My friend, Alana, writes a terrific blog for The Immunization Partnership, a non profit organization that focuses on providing information and access to immunizations. Alana's taking a little time off from blogging while she welcomes her newest addition and adjusts to life as a mother of three (I know, I can barely handle my one) so I shared a few thoughts I have about the importance of getting a flu shot. The post went up in the midst of our house closing/moving, so it's been up a few weeks, but I hope you'll check it out and see some of the other messages Alana and others have shared.
http://theimmunizationpartnership.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/youre-no-superman-or-woman/
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Happy Half Birthday!
Note: Most of the pictures in this post are from Instagram. You can find me at erinj413 if you're on Instagram and are interested in following me :)
To My Sweet Genevieve,
Happy half birthday, baby girl! Yesterday you turned 18 months old, a year and a half--why is this such a big milestone in my book? I have no idea--I was like this with 10 months too, for some reason double digits really got to me and now that it's been six months since your first birthday, well, I guess it's just hard for mommas to see their babies grow up, though it is fun.
It has been a VERY hectic month for us because we moved (for the third time since you were growing in my belly) into our new house! You love it here already, even now that we have furniture in it. You have been a trouper dealing with all the packing, unpacking and boxes (which I haven't been able to bring myself to save for you this time around) and you've transitioned to being in the house rather well. You've had a few rocky nights, and you're having a little trouble sharing your toys now that they are all unpacked, but you have plenty of good moments to make up for those.
The deck is your favorite "room" in the house, especially now that we have a (baby) pool on it. I think you would live outside if I'd let you--though you might be eaten alive by the mosquitoes (unfortunately, you are at least as tasty as I am to them). Water is your passion these days and it's rare that you are fully clothed and dry. We've been to the local splash pad twice and are going to check out our neighborhood pool soon.
We don't have much of a regular routine of activities right now other than our weekly play group (which we hosted yesterday and had 11 mommas, 1 daddy and 12 kids under two attend!) and going to the Kids Klub at the gym a few days a week, but we've had fun showing the new house off to friends and family. Hopefully we'll get back to the library (since you've now graduated to Toddler Story Time) and plan to check out Toddler Yoga at the library downtown soon too.
You are also becoming much more affectionate giving hugs, blowing lots of kisses and even giving a few kisses too if we're really lucky. You have become a dancing machine lately and will start shaking your tail feathers to just about every genre of music and recently discovered The Jackson Five (I think you might have been born in the wrong decade!). Your newest fan is our 85 year old neighbor who we go chat with and you give "five" to most mornings. You're dying to see the inside of his house and love climbing the steps up to his porch to try to get a peek.
Animal sounds are still your favorite things to say, and gorilla has taken the lead as your favorite recently. You are trying to say your name and right now it sounds a lot like "baby". You say your own version of thank you and have used sign language for thank you a couple times. You keep coming up with phrases of words you never just say like "do it" (I'll do it) and "got these" (I've got it/I'm taking care of it). You're also starting to identify colors--you're pretty good finding blue, green, orange and purple when we play with chalk in our driveway. You're still figuring out how to get into everything and my plan to just keep the doors shut to rooms and closets you weren't supposed to be in was foiled when you figured out how to turn the knobs to the doors nine days after we moved in! So, as always, you're keeping me on my toes (I'm hoping you don't crack the code to the baby gates soon, though you've been studying them pretty intensely).
You've always been a terrific eater, but lately you haven't been liking much more than strawberries, cherries, sometimes tomatoes and LOTS of milk, but you seemed to be coming around to some of your normal favorites today (you had eggs for lunch and dinner today!). I'm also starting to make you smoothies a couple times a week which you usually really like.
Vivie I love you so much and you surprise me everyday with what you know and how fast you learn. I can't wait to see how much you've physically grown at your check-up next week...I'm guessing 34" tall (you were 32" at 15 months) and 28 pounds (you were almost 27 pounds two moths ago)...I wonder if I'm close this time?
