Harvest Time & Menus

It is that time of year again......my favorite time of year.....Harvest time!  When all our hard work pays off in the kitchen and on our dining table!   We have been hard at work cooking, preserving, canning, freezing, and baking everything we grew this year.  It seems like there is a lot more than past years!  Or maybe we are just doing it better this year!  From zucchini bread to pickling cucumbers to canning salsa......and everything in between.  It has definitely been a full time job preserving everything but this winter when we are enjoying all our delicious goods...it will be worth it!  Being able to provide our boys with food grown by us and at the same time teaching them about growing our own food makes me happy!  There is a huge sense of joy that overcomes me when I watch my boys walk through the garden, pick their favorite vegetable, and eat it right off the vine.

Our dinner's have been full of harvested vegetables.......here are a few that we will add into this week.  Happy to start posting our menus again!

WEEKLY MENU:

MONDAY:  Homemade fresh tomato soup and grilled cheese & spinach

TUESDAY:  Vegetable Stir fry over rice thai noodles

WEDNESDAY:  Quinoa Stuffed Peppers and Baked Salmon with Cilantro & Lime

THURSDAY:  Garlic & Greens Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Fall Harvest Pear Salad

FRIDAY:  Homemade garden vegetable pizza and garden greens salad

SATURDAY:  Leftovers

SUNDAY:  Crock-pot Potato Leek Soup and homemade bread

What are you cooking this week?

Peacefully,
Alyson

"In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy."  -William Blake

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?

_________________________________________________________________________________

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!  

Winter Crops and Menus

I waited till the last minute to finish but I did it.  I got all of our winter crop in our backyard garden done and in the ground.  Garlic, shallots, kale, spinach, and broccoli are in the ground and ready to grow.   Grow my little green babies...grow so you can nourish our bodies and souls in the spring!   I love that we are able to grow in the winter and I love that we do it!  Every year we do more and more to live that sustainable life that we strive for!  I am excited for our little family!

For fun a picture of two of the three of my amazing boys!

The busy days and magical moments of the holidays are upon us now.  I do believe that they get more magical when you have children.  Watching the pure and true excitement of the holidays through their eyes is pretty much amazing and heart melting.   Such a warm wonderful time when we can gather with our loved ones and celebrate what is important and good!  Thanksgiving is this week and I look forward to all the special quiet family time we have coming up.  Here is our menu for the holiday week!

MENU:

MONDAY:  Grilled cheese with homemade tomato basil soup

TUESDAY:  Cod with Fennel Butter, Kale & Quinoa Pilaf, and sauteed green beans

WEDNESDAY:  Homemade pizza and a green salad

THURSDAY:  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  Bringing to my family gathering:  Green Bean Casserole (we use fresh green beans instead of frozen), Autumn Chopped Salad (omit the bacon), and Homemade Apple Pie

FRIDAY:  Leftovers and a big salad

SATURDAY:  Crockpot Potato & Leek Soup (recipe coming soon)

SUNDAY:  Salmon salad and leftover soup

Extras:
Pumpkin Bread (One last batch before the season ends!)
Apple Cookies
Canning Apple Butter

What are you cooking this week?

Peacefully,
Alyson

"Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter  

lies a miracle...a seed waiting to sprout,  

a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl.   

And the anticipation nurtures our dream." - Barbara Winkler 

Harvesting and Menus

It is that time of year again....harvesting time!  This is when we are drowning in tomatoes and zucchini and we struggle to keep up with the basil and parsley that grow faster than I can run!  I love every second of it!  Now starts the scramble of preserving of it all....tomato sauce, salsa, zucchini bread, pesto, dried herbs, you name it!  All of this will be canned, frozen, or dried so we can reap the benefits all year long.  I will be sharing pictures and recipes soon of everything we are making and preserving!

We heart tomatoes!  

I love watching my three year old run around helping us harvest and picking fresh veggies off the vine to eat right there.  Our 3- month old just loves to be carried around the garden or laying on a blanket soaking everything around him.  Raising our children to know how to grow their own food and eat healthy has become an important part of our family.  I am feel blessed that my parents taught me these lessons, so I can pass it on to my children.

Stay tuned to some preserving recipes and for what we will be planting for our winter crop!!!! Here is our menu for the week!!!!

MENU:

MONDAY:  Whole wheat spaghetti with fresh homemade tomato sauce and a green salad

TUESDAY:  Zucchini, Black Bean, and Rice Casserole with whole wheat tortillas (We use olive oil instead of canola.  And we use fresh tomatoes instead of canned.)

WEDNESDAY:  Homemade Tomato Basil Soup and a grilled cheese sandwich (We use fresh tomatoes instead of canned.)

