What the SPORK is for Lunch?

Reunited, and it feels so good... I saw an old friend recently, and hilarity ensued. We've been working with Landon on eating with utensils and while she can get the food onto her little spoon, she is having a problem keeping it level on the way to her mouth. Enter the SPORK...

Once upon a time, a spoon and  a fork fell in love. Resulting in the Spork.

 Sporks make me think of Ruprecht.. If you have never seen Dirty Rotten Scoundrels then you should. No need to talk about how non PC it is, the point of Ruprecht and the movie is that the men are scoundrels, aka wicked or evil people. 

Ruprecht didn't really have a spork, he had a trident and a corked fork.

 Back to the SPORK... It gives L the ability to stab her food, and stabbed food is much less likely to fall off of the utensil when it is not being kept level. See how this is working for me? Less falling food = less food that has to be retrieved from the floor at a later time.

So exactly what the spork did L have for lunch? Let's start with some updates... L is not shunning any food entirely, which is somewhat more frustrating than if I could tell you "She no longer eats spinach" or "She now hates fish." She has just gotten very particular about what she wants when. It's driving me bananas, but I'm taking it all in stride, remembering that when she is hungry, she will eat and I'm not going to run all over my kitchen wasting 3-4 servings of food trying to find out what she is hungry for that day. Don't get angry with me, I'm not starving her. She has standby food that she still always loves and I make sure to include at least one of those in every meal, so she always has something I know that she will eat. These foods include: tomatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, avocado, sharp cheddar cheese, and pasta. 

We still let her try pretty much any food because the chances she will eat it are the same regardless. Today she had some leftover Chicken Tikka Masala with Jasmine rice and Naan Bread from our favorite Pakistani/Indian restaurant. It was my original starter Indian food and her Aunt R is loving it right now too, while taking Indian Food baby steps. They can do it together. Best Friends Club. Here's how it went:

Naan Good

Chicken Tikka Masala with Jasmine Rice

SPORKING SUPERSTAR!

All hail the SPORK

She has been extra picky about chicken so this was a huge success. She loved the naan (what's not to love?) and ate most of the chicken. My standby foods that I knew she would eat: broccoli and rice. Then after she told me she was finished she asked for a few bites of banana and a few cheerios. Indecision thy name is toddler. 

Let's get real: the spork is a gimmick. A great one, but still, something I use to make L interested in eating her food. I've been trying all kinds of things lately. Here's a Monday night confession for you: When in doubt, food sound effects work. You know the dumb airplane noise? Well we prefer the "drop the bomb" sound effect. You can just imagine the sounds, I'm not going to take you there. At least not right now. I often stop mid meal and give thanks that no one is witnessing Landy and I at work. Kids make you look like a giant idiot, but that's ok. If you don't feel like an idiot most of the time, you are probably not having any fun. 

SO give it to me parents... what are the gimmicks you use to get your kids to eat? Or maybe you have been caught in public when you looked like a big idiot with your kids.. I need to know these things so I feel more normal. Thank you in advance. 

Peace the Spork Out,

-RT

PS - Boardwalk Empire Premier = INSANE. Loved it.

I is for Independence: Two Days of Hard Fought Ladybug Meals

Aaand we're back to babies for a bit. Landon and I have been having a lot of fun lately, and also a lot of not so fun. Not so fun is tantrums in public, refusing to eat meat, and throwing anything related to food on the floor (usually accompanied with a dead pan stare). Ahh the joys of toddlers.

The only time pouting is cute is when it's a photo of someone else's child

The majority of frustrated times are now revolving around meal time. Little Miss Landy now has a strong opinion on what she would like to eat and what she would like to throw on the floor. I used to love meal time. It was such a wonderful time when we sat together and had our mini dinner parties (no wine). Now it's a mental mind field of "will she eat this", "how can I get her to do this", "how can I stop that", and the stress of making sure she is getting the iron she needs. Just to back track, L has iron absorption issues and we try to get it in naturally instead of by liquid supplement.

