5 Random Thoughts

on May 14, 2012
in All Posts

#1 – This is what I had for lunch.  A mix of brown rice, corn, broccoli, lentils, and balsamic.

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The Husband remarked that I’m going to burn myself out on balsamic dressing as a sauce, much like I burned myself out on Mmmm Sauce (still tasty, just burnt out), Panda Puffs cereal (cannot stand the thought of consuming Panda Puffs ever again), and the Dave Matthews Band song Satellite.

 

Seriously – am I the only one who can’t listen to Satellite without cringing?

Ahhh.

#2 – My latest attempt at pregnancy fitness is beating the dogs up the stairs.  James is hard to beat – he’s a big boy.  But Maggie?  She has little dachshund arms and legs. She’s two inches off the ground.  I should easily be able to beat her up the stairs.  But she beats me EVERY SINGLE TIME.  Toughest personal trainer ever.

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#3 – Delicious snack.  That’s all.

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#4 – Does anyone else feel like all they ever do is load and unload the dishwasher?  I’ve written a million of times that my least-liked chore is the dishes (I know, I know – if I didn’t have a dishwasher, it would be a million times worse… and this is a total first-world problem.  Indulge me….).  But I feel like ALL I DO is load and unload the dishes.  And then we get stuck in this crazy vicious cycle in which dishes pile up in the sink, so by the time we load the washer, there’s a full load, which we avoid unloading for a day… only creating more dishes in the sink.  Help.  I’m stuck in a dishwasher cycle of doom and can’t escape.

 

#5 – I have discovered the secret to making excellent boxed macaroni and cheese.  You know how it gets too runny if you add the recommended amount of milk to the powdered cheese mix?  Then it’s all watery and the cheese isn’t covering the pasta equally. Very disappointing!  Solution – drain the pasta and then just mix the cheese in dry.  No milk.  The little bit of water on the pasta creates the perfect, thick cheese sauce.  Tada!

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Yes, the fact that I have developed a mac and cheese ‘method’ is definitely a sign that I have been eating way too much of the cheesy stuff (the Trader Joe’s gluten free type is amazing).

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That’s a wrap.  What random things are bouncing around your brain this Monday?

{ 56 comments }

 

  • Clare May 14, 2012, 8:08 pm

    I have three kids. Unloading and reloading the dishwasher is practically my full-time job 🙂

  • Karen May 14, 2012, 8:27 pm

    Greek yogurt is phenomenal in mac n cheese!

    • Ali May 15, 2012, 12:27 am

      Yes! I do this too!

      • Kristen May 15, 2012, 1:04 am

        I usually go the goat cheese route but I’ll have to give this a shot mmmm

  • Maura @ My Healthy 'Ohana May 14, 2012, 8:33 pm

    I agree, I’ve been making my mac and cheese like that for a while now and don’t miss the extra milk/butter!

  • Lauren May 14, 2012, 8:37 pm

    NOOOOO please don’t cringe at DMB! LoL 🙂

  • Amber @ Busy, Bold, Blessed May 14, 2012, 8:53 pm

    My amazing boyfriend does a lot of loading and unloading, while I’m cooking dinner. He’s the best! My most hated chore is the laundry. I’ve only done one load in the past month (or more?) and now I have 6 full loads! Guess what I did tonight?

    I love mac & cheese. Good call on the prep method!

  • marie-pier May 14, 2012, 8:59 pm

    Proud lover of DMB. Always did, always will 🙂

  • lynne @lgsmash May 14, 2012, 9:04 pm

    That’s how I make my mac n’ cheeze too! You’re exactly right – it’s not runny and just perfect. No milk, no buttah.

  • Jen May 14, 2012, 9:07 pm

    Caitlin, you need to try this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lentil-bulgur-salad/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=lentil%20bulgur%20salad&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

    I make it all the time for lunch and it’s sooo filling and good! I add chickpeas (or chicken breast if I have leftovers) to up the protein content, but I love that it makes a lot and it keeps really well in the fridge for up to 5 days. There’s my random thought for tonight, lol.

