I love ramen noodles.
It is probably due in part to my brokeass college days and how you could by 13 for a fucking dollar back at the local Stop and Shop. I lived on ramen, Mr. Pepper (Dr., to you regular folks) and Marlboro lights. But now that I am older and trying to live healthier, I have ditched the soda and the smokes.
But I still love me some oodles of noodles.
The problem is, is all the junk that is in regular ramen. And all that damn salt. It makes me thirsty for weeks. So I decided to turn this cheap eats into something a bit more like real food. And I wanted a flavor that I have never seen on the shelf.
This chili lime ramen would have a big "HOT AND SPICY!" label on the package and that's just the way I like it. I added a *heavy* amount of chili flakes, but you can turn it way down to give a sweet, yet spicy, tangy, yet salty flavor.
The sauce made enough for two packages of noodles, so you can either half the recipe or save the rest of the sauce for ramen the next day.
Ramen Noodles with Sweet Chili Lime Sauce
Ingredients:
1 package ramen noodles
3 tablespoons sugar (I used Splenda, since I have the 'betes)
3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1 3/4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 zest of lime
1/2 teaspoons red chili flakes
1 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoons salt
Directions:
~Discard flavor packet from ramen noodles. Cook according to package. Drain.
~Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, whisking to combine. Pour half the sauce over noodles. Eat.
recipe adapted from: here
There has been some conversation between some friends about how much pressure we all feel to live in a house that is magazine ready at all times. The pressure seems to be worse when you love to look at home/living/organization blogs.
I grew up in a house that was neat only b/c my folks were never home to make it messy. Same thing goes for my cousin who I adored in high school - spotless house but her family was never in it. Then I see my neighbors homes and they all seem to be spotless, except for their kids' rooms. And it makes me feel like shit. Like I don't have my shit together, that I am living in filth and that cameras from Hoarders could show up at any minute.
But then I think I have to cut myself some slack. I have a three year old that has to be asked 10000 ways from Tuesday to pick up her room. I have a baby that is *still* not sleeping through the night. I go to bed at 8:30 for christsake.
In short, I think we all need to relax a little. To know that no one is perfect and that while I might talk a big fucking game about my house being clean and organized all the time, the fact is, life gets in the way.
And like standing in my underwear in front of a crowded bus stop, I present the current state of my home:
The blog version of my dining room:
and the real world version:
The blog version of my living room:
And the current state of destruction:
Nice, huh? Lived in. Normal, I would think. A house with two kids under the age of 4. The house of *gasp* a working mom.
There is a bag of dog food in the dinning room that needs to be put away. There is a box of Christmas wrapping paper under the coffee table in the living room. There are towels and toys everywhere in the living room.
And wouldn't you know that when the house is most often in this state is when my neighbor with the magazine ready home shows up to talk about a neighborhood yard sale. Or my other neighbor with the clean house stops in to drop off the casserole dish she borrowed.
I think for the next few years this might be my life. And it might just be ok.
Want to weigh in? Tweet with me and make me feel better about the current state of my house: @thegoodwifeblog
It's time once again for shitty homemade Valentines!
Last year, I made cheesy candy treat bags. The year before it was handmade cards and the year before that was a Valentine Breakfast! Can you tell I like to get my craft the fuck on during a holiday?
This year is no different and so I made owl valentines.
I saved some toilet paper rolls, let The Good Daughter color some paper (I did color some too) and then I hot glued that shit together to make these owls.
And I had to cheese it the hell up by adding sayings like "Hoo's Your Valentine?" and "Owl Love You" and of course "Owl Be Your Valentine."
All in all, it was an easy craft that allowed TGD and I to spend some time together, for me to get some wicked hot glue burns and for all the other 3 year olds at daycare will think are the shit.
What more could I ask for in a craft?
So, its Valentine's Day again and time for something special for The Good Daughter.
Now that she has a lot of responsibilities, I thought it would be a great idea to make her a coupon book to get out of some of them.
So I made her a Valentine coupon book full of coupons for things like "get out of time out." There is only one of those, for my sanity.
The rest are good for things like getting out of one chore or 15 minutes extra of tv/computer/game time.
There are also coupons for unlimited hugs and kisses and cuddles.
I simply printed out the coupons on regular paper, cut them and punched two holes on the side. I cut a piece of pink cardstock and glued the title coupon to the front and tied it all together with some heart ribbon I had left over from last year's Valentines.
If you would like to make this Valentine coupon book with 16 love coupons, just click here for a free printable.
