Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR/DECADE!!!!

So.... I've been a bad, bad blogger! Santa surely kept that in mind this year! (lumps of coal found in my stocking...?)

I've decided to skip over Christmas & go straight into the new year with a burning focus on my goals: both in blogging, in "real" life and in NT practices...

• Menu Planning - I've tried a couple different methods, which clearly haven't worked out for me.... so I am still looking for one, I have a feeling I need to apply some Fly Lady Principles & just tweak them so they work for me... more on this process to come, please bear with me!
• Speaking of FlyLady, I REALLY need to get some basic home care routines going...
• In Blogging, my goal is be a bit more consistent, maybe even just once a week, but regularly wold be an improvement! I have much bigger ideas, but I wouldn't want to get your hopes up!
• As far as real life, I'd like to find a bit more time for me. Selfish, eh? ;) I'd like to lose a few inches, which means changing up what I eat (less carbs, less alcohol...? ugh!) and making some time for regular exercise....(double ugh!)
• And for NT practices.... well.... I tried a LOT of different things last year, some were great, some were huge flops, but in the end I only really stuck with a few, So this year I'd like to try to get a few more to 'stick"...

Ok, so here's Step 1, a Pantry challenge, from Money Saving Mom & Life as Mom that I'm goign to take on, to start the New Year right!

Here's the scoop (and some extra goals):

• I will take a full inventory of pantry & freezer (by the end of the week).
• Figure out menus based on what I have in stock. And use up those supplies. I have a well stocked pantry, and my fridge is stuffed to the brim. I get a produce box this weekend, and it will have to last me 2 weeks. No grocery store stops unless absolutely necessary.
• No eating out (unless it's an unforeseeable emergancy)!
• Try to eat less grains (unless sprouted) & carbs & sweeteners (I get 1 sweet drink per day, morning tea, but that's it!)
• Drink more water! I got an adorable Stainless Steel bottle for Christmas, so now I must USE it! I'm really quite terrible about drinking water! It's shameful, really!
• Take my FCLO!

I'm hoping this will accomplish several things:

1. I'll spend less on food this month. My food budget is $400/month, I'd like to see if I can spend about half that & put any savings towards our most immediate concern - our property taxes!
2. It absolutely drives my DH crazy that I keep buying more food when we 'have so much still'! So, it'll make JoeBacon happy to not buy any more...(for awhile! LOL)
3. Also, I think it'll be a good exercise in Meal Planning... which, as mentioned above, is something I struggle with a LOT.

I have a couple of things I'm allowed to buy weekly: farm fresh dairy, eggs & produce. I buy these from CSA's & Co-Ops:

• 2-3 Half-Gallons of Whole RAW Milk - $12-19/per week
• 1 pint RAW CREAM - $9/week
• 2 Doz Eggs - $8/wk
• 1 Small Produce Box - $20/every other week

I just stocked up at Trader Joe's tonight ($160) & on Tuesday I have a large 'catch-up' order coming from Azure ($150), so I should be set for grains & such. **Update: I had to run to Vons (ugh!) tonight to get cat food, because it will NOT be on my Azure Order (they are out) and I also grabbed a few other items, abut $35 in total.**

I'm ready. BRING IT!

**Update 1/4**

So already, I've spent $55+$160+$150+$35 = $400 (except the Azure order got placed & paid for in December, so really that doesn't count. So, adjust that, and we have:

This week: $250 (a little over my month's goal, but next week I don't get my CSA box & I really shouldn't need hardly anything from the store... so I think this is do-able!)

FRUIT glorious FRUIT!

Ok, I just want so show you my produce box from last Saturday (isn't it gorgeous?!) and in the cooler are the Raw Milks, Cream & the grass fed meat (this week I ordered Tri-Tip & Skirt Steak), YUM!  We also could add on Organic Blueberries for $4 (9oz.), pretty good price, right?

so thru our CSA we've been able to add-on special orders like a huge box of peaches or cherries...SO exciting, right?

 

Here's a few snaps of me processing some of these gems:

I made several things so far, stay tuned for recipes! (Aren't I a tease?)  XOXO

Meal Plan, Schmeal Schplan!

Ok, so if anyone actually cares, this week's attempt at a 'meal plan' was a pretty dismal failure!

