Our Little City Garden

I love dirt.  I'm not referring to the dust dirt that piles up on the furniture or the dirt that's on our kids' feet at the end of the day or the "dirt" also known as gossip.  I don't care for that type of dirt.  I love working the dirt/soil/earth, tending a garden, and growing plants and vegetables. 

I love examining a tiny seed knowing that in that tiny seed there are amazing things to be grown with just a little dirt, water and light.  I love watching a tiny sprout emerge from the ground.  I love seeing the "real" leaves come on.  Plant life just amazes me.

A couple months ago we started some seeds in our very small backyard.  We started three types of tomatoes, cucumbers and a couple flower varieties.

We started "Mortgage Lifters."  They're supposed to yield two pound tomatoes!  I was hoping they'd "lift" our mortgage too!

We also started "Abe Lincolns" in honor of our Civil War study

Little tomato starts- These are a variety called "German Johnson"

Cucumber starts and little tomatoes

As I was tending my new starts, I was thinking back on my other garden.  We used to have acres of land to grow, but our current home offers a limited patio space.  We're going to try container gardening, and hopefully we'll make the best of it!

Here's a glimpse of my former space:

A portion of our former garden space

The garden going strong

This makes me smile

Fresh raspberries all summer long

I think half our neighborhood here can fit on the property we moved from.  It's been an adjustment, but the daily sunshine helps and the work load is MUCH less.

Back to present day.  Some of our "Abe Lincolns" were big enough to transplant. We bought some metal containers and our oldest drilled drainage holes in them.

Now our containers were ready for the tomato plants.  When transplanting tomatoes, you can bury them a bit deeper than the base, thus burying some of the stem.  I was told they're like clematis in this respect.  Don't worry if your transplants look a little pitiful the first few days after you transplant them.  They're just in shock.  They'll snap out of it in no time.

Nice roots on our tomato starts

Transplant complete

  

The City Garden

Round one of our garden is complete.  I'll need to figure out another plan for our "Mortgage Lifters" and "German Johnson's."  This is such a fun hobby and very rewarding!

Thankful Through Adversity? A Night in the ER

As a mom, I don't think there is anything worse than seeing one of your precious children in pain.  Although, I generally tend to believe everything happens for a reason, some things, like a child suffering or in pain just rips my heart out and I struggle with the "why?" of it.

Yesterday our very active, baseball playing middle son's team made it to the Tournament of Champions.  Unless you play Little League, you may not realize what a big deal this is for the kids.  They were one of two teams from their division to make it through the playoffs.  They'll begin playing other area teams next weekend.  It's quite an accomplishment for the boys!

Not only did they make it to TOC, during yesterday's game, our boys completed a TRIPLE PLAY!  This is huge!  It was the sixth inning, score was tied.  The opposing team had the bases loaded.  Their batter hits an amazing ball toward shortstop.  It was a tough catch, but our shortstop reached for the ball and caught it.  In the meantime, runners at 1st and 3rd advanced thinking it was a sure thing.  Quickly the shortstop throws the ball to our son at third, getting the third base runner out.  Our son seeing the chaos that was ensuing and listening to coaching, sees 1st base runner well off the plate and then shoots the ball to the first baseman getting that runner out!  This was some GOOD baseball!  We were elated!  The boys completed a rare triple play.  Our umpire commented in all his years umping he'd only seen a triple play one other time and that was at a Little League Majors game.

We went home from the game spent.  We ended up losing in the 7th inning, but it was a well played game.  We're so proud of our boys.

The kids went to the pool to enjoy the summery afternoon.  In the evening we went to the park to play what our kids call the tennis ball game.  It's like baseball, but with a soft ball of some sort.  We were all playing, laughing, and having great fun with another baseball family.  Then our middle son, running into home, decided to do a shoulder roll/somersault.  We heard the crack.  He was on the ground crying in pain.  If I could have picked him up and run him somewhere I would have.  I felt so helpless.  We had walked to the park and had to wait for his dad to run home, get the car and drive back.  It felt like the longest minutes of my life.

