Small Business Saturday

I committed myself to the concept of Small Business Saturday, shopping local (tho' I must admit, another blogger suggested something I've thought about before, that even the big stores with a nationwide or larger reach, hire local folks, so what's "local" anymore, anyway?). Still I decided to give it a try. I started the morning at Java the Hut:

And you know what? I ordered a "skinny hazelnut latte" (with the sugar-free hazelnut) and I liked it better than my usual Starbucks...it was even a bit less expensive (but then again, overhead for this little hut in the center of a small mall parking lot a few blocks from my house is much less than what Starbucks shells out, I know)...

From here, with hot coffee warming my chilly fingers, I ran across town to my favorite fabric shop, Creative Quilting.

I didn't do as much damage as I sometimes do, but I had a particularly difficult fabric this time. Still, it's always fun to stop by and visit with Judy.

I stopped on the Farmer's Market again (as I did last weekend) and bought honey from one of the vendors. It's wild, local clover honey. I did shop a bit in the various stores but I'm at my wit's end of what to buy certain folks for the holidays...as a result, I got ideas, but didn't make decisions yet.

Then I headed into SW City to Grandin Village. I had to visit the Natural Foods Co-op, but first I visited a new shop called Urban Gypsy. I loved the ambience and the clothing was interesting (tho' a touch young for me) but I was saddened to see so much of it coming from China. Still, it's a neat shop and I wish them well.

The shop on the corner of that photo is Too Many Books, a used bookshop that's a lovely spot to pick up something interesting...if you've not succumbed to e-readers, yet, that is...

On up the street a couple of blocks is New To Me. It's a recycling store - lovely furniture, jewelry, clothing, virtually anything you could envision is right there, everything sold on consignment. It's the shop I always wanted to open, to be honest! I love to poke into the corners and see what's shown up since the last time I was there. If I had a bit of extra space, there was a lovely wardrobe in there today! :)

Finally, I took the time to run out to the edge of Salem, a town not far, but still not on my normal route these days. I'd heard there was a quilt shop there, Quilting Essentials, and I just hadn't made it out there before (since mostly my available days are Saturday, and I spend those sewing most of the time):
They've a nice shop, big and airy, with lots of choice fabrics. The folks working there were helpful, and a lot of fun to chat with. I bought a few things, and will be back, that's sure...

So that's my Small Business Saturday. I hope I helped our local economy a bit, and if you didn't get a chance to do so today, I'd say, pick your next day off and explore your own community. There are always surprises in store!

Meatless Thanksgiving Dinner...

I'll admit that we did have salmon - because my friend Lynette was having a second Thanksgiving dinner tonight, and they were having turkey, so I was flexible, because my turkey breast is going in the crockpot tomorrow for a weekend of meals...

But I really wanted to make my mother's traditional vegetarian recipe for Nutloaf. Big Sis kindly sent me the recipe and I think I can easily share it since my mother allowed it to be printed in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Roanoke's cookbook (which is ancient, I think the Women's Group had it printed in the 1970s)

Here are the ingredients:

Just in the top right-hand corner you'll see the English walnuts...

My mom had an antique meat grinder (which is not in my possession and which had never been used on meat, as I understand it) that she used to grind the nuts in. I used my Cuisinart! Times change, and I'm all about shortcuts.

The only other adaptation I made was swapping out Egg Beaters for the 2 eggs (saved a bit of fat that way...)

Aren't these lovely little loaves? (don't worry, I'm giving the recipe at the end)

I said all thru preparation of the meal that I'd take a photo of our plates. By the time I remembered to get the camera? Our plates were clean. So you get photos of the leftovers:
And I goofed and didn't baste it with the butter mixture my mom used. So maybe that, or maybe not using real eggs, or maybe both, but the nutloaf didn't slice well. It did make a lovely hash mixture on the plate. It doesn't matter. The flavor was there, and it was delish!

I also baked two organic Honeycrisp apples with maple sugar candies, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger dusted over them - these were HUGE apples:
each one weighed about a pound! I said that if these were the apples Eve offered Adam? Well...that was too much temptation for ANYONE! They are fabulous either baked or eaten out of hand!

Finally I made Pumpkin Fluff:
It's a recipe shared at Weight Watchers, and since I had to add it to etools, I don't think there's any copywrite to violate, so I'll share it:

1 can of pumpkin (NOT pie filling)
1 large package of Sugar-Free Fat-Free Vanilla instant pudding
2 cups of skim milk
1 8 oz tup of Cool Whip Fat Free
your favorite pumpkin pie seasonings (I use Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, and Cloves)

Make the pudding with the 2 cups of milk...I wisk it together and beat it well till it begins to set. At that point, I add the spices, then the pumpkin. The very last thing I do is fold in the Cool Whip and mix it well, but don't beat it, because you'll beat the "air" out of it and you want it fluffy. Chill and serve - one CUP is 1 WW point!
Who needs pumpkin pie?

Ok...here's the nutloaf recipe:
1 and 1/2 c. ground walnut meats
1 and 1/2 c. ground peanuts (Spanish or unsalted)
4 slices bread, broken up fine (or toast them lightly and pulse in food processor)
2 Tbs poultry seasoning
1 small onion, grated (oh heck I just tossed this in the Cuisinart, too)
2 eggs (or, as I said, I substitued the equivalent in Egg Beaters)

Mix dry ingredients; add eggs slightly beaten and the onion. Mold into two small loaves. Cover & bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes - basting occasionally with 2 Tbs butter in one cup of boiling water. Do not bake too dry. (oh well, I missed this part of the directions!)

Slice the loaf & serve with tomato sauce:
1 large can of tomatoes thickened with flour
seasoned with 1 tsp grated onion salt and pepper

Mix the flour with a bit of water in a small lidded container and shake well so the flour isn't lumpy - I used hot tap water - then add that into the tomatoes. Heat and allow the sauce to thicken. I also used a can of tomatoes with Italian seasoning already in there, so I didn't add more onion or seasonings.

**by the way, I'm not affliated with Cuisinart, nor with any of the products shown in the photos, and am only a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers, not a paid representative - just for anyone who might wonder about it**

Have a terrific Thanksgiving Holiday!

Two Big Days Coming Up...

...and I don't mean Thanksgiving and Christmas, tho' they are, too.

I'm thinking about Buy Nothing Day (November 26) and Small Business Saturday (November 27).

Buy Nothing Day (BND) has been an event in my life for about as long as it's been going on (maybe longer, as I despise crowds and almost as much as that, I dislike spending a ton on *stuff* that very few people need). I think the most I've ever bought on BND has been emergency cat food.

This year's Small Business Saturday is an event I can totally get behind. I'm trying very hard to buy smaller, buy local, and give handmade as much as humanly possible. My focus this year in my gift giving will have much more reliance on supporting the small businesses in my town as well as the small crafters on Etsy (and yes, I, (Nana Sadie Rose, am one).

I'm interested in any purchase that supports:
1. my local arts community (handcrafted items and concert tickets)
2. the small businesses on our City Market: our huge Market Square Building has been closed for renovations that will take a long time to do - many of the small businesses that were housed there have relocated to other spots along the Market area (some just folded - sob!). Traffic is being re-directed around the building and it's not much fun to navigate. The upshot of that is that many folks are not going downtown they way they used to. But I will!
3. food entrepreneurs - locally grown, locally baked
4. Gift Certificates for services: yoga classes, massages, haircuts, and such.