Love,
Momma
P.S. I can't believe I forgot to add that you met almost all of your Schmidt great aunts and uncles who were in town from Minnesota for your cousin Jordan's graduation party and that we celebrated Father's Day by going to the Astro's game where you got to meet TWO of the Chick-fil-a cows!
UPDATE: You weighed in at 28 pounds 3 ounces, were 34" tall and your head circumference was 19" -- 90+ percentile in all three categories and nearly "off the chart" in height. We're all starting to take bets on how tall you'll be as an adult :)
To My Sweet Genevieve,
Happy half birthday, baby girl! Yesterday you turned 18 months old, a year and a half--why is this such a big milestone in my book? I have no idea--I was like this with 10 months too, for some reason double digits really got to me and now that it's been six months since your first birthday, well, I guess it's just hard for mommas to see their babies grow up, though it is fun.
 | ||
| Our early Christmas miracle--you were | so tiny even in newborn clothes, but you were certainly born with strong lungs! |
 |
| On the move at six months, you rolled everywhere, even under the bed! |
 |
| My one-year-old at the "Pumpkin Park" where we went at least once a week for months. |
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| I barely got your shoes off you were so excited to jump in the pool. Your bathing suit stayed dry all evening and your pigtails stayed in :) |
The deck is your favorite "room" in the house, especially now that we have a (baby) pool on it. I think you would live outside if I'd let you--though you might be eaten alive by the mosquitoes (unfortunately, you are at least as tasty as I am to them). Water is your passion these days and it's rare that you are fully clothed and dry. We've been to the local splash pad twice and are going to check out our neighborhood pool soon.
 |
| Splash Pad Fun (at Jaycee Park) |
.JPG) |
| Chilling out on the deck of the new house. |
We don't have much of a regular routine of activities right now other than our weekly play group (which we hosted yesterday and had 11 mommas, 1 daddy and 12 kids under two attend!) and going to the Kids Klub at the gym a few days a week, but we've had fun showing the new house off to friends and family. Hopefully we'll get back to the library (since you've now graduated to Toddler Story Time) and plan to check out Toddler Yoga at the library downtown soon too.
You are also becoming much more affectionate giving hugs, blowing lots of kisses and even giving a few kisses too if we're really lucky. You have become a dancing machine lately and will start shaking your tail feathers to just about every genre of music and recently discovered The Jackson Five (I think you might have been born in the wrong decade!). Your newest fan is our 85 year old neighbor who we go chat with and you give "five" to most mornings. You're dying to see the inside of his house and love climbing the steps up to his porch to try to get a peek.
Animal sounds are still your favorite things to say, and gorilla has taken the lead as your favorite recently. You are trying to say your name and right now it sounds a lot like "baby". You say your own version of thank you and have used sign language for thank you a couple times. You keep coming up with phrases of words you never just say like "do it" (I'll do it) and "got these" (I've got it/I'm taking care of it). You're also starting to identify colors--you're pretty good finding blue, green, orange and purple when we play with chalk in our driveway. You're still figuring out how to get into everything and my plan to just keep the doors shut to rooms and closets you weren't supposed to be in was foiled when you figured out how to turn the knobs to the doors nine days after we moved in! So, as always, you're keeping me on my toes (I'm hoping you don't crack the code to the baby gates soon, though you've been studying them pretty intensely).
You've always been a terrific eater, but lately you haven't been liking much more than strawberries, cherries, sometimes tomatoes and LOTS of milk, but you seemed to be coming around to some of your normal favorites today (you had eggs for lunch and dinner today!). I'm also starting to make you smoothies a couple times a week which you usually really like.
Vivie I love you so much and you surprise me everyday with what you know and how fast you learn. I can't wait to see how much you've physically grown at your check-up next week...I'm guessing 34" tall (you were 32" at 15 months) and 28 pounds (you were almost 27 pounds two moths ago)...I wonder if I'm close this time?
