Daily Menu for September 7

We've been eating up the frozen meals this week - eggplant and pork, moussaka, and bean soup - and tonight we're having meatloaf from the freezer. I'm grateful that I made these in advance! Still trying to get in all the 8 good health guidelines but it's more of a struggle right now, since I don't want to be in the hot kitchen any more than I have to, and I'm too tired to cook!

Daily Menu

Breakast (a OneLocalSummer meal)
Eggs with zucchini, bell peppers, and onion
Honeydew melon

Eggs from Sonoma, zucchini and peppers from the front yard, onion and melon from Full Belly Farm

Lunch
Veggie burger with 2 slices whole wheat toast (2 pts), 1/2 oz. smoked cheddar (1.5 pts.)
Tomato slices, lettuce, onion, pickles
Apple
1 c. milk

Dinner
Meatloaf
Sliced cucumbers
bulgur, corn and pepper salad
2 c. milk

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 3.5
WPA points available: 33.5
Activity points today: 2 (Walk Away the Pounds)
Activity points this week: 2

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies (8) - 8
2. Whole grains - bulgur
3. Milk (3) - 3
4. Healthy oil (3) - 3
5. Protein - yes
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Back in the Saddle

I returned to my Weight Watchers meeting yesterday and was pleasantly surprised by my weigh in, just .2 lb. above my last weigh in weight. After a modest gain during pregnancy, I wasn't expecting to be so close to my starting weight so soon. Very encouraging, especially since I've not been as consistent on my plan the past few weeks. I'm hopeful that with a closer eye toward what I'm eating, I'll continue to lose.

Dinner tonight is a One Local Summer meal, with all ingredients grown locally. The beans, Dapple Gray, were grown at Phipps Country Store in Pescadero. Onion, shallot, garlic (lots of it!), and sweet peppers are from Full Belly Farm. Home grown herbs (oregano and thyme) round out the flavor - cumin, salt and pepper are the only non-local ingredients. It's in the crockpot for a very simple and healthy dinner. Corn on the cob is from Full Belly, and the green salad with cucumbers are from our garden as well. Olive oil and vinegar both are from Hare Hollow in Healdsburg, and Clover milk is from Sonoma/Mendocino.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal
2 c. milk
1 c. cherries
multivitamin

Lunch:
Salmon salad (2 Points for 2 t. mayo)
bulgur
Tomato wedges, 1 t. olive oil

Dinner:
Bean soup
Corn on the cob
Green salad with cucumbers, 2 t. olive oil and vinegar
1 c. milk

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 2
WPA points available: 35
Activity points today: 2 (Walk Away the Pounds)
Activity points this week: 2

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies (8) - 8
2. Whole grains - oatmeal, bulgur
3. Milk (3) - 3
4. Healthy oil (3) - 3
5. Protein - yes
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

One Local Summer: Week 6 - Daily Menu

I've really been slacking on the blog lately! I've got to get back in the daily menu habit before the baby gets here so it's not so hard to switch gears back into Weight Watchers. Plus, it was all over the news yesterday that people who keep a food diary lose more than those who don't. I'm surprised that this is news - I've been hearing this for ages - but it is as good a reason as any to start tracking or keep it up if you're trying to lose weight.

So here's a One Local Summer daily menu. Everything on here has been locally grown except for the smoked trout at lunch.

Breakfast
Purslane omelette - purslane from Full Belly Farm, eggs from Glaum, and a bit of smoked sharp cheddar cheese* (my favorite!) from Spring Hill Cheese
1 c. apple juice* from Sonoma

Lunch
Kamut-barley berry slaw with smoked trout (recipe from "Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way" by Lorna Sass)
Kamut and barley from Windborne Farm CSA, cabbage and carrot from Full Belly farm, dressing from a neighborhood lemon and Hare Hollow olive oil

Snack
Yogurt-peach-plum smoothie - yogurt from Wallaby in Napa, peaches and plums from a neighborhood tree (with permission)

