Now It's My Turn to Take a Quiz

To take a break from the plethora of recipe posts I've been piling on you folks, I happened upon Honeybee in the City (almost wrote "Honey-Boo-Boo"...which I blame on Sir Paul, not actual viewing of the ridiculousness) and her fun little quiz. So, of course, I thought I'd take it! Nice change of pace.

If you're a blogger, feel free to copy-and-paste. Oh, and write in the comments that ya did it! I'd love to see your answers...

1. What is the first thing you do when you wake up?

That depends upon which time you're talking about. The baby wakes up anytime from 3:30am to 5:15am for his first "feeding" of the day (he actually goes back to sleep afterwards). Most of the time, I'm able to get back to sleep at this point, but since I have to grab my phone at that point to set the alarm (I charge it the rest of the night...then Dave's goes off at 5:30...and mine goes off at 6...then the snooze button ensues), I will *once in a blue moon* check FB. But, most of the time I ogle the comfort that is QVC (or PBS, if something good's on) until I fall back asleep.

Oh, and I use the bathroom at some point there, if ya must know. ;-)

2. What is the 3rd picture on your phone? Share it! 

Flooring. Sexy.

3. What TV show are you most excited about returning this Fall?

Eh, maybe just Parks and Rec. Otherwise, I'm excited for some new ones; we can't believe it! Namely, The Michael J. Fox Show, The Goldbergs (I know! I'm surprised, too!), and a handful more. Oh, and I'm into the  new "Genealogy Roadshow" idea on PBS, although I'm not sure it'll last.

4. What is something really popular that you secretly (or not so secretly) loathe?

Probably a lot of things. I'm not really into "current" music (it's a miracle I could choose any current TV shows, honestly). Maybe just the general infectious entitlement that seems to have society in its clutches...that, I loathe.

I'm sure I'll come up with something way better in the middle of a deep sleep....

5. Do you have any pets? Tell us about them! Bonus points for pictures.

Beardslee...

Jasper...

and, last but not least, Winston (aka WeeWee)

All together now...

6. If you could put together one outfit that represents you perfectly, what would it be?

Thar she blows! I'd actually love to find coral flats like that (it's by far my favorite color right now), but my favorite outfit *that I actually own* is a pair of skinny jeans (I know. I can't believe I said that, either), a t-shirt or cami, a blazer (this time of year, a corduroy one or a more "professional" suit jacket will do...sleeves pushed up a la Don Johnson...again, can't believe I just said that), my favorite super-high-but-not-super-tall brown riding boots, and a "statement necklace" of some sort. (Here, I'd do the coral shoes with the navy necklace, brown boots with the coral). Sometimes a scarf (neutral with texture or a not-too-crazy pattern) thrown in on chilly/need a shot in the arm days.

As if I'm into fashion! Psht.

7. What is your favorite adult beverage?

I so infrequently partake these days!!! So...any wine that doesn't take itself too seriously (sweeter side, please!) or an amaretto sour. Beer, anything off the Ommegang list. But anything, as long as the baby's down for the night.

8. What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

Dave says I should mention the occasional "19 Kids and Counting" viewing, but that's like my QVC-watching; it's really just there to have something "calming" on in the background. Generally, I'd say a handful of classic films that I watch again and again, and magazines that don't make me think too awful much.

9. What are 3 positive words to describe you?

Intelligent, silly (I also take that as meaning "funny"), creative. Again, thanks for the help, Dave!

10. What is your favorite Friday afternoon/evening activity?

Not showering. Seriously, I usually shower every afternoon/evening when I get home only to find myself on a dead run to get dinner and everything else underway before the boys get home. Fridays, I tend to say, "Screw it, I'll shower tomorrow morning like everyone else" and get a few extra moments to breathe, reflect on the past week, and do some cleaning so that I REALLY look forward to getting up (eventually) in the morning.

11. A day in the life: What does you typical day look like?

After the whole BFing wicked early thing, I finally get up a little after 6 to help get lunches together, the baby ready, and the boys out the door. I then get myself ready, grab breakfast, and eat it while doing my daily phone call with Mom. I head into work shortly after 8 (we're technically supposed to be there at 8:30), then the day's schedule depends on what day on our 6-day cycle it happens to be. Some are crazy busy and I have a hard time sitting down for a lunch while others allow me a "break" here and there to eat and shelve books and catch up on inter-library loans.