Love,
Momma
P.S. I can't believe I forgot to add that you met almost all of your Schmidt great aunts and uncles who were in town from Minnesota for your cousin Jordan's graduation party and that we celebrated Father's Day by going to the Astro's game where you got to meet TWO of the Chick-fil-a cows!
UPDATE: You weighed in at 28 pounds 3 ounces, were 34" tall and your head circumference was 19" -- 90+ percentile in all three categories and nearly "off the chart" in height. We're all starting to take bets on how tall you'll be as an adult :)
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
17 months
To My Sweet Genevieve,
You are ALL toddler these days, running, climbing, (almost) jumping, playing "pretend" in your kitchen, stacking blocks, riding your cupcake truck--our itty bitty baby is long gone, and though I miss being able to easily hold and carry you it's so fun to see you developing into a kid.
You have fully transitioned to one nap a day, which usually goes well and has allowed us to try new activities in the mornings and several afternoons we've visited the pool in our building which you love. We really went swimming for the first time this summer last week and I could barely hold on to you because you wanted to try to do it by yourself. I see many pool days ahead of us this summer--you love the water and are one of the only kids I've ever met who loves being sprayed and splashed in the face (silly girl!).
We have had fun going over to our new house during these days before we move our things there. You and your cousins have loved running around the big empty living room and deck--I'm a little worried how you're going to take it when we fill some of the space with furniture. We celebrated Mother's Day earlier this month and were lucky enough to have your Grammy come visit from Nebraska. We had a terrific brunch at Bird and Bear and the next day we took Grammy on the tyke hike at Memorial Park. Daddy even got to go with us on our hike the next week, though I think you did more riding in his arms than hiking that day.
You have been an excellent shopper this month and have been (mostly) patient with us as we've looked for furniture and appliances for our new home. It's been a lot of fun to fill a space almost twice as big as our apartment and almost three times as big as your first home in New York (yes, that's three homes before you turn 1 1/2--I promise we'll stop moving for awhile after this one).
The biggest challenge this month has been sleep and teeth. I've lost track of how many teeth you have now, they keep coming one right after another and you don't really like for us to try and count them. With all of those teeth coming in you had trouble sleeping through the night again, and even more trouble getting back to sleep when you woke up--hopefully that is behind us, we were all pretty tired for a few weeks.
We're starting to understand more and more of what you're saying now and your new words include up, yes, car and cup, but your absolute favorite is "uh-oh". You're picking up more sign language too and you can sign please and eat, but the best thing is that you use the sign for "more" to not only mean more food, but read the book again, more kisses, more playtime, more tickles and even to see a baby we were meeting for the first time "more". You signed your first sentence/phrase when you were under the weather last week and signed more milk please--priceless! You've added two new animal "noises" to your repetoire and will pound your chest and say "uhahuhah" for a gorilla and stick your tongue in and out for a lizard.
Strawberries are back as a favorite food, and you just had cherries for the first time and devoured them. You weren't sure of watermelon the first few times we offered it to you, but ate several pieces on Memorial Day. I've been surprised that two summer foods you loved last year, cantelope and corn on the cob, you have so far shown no interest in--we'll keep trying though. Sunflower butter and banana or strawberry sandwiches are one of our go-tos for lunch right now. You can also use a fork all by yourself now!
With the 90+ degree weather already setting in I have a feeling the next month will include a lot of time checking out the outdoor water spots and indoor play areas around Houston. I'm also hoping that we can get back to the library more regularly for story time and yoga.
I love you, my sweet, growing girl!
Love,
Mum-mum
You are ALL toddler these days, running, climbing, (almost) jumping, playing "pretend" in your kitchen, stacking blocks, riding your cupcake truck--our itty bitty baby is long gone, and though I miss being able to easily hold and carry you it's so fun to see you developing into a kid.