    Oh, also…I would KILL for a dishwasher. We rent and our lease doesn’t allow d/w’s so we’re stuck with handwashing. I’ve seriously considered switching to paper cups & plates a ridiculous amount of times in the 6 years that we’ve lived here!

    • CaitlinHTP May 15, 2012, 8:44 am

      That sounds AWESOME.

  • Sarah May 14, 2012, 9:09 pm

    I have loved Dave Matthews Band since they came out and I have always hated Satellite. It’s whiny and grating. Whiny songs kill me.

  • Rachel Starr May 14, 2012, 9:13 pm

    I feel like I do load after load of laundry! How do two tiny humans produce so much dirty clothes???

  • Michelle May 14, 2012, 9:20 pm

    What Balsamic do you use? I LOVE Balsamic dressings!

    • CaitlinHTP May 15, 2012, 8:44 am

      Trader Joe’s Italian Tuscany (it’s basically balsamic, not Italian)

  • Joanna May 14, 2012, 9:29 pm

    You have to try Greek yogurt mixed in to Mac and Cheese! It makes it so thick and creamy! The key is to not use very much otherwise I think all you taste is yogurt. I think 4-5 TBS is about right. It works
    really well with all the Annie’s varieties. We like to mix in broccoli for an easy meal.

  • Katie @ Peace Love & Oats May 14, 2012, 9:36 pm

    Hahaha, that’s how I know if I’m eating too much of something – when I develop special techniques…

  • Angie May 14, 2012, 9:57 pm

    I totally feel that I load and unload the dishwasher too much, just about everyday! But on the positive side, we are probably eating healthier because we eat most meals at home.

  • Lina May 14, 2012, 10:03 pm

    #2 – I hate stairs.

    #3 looks delicious.

    #4 – I sometimes loathe dishes, but thankfully I am in rotation at our house. Doing dishes for 12 in our house seems to take forever! Haha, I would welcome only 2 to load for!

  • Amy May 14, 2012, 10:55 pm

    We have a family of 5. We run the dishwasher at night and then empty it in the morning (when we’re waiting for the coffee to brew) and then we load it as we use dishes during the day. I can’t stand to have dirty dishes in the sink. Drives me crazy. So, if you only have two in your household, maybe run it every second night, but if you empty it as soon as it’s clean and then load it as the day goes on it doesn’t get to be such a burden.

  • Rebecca May 14, 2012, 11:15 pm

    We don’t have a dishwasher. We don’t wash dishes often enough. Right now there are a few in the sink and the majority are in the drying rack thing. We only have a week of school after this week, so I’ll have to do dishes by sometime next week. Maybe bring the majority of them home this weekend… I would love to have a dishwasher. Can’t wait to be home with a dishwasher… Though chores are usually bearable if I have company, like doing dishes with my dad. 🙂

  • Krista May 14, 2012, 11:35 pm

    You can’t let the dishes pile up in the sink, you have to rinse & immediately put them in the dishwasher, once you fill the dishwasher, run it, & immediately unload when it’s done. If you get into this habit you won’t feel like you’re constantly loading & unloading. For two people you will probably have it run it every 2 days or so.

    And I love the song Satellite! It’s one of my favorites!!

  • Casey May 15, 2012, 12:25 am

    The dishwasher thing made me giggle and then made me grumpy just thinking about it. I SO feel you on that. I literally do load/unload it once a day and for some reason it’s just ridiculously annoying!

  • Laura @ She Eats Well May 15, 2012, 12:47 am

    Um didn’t know TJs made a gluten-free mac and cheese. Will definitely pick some up on my next shopping trip…!

