Frustration.....this is something I felt the past two mornings. It is a common emotion that occurs in daily life that we as humans have to learn how to deal with in a healthy way. The frustration that I have felt the past couple days wasn't from my husband leaving a dirty dish on the desk, my toddler not wanting to take a nap, the guy who cut me off on the freeway, or when that persistent sore throat just won't go away. Those are such small issues that I refuse to spend any energy being frustrated or angry when they occur. This frustration that I am talking about has been swirling inside of me for awhile now, to the point that I feel annoyed that it is even there. I want to let go. I want to put this frustration in a little box, lock it up, and send it off to sea. I especially want to release this frustration because at this time in my life I need to be my healthiest...mentally and physically (I will write more about this special time in a special blog tomorrow). I need all toxins out of my body right now and I believe that frustration to a point can be toxic. How do I let this go? How do I cleanse my mind and soul of something that has been bugging me so much?
I decided to read...I read an article and some passages written by Thich Nhat Hanh whom is a Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist. He is an extraordinary person with many amazing teachings to share with the world. After reading some writings from Thich Nhat Hanh, I realized that my frustration is my own. I need to take responsibility for it, embrace it, breathe, and release it. Sounds easy....it really isn't. So I am learning...I'm learning to meditate, breathe deeply, and let it all go. I am going to bring some things back in my life that I have pushed away..... yoga and meditation. Which all really ties together quite well. I have decided to make a small comfy space in my home that I will use in the early hours of the morning when I will get up before my family does for some thinking, reading, breathing, and meditation. And my first yoga class in several months will be tomorrow evening. I am making a better routine for myself and my family. This is all to better myself as a person, mother, wife, and woman. Don't get me wrong...I'm not this big ball of walking frustration. I am an extremely happy mama for I am so blessed with many amazing things and people in my life and I am so grateful for all of them. I just have a couple things that keep arising when I think I have let them go and every time they arise, I realized I haven't. So I feel it is time for me to conquer these couple things and move forward with a clean slate and a soul that is ready to start a new beginning.
Now for some organic sustainable food talk! And what a great way to nourish your body and soul but with some healthy delicious food. I think I might have become a foodie. I am okay with that! We have another great menu planned this week with some new and old recipes. Last week we had a couple fun things come up and so our menu plan got a little scrambled. That just means...we can move a couple recipes into this week, which makes it a little easier for me. Anyone found any yummy new recipes lately? Feel free to share some of them on here! I hope your love for organic healthy food is still growing!
MENU
MON- Breakfast for Dinner- Mexican Breakfast Casserole and vegetarian sausages
TUES- Alpine Mushroom Pasta
WED- Homemade Pizza with homemade dough and Garden Salad
THURS- Fish Tacos and homemade Spanish Rice (I will post my recipe this week)
FRI- Dinner at our wonderful friend's new home.
SAT- Pad Thai Noodles and Miso Soup (I will substitute the chicken for tofu.)
SUN- Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup
Peace, love, and understanding,
Alyson
"Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion." — Thich Nhat Hanh
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
To Write with Light
The word photography comes from two individual words. Photo meaning "Light" and Graph meaning "To Write." Literally it means: "To Write with light." A photographer is a "Light Writer" and a photograph is an image written with light. That is the perfect way to describe photography!
Most of you know that my husband has his own photography business. He grew up with a camera in his hand and started taking his photography skills seriously in high school. It has been his passion and love since. When we first met he took photos all the time and helped run the local community college's darkroom. We would meet there and work on photos together. His work always amazed me and I constantly told him to start doing it in a professional manner. Finally about 3 years ago he decided to take that big step.
I also had a love of photography in high school when my mom gave me her old Pentax K1000 film camera. I loved it. I loved seeing the world through the camera lens and showing people how I perceived that moment in time. I stopped using the camera in my early 20's because being a social butterfly was way more important to me than doing things I was passionate about. After meeting my husband, he influenced me to pick up the camera again and start shooting. I again started taking more photography classes in college. Short story long........I have recently become a part of my husband's photography business as his partner in crime! I have a lot more to learn and he is a great teacher but one thing I have decided to do on my own, it to take at least one photo a day. This is my way to get better acquainted with the digital world of photography which is a lot different then when I was doing film! So most of the photos you will see on my personal blog will be taken by me! I will still occasionally use some of my husband's photos but I will of course give him the credit. There will be more pictures to be seen on my blog and that is my way of "practicing" this digital photo world!