Dinner
Chicken in apricot-plum sauce - chicken thighs from Soul Food Farm in Vacaville (not much left of those chickens), apricots and plums from neighbors' trees (with permission), apples from our tree, balsamic vinegar from Hare Hollow in Healdsburg (omitting butter, using olive oil)
Roasted new potatoes with rosemary - potatoes from Full Belly, rosemary from a neighbor's bush (with permission)
Steamed green beans


* Points for those on Core

One Local Summer: Week 2 - Polenta Lasagna, and Daily Menu for June 13

We had Polenta lasagna for dinner tonight, and although it has quite a few ingredients, they're all local! I'm using a recipe I found on the web with a few adjustments; namely, I'm adding beans to make it a higher protein meal. I love Gigantes beans - they're huge as the name might suggest, but smooth and creamy, almost like potatoes, but with a delicious mellow flavor. They blended right in with the polenta, vegetables, and feta cheese. (I used just the feta cheese and skipped romano. I didn't have any rosemary so I skipped that.)

Cornmeal from my grain CSA has been cooked and chilled in the fridge in preparation of tonight's lasagna. I'm using the tomato sauce that I made and froze last fall from farmer's market tomatoes, and Gigantes beans from Phipps Country Store in Pescadero. Onion, garlic, carrot, and kale are all from Full Belly Farm, and Feta cheese is from Spring Hill Cheese.

This recipe was FANTASTIC! It didn't come out pretty so I won't be posting a photo, but it was delicious. The polenta and beans were creamy together and I didn't miss the extra cheese. Kale and olives gave it a bit more texture and interesting flavors. I'll definitely make this one again.

Breakfast
2 slices toast, 1 t. butter
2 eggs

Snack
Yogurt and berry smoothie with 1 t. flaxseed oil

Lunch
Carrot sticks and pita bread with Gigantes bean puree (like hummus made with Gigantes beans and olive oil)
1 c. vegetable juice

Snack
Cottage cheese and pineapple

Dinner
Polenta lasagna with Gigantes beans
zucchini

Daily Menu for June 12

I'm trying to follow the rules for gestational diabetes given to me by the dietitian. Here's my menu incorporating those rules; hopefully the shifts will get easier as I get used to them. I'm struggling with getting in the recommended amounts of protein at each meal and snack - I just discovered that milk counts as both a protein and a carbohydrate, so that will help to fill in the snacks - I'm not a big snacker, but I shouldn't go more than 3 hours without eating, so hopefully that's enough.

I'm also struggling with avoiding milk and fruit for breakfast, as those are my staples! Cheese and nuts were suggested protein alternatives, but I don't want to get into high-fat habits that will be hard to break when the baby arrives. Suggestions of meat free, dairy free breakfasts that are high in protein would be welcome! I think I'll make quinoa for breakfast tomorrow - it's the only grain that is a complete protein, and it's delicious.

Breakfast
1/2 c. Mashed potatoes with sauteed kale and onion
1 T peanut butter (all by itself so I get the protein requirement!)

Snack
1 c. yogurt with fresh berries

Lunch
Big green salad with smoked trout
1 t. olive oil in a vinaigrette
2 slices whole wheat toast

Snack
1 c. milk

Dinner
Huevos Rancheros (tomato sauce, poached eggs, and beans over polenta)
Mexican style cole slaw with carrots and radishes
1 t. olive oil in polenta

Snack
1 c. milk

A plan of attack and a daily menu

I have a few weeks until my summer classes begin, and I'm starting to hit the nesting phase of pregnancy, which can only mean one thing: organizing and cleaning the house. This week I'll be focusing on the kitchen, paring down the unnecessary stuff, clearing out the science projects growing at the back of the fridge, and making an inventory of the freezer and pantry so I know what needs to be used up. That will help with the next stage of the nesting plan: stockpiling freezer dinners for the post-baby exhaustion that will soon be coming.

