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Various Eats

July 31, 2010 by Cat

A friend asked me if I was going non-vegetarian for a while and I said I was waiting for my labs.  Endoc told me my red blood cells looked wimpy and I had low iron.  New labs show it back up, so I’m easing back to vegetarian with more attention to iron happy food. I get new labs in 6 weeks so we’ll see what we see.

So Wednesday after groceries, I threw the chicken into the crock pot with 6 cups water to make stock.  I put it in the fridge to chill. Thursday I defatted it, put the stock back in the crock pot  and added the veggies for Panamanian Sancocho.

I also shredded the chicken to add back in later during the last hour of simmering.  Here’s one bowl of the finished dish with snipped cilantro on top.  It made 16 cups. I can see where soups and stews are going to have to become major players in this experiment.

Thursday I sent Julia to camp with green onion pancakes and strawberries.  No pix. Turns out she had a filed trip and ate there, so she had the lunchbox today instead for brunch. She also ate apple, watermelon, rice cakes, rice milk, blueberry tea.

Today I ate sancocho, cheerios with milk.  Then we went out again. Julia had a veggie sub that she really wanted, and I made a 3 egg, cheese, and ham omelet.  I didn’t flip it well though… it kind of fell apart.

I had some nuts earlier. I’m just having a “Purple Rain” smoothie now — blueberry, banana, yogurt, apple juice. Pretty, but starts going grey fast and the pectin makes it clumpy if it sits.  So best drunk then and there.

Posted in Food Log | Leave a Comment »

Groceries Again

July 31, 2010 by Cat

Julia and I went to the grocery store to wander around because the library closed early and she needed airing out this evening. She says she needs more ingredients for her “special salad recipe” and ended up asking for Veggie Booty and a grapefruit.  I hope she doesn’t make me eat her salad…

This is what $66 of not really needed groceries looks like. It isn’t like we don’t still have lots left from Wednesday trip!

  • Natural Tostito Chips (For Paul)
  • Veggie Booty (For kid)
  • True North Pecan Almond Clusters (all mine!)
  • Maple ham
  • Whole Wheat Flat Bread
  • Whole Wheat load bread
  • 6″ Veggie sub for kid’s dinner from the deli
  • 6 organic eggs
  • 2 Stonyfield FF vanilla yogurts (me)
  • 6 pack Stonyfield soy yogurts (kid)
  • grapefruit
  • green pepper
  • 2 organic apples
  • organic bananas
  • American Cheese
  • Annie’s Raspberry dressing
  • Breyers Vanilla ice cream
  • Sunscreen

So that puts us at $108.  (It’s $109 for thrifty so I’m going to try not to go again til next wednesday.)

Posted in Groceries | 1 Comment »

Grocery Experiment

July 28, 2010 by Cat

Been chilling out with my kid over summer break.  Swimming, playing, taking down the garden for a rest.  Now that we’re not digging in the dirt so much, my experiments are more indoors. I’ve been thinking a long time about 100 mile challenges in regards to food.  Also the challenge of eating real food on a budget.

After coming across the 10 day pledge, I decided I’m going to shoot for that first, and then worry about swapping items out for locally sourced purchases.  According to the “thrifty” plan of the most recent USDA food costs sheet, a family our size gets $109 a week.

So after the dentist, Julia and I popped into Freshfield Farms on the way home.  Here’s what $42 looks like and what it all is spread on the counter:

  • 1 bunch of cilantro
  • 1 bunch broccoli
  • 1 bag organic romaine hearts
  • 1 package zucchini
  • 1 package red potatoes
  • 1 package green onions
  • 3 lb bag organic red onions
  • 2 pints blueberries
  • 1 yucca
  • 2 lb strawberries
  • 1 lb grapes
  • 2 lb apples
  • 0.5 lb vidalia onion
  • 0.5 lbs tomato
  • 2 organic plums
  • 2 organic apricot
  • 2.6 lb Name root
  • 3 natural, hormone free chicken leg quarters
  • natural, hormone free pork sirloin cutlet

So I can spent another $67 before next Wedneday if I need to.  Of course, I have stuff already bought at the house, and I’m not throwing it out just because of the experiment.  I plan to eat our way through it and then replace accordingly and more closely to the whole food rules and see where that gets us.

This will be interesting!

Posted in Groceries | 3 Comments »

Food and Sustainability

February 16, 2010 by Cat

I wish I had more time for writing in my blog.  I really do.

CRAZY BUSY

Just got done putting on a little Earth Flag parade for stewardship campaign at church with the help of friends and I’ve been organizing my spring classes.

“Menu for the Future” spring series cranks up again on Friday at Florida School of Holistic Living.  I like teaching that one — I waive my teaching fee to donate to the Homegrown Food Coop.  Tuition from the students is earmarked to go there too.