I used to ignore her when she threw food (get ready for a full circle moment) but then I started telling her not to, because she could understand me. That worked until she realized that she didn't have to listen just because I said so. Then I would take her out of the seat and make her pick up what she threw and put her back in. That was messy and also didn't go so well. She actually likes throwing the food AND picking it up. Then I thought, if she throws the food, I'll just turn her around so she has to eat looking at the wall. She really didn't care too much about that either.

"parenting"

So we are back to just ignoring it. I'm not sure if it works for her, but it is MUCH easier for me. When she finishes her meal if there is food on the floor, I ask her to help me pick it up and she mostly does. Don't get me wrong, she is not down on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor, she picks up a few bigger chunks of things and hands them to me. Baby steps. Literally. After all, she thinks picking things up is fun so I'm going to use that until it changes (probably tomorrow). 

I have offered different meal suggestions for toddlers, but still had some emails wanting an example of a typical day. A typical day is never typical, so here are two days of real life Landon food. 

Day 1:

Breakfast

Landon and I usually share breakfast. I fry 3 eggs. She takes two yolks and maybe the whites of one egg and I have the rest. This day I made some oatmeal that I ate most of and she had maybe 7 or 8 bites. She has water with all of her meals. 

Unexpected Snack

We did a bit of running around on this morning and a even in the afternoon. She got restless at the grocery store so I bought a bag of goldfish and gave her a handful. Then she saw the magic pop machine and I still had things to get. Instead of fighting a tantrum, I fed it. Magic pop. 

Lunch

Black eyed peas, zucchini, two GIANT organic strawberries, and some fresh pineapple. She wasn't really that excited about this lunch. To make up for it I mixed some goat cheese in with the black eyed peas. That helped a little. This meal was not a huge success, but I am going to blame the surprise morning snack.

Afternoon Snack

This afternoon snack was more like a picnic. L had a dr's appt. Of course, as Murphy's Law of Naps clearly states, she was taking the best nap of her life and I had to wake her up to leave. I grabbed things that were easy on the go. A banana, some magic pop in a zip lock, and a cheddar cheese stick that was eaten in the waiting room. I know bloggers are weird, but I am not going to take a picture of a cheese stick in the waiting room. There is a line.

Bakery Stop

My bakery vice. We'll wait to intro these to Landon

 I had to stop at the baker on the way home to order a cake. This bakery has a website landing page with the phone number. They don't answer the phone. Every baby gets a free sugar cookie unless their mom is so mean that she refuses. Free sugar cookie for L. 

Dinner

I made dinner small on purpose. Because of the entire banana she ate at 3:30, the sugar cookie at 4:15, and countless "bites" of magic pop. This is salmon and broccoli. She ate all of it and nothing more. She threw it on the floor. This was the meal that led me to my decision to ignore the food olympics. I had a glass of wine after bed time. Well deserved.

Day 2

Breakfast

Just a second reminder, we share breakfast. Also, this is what is offered. Lots of times half of the banana or the rest of the oatmeal is put back away for the next day. This breakfast was homemade oatmeal with a 1/2 C unsweetened apple sauce added in. It is one of my favorite ways to sweeten plain oatmeal. Three fried eggs, a peach, and banana. I took half of the peach and put it in the oatmeal chopped up. L ate the other half. There were eggs left over for me. This was a big breakfast.

Bakery Stop

Again. I know. I had to go back in because, like I said, they don't answer the phone. Who wants a sugar cookie at 9:15am? Landon. And me too, but I'm an adult so I just stole half of  hers when we got in the car.

Lunch

This was a really good lunch. More salmon from the filet I cooked the day before, mashed potatoes leftover from our dinner, raspberries, half of an avocado and a dolup of sour cream for the salmon. It was my back up plan in case she decided she didn't like salmon today. Turns out I needed it and it worked like a charm. She ate most everything offered. I only gave her half of the  mashed potatoes and she left 3 raspberries that I ate. Mommy clean up. Also, the food throwing dropped to a one time occurrence. Ignoring the baby behavior wins again.