You have fully transitioned to one nap a day, which usually goes well and has allowed us to try new activities in the mornings and several afternoons we've visited the pool in our building which you love. We really went swimming for the first time this summer last week and I could barely hold on to you because you wanted to try to do it by yourself. I see many pool days ahead of us this summer--you love the water and are one of the only kids I've ever met who loves being sprayed and splashed in the face (silly girl!).
The biggest challenge this month has been sleep and teeth. I've lost track of how many teeth you have now, they keep coming one right after another and you don't really like for us to try and count them. With all of those teeth coming in you had trouble sleeping through the night again, and even more trouble getting back to sleep when you woke up--hopefully that is behind us, we were all pretty tired for a few weeks.
We're starting to understand more and more of what you're saying now and your new words include up, yes, car and cup, but your absolute favorite is "uh-oh". You're picking up more sign language too and you can sign please and eat, but the best thing is that you use the sign for "more" to not only mean more food, but read the book again, more kisses, more playtime, more tickles and even to see a baby we were meeting for the first time "more". You signed your first sentence/phrase when you were under the weather last week and signed more milk please--priceless! You've added two new animal "noises" to your repetoire and will pound your chest and say "uhahuhah" for a gorilla and stick your tongue in and out for a lizard.
Strawberries are back as a favorite food, and you just had cherries for the first time and devoured them. You weren't sure of watermelon the first few times we offered it to you, but ate several pieces on Memorial Day. I've been surprised that two summer foods you loved last year, cantelope and corn on the cob, you have so far shown no interest in--we'll keep trying though. Sunflower butter and banana or strawberry sandwiches are one of our go-tos for lunch right now. You can also use a fork all by yourself now!With the 90+ degree weather already setting in I have a feeling the next month will include a lot of time checking out the outdoor water spots and indoor play areas around Houston. I'm also hoping that we can get back to the library more regularly for story time and yoga.
I love you, my sweet, growing girl!
Love,
Mum-mum
Thursday, May 23, 2013
For the Love of...Chicken Salad
Really, I'm not kidding, I love chicken salad, well, when it's done right. I'm pretty sure this food passion started shortly after college when I was a newlywed living in a new city with a new job. I went with my colleagues to Kitchen Door (sadly, now closed I just learned) and was told that I MUST order the chicken salad sandwich. Up until that point, I really had never liked chicken salad all that much and felt it belonged lumped into the same category as egg salad (gross!) and tuna salad (which I pretty much refuse to be in the same room as)--but a little peer pressure to try THIS chicken salad was all I needed from a group I was trying to impress and well, they were right, it was amazing. You know it had to be good if I still have a food memory of it nearly a decade later and I even remember the name of the restaurant (seriously, I'm so sad that it's closed!).
I started dabbling in trying to create my own amazing chicken salad--something creamy, but not drowning in mayonnaise, with chopped, not shredded chicken and a little crunch. I came up with something pretty good, then after moving to the DC area I had Booeymonger's chicken salad sandwhich and learned what the perfect accompaniments really are...avocado and alfalfa sprouts with a side of their house sauce--a creamy curry dressing (it's to die for).
I had almost forgotten how great that creamy curry dressing made the chicken salad until the other day when I decided to add a twist to my go-to chicken salad with a little curry (well, maybe a lot to some people) and tumeric--to my astonishment what came out was the closest thing I've tasted to a Booeymonger's house sauce and it was dressing my chicken salad. After every bite was eaten, I thought it might be worth sharing with the world :)
Curry Chicken Salad
Chicken and "Crunch"
2 cups of poached*, chopped chicken breast (~3 chicken breasts)
2 stalks celery, sliced or diced
1 apple (Granny Smith is my favorite, but whatever you have on hand is fine), cored and diced
1 handful of nuts, chopped (I usually use cashews or almonds)
Dressing
2 heaping tablespoons light mayo
2 heaping tablespoons Greek yogurt
Juice of 1/2-1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons curry (I used a strong curry from an Indian market, add a little at a time until desired flavor is reached)
1 teaspoon tumeric
fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 teaspoon horseradish
Mix the dressing and toss the chicken and "crunch" in it--this will create a relatively lightly coated salad. Serve over greens or as a sandwich, but don't forget the slices of avocado and sprouts. Enjoy!