THURSDAY:  Leftovers and a big green salad

FRIDAY:  Baked Dijon Salmon,  Parmesan Stuffed Tomatoes,  and Balsamic Roasted Potatoes

SATURDAY-  Dinner at a a good friends home.  We are bringing fresh baked bread, a green salad, and Apple Ice Cream with Caramel!!!!!!

SUNDAY-  Fish tacos with black beans

What are you cooking this week?

Peacefully,
Alyson

"As a child, one has that magical capacity to move among the many eras of the earth; to see the land as an animal does; to experience the sky from the perspective of a flower or a bee; to feel the earth quiver and breathe beneath us; to know a hundred different smells of mud and listen unself- consciously to the soughing of the trees." -Valerie Andrews 

Menus and Organics

My mama rocks and I think it is funny that the way of living that I want for myself and for my children is what she has taught me all along.  It wasn't until I had my own baby that I realized this.  I cherish everything she has taught me and continues to teach me.  Especially in the way of loving our earth, our fellow humans, and ourselves.  She is a smart lady!  My mother and I spent some time together yesterday going to some maternity/baby shops around town and we stopped in two sustainable living shops.  These shops were pretty much exactly what I had been wanting to find for some time now.  I didn't buy much, but got some good ideas for my home and how to reuse things I already have.  My husband and I are really doing our best to bring sustainability to the way we live and eat.  It is refreshing to be living this way and we know that this is a lifestyle that we will continue for the rest of our lives.

I found this poster at one of the stores I went to, and I want to share it with you.  I will get some photos of it soon.  I love what it has to say about "growing and becoming organic".  It pretty much sums up our belief on being organic!

Going organic takes patience, curiosity, open-mindedness and humility. Organic growing acknowledges a cooperation with nature and a collaboration with its intrinsic balance. When we commit to a non-aggressive approach, we begin to view nature, not as a foe, but as a friend and partner in our garden.

Imagine Your Garden
Cultivate the Earth
And Our Connection With It
Greet the Sun
Feed the Soil*Let It Breathe
Welcome Earthworms
Thank busy soil organisms hard at work
Compost
Cherish The Treasure of Stones
And Bones and Broken China
Practice Non-Aggression
What Works in the Garden May Work in the World One Day
Bless the Seed You Sow
Observe weather
Welcome the Gifts of the Seasons
Weed Early And Often
Leave Wild Spaces
Mulch
Feel Your Whole Body
Know the Cycles of the Moon
Keep a Garden Journal
Charm Fairies
Explore Companion Planting
Flowers & Herbs Love Fruits & Veggies
Welcome Beneficial Insects
Discourage Foes
Work in Harmony With Nature
Don’t Use Chemical Herbicides,
Pesticides, or Fertilizers
Take Pleasure in Your Garden As
A Gift to the Birds, The Bees,
And the Children
Dance In The Fields
Teach And Learn
Save Seeds*Tell Stories
Look At Stars
Rotate Crops*Rest The Earth
Observe* Adapt*Enrich
Sustain*Preserve
Savor The Abundance
Share the Harvest
Give Thanks

-Melinda Matzell

Our backyard winter garlic that will be ready in a month or so!

 

With that being said....let's move on to my menu for the week!  I am moving over two recipes from last week because our weekend got busy fast and our dinner were rearranged a little. 

MENU:

MONDAY: Veggie and tofu stirfry with brown rice

TUESDAY-  Spinach Enchiladas (recipe posted soon)

WEDNESDAY-  Homemade pizza with homemade pizza dough and a green salad

THURSDAY-  Mustard-Crusted Salmon and Potato Casserole (recipe posted soon)

FRIDAY-  Leftovers and a fresh spinach salad

SATURDAY-  Poached Cod and Asparagus

SUNDAY-  Family Dinner @ my aunt's house.  I am making Creamy Spring Asparagus Soup to bring!  (Side note: We use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth)

For more meal planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie every Monday.

What are you cooking this week?

Happy eating & cooking,
Alyson

"Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food." -Hippocrates

Menus and Seeds

Sorry for the lack of posts the past two weeks.  My husband did a lot of traveling the past two weeks which caused our scheduling and rhythm to be a little jumbled.  Then of course when he returned we needed a few days of straight family time.  So I chose to put my blog on the back burner while I focused on other things.  But I am back full force and with lots to write about!  Today it is all about seeds!   

I have been overly excited about Spring and find myself talking about it all the time.  It is driving my husband crazy since he is ALL about winter time.  His other love (besides me and his children) is snowboarding....oh and I guess photography too.  But come winter time, he is in love with that board of his.  So every time I talk about spring, he puts on his sad face.  Poor guy!  As he is tries to ignore the signs of Spring, we still will be ordering our seeds for the farm this coming week.  I am really excited and I think he is secretly excited!

