{Snack Time!} Roasted Kale Chips

Snacks are one of the biggest adjustments we are making right now. I realize now how dependent upon processed snack foods we are/were... especially when it comes to Lucas. I'm not fooling myself... I'm going to have to continue to buy grocery store snacks for the kiddo. Even if I learned how to make homemade goldfish, cheese crackers, and ritz bits, there is no way I could keep up with his snacking without quitting my job and becoming a full-time baker. Not going to happen. But I have switched to organic crackers and snacks when I do have to buy them, and GASP! I expect Lucas to eat more fruits and veggies than he has been. The goal is to find homemade, do-able snack recipes that he (and Eric) will actually eat.

I think I found one today...


Roasted Kale Chips (from the blog, Family Fresh Cooking)

(Photos from FamilyFreshCooking.com)

I made two batches... one seasoned with Garlic Powder and one with Bacon Salt. This is my absolute first experience with kale, and after one taste test I realized that I could totally eat these chips with nothing on them. After just five minutes in the oven, I was shocked at how amazing it smelled in my kitchen. It was overwhelmingly delicious. 

My only note for this recipes is that it took longer than the 10-15 minutes indicated. Just keep an eye on them and cook until crunchy. If they don't cook all the way, they just end up kinda chewy. Delicious... but chewy. 

This make a salty snack you don't have to feel bad about. Can't wait to serve them with cheeseburgers! 

Happy Snacking!

I've been doing my research...

We've only got 5 days to go and I'm starting to get nervous. One problem we've already run into is that there is plenty of produce in the house... but not enough planning to make an actual meal out of it. I'm so used to planning my meals for the week, making a shopping list, then buying what I need. By relying on what's in season, and what the farmers actually have, I'm going to need to reverse that habit. I've just been buying what I can find at the market, then coming home and having no idea what to make for dinner... especially since we've been clearing out the processed junk we already had and are not replacing it.

Here's the new plan:
Know what's in season.
Keep my pantry stocked with the basics I need to make meals out of my market purchases. 
Buy what I can find at the market.
Plan my menu last, based on what I've got!

AND I'm going to have to go to the farmers markets more than once a week. For me, this is an adjustment, though not a huge one. I know people who grocery shop once for an entire month! I'm going to assume those folks are eating tons of processed foods. Yikes.

Life will get easier (and lighter hopefully!) when I adjust to snacking on fresh stuff instead of what I have always considered "snacks." And when "dessert" starts meaning fruit! 

So here's what I've been reading and researching... Some of this stuff is specific to North Carolina, but for some of them you can find your state elsewhere on that website.

List of NC produce by harvest month

NC Harvest Chart

Non-GMO printable shopping guide and mobile phone app

Seasonal Recipes by Month

Happy Reading! I've got a date with the Lowell Farmers Market... <3 I need some Ladybug Farms bread and I'm on a mission to try cooking with turnips.

The First of Many Meatless Mondays!

Every Monday we are going MEATLESS!



I know what you're thinking...
Why Meatless?

I've added the Meatless Monday recipe widget to the left sidebar, and I will be sharing my and Eric's favorite meatless recipes.

This week, nothing too difficult and not much of a recipe... Leftovers! Eric and Lucas had homemade pizza with feta cheese, artichokes and baby portobellos. Everyone can make pizza, and it's such an easy meatless fix! Portobello mushrooms have lots of protein so they're a great topping for Meatless Mondays!

I had Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells and asparagus. Super simple. Once you boil the shells about 15 minutes and let them cool a bit, you stuff them with whatever cheese and veggie mixture you want. I've used broccoli before and it was delicious. As for the cheese, I follow the advice of my friend Jason and use 5 cheeses. He wasn't specific about what kinds... just that there be 5. This time I threw together ricotta, cottage cheese, whatever cream cheese I had left in the fridge, parmesan and mozzarella. Cover them in sauce and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. During the last 10 minutes, melt some extra mozzarella over the top. This was so good, I got a text from Eric at lunch about how great the leftover shells he brought to work were. Yes... that good.

36 Days Until Our Offical Start Date! Food Inc Motivation!

On the recommendation of more than a few people, Eric and I watched the documentary Food Inc last night. Neither of us was totally in the dark about the issues presented in the movie (poor treatment of employees and animals in factory farms, genetically modified food, etc.), but we both had a lot to learn as well. I was specifically affected by the images of the factory farm processes and kept saying, "We eat that! Are you okay with this? I'm not okay with this!" It's shocking to think that this has become the norm and acceptable in society at large. Our reasons for making these life changes just got even more important. I'm so happy we are doing this now, when our little one is so young and can grow up with his "normal" being seasonal local produce, cow pooling and farmers markets.

Check out the movie Food Inc and learn more at TakePart.org.

It's Strawberry Season!

One of the problems that Eric and I have run into with shopping at farmers markets is that too much tends to go to waste. The fruits and veggies go bad before we can eat them all. I don't know why I haven't thought of it before, but as I was browsing PickYourOwn.org, I found our answer: Freezing! I'm way too lazy at the moment to try to figure out canning (though we will try that out someday), plus we would have to buy all the equipment. Freezing is the perfect, simple solution.

Today Lucas and I went to the Hall Family Farm in Charlotte to get strawberries. I'm making my Grandma Pat's version of Strawberry Shortcake for Easter brunch, plus I wanted to try my hand at freezing my all-time favorite fruit. With the weird weather we've been having, the strawberries are ripening quickly so I was able to buy a 10lb pre-picked flat for $25 (found that deal on their Facebook page). It was rainy and wet anyways, so picking them myself whilst chasing a two-year-old out of mud puddles was out of the question.

Instead, we checked out the chickens.

Lots of berries to pick! We'll definitely go back when it's nicer outside!

Really sweet and not a bad one in the box! Here's what we went home with:

Resisting the temptation to eat a ton now, I spent the afternoon getting the strawberries ready to freeze or be turned into Strawberry Shortcake. It's super easy. First your wash them:

Then you let them sit in the strainer for 10 minutes:

Next, cut the tops off the strawberries and put them in pans that will fit in your freezer. Leave them in there over night, or at least long enough to freeze.

That's where I'm at now... waiting for them to freeze so I can bag them up in Ziplocs and leave them in the freezer. Amazing strawberries from the farm all year long!

Here are a ton of ways to use up your strawberries: An entire website devoted to strawberries!

I definitely want to try out the strawberry bread, and the strawberry soup.

Learning So Much Already!

Eric and I are finding out about all kinds of resources, websites, and local initiatives as we tell people about our challenge. As people share with us, I've been adding links to our lists of markets and locals. Here are a couple cool sites that have been passed our way:

Go Local NC Farms is an awesome way to support local farms and get quality products. They offer cow and pork pooling, and the meat is hormone and antibiotic free. A fellow Charlotte Mommy shared this with me. Thanks Carolyn!

The No Impact Project is about a family who took it a lot further than Eric and I, and unplugged their lives for a year. So interesting! Thanks for sharing Julie!

Eric and I are definitely going to learn a lot in this process! If you have something to share, please pass it on!