Sitting still is just so boring.

 The horizon is looking awesome as it does every spring. The air is sort of electric and it's way harder to hermit inside like a lazy lump. Blogging has been in the back of my mind and of course I have dozens of false starts on my phone saved to post asap. Always. But life is just happening and if my nose is in my computer I am doomed to miss it. There are some personal events that have come to pass even this early in 2015 that start to feel like forecasting a shitty year. But things like the impending doom of a special needs kindergarten class or Hal making poor choices and following bad leads, will not be allowed to set the tone. there are just too many great things that if ignored, would just be criminal. I am about to give you some good and bad like I used to. Which is my favorite way to just lay out the trash and the joy. Then I can just close this cyber beast and get back to l-i-v-i-n! I promise the good stuff will make you happy for me and also having you totally hooked in for the recap posts to follow in a month or so.



  Let's kick it off with the bad shall we?

• The stepchild has chosen to side primarily with material things and pretty promises. I can't and won't let it bother me because I know she will mature at her pace and life will play out as it does for a teen. When all hell breaks loose and real parenting is needed, I am sure we all know who she will call.

•  Aidan is being placed at a school really far away from our home. I am unsettled about it all. Everything about it.

•  I am getting old and tweaked my back which knocked me out of work and on my ass for a couple weeks. I refuse to be one of those hypochondriac pill poppers so I am finding it annoying to sift through home remedies to feel comfortable.

Ok, now the better, longer list.

• Our little farm is way ahead of schedule and just rocking with happy healthy veggies! 

• I met another one of my food/nutrition heroes and had a super fun fangirl moment when she posted on IG how much she loved my pickles! mind.blown. Now if I could meet Alton Brown and be on Chopped my culinary bucket list would be complete.

•  I am marinating on a new career path and there are all sorts of amazing things lining up for me now that I took the time to pause and look up. 

• I am soon to be a published author. I will post and of course shamelessly plug the finished product asap but I will allow you to wonder; Is it an autobiography? Is it a sci-fi version of my life as a tormented step parent with a creepy single-white-female plot twist? ( lmao) Is it a RomCom? Is it an instruction manual that would be read like stereo instructions? Yeah right on the last one. TBA ya'll

•  Two of my favorite people are to be wed this fall and I got all butterflies for them when I picked up my bridesmaid dress and it fits like a dream. Yep I will be dolled up in a dress. I will be in one wedding. This one is special to my heart because I set them up on a blind date. Just like a beloved friend set Kelly and I up all those years ago.

• I get to see my klan, my crew, my crazy bitches from the west coast mafia that is #oceanssixteen!!!!! The next momcation is coming up soon and it really could not be a better time to unwind. Big shout out to the husbands who know this is necessary for our lady souls and thanks men for being so supportive and also for keeping our children alive while we are gone.

 Too much life goodness right now. I will always be happy when the lists are off balance in this way. Now back to sip my coffee in my garden and then do a little yoga. And frankly I am still going to post when I feel like I want to and not abandon the bloggity world completely. And if you don't like it Voldemort, don't read it.

FeltiFarm 2015 Part 1

 This year is big. I mean like, huge. I have a few personal fires burning or smoldering rather and I do this thing every spring where I full on pour my heart and soul into my garden instead of stress. Winter can suck it. It's spring!! And it's on like donkey kong. I would like to take a moment to review the evolution of this epic food growing journey thus far.

Before it all began.

  Another little blast from the past, Chickenlandia at the start.

Handmade with so much love. This yard has been one of my most cherished challenges and my proudest work in progress, Always growing and exceeding my ideas. I am a very lucky girl for all I have. Today I will go out and get my hands dirty with a wide smile. I need you all to see this amazing reveal for this years beauty. It's incredible if I do say so myself. Farm photo update as soon as things are ready.

Whole30 - So Far So Good

 While some life happenings are just raging out of bounds on the sidelines with all the teen angst in the world, I am focusing on the things I can control. Like my food. So I have joined the forces of Whole30-ers in a month long challenge. The details can be found here Whole30 Program. I had watched and learned from some friends who had already done a round or two of this and I liked what they had to say. How they felt was the thing that really got me. I would love to feel less logey and drag ass all the time. I would love to get back to food I know and love, mostly meat and vegetables. That's my jam anyhow. And I know that we as humans should be more aware and cautious about all the crazy unnecessarily added sugars in EVERYTHING. So I felt it was time to jump on board.