I visited a friend of mine yesterday and she showed me her recent freezer cooking stash - neat rows of mac and cheese and pasta with tomato sauce stacked in individual servings, reminding me that my own stash of pre-cooked meals is pretty non-existent. When Jax was born, my mom made about a dozen frozen home cooked meals for us, and it was so convenient to not have to think about dinner for those first few weeks! My friend is going to come over one day in June and help me with a big cooking session like the one I did in September. It can't be done with a messy kitchen, and will be a good way to use up some of the grains and frozen meat.

I'm a few days behind on this week's menu plan since I went out to eat Sunday night, so we're eating the snapper tonight.

Daily Menu

Breakfast
Oatmeal
banana
2 c. milk

Lunch
Leftover tofu-veggie soup with rice noodles (I went out for Vietnamese food Sunday night)
1 c. milk

Snack
Watermelon

Dinner
Snapper
Roasted new potatoes w/olive oil
Roasted asparagus
Green salad w/olive oil vinaigrette

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies, 5-9 servings a day - yes
2. Whole grains - yes (oatmeal)
3. Milk, 3 servings a day - yes
4. Healthy oil, 3 teaspoons a day - yes
5. Protein - yes (tofu, fish)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+ cups
8. (Prenatal) Multivitamin - yes

Daily Menu for May 18

I didn't end up making the fish tacos last night, so they're on the menu for tonight. I did make the chipotle-avocado cream last night and it's delicious! I ate some with quesadillas last night (not Core, of course) and it was spicy and creamy, a very nice (lower fat!) alternative to guacamole.

Chipotle Avocado Cream

1 c. fat free plain GREEK style yogurt (it's thicker than the plain stuff)
1/8 c. minced chipotle in adobo (about 1-2 chipotles plus the adobo sauce to make 1/8 c. - more if you like it spicy)
1 lime, zest and juice (give it a good hard rub on the counter to loosen up the juice)
1/2 t. cumin
1/4 t. Old Bay seasoning
2 avocados, mashed
1 tomato, seeded and finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 green onion, cut finely on a bias
salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all up and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Enjoy!


Daily Menu

Breakfast
2 eggs, 1 t. olive oil
1 c. strawberries

Lunch
Wheatberry salad with dried fruit, slivered almonds, smoked cheddar cheese (points), and homemade vinaigrette with olive oil, served over lettuce
steamed asparagus
2 c. milk

Dinner
Fish tacos in cabbage "shells" with chipotle avocado cream
Jicama salad with carrots, radishes, cabbage, and corn
Brown rice


Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies, 5-9 servings a day - yes
2. Whole grains - yes (wheatberries, brown rice)
3. Milk, 3 servings a day - yes
4. Healthy oil, 3 teaspoons a day - yes
5. Protein - yes (eggs, fish)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+ cups
8. (Prenatal) Multivitamin - yes

Fish Tacos!

I picked up a lovely piece of snapper at this morning's farmer's market and will be making fish tacos with a chipotle cream (made with fat free plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream) and a jicama slaw with carrots, radishes, and Napa cabbage from our veggie box.

Today's CSA box included:
Artichokes
Asparagus
Napa Cabbage
Carrots
Sugar Snap Peas
Lettuce
New Potatoes

I also picked up snapper ($7.00) and two pints of strawberries ($5.00.)

Daily Menu for May 12

Today's Very Spring Daily Menu

With all that beautiful farmer's market fresh fruit and veggies!

Breakfast:
Fage yogurt
strawberries
1 t. flaxseed oil

Lunch:
Cold buckwheat noodle leftovers from last night's dinner (yum!)
portabella mushroom and zucchini sauteed in 1 t. olive oil
2 c. milk

Dinner:
Steak
artichokes
green salad with 1 t. olive oil dressing
bulgur wheat

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies, 5-9 servings a day - yes
2. Whole grains - yes (buckwheat noodles, bulgur)
3. Milk, 3 servings a day - yes
4. Healthy oil, 3 teaspoons a day - yes
5. Protein - yes
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+ cups
8. (Prenatal) Multivitamin - yes

Daily Menu for May 7

So far today, I have not been terribly hungry. I'm trying a new recipe for dinner, smothered chicken and barley, which is raved about on the Weight Watchers message board. If we like it, I'll post the recipe.