Here's how my week actually played out:

Monday:  Pork Chops (pan fried w/some sort of reduction sauce), Salad  & Couscous with Pine nuts & Goat Cheese

Prep: Make Yogurt (crockpot), store dried sprouted grains, make Ginger Pear Marmalade, make bread

Monday was perfect, I added Roasted Scorn Quash to the meal AND still did everything else I set out to do!  Yay!  We're off to a good start...;)

Tuesday (Book Club at 7:30): Leftover Sweet & Sour Cabbage Soup with homemade bread/butter & roasted Acorn Squash

Ummm, let's eat out tonight....We used to eat out every Tuesday because it ensured that we made it to Book Club.  It used to be: Joe picks up Kanan, they come get me, we mosey on down that same freeway, try a new place each week & then make it to book club on time & without all the 'wasted time & gas' of going home first (home is pretty far out of the way).  Then I instituted a 'No Meals Out" for the month of January & we somehow made 'going home' first just work.  We'd go home, I'd make a simple meal, we'd still go to Book Club.  (Imagine that!)

But since we are in February & we are allowed to eat out this month, it sure was easy to just fall back into our old routine!  And, while we did order only water to drink, split an entree, K ate off the kids menu, and dinner for us all with tip was $30... not too bad...  but I still felt over full & wasteful...(hmmm....maybe I'm changing, after all?...)

Wednesday: Not home/eat out - Garden Co-Op Meeting with Tami & Terri - location TBA

Prep: Make Potato/Turnip Mash

Ok, so Joe's brother was in town for tonight only, so I got home, did dishes, started laundry, heated up the Cabbage Soup for myself...had a nice early evening alone, then went to my first ever Garden Co-op Meeting with Tami & Terri (my partners in crime, er "partners in dirt"!) LOL  We met at Starbucks & closed the place down!  So much to talk about & decide!!   Joe had dinner out with his brother at our fav little Mexican Hole-in-de-wall, Los Toros.  I was jealous so he brought home chips & their famous bean dip for me, awww!  So sweet!  I munched a bit before bed, and divvied up the rest for lunches.  That soup sure didn't stay with me!

Thursday: Shepard's Pie (from Sunday's leftover Chicken stew topped w/Mash & Salad

Prep: Thaw Ground Turkey & beans for Chili, move Kombucha bottles to fridge

Well, it was a really exceptionally rough day at work, so I really NEEDED to just go to bed straight away!  I did manage to heat up the rest of the Cabbage soup & serve a big bowl each with homemade toast, then we sat in front of the tube & vegged out all night!

Friday: Crockpot chili & cornbread

Hah!  I'm sure by now you've realized (IF you are not falling off your chair with sleepy boredom) that I never defrosted the meat!  I did, however quickly make the mashed potatoes & do the Shepherd's Pie.  Whilst that was cooking, I ground some Soft White Wheat berries & soaked them (in the hopes of making muffins or waffles on Sunday).  Dinner was yummy, even though it was a bit strange to have both pasta & barley, not to mention chicken! in a "Shepherd's Pie"! Talk about untraditional!  I did taste my Kombucha, but feel it need s bit more time, so I did not bottle yet, will do it Sunday. No salad with dinner!  We watched movie & went to bed early.

Saturday: Roast Chicken & root veggies & salad

Prep: Make stock

OK, well I do consider today a pretty productive day.  I started crockpot yogurt again, baked bread, made White Turkey Chili with Kale (based on this recipe), which we ate for dinner.  We made all our errands in one 2 hour trip!  Awesome what having deadlines can do!  In 2 hours, we did Lowes to buy chicken wire, landscaping paper, a couple plants & seedling trays; the Nursery to buy Organic dirt & inquire about large deliveries of dirt; the Soil place next to the Nursery to compare their prices (better!); Trader Joe's - I had 3 things on my list: onions, yogurt & cereal.  I walked out in less than 5 minutes with: onions, yogurt, 2 boxes of cereal & 2 packages of rice stick noodles.  NOT BAD!  (hmmm... maybe I'm changing, after all?....)

At 1pm we picked up our CSA Box & headed home.  I started the bread, added to the chili that was already started, pitched the yogurt, put bread in oven while Tami & Terri visited.  We all went outside & planned/talked some more while Joe worked on the Garden boxes.  After they left, I took bread out of the oven to cool, went thru my CSA box, finished up dinner, started my first tray of seedlings, & when we finally lost our light, we came in & ate.  Finally!  (never did have lunch - too busy!)  Now I'm posting this & then to bed for another big day Sunday!

Kanan & Austin showing alternate uses for the Garden Box they built for me last weekend....

Sunday: Recycle chicken into Tortilla Soup or tacos...? 

Well, since I never roasted the chicken, I can't very well do anything with the leftovers, can I?