School's over at 3:30, but like most of my colleagues, I stay until after 4. I generally get home between 4 and 4:45, feed the cats their snack, pump, shower, work on laundry, and get dinner underway.

The boys get home anytime after 5:30, at which time we play, have dinner (while a) listening to an old radio show or Pandora station, b) watching Wheel and Jeopardy, or c) just talking). Then, it's Hadley's kitchen sink bath time (still), followed by crawling up the stairs to hear our stories at 8 or so. He's usually down by 8:30 or so, at which time Dave and I work on our own projects or catch up on stuff. We hit the sack around...eh, 10:30 if we're lucky. Needless to say, it's getting to feel later and later, LOL.

12. If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

England...or Canada...or Ireland. Y'know. England or some place that has been under its rule. (Although France and the Netherlands are up my alley, philosophically.) Stateside, some place like VT or western Mass.

13. You've got a whole day to yourself...what will you do?

Depends on what work I have to do!!! If nothing, there will be a constant stream of old movies on in the background (unless I decide to actually GO do something...ha, no) while I work on several writing projects. Wow, that sounds so boring.

14. Dream job?

Writing. Or acting. Or singing. Or puppy hugging. But something that Hadley could tag along for would be sweet.

15. Least favorite chore?

Hmm...I don't LOVE many chores, but I guess there's nothing so bad I won't do it. Maybe...oh, yes, garbage. Dave's my garbage man, and I love him for it.

16. When do you most feel like a rock star?

When all the books on the library cart are re-shelved. Or when Hadley sleeps the whole night through. Or when I wake up thinking, "Aw, crap, it's Sunday" only to realize...yep...it's totally Saturday.

17. What is something you are currently trying to improve within yourself?

Finishing what I start, allowing myself more time for creative projects (tough one) and not beating myself up quite as much.

I'm a Ham

Yes, yes. We all know I'm a bit of a ham -- at least when I get on stage. Probably the reason Dave and I work well together. I don't think I know anyone else who commands a stage (at times while admittedly overacting) quite like he does. His special talent, though, is for people to fully realize that he's hamming it up -- but to enjoy it and fall in love with him, regardless. Now, THAT'S talent, people.

But, I digress. This post isn't really about how hammy we (and, so it seems, our son is). It's actually about a ham dinner I made recently.

(crickets chirping)

Yeah, it doesn't get much lamer than that. (And, yeah, it's another "recipe" post. Neener neener. ;-)) But for those of you who wonder what our meals look like -- you know, the GOOD, I had a little time and energy to put into them meals vs. the after-school-meal-grind meals -- here's an example.

We're still doing pretty well with the weekday vegetarian thing, although we don't beat ourselves up if we end up taking a turkey sandwich (because it's all we have in the house for the "main") for lunch or have the occasion meat-inclusive dinner on a random Tuesday. All things in moderation, people, especially moderation. ;-) But, yeah, for us, we're doing pretty well with it.

However, this particular meal was made on a Saturday, so I felt I had a "Get Out of Jail Free" card. I had also thawed a pound of ground beef (grassfed, local) and a thicker-than-I-realized ham steak (also grassfed, local), so no matter what, meat was on the menu. (Needless to say, the beef was used that Sunday.)

All I had to do for the ham was heat it up (in this case using a grill pan) and maybe throw on a maple mustard glaze; quick and easy. It took far more time to prepare the sides, truth be told. You don't need much direction on the rice -- it was just regular, long-grain (non-instant) rice which we cooked while the broccoli was roasting. I'm trying to retrain my patience since I haven't found any organic instant rice. ANYhoo...

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic

2 heads of broccoli (or 1 large head of broccoli) {side note: ours was organic}
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
Drizzle of olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon, juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon (depending on your taste)
S&P
Sprinkle or two of red pepper chili flakes (optional)

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli to uniform sizes (as close as you can; don't obsess) and place on baking sheet. Add the garlic, olive oil, lemon, and salt & pepper and toss well.

Roast in oven for ~20 minutes. (The garlic may brown quite a bit; that's okay.) Taste and season with more S&P if needed, and add some chili flakes, if using. (We didn't because any vegetables I make these days go into the baby's mouth -- a good thing -- and I'd rather not pain him. ;-)) This is also yummy with some Parmesan cheese.


