Cookbooks & Menus

There is just something very satisfying about opening up a cook book and picking out a delicious recipe to feed your family.  This warm experience is one that a computer or ipad can never replace.  I have heard over and over again how cookbooks will go extinct in the near future and I just won't accept that.  I really think there are enough "foodies" out there that really appreciate and relish in opening up a cookbook to make sure they stay around.  In this extreme digital age, these little things that bring us tangible experiences are so important, and using my new and used cookbooks is just one of those experiences that keeps me grounded and feeling whole.  Don't get me wrong...I find it simple and easy to bring the ipad into my kitchen or find an amazing recipe on a fabulous blog, but I still enjoy cookbooks more.  My mother has given me most of the cookbooks I own and knowing that she held the same book in her hand while cooking the same food I am now making for my family brings a huge smile to my face.

With all that being said.....I made a point to make my whole weekly menu (except for one recipe) from recipes that I found in my cookbooks.  This was a great reminder that I need to do this more.  My hope is to post all my cookbook recipes on here for you all to enjoy!

WEEKLY MENU:

MONDAY:  Ratatouille with brown rice

TUESDAY:  Whole wheat spaghetti with homemade garlic & tomato sauce

WEDNESDAY:  Family dinner outing

THURSDAY:  Cauliflower Soup, Fall Harvest Salad, and homemade bread

FRIDAY:  Homemade Pizza and graden green salad

SATURDAY:  Leftovers

SUNDAY:  Kale and Potato Frittata


What is your favorite cookbook??

Peacefully,
Alyson

“No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers.” -Laurie Colwin

Just a lonely little menu!

I love writing things I am passionate about or what is on my little mind when I post my menus but I am totally focused on getting my photo project up to date on here that I am just going to post my menu this week.  I am trying a new recipe with gnocchi this week.  I have never cooked with it...so I hoping that it goes well.  It's always so exciting yet scary to try new things in the kitchen.

MENU:

MONDAY:  Creamy Spring Asparagus Soup and Strawberry Spinach Salad (I sprinkled crumbled goat cheese on top of the salad)

TUESDAY:  Breakfast Burritos with black beans & kale

WEDNESDAY:  Out to dinner with some awesome family!

THURSDAY:  Homemade pizza with a green salad

FRIDAY:  leftovers

SATURDAY:  Picnic!!! Hummus & Veggie Wraps,  Parmesan Cheese Spread w/ baguette, and pineapple.

SUNDAY:  Kale Pesto Gnocchi **I am going to add organic cherry tomatoes and grated parmesan cheese to this recipe.**

What are you cooking this week?

Happy cooking!
Alyson

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” -Michael Pollan

Seeds & Menus

After taking some time off from writing...I am determined to get back into a rhythm of doing it daily or close to that!   It feels so good to write!  Bare with me though...I am kind of all over the place in thoughts at this moment!  I have a lot of meditation coming soon to clear and organize my thoughts!  My photo project was also put on pause....which I know defeats the purpose of the project but I can't give up.  I am starting that back up this week with a week of film.  I will post all my past month of pictures that I did get daily....there will just be a few days missing!

Today it will be about seeds and what I want to have blossom in my backyard soon!

It is that time of year again where we bring out the gloves, seed packets, and till up the compost that has been cooking all fall and winter.  The past two years we have been growing our vegetables, herbs, and flowers at a farm about 45 mins away from us.  We decided that we wanted to grow in a more sustainable manner this year by staying as close as possible to avoid using the car too much.   Our backyard, my parent's huge garden (which is .5 miles away from my home), and a friend's huge garden will be a "farm" this year.  Chickens may even be in our very near future!!!!  Which excites me way too much!  One day we will have our dream farm house on a couple acres but for now we will make due with what we have.

As my husband and I blaze a path towards a sustainable life....growing as much of our own food as we can has been a huge priority.  We do this not only for our bodies and our children's bodies but also for our planet!!!!!  So much good comes out of growing your own food.  It is one of the most rewarding things we have done, especially with our children learning along with us.  But it does come with lots of challenges and I will continue to share all of our little families up and downs while we travel down this sustainable path!