*Fill a large stock pot about 2/3 full with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts (whole or halved), 2-3 carrots (very roughly chopped), 2-3 celery stalks (very roughly chopped), an onion quartered, 1 teaspoon peppercorns and a bay leaf. Simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
I started dabbling in trying to create my own amazing chicken salad--something creamy, but not drowning in mayonnaise, with chopped, not shredded chicken and a little crunch. I came up with something pretty good, then after moving to the DC area I had Booeymonger's chicken salad sandwhich and learned what the perfect accompaniments really are...avocado and alfalfa sprouts with a side of their house sauce--a creamy curry dressing (it's to die for).
I had almost forgotten how great that creamy curry dressing made the chicken salad until the other day when I decided to add a twist to my go-to chicken salad with a little curry (well, maybe a lot to some people) and tumeric--to my astonishment what came out was the closest thing I've tasted to a Booeymonger's house sauce and it was dressing my chicken salad. After every bite was eaten, I thought it might be worth sharing with the world :)
Curry Chicken Salad
Chicken and "Crunch"
2 cups of poached*, chopped chicken breast (~3 chicken breasts)
2 stalks celery, sliced or diced
1 apple (Granny Smith is my favorite, but whatever you have on hand is fine), cored and diced
1 handful of nuts, chopped (I usually use cashews or almonds)
Dressing
2 heaping tablespoons light mayo
2 heaping tablespoons Greek yogurt
Juice of 1/2-1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons curry (I used a strong curry from an Indian market, add a little at a time until desired flavor is reached)
1 teaspoon tumeric
fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 teaspoon horseradish
Mix the dressing and toss the chicken and "crunch" in it--this will create a relatively lightly coated salad. Serve over greens or as a sandwich, but don't forget the slices of avocado and sprouts. Enjoy!
*Fill a large stock pot about 2/3 full with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts (whole or halved), 2-3 carrots (very roughly chopped), 2-3 celery stalks (very roughly chopped), an onion quartered, 1 teaspoon peppercorns and a bay leaf. Simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
15 Months...errr...and 16 Months
Well, this is how I started this post three weeks ago...
So, things have been crazy busy around here, but I'm feeling guilty that my baby girl has been 15 months for two weeks and I haven't written her letter to her (wasn't part of the point of this blog to record her life and our memories? Oh yes, it was.)
To My Sweet Genevieve,
I just thought the other day that it's almost hard to remember that you weren't always walking and it's only been two months since you took off across the room for the first time. Now you're running, trying to stand on one foot, standing on your toes and can "back up" (my personal favorite). We have had awesome weather for weeks and have been to the zoo twice, multiple parks and have started to explore the pool that's on the roof of our building.
You went through a week or so when you didn't like taking your bath anymore but you're over that and loving the water again. I showed you how you can put your face in the water and now you don't even mind having water poured over your head (well, you still mind a little) and will plunge your face in the suds over and over laughing and giggling.
Your laugh is my favorite sound of all time, hands down.
For a baby who only had two teeth fully in on your first birthday you have been making up lost time in that department--I just noticed today that tooth #11 is making it's way in! We try to brush your teeth every night, but with all of those teeth popping through sometimes your gums are a little too tender and you don't want us to, though other nights you really enjoy it.
Sometimes there is just too much going on to sit down and eat a real meal so I'm trying to find snacks that are healthy and fill you up. A few favorites are: cheese sticks, baby bananas, fruit leather, graham crackers, blueberries, blackberries and pears.