Maple Glazed Ham Steak

1 ham steak (size doesn't really matter; make more of the glaze if you need, make less if you don't seem to need it; cooking's an art, not a science)
2 - 4 Tbsp. REAL maple syrup (not the "pancake syrup" stuff, please, for the love of God!!!)
1 - 3 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 - 1 tsp. brown sugar (if you have it on hand; I didn't and it was still fine)
Sprinkle or two each of ground clove and nutmeg

Heat your pan (grill or regular) to medium high. Prepare glaze using all the ingredients but the ham. You can either glaze the ham prior to cooking or while cooking (glazing both sides after each is cooked; this creates less burning and more "glazey" flavor than "hammy" flavor).

Either way, since this is a ham steak, you really only want to put a little color on the meat and heat it through (it's already cooked, yay!), so use your judgement. It may need 4 minutes on each side...it may need 6 on the first and less on the second...or five on each. Just be sure to keep an eye on it that the glaze doesn't burn (turn to medium if you're worried about this happening).

* I also did a teensy drizzle of maple syrup over my rice and ham when finished. As Ado Annie says, I CAN'T SAY NO!


So, there you have it. One example of a Saturday evening meal in the ol' hammed-up household. I try to keep it simple these days (since the moment the lil' guy sees me cooking, he starts whining and fussing -- he wants food, and he wants it IMMEDIATELY. We're lucky to have such a great eater, but...), and it's the little things -- Dave loves (...wait for it...) rice. Rice with a meal (or, yes, even AS a meal) and salads, his two favorite things. Well, and maybe a wife who makes them for him without having to ask.

Easy Arse Broth

Yes, another food post! No, I'm not apologizing! ;-) I'm sure you'll get a slew of DIY or Mommy or budget or cat posts at some point soon, so it is what it is.

It also must mean that, although our weather is teetering on warm/unseasonable, I'm ready to jump headlong into autumn (and start thinking about Christmas...which, admittedly, I should've probably done several months ago). We even went on our first-ever apple picking family adventure today -- none of us had gone before! If only Hadley had more than two-and-a-half teeth, he would've eaten his weight in apples rather than sucking and piercing them with his little chompers.

So, here's a little non-recipe that only takes a little time and thought in advance, a tiny bit of prep, and some freezer space. SO EASY!!!

Homemade Vegetable Stock

- Plastic freezer bag full o' veggie cuttings (ANYTHING; we had everything from celery to carrot ends to onion peelings to part of a garlic bulb that I roasted, asparagus ends, and I can't count how many broccoli stems -- but, literally, you can use anything as long as you have a good array)
- Water to cover the veggies+
- Salt (optional; I didn't use any)
- Bay leaf (optional; I forgot to throw it in, so I'll just use one if I make soup with this)

Every time you find yourself chopping some vegetables for salad (or anything else), put the (clean) trimmings into a freezer bag; I keep one just for this purpose. Once it's full enough, fill your pot about 2/3 full with your veggies (throw the rest back in the freezer; I had to do this), then pour in enough water to cover it and then some. Bring this to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and allow to cook as long as you can, at least an hour. The longer it cooks, the more the vegetables are able to infuse the water with their yumminess. Seriously, Dave wouldn't shut up about how awesome the house smelled. With just veg water? Yep. 'Twas awesome.

Allow to cool a bit and strain the contents. Again, allow to cool further (to room temperature) before putting in containers to store. In this case, I froze the larger amounts and threw the smaller jars in the fridge to use when I make rice and sauces.

All in all, I made about 10 cups of stock. Oh, and when we buy stock/broth, we get low sodium to control what our intake is, which is why we didn't use salt. Also, stock is technically unseasoned and ready for use in whatever you want (while broth is seasoned and yummy on its own), so it's all in what you do with it that makes it SO GOOD!

All it took was some time (although it cooked while I was going about my normal what-not) and zero dollars. Win-win!

What would you use this stock for? A good, ol' traditional soup? Or something more exotic? Share, share!

Muffins for My Muffin

Alternate titles: Don't Call Me Muffin. Money for Muffin. Muffin But a G-Thang. This could go on and on and on...

