So freaking proud of my DH – he finished his first marathon, the NYC Marathon no less – in the crazy winds and cold temps – and in under 4 hours.
Way. To. Freaking. Go.
And did I mention, he looked damn good while doing it, too?
November 1, 2014
Today was rainy, cold & miserable – so I “impulse” bought waterproof(ish) shoes. I’ve only wanted Docs for 20 years… And now I’ve finally settled on a style.
Now to start the painful breaking in process.
Spicy Chard & Cabbage Slaw
It must be the Southerner in me, but every time I think ‘pulled meat’ (hee hee) I think ‘slaw’. This week, I made pulled beef as my big multi-meal protein, and was graced with some really nice cabbage and chard in this week’s CSA box.
Slaw it is, and what better kind than spicy?
Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Paleo (swap aioli for strict)
Spicy Chard & Cabbage Slaw
1/2 small head cabbage
1/2 bunch rainbow chard
4 scallions
1 small bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
Fresh black pepper
For the dressing
2 Tbsp. mayo (I used Just Mayo, which is pretty great and not filled with a bunch of crap – it’s not strictly paleo (contains canola oil & tiny amounts of sugar & pea protein), but it is good and waaaaayyyy more convenient than my futile attempts at making aioli)
3 tsp. sriracha
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. water
2 pinches kosher salt
Core and shred the cabbage and add to a large bowl. Ribbon the chard and add. Thinly slice the scallions and add. Julienne the pepper and add. Mince the garlic and add. Toss with a few cracks black pepper.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together the mayo, sriracha, lemon juice, water and salt.
Drizzle the dressing over the slaw and toss with your hands to combine.
Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a bigass salad
October 31, 2014
I make a damn good skeleton, if I do say so myself.
October 30, 2014
Who the F ate part of my dish towel? How is this a thing?
What To Do With A Box Of Vegetables: Paisley Farms Box 21
This year’s CSA is from Paisley Farm, a 25-acre operation located in Tivoli, NY. Paisley Farm grows organically and plants with the chef in mind. The 22-week CSA runs from June – November and I purchased the standard vegetable share. This share includes 8-9 vegetables and herbs per week (8-12 pounds) – enough to provide a family of three with 3-4 dinners’ worth of veg. The price equals out to $25 per week, the cost of which will be accounted for in my weekly Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking posts.
Paisley Farm 2014 CSA Box 20
1 bunch mystery greens
1 bunch swiss chard
1 crown broccoli
2 small green cauliflower
1 small head cabbage
1 bunch radishes
1 Kabocha squash
1 big bag potatoes
Leftover From Previous Weeks
Frozen peppers
2 Japanese eggplant
1 bunch curly kale
1/2 bunch chard
1/2 cabbage
2 yellow peppers
1 bunch baby fennel
1 butternut squash
2 delicata squash
How I Used My Share
I turned one of the cauliflower into “steaks”, which I seasoned with chipotle and lime and served with shredded beef.
I made a lunch salad with half the leftover cabbage, a hand full of radishes, kimchi, apple, and shredded beef.
The next day, I sautéed the last of the cabbage in butter and served with apple, kimchi and shredded beef.
I made a silky chipotle puree with the butternut squash, which I served with pulled pork.
I sauteed up a bunch of the swiss chard with some balsamic vinegar and garlic and served that with Hasselback potatoes and steak.
Waste: The eggplant finally died from lack of attention
My Favorite Dish From This Box
I’m a sucker for a root vegetable puree, but I have to go lunch concoctions here. Nothing says fall like cabbages, apples, butter & spice.
Next Week
Going into next week, I have: 2 delicata squash, most of a big bag of potatoes, 1.5 bunches of chard, 1 bunch mystery greens, 1 cabbage, 1 bunch baby fennel, 1/2 a bunch of radishes, and 2 yellow peppers.
October 29, 2014
The old IRT line.
October 28, 2014
Lunch craziness: shredded cabbage, pulled beef, kimchi & apple bowl with ghee and caraway. Delicious.
Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking – Week of October 27 – 31
A number of people I know are completely flabbergasted when contemplating sticking to a budget while eating a primarily “paleo” diet. I’m hoping to shed a little light on that issue for those of you on the fence about eating healthfully in this manner – it *can* be done – and done well – without spending all the money. All it takes is a little planning.