I have to go through the rest of the beef in the freezer so it doesn't go bad, so you'll probably notice more beef in the menus in the next couple of weeks. It lasts about 12-18 months in the freezer and we're coming up to 12 months now. Next time I'll buy a smaller portion, since I just don't cook as much beef as I expected to when we bought it.

Breakfast
1 c. milk
1 banana
(I wasn't very hungry)

Lunch
1 c. milk
tamale pie leftovers
apple

Dinner
1 c. milk
Smothered chicken with barley
Kale sauteed in olive oil
Green salad with radishes and olive oil dressing

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies, 5-9 servings a day - yes
2. Whole grains - yes (polenta, barley)
3. Milk, 3 servings a day - yes
4. Healthy oil, 3 teaspoons a day - yes
5. Protein - yes
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+ cups
8. (Prenatal) Multivitamin - yes

Daily Menu for March 24

We won't be having a Meatless Monday today as I defrosted a ham steak for Easter and we didn't end up eating it, so it needs to be eaten today lest it go to waste. We'll have a Meatless Tuesday instead. This week's veggie box was full of spring goodness, including fresh oregano, baby potatoes, beets, carrots, lettuce, leeks, and a variety of greens. I'm making the same potato-beet salad that I did last week since the main ingredients were all in the box this week and it was just so tasty.

We'll be planting a garden this week, and four small (dwarf) fruit trees are in pots on the porch awaiting transfer in our front yard. We have meyer lemon, Persian lime, espaliered Fuji apple, and Dorsett apple (not dwarf), and I think we're going to pick up a dwarf mandarin orange to round out the bunch. It will probably be a few years before they bear fruit, but I'm very excited to be planting them! In our tiny garden, I'm just planting a few veggies this time around. I'll be having the new baby in August and don't want to get in over my head with gardening while I'm hugely pregnant or sleepless with a new baby.

Breakfast
Applesauce oatmeal (this is easily my favorite breakfast - it keeps me full all morning and is so healthy)
2 c. milk

Lunch
Hard cooked eggs and smoked trout with
Green salad, olive oil vinaigrette
1 c. milk

Snack

Dinner
Grilled ham steak
Potato-beet salad (all veggies from my Full Belly veggie box)
Steamed carrots
Watermelon

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines

1. Fruits and veggies, 5-9 servings a day - yes
2. Whole grains - yes (oatmeal, )
3. Milk, 3 servings a day - yes
4. Healthy oil, 3 teaspoons a day - yes
5. Protein - yes
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+ cups
8. (Prenatal) Multivitamin - yes

Daily Menu for March 11

Jax helped me cook yesterday, so everything took twice as long, made twice as much mess, and was twice as much fun. He likes to scoop and stir, and taste. He ate part of a carrot, half a pickle, and a bite of raw potato as we were making the potato-beet salad, and even with ingredients that one wouldn't think are especially kid-friendly (like capers and strong green olives) he ate quite a bit of the salad. Getting your kids in the kitchen is fun and helps expand their culinary vocabulary, plus they're invested in the food so they may be more willing to try new things. They were HIS beets (he helped to put them into the pot to boil, then scooped the cooled beets from the cutting board into the salad bowl), so he was darn sure going to eat them!

Little sneak that he is, though, wanted in to cook after we were done but couldn't get past the kiddy gate to the kitchen. He tossed his beloved stuffed doggy over the gate then came to get me to rescue it. Once the gate was open, he tore across the room and climbed his stepstool to reach the counter, grab a wayward stirring spoon, and told me he was cooking!

