What Ana Does

Last Spring I started a meal delivery subscription, so they'd send me two complete, vegetarian meals each week. That left me with just two-three meals a week I had to plan and shop for, and a lot more brain space for other things. I couldn't believe how much weekly stress it took off me. I looked forward to those boxes and quickly preparing the simple meals.  Well, we ended that last week when the subscription prices got hiked up and I just couldn't justify the expense. And I had to contemplate my first week back to cooking all the meals. On my own. Every night. SIGH.  I LIKE cooking and preparing a nice meal for my family. And we're lucky that we don't have a lot of after-school activities that make it more complicated to sit together. And I work from home, so you'd think I have a leg-up on the commuters, but it's still a lot to think about, especially on days when I'm thinking about a lot of other things.  Anyway, I decided on a sure-fire strategy. Thi...

Feeling super lucky right now, as I'm researching hotels for a trip to Madrid and Tenerife in the fall!! I guess I go to Europe once a year now. La di da!  Madrid has all these affordable boutique hotel apartments. With lots more space for a very similar price to a standard European shoebox hotel room. It can't be this good, right? And lots in Tenerife to be found, too. Though, we're opting to stay in Santa Cruz, so less in the mix. A Photo From Our Madrid Hostel The last time I was in Madrid was 2002 with my big sister. Like this trip, it was a quick stop over (just a few days) before getting to Tenerife where we have family. We were in our early 20s and stayed in a hostel near the Prado. I dug out the journal I kept on that trip and wrote a lot about the old-world charm of Madrid, the cobblestoned streets, old buildings, large plazas. And the food, of course. Though, I was less adventurous in those days. I was also impressed by how walkable the city was, so ...

I've been feeling a little blue today. Just overall cold and bummed and low energy. So to cheer myself up I made a list of my 2016 accomplishments ... so far ... I sorted out all the holiday decorations , trashed some stuff (except for the Dancing Homer-Santa, I can't seem to part with it) and neatly put away the decorations into tubs, keeping like things together, and labeling each tub. (* I got a label-maker for Hanukkah.) There are two books that have been languishing on my ToRead piles for years: Longbourne and The Night Circus . I DO want to read them, but other books keep making more noise. I'm determined to clean out the pile, so I pulled the audiobooks from the library and started on Longbourne this week -- which I absolutely love. You can tell the author is a true fan of the Pride and Prejudice story, weaving it into the storylines of the house servants.  I dumped Facebook from my phone. It was sucking up my time and it wasn't all that interesting, ...

With soccer season finally over (I have mixed feelings about this), I'll now have some extra time to get back to real menu planning. During soccer season, my weekly dinner menus heavily rely on frozen nuggets and veggies heated in the microwave -- what more can a working mom who gets home from soccer practice at 7pm do? Do you create weekly dinner menus? It's a life-changer. No joke. You'll spend less at the grocery store, throw out less food and help maintain a healthy diet. Plus, silence that nagging "what am I going to make for dinner tonight" question that runs on repeat on your drive home. It's all planned, sister! But it requires dedication. You can't plan a taco night and decide that evening you're in the mood for pizza. No sir! It's on the menu so YOU GET yourself in the mood to eat that taco. (!!) I sit down to plan meals on Saturday or Sunday morning -- depending on when I'm grocery shopping. First, I take a look at the week ahe...