The simple joys

Tonight when my son stepped off the bus, his first words were "Let's go on a walk".  How could I refuse such a healthy request.  So, being a beautiful day we headed out to the nearest park.
Of course with a backpack stocked with waters and strawberries.

Dishes left undone, dusting - well I never dust, I hate it.

But chores left undone so we could enjoy quality time together.  Really when it comes down to it, when we're 80+ do you wish you had more time to do dishes or spend with those you love.

Even though we were busy with soccer, and fitting in dinner.... its still worth getting in some play time.

Sometimes we busy adults need to remember this, and not be so serious all the time.

Even a trip to the park can be educational though.  There was a spider on my water bottle that was quickly shooshed off.  But it unfortunately fell into the web of another spider-although smaller.  The small spider was 1/10 or smaller of the larger spider's size, yet we kept wondering who would win.

Spider Battle Supreme

But - BEHOLD- the smaller spider won! It immobilized the larger spider and then began its work! Brains over brawn!

Spider battles are definitely better than doing housework on a beautiful spring day!

Happy Cinco de Mayo - easy peppers and steak dinner

Since its Cinco de Mayo, then it makes sense to cook a mexican inspired dinner.

Also, my bell peppers and onion that I got 2 weeks ago are going to go bad if I don't use them.

So first I sliced everything thinly. TIP:  Wear glasses when cutting onions.

For the first time ever I didn't cry while cutting onions.... the trick?  I was wearing my glasses.  I wear computer glasses sometimes, but today I did while cutting onions.  And no tears.  I suggest getting a cheap pair at the dollar store (reading glasses with a weak prescription) and keep them in the kitchen. :)

Next I added a bit of olive oil to a pan and warmed it up.  Then start sauteing the veggies.

I added about a tablespoon of hot sauce, some garlic powder ( I add that to just about everything), some salt and pepper.  I also added some jamaican jerk seasoning.  I know its not mexican, but its my go to hot mix.  Its got cayenne flakes, thyme, cinnamon and other spices.  I added a dash of Worcestershire sauce to add some depth.  Then just before it was done cooking I added about 3/4 cup of thinly sliced beef.  Just a simply steak I had in the freezer, but thin enough to cook quickly.

So quick, that the steak was done within 2-3 minutes.  My only regret is that I didn't think before hand to cook some quinoa.  It would have been perfect underneath the veggies and meat to soak up the sauce.

You could also toss in a splash of beer and boil some of it off to add to the sauce.  The best way to match an alcohol with the food :D

Delicious, but a bit sweeter than I originally wanted...to many bell peppers. :)

Feeling Low? Try Salad in a Bowl!

I don't know what's with my energy level lately, except that its been low.   Now being a busy mom, I should expect to be tired, but not lethargic.  Most likely, the most obvious culprit is low iron, anemia....  So some quick soup to perk me up.

Now, I'm calling this Salad in a bowl, because in the pot it looks like salad.  But truthfully, I know I've eaten salad in a bowl tons of times, so the title can be a bit misleading. :D

First I started off with a drizzle of olive oil.

 

Now, my inspiration for this soup was I wanted to get my leafy greens from my CSA into it like noodles, or perhaps more like miso soup and seaweed.

I tossed in a few (too many) handfuls of my leafy greens,  Kale, Mizuna, and Pack Choi.

yup just looks like a salad!

Over medium heat, I wilted these delicious greens.

Then added 1 cup of chicken broth (you could use any broth base really.  Especially if you're going vegan or vegetarian)

Season to taste - mine included rosemary, pepper and garlic powder, but upon tasting I should have added a bit more salt (I usually rarely add salt while cooking)

And Voila!

An easy, quick perk you up soup that is really really really simple.

CSA Today: 5/1/14 - Plenty of Greens!

Wow, just as the title suggests, plenty of greens!

The season is still early so still some imported/wholesale organics, but also more from the farm fresh!

In my delivery this week:
Tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, strawberries, oranges, pears, mizuna, kale, pack choi, arugula.  Lots of greens!

Not only do I love the greens for the veggi-ness of them, but also saving them for later.
Kale, spinach and other greens when you eat just the leaves, freeze the stems or any unused portions and use them later for soup.

Also, once while I was driving and listening to NPR's Splendid Table, when I heard the recipe for green soup.  It sounded absolutely delicious!  So I gave it a try, and its one of my favorite ways to serve spinach and kale in the cold winters.  I prefer to use fresh greens for that soup, but still if you were on a tight budget or time it might work.  Another great thing to make with all the discarded odds and ends of vegetables is a veggie stock.  I do this all the time... cutting up cabbage? Save the parts you don't serve up (or are too bitter to serve) in the freezer and make soup.  I really need to learn to can, I have a feeling I'm going to need to can tomatoes and other veggies before this summer is over.  I"m almost overwhelmed with the number of veggies this box provides and I got the small box!