Then there’s my Earth Cinema class on 3rd Saturdays down at church.  Which carries on as the “Green Movie Night” now that Earth Cinema went under because of the economy.  But never fear! I’ve switched the film club over to Ironweed! It is still free, it is still potluck fun at 6 PM, then movie time at 7 PM with a little discussion post movie. IN fact, we’re on this Sat, Feb 20th and again Mar 20th!

Speaking of movies, there’s Renewal on Sundays (Mar 14 & 21) , a monthly “water” theme small discussion group cranking up in time for Water Day in March…

Oh, wait, Mar 7 there’s the Coalition of Immokalee Workers Share the Plate and farmworker sermon to write.  And the kid’s coloring contest…. and the freedom march… and the grocery bag project… and I have to go to Julia’s school to attend kindergarten art class.

She and I asked her teacher who asked the art teacher who then decided to get all the grades involved in the Coalition of Immokalee Worker’s Kid’s Art Contest.  It was amazing! So I best show up to support my kid and her friends in their justice work even if it means getting all gluey and glittery.

Yeah. No wonder I don’t write often.

RADIO GAGA

But I’m heading out to my first radio appearance on 91.5 tomorrow. I had to prep for that too, but that one took a different approach.  Sure, I got my notes together.  But I also got my hands dirty.

I took off to help my friend Di put in her lettuce in a new raised bed.  I’m going to call her a “kick-butt crone” because I know she’d enjoy that!  I usually enjoy talking to my elder women friends — their perspective on life and a lot of other things is so neat.  Di and I started talking about my daughter and her grandson and the need for kids to know where their food comes from.  We were both sitting on the ground with metal teaspoons scooping out lettuce seedlings and putting them down.  We also talked about how for both of us, cooking and gardening is part of our spiritual practice.  You feel totally broken when you can’t get your hands in the dirt… like some component is just missing.

Back home, I spend part of the time fetching supplies, straightening bits, and setting up the “not EarthBoxes” to take a mess of strawberries. I have to get ready for Strawberry War III — will Julia eat more or the harvested berries or me?

My friend Deidra got me rescued herbs, arugula and chard that were going to be trashed.

I put them in the “plant hospital” and they’re bouncing back well. They started like this:

Now check it… Go Arugula!

Go swiss chard!

I am way later than I wanted to be starting seeds. Normally I want to be doing this around Yule or Christmas.  But we have a long growing season here in Florida.  I’d been without a garden since June and totally missed the fall “warm 1″ season.  I’m going to be ok for cool 1 and warm 2.

GROUNDING

The best part is that the kitchen garden is back in business.

Oh, the compost bins still have to be built, there’s some missing beds. Need to paint the benches. Some of the beds installed need a bit of straightening and reanchoring. I seem to be missing some pots and one whole bag of corn gluten for the lawn went AWOL during the remodel. I have to get the posts and trellis net out again. What happened to the clamps?

But I’ve gone from 130 sq ft withdrawal, to 200 sq ft installed, with another 100 sq ft on the way.  It feels downright luxurious! And now that I’m back into putter mode, I feel so much more grounded.

Sermons, classes, radio interviews, family… come whatever may. I’m ready. :)

Posted in FUCO, Garden, Life, Local Events, Self-Watering | Leave a Comment »

Moroccan Salad (Serves 2)

November 30, 2009 by Cat

This came from a low-gi cookbook by Helen Foster. I adjusted it to serve 2 and use up the whole can of beans.  If you like hummus and tomato sandwiches on pita, this has a similar flavor minus the bread. (Could add 6 oz grilled chicken leftovers if you wanted.)

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup (200 grams) grape tomato, halved
  • 1 can garbanzo beans (rinsed, drained)
  • 1/2 (100 grams) chopped red onion
  • 2 tbs minced parsley
  • 2 tbs lemon juice
  • dash paprika
  • dash cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Dump everything in a bowl and mix it up.

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Blue Healer Smoothie

November 6, 2009 by Cat

Another one from The Big Book of Juices. It is called “Blue Healer”.

bluehealer3

I’m enjoying the book, but I still wish it named quantities in measures I know. What’s a “handful?” Can we get “cups” or “ounces” please?

The way I made it, I didn’t have any black currants.  So I went for

  • 1 box of blackberries (about 6 oz)
  • 1/2 bag of frozen blueberries (about 4 oz)
  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 cup apple juice

Awesome purple color.  Sweet fruity flavor. I could easily hide some greens in there — romaine or spinach — and get Julia to drink it.

bluehealer2

 

I’ll have to work on the measures to get it to a defined 1 glass quantity though.  If we aren’t sharing, that would be good info to know.

bluehealer1

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Detox Day 1

November 5, 2009 by Cat

So I’m recovering from a three week sprint of events.  First the Ancestor Feast & Food Drive, then the VegFest tent and 350 project, then the Annual Veggie Coffee Hour and Publix Picket for farm worker rights and fair wages. As you can imagine the house has been a flurry of crazy.  While enjoyable on one level, on another it turns the household routines upside down.