I drove him to and Urgent Care close to home and they told us they couldn't treat him.  He'd have to go to an area hospital emergency room.  We were back in the car for another ride.  The whole time he's trying to be strong, but I could tell he was in a great deal of pain.

We made it to the emergency room.  A room of chaos!  I felt like I was in a scaled down version of television program ER.  There were kids throwing up, parents running for vomit bowls, a woman who had her face attacked by a dog, a guy with his eyebrow busted open, another guy with blood all over and his thumb wrapped, someone with rectal pain (I know this is too much information, but this was our reality last night), and many others.  Along with all the patients there was an abundance of security guards, police and bullet proof glass.  Welcome to St. Joseph's Hospital of the 21st century.

We waited, and waited, and waited.  We were processed through a couple stations, but still hadn't been seen by someone who cared.  Finally, after about an hour and a half in the ER (in addition to the hour it took us to get there) I went to one of the nurses and asked how much longer it would be.  The two young nurses gave me a glaring look and casually said, "It might be a LONG time."  They then commented when a room became available they'd let me know. 

Apparently, someone overheard this conversation.  A young man named Joey (a nurse also), who cared about a 9-year old kid in a baseball uniform in a great deal of pain immediately called us over.  He took a look at our son, began evaluating his clavicle and then turned around and in a quiet yet firm, serious voice said to the other nurses, "We're looking at a fractured clavicle here.  Why has no one seen this kid or administered some pain medication to him?" 

Joey got things rolling.  Right then and there he called out to a doctor asking for the okay to administer some pain meds.  He put our boy's arm in a sling and we had a room in minutes.  A minute later we were in the x-ray room.  I stood behind the wall with the x-ray technician.  Immediately I knew we were looking at a broken collarbone.

On a side note, our son's collarbone was broke at birth and he regularly asks me questions about it.  It's hard to know what a newborn experienced with a broken collarbone, so it's hard for me to give him definitive answers.  Now we know what's it's like and it makes me feel doubly bad for him.

Joey was our hero last night!  We were soon on our way home after a few more processing procedures.

This whole thing really hasn't hit him yet.  When you're an active, sports-oriented kid it's hard to imagine a few weeks off.  Yesterday, prior to the accident we sent our invitations for his baseball birthday party.  He's supposed to play in a soccer tournament coming up.  He'll miss out on baseball for the next few weeks.  We're bummed.

I'm sure there is some good that comes out of this.  I'm thankful that it's a break that heals on its own.  I'm thankful he's been such a trooper.  I'm thankful for the lessons in life we get to learn.  I'm thankful he's blessed with a brother who loves him and was awake until midnight shedding a couple tears on his brother's behalf and texting me checking in.  I'm thankful we serve a God who comforts us in times like this.  I'm thankful I was there to hold my sweetheart and be a shoulder he could lean on.  I'm thankful for nurses like Joey who are still compassionate even when overwhelmed with patients.  I'm thankful we're all healthy other than this little mishap.  I'm so incredibly thankful for our family!



I'm thankful this sweetheart is still smiling.



Breakfast Ideas: Greek Egg Stacks, Paleo

We made another trip to Crate and Barrel yesterday.  Look what we found:

A Round Egg Ring

We had to try out this new cute gadget today.  I have the leftovers from the grilled leg of lamb we had last night so thought of a way to incorporate it in our egg dish.  The creation was Greek Egg Stacks.  The kids were crazy for this! 

Greek Egg Stacks

Dice about 1 cup lamb, 1/4 cup green bell pepper, 1/4 cup red bell pepper, 1/4 cup red onion.  Saute.

Diced vegetables and meat

Place in frying pan and saute.  There seems to be enough fat in the lamb so no need to spray or oil pan.