  • Kristen May 15, 2012, 1:09 am

    Its completely ridiculous (and I have no good reason for why I feel this way since its the most basic, no labor involved task) but I HATE refilling the Brita water jug…I always expect cold delicious water but somehow always avoid actually filling it. My roommate thankfully does not care that she gets double brita duty 🙂

    Oh and ps. I hope that its not possible to get sick of balsamic because yummm I love it. Try a balsamic reduction drizzled (or dumped) over basil, baby spinach,
    strawberries and goat cheese (optional)<–yumm x10

    • CaitlinHTP May 15, 2012, 8:43 am

      haha i feel the same way about the water pitcher

  • Alison May 15, 2012, 2:25 am

    I’m TOTALLY with you on the dishwasher cycle!! We end up doing a dishwasher load AND dishes by hand almost constantly…how on earth do two people use up so many dishes??

  • Sara Berry May 15, 2012, 6:55 am

    You can also add part or all of a small jar of sweet potato baby food – it adds good flavor, creaminess, a little thickness and some nutrition. Yummm.

    • CaitlinHTP May 15, 2012, 8:42 am

      What a good idea!

  • Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin May 15, 2012, 7:55 am

    I’m actually happy to unload the dishwasher now that I’m home for the summer because my apartment at school doesn’t have one, so I feel like all I ever do there is wash dishes by hand! 😛

  • Lee May 15, 2012, 8:19 am

    YES to the dishwasher. I am always loading and unloading it and there still seems to always be an overflow of dirty dishes in the sink.

  • Sara May 15, 2012, 8:40 am

    Dishwasher issue: My husband feels the same way. (He’s the washer of dishes.) Every day/night he complains that there are always dishes! That’s the problem when you eat dinner at home on real plates (and take your lunch to work in little containers.) Your dinner: It encompasses all of my favorite things! Carrots–love, Mac and Cheese–love a little too much, tofu–love and pears-LOVE! Pure love. And I never make mac and cheese per the directions. But, when I was a child, my grandma always made me mac and cheese when I went to visit her and she would always ask if I wanted it “soupy.” 🙂 That was her term. I kind of like it soupy because it’s like a cheese soup and if you drop in pieces of broccoli–yum.

    • Sara May 15, 2012, 8:42 am

      P.S. my dogs ALWAYS beat me up the stairs, no matter how hard I try. I bet the cats could beat me …

  • Katie @ Soulshine and Sassafras May 15, 2012, 8:49 am

    That mac and cheese tip just blew my mind.

  • TiffanyS May 15, 2012, 9:19 am

    If I add too much milk to the mac I just toss in a handful of shredded cheese. It makes it super creamy and the kids love it!! If I want to healthy it up I’ll toss in some peas/carrots or tuna. I don’t think we ever out grow mac n cheese!

  • Claire @ Live and Love to Eat May 15, 2012, 9:36 am

    I always make my sauce thicker than it calls for – I usually use about 1 tsp of butter and just a splash of milk. Mmm. 🙂

  • Kate @ life's precious moments May 15, 2012, 10:00 am

    I love that song 🙂 haha if we all liked the same songs then there would only be one artist out there.

    I am now craving some mac-n-cheese!

  • Liza May 15, 2012, 10:08 am

    I always forget about the DMB song! Which means I’m definitely not burnt out on it (yet.)

    I am a mac & cheese fanatic… and I’ve always skipped adding milk or water. I just use a scoop of butter or margarine. (oinkety oink oink!) Soooo good, though.

  • Beth @ DiningAndDishing May 15, 2012, 10:09 am

    Emptying the dishwasher is a crappy chore! I hate how some things (tupperware) never dry off on their own so you have to dry dishes while putting them away. I thought dishwashers were meant to do all the work for you!

  • Casey May 15, 2012, 10:44 am

    I love DMB but I am totally like that with the song Crash! It just irks me

  • Cait May 15, 2012, 10:59 am

    ughh the dishwasher gets me everytime. Only 3 people in my house, but we go through dishes like there are 10 ppl!

  • Marysa May 15, 2012, 11:29 am

    I feel the EXACT SAME WAY about the dishes and dishwasher. I feel like I can spend the entire weekend doing dishes only to have a huge mess Monday night. What helps is hand washing pots and pans to make more room in the dishwasher but between my roommate and I we are washing 1-2 pans/pots each day. It’s terrible, I hate it. There needs to be some sort of method to curb this madness!!

