Leeks!

Yesterday, was incredibly productive! The hubby had yesterday as a holiday (Happy Memorial Day), and so he spent it working on building that sand box for the kids. In Louisiana it is already HOT! We had temps just over ninety degrees yesterday. I went out for a few minutes and I was pretty sure I was going to die. I'm a wilting Daisy. I used to be able to take the heat, but now, I think all my extra insulation traps it and I get overheated very quickly. That's my scientific assessment. I helped to spread the sand while my poor hubby played pack mule. He loaded up the sand into the garden cart and rolled it to the back yard. One load at a time we got the sand box done. (Mostly him.) The kids love it!

Look at how much fun they're having!

From a culinary standpoint, we had a very healthy day. Everyone got up and had their usual oatmeal or cereal. I had a breakfast shake made with banana, egg white and chocolate almond milk. It was delicious! I also had a half bagel and some cream cheese. Then, everyone set to work. My hubby started building the sand box, the kids started "helping" and I sat down at the computer to figure out what in the world I was going to do with all the leeks I've been getting! I have leeks coming out of my ears people. I froze some, that I have been using to put into everything: from stews and soups to stir fry. "Oh, we're gonna eat? Let me put leeks in that." Then, I got MORE leeks this Saturday. I had several people tell me "Leek and Potato Soup!!" So, I set out on a quest to find a good leek soup recipe. After searching for about 30 minutes and realizing I had ingredients from bits and pieces of several different recipes and a basic concept of what leek soup is, I simply said, "I reject your recipes and substitute my own." I'll post the measurements in the recipe on the recipe page. I used bunches and bunches of leeks, celery, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, butter, flour, chicken broth and white wine. I put it all together and let it simmer all day to get the flavors to marry.

Meanwhile, I needed something to feed people for lunch. My poor hubby was working in the heat so I thought I'd get together a light cool lunch, but it needed to be nutrient rich to replenish what he was losing. (He sweats gallons.) We got some spring mix lettuce in our CSA box this week (with the leeks...). What's cold and refreshing on a hot day? Salad! I had the spring mix and tomatoes from my CSA box. I also had sweet baby bell peppers. I boiled some eggs for protein, and cut up some fruit. Then, I blended up a frozen fruit smoothie. What a feast! And we ate it outside on our new patio; sitting under our new patio umbrella. It hit just the right spot.

After handling the clean up from lunch, I got outside and helped my hubby finish the sand box. He hauled  sand and I spread it. We got it done and it was time for supper, but first....baths! The kids were caked with sand. My house may never be clean again. We all managed to degrit ourselves and sit down to supper. I buzzed the soup with a stick blender to give it a creamier smooth consistency. I ate it as is and it was pretty good. The kids and hubby had the bright idea to put some leftover rice in theirs. The kids thought it was really good. Andrew (my tiny gourmet) said it was the best veggie soup I have ever made! The hubby said that he wasn't sure at first, but the more he ate it the more he liked it. By the end he was saying, "that stuff is good!" So I guess now I know what to do with leeks. It's a good thing they liked it because I have a huge bucket of it in the fridge. Leftovers for a week! Maybe I'll freeze some. Hmm..

Lo Mein....and Sore Muscles

The past few days have been awfully eventful! The hubby and I have been wanting to extend our outdoor patio area, and this weekend we managed to rope a few family members into helping accomplish it. We're so happy with the results, and thankful for family who will help us just so we can save a few bucks! Well, to pour concrete, a lot goes into preparing the area. Including stripping sod and putting down a layer of fill sand. I had nothing to do with this. BUT, after the men were done I was left with a huge pile of fill sand in my front yard spilling onto the walkway. This fill sand will eventually be used to make a sandbox for the kids. Until then, its sole purpose is to get tracked into my house. Yesterday I decided I'd clean up and contain the sand so that not so much of it would make its way in. People, I kid you not when I tell you that typing right now even hurts! I swept all the sand off the driveway, then I shoveled the sand off the walkway and back onto the pile where it belongs. My corn husk broom is now nothing but a nub. I sweated (is that a word?) like a pig and burned a zillion calories. And now....I am SO incredibly sore! This, however, is the kind of exercise I like. Where something actually gets accomplished. I felt so good at the end of the day. Maybe I'd lose all my weight if I went to work in the construction industry.

For dinner (and Meatless Monday) I prepared Veggie Lo Mein. I followed a recipe in my IBS cookbook and tweaked it to include veggies I had in the fridge. Did you know that if it's a veggie you can stir fry it successfully? We all liked this one. I'll post it on the recipe tab in short order. I used onions, summer squash and green beans all from my CSA box this week. I also used sweet baby bell peppers and leeks. Man, I still got a lotta leeks. All stir fried up with ginger and garlic and some soy sauce...yummy! My kids ate everything, not just the noodles like they usually do. They might have left some onions behind when all was said and done, but who cares! They ate it and didn't go "I don't like that". Here's a quick tip for you: if you're going to attempt this recipe, for the love of all things holy, use a non stick pan of some sort! I do not own a non stick pan. My noodles held fast and would not let go. It was carnage. I'm asking for a wok for my birthday...

CSA and Balance

Wow! It's been a long time. My world has been a little upside down and a lot busy. I feel like I've finally regained some of my balance. I don't think I even realized I was out of whack until everything fell back into place again. Does that even make sense?

Since I last wrote, We have started the spring/summer season of a CSA(Community Supported Agriculture)  share at our local "natural" farm. We are enjoying trying all sorts of new veggies, although I have no idea what to do with the fennel we just got. Fennel. It smells like licorice. That just makes me cringe. We have discovered that we love oven roasted beets though. Well, Mom and Dad do. The kids aren't so fond. I wonder if they'd eat it if I put it on pizza.

We finally got back to Meatless Monday here this Monday. Dad and I planned a little surprise to take the kids on a picnic dinner. I made Minestrone Pasta Salad. I got the recipe from Ready Set Eat. It has all the flavors of minestrone soup in a pasta salad. Noodles, beans, squash, carrots, tomatoes. I liked it. Dad liked it. The kids just wanted to play. They picked all the noodles and beans out and ran off. Good enough? I'm not sure, but it's a start back in the right direction for healthy eating.

I've learned that eating healthy on a budget is all about choosing your battles. It's a lot easier to do when I just go and grab a pre-prapared box of veggies every week. It also forces a little diversity into our dinner routines. I mean, fennel....