Afternoon Snack

When she woke up from this nap L was really fussy. Her eye teeth have been coming in for what feels like MONTHS but she really only has pain on and off. I can't wait for those suckers to break through. She was really in pain and having a tough time settling down. So we turned on sesame street and she had some advil followed by her snack. We don't make it a habit to eat in the living room, but this was pretty pitiful. 10 minutes after the advil I heard her crunch into the magic pop, served with half a banana and a cheddar cheese stick.

Dinner

This isn't the actual dinner that goes with this day. I had a blog window available and I took it. Tonight I will be attempting to serve meatloaf, broccoli, sweet potato and the rest of the avocado from lunch. A very similar dinner to the one above, just sub out the peas and the chicken. Use your imagination. You'll need it in the years to come.

There they are. Two whole days of Landon food. It kind of makes me hungry. Question, does anyone else babyproof the old fashioned way?

Budget friendly babyproofing for the busy mom

Don't worry, all of the toxic items are in real baby proofed cabinets. This is just my lazy way for pots and pans and all other things. Rubber bands are courtesy of the produce section of the grocery store.

I just found some leftover sugar cookie in my bra. Today is not a glamorous day.

-RT

Feeding Toddlers & My non scientific theories on Overweight Children

Hey there Internet! So we left mom world for a while. We've been liking things and loving Houston and having too much Sunday fun. So in honor of cranky toddlers who haven't been sleeping well, we're going to talk about more Ladybug food. The internet makes you think that blogging with a baby looks like this:

"Hey mom. I'm so happy! You finally figured out the difference between your and you're."

I can't show you what it really looks like to blog with a baby because I have yet to figure out that secret recipe. When Landon is awake I try to hang out with her or get out of the house. When I am blogging it is baby asleep time or daddy at home time. I can show you what it looks like to have a 15 month old who won't let you put her down on a day you have a lot to get done. That goes something like this:

 "WTF, mom?" love, Landon

Baby Bjorns that you borrow from your sister-in-law aren't just for babies anymore. They are for toddlers who won't leave you alone. And it works. Plus, an extra 23lbs of body weight when I'm getting chores done makes it count as a workout..... right?

I think I've said before that I had a really hard time trying to figure out what to feed Landon and when she was supposed to eat certain foods. Landon's doctor gave me lots of good info, I just always had more and more questions. I also didn't want to be that mother who called the pediatrician's nurse all the time asking non important or non emergency related questions. We are already on a first name basis (word to Justine), so I've taken learning about Landon's nutrition upon myself. I wanted to make sure she was getting healthy foods and also a variety of items to insure she got as many vitamins as possible directly from her food. I wanted to try my best to start good eating habits early. In my family picky eaters get chased from the dinner table and mocked. You are, quite simply, not allowed to dislike anything until you have tried it at least twice. You are also not allowed to put ketchup on your steak. Yes, people do that. I just didn't know because it wasn't allowed in our home.

That steak you just paid a decent sum for can taste just like ketchup too. And not at all like steak.

Back on task.... In the midst of all of these efforts, I came to a realization of sorts. Kids are fat. That was not my realization, that is just a fact. According to the CDC approximately 21 - 24% of American kids are overweight, and another 16 - 18% are obese. Before I had children I don't think I noticed most regular kids. I certainly didn't think about what children were eating. Here is my own personal realization - Parents now more than ever are focusing on how to keep their children happy. Of course you should want your children to be happy, but things like frustration and experiencing things like sadness and anger are a part of growing up and learning how to manage your emotions. This is what I learned when I became a parent: Your child experiences pain/sadness/anger/frustration and cries. In my non scientific study with one child, 95% of the time, you give this distressed child food and they stop crying. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only parent who has noticed this, but I also realized that I don't want Landon to view food as the thing that makes her feel better when she is upset. THAT is a trap I think many children, teenagers, and even adults fall into. I have fallen into it myself.