Today is a lot of leftovers - both lunch and dinner made a lot of food! I have some leftover ham that needs to be finished, so I'm serving that with lunch.

Breakfast
Applesauce oatmeal
2 c. milk

Lunch
Potato-beet salad
Ham

Snack
Carrots and hummus

Dinner
Spanish rice and beans
Mexican cabbage salad
1 c. milk

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies, 5-9 servings a day - yes
2. Whole grains - yes (whole grain bread, brown rice)
3. Milk, 3 servings a day - yes
4. Healthy oil, 3 teaspoons a day - yes
5. Protein - yes
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+ cups
8. (Prenatal) Multivitamin - yes

Rice Cooker Spanish Rice and Beans for Meatless Monday

Tonight we're having Spanish rice and beans for Meatless Monday. I made this last week one night and it was delicious, very easy, and a hit with the whole family. The Mexican cabbage salad on the side made for an especially delightful combination - warm, savory and spicy beans and rice with cool, crisp, vinegary salad. My husband put a bit of each on his fork for both flavors in one bite.

I don't know if the salad is at all authentic. I was trying to recreate a mayo-free cole slaw that I had over the summer at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero, and this came reasonably close and just as tasty.

Rice Cooker Spanish Rice and Beans

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups dry beans, soaked overnight, picked over and drained (Pinto, black, kidney, or a mixture of beans would work well)
1 onion, chopped
1-2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, diced
6 cups vegetable stock
14 oz. can diced tomatoes, not drained
1 teaspoons chili powder OR 1-2 chipotles in adobo, minced (more if you like it spicy)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt

In a medium-hot skillet, saute onion, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic in 1 T olive oil until onion is translucent. Add 1 T. olive oil and the rice and cook until the rice browns slightly. Transfer mixture and all remaining ingredients to the rice cooker and set to cook. (My rice cooker has a "cook" setting with no other functions.) Fluff with a fork and serve.

Mexican cabbage salad
1 large head cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
1 red onion, diced fine
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

Dressing
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
juice of 1 lime
2 t. canola oil
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. dried basil
pepper to taste (I used quite a bit, but I like the peppery taste)

Put all of the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; shake to combine. Pour over the vegetables, toss well, and serve.


Daily Menu

Breakfast
1 c. milk
banana
toast with plum butter (local bread and plum butter - yummy!)

Lunch
Potato-beet salad with olive oil vinaigrette (using Full Belly potatoes and beets from this week's CSA box and my own vinaigrette recipe)
served with lettuce and a hard boiled egg
1 c. milk

Snack
Orange

Dinner
Rice Cooker Spanish Rice and Beans (using Lundberg rice and Phipp's Buckskin beans)
Mexican cabbage salad
1 c. milk

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies, 5-9 servings a day - yes
2. Whole grains - yes (whole grain bread, brown rice)
3. Milk, 3 servings a day - yes
4. Healthy oil, 3 teaspoons a day - yes
5. Protein - yes
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+ cups
8. (Prenatal) Multivitamin - yes

Daily Menu for January 21

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It's also the meal I'm having the hardest time eating these days because of morning sickness. Most mornings, toast or crackers are the only thing that I'm finding appealing, and it's hard to get enough calories throughout the day because of the nausea. So I'm trying to bulk up breakfast to get a solid start to the day and get enough calories throughout the day, but I'm not following Core to do it. Peanut butter sandwiches are working to get in the calories and keep nausea at bay, so I'm eating them and appreciating that they make my tummy happy.

I'm also finding exercise difficult, since I'm tired all the time and still have a lingering cough. I need to just push myself to do at least 20 minutes a day of walking to keep myself from becoming a complete couch potato, so I'm going to do the Walk Away the Pounds 1 mile video this afternoon. Then I'm going to take a nap!

