Curious Bird

:good belly:

I've been on a fermenting kick lately. Quite honestly, I've been on a yogurt-making, pickle-making, kraut-making kick. And, if things go as planned, I'm hoping to make a batch of fresh ricotta this afternoon. Clearly I'm on more than a fermenting kick; I suppose I'm just on a making kick. 

This book has been my inspiration. Please pick up a copy at your library if you can. It's definitely worth a look. And the homemade handpies on the cover are good. Really good. 

Have you been making much in the kitchen lately? Do you ferment any veggies? What's your go-to pickle or fermentd veggie recipe? This recipe looks good, right? It's definitely on my list. 

More soon, 

L. 

p.s. Today at lunch Felix practically ate his weight in the kraut in the photos above. He is certainly my son. 

 

:small steps:

A while ago I mentioned that we have been using a budgeting system (five months and running and thus far it is working well). I also mentioned that since implementing a monthly budget our need for weekly meal planning has become a must. Naturally. Some of you were curious about how we approach budgeting and meal planning, so I thought I'd take a couple of minutes to share what we do. 

First things first, I need to say that I'm a fairly organized and regimented person. I feel much more relaxed when I have a to-do list and a plan. Always have. However, budgets have always freaked me out. I used to think of them as way too rigid and, well, kinda square. In the beginning I didn't know how it would turn out, but pretty much right away I discovered I actually kinda enjoy following a budget. Surprisingly, it feels the opposite of rigid -- I feel like budgeting give me more freedom -- and I also appreciate knowing what I'm working with as opposed to rolling along only to have my eyes POP at the end of each month. We all have our issues and now is probably a good time to admit: My name is Leya and I have (used to have?) a problem with spending too much money at the grocery store. For some people it's shoes, for me it's cheese or caramels or whatever else strikes my fancy. 

After looking around at various options, we decided to try Dave Ramsey's budgeting method. Before you think anything I need to tell you that although I follow that guy's budget guidelines and have read his book, I am certainly not a super fan of ol' Dave himself. I don't care for all of his debt-equals-moral-failing garbage.Blah, blah, blah. But...I do like his super simple guide to saving money and the hyper-organized me loves the monthly budget forms. I REALLY like those forms. And even though the cash-on-hand system (you pull out the cash you intend to spend on food/entertainment/etc. each month and keep it separate) took a little getting used to, we think it really works well for us. If you're interested in learning more, please check his book out from your local library and see what you think. 

As for meal planning,  I sit down most weekends and try to make a plan for the upcoming week. One thing that really works well for me is keeping a binder loaded with those clear binder sheets that I can tuck recipes into. My binder is organized by the meal time and also has separate sections for snacks and drinks. I tend to read lots of food magazines (they relax and inspire me!), and when I see something I like, I tear the page out and put it in my binder. We also have a running list of some of our favorite meals to we pull from. Keeps things pretty simple. And organized. 

In addition to meal planning, I've been able to stick to our food budget (pretty well) and reform my old grocery shopping habits by doing the following:

• making homemade yogurt, and in the warmer months, yogurt pops.
• making homemade vegetable and bone broth -- I keep all the scraps left over from our veggies in the freezer in a big freezer bag. Once the bag is full, I put everything in my slow cooker, adding water up to the rim, and I leave it on low for about twelve hours. I do the very same thing with left over chicken bones. 
• making homemade crackers like these and these.
• preparing extra or double portions of meals so we always have left0vers for lunch the next day (and sometimes for a couple of days)
• working hard to use EVERYTHING we have on hand (i.e. cherry tomatoes going south, I roast them for salads and pasta.)
• using cash instead of credit when food shopping. That trick alone keeps the impulse buys down to a minimum. It's hard to hand over cash without really considering what it's being used for. Or at least it is for me. 

So that's the skinny on our budgeting/meal planning method. 

Onward!

L. 

 

:snaps from the weekend:

Over the weekend...

There was lots of rain...and plenty of time spent playing in it. It probably goes without saying, but the boys were thrilled.

Felix assisted me in making a peach pie. We used frozen peaches and it turned out pretty tasty. 

Dustin and I finally watched American Hustle. And get this, it takes us two nights to watch one movie lately. We're TIRED. 

Our seedings are going wild. The lemon cucumbers Felix planted look especially happy. 

Laundry. Lots of laundry.

Hope your weekend was full of adventure. 

More soon, 
L. 

