Good Pig

This morning was cold and gloomy. Munchkin and I curled up on the couch and vegged out to cartoons till our tummies started rumbling. What to cook for breakfast? I was in the mood for something, hot, thick, and creamy-like biscuits and gravy, or maybe potato soup. Alas, I didn't have the ingredients for either.

Since my stomach was threatening to eat itself I tossed some sliced strawberries in with the last of full fat Greek yogurt and nibbled on those while looking through my new cookbook. The lemon blueberry muffins looked awesome but I was down to three eggs...not enough. I got about four bites before Munchkin appeared and asked for the rest. *sigh* The sacrifices we make. Since I still couldn't decide what to make I laid half a package of bacon on a tray and threw it in the oven. Bacon solves all problems. While it cooked I ate a spoonful of coconut butter.

As Munchkin said "good pig, good pig". She somehow managed to smear bacon grease on the cover of "Gather" but I'm pretty sure Hayley and Bill would approve (plus it wiped off). By the time we'd polished off the bacon neither one of us was hungry, but I was still in the mood for something cold-weathery-ish. A quick look through the freezer confirmed no chicken stock (eek!) but I did have several quarts of goose stock from our Yule goose. Hmmm...

I defrosted the stock, along with a package of chicken breasts and proceeded to throw together a quick soup. I poached the chicken, added it to the stock along with thick cut carrots, celery and onion. I let it simmer for 30 minutes while I chased Munchkin around the yard and picked a mess of spinach. I washed and sliced the spinach into thin strips. Once the carrots were tender I added the spinach in.

Viola! Soup is served:

I added a bit of roasted nori for the all the good minerals and nutrients it provides. I don't normally like seaweed but the nori went great with the soup, I ended up eating an entire sheet, except for the two bites I managed to get Munchkin to try. She pronounced the first bite yucky, then sneaked a second piece from my bowl.

Hubby came home early and we took our cat to the vet. He had been sick and was getting worse. The news was not good and we made the decision to put him to sleep. When I was 15 I watched him being born and he'd been with me ever since-it was a hard decision but I know he's now comfortable and out of pain.

I was pretty down the rest of the day and supper was not paleo approved. Sorry, no pic.

Busy, busy, busy!

I woke up this morning and threw together steak and egg breakfast bites (basically this recipe but with diced, leftover steak instead of sausage) and washed, hulled, and sliced some strawberries. By the time everything was ready Munchkin and Hubby were up.

Here's my breakfast plate:

Yep, I had to add some Frank's Hot Sauce and sour cream to my breakfast bite. Talk about your good eats!

Then we were off to the barn to meet with a family interested in our pony. After lots of thought and discussion we decided to put her up for sale. She's a wonderful pony but does not like very small kids and I can't trust her around Munchkin. While part of me doubts that she'd actually kick or bite the kiddo its too big a chance to take. So, we decided to find her a family with older kids who would give her the love and attention she deserves.

We spent most of the morning and early afternoon showing the pony and by the time we got back home I was starving. Hubby quickly grilled up a bunch of Polish sausages and I wrapped them with provolone, mustard, and lettuce with carrots on the side:

In the late afternoon we had another person interested so we pretty much spent the day at the barn. It was fun talking with another horse person and she fell in love with the pony. Looks like pony has found a perfect home!

It was pretty late by the time we got back to the house and I was very tempted to get pizza. Honestly I just wanted to wash off the horsey smell and dust and go to bed, but I had a chicken marinating in the fridge and recipes from The Primal Palate's  new book "Gather" that I'd picked up at Costco to try out.

First I got the chicken on the grill, next Munchkin helped me make Green Bean Salad with Artichoke Hearts and Olives. I didn't have any fresh green beans, my plants are only 3 inches tall, so I used canned. I know, I know, boo! hiss! hey, its what I had. Munchkin pronounced it YUM! worthy though, even with mushy canned beans.
 

Hubby had picked up some corn on the cob from the village store and once the chicken was done I husked the ears and tossed them on the grill. I wasn't too thrilled with corn in May, since I knew it wouldn't be very tasty, but I gotta applaud the guy-a year ago he'd have brought home Pasta-Roni.

Here's my supper:

For dessert I finished the last of the cherries. *sigh* Local cherries need to ripen faster!!

