Snow Day Fare & Other Thoughts

  

Behold, it has snowed in the South!



L is still getting the hang of self-portraits.



 



 

On this quiet, snow blanketed day, I decided that some good comfort food would be appropriate. For lunch, I made red beans and rice with cornbread, all from scratch. The more I cook, the more I find that I enjoy it. It's like Amy Adams' character said in Julie and Julia: After a hard day, it's wonderful to be able to come home and prepare something amazing just by following simple directions. No matter how out of control things have felt during the day, I am (generally) in complete control of what comes out of the oven and off the burners...and then there's the added bonus of feeding my family good, nutritious food.



I also took advantage of the wintry day to begin reading one of the four giant (cook)books on vegetarianism that I checked out from the public library: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. I've only read the introduction and skimmed through some of the recipes, but I really like what I've found so far--and not just about vegetarianism. Her ideals on eating are really refreshing. She talks about the dinner table being a natural place of fellowship "where family members and friends are most likely to find out what's going on in one another's lives" and concludes that "Something always happens at the table." It's so true! I'm grateful for the practice that Mike and I make of sitting AT the table for dinner each night. Once I get into Madison's actual recipes, I'll let you know my full opinion on her work. :)

 

I know I have felt better physically since we have been eating more conscientiously and drinking plenty of water. It's pretty difficult to make at least 50% of our diet raw veggies--especially at this time of year--but I think we're doing okay. I can definitely see how someone could overdose on carrots (shout-out to Tammy, lol). 

 

In the meantime, check out a few Other Recipe Recommendations, made with ingredients that are in season this time of year:

• Butternut Squash Lasagna - It took FOREVER to chop up the butternut squash. If you're short on time, you can find it already chopped in your produce department (which I didn't know...until AFTERwards). Otherwise, it doesn't take much time to put the rest of the ingredients together. This recipe makes enough for two 8x8 pans (or one 9x11, I'd imagine). I made one 8x8 and froze the other for later. It was PLENTY for our little family.
• Honey-Roasted Root Vegetables - SO simple, SO good. This marks the first time I EVER bought parsnips!
• Citrus Salad with Honey & Mint - Like the recipe above, it can't get any simpler. I even skipped the mint.

 

Also--I wanted to mention that this blog is not intended to always be about food; it's simply what is most on my mind right now since we are in the middle of a dietary transition, so to speak. But be ready to shift gears at a moment's notice...or with no notice at all! :)