Ben & Jerry's: a neon sign for emotional distress

Why do you think breakups are followed with half gallons of ice cream and bags of potato chips? Oh, I mean pints of ice cream... maybe. It is part of our culture to feed people to make them happy. When someone experiences a loss, you bring them food. And I do bring them food. In my view, the food is not necessarily the enemy. I grew up eating McDonalds and Blue Bell among many other things. And I am not overweight or obese. It just seems like too many children and adolescents are turning to food for the wrong reasons. Food as a friend, food as a solution, food as a coping mechanism. They literally eat until they feel so full that they can't feel whatever emptiness was there before. It's comfort food taken to the extreme. People are no longer learning how to deal with their emotions, they are just filling themselves up so they feel something else. And parents who want their kids to be happy or stop crying or who just don't know any better are handing their children whatever is available to cope with their emotions. These parents don't realize what they are taking away from their children by doing this: The ability to cope and overcome and build emotional skills within themselves.

Of course, these are all just my opinions based on my own experiences and observations. I don't think the answer to the obesity epidemic is to close down fast food, outlaw soda, or limit the ability of restaurants to determine portion sizes. We shouldn't be threatening to take obese children away from parents. The money it would cost to foster those children and put them through the system should be used to educate their parents and the family on better ways to eat, exercise, and build their mental health. Sometimes we expect people to be perfect, but we are, after all, only human. Armed with knowledge, we can do so much more. When you grow up respecting food and having an education that teaches you about nutrition, it's hard to even imagine that someone wouldn't know that orange soda and a bag of doritos isn't a suitable meal. But the truth is, more often than not, people are uneducated about food. When I figure out the answer to all of the above, and how to pay for it, I'll meet with the president and let you all know how it goes. Then I'll come back here to let you know, once again:

I didn't really know I was going to go off on that big of a tangent, but what I was getting back around to are healthy food options for your toddler. Children do need more fat and fuel that adults, but you can find the balance by giving them good fats or fats that have other nutritional benefits. On a typical day, Landon has three meals and an afternoon snack. I look at each meal and make sure it has a veggie or two, most of the time a complex carb, a protein, and a little fruit for dessert. She is low on iron so we try to incorporate more iron rich items into her meals. Just keep your thoughts on that when you see that she has 2 egg yolks with one egg white for breakfast. Also, I say this a lot but I like to say it again and again, YOU know your child best as far as what they can handle in their ability to chew and swallow. Please adjust accordingly.

Healthy foods for Toddlers and Children 12 months and up:

Main Breakfast examples:

This is a shared breakfast for Landon and myself. She eats both egg yolks,
I get the whites and the leftover oatmeal and banana.

Eggs - scrambled, sunny side up, poached, or however your child prefers them. Landon likes her eggs over medium and cut up into bite size pieces. I know this because she told me once in full sentences.

Cereal - No, not Wheaties and skim milk with a spoon. The rice, barley, wheat, etc cereal made for babies is still a great way for your toddler to get healthy whole grains and iron. 

Porridge/Grits/Cream of Wheat - You can find 100% whole wheat cream of wheat at most grocery stores and it is more flavorful with more texture than the basics. 

Oatmeal - Basic oatmeal with a bit of whole milk & some cinnamon make a great start to the day and it's something the whole family can eat.

Yogurt - We like to use a basic 2% fat Greek with a little honey added mixed with sliced mango.

With any of the above we offer morning fruit. Usually something like: 1/3 of a banana (sliced), a few strawberries (sliced), mango chunks, raspberries cut in half, or blueberries, also cut in half. 

Lunch or Dinner examples:

Clockwise from top left, sweet potato, salmon, chopped spinach, & buffalo mozzarella in cubes.

Main Proteins/Items: 

Salmon or any other fish - grilled, baked, poached, or steamed - make sure it is deboned 

Shrimp - it is sweet and fresh and easy to chew

Chicken - L has recently started to prefer the dark meat to the breast, but she goes back and forth 

Pork - works for lots of kids chopped or braised, but sometimes can cause upset stomachs

Turkey - chopped, shredded or ground

Beef - because beef is a more chewy food, we are still doing mainly ground, but braised meats that are completely tender are wonderful

Lamb - Landon loves braised lamb and also ground lamb. It is a great source of iron and more flavorful than other ground meats and poultry

Tofu - Great if you are looking for a vegetarian alternative & takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with

Whole Wheat Pasta - perfect way to get whole grains and a filling complex carb with more flavor than plain white pasta. Pasta can be the main part of a meal or a side.