We are buying our seeds through Abundant Life Seed Company because they are local and they have mostly organic seeds.  At our farm we are required to grow only organic seeds because the land we are growing on has been certified organic by the Oregon Tilth.  Anything that we can't find through Abundant Life, we will be getting at Naomi's Organic Farm Supply (which is an amazing store).  Today I just wanted to share with you all the different types of seeds we are growing this year at the farm.  

Vegetables:
Arugula
Beans- (4 different varieties)
Broccoli
Beets
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Corn
Carrots
Cucumber- (3 different varieties)
Eggplant
Kale
Lettuce- (3 different varieties)
Melon
Mustard Greens
Onion- Scallions
Peas-(2 different varieties)
Peppers- (1 sweet variety, 2 hot varieties)
Potatoes- (3 different varieties)
Pumpkins
Radish
Spinach- (2 different varieties)
Summer Squash/Zucchini- (2 different varieties)
Swiss Chard- Rainbow
Tomato- (7 different varieties)
Tomatilllos- Purple
Watermelon
Winter Squash- Acorn

Herbs-
Basil (2 different varieties)
Cilantro
Chamomile
Dill
Fennel
Oregano
Parsley
Thyme

Flowers
Bee's Friend
Marigolds
Nastutrium
Sunflowers
Zinnias

We already have garlic and strawberries in the ground and growing!  I can't wait to get my hands dirty and all the seeds planted.

What are you growing this year?

Tomato sprout from last season!

With all this seed talk, let's bring it into my menu for the week.  I am glad my husband is home this week and we can have our family dinners back.  It was really hard to plan and cook for just me and my son, basically cooking for one and a half.  So I cooked only quick easy dinners.  This week I am reconnecting with my food and the cooking process that I love.  I am still using one to two recipes a week from the cookbooks I have at home and will post a separate blog with the recipe within a week. 

MENU:

MONDAY:  Vegetable stir fry with brown rice

TUESDAY-  Whole wheat spaghetti with homemade tomato/veggie sauce and steamed broccoli

WEDNESDAY-  Egg salad sandwiches and Warm Red Quinoa Salad

THURSDAY-  Fish tacos* and homemade Spanish rice *recipes coming up next week

FRIDAY-  Spring Asparagus & Broccoli Soup and Baked Lemon-Herb Salmon

SATURDAY-  A family dinner in celebration of my son's 3rd BIRTHDAY!  Homemade pizzas and a big fresh green salad!

SUNDAY-  Baked potatoes and leftover soup (for hubby and son).
                   Work party/dinner for mama!

For more meal planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie every Monday.

Happy growing & cooking,
Alyson

“Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle…a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl.  And the anticipation nurtures our dream.” – Barbara Winkler

New Season....New Routines....New Goals....New Menus

I am back!  After a very long break, I am back in the blogging game.  We were very busy this summer and choose to put blogging on the back burner for awhile.  With a new month, a new season, and some new routines beginning I have chosen to start back up.  I have some new ideas for this blog and my hope is to have a new blog up 2-3 times a week.  Hopefully I can actually keep up with that.

We are starting to see lots of produce coming in from the farm, our backyard garden, and my dad's garden.  We plan to start canning soon and drying some goods, so that we can enjoy our hard work all year long.  We are learning a lot about farming/gardening and we will be pros next year!  I have some pictures that I will share this week!

Here is our menu for this week with some links to some great recipes.  Remember to try your hardest to eat sustainable, local, and/or organic food.

MONDAY-  Tuna Pasta Salad, Fried Green Tomatoes with a Remoulade sauce.  (I used only the recipe for the sauce on this link)

TUESDAY-  Spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce and a green salad (I will post the recipe for the sauce this week.)

WEDNESDAY-   Vegetarian Taco Salad

THURSDAY- Honey-Soy Salmon, Brown Rice, Braised Green Beans & Summer Vegetables

FRIDAY-  Tomato and Basil Flatbread Pizzas

SATURDAY-  Going out to eat at Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB)

SUNDAY-  Szechuan Tofu & Green Bean Stirfry

Other goodies I am cooking this week:
Zucchini Bread
Pesto Sauce (Lots to freeze)

Be well,
Alyson

"If taking vitamins doesn't keep you healthy enough, try more laughter: The most wasted of all days is that on which one has not laughed."  -Nicolas-Sebastien Chamfort

Menus and watching the time fly by....

I can't believe May is almost over.  Where did the month go?  But it was an exciting month.....Mother's Day, turning 30, our first wedding shoot of the season, planting more seeds on the farm, camping with friends, and BBQ's.  I am excited for June but more excited for the sun to come back!

Out little backyard garden is doing well and we have already started picking our lettuce and greens to eat.  It is pretty awesome to go out to your backyard, pick some lettuce, and make a quick salad to eat.  I am excited for the peas to show up and the garlic to be ready.  When it stops raining...I will grab the camera and take some pics of our little backyard garden to share with you all.