Tonight, I'm making bean soup for dinner using Dessert Pebble Beans from Phipps Country Store. They're all from the same plant, but a variety of colors from creamy white to speckled tan to dark chocolate brown. I'm hopeful that they'll retain their pretty colors after cooking!

Daily Menu

Breakfast

Natural peanut butter sandwich on sprouted wheat bread from Alvarado Bakery

Homemade applesauce

2 c. soy milk

2 clementines

Lunch

Hard boiled egg

Steamed broccoli and cauliflower with 1 oz. lowfat cheese

Brown rice with olive oil

Dinner

Desert Pebble beans

Polenta

Turnip greens sauteed in olive oil

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines

1. Fruits and veggies, 5-9 servings a day - yes

2. Whole grains - yes (whole grain bread, brown rice, polenta)

3. Milk, 3 servings a day - yes

4. Healthy oil, 3 teaspoons a day - yes

5. Protein - yes

6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes

7. Water - 8+ cups

8. (Prenatal) Multivitamin - yes

Happy New Year! And a Daily Menu for January 3

I've been struggling with morning sickness, making it difficult to eat all that I'm supposed to right now. So I'll post my daily menu and make adjustments at the end of the day based on what I could actually eat! I'm doing my best to have a variety of foods and so far, I've not had a problem keeping down the prenatal vitamin. Hopefully this will soon pass!

Daily Menu

Breakfast
Tea
2 Saltine crackers (counted at lunch)
2 clementines
A bowl of oatmeal made with milk, applesauce, and flaxseed oil

Lunch
Tomato soup
Yogurt smoothie with plain fat free yogurt, frozen peaches and berries, and flaxseed oil
4 More Saltine crackers (2 Points for 6 crackers)
Carrots

Dinner
Brown rice and lentils cooked with olive oil
Steamed Broccoli and cauliflower
Milk


Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies, 5-9 servings a day - yes
2. Whole grains - yes (Oatmeal, brown rice)
3. Milk, 3 servings a day - yes
4. Healthy oil, 3 teaspoons a day - yes
5. Protein - yes
6. Limit sugar and alcohol
7. Water - 8+ cups
8. (Prenatal) Multivitamin - yes

Daily Menu for Sunday, December 30

Daily Menu

Breakfast
Shredded wheat
2 c. Milk
2 Clementines (YUMMM!)

Lunch
Black bean soup
2 T shredded cheese (1.5 Pts)
1 oz. dried persimmons (.5 Pts)

Dinner
Ham (from TLC Ranch)
Baked potato with 2 t. olive oi, fat free yogurt, and onions
Baked squash (from Full Belly Farm)
Broccoli and 1 t. lemon olive oil (broccoli from Full Belly Farm, oil from St. Helena Olive Oil Company)

Snack
1 slice Vital Vittles Persimmon bread with butter (4 Pts)
1 c. Milk

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 6
WPA points available: 31
Activity points today: 2 (1 mile Walk Away the Pounds)
Activity points this week: 2

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies, 5-9 servings a day - yes
2. Whole grains - yes (Shredded wheat, kamut, barley)
3. Milk, 3 servings a day - yes
4. Healthy oil, 3 teaspoons a day - yes
5. Protein - yes
6. Limit sugar and alcohol
7. Water - 8+ cups
8. (Prenatal) Multivitamin - yes

Buckskin Bean Burrito with Chard, and a daily menu

Tonight's dinner is deeeelish! I made Buckskin bean burritos with chard. Not Core, but very healthy and a good way to get some greens into Jax. It would be good over brown rice or wheatberries instead of in a burrito, sans cheese or bacon, to make it Core.

Buckskin Bean Burritos with Chard
serves 8

For the Beans:
2 c. buckskin beans, soaked, rinsed and picked over (black beans would be a good substitute if buckskin beans aren't available)
2 slices of bacon, or 2 t. healthy oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 T oregano
2 t cumin
4 c. water

Fry the bacon over medium heat in your pressure cooker. Once it is crisp, remove and reserve. Pour out all but about a teaspoon of the fat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and bell pepper, and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the spices. Add water and cook at high pressure for 22-25 minutes or until the beans are tender. You can puree some if you like or leave them whole. (There will be lots of extra beans. You can scale back or have leftovers, your call.)