Legumes - Lentils, butter beans, black beans, pinto beans, soy beans, lima beans, etc. Beans are full of iron, great finger food, and easy to chew. They also help to develop a healthy digestive system and are full of fiber. They can serves as the main part of a meal or a side.

Sides:

It's a bird, it's a plane, no, wait.... it's a perfect side, snack, or dessert for toddlers.

 Think of a fruit or a vegetable. Got one? Ok, now thing of another one. Now another one. Now think of every vegetable or fruit you can imagine. Are you with me? I guarantee that 95% of what you are thinking of is good for your child to eat. You might have to adjust the way you prepare it, making sure it is soft enough to chew and cut into the right size, but too many people are focused on what babies can't eat the first year. It was hard for me at first to wrap my head around what they can eat. Basically, everything. Here are some of the favorites sides that we also eat and some that Landon likes best:

Avocado, chopped spinach, sweet potato, green peas, carrots, zucchini, butternut squash, snap peas, tomatoes,  kale, new potatoes, broccoli, peaches, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, mango, cherries, kiwi, banana, all berries, red pepper, grapes (cut in quarters), pears, pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, and corn.

Other Snacks:

It's snack time, y'all.

I try to make sure that Landon gets a calcium rich snack since we try to stay away from calcium during her meals. It blocks iron absorption, so this is just a her specific thing. Her snack always consists of some kind of cheese and either a fruit or a whole grain. For some fruit ideas, see above.

Cheese snacks:

Cottage cheese (2%), chevre goat cheese, 365 organic shredded white cheddar cheese, cheddar cheese stick cut up into small cubes, or misc cheese treat.

Unsweetened applesauce is awesome as a snack or a side to a meal. The unsweetened tastes great and you lose almost half the calories and all the added sugar. 

Her current favorite snack addition is Magic Pop. It is a puffed rice deal like a giant round, flat rice crispy. I know you can find different versions of them all around. Our HEB stores and Central Market make them in the store. She likes it because she can break it up on her own and eat it. I think it makes her feel fancy.

On the go snacks are also an essential item. There is a time and a place when you might need to feed a tantrum to keep it from happening. I do recognize that. I keep my diaper bag stocked with earth's best cereal bars, mum mums, tupperware with plain cheerios, more magic pop, and sometimes graham crackers.

It's easy for me to sit here with a healthy 15 month old and pretend to have all of the answers. I really don't. I am just doing the best that I can and trying to educate myself to make good decisions for myself and my family. The key there is education. We need to educate ourselves and work to educate others. There are options out there and ways to create a healthy relationship with food for yourself and for your children. I work at getting it right most of the time. Saying I would get it right all of the time just isn't realistic. Kids should be allowed their treats the same as adults should. But treats are treats and food should be respected as should your body, your emotions and most of all, yourself.

- RT

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

Announcement: Today was a fantastic day. And I haven't even had dessert yet. Could giving up my precious drum sticks have made such a huge difference in my life? Ummm, no. I was just busy at a happy place to work, and when I got home my little munchkin was happy, and S is excited that I told the internet he was right and I was wrong, so we've got good vibes going on around here.  

So really this post has nothing to do with Maria, but I just didn't want to name it "These are a few of my favorite things" because it's been done. Today though, we are talking about things. Not these things: 

People are creepy.

Material things. Namely, my two favorite things in each room of a normal house. I had to limit myself to two and mix it up with different rooms. Why are we talking about this? Because I used up a lot of my brain on yesterday's blog and tonight I had whole wheat pasta and meat sauce for dinner. We've all already read about that. 

The other thing going on right now is the British Open. Oh, you didn't know that? You mean your husband/father/brother isn't watching it? Call me, I'm coming over for all of the majors. You might think golf isn't a contact sport, but a young Irish chap named Rory just hit someone in the head with a golf ball. If you want to talk golf I'll make a post later about who is cutest (with hats on and hats off), best golf fashion, most sincere interviews, dumbest looking, and drunkest Irishman. Then I'll tell you how stupid the belly putter is. That is where my golf knowledge ends.