Then, at the next level of gifting, I'm doing a Handmade Holiday:
5. handcrafted items on etsy
6. handcrafted items I create myself
7. handcrafted items from my local craft shows

Finally, for those family and friends farther away:
8. contributions of cash to groups that do good - in the local community. My hope is that Americans realize that for all our generousity to the people of countries afar, we have serious concerns in our own hometowns that need addressing (and need funding). Most folks are still feeling pinched, so contributions to nonprofits are down (yes, I work for one), and the corporations and governments that used to help fund these groups have had to cut back on their giving/funding, as well. If you have a group in your area that does good and has the need, consider a gift in the name of someone you care about. That nonprofit will send a thank-you to your honoree on your behalf. And your honoree won't have to figure out what to do with the *stuff* you gift...(yes, we all have that happen once in awhile, eh?)

I know folks like to use the big charities - and I won't say don't, do what works for you, but do take a moment to think about your local humane society, homeless shelter, domestic violence shelter, food bank, art museum, or opera company and symphony. Perhaps they have a greater need than the bigger groups at least during this time of economic distress.

Lastly? On Buy Nothing Day? Why not take the time to de-stuff your closets? And donate to a local organization that helps provide for folks just starting over, those who've lost everything due to natural or economic disaster?

Because after all, do we really need everything we've got? Isn't a bunch of it just "STUFF?"

And isn't this time of year about so much more?

Farmers Market STILL!

Yes, our area still has veggies on the Farmers Market downtown this weekend...While there's a vendor or two who bring in veggies from down south, I was able to buy local produce from Sandra's farmer friend from Franklin Co. He had a wonderful array of squashes, greens (spinach for salad on Turkey day and turnip greens tonight), and potatoes (red & white sweet, and white regular), and I picked up a couple heads of garlic and a big onion.

I baked the two red sweet potatoes for dinner tonight and Tuesday and froze some of the turnip greens after having a nice sized serving for dinner.

Life is good. Especially when you can hook up and visit (however briefly) with a friend. Her farmer friend did the honors and snapped a shot of us together:

That's pal Sandra (who I see too infrequently!) and me. If you're interested in seeing a little Fair Isle knitting, you can jump on over to my other blog and see the cat mittens I made that go with my lightweight winter coat.

I'm hoping to make an old vegetarian favorite for Turkey Day (when I won't be having turkey, I'll be having salmon with friend Lynette!). The recipe for the family dish has nothing to do with fish, of course, it's ...

Nut Loaf!

Be sure to stop by, okay?

It's Been a Long Time!

This might seem pretty amazing, but I'm still eating from last year's CSA share! I had two small bags of peppers which I'd frozen whole after de-seeding them and lopping the tops off. I saved them with this in mind:

Raised a vegetarian, my Mom used to make stuffed peppers just this way: stuff with your favorite sage stuffing mix (I do use Stove Top, because I rarely have time to do anything more, and besides, it tastes JUST like my Mom's - at least the Savory Herb flavor does). Fit them into a covered casserole, top with a can of tomatoes (flavored with Italian herbs so I don't have to add anything) and sprinkle a tablespoon or so of shredded Parmesan cheese over the top. Bake at 350 for an hour or so.

Absolutely delish!

I've been gone a bit from this blog and I apologize. Life seems to be moving faster than a speeding bullet, and I've neglected both this one and my knitting blog. While the holidays are approaching, I think I'll be able to spare a few minutes to post occasionally, but I'm still toying with ideas for this particular blog and am unsure of the direction I'll take it. Let me know if there's something you'd like to see?
(((hugs)))

Have You Discovered?

Patti? I just did...Well, let's just say you may not see me for a bit, as I have a lot of catching up to do...Putting my own world and life in perspective, and reading her stuff.

WOW!

Reposting From Cheap Healthy Good for Meatless Monday!

Making Spaghetti Sauce from Scratch apparently is very easy, and I think it will go on my fall list of "must-dos" because recently I've had no time, and had to eat things with little or no "chewability" thanks to a flare-up of my previously-under-control TMJ. I am okay with jarred sauce, but I usually doctor it up quite a bit. Why not just go ahead and make fresh, especially with tomatoes all over the place (for a bit longer, but they'll soon be gone). If I can act fast enough, maybe I'll can some? Oh, who am I kidding? That would mean buying all those canning supplies, so I guess I'll find room in the freezer instead.

I have no photos to share, but tonight's dinner is scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and baby carrots cooked well beyond my preferred al dente to a very soft state, and covered with a honey (2 Tbsp), grated fresh ginger (to taste, I used about 1 Tbsp) and a mite of butter (just a tsp) glaze. Yummy. And easy to chew (or slide down the gullet as the case may be). Also really easy to make. Put the carrots on in a pot of water and boil to smitherines (ok, probably 10 minutes or so) and then mix the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and nuke for 30 seconds. I was able to use up the remains of a bag of baby carrots I'd been crunching on at lunch...which no doubt exascerbated the TMJ flare, right along with my dentist visit and X-rays...! (ouch)

The doc warned me to "cut my meat into teensy pieces" and I laughed. What meat?
(just the occasional salmon fillet, and I don't have to "cut" that - it flakes)

Meatless. The way to go, especially if you've got jaw issues!

A Link...and Short Comment

I'm hoping I make up for being gone a bit, and I do hope to be back to regular posting soon. If you're not familiar with the site I'm featuring here, do start with this post Cheap, Heathly, Good, 20 Cheap Healthy Dishes Made From Ten Pantry Staples.

I wish my pantry looked like that! (I love the light, clean, spacious feel of that space!)
(sigh)
Now I'm off to clear out my pantry to send things off to Weight Watchers Lose For Good at my meeting tonight. I'm taking the list from the article above to my grocery store, and stocking up.

Then when I pick up fall veggies at the Farmers Market, I should be all set...

(hmm...better clear out the spice rack, too - some of them are really older than I'd like to admit!)

Meatless Monday After a Weekend Away

A long weekend away doing Nana Sadie Rose things...very busy, and very tired.

So the easiest thing to fix is a Vermont Hunter Cheddar Cheese toasted on Rosemary Sourdough with steamed pattypan squashes...

And then...to sleep, perchance to dream - oh heck, I'd rather NOT dream, but sound sleep would be really good!

It's Meatless Monday!

The next few Mondays my meals will be much the same for me...simple, fast to prepare, and full of the bounty that's at the Farmers Market right now:
I'm spending long hours at the sewing machine, creating stock, so pick-up food is the order of the day.

So here again, my new favorite tomato - the Heirloom Purple Cherokee - on two slices of locally baked rosemary sourdough with a touch of mayo (I'm sorry for you purists, but it's the fat-free jarred mayo; thankfully, I like that) and salt and cracked pepper. Along side you can see a block of my favorite cheese ever: Vermont Hunter Cheddar. This cheese, at room temperature has a bite that many don't like, but I was raised to consider it the finest there is. While in Vermont last weekend, I picked up a block, but it's been long enough that I forgot that the wax it's encased in needs to be encased in plastic or foil to protect surfaces...sure enough my carryon/knitting bag has black wax inside it.
:(
I will work on that. But this meal is simplicity personified.