I first made this recipe riiiiiight before I returned to school (and started sending Hadley back to his grandma's house). We hadn't really dabbled into the world of sending solids along too much beyond baby food-ish stuff before the summer, but he got SO into eating real food, I knew it was time to start sending some along. He'll eat leftovers, defrosted/heated frozen veggies, cheese sticks...okay, almost everything.

I heard through the grapevine that he really has a thing for these muffins, so I made another batch to freeze-and-pull to keep the little guy happy. It's good to know he already enjoys "real food." And hopefully you will, too!

The recipe is pretty much this one, which I made pretty much to the T (two versions, one with applesauce that I admittedly used a tad too much of, and the other with blueberries), adding an extra sprinkling of cinnamon to the top before mixing them in. So, please know that this recipe isn't one of my "started with this recipe, made it my own" recipes; I'm literally passing along 100 Days of Real Food's recipe, which I know comes out nummy. :-) 

Fruit, Nut, or Berry (or whatever you want them to be) Whole-Wheat Muffins

Serves: Makes 12 Muffins

Ingredients

• 1½ cups whole-wheat flour (I used organic white whole-wheat flour)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup oil (I used coconut oil; melt it in the microwave first, then measure)
• ¾ cup orange juice or apple juice (I used organic apple juice)
• About 1 cup of total filling (berries, fruit, nuts, etc. – see below for details)
• Muffin/Cupcake liners (I used silicone muffin trays, so I didn't need these)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl with a fork or whisk mix the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the eggs, honey, vanilla, oil and orange juice. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together – do not overmix.
   

   

   For those who may not know what coconut oil looks like (melted), here it is...with some flour in it.

   
   
4. Now here is the fun part. If you are in a hurry just add 1 cup of blueberries, mashed up banana & nuts, or other filling of your choice. If you have 5 or 10 minutes extra (and some anxious helpers) do not add anything to the muffin batter before continuing with the next step.
5. Line a muffin pan with liners and fill ⅔ to ¾ of the way full with batter. If you didn’t already add your filling, sprinkle 1 – 2 teaspoons of whatever you would like (from the list below or from your own creation) onto the top of each raw muffin in the pan. Then gently mix each one with a fork or spoon.
   Here are some options to consider for the fillings:
   - blueberries
   - diced strawberries
   - peeled and diced pears
   - applesauce
   - either diced or mashed up bananas and chopped walnuts
   - raisins and chopped pecans (I add an extra pinch of cinnamon to the muffins with this filling)
   - grated carrot and chopped walnuts
   - orange or lemon zest (only add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of zest per individual muffin)
   - a mix of dried fruit bits
   - jelly
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. After the filling has been mixed into each muffin slide the tray into the warm oven and bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature and freeze some for a later date.  
   
   

   Like I said, I used a bit too much applesauce (only use a teaspoon or even less) and I think the fact that the blueberries were frozen this time made them look a bit different (although they're just as tasty). It could be one of my ingredients, but I've found that these do best stored in a freezer bag in the fridge (or freezer) until you need them.
   
   I'm particularly pleased that there are only two tablespoons of sweetener -- and a naturally-produced one, at that! (You could also use maple syrup, I'm sure. Mmm. I might have done that the first time, actually.)
   
   Here some eye candy I took after our first batch to end for today...
   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

   Side note: Today's World Animal Day. For some ideas on how to celebrate, check out the Green Child Magazine article I wrote for the occasion.

Why We Do What We Do

Monday, I posted a quick survey to see what my readers are thinking (and what they like/dislike/want to see more of on the blog). Here's the link in case you haven't had a chance to take it yet -- and I promise you, I'm not selling your info or any weird thing like that, it just gives me a better idea of who you are and what you're into!

Anyhoo, so far I've heard some wonderful feedback, especially when it comes to what people would like to see/hear more about. One that sticks out to me is hearing more about our change to a more organic lifestyle; the trials, tribulations, cost effectiveness, recipes, farmers market experiences (and what we bought!); also, DIY pieces with the "why" and ideas behind what we're doing. And recipes. :-)

(I'm pretty much paraphrasing the comment that I was happy to read!)

That being said, I thought it'd be a good time for a review and check-in about our decisions, our lifestyle, and even a few words about why I have a blog.

