I survived this summer. I think.
Last summer I used to take knock off over the counter allergy meds before starting heavy machine aka my lawn mower. My eyes and sinuses would be clear but after an hour I would feel like I was in a fog; grasping aimlessly at lawn clippings and weeds.
This summer I wanted to see how long I can go without having to medicate myself to do yard work and though fall hasn't officially started yet I'm calling it early and saying that I made the whole summer without allergy meds! I was able to get more done this summer, yet still much cleaning I want to do early fall, in that my garden was doubled and I got more weeds slain than ever before!
Though when my allergies would flare up I would either take breaks indoors and go back outside for another round or call it quits for the day. It helped to learn my own physical limitations where before I would just keep going til the allergy meds, often exhausted and out of commission for the rest of the day.
Everyone is different. I've always been odd but besides the point I wanted to be at least semi-alert while doing yardwork, since for me it is a labor of love to see my vegetable garden both blossom and wither.
I'm not advocating that one needs to stop taking allergy medications if they are working for you, I just want to seek and learn natural alternatives so I may make the most out of my fleeting summers with my beloved veggies. Oh and the weeds, my love for them knows no bounds.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Recession Staples
Being unemployed during a recession has taught me a few things when it comes to kitchen stables. Here's a some things that if I don't have on hand I would go hungry without!
BEANS! Yes, they deserve caplocks. My friend gave me two bags of beans and I was able to make 6 different meals out of them! And no they weren't all soup recipes either. Since meat is rare while I'm unemployed beans have been taking their place in some dishes that I make, and even when I am gainfully employed I think it will stay that way.
Flour: I can go without sugar but flour is a different story. Though I may combine both when baking sugar isn't needed in every single baked good which is why it takes priority to have flour vs sugar on hand. I've made some breads, fresh pizza doughs, and some muffins without sugar and they all came out quite well :)
Rice: No matter what the finances may be I always need rice! I can eat it plain (and I have many of times) or as a side dish. Sometimes I like to make fried rice ( with coconut oil) with random frozen veggies I may have on hand. For me there are many recipes I can use rice in to stretch meals even further!
Though I still have lots of pasta on hand I haven't found it to be essential during this "Great" Recession. Honestly plain pasta isn't all that appealing and I rather save what butter I have for toast (from either store bought or fresh breads I make) than buttered noodles. I love homemade sauce for pasta dishes but it can be costly which is why I haven't had it for a long time. Sometimes I'll get bottled sauces to use with the pastas I do have left in my cupboards but if I had to buy the pasta and sauce I doubt it would end up in my cart, because surprisingly there are cheaper meal ideas out there.
One thing I do know if that my kitchen stables will change once I have a steady/unsteady/anything income again! I'd love to stock up my freeze full of frozen vegetables and overdose on stir fry bliss :)
BEANS! Yes, they deserve caplocks. My friend gave me two bags of beans and I was able to make 6 different meals out of them! And no they weren't all soup recipes either. Since meat is rare while I'm unemployed beans have been taking their place in some dishes that I make, and even when I am gainfully employed I think it will stay that way.
Flour: I can go without sugar but flour is a different story. Though I may combine both when baking sugar isn't needed in every single baked good which is why it takes priority to have flour vs sugar on hand. I've made some breads, fresh pizza doughs, and some muffins without sugar and they all came out quite well :)
Rice: No matter what the finances may be I always need rice! I can eat it plain (and I have many of times) or as a side dish. Sometimes I like to make fried rice ( with coconut oil) with random frozen veggies I may have on hand. For me there are many recipes I can use rice in to stretch meals even further!
Though I still have lots of pasta on hand I haven't found it to be essential during this "Great" Recession. Honestly plain pasta isn't all that appealing and I rather save what butter I have for toast (from either store bought or fresh breads I make) than buttered noodles. I love homemade sauce for pasta dishes but it can be costly which is why I haven't had it for a long time. Sometimes I'll get bottled sauces to use with the pastas I do have left in my cupboards but if I had to buy the pasta and sauce I doubt it would end up in my cart, because surprisingly there are cheaper meal ideas out there.
One thing I do know if that my kitchen stables will change once I have a steady/unsteady/anything income again! I'd love to stock up my freeze full of frozen vegetables and overdose on stir fry bliss :)
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
What Happened to Summer?
Alas! Summer is rapidly ending and that means the end of my fresh vegetable garden. This year I planted a few things from seeds that didn't take, poor green beans never had a chance, and some ol' favorites like tomatoes. With each year of gardening I try to learn what I can do better the next time around.