I'm dragging my poor Joey to a Homestead Workshop this afternoon, so I imagine that I'll make muffins or waffles for breakie & then eat out for lunch or dinner, prolly not both...(what!?   one can hope!) ;)

Ok, well, I'm NO quitter!  ... so I think I'll keep trying.  I also think I am better under a bit of pressure, so I plan to make March a No Eating Out month again (with the exception of Kanan's birthday weekend, of course!).

CSA Box

So, I was SO excited to open my first CSA Box from Abundant Harvest Organics that I forgot to Blog about it, much less take pictures!  My bad!

So, to make it up to you ('cuz I know you've been sittin' there all week wondering what was in my box & how I served it!) lol ....here's a detailed post about my second box:

There is this adorable little crate that collapses when you're done with it...I pop it in the trunk that way I don't forget to take it the following week!  I go thru the box & separate everything, putting them in green veggie bags or prepping them for immediate usage.

there's what was on the right side (under all that Spinach!)

And here's what was on the left side...

I still haven't used ANYTHING that came in this box except the Red leaf lettuce (used about 1/3 in a salad the other night) and the Yukon Gold potatoes (I made a Spanish Tortilla last night & enjoyed it cold with Sea Salt as a scrummy breakfast this morning!)

I LOVE Arugula, but haven't been doing 'dinner planning every night like I hoped, so I can only hope the green Veggie bags help keep everything fresh enough 'til the weekend! 

Found a CSA! oh the J-O-Y ! ! !

Ok, so I've been looking for a great local source for a CSA box, but I've been having TONS of challenges as none seem to be local.  Actually, I take that back (sorta).  I found on in my county, BUT (and boy is it s BIG BUT!) they are not organic!!  Imagine that!  Why bother? ;(

Anyhoo, so my friend, Tami, who's been on this quest with me of late used to have deliveries a long time ago, in her old house, in her old neighborhood, in a different town and in fact, in a different county!!!

The service she used to use has merged with SPUD.  When she researched & discovered this, we decided to try it, sounds great & you can control what you get, add extra items, etc...BUT, they do not deliver to my county!!   I think maybe you are beginning to sense my building frustration here!  We live in what is seriously one of the 'farmiest' areas around!  It's ridiculous to me that on the 40 minute drive to visit my folks, who live at the beach, I pass countless farms and NONE of them are organic, and NONE of them do a produce box delivery!  Arrggghhh!

**Deep Cleansing Breath**

So, we actually talked another friend into 'hosting' our SPUD box delivery & agreed to only order every other week (to keep within our budgets & cut down on her 'put-outed-ness' (yes I'm aware that is not really a word!)   So this other friend, although she graciously agreed to host our SPUD boxes, asked around & found a site that helps you locate CSA's in your neighborhood..(I had actually checked this site a while back, but didn't come up with anything in my county..) Anyhoo, this time, I broadened my search & found Tierra Miguel & it is awesome!  The only problem is that the actual farms are about 120 miles from us & they have a strict policy to only deliver within a 100 mile range....ok, I can live with that.  If we order bi-weekly boxes & take turns then I'll only have to pick up once a mont, right?  Not the end of the world, except I already do milk runs twice a month & now I'm adding a quarterly Azure Standard order...so yah, I'm not loving the idea of driving 20 miles to pick up my produce too!

So last night I get an email from Tami saying she found a different CSA & to wait & check this one out.  So last night I stopped by & we looked at it together while my darling husband sat there patiently...the best part is that there is a drop point not only right here IN MY COUNTY, but right here in my town, within about 5 miles of my house & the delivery time is at 1pm on Saturdays!  Awesome, I can totally fit that in my schedule!

OMGosh!  It's amazing!  I am so impressed with what I've seen & signed up last night when I got home & am eagerly awaiting my first box (next Saturday 1/31) - Check back with me for my first impressions... www.abundantharvestorganics.com

It's so nice, when you sign up, you choose a small or large box, each week you can see what will be in your box, you can add on extra items, like raw milk, nuts, chicken beef, lamb, a case of seasonal fruit (you bet I'll be taking advantage of that for making my jam on a seasonal basis)!! Tonight I watched every single video interview with all the farmers, saw how my boxes will be packed & 'met' (virtually) all the folks that are responsible for bringing me & my family & friends the freshest, most seasonal & sustainable produce!!  

I realize I'm not the first blogger to point this concept out, but I sincerely hope my enthusiasm will capture your attention, your curiosity & that you will pursue something like this on your own life!  Drop me a comment & let me know!