I am going to bore you with a list of what we are growing this year....I love lists...So I have to!

• Beans- Bush & Pole 
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Collards
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Kale
• Lettuce- Valmaine & Tennis Ball
• Peas
• Peppers- Sweet & Hot
• Potatoes- Blue & Red
• Pumpkins
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Squash- Zucchini, Summer Squash, and Butternut
• Swiss Chard
• Tomato- Oregon Spring, Oregon Cherry, Jersey Devil, and San Marzano Roma
• Tomatillos
• Melons
• Blueberries
• Basil
• Chives
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Oregano
• Thyme

I am beyond excited to get my fingers in some dirt!      

What are you growing this season?

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Back to my menus!!!  This is a short week because I am traveling!  But I still wanted to share the few things I am making this week!  

MONDAY:  Baked Miso Tofu and Kale Salad with Quinoa, Tangerines, and Roasted Almonds

TUESDAY:  Dinner party at a girlfriends home!  We are making fish tacos.  I am bringing a mexican coleslaw for the tacos.  

WEDNESDAY:  Traveling during dinner time...so we are having a heavy lunch.  Hummus & Veggie Wraps, cut-up fruit, and leftover kale salad!  

Peacefully,

Alyson

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” - Margaret Atwood

January 8th, 2012- 365 Photo Project

I opened this book today in preparation of the gardening and growing season that will be soon approaching.  It may still be winter but before we know it little seeds will need some dirt and water.  We are starting our little seedlings at the end of February, beginning of March so we can grow everything we want because just like every year I have plans of eating, preserving, freezing, cooking, and just enjoying our fruits of labor (pun intended)!  Cheers to gardening and living sustainably!  

Cooking With My Littles and Menus

One of my many passions is being in the kitchen cooking or baking for my family!  I love creating something that is delicious and is good fuel for my family's bodies.  Ohhh...but it wasn't always like that for me in the past.  I hated cooking when I was in my early twenties.  I would have rather gone out to eat.  Plus, I never felt like I was a good cook.  I mean I could barely cook grilled cheese!  It wasn't until I met my husband and we started cooking together that it sparked a passion inside of me.  But I still wasn't that great at cooking!  It was when I got pregnant with my first son four years ago when I realized how important it was to know what I was putting in my body.  Then I knew that cooking my own food was the best way to be healthy.  So it began, my mission to cook and to cook good food for my body, my husband's body, and my sweet children's body.

I think being a good cook was always inside of me since I come from a family of amazing cooks.  My mom has always been such a health conscious, wonderful cook and same with most of the woman AND men in my family.  It just took me starting my own little family to really bring that out in me.  And my husband couldn't be happier.

With my passion of cooking comes my passion of teaching my little ones how important it is to grow our own food and to cook it.  So since day one, my children have always been in the kitchen with me....wearing them, sitting on the counters, or standing on stools!.  They are right by my side learning the ways of the kitchen and how to fuel the body that houses our soul.  I hope one day to pass on my love for food and cooking to my amazing children!

 
THIS WEEK'S MENU:

MONDAY:  Thai Green Curry Coconut Shrimp with Basil  (We added broccoli and cut the curry by half to make it less spice for our son).

TUESDAY:  Eggplant-Zucchini Lasagna

WEDNESDAY:  Homemade minestrone soup and a green salad

THURSDAY:  Veggie stir-fry over brown rice

FRIDAY-  Baked Salmon,  Zucchini & Yellow Squash Gratin (I will use half the butter and use milk instead of cream),  Fried Green Tomatoes with a Remoulade Sauce (Just using the sauce in this recipe).

SATURDAY-  Leftovers and a green salad

SUNDAY-  Green Pizza and Apple, Walnut, & Endive Salad

Since it is the holiday season is starting I am going to add to my menus the extra baking and cooking I will be doing for the season!

EXTRAS:
Zucchini bread (some for now, some for freezing)
Canning homemade tomato sauce
Canning homemade applesauce for my baby boo
Homemade pesto for freezing
Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

What are you cooking this week?

Peacefully,
Alyson

"Mother's love grows by giving." - Charles Lamb