Now, why didn't I press post? Oh, that's right, I was having technical issues and couldn't get the pictures added...okay, so I didn't have a total Mommy-fail, I really did write the 15 month post when you were 15 months!
Now to 16 month...where do I even begin?! I guess where I always begin...
To My Sweet Genevieve,
You are so active and independent these days, it's exciting and exhausting for "Mum Mum" and "Da-deee."
If I had to pick one word to describe you right now it would be fearless. Most other parents are surprised at just how adventurous and daring you are. It's a positive in a lot of ways because you try new things and gain new skills quickly, but we've had to dive to save you from certain death, or at lease serious injury on many occasions...the days of holding court in the tunnel at the park seem like ancient history now.
You are also one of the toughest kids on the playground and you love trying to keep up with the big kids. Just the other day you were chasing a ball with a three-year-old and fell and skinned your knee (for the first time) and you hardly missed a step--you stood right back up and kept on running.
Your favorite foods right now include pasta, blackberries, grapes, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese with peas, ham, yogurt, cheese and sunflower butter and banana sandwiches.
You love everything about the kitchen too...the refrigerator, pantry, broom and dust pan, pots, pans, bowls, the oven (which must have the light on if something's cooking so you can monitor it) and of course, the dishwasher.
The biggest developmental change you're going through right now is transitioning from two naps (which you've been taking regularly for over six months) to one nap--it's been a little rough, but we're making progress.
Baby girl, your Daddy and I love you so much and we can't wait to see what the next month holds in store for you, especially as we prepare to move into our new house!
Love,
Mommy
So, things have been crazy busy around here, but I'm feeling guilty that my baby girl has been 15 months for two weeks and I haven't written her letter to her (wasn't part of the point of this blog to record her life and our memories? Oh yes, it was.)
To My Sweet Genevieve,
I just thought the other day that it's almost hard to remember that you weren't always walking and it's only been two months since you took off across the room for the first time. Now you're running, trying to stand on one foot, standing on your toes and can "back up" (my personal favorite). We have had awesome weather for weeks and have been to the zoo twice, multiple parks and have started to explore the pool that's on the roof of our building.
 |
| Running at Hermann Park |
 |
| First petting zoo experience (poor goat) |
You went through a week or so when you didn't like taking your bath anymore but you're over that and loving the water again. I showed you how you can put your face in the water and now you don't even mind having water poured over your head (well, you still mind a little) and will plunge your face in the suds over and over laughing and giggling.
Your laugh is my favorite sound of all time, hands down.
For a baby who only had two teeth fully in on your first birthday you have been making up lost time in that department--I just noticed today that tooth #11 is making it's way in! We try to brush your teeth every night, but with all of those teeth popping through sometimes your gums are a little too tender and you don't want us to, though other nights you really enjoy it.
Sometimes there is just too much going on to sit down and eat a real meal so I'm trying to find snacks that are healthy and fill you up. A few favorites are: cheese sticks, baby bananas, fruit leather, graham crackers, blueberries, blackberries and pears.
Now, why didn't I press post? Oh, that's right, I was having technical issues and couldn't get the pictures added...okay, so I didn't have a total Mommy-fail, I really did write the 15 month post when you were 15 months!
Now to 16 month...where do I even begin?! I guess where I always begin...
To My Sweet Genevieve,
You are so active and independent these days, it's exciting and exhausting for "Mum Mum" and "Da-deee."
If I had to pick one word to describe you right now it would be fearless. Most other parents are surprised at just how adventurous and daring you are. It's a positive in a lot of ways because you try new things and gain new skills quickly, but we've had to dive to save you from certain death, or at lease serious injury on many occasions...the days of holding court in the tunnel at the park seem like ancient history now.
 |
| Climbing at one of our favorite playgrounds. |
 |
| Chasing balls at City Centre. |
You are also one of the toughest kids on the playground and you love trying to keep up with the big kids. Just the other day you were chasing a ball with a three-year-old and fell and skinned your knee (for the first time) and you hardly missed a step--you stood right back up and kept on running.