And wow. Was it ever good.

The next couple of weeks I'll be slammed as I work feverishly to prepare for, and then vend at the National Capital Cat Show. I'll be hosting a booth near the front door, so do come and visit if you're in the Northern Virginia area. We'd love to see you! (One night, will be La Madelienes for dinner, and I make no promises, but often it's reasonably easy to eat Meatless there! I'll try to remember the camera!)
(((hugs)))

Watch...and Learn...

Meatless Monday - Chana Masala

I mentioned last week that I was having vegetarian at a local Indian restaurant after my yoga class. I did and it was wonderful!

I had Chana Masala, and a tomato/coconut soup (must search for recipe), along with naan...I found this recipe for Chana Masala which looks a lot like what I had, with, of course, jasmine rice.

We had such fun, seeing off the daughter of one of our members who has spent the summer in class with us. She's off to college, and we wanted to share a celebratory meal in her honor.

It's Another Meatless Monday...

I missed last week...I'm so sorry, but I did eat meatless, I promise (I'm doing this many more days than just Mondays, too...)

But I have a photo:

This meal included a mess of fresh green beans from my sis-in-law's garden. Now I have to admit that while I use the Southern term of "mess" to describe the large bag she brought me, I do not cook my green beans Southern-style. I simply cook them in water with a little salt, then serve them with a bit of butter and freshly cracked pepper.

I had 1/2 a sweet potato, too. I wrap them in aluminum foil and cook at 425 for 60 minutes...they're melt-in-your-mouth soft and sweet. Add a touch (a small one) of butter and a bit of salt and pepper, and yumm....

The corn and grape tomaotes and the Artisan Bread were from the chain grocer, but I didn't have a chance to get to the Farmer's Market this weekend. I'll make a better effort to do so next week!

Now, tonight? I'm going to one of our Indian restaurants...and I'll report back next Monday on the vegetarian meal I have...okay?

Meatless Monday...Farmer's Market Edition

I visited the Roanoke City Farmer's Market this weekend for the first time all summer (yes, I know I'm awful, and I really do love the place, but I despise having to pay to park so I do visit other Markets that don't have that drawback, but Roanoke's was the first and is the best, no argument).

I brought back a few things. I'm trying really hard this year to remember that it is just me, and I don't have much freezer space or time to put by. Still I tend to overbuy anyway...without applying the brakes? I'd have bags and bags of stuff and be overwhelmed (like last year with the CSA) and I'm trying hard to keep that in mind:
I picked up all three sisters, tho only two are here. My favorite October beans (or "shellies" as my Mom called them) cooked up nicely with a teaspoon or so of olive oil, freshly cracked pepper, a touch of salt and about a tablespoon of dried rosemary in the cooking water. I adore them and was promised the farmer who had these would have many many more all the rest of the summer - I might have to put some of these by, as it's just my favorite bean in the world (I take after Mom in a lot of ways, but when I eat these, I remember the simple delight she had in them and it's a lovely memory!). There were two ears of yellow/white corn, too, and the yellow squash was fabulous.

This is the primary reason I love the Roanoke City Market - because I can stop at On the Rise bakery for their amazing Rosemary Sourdough bread.

But then, as I wandered thru the marketplace, I suddenly heard my name, and lo and behold there was friend Sandra, who helps a friend of her's at his farmstand booth every weekend. Now I have another reason to go down there. What amazing produce!

Sandra immediately told me I had to try one of these:


Saturday and Sunday I had this for lunch, making it a purely meatless weekend (breakfast is always meat-free):
The peaches made my mid-afternoon snack extra special. I'm not a huge fan of peaches, except when they're fresh, in season, and eaten out of hand. This is a good year for peaches, apparently!

And the Cherokee Purple heirloom tomato? OMG. No joke, it's amazing. As soon as I took my first bite, I phoned Sandra and asked her to pick up a couple more of the treasures for this week. I added just a touch of fat-free mayo to the sourdough bread and tomato...I think I'll be stocking up on them each week as long as they last. Hmm...wonder if I can grow two or three of these plants next summer on the front stoop? (Those of you who've been here awhile know perfectly well that it will be a pitiful attempt. I just don't get enough sun...better to plan on every Saturday morning from July into September being at Sandra's friend's booth, right?)

Oh...And Sandra dropped off some of her fresh, home-grown basil on Sunday afternoon, and I made pesto, and added a few leaves and some mozzarella to the sandwich - it was equally amazing...

It's Meatless Monday AGAIN!

I was thinking salad, I was craving Mexican. Taco salad? Vegan style? Well...

I ended up tossing together what I had (wish I'd had a lime or lime juice, but I didn't) and came up with this:

I tossed in:
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained (and I patted them dry with a towel, too)
1 ear of yellow corn cooked and removed from the cob
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/3 of a Vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 a bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 small jalapeno (frozen from my CSA share last year), seeded and chopped

I seasoned with smoked paprika, cumin (probably 1 tbsp or more), a touch of hot sauce, and lemon juice and olive oil - I can't give you actual amounts, b/c (1) I didn't measure, and (2) I think probably you'll want to season to your own preference.

(I like mine spicey!)

And then I carefully mixed it all up (those black beans tend to mush if you're too forceful!). I tossed broken up multigrain Tostitos chips and romaine in a bowl and added the mixture on top.

Next time? I think I'll make up a bit of salsa and fat-free ranch dressing for a topper and add in some (non-vegan) sharp cheddar shreds.

Meatless Mondays - Veggies

I'm not sure you can tell what's on the plate (well, except that obviously there's an ear of corn!

My meatless meal tonight was veggies: On the right, the thing that's probably not obvious at all is a roasted white patty pan squash. Then there's the corn, and of course a garlic baguette with seasoned olive oil. I had nectarine for dessert.

So what is it with me? I seem to put many many white, yellow, pale, blah, beige sorts of foods on my plate. Or at least it seems to me as if there's a lot of it. (On the rare days I eat anything animal based (other than dairy - oh! There's that white stuff again) I eat chicken. White.Meat.

Hmm...I do eat carrots and winter squash, sweet potatoes (hmm...yellow, orange)

And tomatoes (red).

But Mom always taught me to have something green on my plate.

Oh well. In past weeks? It's been some sort of salad, so I guess it's okay that tonight's meal is blah, ho-hum, beige...right?

(oh, that black stuff? I'm totally enamoured of freshly ground pepper...)

In The Realm of Far-Fetched Fantasy...

I often dream of this for my retirement.

Of course, these days, the thought of spending the $$ for fuel to travel around the country combined with the limited balances in the IRAs - can anyone afford to retire anymore? - has me cringing in the midst of my daydreams.

(But you know? I've got a bit of a crush on the pink and white one with the vintage kitchen chair in front! Only I'd have nothing but pillows of barkcloth roses and lace inside!)

But there is the fact that these are pint-sized homes and one can park them as much as one can drive them. That little tidbit offers a glimmer of hope that living this way might be an option one day...(and who knows, maybe there'll be some sort of renewal energy source someone creates to work around the combustion engine in order to power them?)

Hmm...I'm thinking the SW (New Mexico) for the winter, and perhaps New Hampshire or Maine in summer? Now to whittle down the yarn and fabric stash to fit inside this tiny wheeled wonder...oh and then teach the cats to walk on a leash!
*wink*

Meatless Monday - Dinner Out!