Day Planner: My key to success.

"Sooner or later we all quote our mothers." - Bern Williams

The success of a Busy Beaver Mom, comes down to a simple book,  my "Mom's Family Desk Planner".

I'm greatly disorganized.  I try to improve, but I blame my artistic mind that makes it so impossible. :)

So that's what makes the family desk planner so wonderful.. it merges art with functionality.   I swear if I didn't have this I would forget all the soccer games, cub scout meetings and parent-teacher meetings.

Its amusing artwork from Sandra Boynton tickles the funny bone, its got 2 sides to every weekday planning... 1 for the family and 1 just for Mom.





So lots of room to write yourself notes.


And its got STICKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love stickers.  They make everything more fun.

There are several sections... one for weekly planning, one for useful numbers and notes... other pages for doodles. :)

I love this book so much I've gotten one each year since my son was 2.  Its big enough that I don't have to write in a microscopic font size, yet small enough to fit inside my mommy purse.  You know, the purse that is part cargo bag to make sure you have everything you could possibly need since you don't carry around a diaper bag anymore (or carry as a supplement to the diaper bag).


It also has pockets to hold notes and reminders.



But my favorite all time feature is the tear away to do list, with reversible grocery list (note the obligatory chocolate entry!!!!)

I use these lists on almost a daily basis. They are almost more important to me than the actual calendar....

I recommend this planner for ANY mom!  So useful! (BTW I'm not getting paid for recommending it, I just love it that much!)

Video Gaming problem? Beat it with Nature.

This past Christmas, my son got Skylander's swap force.  It was his first true video game just for him.
I, having been a gamer myself, thought it was okay to finally introduce him to it.  But already I'm beginning to have a problem.  Anytime he has a few minutes free, he's asking if he can play his video game.  Rather than spend quality time with a family member, he'd want to play a video game.

So I've decided to give him a break from them this week. Absolutely NO video games.  And when we pick it back up he'll be limited to 1 hour of total screen time per day (unless we watch 1 movie that's longer than 1 hour).  And to substitute we'll be doing more outside activities.... to prove to him there is life beyond the TV screen.  I will be participating in this restriction as well. No video games, on my phone. So the phone gets set aside except for phone calls.  It's only fair.

looking good

To kick this off, we went on a bike ride today.

It was a fabulously sunny afternoon.  I started off with a lesson about tire pressure and how its important to check your bike before a ride.  We got the helmet on, practiced getting up to speed and braking, then headed out.

The route I had mapped through the neighborhood turned out to be about 3.3 miles with a stop at Ritter's Frozen Custard at the middle. :)  Just a little extra incentive .

watermelon Italian ice - with a cherry on top

We've gone for small rides in the past, but nothing more than a few blocks.  It was time to get serious about teaching him to ride, and maybe this summer be without training wheels.

He had a few spills, nothing serious, didn't even scratch any skin. My workout came when we came to the hills.  (I haven't had to go to the gym lately with my workouts at home!)

Overall, a fantastic afternoon spending time outside, getting exercise.  I was relieved that the rest of the evening he didn't mention wanting to play the video game once.  :)  Ah yes there is life beyond the tv.

 

Weekend break from cleaning.

How can I clean on a day like today?  That's what I was thinking this weekend.  Some things are just more important than cleaning.... like getting outside and enjoying life on a beautiful spring day.

So Saturday I worked on my garden:

my little man working hard

 Getting the soil turned over, planting some flowers, herbs and a few vegetables to get started.

Quite an enjoyable sunny day.

Then Sunny Sunday I went for a hike:

a Beaver dam :)

 I can't seem to go on a hike anymore with out my camera... or if I do, then I wish I had my camera with me.

I went to a local wetland/wildlife reserve.  I've actually never really explored there before since it has boardwalks and I usually want something more challenging for hiking. But since I was still recuperating from my garden workout the day before, I was okay with a light hike.

What I found was pleasantly unexpected.

“We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” 
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods

hello little bug

So early in the spring, finding tons of wildlife.

Little bugs posing on top of beautiful marsh flowers.












Jittery, jumping frogs sunning themselves, only to be frightened by my presence and swimming away.

shhhhhh you can't see me!

And unfortunately..... tons of ticks. Tick season is here early this year.

ugh.... they give me the heebie jeebies

Happy Spring!