:apple pies. spiders. stay low and go:

I made an apple pie last night. It needed more apple filling-- I scrimped because Felix really wanted an apple for himself and I caved -- and it was a little heavy on the nutmeg (too nutmegy?) but we had apple pie on a rainy Wednesday night, so I'm going to pat myself on the back any old way. 

My neighbor keeps finding black widow spiders and her stories are freaking me out. She found one in a shoe her three year old left outside overnight. Yep. Terrifying. I will be checking all my shoes twice from now on.

Speaking of terrifying. Roman is pretty much terrified of dogs. He cries and jumps for me when he sees one several feet away. Must work on this...not only because we hope to get a dog someday when the boys are older, but I feel for my boy. Seeing him fearful hurts my heart. I've done some research on ways to help children have a respectful and anxiety-free relationship with dogs. Of course I don't want him to run up to a dog without fear, but the flipside is just as hard. Any tips from parents out there who've experienced this are greatly appreciated. 

Felix has been learning all about fire safety at preschool. I have been told to stop, drop and roll countless times since Monday. It's hard to stop, drop and roll while holding a cup of coffee. ;-) He also learned a new phrase I don't remember from back when I learned about fire safety. STAY LOW AND GO!  

Good friends are passing through tonight on their way back up to Philadelphia. We're ordering take-out. Can't wait to see them and catch up. 

Roman is napping. The house is quiet. It's nice. I'm going to tip toe toward the laundry to move the diapers along. Then I think I'll have a slice of that mediocre apple pie.

Have a good day,

L.

 
p.s. we finished the tee pee we were working on. we used the bamboo I mentioned a while back. 
this was its temporary location until we got it set up in the book nook. I posted a photo of its new location on Instagram this morning. Are you on Instagram? I'm finding it to be pretty dang fun over there.  

:snaps from the weekend:

Hi there. 

Happy rainy (at least in my neck of the woods) Monday to you. 

The weekend is over and I am still smiling because it was such a good one for me. Of course I adore my little ones (man, do I ever) but the weekend was especially great because it was full of lots of much needed me time. I'm learning so much on this parenting adventure, and one of the most important things is that sometimes you have to take care of yourself and it ripples out, making everyone happier. So, yeah, a big ol' AMEN to mama-doing-her-own-thing sometimes!

Now a bit about what made my weekend great.

On Saturday I hosted a clothing swap/brunch with eight lovely ladies in attendance. We sat around on my back porch eating, drinking coffee and/or mimosas, and gabbing.  Then we "shopped" through all the clothes people brought over. I scored several cute new-to-me pieces and was able to pass along many things I no longer fit/like/want. Everyone found some new things and then we packed up the leftovers and took it all to the thrifts. Now my closet is much cleaner AND I'm sitting here wearing one of the "new" blouses I scored. Win.

That was Saturday. And there's more. 

On Sunday I took a cheese making class with a friend. Mozzarella was made, people. And it was edible. We both agree that our batch needed a bit more salt, but it came together and was stretched and it worked!  And the best part is that I now know how to make cheese at home. Not bad, eh?

A good weekend indeed. 

Hope yours was too. 

More soon, 

L. 

:once upon a time:

I bought two bunches of beets. One was golden and one was red. They were cleaned, wrapped in foil, roasted until the skin peeled off with ease, and then cut into wedges and added to arugla, goat cheese, and almonds, becomng the best beet salad I've had in a long, long time. Maybe ever. 

Ina Garten's Balsamic Roasted Beet Salad

I will be making this salad again very soon. You should give it a whirl. If you like beets, I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed. 

:for the love of fizz:

I made my first quart of water kefir last summer. A friend gifted me some of her kefir grains, and I ran with it, making several batches. But...my kefir making adventures came to a screeching halt when Romy joined the family in early September. Go figure. Recently I jumped back on the kefir wagon, and since I really enjoy what I like to call a good ol' kitchen science project (hello, slow cooker yogurt), my water kefir habit is back in business.  

Yay for probiotic fizzy drinks! Good for the gut and tasty to boot. 

Okay, so there are tons of sites dedicated to explaining what water kefir is and how to go about making it. These are a few I enjoy:

Nourished Kitchen

Wellness Mama 

Hullabaloo Homestead 

According to Cultures for Health, "Kefir is a probiotic beverage made with either Kefir Grains or a powdered Kefir Starter Culture. There are two types of grains, Milk Kefir Grains and Water Kefir Grains. Milk Kefir Grains can be used with cow milk, goat milk, or coconut milk. Water Kefir Grains can be used with sugar water, juice, or coconut water. Kefir Grains consist of bacteria and yeast existing in a symbiotic relationship."