So it's Mealess Monday again, and I'm expecting company. Dinner will be in a restaurant today, so will either be Buddhist Delight at a local Chinese place, or perhaps salad bar and baked potato at a local chain restaurant.

Sometimes, you just gotta go with the flow, you know?

Oh...and breakfast is a "fast food" sandwich I make myself:
Thomas' high fiber English Muffin
1/4 c Egg Beaters w/ shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Morningstar Farms veggie-sausage patty

It's really good, and only 5 points on Weight Watchers. Holds me over for a long morning, as well.
Happy 4th of July holiday weekend, if you're still enjoying a day off today!

Another Meatless Monday Salad Day...

I visited a newly forming farmers Market last week and was pleased to see the people in attendance, the vendors being patronized, and the quality of the food. I purchased beets, Swiss Chard, and a summer squash.
When I got home, I immediately put the beets in to roast with rosemary and olive oil, and then tossed the chard into boiling water for that night's dinner. The beets I knew would take a lot longer, so when they were done (and forgotten for a few hours in the cooling oven!) I just put them in the fridge for the future.

So for Meatless Monday, I was able to pull them out, chop them into a mixed mesclun green salad, add in a tablespoon or so of feta cheese and a couple of tablespoons of chopped walnuts. A quick vinagrette later (did you realize you can get the last vestiges of mustard out of a container by adding a bit of vinegar (balsamic or white - choose whatever) and shaking it into the container? The mustard mixture forms a base for vinegrette that's got some substance to it - that is, as long as you don't use that yellow stuff! I added in some canola oil (the flavor of the mustard would overpower olive oil) and then some rosemary to continue the flavor I'd already used with the beets.

It was a delightful salad! With our weekend temperatures posting close to 102, a cool salad keeps me from heating up the kitchen and that agrees with me completely! Someone at work (who doesn't get - or agree with - the warming of the globe or the level of commitment it takes to be an evironmentalist) asked why my upstairs was hotter than down, "don't you have air conditioning?"

Yup...I do. I also push it way up when I'm not home, and it's pretty high (77) when I'm there.

So I don't make the heat pump work harder to cool the house by heating up the kitchen (well, not often anyway...)

I promise I bought this baked item! A lovely mini-loaf of banana bread I picked up at the farmer's market.

I didn't save any. It was good.

Obviously, I Can Do This...

I'm a sewist and Knitter (yes, with a capital K), who must have huge amounts of cotton fabric and yarn in my stashes, and I'm also an armchair environmentalist who can only step up and do what one aging Nana can do from her overwhelming sense of duty, but very limited available funds and energy, so I'm going to make some knitted dishcloths and small fabric handtowels for this project:

How can you even watch the news footage in the Gulf and not be moved to do something - at least for me, anything is better than sitting by and feeling so helpless. Finally, today? I found something that *fits* with who I am, and what I can offer!

Thank you, Green Phone Booth

Yoga Night and Meatless Monday!

I have no photo yet for Meatless Monday - I'm making my own stuffed portabella mushroom cap after yoga tonight, tho' so I'll post a photo (if I don't inhale it, first). (I'm planning on sauteeing red bell pepper, olive oil, leeks and Italian seasoning, stuffing the cap, and then tossing feta on top to broil...hope it turns out as well as I think it will!)

In the meantime - because I'm going straight from work to pick up my 92 year old friend to go to yoga class together - I made sure to have a snack that will keep me going till after class tonight: Kefir. I'm not in anyway affiliated with that site, but I love their low-fat version - in strawberry, tonight. I once picked up a 1 cup bottle of it at the co-op and have saved the bottle, dutifully refilling it from my much larger one for ease in carrying to work (I know, I should reuse a small glass jar and recycle the plastic, and I will, promise, as soon as I empty one!). A cup is only 3 points and with the extra calcium, my bones are really benefitting, too.

edited to add photo and comments!
Here it is...my own version of the quickie portabellas I've been picking up at the grocery store for "fast food"

It turned out well, but yes, it does take longer to fix - I did everything I said above, except that I used orange peppers (2 slices, chopped) about 1 tablespoon of chopped leeks (from the CSA share last fall that I froze), a large garlic clove, chopped (also from the CSA last fall), and oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Then about 2 tablespoons of feta - and I broiled it for probably 8 minutes in my toaster oven.

That's summer squash from the Farmer's market, and a serving (I slice those slices thinly to go farther!) of artisan olive bread with olive dipping oil (Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning flavors it). Dessert was fruit, but I ate a peach out of hand (I know it's not local, but oh it was good) with a few blueberries...and didn't get a photo of that.

A great Meatless Monday!

I Could Not Say This Any Better...

So I'm going to LINK it, instead.

This has been a crazy week, so I haven't posted much, either here or on my knitting blog. Tomorrow is a family yard sale and I'm going to be sending out into the world many things I no longer need to new homes that hopefully can use them. I know I'll be repeating this event in the fall, too. My goal is to rid myself of much that is weighing down my thought processes and my living space.

But I hope I'll have a little time on Sunday to review the post above, and the links embeded there and come up with a compact list of not less than 10 things to begin doing myself. Because we do each need to make a commitment to changing our behavior if we want to see the change we'd like in the world.

If you decide to join in as a result of that post? Let me know, okay? I'll be very interested.
Happy Weekend.

Wow the Weeks Fly By - It's Meatless Monday Again!

Over the weekend, a friend and I made a roadtrip to a small town about 45 minutes away to celebrate World Wide Knit in Public Day with a few friends at a yarn shop there. The shop is next door to a farmer's market and you know I had to visit with an eye towards Meatless Mondays, right?

I picked up potatoes and green beans (oh they were beautiful) and whipped up another batch of a meal that makes me think of my Depression-era Mom and her sisters and the vegetarian dishes I grew up with:

(they usually added milk to this, but I don't. I rarely have milk in the house, for one thing, and when I do, I tend not to add it to foods)

I got fresh summer squash, too. There was a huge storm that knocked out my power so I couldn't enjoy this on Saturday night but I whipped it up for tonight's dinner and there are plenty of leftovers for Monday. What do I do? Simple - boiled potatoes and green beans with just a touch of butter, salt, and pepper. I steam the squash and season the same way.

Why mess with perfection?

I had more of the artisan olive bread and olive oil as a complement to this meal. If you're wondering, yes, my meals tend to be pretty simple; I save the fancy stuff for when I'm out to eat - let the pros mess up the kitchen, is my motto!

Which you can see here in my knitting blog post for the WWKIP day event. We stopped at a new restaurant that we've heard about and I have to say the bruschetta was fabulous - and totally veggie, tho' not vegan.

Meatless Monday on a Yoga Class Night!

You get another of those super fast, what can I pick up at the grocery store, meals tonight for Meatless Monday! Tonight is yoga class, so I can't eat before, and when I get home the meal has to be light - I don't want to eat much after class, and besides sleeping on a full stomach isn't my idea of a good night's sleep, either!

This is a salad from the so-called "olive" bar at my local Kroger:

Still, it's pretty wonderful...a curried couscous salad, with wheat berries and small white beans. A delightful, lightly spicy concoction that I tossed over salad greens and then added in slivered yellow peppers and halved grape tomatoes.