Saute just until vegetables are tender and meat is warm



Saute complete, remove from heat

In a separate frying pan heat about 1 teaspoon coconut oil.  Place egg ring in pan to heat.  In a small bowl, crack one egg and beat lightly.  Pour egg into warm egg ring and then sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of meat/veg mixture over egg in ring.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.  Allow to cook until egg begins to set.  With knife, go around edges of egg ring to loosen egg from edges.  Gently remove egg ring and turn egg stack over.  Cook for about one minute.

Egg with meat

Cook on medium-medium low heat

One egg stack finishing, new one started



Breakfast is served.  These little egg creations would be great topped with feta too.



Enjoy!

Paleo Salad Week: Delicious Pear Steak Salad

Yesterday I grilled up a considerable amount of meat to have on hand if the days became to busy to properly cook a meal.  Included in this grilling were two large London Broil steaks. 

As I was thinking of preparing dinner tonight and looking around the kitchen I saw a couple pears in our fruit bowl.  Hmmm.... something delicious was brewing in my mind.

Pear Steak Salad
feeds ~6

1/2 of large container of Organic Spring Mix Greens (Costco) or 2 bags organic spring greens from Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, etc.
2 sliced rounds of red onion, about 1/2 cup sliced red onion
1 pear, cored and diced
1 teaspoon coconut oil, preferably organic
Crumbled Blue Cheese, optional

Place greens in large bowl.  In a medium frying pan heat 1 teaspoon coconut oil.  Place onion and pear in pan and saute for about 2-3 minutes until warm and slightly tender, but not softened.

Pear and onion in frying pan

Lightly saute

After a few minutes in pan, remove pear and onion from heat and pour over greens.  Toss with dressing, following.

Dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 clove garlic, diced
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

dressing

After tossing greens, pear, and onion with dressing, place in salad bowl, or on plate, and serve with sliced, grilled London Broil.

Topped with crumbled blue cheese

The pear and the blue cheese...Wow!  Enjoy!

Paleo Salad Week: Tropical Cabbage Salad

Tropical Cabbage Salad

Today marks day four of a Paleo Challenge I'm doing with a friend at the gym.  I'm still feeling a bit sluggish so I think I need to be conscientious about getting the essential carbs and fats in to keep my mind alert.  In the past, when doing similar food challenges I've made boring food choices (chicken breast, chicken breast, and more chicken breast) and lose interest quickly.  This time around, I'm thinking of tasty new creations to keep my family happy and keep me on board with the challenge.

This afternoon I had such a sweet craving.  I wanted some fruit, but know on this challenge fruit is allowed, but limited.  I decided to create a Tropical Cabbage Salad.  It would offer a little sweetness, but would comprise mostly of cabbage which would fill me up.

This salad would go very well with seafood.  I wish we had some fresh white fish on hand or perhaps scallops. 

Tropical Cabbage Salad

1 head cabbage, shredded
3 green onions, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen mangoes, diced (found in freezer section at Trader Joe's)
1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple, diced (not canned pineapple)
1 firm avocado, diced
Cilantro, optional

Toss in large bowl

Great for summer color

Dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
Juice from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lime
1 tablespoon agave (optional)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

Pour dressing over salad and toss.

Enjoy!

Paleo Dinner: Grilled Leg of Lamb and Greek Salad

We never had lamb growing up.  We had a lot of beef, pork, unique ethnic food, but never lamb.  My mom grew up on a farm and I think she watched one too many of her pet sheep make it to the dinner table or perhaps she never had a properly prepared lamb dinner.  Or, quite possibly, gyros were not available at her neighborhood diner so she didn't experience the blend of feta, cucumber tzatziki sauce and lamb all on a thick pita.  Whatever the reason, we didn't have lamb.  She said it tasted like hair on her tongue. 

I'm not sure when I first had lamb.  Maybe it was in a gyro in downtown Seattle some 20 years ago, but I knew when I tried it, I was never going back to the lambless life.