Your favorite foods right now include pasta, blackberries, grapes, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese with peas, ham, yogurt, cheese and sunflower butter and banana sandwiches.
You love everything about the kitchen too...the refrigerator, pantry, broom and dust pan, pots, pans, bowls, the oven (which must have the light on if something's cooking so you can monitor it) and of course, the dishwasher.
 |
| Putting away the clean silverware. |
 | |
| Cleaning up after helping make pizza dough. |
The biggest developmental change you're going through right now is transitioning from two naps (which you've been taking regularly for over six months) to one nap--it's been a little rough, but we're making progress.
 |
| Celebrating Mommy's birthday at Whole Foods |
 |
| Your first nature walk at the Houston Arboretum. |
Baby girl, your Daddy and I love you so much and we can't wait to see what the next month holds in store for you, especially as we prepare to move into our new house!
Love,
Mommy
Friday, April 5, 2013
I'm a Guest Blogger :)
I shared a little about the first weeks of our little peanut's life over at Blissful Beginnings today. My college friend, Stephanie Neunuebel is a doula in The Woodlands, Texas and her blog and website are a great resource for new and expectant parents.
Go here to check it out!
Go here to check it out!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Eating Our Fruits and Veggies
The summer and fall I was pregnant with Vivie we joined Turtle Bay CSA in New York. I loved the idea of supporting a local farm and having organic vegetables throughout the summer and fall and financially it made pretty good sense. You paid for everything upfront but it averaged out to roughly $30/week in local, organic vegetables.
Every week I looked forward to receiving the newsletter with the list of what was in the share and an update from the farm. For a food nerd like me who loves surprises I got quite a kick out of finding out what would be in our weekly haul. During the 20 weeks we ate more greens than we ever have in our whole lives and tried vegetables we had never heard of--kohlrabi anyone? Overall it was a great experience.
One thing that made the vegetable share a little hard for us was that because we were getting a lot of foods we weren't used to eating (and I wasn't used to preparing) more vegetables than I would like to admit went to waste. That, and by the end of the season I was in my third trimester and late fall vegetables are pretty heavy (e.g. butternut squash) to truck through NYC on the subway.
I had been thinking about joining a CSA in Houston since before we moved but didn't really look into it until January or February. A family friend (thanks, Teri!) suggested that we look into Rawfully Organic, a fruit and vegetable co-op. I researched it a little further and it turned out that one of the pick-up locations was close by and you didn't have to make a long-term commitment like we did with the CSA, which I really liked. All of the fruits and vegetables are organic, and some (from what I've seen, I'd say about one third) are local. So, in February we ordered our first half share and I was quickly hooked! We got a HUGE and diverse box of fruits and veggies--at least double the amount we were getting from the grocery store for roughly the same price.
Our most recent box contained:
Kale Collard Greens Grape Tomatoes
Dandelion Greens Bananas Pineapple
Swiss Chard Oranges Bok Choy
Red Leaf Lettuce Lemons Apples
Romaine Lettuce Pears Carrots
Spinach Tomatoes Celery
Cilantro Heirloom Spinach
We got this share almost two weeks ago, and we still have carrots and the bok choy (which are in good shape), but have used up just about everything else.
This is what I made with our share:
Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp, Onions and Dandelion Greens
Crunchy Chicken Salad
Roasted Zucchini with Goat Cheese and Grape Tomatoes (recipe coming)
Roasted Garlic Pizza (recipe coming, this was my inspiration and here's the dough recipe)
Cream of Celery Soup
Greek "Calzone" (the leftover pizza dough and a really chunky tomato sauce topped with feta)
Kale Pasta Salad with Orange Vinaigrette (recipe coming, here's the vinaigrette)
Healthy Banana Bread (I added a handful of chocolate chips and doubled the cinnamon)
Baked Apples and Pears with Cinnamon
Lasagna Soup (I added Swiss Chard and cut out the mozzarella)
Chicken Sausage and Goat Cheese Quiche with Phyllo Crust (recipe coming)
We added simple salads to most dinners to use up the romaine and red leaf lettuce, the apples, oranges, pears and pineapple were cut up and eaten throughout the day for the most part, and anytime I was simmering a can of tomatoes I added bitter greens or spinach to the sauce. I'm hoping to make homemade applesauce and macaroni and cheese with bitter greens with our next box.