(If it weren't Meatless Monday, a salmon fillet would have made a nice main dish, with a smaller salad.)

I have no way of knowing how many Weight Watchers points are in this, but I tend to err on the higher side just in case.

Happy Monday!

What's Water Got To Do With It?

(to paraphrase - What's Love Got To Do With It?)

Do you ever think about all the plastic in our lives? Does something like what's happening in the Gulf ever make you think of plastic? Do you have any idea how much petroleum is in the plastics we use daily?

If you've ever drunk a pre-packaged bottle of water? Read this:
Responsible Plastic explains this more concisely than any other place I've seen. (And yes, I did read all the way through it. *wink*

If you don't have a refillable water bottle? It's time to buy one.

If you have a problem remembering the reuseable grocery sacks in your trunk? It's time to get one of those that stuffs into their own tiny selves and fits in your purse.

If you haven't had the nerve to ask the Chinese Take-out place to please put your to-go meal in your own carry-away To-Go Ware or other rewashable, reuseable container? Please find your backbone!

Wow. That's some impact on the environment! (And if we all do those 4 things? THAT's what love's got to do with it...

As we used to say in the 70s - Love Your Mother!
(Mother Earth)

Memorial Day Meatless Monday

I wonder if there will be lots of us doing "meatless" today, or if it will be a day that folks think they can skip?

After all, what's Memorial Day without the required cookout?

In my world, tho' Memorial Day is a regular workday - not at my place of employment but at my home business. Often I'm slammed trying to get bag orders filled and stock put back ahead of a July show. This year? The show isn't on the agenda, but there are still orders to fill, so my "cookout" becomes an indoor quick-fix event:

A Morningstar Farms Black Bean Burger (yes, there is cheese on it) on a Sandwich Thins wholegrain "bun," broccoli slaw, and fried potatoes (in a little olive oil and with green onions, red and green peppers all chopped with the potatoes, it's just 2 Weight Watchers points). In fact, using a low fat coleslaw dressing that entire meal up there is 8 points for the entire plate. I had points left for mixed berries and fresh pineapple (1.5 total there).

A patriotic meal in record time!

I hope your Memorial Day is not just meatless, but relaxing. Please keep all those who serve our country's interests or have given their lives for our benefit and their families in your thoughts!

Do You Feel Hopeless?

The catastrophe in the Gulf has weighed heavily on my mind for weeks (as I'm sure it has your's). I've never been to the area, but that doesn't mean I'm unaware of the incredible importance it holds in the ecosphere. I've been feeling totally overwhelmed and not quite sure what to do to make a difference other than redoubling my efforts at using less petroleum. I've begun to revisit my wish to take public transit as often as possible, and have decided to do a trial run this weekend, stopping downtown at the Farmer's Market, too.

But it's not enough (will anything ever be enough?).

I happened upon this site last night and decided to join up. Matter of Trust is an organization that, among other things, utilizes pet hair and animal fiber (alpaca, sheep!) to stuff pantyhose (even those with runs) to create booms that soak up the oil. They even have a study in process that evaluates whether the oil-soaked booms can then be used to be a fertile ground for mushrooms to reprocess the gunk into something useful. I think the results of that will be fascinating, and I'll be watching to see what happens there.

Right now, they need pantyhose. I've emailed to see if knee highs work as well, because I haven't worn pantyhose in years. Still. I'm going to be collecting The Meezer's and The Tonks fur in a bag to send them when they need more. If we all had a bag of it ready when the call went out? Wouldn't that be a phenominal way to make a difference with something that otherwise would end up in the landfill?

I feel a bit more positive. Organizations and groups that RETHINK this whole process of stuff? Well, that's my favorite kind to support.

And I'm going to keep on rethinking my own daily activities to see where else I can make adjustments to reduce my own need for plastic, petroleum...STUFF!
You?

Wise Environmental Choices....

I've been taking baby steps for some time to make smarter choices environmentally. There are plenty of things I've done with the primary focus being to reduce my electric bill (and while I'm sure it would be higher had I not done these things? It sure doesn't seem to be inching downward much - but so go the rate increases, eh?),

I've mentioned in previous posts that I'm trying to find interesting new places to visit (blogs and websites, mostly) with a focus on wise stewardship, environmental activism, and consumerism, too. So when I find something interesting and new, I like to let you all know...

The Conscious Shopper has been mentioned before. I like her style, I love her posts. She's totally committed to reducing her environmental footprint and helping all of us do the same...and right now? She's having an interesting contest.

Another place I visit often is Fake Plastic Fish. Don't you know, she's having a contest, too?

I can't imagine that I could ever get to the point of using no plastic, but because of her blog, I've rethought many things I do. I've finally started buying milk from our local creamery - in returnable glass bottles! I am using the Co-Op for that purchase, but even our local Kroger carries it. I don't use milk a lot, but it's nice to have this option...and the glass bottles are also a happy childhood memory!

On Fake Plastic Fish today, you'll also find links to this post over at Plastic Manners. An interesting addition to the typical Reduce, Reuse, Recycle mantra, she adds Rethink, Refuse to the three others. Then another addition I like that I've seen elsewhere - like my Ravelry Trash to Treasure group that does so - is Repurpose.

It's all about stopping, not doing the knee jerk reaction of just reaching and buying. Do you need that? If so, is it made from plastic? What will you do with it once it's empty? Can you recycle it? Reuse it? Repurpose it? If not, is there an alternative to the plastic?

With oil spewing into the Gulf, in a castrophic mess that will be with us for years, can we reconsider petroleum-based products completely? What LITTLE thing (or BIG thing?) can each one of us do? I'm planning to take the bus to the Farmer's Market every Saturday for local food, beginning this weekend...See? baby steps.

I know sometimes it feels like one person can't make that much of a difference.

But frankly, I'm coming around more and more to feeling empowered that I can do something at least...it's better than the overwhelming sense of futility that washes over me when I see photos of the coast covered in red slime...

What about you?

Macrobiotic Meatless Monday!

Tonight there simply was no time to cook, I hadn't thought about it at all, and I was hungry. I stopped at the Co-Op and picked up "fast food"

This is Shanhai Dumplings and Spinach Noodles by Macro Bento. I can't do the entire 1/2 a box for a single serving of either (they're spicy!), but that makes them last longer! Hot tea rounds out the macrobiotic meal.

And then I topped it off with a little crystalized ginger to help with digestion (and for a little more spicy-sweetness).

Who says you can't have meatless fast food?

Meatless Mondays Lunch This Time

It's that time again, and I've made lunch! It's a simple recipe, as I usually pack my lunches and I want things easy as pie (without the pie)

On the Weight Watchers point system this one weighs in at a heavy (NOT!) 4 points (but then I added strawberries for dessert, and a cup is 1/2 a point, so factor that into your counting)

A Hummus Veggie Wrap on Whole Wheat Tortilla:

(yes, this isn't the best photo, I'd already wrapped it up)

I buy my hummus tho' there are several good recipes out there to use if you want to make your own (if I ever get 20 minutes, I think I'd like to try one of them!). I spread 2 Tbls. of garlic flavored hummus on a warmed wheat tortilla, tossed on some baby spinach leaves, slivered some red pepper strips and drizzled a Ceasar Italian flavored dressing on it - I used a fat-free bottled kind, but you could make your own. IF you use olive oil, remember to add that into your point count, but don't worry, because you're using one of your Good Health Guidelines while you're at it!). I'm careful with the dressing, because I really just want a touch of flavor, not a soupy mess! Roll it up, steam a few spears of asparagus (with a touch of butter on it
for 1 point), salt, pepper, and the whole meal is ready in a flash. And I've got time to knit at my desk during lunch!