I woke up this morning to cold rain and a soaked yard. Eeeeiiii!! There went my plans for a day out in the yard. *sigh*

For breakfast I fried up bulk sausage from Long's Meat Market. Mmmmmm porky goodness! Once they were done I fried a couple eggs from our hens in the grease. I love having our very own free-range, no-soy eggs right out the backdoor.

Breakfast is served!

Since my nesting instincts were in full force and I couldn't work in the garden I decided to attacked our closet. It was getting harder to open the doors since I have this tendency to pile clothes that don't fit/wrong season/don't-like-at-this-particular-second on the floor.

Oh geez, when was the last time I'd gone through this mess?? Between losing weight last year, then gaining some back with the pregnancy in new areas, I had a ton of outfits that were way too big, too small (for now), and some that just needed to be retired to the rag bag. Three hours later I had an organized, color-coordinated wardrobe with a big bag for donations and tons of fabric for sewing. I have plans to try this and this and this. (And yes, Munchkin's closet is worse. Strangely, the child has three times the amount of clothes Hubby and I have. No idea why *hums innocently*.)

Of course, this made Hubby's side look messy so I drug him into the bedroom to organize it. He gets mad when I do it, apparently I throw away things that are "precious". While Hubby took stuff down to the donation drop off I threw together a lunch of leftovers for Munchkin. I was still full from breakfast so didn't bother putting an actual plate together, just snacked on cherries and a few slices of high quality provolone cheese. (Sorry, no pic.)

The Oregon State Beavers baseball team played the Oregon Ducks in the Civil War Series this afternoon. We had to watch the game and cheer on our boys in black and orange.They won! WHOO-HOO! That means they just have to win the game tomorrow to win the conference (or tie it or...something, I'm not sure which). Go Beavs!!

During the game we nibbled on slices of cold steak, baby carrots, provolone, and strawberries.

For supper Hubby requested Adiells sausage and Mezzetta Napa Valley Bistro Home-made Marinara Sauce, with zucchini noodles. Ohhhhhhh an easy supper, love it! I grilled the sausages, warmed up the sauce, julienned and steamed the zucchini, and within 30 minutes we were sitting down to eat.

Once Munchkin was bathed, storied, and tucked into bed, Hubby and I split a Theo Cherry and Almond Dark Chocolate bar. It was ok, Hubby really liked it but eh, I prefer the sea salt and chocolate blends.

Keep your fingers crossed for sunshine, or at least no rain, tomorrow. I've got so much gardening to do!!

Up and atta'em! Hubby got home late from his one day trip to LA but still got out of bed early to go with us to the doctor's appointment. While he and Munchkin chowed down on fried eggs I laid out clothes and wrote down a grocery list. I wasn't hungry so skipped breakfast and soon we were off for town.

My doctor (who is awesome and completely supports my style of eating) was called in to the hospital so I was checked out by my favorite nurse: weight: 1 pound gain; blood pressure: 110/70; baby's heartbeat: 160 beats per minutes (kiddo was kicking and flipping a lot-at least one of us getting their exercise in); getting enough sleep and feeling great! It was a fairly short visit and the big fun was getting to hear the heartbeat (always a blast) and scheduling the next ultrasound where we'll find out if its a girl or a boy.

After the doc's we swung by Market of Choice to pick up some kale (they always have dino kale which is Munchkin's favorite) and to browse. This is always a mistake since I walked in expecting to only get kale and walked out with cherries (yeah, I broke down, and boy were they spendy!), dark chocolate, Kerrygold butter, and local (sorta) cheddar cheese.

Yes folks, we do eat dairy. I never said we were 100% perfect paleo.

There was still stuff on my list so next we went to Costco. We should have gone there first-cherries were almost half the price, as was cheese. grrrrrr. We stocked up on Aidells sausage, produce, and Mezzetta Marinara Sauce. I had to wander the book section and look what was there!

Congrats Bill and Haley! 

Everyone was hungry once we were done shopping so they got foot long hot dogs. By then I was starving (yeah, shoulda ate breakfast), and had a bite of Munchkin's dog. The meat itself was tasty but the bread was mushy and had a weird texture-not sure if my tastebuds have changed or what the deal was but Munchkin and Hubby devoured theirs in short order. Not the best of lunches but better than a toddler/husband meltdown.

Once we'd loaded all our goodies into the car we zoomed over to Cash & Carry for meat and more veggies. I knew we weren't going to make it to the farmer's market this weekend so I stocked up. The meat wasn't organic, pasture-raised perfect, nor were the veggies, but the budget is a little slim this month and sometimes ya gotta make compromises.