I remember making a pot of lamb stew- a perfect fall day comfort food.  My parents were visiting.  My dad tried it and went nuts.  He couldn't get enough.  He asked, "What is this?  It's so good!!"  I told him it was lamb, not beef.  He too was sold on the deliciousness of lamb.

This week we've been reading about the Exodus of the Israelites and the Passover.  We read how the Israelites had to sacrifice a lamb, brush the doorposts with blood so they'd be passed over when the first born of all houses and livestock were killed during the tenth Plague in Egypt.  We also read how they had to prepare the Passover lamb before they left on the Exodus.  Because of this, I've been thinking of my own Passover meal of lamb for days.

Today we had to run a couple errands so I stopped by Costco to pick up a leg of lamb to grill.  To be honest, it almost hurts to spend $30 on about four pounds of meat, but the craving had to be satisfied.

I oiled the lamb with olive oil, put some fresh garlic inside the meat along with rosemary sprigs.  I sprinkled a Mediterranean seasoning (cumin and coriander) on the outside along with kosher salt and pepper.  It was ready for the grill.  The packaging read grilling time would be approximately 20 minutes for every pound or until meat is about 145 degrees when checked.

Leg of lamb on the grill

Oh My!!!  I'm so excited for dinner!

So yummy!

To accompany the lamb and meet the Paleo requirement of the month, I decided to make one of my favorite Greek Salads.

Gather fresh vegetables like: Cucumbers, Bell Peppers, Red Onion, Grape Tomatoes

This will make such a colorful salad

Dice the vegetables in bite size pieces, place in large bowl.  Add kalamata olives, artichoke hearts (if desired, not marinated), and feta.  My salad won't have feta as I'm trying to be strict Paleo, but the rest of the family can enjoy the feta.

Kalamata Olives

Dressing

About 3 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon juice from 1/2- 1 whole lemon.  We have lemons now that are so juicy, I only needed about 1/2.  You need about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
2 garlic cloves diced
1 teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 tablespoon fresh
Many Greek dressing call for anchovy paste.  I rarely have anchovy paste on hand, but I almost always have fish sauce for Asian cooking.  I just add a sprinkle of fish sauce to the dressing.  No one ever knows it's there, so no worries of it being fishy.
Mix dressing well and pour over salad.

Dressing



Greek Salad with Feta- Perfect for Summer!



Dinner is Served- Enjoy!

Sensational Seasonal Salads: Bacon & Egg Spinach Salad

After a week's worth of cakes, it's time to clean up the eating and hit a Paleo Challenge.  Yesterday, I decided to cut the sugar, grains, processed foods, etc. and focus on consuming only meats, eggs, vegetables, limited fruit and good fats.  While at the gym, a friend and I were discussing undisciplined eating during the Memorial Day weekend and she mentioned she was going strict Paleo too for a time.  We're really good at challenging each other and keeping accountable.  So far we have two tally marks on the board at the gym.  Day 2 complete, 28 to go!

Here we are with our friend Woody

Tomatoes are in season right now and they are so sweet, and very reasonably priced at the grocery stores!  I've been craving spinach salad so decided on a fresh salad for dinner.  The one thing harder for me eating paleo is the whole bacon thing.  I stayed away from bacon for the last 20 years and all of a sudden bacon is good??  Yes, it tastes good, but I feel like my booty is going to pay for it.  We shall see!



Greasy bacon sizzling away



Sweet tomatoes and baby spinach

For this Bacon & Egg Spinach Salad, just crumble the cooked bacon into the bowl with the spinach and tomatoes.  Drizzle a couple tablespoons olive oil over the spinach, tomato and bacon.  Squeeze the juice of a lemon wedge (one wedge if lemon is juicy, or 1/4 of the lemon) on also.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  Toss well.  Top with sliced hard boiled eggs.  I'm limiting dairy right now, but this salad would be great with a little Parmesan cheese tossed in too.

Enjoy!