Happy Meatless Eating!

Meatless Monday Again!

For once I can claim credit for this recipe. I devised it after having something very similar at a fancy dinner some years ago:


Strawberry Spinach Salad
(I'm giving general quantities - I made this for just one serving)

1 cup fresh organic spinach, loosely packed
4-5 fresh strawberries, sliced (or more if you're like me and love them)
5 English walnuts chopped
2-3 Tbsp low-fat feta cheese (to taste)
Ken's fat-free Raspberry Walnut Vinagrette
(you may add slivered red or Vidalia onions to taste, my digestive system can't have them, but wish it could!)

Do I really need to give you directions to assemble? I think not.

(In the winter? Substitute canned mandarin oranges - or a clemantine, sectioned - it's every bit as good, and a fine salad to add to a soup or veggie chili meal.)
:)
Enjoy - Thankfully, 'tis the season for the freshest of ingredients...and wow is this good.

Meatless Monday!

Baingan Bharta (Eggplant Curry):

I can't take credit for the recipe, I found it here. I had no idea how it would come out, but it's good! I input all the ingredients to Weight Watchers e-Tools, and came back with 2 points per serving. Since it made 4 servings, and I was hungry, I doubled my portion for 4 points. Three points for the Na'an (which is storebought) and I thought I was in heaven for a dinner at 7 points!

I will tell you that I automatically chopped the onions, and then realized the recipe called for sliced (oops!). Then I did not have the garlic paste. There's an hysterical youTube video out there telling you how to make your own garlic paste, but I just mixed equal parts of minced garlic and finely grated fresh ginger into the mixture and didn't worry about it (yes, that's what garlic paste is. Equal parts of the two ingredients and perhaps a little water to make a paste...IF I could have found my mortar and pestle, I'd have made it up. Unfortunately, that's one thing that hasn't been unpacked since the move (three years ago).

Anyway! A great, warming meal (which I made last week when it was really quite chilly and appreciated no end!), not too difficult to make. Happy Meatless Monday!

Meatless Monday

I've almost missed posting, but this is Monday, and I've a yoga class to attend after work. Things tend to run very late!

And I didn't cook again tonight. No, this time, I picked up a (not so vegan!) meatless meal in a hurry - but very tasty indeed:

I adore cottage cheese (there's even a photo of me at my first birthday with it all over my face and in my blonde ringlet-ed hair, so you can tell it's a long-lived affair!), and tonight when I saw strawberries and pineapple all ready and waiting, I just couldn't resist. I added a bit of baguette with seasoned olive oil, and thoroughly enjoyed my very simple meal.

But oh, for next week? I've got something planned! I'll make it over the weekend so it will be ready and waiting after yoga class, and I promise I'll post earlier, too! *wink*

I did a little bit of veggie shopping this weekend...a fellow yoga student is a potter and she was having a sale of her wares. I picked up the eggplant salt and pepper shakes, and the little garlic head shaker was just sitting there all by itself. I thought, "why not for garlic powder?" and it came right along home with me! I love that her attention to detail even included the little rootlets at the base, tho' this photo doesn't show that well...

The three will reside on my stovetop and work in nicely with my vintage vegetable pottery collection - Shawnee King Cornware, and Made in Occupied Japan Tomato-ware, plus an odd assortment of peppers, squashes, celery, and beets (ALL ceramic salt and pepper shakes).

What can I say? I'm just a pushover for veggies and fruit in all forms. This purchase supported a local artist, too. :)

An Apology and - It's Earth Day!

I have to admit that I was away this weekend, doing a show, and as a result, did NOT post for Meatless Monday. I've been meatless both Tuesday and Wednesday, but repeated my Portabella Mushrooms from the grocery store, so don't have a recipe to share this week, I'll try to do better next week, I promise.

Today is Earth Day, and I'm wondering what you will do to celebrate and honor it?

Me? I'm working, as usual, and have an appointment after work, so cooking isn't going to happen. I think I might have a big salad tonight, meatless again, because I'm spending the evening in a 90 minute yoga class. It will be late when I get out and I'd like to toss something light together to end my day.

I'm going to use the least possible amount of energy (read "electricity") at home today, but that's in part because I won't be there.

I did, however, read an interesting article at Newsweek that if we think consuming green products is going to get us out of this mess we're in, then we're somewhat delusional.

Not that it won't at least be better for us to use these products. But it does boil down to not buying as much - reducing what we use, reducing the amount of waste we produce.

So I'll be looking for a couple of things I would like to have (glass yogurt cups, a personal CD player as mine broke and I have so many books on CD to read!), but I'll be looking for a used item, whenever possible. And over the next few weeks, I'll be working hard to pass along used items I no longer need.

As the Newsweek article says, there's a reason the first word in the slogan is reduce, reuse, recycle. And I'll add there's are reason many of us are adding the word repurpose to the refrain. It's about making less stuff and rethinking how we relax and unwind. Shopping can't be the way we enjoy ourselves any longer. If the economy and your credit card hasn't already told you this, then the Earth's predicament surely should.

More of us need to follow the old yankee proverb of "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." I feel somewhat embarrassed by the fact that having lost 40 pounds in the past 7 months, I've been forced to buy an entirely new wardrobe (remaking things wasn't possible with this much change in my shape!). I did, however, shop consignment, thrift, and charity shops as much as possible. And will be passing along my former wardrobe thru the same vehicles, including a yard sale and occasional ebay auction.

What ONE thing can you choose to do today to address the crisis facing the earth? Join up with One Small Change and just do one thing each month? I did. I've been using cloth napkins at home rather than paper towels as napkins. It's going great. I've kept a small stack of them next to my spot at the table all month, and have just washed them with my regular sheets and towels wash. Before this? I'd use a cloth napkin with my lunch, packing it in my tote. But I never thought about it at home, I just tore off that paper towel in "auto-pilot" mode. That's all changed, there's not even a roll of paper towels in my kitchen now.

I haven't made the napkins I promised my Ravelry pals I'd make, but there's still time this month to do that. I picked up some super-cool fabrics (OOPS, see? We buy without thinking!) to make them out of...like I needed more fabric? In fairness, I'd not read that Newsweek article yet, and was in a new fabric shop where I saw the cutest "green" fabric prints.

Which, of course, is exactly the Newsweek article's point - we see "green" in the advertising, and just figure we're doing something good. Forget about the fact that I have hundreds of pounds of fabric in my sewing room...
(sigh)
I forgive myself. And I'm going to change.

What about you?

Meatless Monday

It's Meatless Monday! And today's dinner is my fast, easy vegan spaghetti.

It's easy because it's jarred sauce, doctored up. It's vegan because the "meat" is Morningstar Farms Recipe Crumbles. It's fast, because I make it on Sunday and eat it for a couple of weeknight dinners, and freeze the rest for later on! There is nothing better than your own food for "fast food."