 So far we (my super awesome husband is doing it too) are on day 5 which for most unlearned folks may seem stupid to brag about. But since we are past a few of the hard parts I am stoked! We both had bodily reactions to total removal of sugar. But not bad. I have had less aches and pains in my joints which is awesome. Last night I slept great and though falling asleep has never been a real issue for me, I am falling asleep quick and feeling more rested in the morning. I am also not wanting to get out of my cozy warm bed as of today which seems right on track for what I read. After getting up I have had more energy to do things and I am feeling less ADD with tasks.

 I am posting this more as a journal entry with recipes more than a recruiting tool. I don;t claim to know everything about how this affects every person nor am I urging anyone to try it. Like any major change, temporary or permanent, it's a personal choice. If it sounds awesome to you, research for yourself like I did and then decide. For me it's a challenge more than it's a "diet" because I don't do the diet thing. This is for healthy body stuff and fitness will help my shape.

 So far I already have a few really yummy recipes that I pulled out of ideas. I know there are a zillion recipes out there but these are just some I came up with that worked well. And, as promised, the ranch, mayo and ketchup recipes I did not invent but found through tried and true praise of my whole30 internet family.

 The Meatball 

(over zoodles with ghee sauteed wild mushrooms)

One lb ground meat of your choosing, 3 tablespoons coconut flour and one large room temperature egg as binder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, cracked pepper, kosher salt, italian seasonings if you want. Make equal sized balls and brown in olive oil and ghee till a nice dark brown on all sides. Cover and steam simmer for about 10 minutes on medium heat to cook through. Ahhhmazing. Also super good for cooking ahead and meal prep.

Full Pan Egg Foo Young

The Trader Joes mixed chopped veggies are my friends. They are really a great blend and also,duh, pre-prepped. I sauteed about a cup and a half of those along with thin sliced onion high heat in olive oil with a touch of sesame oil til the were all a touch caramelized. It's pretty fast. Then I pour a mixture of three eggs that have been blended with coconut aminos ( an awesome soy sauce replacement) and a splash of light coconut milk from the can so its frothy. I use either my blender or an immersion blender. Both work. Cook on med heat till you can peek at a brown underside and the flip and repeat. Doesn't even need a sauce. It's that good.

 Whole30 Ketchup 

Whole30 Mayo

Whole30 Ranch

 And for Dawn. This is the Vegetti :) 

Tuesday Food Day Recipe #1 Poached Egg

 Poaching an egg!! Super hard sounding and super easy to do I swear. Eggs Benedict, crazy awesome pizza topper, or just over hash browns with some tomatoes and basil. You will be amazed at the things you can add a nicely done egg to. All will be meals you can get all show-offy about if you know how to do this. Don't feel bad, I learned last year. I just found the simplest way and added it to my cooking toolbox for life. Also, it makes you feel like the queen of brunch. Just add mimosas.

  First grab an egg.

Crack it into a small bowl or cup. This way you catch any shells and also it's so much easier to add to the water this way trust me. 

Wait for your pot of water to rapidly boil. Then TURN THE HEAT TO LOW. You want the water to be hot but also still. If the bubbles are rapid you'll have so much movement it will scramble your egg when you add it. And that's just gross egg soup. You pour your egg in when the water is calm and it will just sink into a pile and cook.

Wait till all the white is cooked. Only takes a couple minutes because the water is still hot. Then using a slotted spoon scoop the egg out. You will have some wispy egg whites floating around but that's normal and you just ignore those.

Top your prepared dish with it and a dash of salt and pepper. Voila!!!

Enjoy!

This was made using our farm fresh eggs right from our hens that day. The golden yolks are like a butter sauce and the whites are fully cooked and still have a fluffy texture. A poached egg has easily been my favorite thing to make with new home grown awesomeness. You can of course make more than one at a time in the same pot. I only do about four max because I end up overcooking them but that's me. You try it and see how you like yours!

Marinate on this.

 I have been kicking around this idea of adding some recipes and how-to video snippets to the bloggity blog. Food is a massive happiness hobby for me so it would be extra fun and uplifting to share. I like to think I am a pretty good cook and I know I have skills under my belt that my Granny taught me from back when cooking IS what a woman did full time. So, that being said, I would love to know what you want to cook. What do you want to know? What foods to you eat that you wish you could make? Give me some to start with. Make my Julia and Julia dream come true. I do think I will start with a simple way to poach an egg because I made a how-to for a friend a while ago and she was stoked! Thus making me want to do this even more.

 I think I will attempt to dedicate Tuesdays to Food and my Foodies!! So kick ass recipe posts can be anticipated. Requests needed! Ready Go!!