delighted to be

eat your vegetables / june 19, 2013

When we started eating a plant-based diet at home last summer, something miraculous happened.

I actually started to like vegetables.

I think veggies get such a bad rap in our country. It doesn’t help that we’ve got mass-market grocery stores who fly in tasteless produce from Mexico instead of getting it from local farmers. (We live in the best state for growing produce but where is it all going?!) Even Sprouts, the “farmer’s market” grocery that I shop at doesn’t have local produce (except some of the organics), and as a result the flavors are bland.

We didn’t notice a difference in taste until we started shopping at the local farmer’s market on Saturday mornings. Their produce is so fresh and colorful, and there’s often a huge variety to choose from. Most everything was picked the day before or that very morning. If I’m careful (translation: not tempted by the hummus heaven guy), we can get in and out with about a week’s worth of organic veggies for about $20. I supplement with a quick trip to Costco and/or Sprouts, and we’ve got a week’s worth of groceries for well under $50. (But sadly, it’s not a perfect world. I don’t always make it to the Saturday farmer’s market and we have to make do with the produce from the store.)

Anyway, the point is that since we cut out meat and dairy, we eat SO MANY VEGETABLES. I’m still not tempted by veggies as a snack, but for one 4-person dinner recipe it’s astounding how many vegetables I can effortlessly squeeze in. Between the three of us (and remember one is a toddler) we easily finish 2 large heads of broccoli just as a side dish to the main course. And on Sunday our little family single-handedly ate an entire bunch of asparagus.

I still rely heavily on grains and beans (aka too much pasta!) but I don’t have to “sneak” the veggies into my meals anymore. Jack just eats them and it’s awesome.

If you’re looking for more veggie-based meals, here are a few of my favorites that are online (all made in 30-minutes or less!) I’ll keep posting new ones on the blog that aren’t found elsewhere, but this should get you started:

Taco Night (quick & easy black beans + quick lime cilantro rice with pineapple + grilled veggies – bell pepper, asparagus, onions)
penne with sweet red pepper sauce + roasted broccoli*
pappardelle with spring vegetables
chipotle bean, rice & veggie bowls
fettuccine with spinach & grilled eggplant (The recipe calls for ricotta but I leave it out)
leek & potato soup
soupe aux legumes de maman (my favorite soup!)
quick & easy noodle stir-fry
zucchini ribbon salad with sweet corn & avocado
wild rice salad with miso dressing
vegan israeli pizza (add red bell pepper and one more onion to this recipe)

*We usually eat broccoli 2-3x a week. I’ve found the quickest way to roast broccoli is to chop it up, toss it on a rimmed sheet pan, drizzle it with a tiny bit of olive oil, s&p, and broil it for 3-5 minutes. You don’t even need to toss to coat it before you throw it in the oven. You’ve gotta watch it closely (and the time depends on how close your oven rack is to the broiler) but it’s the quickest & easiest side dish, and you’re not overcooking it so many of the nutrients stay with the vegetable. We also broil asparagus and cauliflower.

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father’s day 2013 / june 18, 2013

When I leave this frail existence,
When I lay this mortal by,
Father, Mother, may I meet you
In your royal courts on high?
Then, at length, when I’ve completed
All you sent me forth to do,
With your mutual approbation
Let me come and dwell with you.

We sang “O My Father” at church again on Sunday. I couldn’t even sing it (refused to, actually), and Tyler barely croaked it out the words next to me through wet eyes. That song gets to me every dang time.

Tyler is a super-Dad. He is patient and kind and can make my honeyman Jack giggle more than anyone I know.

But on occasion, he is also unafraid to get emotional. I love him for that. Thank you for putting your heart out there, Tyler, so I don’t feel as dumb. Thank you for being unafraid to feel pain with me, even if we do so in different ways.

I tell you all the time, but Tyler I think you’re the best. You wear the pride and joy of this fatherhood thing well.

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on stories & tragedies / june 11, 2013

I’ve been pondering an awful lot tonight about babies & their tiny spirits & why life has to be so darn tragic sometimes.

I can’t quite seem to figure out if I’m living the story I’m supposed to be living. I’m so scared, because with more tiny spirits comes more tragedies. And frankly, God, I’d rather live a comedy instead of a tragedy.