So I being with cleaning out the cupboard and freezer:

There's a small can of mushroom stems and pieces, three cloves of minced garlic (still from my CSA last fall!), and a small can of sliced black olives. I drain the canned items, and rinse off the mushrooms to rid them of any additional salts. Then in a frying pan sprayed with olive oil spray, I toss in a tablespoon of good olive oil, and let the veggies saute.

IF you have other veggies you'd like to add, now is the time. I've been known to toss in summer squash or zuccini, multi-colored bell pepper strips and sliced onions, even shredded carrots! None of them have any calories, so from a Weight Watchers perspective, there are no points.

Eventually I add half a bag of the recipe crumbles and let them saute as well. This particular time, I added in dried onion flakes to taste (I didn't have an onion in the crisper), and then a bit of dried basil. But not too much, because the jarred sauce I used was "tomato basil" flavor (Barilla).

Here's everything simmering away.

And of course, in the meantime, I had the whole wheat pasta on to boil:

Served on a salad-sized plate, with just a touch of shredded parmesan, this is a total of 8 Weight Watchers points (for anyone who cares - I do since I'm following the program).


Last night I also made up a vegan salad for lunch this week from Kalyn's Kitchen. I'd never cut up a mango and this was my very first avocado, too. It's a good salad, tho' I have to admit, I'm not yet loving the avocado...(and it's pricey on points, too - at 7 per serving, I rarely eat that many at lunch)

Come back next week and I'll try to have an interesting recipe to share on Meatless Monday again.

Apparently Convenience Can Be Healthy!

I discovered a wonderful concoction in my regular grocery store's produce section yesterday: stuffed portabella mushroom caps! Two to a pack, they were completely ready for me to grill, broil, or bake when I got home. $2.00

Now on the nights when I have yoga class (my Thursday class gets me home at 9p.m. and I surely don't want a heavy meal right before bedtime, but I can't eat dinner when I get off work and head to a 7p.m. class - talk about yucky, yoga on a full stomach? No thanks) I do whatever I can to eat lightly, eat intentionally, and to not eat meat.

Somehow meat and yoga don't mix in my head, either.

The mushroom caps I picked up were stuffed with fresh spinach, mozzarella shredded part-skim cheese and seasonings - I know there was oregano in there, and probably a touch of garlic. I input everything to Weight Watcher's e-tools and got 2 points per cap! With some Morrocan Olive Artisan bread and seasoned olive oil, the entire meal was 7 points, and as vegetarian (but not vegan) as you can get!

(I ate one last night after class and one tonight when I thought I could manage to snag a photo for you, but you know what? I was too hungry and I never thought about pulling out the camera! I'm sorry...believe me tho' they're really good!)

Hmm...that makes it meatless Thursday, and meatless Friday, as well as mostly meatless Monday so far this week! But considering the fact that eating lower on the food chain is easier on the environment, as well as on my own physical being, I'm happy about that.

This is a work weekend, as I've got a show next weekend. So I stopped by the library to pick up my "reading material!" (ok, one of those is actually printed material...)

I'm "reading" Hot, Flat, and Crowded this evening...while I cut and sew handcrafted bags for my show next week...
(thank goodness for books on CD!)

Meatless Mondays...

Meatless Monday's won't be a hard thing for me to do, and in fact yesterday I managed to join the movement (click that link and join up, too!), but after I'd packed my deli turkey sandwich for lunch, so that I couldn't change without having waste. But dinner was a vegetarian chili-filled whole wheat burrito.

I think I'm going to plan for making something vegan on Sunday nights, and having the leftovers on Mondays - because I have yoga class and don't get home till late. Dinner on Mondays has to be easy-peasy!

One Small Change - April

I learned of a blog event over here at One Small Change and decided to participate.

What will my one small change be? I have apparently got some kind of blip in my brain power that makes it second nature to use a fabric napkin when I pack my lunch for work, but then I come home and use paper towels! I have no idea why. So this month is going to be devoted to actively choosing to use cloth, not paper.

(I make many small changes during any given month. I may even try to find the time to dig out my delicate vintage handkerchiefs and carry them with me instead of Kleenex!)

Wow. That's two changes. When combined with last month's choice to use my drying rack for personal clothing items? See how they can make a huge difference in just a short time?

So...What will YOU do?

This Isn't a Craft Blog, Per Se...

I've crafted from my earliest memory. My grandmother taught me to embroider at her knee when I was just about 6, and I collected scraps of fancy fabrics (whatever Mom found along the way) and tried to sew doll clothes by hand. I hadn't a clue how, of course, but I tried, draping bits of velvets, satins, and crepes and wrapping them on my fashion dolls.

Then Mom taught me to sew, on her old treadle sewing machine when I was in 5th grade. I should have done as I threatened, when a degree in ballet was refused by my father, and majored in Home Economics. Do you ever wonder "what might have been?" That's my query - what would life have been like as a public school teacher? But I was a feminist and such a life was not what I dreamed of...I didn't go to college out of spite (and you know what happens when we bite off our noses in those cases, right?)
:)
Anyway, as usual, I digress...this is about crafting. In fact, it's about Green Crafting.

Mom sewed, knitted, crocheted, and tatted. She taught me the first two, but not the last. I taught myself many other things: macrame, counted cross-stitch, quilting, and crochet, primarily. But I never learned to like crochet, in fact, it hurts my wrists.

This week, I spent some time, as I often do, researching Green Issues, and everything converged in one simple pattern I discovered in a message board on Ravelry.

I've knit dishcloths forever, but these crocheted scrubbies caught my fancy. The folks in my new "Trash to Treasures" group on Ravelry (I'm a new member, they've been around a bit!) make these from plarn (that's plastic shopping bag yarn - yes, the ultimate in upcycling, it's yarn created by taking plastic shopping bags and cutting them into same-sized loops, connecting them, then crocheting them into these critters:

Um...no, you're very correct, mine are made from cotton yarn. Dishcloth cotton to be exact. But that's because I have very, very few plastic bags - the ones I have I keep in reserve to stuff wet knitted wool bags while they dry into felted bags. I don't want to make plarn from them.

Notice anything about that photo? The scrubbies are 1) different sizes and 2) progressively neater (the one in the middle is the neatest).

Remember I told you I taught myself to crochet? Well, I picked it back up this week, but all I did was grab an instruction guide and remind myself of the components of the stitches. It wasn't till tonight, after making the green/ivory and the red tweed/ivory scrubbies and being very unhappy with them, that I sat down with the guidebook and really read it. (Yes, sometimes you really really do need to "read the destructions," as my friend Lynette says)

I was trying to hold the yarn in my right hand with the hook (I am an English-style knitter, so I throw with my right hand). The tension of the yarn in my hands made for very sloppy scrubbies. But that red/ivory one in the middle? It was done in a fraction of the time, and once I put that yarn in the correct (left, for me) hand, everything "connected" in my hands!

We have memory in our hands (tho' I can't cite scientific studies for my claim). But I believe it's what makes speedy typists (and data entry operators, which is the work I did to put myself through college after "biting off my nose!") and concert pianists. The memory basically bypasses the brain, the brain has to be a conduit I suppose, but the fingers hit the keys or the yarn comes into the fingers and memory takes over - not "brain" memory...finger memory. It's "touch-do." See? No brain-power involved!