So. We detox now.  Not just in housekeeping and restoring order and putting away all the special events boxes of gear, but in body.

I went out this morning to Freshfield Farms for $60 in produce and then to nearby Publix for $100 staples like trash bags and mouth wash and some items I could not get at Freshfields. Here’s what $160 in groceries looks like.  If I work it well, it should get us through feeding 2 adults and one little kid for most of 2 weeks.

160_groceries11052009

Produce heavy because I’m going wheat and dairy free this week.  I had a bad cold/allergy/asthma thing and I’m still bouncing back from it.  I’ve been taking Actifed and my nose spray and then one day into the dairy and wheat free.  I can already breath better through one nostril and there’s less mucus crud and post nasal drip.

Yay me!

LATER

Ok, didn’t make it all the way dairy/wheat free today. Got derailed by dinner and then cookies Paul brought home. Try again tomorrow.  Today was shopping day so tomorrow is cooking day and I know I’ll do better once I have food made and waiting in the fridge.

Here’s the fridge before:

fridgebefore_11052009

Here’s the fridge after:

fridgeafter_11052009

Didn’t think I could stuff all the produce in there, did you? Tomorrow before I cook I have to better sort and pack.  Today I just wanted it off the kitchen floor.

The game plan is…

  • Baked Maple Acorn Squash & Leafy Salad (my lunch)
  • Stuffed Peppers, Leafy Salad,  & Catfish (our dinner)
  • Barley Lentil Soup (Sat & Sun Lunch)
  • Sweet Potato and Apple Dish (for a Sat night potluck)
  • Curried Potatoes (for Sat night Potluck)
  • Veggie Quiche of some kind… likely spinach or onion.

Posted in Life | Leave a Comment »

Thurday’s Eats

November 5, 2009 by Cat

One of those moves where I am hoping it will be one step back, two steps forward sort of results.

I always come out of the November and December holiday season feeling yucky from all that sweet, desserty stuff or the appetizer dairy/creamy/cheesey/buttery stuff. Vegetarian, sure.  Healthy? Not so much.

On top of that I have this weird allergy/cold thing happening. Lots of congestion.

So my strategy is to allow lean meats back in, but kick out the dairy and wheat and see how I feel.

Lunch:

Dinner:

Went to do errands after school and got caught out til 6 PM. Stopped at Panera on the way home with Julia.

  • Turkey Artichoke Panini
  • Jones Orange-Lime Juice
  • 6 choc chip cookies

Paul brought home Chocolate Chip Cookies, a trigger food.  I ate 6.  I have to get rid of them.  Then I endured a monster headache and lots of congestion — probably the cheese from sandwich and wheat. Nrrgh. The lesson there is having something waiting at home.

Woke up from nap coughing green gak. That doesn’t help either. Having tea now and wondering what to have for snack since I’m hungry again.  That’s what missing breakfast does to you.

Night:

  • 1 cup Tazo Wild Orange Tea
  • 2 shortbread cookies (trigger — must rid myself of these things!)
  • 10 water crackers w/ salmon spread
  • Blue healer smoothie

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Pear and Candied Nut Salad with Mustard Dressing

October 6, 2009 by Cat

pearsalad1

I’ve been wanting to make this salad for a long time. I first saw it at Allrecipes.com.

Here’s my variation based on what was handyin the fridge — I took out the avocado though. It has a delicious, complex flavor with lots of different textures.  I’d def. keep some romaine in for crunch but I’d like to mix in other greens too.  Might not use all the dressing — I just dumped it in but it was a bit too much since I don’t think I had a full head of lettuce.

Ingredients

  • 1 head leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 3 pears – peeled, cored and chopped
  • 3 – 4 ounces Roquefort, Gorgonzola, or Feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
  • 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1  1/2 teaspoons white sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a skillet over medium heat, stir 1/4 cup of sugar together with the nuts. Continue stirring gently until sugar has melted and caramelized the pecans. Carefully transfer nuts onto waxed paper. Allow to cool, and break into pieces.

2. For the dressing, blend oil, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, mustard, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper.

3. In a large serving bowl, layer lettuce, pears, blue cheese, avocado, and green onions. Pour dressing over salad, sprinkle with pecans, and serve.

pearsalad2

Posted in Fast Food, Salad, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Carrot Grape Celery Smoothie

October 1, 2009 by Cat

carrot_grape_celery

Didn’t have time to smoothie this morning, so ended up having it now. This one makes enough for 1 person:

  • 5 oz carrot
  • 2.5 oz grape
  • 1 celery stalk
  • dash of water and some ice

Blenderize.  Serve up cold in an absinthe glass. Whee!

Posted in Drinks | 1 Comment »

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