Happy photo taking,
Alyson
Most of you know that my husband has his own photography business. He grew up with a camera in his hand and started taking his photography skills seriously in high school. It has been his passion and love since. When we first met he took photos all the time and helped run the local community college's darkroom. We would meet there and work on photos together. His work always amazed me and I constantly told him to start doing it in a professional manner. Finally about 3 years ago he decided to take that big step.
I also had a love of photography in high school when my mom gave me her old Pentax K1000 film camera. I loved it. I loved seeing the world through the camera lens and showing people how I perceived that moment in time. I stopped using the camera in my early 20's because being a social butterfly was way more important to me than doing things I was passionate about. After meeting my husband, he influenced me to pick up the camera again and start shooting. I again started taking more photography classes in college. Short story long........I have recently become a part of my husband's photography business as his partner in crime! I have a lot more to learn and he is a great teacher but one thing I have decided to do on my own, it to take at least one photo a day. This is my way to get better acquainted with the digital world of photography which is a lot different then when I was doing film! So most of the photos you will see on my personal blog will be taken by me! I will still occasionally use some of my husband's photos but I will of course give him the credit. There will be more pictures to be seen on my blog and that is my way of "practicing" this digital photo world!
Happy photo taking,
Alyson
“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” -Aaron Siskind
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Menu Plans and Elections
Happy Election Day! I am glad this day is here for many reasons! I like voting...it makes me feel like my opinion matters even just for one day. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to voice my opinion, especially knowing that a lot of people in the world don't have this right. I am quite interested to see the results in this election. I am glad that all the wasteful paper will stop filling my mailbox and doorstep. I am happy to stop hearing all the bashing and hate towards both parties. Why do we segregate ourselves in this country especially during election time. I mean...I get it....we all have different opinions and concerns but why so much hate? I would think that we would all want the same goal......for freedom, kindness, better education, and to help those in need. I have the feeling that this isn't the goal for many politicians or the general public. It makes me sad but it also makes me realize how much I need to get out there and be the change.
Thanks for listening to my election rant! Maybe it will make you think....or make you vote! We are starting a new week with with a new menu! I started going to a mom's cooking/playgroup with some ladies that I work with. We get together once a month and let our kids play. While they play we cook a meal to bring home for our families. It is so much fun. Girl chat and cooking......what more could we ask for. Our first one was this Monday. The kids played so well together and we made a delicious meal! Hope everyone is working towards that healthy organic eating.
MENU:
MON- Mashed Potato and Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas. (This is what we made at the mom's playgroup. We made some substitutions....we used real mashed potatoes and homemade enchilada sauce.)
TUES- Spinach Ravioli with homemade pesto sauce.
WED- Hungarian Mushroom Soup and garden salad. (Recipe will be posted on Thurs.)
THURS- Veggie Fajitas
FRI- Leftover Hungarian Mushroom Soup and Vegetarian Cobb Salad
SAT- Baked Lemon-Pepper Salmon, Roasted Potatoes, and Thyme Braised Brussel Sprouts.
SUN- Breakfast for Dinner! Slow Cooker Mexican Casserole and Vegetarian Sausages.
EXTRA GOODIES:
Pumpkin Cheesecake (Made this at the Moms/PlayGroup! YUM!)
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
More Zucchini Bread and Muffins (Using the Food Saver and Freezing these)
Happy Cooking,
Alyson
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi
Thanks for listening to my election rant! Maybe it will make you think....or make you vote! We are starting a new week with with a new menu! I started going to a mom's cooking/playgroup with some ladies that I work with. We get together once a month and let our kids play. While they play we cook a meal to bring home for our families. It is so much fun. Girl chat and cooking......what more could we ask for. Our first one was this Monday. The kids played so well together and we made a delicious meal! Hope everyone is working towards that healthy organic eating.