A little background: I live in Brooklyn, NY, and the grocery prices here are definitely not the same as what you will find in other areas of the country. If you live in say, Raleigh NC for example – you may very well be able to cut this grocery bill by a third, depending upon where you shop. For where I live, where I shop and what I buy, $100 a week is a doable budget without having to sacrifice the quality I want too much. My DH thinks $130 is probably more realistic with our morning smoothie supplies, but I want to shoot for $100. I aim to make 4-5 dinners for two and 5 lunches per week, plus two smoothies per day six days of the week with my budgetary allowance and update you all weekly on what’s going on. Let’s see if I can make it.
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My CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares are going strong, so I will be doing things a little differently with the vegetable portion of my meal planning for the next few months (until October). My share averages out to $25 a week, which will come off the top of my budget allotment and will comprise the bulk of my non-smoothie-related vegetable purchases. If you’re curious to see how I use my CSA veggies up, check out my What To Do With A Box Of Vegetables posts.
Menu for Last Week (Week of October 20 – 24)
The Plan vs. Reality
I actually planned this week a bit – and stuck to schedule somewhat.
Monday
- The Plan – Cauliflower pizza bowl with ground beef, pork pepperoni, yellow pepper, shallot and tomato sauce
- Reality – I made something approximating this dish, even though I didn’t follow the original recipe I planned on following
Tuesday
- The Plan – Shredded beef with potato & scallion waffle & slaw
- Reality – This was good (despite my overselling of the waffles). I made my slaw out of cabbage, kale, yellow pepper, sriracha & mayo
Wednesday
- The Plan – ?????
- Reality – We ate out
Thursday
- The Plan – Shredded beef with cauli
- Reality – Shredded beef with chipotle & lime cauliflower steaks, which was yummy
Friday
- The Plan – Something in
- Reality – We ended up ordering delivery for schedule reasons
Lunches
- The Plan – Leftovers.
- Reality – I had some great leftovers to polish off – cabbage with bacon & chicken, flank steak with miso peptic squash, slaw, and potato waffles all made appearances
Extras
- The Plan – Nothing planned.
- Reality – And nothing happened.
This Week: October 27 – 31
I have leftover CSA veggies this week and $75 to spend on groceries. This week, I completely forgot to plan anything. I was too busy worrying about my hubby’s upcoming marathon, my disturbing lack of plans for Halloween, and the mini vacation I have planned poorly for.
This Week’s Proposed Menu
- Monday: Poooooorrrrrrrrkkkkkkkk – even if I have to hold up the pork store, I’m getting some pork this week
- Tuesday: ???
- Wednesday: Something really quick
- Thursday: Something really quick
- Friday: Either in and something orange or out for more pork
- Lunch: Leftovers
- Extras: None
Shopping List & Cost Breakout
Grocery Store Key: WF = Whole Foods, TJ = Trader Joe’s
Shopping List
Coffee ($4.99 @ Target)
Almonds ($6.49 @ TJs)
Pork!!!!!!!! ($18.36 @ WF)
Smoothie supplies
2 bunches kale ($2.29 x 2 @ TJs)
1 bunch spinach ($1.99 @ TJs)
4 apples ($3.16 @ TJs)
Limes (1. lb bag – $1.69 @ TJs)
2 avocados ($2.78 @ TJs)
Extras: 4 lbs apples ($3.99 @ TJs), almond butter ($6.99 @ TJs), pistachios ($7.49 @ TJs), 3 bananas ($0.57 @ TJs), thai lime & chili cashews ($6.99 @ TJs), pecans ($3.99 @ TJs), Balance bar ($0.99 @ TJs).
Total TJ: $51.70
Total WF: $18.36
Total Target: $4.99
Total For The Week: $76.05; $1.05 over budget. I was over this week, but I’m doing fine overall this month (even with last week’s overage). The hubbs needs marathon fuel; his bar put us over the top, but that’s ok.
Pantry/items repurposed from last week: fats, spices, CSA veggies.
October 27, 2014
Reason 999 my dachshund is barking:
The big, scary crane lifting things.
They totally could have broken in through the window.
Gastography 