  • Donna May 15, 2012, 11:49 am

    I think I was quite possibly TORTURED by the song Satellite in college one summer when my roommate put it on repeat ALL night because she swore that was the only way she could sleep. I now get violently ill when I hear even one note of that song 🙂

  • Jessica May 15, 2012, 12:05 pm

    if you are breastfeeding and working (or just pumping because you have to), you will go through SO many bottles. we run the dishwasher every day, without fail. and I totally hate unloading it. agreed, if i never hear any of the big dmb #1 hits again, it will be too soon. but in 1995 I wanted to BE Mrs. D Matthews. good luck with the last stretch of your pregnancy.

  • Rae May 15, 2012, 12:08 pm

    LOL, after your Maggie comment, I have this video going through my head…
    http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=meet+the+robinsons+video%2c+tiny+arms&view=detail&mid=2748D2961790BD9852BB2748D2961790BD9852BB&first=0&qpvt=meet+the+robinsons+video%2c+tiny+arms

    help! I have these tiny arms!!!

  • Claire Zulkey May 15, 2012, 1:09 pm

    Pregnancy question for you: Did you experience any abdominal pain after any particularly strenuous workouts? I am still feeling it from going at it too hard at a 5K this weekend and am wondering if I should be worrying about this.

    • Caitlin May 16, 2012, 10:09 am

      No I didn’t. I would maybe call my doc though. Are you sure you aren’t dehydrated?

      • Claire Zulkey May 16, 2012, 3:52 pm

        I called my doc so we’ll see but I have a feeling it’s not dehydration since it seems like I’ve been drinking ALL the water! I’ve read that physical activity aggravates round ligament pain so maybe that’s it. Bummer because exercise helps me feel semi-normal.

  • judi May 15, 2012, 1:12 pm

    I continue to eat my fair (large) share of Panda Puffs. And your share too. YaWelcome! 🙂
    And p.s. I told my fiance that I’d only marry him if he promised I didn’t have to unload the dishwasher. Heh.

  • Lindsay Loves Veggies May 15, 2012, 2:00 pm

    I am sooo with you on the dishwasher thing! I’m currently in the piling up stage. I should probably get on that…

  • Amber K May 15, 2012, 2:15 pm

    I swear if I’m not unloading the dishwasher at any given moment it’s because I’m loading it.

    And I actually have never heard that Dave Matthews song before. I don’t usually listen to them, so that’s probably why, lol.

  • Jane May 15, 2012, 3:57 pm

    Hi Caitlin,

    I am thinking of a good way to ask this question. It seems surprising to me that so many people are going gluten free, but all they are doing is substituting the same foods with gluten free versions. To me, this seems like it defeats the purpose. Wondering if you have an opinion on this? And I know all our lives have time constraints and we do what works for us, but my question is more in theory, if you didnt have all these gluten free substitutes what would you do?

    • Caitlin May 16, 2012, 10:08 am

      I’m not sure how gluten free substitutes defeat the purpose of going GF – maybe I am misunderstanding your question! The purpose of me not eating gluten is because I’m allergic to it, so if I can still eat foods that I like and avoid gluten, yay! That mac and cheese is actually a pretty good option in terms of having few ingredients (it’s just rice pasta and cheese).

  • Chaussures nike shox May 17, 2012, 3:19 am

    I’m not sure how gluten free substitutes defeat the purpose of going GF – maybe I am misunderstanding your question

  • Linda @ Lemons May 17, 2012, 7:05 pm

    I hate emptying the dishwasher and so do the other 2 people living in this house, so it can go days without being emptied. I just wash dishes until someone empties the dishwasher, which no one usually does so I finally relent and do it myself. The drama of the dishwasher.

  • Alett June 4, 2012, 10:05 pm

    Ugh. I heard DMB “Satellite” today and immediately had to change the station on the car radio; of course it is now haunting my brain as I type this 🙂

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