Kid-ism of the week:  As we were getting ready to go swimming, I asked my son to put on his flip-flops.  He said, "Mama, where are my slip-slops?"  We got a chuckle - once wet, plastic sandals are more fittingly called slip-slops!

It's amazing how grown up my 3-year-old seems right now.  Yesterday, we bought him a small backpack to use when we are at large events this summer.  I put a piece of paper in it with our contact information and his emergency contacts.  I explained to him how he could use his backpack if he got lost.  We talked about safe people and role-played going up to a mom with kids or a police officer to ask them to call the numbers in his backpack.  I was hoping he would retain enough to mumble "backpack" if he got lost.  However, a few hours later, I heard him explain the entire idea in near-perfect detail to his 2-year-old brother, who threw a fit until I put the same paper in his little backpack.  Kids are so much smarter than we give them credit!

Here is our week plan:

	Sunday	Monday (F)	Tuesday	Wednesday (F)	Thursday	Friday (F)	Saturday
Breakfast	Crepes w/ berries	Cereal	French toast w/ Coconut Syrup	Cereal	Scrambled Eggs w/ toast & fruit	Cereal
Snacks	None	Teddy Grahams & Watermelon	Dried fruit	Edamame	Fruit pops	Traveling food: Apple slices Dried Fruit Goldfish Teddy Grahams Carrots
Lunch	OUT	OUT	Cheese Sandwiches w/ green salad	Leftovers	Parmesan Garlic Rolls w/ fruit
Snacks	Apples & oranges	MG tortilla chips w/ salsa	Fruit pops	Mud Slides	Rice cakes w/ peanut butter
Dinner	Cheese & MG Crax	Lasagna (K5) Homemade sauce	Curried Bow Tie (Home 50)	Hot dogs w/ carrot sticks	Chicken Skewers (Home41)	OUT
Activities	Church Day Mother’s Day	Grocery Day 8:30 Preschool 4:00 Gymnastics 4:15 Zumba	Library Day 8:30 Weights 9:00 Zumba 10:10 Story Time 2:30 Playdate/Lillid	Friend Day 8:30 Preschool 10:30 Play group 5:15 Zumba 6:00 Kira	Activity Day 9:00 Zumba 10:00 Ballates	OUT	OUr Grand Adventure with Daddy!

Recipe key:

Home = Semi-Homemade by Sandra Lee
K = 52 Weeks of Meals for Picky Eaters

However, I didn't like the lasagna recipe.  Here is my recipe for healthier lasagna:

1/2 package multigrain lasagna noodles, cooked
1 lb organic, grain-fed ground beef
8 ounces all-natural cottage cheese
8-10 ounces part skim milk mozzarella cheese

Sauce:
1 lb pureed tomatoes (I do half Roma and half stew-type tomatoes)
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. basil paste
1/2 onion
1/2 green or red pepper
1/2 stalk celery
1-2 tsp oregano
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Finely chop garlic, onion, pepper, oregano, and celery in a food processor.  Brown in olive oil until translucent and scent is pungent.  Add pureed tomatoes.  Bring to a slow boil and cover, permitting to bubble for 30-45 minutes until the flavor is strong and some of the liquid has evaporated.

Our family doesn't like chunky sauces, so I use an immersion blender to finely puree the sauce.  Then I add the ground beef and let it stew for 5-10 minutes.

Once sauce is prepared,  layer in this manner:
1. Noodles
2. Cottage cheese (or Ricotta - I don't like Ricotta)
3. Sauce
4. Cheese - remember that the cheese is what holds the lasagna together, so don't be skimpy)

On the top layer, only pour sauce.  The multigrain noodles will be soft and not chewy if you add enough sauce and let the lasagna sit for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Lasagna is not for the rushed!

Bake lasagna for 30 minutes at 350 degrees until the cheese is smooth and warm throughout.