Back to things... Here is another REALLY HUGE announcement: I am not Oprah. Although you will get a pie in the mail if you like the Raising Texas Facebook page and share the most posts, you will not all get one of these things. But you can buy them since I provided helpful links.

Kitchen

Salad Spinner

This makes life so easy when it comes to washing veggies for salads. You put it all in here, wash it in here, drain it in there, dry it in there, then you can dump it all into the main bowl and make your salad. All in the same device. It makes healthy eating much easier. 

Hand Blender

This is a game changer. It replaces your blender, your food processor, and your hand mixer. It is also much, much lighter than a blender or a food processor. I'm not going to pretend like hand mixers are heavy just for the drama, but it it also lighter than a hand mixer. Note: This is not an infomercial for the Magic Bullet.

Living Room

Coffee Table Books

I love a great stack of pretty books. You can use hard back books all over your house. They are interesting and they just look nice. They say, "I'm super smart and read incredibly giant books." They do, one of mine just told me that. And you can continue to use them in whatever home you live in for the rest of your life. You can also get some great deals at Half Price Books.

Lamps

Lamp light is your friend in every way. Lamps are easy decor and  they also give your room the gift of soft lighting. Soft lighting = better looks, better moods, and a more comfortable vibe. I hate overhead lighting and too bright lights. It is all just too much. If I wanted that much brightness in my life I would go outside. 

Breakfast/Dining Room

Fruit Bowl

Call me a sucker for classics, but I love a beautiful fruit bowl on a bare table. It's like a standard thing you get to redecorate every week with new fruit. Or sometimes maybe it sits empty while you have an affair with your frozen treat of choice. The thing is it looks good empty or full.

Salt Wells

My mom collects antique silver salt spoons. That sounds better than "old salt spoons." She collects a lot of things. We call her a collector instead of a hoarder. (I love you mom.) She turned me on to salt wells and salt spoons and it is the perfect little accent for a great simple table. Or an elaborate table. This is why it works for everyone. Plus it's a great twist on the traditional shakers.

A traditional Shaker.

Baby Room/Nursery/Play Room

Playskool Poppin' Park Elefun

This toy is the gift that keeps on giving. We got it when L was 8 months old. The noise was a little loud for a few weeks and then the love affair began. And it continues. Six months of love and at every stage she finds some new thing she can do with this toy. It also provides great baby dancing music. It is annoying as hell sometimes, but it will make your child dance and laugh, possibly for six months or longer.

Baby Xylophone

There is a reason that every toddler knows that Xylophone starts with an "X". (and it's not just that "x-ray" isn't a real word). You don't even need a link. Buy a freaking Xylophone. It doesn't matter which one. Give it to your toddler. Then figure out how to play songs on it. Have a name that tune competition. Fun for the whole family.

Bedroom 

Get your mind out of the gutter. This isn't THAT kind of blog. But here you go:

 You know what you really need when you read your mommy porn? A disguise. Something like:

Amazon Kindle

I love to read and the kindle makes it so easy to get the books you want and get going. I also like the original kindle because the pages read like book pages. It doesn't hurt your eyes. They travel so well, too. 

Heavy, Rich Drapes

Our heavy drapes saved me when Landon was first born and I was trying hard to "sleep when the baby sleeps". I really think there is nothing better in a bedroom than great drapes. Maybe great sheets also. Back to the drapes though, please see the following photo tutorial:

Since I limited myself to two per room and didn't really cover all rooms, there is more to come. Two final notes before I go. 

1. Every dream home needs a great reading spot. Even if you don't read, it's good for decor and for when I visit.

I could stay here for a long, long time. In fact... I'm moving in.

 My very favorite things aren't things at all. They are people and moments and those are the things that really make a house a home. In honor of Friday and the weekend, I am sharing one of my very favorite moments with you. Landon's first laugh. Thanks to the iPhone and modern technology, I caught the actual first laugh on video. It's a good thing too, because she didn't laugh again for 3 more weeks. Here is baby Landy in her little baby hip harness laughing for the very first time:

 Enjoy your people, enjoy your moments, and enjoy your things! Have a great weekend!

