What's on the Menu?

It must be getting married and feeling the season's change that is making me feel settled.  After the wedding and honeymoon, reality has sunk back in and it's back to budgeting and grocery shopping.  But I am feeling excited and ready for this planning thing so why not share the wealth?

October makes me think of pumpkin season and fall apples.  I'm not quite ready for pumpkin flavors, but I am in the mood for soups.

I made this soup the other night: Moroccan Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup and it was so good.  Here are some other October soups that might go on the menu this week.

Creamy Wild Rice Soup with Smoked Turkey
All American Chili
All of these sound amazing!! ---  25 Best Soups

But one simply can't eat soup all week so here are some other ideas I had for this week's menu:

Pork Chops with Roasted Apples
Chicken and Root Vegetable Pot Pie
Beef Stroganoff with Sauteed Carrots

It feels so good to be getting back to some comfort foods but always lurking is the danger of overeating.   We are creeping up on the time of year for starches, carbs, and sweets so it's important to compensate.

Since we're on the subject, I should mention the queen of eating for pleasure Mireille Guiliano.  She is the reason for my 15 pound weight loss since I moved to Portland and I just picked up her cookbook to get me in the right mindset.  As my dinner fare is getting heavier, I will compensate by having lighter breakfasts and lunches.  That way when I get to dinner time, I can enjoy my meal without the guilt.  She has some great breakfast and lunch recipes on her site as well.

Orange Glow

Tonight as I was walking to the bus stop after a long day of class/study, I had another chance to fall in love with this city.  I am so happy that the mayor and the police decided to take back the public spaces that were occupied.  They may have thought that the city belonged to them, but it really belongs to me, and to all the other taxpayers that realize that change is possible within a working system.  We don't have to tear down the house to fix a leak.

Gift of Music

How could we exist without music?  Good music is a way to feel free from time for just a moment, and free from all the structures that we've built around time.  I say that sometimes I get lost in the sadness, when I notice the temporal nature of this thing called life.  But a rhythm, a pattern, a song, a genuine laugh, a child, and yes, of course even sometimes a beautiful calculus theory, can lift me out.  I don't hold the secret to happiness...only I think it must be cultivated and sustained.  We have to seek it out.

Philosophy aside, here are some of my "happiness songs" that are forming a base for the wedding playlist.  I think I have the folk music bug.

Also, I went on the most amazing walk today.  This picture doesn't do it justice but autumn is the most amazing time of year (except that it means winter is closer).

Trick-or-Treat!

Smell my feet!

I got to go trick-or-treating last night with three ninjas, a power ranger and a princess.  I felt a little guilty having that much fun because I know the parent's of one ninja and power ranger were sad to have to miss it.  One's kids are only little so long!!  But I had the time of my life. (And it didn't rain!)  A blue sky never goes unappreciated around here.

Happy Fall

School is in full swing and the end of this week will be halfway through Fall quarter!  I went to the university library on Saturday to study Physics, so I got a rare glimpse of an empty campus.  The fall leaves are so beautiful right now, especially since it hasn't been raining!