Finally we headed home. While Hubby got Munchkin settled for her afternoon nap I put all our loot away...

...while nibbling on cherries.

Yeah, I munched on these all day long. Next I trimmed the fat from a tri-tip and covered it with dry rub to make Oven Roast Tri-Tip for supper before finally throwing together a late lunch of steak sliders.

Yep, I'm having steak twice today. While Munchkin slept I shared a bunch of grapes with Hubby and goofed around on Facebook. (I also surfed the web for paleo recipes so it wasn't a complete waste of time.) I tell ya, it felt good to sit down after such a busy morning.

For supper I opted to grill the tri-tip rather than oven-roasting it. Why? So I'd have one less pan to clean.

Along with the roast I tossed two red belle peppers on the grill to blacken. While they cooked I nuked a couple yams, peeled the skins off and mashed them with a big pat of butter.

Once the meat reached 130 degrees I pulled it off the grill and let it rest. I tossed the peppers in a paper bag to steam and started on the last side. I sauteed diced bacon under low heat to render off as much fat as possible, then raised the heat and stir-fried a bunch of kale in the bacon grease.

By the time it was done everything was ready to go. I sliced the roast, added a dollop of Kerrygold Garlic and Herb butter and presto! Supper is served!

As many have reminded me today, the new Star Trek movie has come out so...

Night y'all!

I woke up this morning feeling pretty good, the wonders of a good night's sleep. Hubby had cleaned the kitchen before he left for a biz trip and it sparkled. I don't know what it is about a clean kitchen but it drives me to destruction faster than someone trying to sneak tofu bacon onto my plate. I love the sparkle...and can't handle it. So, rather than whip up a simple breakfast (you know, one that only takes a pan or two and a few plates and leaves the kitchen fairly clean?) I opted for waffles.

Yes, you can eat waffles while living the paleo life.

I got out my How to Eat Like a Dinosaur book (where is YOUR copy?) and threw together a batch of frozen waffles with Munchkin's help. While these waffles aren't the best (high Omega-6s from the nuts, lots of sugar from the fruit) they make a great treat once in a while. We had a blast chopping and whipping. Soon the kitchen was a complete mess, oh well.

No, I didn't eat all of those waffles, I only had two. I had planned to fry up some sausage links but a search through the freezer showed we were out *sadness*. Oh well, the waffles were enough to fill us up, though their lack of protein and fats had me wandering the cupboards by 11am.

For lunch I picked some spinach from the garden...

...And tossed together a green salad with lettuce, cabbage, spinach, belle peppers, and carrots. I like having a green salad already waiting in the fridge so I tend to make a gigantic one that I can parcel out over the next couple days. I diced a leftover pork chop and warmed it up along with some sauteed Brussels sprouts I found lurking in the back of the fridge, dumped those on top of some salad and shoveled away.

While Munchkin took a nap I worked on the mountain of laundry and snacked on the last of my cherries.

I'm still craving cherries but they are so expensive now, and (according to Hubby) really not that great tasting. *sigh* What can you expect from something getting shipped a couple hundred miles? Oregon cherries won't be ready till June/July though. Ahhhhhhhh!!! The agony of waiting!!

I had the nibbles in the afternoon so I split an apple with Munchkin and ate a spoonful of coconut butter.

For supper I warmed up the leftover beef stew.

Off to bed since I have an early doctor's appointment tomorrow, plus a slew of other errands to run while we are in town. Night y'all!

Primal Eats

Note: I've been asked several times what I eat (being a preggie) and how in the world can I survive without bread. To show off the delicious, healthy food I partake in I shall start boring you all with a rundown of my daily eats. Don't worry, there will still be gardening and crafty stuff in there as well. 

After a long weekend road trip to watch my littlest brother graduate from college (congrats Sammy!!) I really did not want to get up this morning. Hotels are nice and all but there is nothing like your very own bed. Unfortunately Munchkin did not quite have the same opinion and I cracked my eyes open to the cries of "Eggs! Mommy! Eggs!". Thankfully Hubby worked from home today and he fried up a couple eggs for the starving child while I slowly crawled out of bed and attempted to become a productive member of society.

I wasn't very hungry so for breakfast I nibbled on a spoonful of coconut butter and a handful of cherries. 