-RT

Beating up the weather While Bringing Fresh Farm Veggies to Your Front Door

It's Sunday guys... we made it! I've never been more excited to go to work and see other people and put on real clothes. Here's the summary and wrap up from last time when I was going crazy:

I did. Clouds have asses and I kicked one.

I took my shower and all was right with the world. Then something truly amazing happened, the rain stopped. We were supposed to have flash flooding and downpours and weather crazies. Friday morning there was nothing. We got to go out and do our walk and see the sunshine and then we got caught in the rain and instead of caring and running the Bob and baby back home, we just strolled and it just rained. We got home, and splashed in puddles and slipped and slid around and we kicked the rain and the cloud's asses. Then they left and decided not to ruin the rest of the night or Saturday or today (except for a brief shower) and you are welcome Houston. Landy and I made the rain go away. Then on Saturday our Farmhouse Delivery came. It's like food Christmas.

This Saturday's delivery included tomatoes, okra, zucchini, green beans, eggplant, peaches, butternut squash, yellow cherry tomatoes, and avocados.

I love going to farmer's markets, but it is really hard when you have a new baby. We had looked into farming co-ops in the past and the upfront cost and commitment always made us back off. Here are the amazing things about Farmhouse Delivery that make it so much better than a co-op:

1. You can do every week OR every other week. (we do every other week)

2. You pay week by week, not all at once. 

3. It is delivered to your front door, not a main pick up location. YOUR FRONT DOOR.

4. You get a list of what is in your bushel on Mondays and you can sub out items if you don't like them. 

5. You can put your order on hold if you will be out of town or if it's a bad week, and they don't charge you. 

6. They blog recipes with the ingredients and suggest ways to eat and cook them. 

7. You can cancel at ANY time. No additional charge. 

8. Did I tell you they deliver to your FRONT DOOR?!?!?!

Who is this good for?? I want to tell you it's good for everyone, but the truth is, it isn't. My amazing friend R ordered it for herself and her boyfriend and they didn't cook enough at home and ended up cancelling. If you cook at home, if you want to be inspired to cook at home, if you want to try new fruits and vegetables, if you are looking for more fresh ingredients in your kitchen... THIS is for you.

It has also been great for Landy because we have plenty of veggies on hand for her to try. It helps keep her diet and our diet in a great place all week long. The meal to follow is an example of what we do with a lot of our farmhouse veggies. We usually grill them or broil them or bake them when they aren't fresh lettuces or things we would throw in a salad.

In this bushel from a few weeks ago we got some amazing food. We were steak hungry and decided to use the carrots, green beans, and red potatoes. I preheated the oven to 400. This is how the carrots arrived:

Fresh from the farm.

 I peeled them and then cut off the stems, finally cutting them lengthwise and in half. The finished product looked like this:

Here are the green beans after I rinsed them. Then I snapped the ends off of them and did another rinse.

Then I started to prep the red potatoes. I decided to try something weird and new and on the fly because having fun in the kitchen is what makes cooking fun. I cut some rosemary from our bush and sliced some garlic cloves. Then I sliced an "X" in the top of a potato and stuffed them with the rosemary sprigs and garlic slices. Then drizzled olive oil over them.

Ingredients

 

Stuffed

Ready for the oven

I put the potatoes aside and took the carrots and green beans and mixed them together with and insane amount of dill, sea salt, and olive oil.

On the baking sheet ready for the oven

 I put the veggies and the potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes ready to check them and see how they are doing. Time to start on the steak. We took it out and let it come to room temp, then marinated it with olive oil and rubbed with salt and pepper.

Carrots and green beans are ready to go.

Potatoes and crispy rosemary needed more time. Probably 50 minutes total.

Steak is ready to go.

Here is the finished plate:

So there you go! Great farm fresh veggies that you can use in your meals every day. When we get our deliveries we just plan our proteins and our trip to the store is for those and breakfast fruits and extra snacks. We really love it and it's a great way to do more healthy and fresh eating at home.

Everyone have a great week!

-RT