I learned a few thing during our 20 week stint as CSA partners that I'm trying to adhere to this time around:
Every week I looked forward to receiving the newsletter with the list of what was in the share and an update from the farm. For a food nerd like me who loves surprises I got quite a kick out of finding out what would be in our weekly haul. During the 20 weeks we ate more greens than we ever have in our whole lives and tried vegetables we had never heard of--kohlrabi anyone? Overall it was a great experience.
One thing that made the vegetable share a little hard for us was that because we were getting a lot of foods we weren't used to eating (and I wasn't used to preparing) more vegetables than I would like to admit went to waste. That, and by the end of the season I was in my third trimester and late fall vegetables are pretty heavy (e.g. butternut squash) to truck through NYC on the subway.
I had been thinking about joining a CSA in Houston since before we moved but didn't really look into it until January or February. A family friend (thanks, Teri!) suggested that we look into Rawfully Organic, a fruit and vegetable co-op. I researched it a little further and it turned out that one of the pick-up locations was close by and you didn't have to make a long-term commitment like we did with the CSA, which I really liked. All of the fruits and vegetables are organic, and some (from what I've seen, I'd say about one third) are local. So, in February we ordered our first half share and I was quickly hooked! We got a HUGE and diverse box of fruits and veggies--at least double the amount we were getting from the grocery store for roughly the same price.
Our most recent box contained:
Kale Collard Greens Grape Tomatoes
Dandelion Greens Bananas Pineapple
Swiss Chard Oranges Bok Choy
Red Leaf Lettuce Lemons Apples
Romaine Lettuce Pears Carrots
Spinach Tomatoes Celery
Cilantro Heirloom Spinach
We got this share almost two weeks ago, and we still have carrots and the bok choy (which are in good shape), but have used up just about everything else.
This is what I made with our share:
Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp, Onions and Dandelion Greens
Crunchy Chicken Salad
Roasted Zucchini with Goat Cheese and Grape Tomatoes (recipe coming)
Roasted Garlic Pizza (recipe coming, this was my inspiration and here's the dough recipe)
Cream of Celery Soup
Greek "Calzone" (the leftover pizza dough and a really chunky tomato sauce topped with feta)
Kale Pasta Salad with Orange Vinaigrette (recipe coming, here's the vinaigrette)
Healthy Banana Bread (I added a handful of chocolate chips and doubled the cinnamon)
Baked Apples and Pears with Cinnamon
Lasagna Soup (I added Swiss Chard and cut out the mozzarella)
Chicken Sausage and Goat Cheese Quiche with Phyllo Crust (recipe coming)
We added simple salads to most dinners to use up the romaine and red leaf lettuce, the apples, oranges, pears and pineapple were cut up and eaten throughout the day for the most part, and anytime I was simmering a can of tomatoes I added bitter greens or spinach to the sauce. I'm hoping to make homemade applesauce and macaroni and cheese with bitter greens with our next box.
I learned a few thing during our 20 week stint as CSA partners that I'm trying to adhere to this time around:
- Clean out the fridge before bringing home a share (the half share more than fills our fruits and veggie drawers)
- Cut and wash all of the greens before putting them away (a salad spinner is really helpful)
- Use up the most perishable items first (e.g. Dandelion Greens)
- Come up with a plan early on for anything I'm not used to preparing.
- Have plenty of eggs and canned tomatoes on hand--when in doubt make a frittata or tomato sauce.
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