, I get a lot of emails. And sometimes I let them sit longer than they need or would like to. I am going to try to be better.
7. Along the lines of personal stuff, I want to work on my tone. When PB and I disagree, I can jump down his throat while he talks reasonably. Not cool Maddy, not cool.
8. Jiggle less in the middle. The favorite of every list. I am not looking to run a marathon, just to think about the food that I eat. To move my body more.   Get your mind out of the gutter.

Any goals that you have for the year? Doesn't 2013 not roll off your tongue? Anyone want me to keep track of how I am doing?

Happy 2013!