Sneak Peek of Summer

We got a little sneak peek of summer the past several days with temperatures in the low 90s. Compared to the days of 70 degrees before that it felt HOT, but made for a great reason to get the pool out and spend a lazy weekend swimming and eating watermelon, or both at the same time in Audrey's case.

We did manage to get a little work done also. Audrey helped me plant our garden at the end of last week. She took putting the seeds into the ground extremely seriously!

We planted beans and mini-romaine lettuce. After doing some very quick and very rough mental math I figured on the day we planted these we had about 70 days until we move. The lettuce will be no problem, we should be able to start harvesting in about 40 days, but the beans, well the package says 74 days. I might be pushing my luck a little. Or a lot. We'll see. But I just had to plant more than lettuce, plus I really want to make some more dilly beans. We have one just one jar left and I am basically hoarding it.

Have you planted a garden yet this year? Please do it for me so I can vicariously live through you. I've pretty much already begged everyone I know to plant an extra tomato plant for me so I can make more sauce this year.

Completely Unrelated Thoughts

1. Recently I've stumbled on some new food blogs that are AMAZING. Serious knock-your-socks-off material. Both Yammie's Noshery and How Sweet It Is have become two of my favorite daily reads. Definitely check them out.

2. The whole potty training thing seems to be working. She's only had two accidents in the last three days! We've even ventured out of the house several times without any mishaps.

3. This kale salad is definitely my new favorite thing. In fact we made homemade donuts last night (a totally glutenous move after having already made and consumed homemade fried chicken) and as the fresh, warm donuts were sitting on the counter I was sneaking bites of leftover kale salad out of the refrigerator. Sickening, I know. I could seriously eat it everyday, and have been.

4. We got our house plans back from the designer. It is so fun to see our ideas drawn up so perfectly. We still have a couple of small changes to make, but we are one step closer to getting this project underway.

5. Did you see this post from The Painted Hive? I totally and completely plan on copying her. Genius idea, right?

Becoming a Hippie

I've always been a "smart shopper," seeking out the best deals, buying in bulk, shopping at large chain retailers and for the most part, I've been satisfied with that. I came to accept that the produce at such stores can sometimes seem less than fresh and that you have to look closely at expiration dates, but hello, I was saving money. Lots of it. Sometimes, just for fun, I would go to the local co-op or wander through the Farmer's Market, I loved everything about going to those places, the fresh produce, the milk in glass jugs, the friendliness; but inevitably I would always think to myself, "I can't believe someone would pay _____ for a _______ (insert item)". In the end it always came down to money for me. 

Recently that has all changed. Not because we are making any more money than we were before, we're not, but because I've become more aware of what is happening with our food system. You can blame the documentaries, we've been on a kick watching them lately, but really I think this has been a long time in coming.

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This is about supporting the small, local farmer, and knowing what is in our food and where it came from. It's about eating less processed junk that doesn't do us any good. It's about teaching our kids (no, I'm not pregnant, I'm speaking about our collective kids, I'm on a bit of a soapbox here, go with me) what real food is and how it should taste. It's about sustainability and treating animals, even if you plan to eat them, humanely. It's about supporting businesses that treat their employees well. It's about keeping our planet from turning into one big trashcan. It's about our health.

So we are making some changes around here. Not only are we changing our mindset, but we are also letting ourselves be a little less frugal in exchange for better food. Sure it costs more and right now we could use every penny we have, but we think this is important. To compensate our portion sizes are a little smaller, and probably more appropriate, and we aren't eating meat as the centerpiece of our meal each night. And we are taking this just one step at a time. Last week we bought our first dozen of local, cage-free eggs and most of our vegetables at the co-op. Maybe next week I'll buy our milk there too.

One benefit I didn't foresee when we started this was how much more I would enjoy the food we prepared. Not only are the flavors better because we are better food and what is in season, but the food feels special, like it is a treat. More than ever before we are not just eating up our leftovers, but really enjoying them.

Along with the change in our eating and shopping habits, I'm going to be giving this little blog a bit of a makeover as well. So please bare with me if you see links appearing and disappearing and a few wonky things over the next several days. Hopefully I'll get it all ironed out soon. 

Happy Monday!

We spent most of our weekend here...

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 ... ok, well not really there, that isn't our bathroom, although I wish it was. Our bathroom is more like a tiny box with a toilet, a builder grade sink, and a light that takes five minutes to get bright after you switch it on, trust me when I say you aren't missing out by not seeing a picture of it. However you might be missing out by not getting to see a picture of how cute Audrey looks sitting on the toilet with her leg warmers on, but I just could not do that to her. This is the internet after all and I know that I for one am glad that there aren't any pictures of myself sitting on a toilet floating around somewhere in cyberspace.

Anyway, point is we spent a lot of time in the bathroom this weekend. Potty training. I would love to say it was a complete and total success, but that would be a bit of an exaggeration. Little miss is definitely on her way to a diaper free world, but still needs a bit more practice. I'm crossing my fingers for even more successes today. 

How did you spend your weekend?

Photo Friday: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and Busses too!)

We flew up to Portland last weekend to celebrate Easter with my family. Audrey LOVED all of the different modes of transportation that flying involved; the car to the airport, the bus to the terminal, the train to the gate, and of course the plane. She was literally running, fake-jumping (her feet never leave the ground), and shouting "Hooray, big airplane" as we were boarding. Luckily her excitement never wore off and she traveled like a champ. Unfortunately however, we were also able to confirm (after the bus ride back to the car on the way home) that she definitely gets carsick. Anyone else have a carsick toddler? Any advice?

Have a great weekend!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Today we officially become land owners! As with most things, the process took many times longer than we expected, but now we are anxious to start getting our hands dirty.

First things first we need to put in driveway access. Hopping over the neighbors barbed wire fence anytime we want to get on the property just doesn't seem like a good long term option.

Plus, we took our plans to a designer a couple weeks ago to have them drawn up officially and should be getting them back any day now. I can't wait to see how they turned out. 

A Must Try Recipe: Tuscan Kale Salad

I tried kale for the first time just last year and loved it. Since then though I've only used it a handful of times, mostly in pasta dishes. Although I love the flavor and texture I didn't really know what else to do with it.

Which is why I was so excited when I came across this recipe from True Food Kitchen for Tuscan Kale Salad. We tried it last night. It was delicious. The texture is perfect, the dressing is light with a hit of spiciness, and the recipe is easy. A total winner in my book. You should definitely give it a try.