MENU:
MON- Mashed Potato and Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas. (This is what we made at the mom's playgroup. We made some substitutions....we used real mashed potatoes and homemade enchilada sauce.)
TUES- Spinach Ravioli with homemade pesto sauce.
WED- Hungarian Mushroom Soup and garden salad. (Recipe will be posted on Thurs.)
THURS- Veggie Fajitas
FRI- Leftover Hungarian Mushroom Soup and Vegetarian Cobb Salad
SAT- Baked Lemon-Pepper Salmon, Roasted Potatoes, and Thyme Braised Brussel Sprouts.
SUN- Breakfast for Dinner! Slow Cooker Mexican Casserole and Vegetarian Sausages.
EXTRA GOODIES:
Pumpkin Cheesecake (Made this at the Moms/PlayGroup! YUM!)
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
More Zucchini Bread and Muffins (Using the Food Saver and Freezing these)
Happy Cooking,
Alyson
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Menu Plan Monday and New Beginnings
Long time, no blog!!!! I know my last blog was all about me catching up in the blogging world but life happens! That is exactly what happened the past two months.....life, busy life! We have been on the go with some new changes and beginnings! I will slowly be sharing some of these exciting new changes in the next month or so.
I am loving the fall season! We have been harvesting our produce from the farm, canning & freezing, baking, went to a couple pumpkin patches, and making a sweet robot costume!!!! I have still been menu planning weekly and sticking to it. Since I started menu planning over 2 years ago, it has seriously saved me so much time and kept us so much more organized. It has even challenged me to try new recipes. I recommend it to anyone out there who doesn't already do it.
Last night for dinner I made pumpkin ravioli with homemade pesto sauce. It was delicious and great for a fall rainy evening! My menu for this week is below with a few recipes links. Starting this week, I will also add a list of any extra cooking & baking I do for that week (bread, preserving & canning, sauces, special breakfasts, etc). Some of the recipes I find and post here call for canned or frozen items. When ever it is possible I use all fresh produce instead of the canned or frozen. It isn't possible all the time but I will try my hardest!
MENU:
MON- Vegetable Stir Fry and Brown Rice
TUES- Homemade Pizza and Garden Salad
WED- Black Bean & Salmon Tostados with Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
THUR- Low Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach
FRI- Harvest Family Dinner @ my Aunt & Uncle's home. I am baking cornbread to go along with my Aunt's Chili.
SAT- Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon with Roasted Potatoes and CousCous.
SUN- HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Cauliflower Cheddar Soup and Vegetarian Cobb Salad (Serving the soup in a carved out pumpkin. Check back for pictures.)
EXTRA COOKING:
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (made from tomatillos and peppers from our garden.)
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread (made from zucchini from our farm)
Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
Halloween Cookies (with my Aunt)
For more meal planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie every Monday.
Happy Cooking & Eating,
Alyson
"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." - Stanley Horowitz
I am loving the fall season! We have been harvesting our produce from the farm, canning & freezing, baking, went to a couple pumpkin patches, and making a sweet robot costume!!!! I have still been menu planning weekly and sticking to it. Since I started menu planning over 2 years ago, it has seriously saved me so much time and kept us so much more organized. It has even challenged me to try new recipes. I recommend it to anyone out there who doesn't already do it.
Last night for dinner I made pumpkin ravioli with homemade pesto sauce. It was delicious and great for a fall rainy evening! My menu for this week is below with a few recipes links. Starting this week, I will also add a list of any extra cooking & baking I do for that week (bread, preserving & canning, sauces, special breakfasts, etc). Some of the recipes I find and post here call for canned or frozen items. When ever it is possible I use all fresh produce instead of the canned or frozen. It isn't possible all the time but I will try my hardest!
MENU:
MON- Vegetable Stir Fry and Brown Rice
TUES- Homemade Pizza and Garden Salad
WED- Black Bean & Salmon Tostados with Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
THUR- Low Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach
FRI- Harvest Family Dinner @ my Aunt & Uncle's home. I am baking cornbread to go along with my Aunt's Chili.
SAT- Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon with Roasted Potatoes and CousCous.
SUN- HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Cauliflower Cheddar Soup and Vegetarian Cobb Salad (Serving the soup in a carved out pumpkin. Check back for pictures.)
