Have you ever found yourself eating a grilled hummus and coleslaw sandwich for lunch and wondered how on earth such a concoction happened to land on your plate?
Oh right, I think it started because I was making soup.
Soup that began with potatoes.
And then some beans were added too.
And then Bean and Potato Soup turned into Bean Potato Onion Carrot Cabbage Soup as I went pawing through the CSA produce to find more soup ingredients.
An amusement park excursion was on the docket for today. And like most day trips, a packed lunch was the first order of business on the agenda.
It is at this juncture that I would like to present our midday meal + snacks for inspection:
Exhibit A: Carrot sticks
Exhibit B: Homegrown grape tomatoes and green pepper slices
Exhibit C: Standard kid packed-lunch fare = two sunbutter and jelly sandwiches on Ezekiel bread, cut into quarters
Exhibit D: Bare bean butt hummus (2 cans, 22 minutes! I’m improving!)
Whenever I get carrots like this:
I feel really cool.
Like – That’s right! My carrots are so crunchy granola they still have their crazy green tentacles attached, yo!
These greens are like mace for hippies. They protect me as I walk back to my car from CSA pick up. They totally say “Don’t mess with my home girl or I’ll latch on to your face and suck the soul straight from your celery stalkin’ body.”
Wow. But hey, you can’t say I didn’t warn you. My carrots love me. That’s the real reason I support local farms you know.
Have you ever run your finger along the side of the near empty Sabra container and wondered:
“how the heck do they make hummus so dang smooth?”
Have you then stuck that hummus covered finger in your mouth and wondered:
“how the heck do they make it so dang creamy?”
Well wonder no more. I’ve busted two of Sabra’s smooth and creamy secrets and I’m here to spill the beans.
The naked beans, that is.
As a family of four living on one income, part of my role as our Domestic Engineer is to be frugal and cut corners whenever I can.
Given that we love to read, I get the majority of the books we devour from the library. It saves us money, clutter – and saves me time too. One less book on the shelf is one less thing I have to dust.
Who am I kidding. I never dust. And I pay enough late fees to the library they could open a new branch in my name.
Last week marked the start of our summer CSA distribution. Among the loot in our weekly vegetable pick up was two heads of bok choy.
Until last year, bok choy was one of those vegetables that I didn’t have the first clue what to do with. Thank goodness for the Breville, that’s all I can say. Bok Choy Lemonade anyone? No? Just me?
It was right about the time that I started to love this member of the cabbage family that I heard about an 88 year old woman who nearly died from eating too much bok choy.
Some where in the span of the last half year – give or take a couple weeks – life went from sickly sweet and seemingly picture perfect to oh-so-insanely soap opera-ish that even Susan Lucci would have to change the channel because she can’t keep up.
Yes, once upon a time I used to watch All My Children. So sue me.
So what did we do with ourselves today you’re surely wondering?
Why we took up the offer of a fellow homeschooling mama to blow this pop stand in favor of the YMCA and burn off some energy this afternoon.
Not me, mind you. I burned off a bunch of energy at 6 AM with my new running friends. These kids though? Yeah. They’ve got a ton energy to burn and let’s call a spade a spade: They are driving me nuts.
It’s not Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give some thought to all the things I’m thankful for these days.
I’m thankful for kids that are too big to fit down the laundry chute.
I’m grateful that the little one who I worry COULD possibly fit down there played at the downstairs laundry chute location that is three feet off the floor.
I’d like to give thanks for salad and what a portable meal it can be. Thank you Gladware for making lunch possible at my new home away from home, while taking a little unpacking break before heading home to get ready for an evening out.
Almost a month ago my sweet friend Cindy asked me if I might be interested in trying a recipe she created. I said “Sure!” and she sent the recipe to me, and that recipe has sat in my inbox all this time, patiently waiting for me to make good on my promise.
Well today is finally the day! Cranberry Orange Bites here we come!
I did a little tweaking of Cindy’s recipe, so check hers out for the original version.
Crust
1 C soaked, raw cashews
4-6 ripe large medjool dates (pitted)
1 Tbsp coconut oil
More Mama’s Weeds