For the Burritos:
1 head chard, sliced into bite sized pieces
1 c. shredded cheese
1 c. salsa
8 whole wheat tortillas

While the beans are cooking, saute the chard until wilted but not done. Crumble the bacon and add it to the chard. Warm the tortillas in the microwave and fill each with a scoop of the beans, a scoop of chard, a bit of cheese and salsa, and wrap up seam side down in a greased 8"x8" pan. Top with more salsa and cheese and bake for 15 or so minutes so the cheese can melt.

***

Daily Menu

Breakfast
Baked oatmeal

Lunch
2 c. milk
Turkey, veggies, and rice

Dinner
Burritos
Orange slices

Daily Menu and the Farm Bill

Michael Pollan's book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" changed my life, really making me look at where my food comes from for the first time. If you haven't read it and are at all interested in food, I highly recommend it.

After reading it last year, I decided not to eat industrial meat, and have been industrial meat free for almost a year. The book put local eating into the spotlight for me, and because of that, my family eats fresher, more whole, tastier, more environmentally friendly foods, and we're all healthier for it. It would be easier for more people to make the eat local plunge if local, seasonal, sustainably and humanely raised meats and dairy and vegetables were available to everyone in the grocery store at prices comparable to conventionally grown, but with current farm subsidies, it is cheaper for big businesses to raise feedlot animals that destroy the environment, cheaper to produce high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated fats, cheaper to pump into our supermarkets all the things that make us unhealthy than it is to raise real, honest to goodness food.

Pollan recently wrote a piece about the farm bill in the NY Times that is worth reading.

Americans have begun to ask why the farm bill is subsidizing high-fructose corn
syrup and hydrogenated oils at a time when rates of diabetes and obesity among
children are soaring, or why the farm bill is underwriting factory farming (with
subsidized grain) when feedlot wastes are polluting the countryside and, all too
often, the meat supply. For the first time, the public health community has
raised its voice in support of overturning farm policies that subsidize
precisely the wrong kind of calories (added fat and added sugar), helping to
make Twinkies cheaper than carrots and Coca-Cola competitive with water. Also
for the first time, the international development community has weighed in on
the debate, arguing that subsidized American exports are hobbling cotton farmers
in Nigeria and corn farmers in Mexico.

Daily Menu

Breakfast
2 egg omelet with 1 piece bacon (1 Point), bok choy, and red bell pepper
tea
orange

Lunch
Curried lentils with brown rice
steamed broccoli and cauliflower
2 c. milk

Dinner
Bean and barley soup (beans from Phipps in Pescadero, barley from grain CSA, veggies from Full Belly Farm)

Meatless Monday, November 26

Good morning! This was a leftovers weekend and we'll be happy to eat something other than turkey today. The turkey was great, though, and made for excellent leftovers. Good thing, because there are three more in the freezer just like it, and each one will likely feed us for a week!!

Today's daily menu

Breakfast
Hot cereal mix with applesauce and sliced apples, milk - with Windborne Grain hot cereal mix, home made applesauce, and Organic Valley milk from Modesto

Lunch
Egg salad made with yogurt
Beets (finishing off leftovers!)

Dinner
Cranberry beans and greens (chard and spinach) over barley - using Full Belly Farm beans and greens, Windborne Grain barley

Daily Menu for November 5

I got home late yesterday and didn't make dinner, eating leftovers instead. Tonight I'm making the clam-corn chowder, and I'm going to try using evaporated milk instead of heavy cream. Hopefully that will be good! One less thing to buy!

Today's menu includes:
Breakfast
eggs, applesauce, milk

Lunch
1/2 slice pizza, apple

Dinner
clam-corn chowder