Happy New Year everyone! I am thankful for the break I had to be with my family and slow the pace down a little.
It sure was a different year this year with all the restrictions in place but I had a precious time with my closest family and we got our white Christmas (and my husband did not have to snow plough on Christmas morning), so I am so grateful for that!
Like us, I am sure many of you are navigating online learning with your kids. I feel like I have a new part-time job, and I know it’s not any easier for teachers. Once we figured out everything at home we had to move it all to the farm because my kids need to go somewhere while I work. Here I’m sending some love and grace out there to you other parents, and any teachers in the bunch, learning to juggle online schooling with your other responsibilities. Also, thank you to our essential workers getting the job done every day in an uncertain time. I salute you!
My favourite gift this year was a google nest given to me by my hubby. I’m sure it can do lots more things, but for now I’m making it play all the tunes that get me singing and dancing instead of getting stuck in ruts. Cleaning the kitchen and cooking up healthy foods has never been so fun!
It made me think of how empowering of a place that the kitchen can be. Yes, I really said that…but the kitchen feels empowering to me because though there is little I can control in the grand scheme of things, I can make simple choices there that help the people around me be healthier and happier. I feel empowered when I choose REAL, organic ingredients to cook with. I feel empowered when I know where my food is coming from. I feel empowered when I can educate my children in the process, or share my kitchen creations with a friend or family member that could use a lift. So, yes, while it might be hard to be the primary food prepper day in and day out, I am enjoying pumping up the music and peeling and chopping my way to better health and meals that bring us together (minus the lipstick and heels).
So, to the boxes! I had a customer tell me he would be interested to know what local items I could come up with in January, and I think you’ll really enjoy what we have to offer this week:
Regular Veggie Shares
- 4lbs potatoes (Ontario organic)
- 2lbs rainbow carrots (Ontario organic)
- 1 green cabbage (Ontario organic)
- 1 clam cremini mushrooms (Ontario organic)
- 2lbs yellow Onions (Manitoba organic)
- 2lbs beets (Zephyr Organics)
- 2lbs rutabaga (Zephyr Organics)
- 2lbs parsnips (Ontario Organic)
- 1 cauliflower (us organic)
- bag green kale (Zephyr Organics- will use alternate item if needed)
Wow, yes, there are really 10 items in this bin!!! The extra value is because we had an issue with a couple items on your last bin due to the extreme cold, and we 100 percent always want to give you our best! Hope you enjoy.
Large Veggies
- 6lbs potatoes (Ontario organic)
- 2lbs rainbow carrots (Ontario organic)
- 1 green cabbage (Ontario organic)
- 1 clam cremini mushrooms (Ontario organic)
- 2lbs yellow Onions (Manitoba organic)
- 2lbs beets (Zephyr Organics)
- 2lbs rutabaga (Zephyr Organics)
- 2lbs parsnips (Ontario Organic)
- 1 cauliflower (us organic)
- bag green kale (Zephyr Organics- will use alternate item if needed)
- 1 clam salad mix (us organic)
- 1 chinese cabbage or extra carrots)
Fruit Shares (all items certified organic)
- 2lbs granny smith apples (BC organic)
- 2lbs navel oranges
- 5 lemons
- 1/2 pint raspberries or blackberries
- 1.5lbs kiwi
Recipes
Cabbage Roll Casserole
This recipe was a hit with the family! Word of advise- make sure you leave lots of time to cook it and check and make sure you have enough liquid in with the meat/rice mixture…I might have had a very had pan to clean after ;). I made it dairy free for my ds by using vegan cheese but otherwise made the recipe the same. I even used chinese cabbage because the savoy I had was not enough.
Here’s the recipe from Small Town Woman: Cabbage Roll Casserole (Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls) (smalltownwoman.com)
Kale Chips!
Not just a snack idea, friends. This was a great way to get my kids to eat the kale at dinnertime without the icky texture. Here’s a recipe for kale chips in the oven: Easy Oven Baked Kale Chips Using Coconut Oil – Vegan & GF (cleaneatingkitchen.com) . I used olive oil, a little apple cider vinegar and my Epicure smoky tomato nutritional yeast topper and they were delish! I had to stop myself from eating them all while the rest of supper cooked.
Morroccan Chickpea Stew
This one was easy enough in my instant pot that I made it for lunch. Even my meat-loving husband enjoyed it and never asked “where’s the meat?”. It would totally make a great dinner too. The spices are just so good. Veggies used included onion, carrot and kale (used in place of spinach). I actually like kale better in soups because it retains a little texture.
Try the easy recipe here: Instant Pot Moroccan Chickpea Stew | Simply Happy Foodie
Bonus Kale Idea: Goes Great on pizza. This pizza with homemade crust was down right indulgent! I started with a whole wheat pizza crust for us and a gluten free vegan one for my son, added tomato paste for the sauce, put some finely chopped kale (from my freezer stash) both below and on top of the cheese, added cheese and sauteed sausage and pepperoni and goat cheese crumbles, and nom nom! The kale on top was my fave because it crisped up like kale chips.
On my menu this week I also have instant pot beef stew with potatoes, carrots, rutabaga and parsnips, Roasted sweet garlic chicken and vegetables (used my beets here), chicken and cauliflower casserole with creamy mushroom sauce, and fish with rutabaga fries.
Now it’s your turn. What will you create with your local, organic bounty?
Don’t worry, friends, helmets were worn the whole time but for this slow mo photo op 😉 New Year’s Games with the crew
Here are a couple photos of some of our winter fun. Hope you have been getting creative and getting outside 🙂