I make mine with various kinds of juice -- cherry, blueberry, pomegranate. Next up for me, though, is making a cream soda version, which involves simply adding vanilla. Yum.

Get yourself some grains (there are tons of sellers on Etsy) and give making some a whirl. You might just like it.

More soon,
Leya  

:birthday boy:

Today is my sweetheart's birthday. We had a little cookout celebration with friends last night so we did cake and candles then too. But more cake for us tonight. Woo hoo!

Felix was set on his daddy having a strawberry birthday cake so I followed suit and made it happen. And that little fella was completely blown away when I called him in to the kitchen so he could see the finished cake -- he is very much in the stage of thinking his mama can do pretty much anything and I am going to keep him thinking that way for as long as possible. ;-)  

I used this Ina Garten recipe. I am of the opinion that you just can't go wrong with layers of cake, cream and fresh strawberries. 

I am also of the opinion that I've married the best man. He's hilarious (geez, I wish you all could know just how much) and he's super smart, but most of all he has the biggest heart. That heart of his makes him a great friend to me and others and the greatest dad. 

Happy Birthday, D!! We sure do love you!

:a new obsession:

For my birthday (back in April) I received a wonderful little juicer and we've been going juice crazy around here ever since. Felix gets in on the fun most days-- he loves to drop the fruit and veggies down the chute and watch as the juice and pulp come out. Although I love a good swampy green juice, so far my favorite combo is: apple (granny smith and gala); pear; carrot; celery; and lemon. So bright and tart and tasty.

Do you have a juicer? If so, what's your favorite juice recipe?  

:making a plan:

Hi there, 

I thought I'd take a few moments to write a little bit about something we've recently started doing that has made a big difference to us. Over the last few months we've gotten serious about making a weekly meal plan and sticking to it. This new way of thinking and planning has resulted in some very postitive things happening, namely, that we are eating more thoughtful and healthful meals, and we are actually meeting our monthly food budget.

One of our biggest issues before meal planning was that we (both of us, but mostly me) would make a last minute dinner plan several days a week, resulting in too many trips to the grocery for dinner ingredients AND additional hunger-induced purchases. This kind of shopping was doing a number on the amount of money we spent each month, and it was also wearing me out. A new plan of action was needed. Or...better yet, meal planning (and following said meal plan) to the rescue! 

I'd love to hear your tips and advice, but so far here's how we've been approaching the whole thing at our house:

Each weekend (usually Sunday morning) I sit down with my beloved binder full of favorite recipes, my computer (for bookmarked recipes) and a few of my most used cook books and begin coming up with a plan. It is my goal to plan meals that are simple and healthy without being boring. I am also committed to spending a little more for quality ingredients whenever possible.

I begin by planning all of our dinners because it is my goal for dinner to provide leftovers to be eaten for lunch the next day. Do you do leftovers? We love leftovers at our house, however, I was just talking to a friend who said her family (mainly her husband and son) won't touch 'em at all. Strange birds.

After our weekly dinners are planned, I start thinking about what staples we need to restock and what snack items we could use that week. Felix eats snack every day after he rests and some of his most preferred snacks lately are: apples and cheddar; edamame; pretzels and peanut butter; and hummus with celery. He is also quite  fond of dried fruit, which we now limit after hearing from our pediatric dentist how bad it can be for children's teeth. Yikes. 

Along with whatever we need for meals, my weekly shopping list always includes eggs, milk, bread, and greens (for breakfast, dinner, and smoothies). 

Each week I also try to make a big batch of salsa, hummus, steel cut oats (made in my slow cooker and stored in the refrigerator for breakfast), and homemade yogurt. We have lots of smoothies and smoothie pops because homemade yogurt is super economical. 

 

This week our dinner plan is:

Monday: roasted chicken, sweet potato fries, salad 
Tuesday: sauteed kale and mushrooms over polenta with fried eggs on top
Wednesday: lemon pasta with roasted broccoli, salad
Thursday: veggie enchiladas, spicy adobo rice, avocado slices
Friday: homemade whole wheat pizza dough with veggies and cheese, salad

I would love to hear how you go about food shopping and planning?

Happy Equinox!

-Leya