For lunch I warmed up some grilled tri-tip my Dad had sent home with us and added a bunch of raw veggies (cherry tomatoes, carrots, and sugar snap peas*):

Supper was a bowl of beef stew:

For dessert I had a couple squares of Moonstruck's Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Almonds. It was only 68% cocoa so a little sweet but I love the combination of chocolate and sea salt.

Throughout the day I snacked on a couple handfuls of cherries. They are California cherries and I cannot WAIT till the Oregon cherry season starts. I've been craving fresh cherries since February so these were pretty tasty but I know they'll be a thousand times better when they are picked ripe from the tree. Oh well, eventually they'll be ready.

Time to hit the sack. Oh, how I love my bed!!

*Sugar snap peas (and other legumes such as green beans, snow peas, ect) are acceptable per the Whole9 Team and Mark Sisson since they are more pod than bean.

14 Weeks In...26 To Go!

I'm 14 weeks along and officially into the second trimester-yay me! I cannot say I had a perfect Paleo/Primal first semester but I can say I ate healthier and had less stress than with Munchkin. Figuring out why I was craving certain foods certainly helped me get back on track when serious food cravings caused a derailment, but I have to admit to giving in to exhaustion and sometimes eating too much fruit (or a candy bar), rather than an actual meal. Fasting is not good women in general, and I can't think it would be too great for preggies either, but I have done a lot of that as well (some days just the thought of food was enough for a rush to the powder room.) Looking back sugar was definably my nemesis-the amount of chocolate and fruit I consumed is downright embarrassing. I was still getting plenty of healthy protein and fats though, so I can't be too hard on myself. And besides, the point is to eat as healthy as possible, not to become a food nazi.

Thankfully the worst seems to be over, hooray for the "honeymoon phase" of pregnancy. Most of the all-day queasiness has subsided and there are even days I actually feel awake instead of in a semi-coma! Whoo-hoo! With more energy I am starting to feel like cooking again, which makes me realize just what is in our refrigerator. Oh dear, time for a clean-out and some shopping!

On Saturday we drove into the city to visit the big Farmer's Market for the first time. Normally we frequent the smaller market in our own little town but it doesn't start up until June and I wanted to see what the BIG market had. What a sight!! How have I been missing this place for so long? (Oh yeah, its downtown where I hate/refuse to drive.) Since its so early in the season there wasn't a wide variety of items, mostly cold weather stuff like kale and chard, but look how pretty everything is:

We picked up a bundle of kale and a few pounds of carrots though I was very tempted by a lot of other things, including organic honeycomb and baby bok choy. Honestly there was just so much there I was like a kid in a candy store-trying not to spend my allowance on everything in sight. I knew I still had some produce at home that needed eaten up so I kept the purchases at a minimum, though I really should have gotten more carrots. By the time we got back to the car Munchkin was begging for one and before we got out of the parking lot she'd already inhaled it and was asking for another. They were very sweet and tasty, so much better than anything at the store.

After the Farmer's Market we stopped by the butcher and picked up a huge order of grass-fed, pasture-raised beef, pork, and lamb. See? I'm serious about this getting back on track stuff. In fact, I might have gotten just a little overzealous, now you can't open our freezer without being attacked by frozen beef. Its odd how a one pound package of hamburger can become a deadly missile from only a few feet up, I'm pretty sure my pinkie toe will never be the same again.

Out in the garden everything is puttering along slowly. I have a few small potato and spinach leaves starting to peek above the ground but not much else. Its been pretty cold the last few weeks so I may have planted too early, oh well, they'll eventually grow. I found a great source for composted horse manure and hope to have a few yards brought out this weekend (depending on the weather). That will really help to get some good nutrients into the soil, plus its pretty wormy. Gotta love the wigglers! Inside the tomato and broccoli seedlings are doing so well I'll probably need to up-pot them soon. I can't wait for the first tomato of summer! I flat out drool looking at these little seedlings, envisioning what they'll be producing in a few months.

According to my hero Erika over at Northwest Edible Life its time to start planting squash, cucumbers, and basil indoors; while all the cool-loving kids can be direct-sown outside. A slight gardening emergency has arrived in that I have no (brace yourselves) kale seeds!! Ahhhhhhhh!! And none of the local stores have dino kale! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! Which may mean a road trip to the home of Territorial Seeds for a few packets of seeds (plus whatever else falls into the basket *cough*). Yes, I will contemplate driving over an hour just for a packet of seeds. (Hubby has pointed out that they have a mailing service, I may do that instead of wasting the gas.)

Happy Tuesday everyone!