EXTRA COOKING:
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (made from tomatillos and peppers from our garden.)
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread (made from zucchini from our farm)
Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
Halloween Cookies (with my Aunt)
For more meal planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie every Monday.
Happy Cooking & Eating,
Alyson
"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." - Stanley Horowitz
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
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
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
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Menu planning and summertime = crazy busy!
Whoa! Where did the past 4 weeks go? I had to put blogging on the back burner for the past few weeks. We are staying very very busy, which is a good thing because the photo business is growing rapidly and we are having FUN! Let's see.....we have worked tons on our farm, have celebrated lots of birthdays, I have been volunteering at the Tualatin Farmer's Market, a destination wedding shoot and fun vacation for my husband, took my son to see Broadway's Lion King, went to stay on the Metolius River with my family, berry picking, working tons for our day jobs and photography business, and trying to squeeze in some quiet family time. It has been a blast!
During these busy weeks we have still been able to maintain a weekly menu, which I believe has saved us many times. There has been a few times where our meals were changed at the last minute but being flexible is the only way to stay sane! It has been fun finding and making recipes that have incorporated all the fresh food we have gotten from our garden and farmer's markets. I love this time of year! Teaching my son all about how to grow food and eat fresh, local food has been so fun and rewarding. As a reminder...most of our food that we eat weekly is either organic, local, sustainable, or grown by us!
Here is our menu for this week:
MONDAY- BBQ Talipia, Corn on the Cob, and garden salad
TUESDAY- Whole wheat spaghetti with homemade tomato and veggie sauce (My husband's night to cook, as I work late)
WEDNESDAY- Vegetable and Tofu Stir fry with brown rice (My husband's night to cook, as I work late)
THURSDAY- Hummus Veggie Wraps and fruit salad (Quick dinner right before a photo shoot)
FRIDAY- BBQ fiesta- Salmon Burgers, Grilled Vegetables, Guacamole-Deviled Eggs, Caprese Salad (I add balsamic vinegar to the salad).
SATURDAY- Summer Vegetable Crepes (Wedding Shoot this evening...This will be prepared ahead of time)
SUNDAY- Seared Citrus Glazed Salmon Over Wilted Spinach
Extra items I am cooking & baking this week:
Strawberry Jam (We went berry picking this week and going to make a huge batch of jam)
Raspberry Limeade (For our BBQ on Friday)
Soft Pretzel Bites (My husband LOVES these and I make them so he can take them to work).
For more menu planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organized Junkie.
Happy Cooking & Eating,
Alyson
During these busy weeks we have still been able to maintain a weekly menu, which I believe has saved us many times. There has been a few times where our meals were changed at the last minute but being flexible is the only way to stay sane! It has been fun finding and making recipes that have incorporated all the fresh food we have gotten from our garden and farmer's markets. I love this time of year! Teaching my son all about how to grow food and eat fresh, local food has been so fun and rewarding. As a reminder...most of our food that we eat weekly is either organic, local, sustainable, or grown by us!
Here is our menu for this week:
MONDAY- BBQ Talipia, Corn on the Cob, and garden salad
TUESDAY- Whole wheat spaghetti with homemade tomato and veggie sauce (My husband's night to cook, as I work late)
WEDNESDAY- Vegetable and Tofu Stir fry with brown rice (My husband's night to cook, as I work late)
THURSDAY- Hummus Veggie Wraps and fruit salad (Quick dinner right before a photo shoot)
FRIDAY- BBQ fiesta- Salmon Burgers, Grilled Vegetables, Guacamole-Deviled Eggs, Caprese Salad (I add balsamic vinegar to the salad).
SATURDAY- Summer Vegetable Crepes (Wedding Shoot this evening...This will be prepared ahead of time)
SUNDAY- Seared Citrus Glazed Salmon Over Wilted Spinach
Extra items I am cooking & baking this week:
Strawberry Jam (We went berry picking this week and going to make a huge batch of jam)
Raspberry Limeade (For our BBQ on Friday)
Soft Pretzel Bites (My husband LOVES these and I make them so he can take them to work).
For more menu planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organized Junkie.
Happy Cooking & Eating,
Alyson
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