Some of this might be explained by a walk down memory lane (or, as I call it, my Archives page), but for those of you who don't have the time to waste reading my oh-so-wordy accounts of days gone by, I'll give you a quicker spiel.

I never had a huge goal when I started writing here. I didn't want to practice writing more. I didn't want to follow one set path or topic, since life doesn't generally follow set structure (and I wouldn't have stuck with it if I'd boxed myself in, anyway; I guess I'm a free spirit and am not a fan of feeling tied down). 

I did think, however, that it would be nice to have a place to share my thoughts and try out some new things, and to be able to look back and say, "Oh, right, we got Beardslee that year! Oh, I forgot about that pumpkin place, what a fun day that was! Right, that was a yummy meal, I need to make that again." Or, heck, to even be able to go back and remember our wedding a little easier. My memory sucks, by the way.

So, my very first post just so happened to be about something for which I felt uber-passionately in that moment (and still feel passionately about). It also just happened to coincide with Earth Day and related to Food, Inc. (a POWERFUL documentary about the state of the food that we eat...so powerful that we haven't been able to bring ourselves to watch it since, we cried so hard and were so touched). I guess that laid a foundation for an environmentally-conscious blog!

Which I'm profoundly proud and happy about, please believe me! I love my teensy piece of the blogosphere. And I guess I would consider us to be conscientious greenies, in our own way. But we also live life and eat the occasional ordered-in pizza or doctor with traditional medicines (more-so myself than my hubs) and use traditional diapers (a mix; easier with the sitter). I try not to beat myself up that I'm not baking my own bread and making my own granola and soaking my oats (yes, that's a thing) and raising my own chickens.

Plus, I have LOTS of interests outside of the green living realm. My favorite blogs to read have always been design/decor-based (namely DIY), and we're huuuuuuuuge fans of old movies/radio shows and history. I love weird music and books; Dave loves his own weird music and comics. We're all over the place!

I guess I'm saying that teaching our son (and future kiddies) about environmentally friendly practices, sustainable and healthy eating, and general awareness/kindness towards those around us (animals included) are some of our main priorities in life. If I'm able to build up to being a full-blown homesteader, great. But, odds are that we're just going to keep working up to being as green as we can be, and be happy with what we can do.

After all, isn't that really the meaning of life?

So, that being said, I hope to keep blogging about these things. When we get to a farmers market, I'll remember that a few folks actually like to hear about what we purchased (and what we did with it! Recipes!). When we select a certain meat, I'll try to remember to explain WHY grassfed is more sustainable and healthy than corn-fed (broken record or not). I'll explain why we made the choice to eat one thing organic yet another item locally-grown but non-organic. Thanks for jogging my memory -- just mentioning something once isn't always the smartest thing, especially if folks haven't been reading that long.

But, I hope not to come off sounding like this is what any of you should do. If it gets your wheels turning and considering where your food comes from and how it may give you better health in the long term, WONDERFUL!!!! If you'd just rather read those posts to see how we spent our weekend (and could give two hoots about whether the bacon was treated kindly), that's great, too! I'm not here to preach. I'm just here to share my thoughts.

I'm proud to be a green blogger and writer, but there's more (and going to be more) here than an enviro-blog. Since I'm into decor, DIY around the ol' house and even some crafty stuff, I'll be doing such. But I'd like to incorporate the Three R's into as much of it as possible, whenever possible. And, of course, I'm first-and-foremost a mom, so any mommy thoughts will definitely find their way into posts. Again, there's no right/wrong way to raise a child (unless you're abusive...that's unacceptable and I'll smack you through the computer for that).

This might or might not have explained why the blog looks as it does, or it might just be yet another random-thoughts tangent. (Sorry!) Reading through some of my early, early posts might help describe the journey to where we are, currently, if that helps. And, as always, a HUGE thanks for reading! It makes it way more fun to write when I know folks are reading. Writing for crickets? Not as much fun.

Oh, and I do plan on sharing more of our shopping visits for all the world to see, if I can remember to take more pictures while wrangling a now-active toddler. ;-) Same goes for writing down recipes. I'm just so much of a "eh, throw a handful of this in...then another handful of that..." cook that I need to get better at...um...taking measurements and jotting things down.