Next year I hope to:
*Plant more plum and cherry tomatoes. I discovered this year that the oh so friendly neighborhood gopher likes beefstake and other larger varieties of tomatoes as opposed to the small plum/cherry kinds. I don't like tomatoes unless they are cooked in sauces or soups were they become one with the broth. My pet tortoise loves the plum and cherry tomatoes, I bought two plants just for him (one of each) but next year I'd like to double it.
*Prep early summer for fall harvest. Some of the kale seeds kinda got washed away from all the rain that came after I planted them. Next year I'd like to plant kale, lettuce, and some fall root veggies so at least in the beginning of October I'd still have some fresh goodness to munch on.
*Pots! I had one pepper plant in a pot this year I'm already on the look out for them to be marked down for end of summer clearances (if I get a job soon.) It was easy for my disabled parental unit to tend to them and a great way for them to be involved with gardening without having to get on the ground and dig! Plus I would like to have more pots so I can have room for my ground garden for plants that are punks and take up lots of space ;)
It's sad to see my 2nd year of gardening come to an end but I'm already thinking warm thoughts for the months to come when I can do it all over and then some!
Next year I hope to:
*Plant more plum and cherry tomatoes. I discovered this year that the oh so friendly neighborhood gopher likes beefstake and other larger varieties of tomatoes as opposed to the small plum/cherry kinds. I don't like tomatoes unless they are cooked in sauces or soups were they become one with the broth. My pet tortoise loves the plum and cherry tomatoes, I bought two plants just for him (one of each) but next year I'd like to double it.
*Prep early summer for fall harvest. Some of the kale seeds kinda got washed away from all the rain that came after I planted them. Next year I'd like to plant kale, lettuce, and some fall root veggies so at least in the beginning of October I'd still have some fresh goodness to munch on.
*Pots! I had one pepper plant in a pot this year I'm already on the look out for them to be marked down for end of summer clearances (if I get a job soon.) It was easy for my disabled parental unit to tend to them and a great way for them to be involved with gardening without having to get on the ground and dig! Plus I would like to have more pots so I can have room for my ground garden for plants that are punks and take up lots of space ;)
It's sad to see my 2nd year of gardening come to an end but I'm already thinking warm thoughts for the months to come when I can do it all over and then some!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
End of the Month Recipes!
No food left in your cupboards til the next month? No problem! Here's what I've been doing to stretch dollars I don't have!
Breakfast Ideas: Fill a bowl with water and pretend it's cereal! Use a spoon to create the same monotonous motions of eating cereal. Splurge and refill the bowl!
Scramble ice cubes and act like you are making eggs for breakfast! Great way to get in some imaginary proteins.
Lunch Ideas: Liquid Lunch! Bring pot of water to a boil and serve with some make believe crackers :D
Supper Ideas: Casserole dishes are often soaked in water to clean them so why not fill them up with water to create meals instead! Use ice shaves to create whatever topping you may have used on dishes in the beginning of the month.
Breakfast Ideas: Fill a bowl with water and pretend it's cereal! Use a spoon to create the same monotonous motions of eating cereal. Splurge and refill the bowl!
Scramble ice cubes and act like you are making eggs for breakfast! Great way to get in some imaginary proteins.
Lunch Ideas: Liquid Lunch! Bring pot of water to a boil and serve with some make believe crackers :D
Supper Ideas: Casserole dishes are often soaked in water to clean them so why not fill them up with water to create meals instead! Use ice shaves to create whatever topping you may have used on dishes in the beginning of the month.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Fall Soup Favorites
I know it's still August but the one thing I look forward to about the end of summer is fall/winter soup season! During the summer months I've made some soups but most were light (mainly because of lack of ingredients) but still wholesome nonetheless. I'm hoping in the near future to be gainfully employed so I may continue making my kitchen a mess with these recipes.
Ina Garten's Sausage Lentil Soup is something that I've made variations with and I hope to continue to tweak in the fall. One thing I really like is using hot sausage and adding kale to the mix too. Makes it feel hearty and is a way to add in more veggies. Her recipe calls for kielbasa, I'm hoping around the holiday season if its on sale I'll be able to experiment and see how it would taste with leftover kielbasa.