Last week our menu went really well and everything was delicious.  I would highly recommend the Tortellini Primavera.  It was easy, quick, and delicious.  It would be perfect for a busy evening.... for the parents out there.  This week we are trying one new recipe but mostly just doing some family favorites.  I hope everyone is well and doing there part in the food revolution. 

MONDAY:  Potato and Mustard Green Soup.  (The mustard greens were fresh from our garden.  This was my own recipe that I made up because I couldn't find a recipe I like with these ingredients.  My next post will be the recipe for this soup.) 

TUESDAY:  Spaghetti with homemade sauce and roasted veggies.

WEDNESDAY:  Veggie tacos and homemade spanish rice

THURSDAY:  The husband and I are going to see one of our favorite musicians play, John Butler Trio at The Crystal Ballroom.  We have seen him play twice before but never in Portland and we are very excited to see him here.  We will have dinner at the Ringlers Pub which is the restaurant downstairs from The Crystal before the show.

FRIDAY-  Salmon with Pepita-Lime Butter, brown rice, and roasted zucchini.

SATURDAY-  Green Pizza with homemade pizza sauce and dough.  (Late dinner because of a photo shoot that early evening, so I will have the pizza prepped and ready to pop in the oven when we get home.) 

SUNDAY-  BBQ at our farm.  Salmon burgers and grilled vegetables!

 Mustard Greens from our backyard garden

For more meal planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie every Monday.

Happy gardening, cooking, and eating,

Alyson

"Households that have lost the soul of cooking from their routines may not know what they are missing: the song of a stir-fry sizzle, the small talk of clinking measuring spoons, the yeasty scent of rising dough, the painting of flavors onto a pizza before it slides into the oven."  -Barbara Kingsolver

Menu Plan Monday

What a great time we had in New Mexico.  It was a much needed vacation with some great friends.  We got to celebrate our friend's 30th birthday, spend some quality time with her beautiful family, and see the rich culture of New Mexico.  It's always so nice to be around good friends who share the same values as you.  The kids had a great time playing together as the parents caught up!  We also did a little bit of work while in New Mexico and met some future clients.  They booked us and we can't wait to come back to New Mexico in June to shoot their wedding!

Traveling always throws you off just a little when you return home.  I was able to do a menu plan last week with Jess in New Mexico but I never found time to sit down and blog about it.  So sorry for the lack of a menu plan blog last week.  I am finally caught up with things that needed to be done and this Monday has been a relaxing, productive one!  We are still having a great time with menu plans and continue to try new healthy meals.

Spring is here and that makes me so ecstatic for the variety of fresh food that is coming our way.  We were able to go to the Portland Farmer's Market opening day this Saturday (the first day of Spring).  It was so great to see so many people out on such a nice beautiful day supporting local farmers and businesses.  It gave me such a teaser for this growing season.  Our growing season this year is going to be bigger than we have ever done it.  We have our small little garden in our backyard and some pots that will be full of herbs.  Then we will be walking down to my father's house to help in his huge garden.  AND the biggest step we are taking this season is leasing a 1/2 acre of organic land for our little organic farm that we are starting with another family.  This is a huge commitment for us but we are so excited and ready to be a part of the food revolution.  This year is going to be our "testing" year and hopefully next year we will be selling to CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), Farmers Markets, or Co-ops.  For this season, if everything goes well, we will be putting together boxes/baskets of a mix of organic vegetable and fruits to sell (at a discounted rate) to people we know.  We are beyond excited for this opportunity!  Keep checking my blog for more details and musings about our farm! 

Here is our menu plan for this week:

MONDAY-  Broccoli, tomato, and mozzarella Stromboli with a fresh salad. (My friend, Jess, gave me this recipe.  It was delicious!  We used homemade pizza dough and homemade tomato sauce.  We also substituted mushrooms instead of salami and fresh broccoli instead of frozen broccoli.)

TUESDAY-  Spinach Enchiladas (Drew's night to cook, while I work)

WEDNESDAY-  Grilled halibut, grilled asparagus & zucchini, and whole wheat couscous.

THURSDAY-  A friend of ours is having an art show at Alberta Street's "Last Thursday".  We will have dinner at one of the many delicious restaurants on Alberta Street before attending the Art Show.  

FRIDAY- Salmon Chowder (I am making this in the slow cooker for my husband & son.  I will be having Happy Hour with some girl friends.  In this recipe, I will omit the bacon and add celery and carrot.)

SATURDAY-  Whole Wheat Fettuccine with Shiitake Mushrooms & Basil

SUNDAY-  Black Bean Soup and Vegetarian Taco Salad

For more meal planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie every Monday.  Enjoy some pictures my husband took at our future farm. 

Happy cooking & eating,
Alyson

"Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity."  -Lindley Karstens