I’ve been studying fairy tales and stories lately, and I’ve concluded that it’s only after a tough, rigorous voyage that the protagonist becomes a hero. He is challenged beyond what he thinks he is capable of, but because of it grows exponentially.

In most narratives, the protagonist sets out on his initial heroic quest to go home. He gets incredibly lost. He strays off the path because of unfortunate events.

But because of these unfortunate events he develops a capacity to love. He becomes smarter and wiser. He comes to understand that home isn’t exactly a place, but more of a feeling.

I think the whole point, really, is to be transformed through that journey and come out the other end with more knowledge and greater understanding than you had before. It’s your prize for fighting.

So what’s my prize, then? I certainly feel like I’ve conquered some heroic quest that’s been pushed upon me, and I’ve come out older and wiser. But maybe I’m not done yet, because I certainly don’t feel that sense of home that is supposed to encompass me. I still feel like I’m a stranger here.

via

Amelia Lynn, I don’t know why you died. I don’t know why you and God teamed up and insisted that we were the family you were supposed to come to. I don’t know why I still feel so much anger and sadness and sorrow. I don’t know why my heart feels like it will never fully heal.

But I’m grateful you were part of my story anyway. Maybe you’re the prize at the end that I get to look forward to, that I fight everyday for. And how sweet that joy will be when we are finally together again, finally home.

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& now for a post about jack jack / june 7, 2013

Jack is 2½. Like most two-year olds, he loves trains and planes and cars.

If asked, he’ll tell you his best friend is Anson. (But I secretly know his stuffed lion, Leonard is a close runner-up.)
He’ll wear sunglasses, but not hats.
He still winds down for sleep by chewing on a blanket. Luckily he’s not too particular about which blanket he snuggles with, so I’m able to rotate and wash them when he’s not looking. ;)
He’s slowly learning new words and becoming more legible. He loves to play with Molly at speech class and loves to say “hi!” to everyone we pass in the grocery store.
This little boy loves to cuddle, and will gladly take any opportunity to climb into an empty lap.
His favorite show is Super Why, but Timmy Time makes him giggle the most.
Jack Jack started smiling at five weeks old and hasn’t stopped since. He has “the best laugh” – I get told this at least three times a week by strangers and friends, so it must be true, right?
He is very obedient and has a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong.
He gets anxious around big crowds, and is skeptical of new places. It’s quite obvious he inherited this from me.
He’s an excellent eater. He especially loves noodles, oatmeal, roasted broccoli, cucumbers, hummus, peanut butter & honey sandwiches, cookies, apples, smoothies, edamame, blueberries and nuts. I cook new recipes all the time and no matter how foreign, I can’t even recall the last time he refused to try something I put in front of him.
He loves to be outside playing in his water table, but doesn’t like the water at the beach.
He is a great sleeper, and still enjoys his 2-3 hour naps everyday.
He’s recently started climbing into my lap and saying, “dee-dee?” (“baby?”), and cradling himself in my arms while I rock him and sing to him. It’s the sweetest thing ever and I think I’d be okay if he did that til he was twelve.
If he sticks his armpit in your face, he wants to be tickled. He really enjoys tickle and run-around time when Daddy gets home every night.
The week he turned 2½ was the first-ever week we dropped him off at Sunday nursery without tears. Now the kid drags us over there and doesn’t even look back at us to say goodbye.
Jack loves to read books to Leonard the lion, and to be read to. He’s especially good at i-spy books.
He loves to sing and to dance. The kid often busts out some pretty sweet dance moves in the backseat of the car that I can’t even begin to compete with.
He knows his entire alphabet and loves to point out letters on shirts, billboards, etc. He just barely started grasping some of the colors, like red, yellow and blue.
He usually doesn’t like to get dirty. It’s always an “uh oh!” or an “all-done” when there’s something slimy around.
He’s a great “little brother” and doesn’t mind one bit when older kids boss him around. He plays GREAT with four-year olds.

…basically Tyler and I love this kid to pieces. It’s sometimes hard for me to fully grasp why he wasn’t supposed to have a sibling yet, because honestly he would have been the PERFECT big brother. He’s kind and gentle, and so sweet and tender-hearted.

But nonetheless we’ve enjoyed the extension of our just-us-&-jack time. We make the greatest little family of three. We’re so glad you picked our family, Jack. We couldn’t imagine how boring and un-fulfilling our lives would have been without you. :)

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