Emeril's Split Pea Soup is pretty easy to prep and goes over quite well in my household. If I have leftover ham I like to chop it up and add to the soup but this is tasty without it as well. I'd like to try making this in the fall with some milk alternatives to see if it will lower the calorie content but still keep the nutrients. I'm not a big fan of milk but I'm the minority in my household.
Miso Soup! This is one of the easiest soups to make and great all year round. One of the items I want to keep on hand in the fall/winter season is miso paste (shiro is my fav.) Tofu can be pricey at times but the soup still maintains it flavor with or without it. I like to cut my tofu up in small little cubes to make it stretch even further. I also want to learn more recipes that use miso paste.
These soups are some of my favorites from last fall/winter but I am hopeful that I will be creating even better variations soon! Aka adding kale to everything! ;)
Ina Garten's Sausage Lentil Soup is something that I've made variations with and I hope to continue to tweak in the fall. One thing I really like is using hot sausage and adding kale to the mix too. Makes it feel hearty and is a way to add in more veggies. Her recipe calls for kielbasa, I'm hoping around the holiday season if its on sale I'll be able to experiment and see how it would taste with leftover kielbasa.
Emeril's Split Pea Soup is pretty easy to prep and goes over quite well in my household. If I have leftover ham I like to chop it up and add to the soup but this is tasty without it as well. I'd like to try making this in the fall with some milk alternatives to see if it will lower the calorie content but still keep the nutrients. I'm not a big fan of milk but I'm the minority in my household.
Miso Soup! This is one of the easiest soups to make and great all year round. One of the items I want to keep on hand in the fall/winter season is miso paste (shiro is my fav.) Tofu can be pricey at times but the soup still maintains it flavor with or without it. I like to cut my tofu up in small little cubes to make it stretch even further. I also want to learn more recipes that use miso paste.
These soups are some of my favorites from last fall/winter but I am hopeful that I will be creating even better variations soon! Aka adding kale to everything! ;)
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Gratitude Post
Bam! I've been pretty good the past few week's in actually remembering to write a post!
1. Water: I'm grateful that I have filters left for my Brita water pitcher for at least til the beginning of Fall. Filtered water is important in my household especially during the summer months when I'm mixing up tea, lemonade, and constantly filling up my water bottle.
2. Rain: I'm so glad that this week I didn't have to go out much to water my garden. I went overboard with applying for jobs this week so I barely had any time to spare to worry about my poor veggies! I'm hoping the rain from this week will help those whose end of summer crops are still going strong!
3. Aloe Vera Gel: I love walking around the farmer's market but I tend to get sunburned easily so I'm glad for the existence of aloe vera gel. It helps soothe my skin and is also great for all the bug bites I get whenever I step on my front porch for longer than ten minnets.
4. Iced Tea: I'm grateful that I have something other than water to drink during the hot days of summer. Will my tea supply run dry before I get a new job? Who knows! But at least for now I have a few cheap choices for cool drinks :)
5. First Interview for August!: Though it didn't take place just yet, will be Monday afternoon, I'm grateful that I got called in for a part time interview for a retail gig. I applied back in the beginning of July so I was happy that I was still in consideration for a position there. I put down on the application that I would be willing to be a regular or temporary employee, more than likely it is temp for the holidays but I'd be grateful either way at this point.
1. Water: I'm grateful that I have filters left for my Brita water pitcher for at least til the beginning of Fall. Filtered water is important in my household especially during the summer months when I'm mixing up tea, lemonade, and constantly filling up my water bottle.
2. Rain: I'm so glad that this week I didn't have to go out much to water my garden. I went overboard with applying for jobs this week so I barely had any time to spare to worry about my poor veggies! I'm hoping the rain from this week will help those whose end of summer crops are still going strong!
3. Aloe Vera Gel: I love walking around the farmer's market but I tend to get sunburned easily so I'm glad for the existence of aloe vera gel. It helps soothe my skin and is also great for all the bug bites I get whenever I step on my front porch for longer than ten minnets.
4. Iced Tea: I'm grateful that I have something other than water to drink during the hot days of summer. Will my tea supply run dry before I get a new job? Who knows! But at least for now I have a few cheap choices for cool drinks :)
5. First Interview for August!: Though it didn't take place just yet, will be Monday afternoon, I'm grateful that I got called in for a part time interview for a retail gig. I applied back in the beginning of July so I was happy that I was still in consideration for a position there. I put down on the application that I would be willing to be a regular or temporary employee, more than likely it is temp for the holidays but I'd be grateful either way at this point.
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