Weekend Cooking; Pinterest Oatmeal and my dinner plans

We've all been healthier this week and I've made a few good dinners.  It's been busy though and our tree is being decorated in bits and pieces.  Unlike the beautiful ceremonial traditions of decorating the tree together that other families might participate in we've done a little here and there all week long.

Groovy Girl has an electronic addiction and can often be found watching HGTV before anyone else is up.  One day this week we came down and she was watching a redecorating show that not only spruced up a couple's condo but made it ready for Christmas as well.  The couple have no children and were looking for a very neutral/natural look.  Husband, wee girl and I were all transfixed as we ate our cereal and watched how they transformed their space into Christmas without splashing it with red and green.  The next day husband and I chatted with GG about what we liked about the decorations and we formed our own plan.

We created our own natural ornaments using a big tube of green balls from Hobby Lobby.  The matte and sparkly balls we kept and hung but the super shiny more traditional balls we wrapped in a natural oatmeal yarn I had on hand.   We also happened to have a bag of pine cones from my mother's farm and we've hooked those around the tree to blend in also.  My husband hated the idea of spending $15.00 on new lights to decorate the tree so he loosely went round twice on the skirt and left them laying.  Interesting.  It looks great except when it starts to turn dark in the house and the ornaments have nothing to light the way.

What have I cooked this week?

Monday-organic chicken breasts, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, and salad.  This meal was so "traditional" I felt like I wasn't at my own house.

Tuesday-cheese quesadillas with salad on the side. I had these plated up beautifully but failed to take a photo of them.

Wednesday-$5.00 pizza for Teenage Boy.  I slow cooked garbanzo beans that night though prepping for a later meal.  One day of carry-out is still pretty unusual for us but we have two plays going on and I have forgiven myself already.

Thursday-Husband's night to cook and he made/burritos which were yummy!  I love it when he has a plan and carries it out.  Thank you sweetheart.

Friday-we had leftovers and appetizers as we were all heading to different events.  (I prepped and roasted the butternut squash, which is the last vegetable to be eaten from our garden!) I am always happy with chips and salsa for dinner.

Saturday-I am making a pasta recipe using the golden squash, some spinach, and some of the garbanzo beans based on this recipe from Epicurious and a recipe my mother-in-law sent me.

I made a wonderful baked oatmeal dish this morning that I found as I lay in bed early (like 5 am) and used my time to scroll through pinterest.  At around 8:30 when I actually forced myself to get up I tossed this dish together in my slow cooker and it made the house smell so flavorful!  Groovy Girl dismissed it as too creamy (yes, she is a brunette Goldilocks) but husband and I gobbled it up. He ran a Jingle Bell race this morning and I cheered him on so we were both chilly.  The next time I make it I would chop the apples up more.  I only sliced them using my OXO apple slicer and that was the first thing that bothered GG-huge soft apple slices in the middle of her bowl.  Oh, the horror!  Husband and I will be eating this all week long for an excellent breakfast treat.

(brown sugar, cinnamon, and sliced apples ready for oatmeal)

We are about to eat the pasta, butternut squash, spinach dish. I made large cheese curls from a Parmesan cheese triangle but I also have some fresh Gorgonzola from our dairy because their is something about squash that pairs well with Gorgonzola's pungent flavor.

This post is linked to Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking meme.  Click to her link to find other food-related posts.

In other news I really want these gorgeous purple shoes, love the price but hate spending $10.00 on shipping.  What do you do?  I am about half way through Louise Erdrich's The Round House and love her writing.