(And by way of explanation: I'm using up stash cotton yarn, which is as good as upcycling plastic bags, in my book. These little critters take very little scrap yarn, and will make great pot scrubbers in Christmas kitchen gift sets this year.)

Oddly, so far, my hands aren't hurting, which is good. But, oh, my. I surely hope I don't end up with another obsessive/compulsive craft! This crochet stuff is fun!
*wink*

Turn OFF Your Lights Tonight!

For One Hour on March 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. EST
What will YOU do with that hour?

Fabulous!

Saturday morning, I happened into the living room in time to watch a cooking segment on the CBS Saturday The Early Show. This young hunk was cooking, and it sounded as if he might be cooking semi-healthy stuff, so I sat down to watch.

He was the author of this book. (Okay, I'm apparently very behind the times, but I really don't watch prime time television - he's a celebrity chef? he's been on Dancing With the Stars? (yes, I do know there's a show by that name, but I haven't watched it! shhhh)

I was so impressed with the fact that the entire premise of the book was recipes for comfort foods that had been redesigned to be less than 350 calories, that I RAN to the computer and searched online for it. I had a holiday gift card at Barnes and Noble, and the order was placed forthwith.

It arrived today. And I made the sweet potato fries on page 195. One serving is 1 WW point.
Because I was exhausted tonight, I also just tossed a black bean burger in the microwave and combined it with a sandwich thin for a bun (3 points), then heated up some frozen kale from last fall's CSA share (1 point with the olive oil and red wine vinegar).

This book is choc full of many recipes I want to make...1 point brownies and chocolate chip cookies, 4 point mac and cheese, a 7 point turkey Reuben!!

I may have just fallen in love with a man 1/2 my age.

(I suspect Rocco Dispirito's not interested in anything more than my spreading the word about his book, huh? But you seriously want to check this one out - it's worth it!)

Baby Steps...

If you didn't see this on
David Letterman the other night, you should go here and watch it now. And yes, it's a tad bit on the side of overwhelm, so you're forewarned.

However, I'm willing to take baby steps toward making a difference. Our municipality has curbside recycling. And yes, I took their survey recently and suggested that instead of continuing the pickups every week - with alternating weeks for paper products and glass/plastic/aluminum - we could reduce the frequency of pickups in an effort to save the City a bit on the cost of those collections. Like most local governments they're looking at every possible way to reduce costs, and I'd a lot rather see fewer pickups than a lost teacher! I also suggested to one city office my agency deals with that we could stop the snail mail hardcopy notifications on certain stuff we do and just use email (lordy the postage, trees, and time that saves!!).

I also discovered a business that will accept plastic 5 for recycling: Preserve Products

I'd already decided to collect my #5s and ship them (at my cost) to Preserve. Then tonight, after yoga class, I dropped by the Co-op to pick up a couple of things and found they carried their products...

This one came home with me. I think it's the perfect size for lunchtime salads. It's cute, too!

I am not the sort to become overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem. And I'm certainly not capable of eskewing all plastics (I'm afraid with Lupus and heart disease, I'm dependent on one too many prescriptions for example - but my Rx's come in #2s at least!).

But I'll do what I can do, as much as I can do. Starting with this of course:

A couple of handknit dishcloths...the yarn is organic cotton. I know now that's not necessarily a good thing...Ecological Intelligence is a very enlightening book (and another source of potential overwhelm, fair warning!)...

Reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose...The more of us who try, the better off we are. If you can do one thing? Please...do it!

Backlog...

I'm up to my eyeballs in stuff I want to absorb...

these are on the "short list" of my stacks. Since I love to knit, and sew, and need to keep my house one step ahead of the dust bunnies (oh who am I kidding, that's a lost battle!), not to mention work a couple of jobs to keep the wolf from the door, and cook healthy food, and practice yoga? Well, I'm suddenly realizing that books to READ should really become books to LISTEN TO. I have two on request from the library now (in a similar vein as those above).

I finished Food Rules last night, thankfully a small book, but with a huge message. If you've not read it, try to check it out from the library (tho' at $11 USD, it's certainly worth the price!).

I like that Pollan admonishes that these are rules but not laws, policies to try to live by. There are 64, many of them are similar, and you can pick and choose those that will work for you, obviously.

The best general guideline is on page xv of the Introduction: Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants. The remainder of the book elaborates on that. It's the main premise.

And extraordinarily wise.

Tonight's menu? Frozen beets and greens from the CSA - via my freezer - and a wonderful White Bean Chicken Chili from Secret Garden Gourmet. A bag of their Cream of Wild Rice and Asparagus soup mix was in a gift basket when I arrived at the Mayo Clinic's Leadership Symposium for Women with Heart Disease in 2002, and I've been a fan of their soups and mixes ever since.

(I know, they're not local to Virginia, but sometimes, we just have to support good companies, even if they're a few hundred miles away)
*wink*

Challenges - Personal and Public

As you know, I'm doing everything I can think of to live more lightly, to save energy, and money, and my sanity, too! Well, last night, in knee-jerk "I've always done it this way" fashion, I was tossing a smallish load of laundry into the washer (I have small and medium load settings) and I suddenly thought: I don't have to put this in the dryer, I can use my drying rack. Ok. That seems silly right? Not when you realize I don't have a clothesline and have used a dryer for probably close to 15 years non-stop. Needless to say, the load was dried on the rack.

Now to be fair, I always dry my handknit socks that way. And I always put my tops on hangers and air dry them to keep them looking good longer. I just hadn't made the next leap that much of my personal laundry did not need the dryer! Everything was dry this morning, too, and that's with the thermostat set on 60!

Then a week or so ago, I joined a Facebook Challenge in association with The Red Tape Chronicles blog on MSNBC's website. The issue surrounding the challenge was high (and unfair) fees and charges such as those on credit cards and such.

As soon as I read about it, I joined up. I read an article on the Chronicles about cable company charges: you know they charge the same price for long-time customers with only one or two services as they charge new ones for new "promotional" bundled rate. Well, I don't have a landline phone but was paying the same price as the advertised phone/cable/internet promotion.

Today I phoned them, and very nicely asked if they couldn't do something about that. And they did! For the next 12 months I'll be paying approximately $15 less per month. And when the rate goes back up (as I expect it will) I'm going to contact them again. Of course, by then? I may decide finally to rid myself of the television, as I'm watching less and less of it (I'm not mentioning the Olympics - *wink*).

On the heels of that success, I happily headed home tonight and immediately pulled out boneless chicken thighs and one of the remaining CSA's butternut squashes. I froze about 1/2 of the butternut, but roasted the remainder of it with a touch of olive oil and maple syrup. The chicken was roasted with lots of CSA garlic, onion bits and dried rosemary. I did pick up asparagus at the grocery store, as when I saw it this week, I simply could not resist (it's like a breath of spring, and it's still awfully cold around here - we had snow last night, too!). Added to that plate down below is a small serving of Artisan olive bread and olive oil with herbs.

Weight Watchers points: 8 for the entire plate. LOVE IT!

Especially since 3 months after the CSA ended, I'm still happily eating the fruits of that membership. I have a lot left, in fact, in the freezer, and in the "root cellar" that is my unheated, closed "pantry."

Whoohoo!