Cheers!

It's summer somewhere, right?  Some nights I just can't resist the call of a gin and tonic.

Turning the Tide

Hi there!  So sorry for the extended absence!  Things have been a mile a minute here for the last couple of weeks.  Since I last posted I finished prepping for my wholesale show in Philly and we made our trip there and back, which was just under a week.  It was a great trip, but since I knew I was going to be stuck in my booth all day with nothing to photograph I didn't even bring my camera.  We stayed with my sister who lives just outside Philadelphia in a really cool old house with lots of quirky and appealing little spaces, so now I am kicking myself for not having my camera, but since the car was literally so packed that we had to jettison things from the packing list at the last minute I guess it was for the best.  I could have done a post on packing the car alone.  The baby was crying, the dog was freaking out, TH was tearing his hair out, it was awesome.  So in the end I ended up with no chair for my booth, no hand-truck, and no camera.  And then shortly after our return on Tuesday the child came down with some kind of puking sickness, which literally has kept our hands full, and not in a nice way.  Fingers crossed, but today we are looking to be getting a little bit back to normal.

Amidst all the chaos we have been making a serious effort to eat healthier, and reverse the effects of a very rich food filled holiday season.  It is especially hard to start a healthy eating regime in the winter too, when what you really feel like eating is mac and cheese, and baked potatoes.  But after the first week or so of stumbling around with only sort of yummy food, we have found our groove.  And now I really look forward to dinner every night, since we have been trying all new recipes with a renewed focus on healthy as well as delicious. Which with the right resources, turns out to be not that hard!  Our two favorite new books are Everyday Food Light, from Martha Stewart, and The Very Best of Recipes for Health, a compilation of recipes from Martha Rose Shulman's NY Times column.  I have found that if you start with a whole book or two of healthy, low-ish calorie options it really isn't hard to find something appealing.  What gets tiresome is searching through our regular resources and trying to first figure out which ones are the healthier options, and then deciding what to make.  Starting with healthy cookbooks takes out a whole step, and a lot of the brain work.

Also, we have been meal planning ahead, which keeps the cost down on groceries since we can just make one big trip a week to get what we need from the bigger, cheaper grocery store.  Also keeping a fridge stocked with healthy options for meals and snacks takes away the temptation of less healthy options.  Often, due to laziness and disorganization we would turn to frozen pizza or other processed, ready to eat meals, which just end up being full of empty calories.  

Lunches can be hard during the work day when I don't want to take a long time to prepare and then eat a meal.  We've tried smoothies, with some success.  TH enjoys them more than I do.  They tend to make my stomach hurt a little, not sure if it is from the cold acidic liquid, or the raw fruits and vegetables.  I've been eating a lot of chicken bouillon with various additions and flavors, and salads.  I was able to get some smoked trout at our food coop, and that with a salad was a delicious lean protein lunch.  Or a small tuna sandwich always tastes good to me, although that is the last thing TH would eat.

All in all I guess I have figured out that eating healthy has more to do with time, planning and organization, and less to do with suffering and sacrifice, which is a really great, since I'm not so good at self-deprivation ;)  I'm looking forward to going into spring feeling good in my clothes, healthy, and ready for outside activities!  

Adventures in Breakfast

Here you go Mom.  This one's for you.  Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Middle Eastern Feast

We went out for dinner last night to our friends Garet and Carolyn's house for a delicious collaborative middle eastern feast.  Tate and Sara, two of the owners of our fantastic local wine and beer shop Meditrina, were there as well, and brought a delicious mixed grain with lentils and quinoa, shaved cauliflower and loads of other tasty ingredients.  Our part of the feast was the two dips at the top, a homemade hummus with lemon and tahini, and a roasted eggplant dip with garlic, mint and yogurt.  G&C provided the rest. The salad was a beautiful composition of feta, endive, julienned apple, grapes and some other things which I forget.  And the main meat dish was a gorgeous braised lamb shoulder, which I intend to get the recipe for and try myself.  Best lamb I've had in ages.  All of a sudden I am a braising convert.  Maybe it is the cold weather.

We left Emmett at our friends Mike and Cheryl's house while we were out, and when we went back there to pick him up he was sound asleep with them on the couch in front of the Grammys.  He just lay there and snuggled with them until he fell asleep.  And here we were, under the impression that the only way to get him to fall asleep was in a dark, quiet room, alone in his crib.  Amazing what other people can get your children to do, isn't it?

Personalized Initial Tree Valentines

Did you guys see the personalized valentine that I am offering in the Fiddleheads shop?  There's still time to order one before V-day!  Go on, carve your initials in a tree with your honey.  And then if you are still feeling sentimental you can pop it into a 5x7 frame and hold onto it as a keepsake for your grandchildren to say awwwwww over.

Woodpecker

We woke up this morning with this funny little Downey Woodpecker hogging all the snacks on our birdseed wreath.  I had to take the 1st picture through the window, sorry it is a little fuzzy.