Scattered Sundays
Did any of you have one of those hook rug thingies when you were little? I remember sitting around at night watching Full House on TV and just hooking for hours.
Errrr, you know what I mean.
Do they make them anymore? Do the “cool” kids still do them? Back in my day…
Tell me I’m not the only parent who puts their kids in the trunk when they vacuum out the car…?
I volunteered this week at our church’s (for lack of a better term) soup kitchen. Our church is centrally located in the town and along the bus line. We host a full meal once a month, and other churches use our space to serve dinners weekly during the rest of the month.
There was a little 8-year-old girl there and I wanted to take her and her caregiver home and give them allllllll the homemade food. She was in a thin sweater and rain boots and it was really cold outside. I can’t imagine how many daily heartbreaks occur when you work in social work or other types of community outreach.
My ability to volunteer depends entirely on Troy’s work schedule. I’m looking forward to future opportunities but next time I am making Jack come too.
Hey, so it has come to my attention this week that my Facebook page got copied or something. If you got an invite to “like” my page, just ignore it. If you already liked the fake page, then go ahead and unfollow it. This link will take you to my actual Facebook page where we have all the fun and talk about soup.
Yes, I said fun!
And while we’re at it, if we’re not already connected on Instagram and Pinterest too, let’s be buddies! And if you aren’t already feeling smothered by me stalking you, go ahead and sign up for our email list too! You’ll get notified whenever a new post is live, AND you will get a free ebook.
Today marks day three of Troy and I doing our “no sugar and half our plate/bowls need to be full of veggies” March challenge. So far things are going fine, but knowing what I know, the “kill all the things” behavior is soon to come.
If totally eliminating a category of food doesn’t appeal to you, my girl Katie wrote an awesome article on how to practice mindfulness with food. It’s a great read so check it out.
The weather has been stunning here this past week. So sunny but pretty cold. Saturday was so lovely and we did our three favorite free activities: park, library, and baby chicks at the farm store.
Yes, Bennett’s shirt is on backwards. Three-year-olds like to dress themselves.
When I was a kid (back in my day you could buy a Jolly Rancher stick for $.10 and turn it into a shank) you could hold and snuggle the baby chicks at the feed store, but that is no more. I’m guessing it’s probably healthier for everyone to let the chicks be, but man I want to scoop up a bunch of fluff and just cry tears of joy. Instead, I eye snuggle the hell out of them.
If you’re in Palm Beach County Florida and have kiddos, check out my friend Kat’s amazing theater company, Black Dog Productions. They are offering spring and summer camps (and other amazing workshops) for kids ages 5-12.
Longtime readers of the blog may remember Kat as the mom of the cuties who got the Wonder Twins quilts I made. Kat is one of the most creative and amazing people I have ever met, and I know any kiddo will have a rad time with her theater company.
If you have thought about signing up for Butcher Box but are on the fence, March is the month to do it! For this month only, they’ve brought back their most popular offer ever – free ground beef for life. Yep.
Anyone who signs up this month will have two pounds of free-range organic ground beef added to their monthly order forever. How long? Forrrreeeeeever. <—-name that movie!
And, if you’re an ebates customer, Butcher Box qualifies you for a $2.50 rebate.
What I’m Listening to This Week
I’ve talked about how much I love the podcast How I Built This many times before. The host interviews successful founders of companies to find out all the steps they had to go through to build their businesses. It’s always fascinating.
This week I want to give a GIANT shout out to host Guy Raz for his interview of the founder of Jet Blue who has 10 kids. For the first time in the history of forever, a male was asked how he felt he could be a good father and a successful professional at the same time.
My head exploded and my heart instantly burst in appreciation for Guy. Women get asked this question ALL the time but it is just assumed that men don’t have to choose between being a good parent and good at work. Hearing the male founder of multiple successful companies have to answer that question was just the best.
THE BEST!
Comment/Review of the Week
This week’s comment highlight comes from Sarah who left a five-star review for our Blistered Shishito Peppers:
I set out to demolish this whole bowl by myself (1lb)… but it became a battle of him vs her. Luckily my husband grabbed some spicy ones and spicy food gives him the hiccups so, advantage me. I can only find the peppers at Costco this time of year, but we thoroughly enjoyed them!
Many thanks to my 9-year-old Jack for more successful hand modeling
On Sustainable Cooks This Week
Roasted Greek Chicken Thighs {Whole30, Paleo, Gluten-Free} – With fresh herbs and a bright lemony marinade, Roasted Greek Chicken Thighs and potatoes make an amazing weeknight dinner. Your favorite Mediterranean flavors come together in a meal prep dream dinner.
Mini Quiche Appetizers {Muffin Tin Quiche} – Perfect for make-ahead breakfasts or hors d’oeuvres, Mini Quiche Appetizers are always a hit! Easy to make and freeze, bake these delicious mini muffin tin quiche and store them in your freezer for months.
Whole30 Taco Seasoning (Paleo, Keto, Whole30, Vegan} – An uber simple Whole30 Taco Seasoning made with spices you probably already have in your spice cupboard! Cut out the junk and make your own delicious keto taco seasoning, low carb taco seasoning, and gluten-free taco seasoning.
The Five Most Popular Posts This Week
- Healthy Orange Chicken {Pin this}
- Virgin Mojito Recipe {Pin this}
- Best Ever Trader Joe’s Whole30 Shopping List {Pin this}
- Paleo Chicken Pot Pie Soup {Pin this}
- Healthier Fried Zucchini Chips {Pin this}
Meal Plan
Looking for someone to do the meal planning for you? I’m partnering with Real Plans to bring you personalized meal plans that fit all dietary needs. Try it yourself for free for 30 days.!
Monday:: Tacos, salad, and a little rice. We had these last week (I had to shoot photos for an upcoming post) and Bennett won’t stop asking for “tac-toes”. So, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Tuesday:: Chef salads per Jack’s request. He randomly discovered (after months of me telling to him to just freaking try them already) that he LOVES Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs. Kids man.
Wednesday:: Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana and salad. And yes, I’m making this soup simply because the photos are horrible and need to be updated.
Thursday:: Troy’s amazing burgers (using Butcher Box ground beef from our last order), air fryer garlic fries, and salad. I can’t wait for asparagus season so we can have grilled asparagus with our burgers. Drool!
Friday:: Popcorn, leftovers, and movie night.
Saturday:: We’ll be with family
Sunday:: On the road, so who knows.
What We Bought This Week
Smith Brother’s Farms: $19.97
If you’re in the Puget Sound area, get a $20 credit for signing up with Smith Brothers for their awesome home delivery.
Fred Meyer: $27.04
Trader Joe’s: $36.78
What are you having this week?
This post contains affiliate links and we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you if you click through and make a purchase. This allows me to continue to provide free content, and I only share products that I use and love myself.
We are working our way through the freezer meals I made prior to my surgery. We’ve loved 3 of the 4 so far.
I’ve considered many times volunteering at one of the soup kitchens, but I’m worried I’d break down.
I really wish I could get into podcasts. There are so many I want to listen to, but I hate the idea of 1. Being interrupted while I’m listening and 2. Having this stupid phone attached to me even more.
I took Bo to a farm store the other day, just to get us out of the house. He was fascinated with the chicks! I turned it into a training opportunity by helping him learn to ignore distractions. He did great! If we end up with a house, I’ll for sure be looking into adding 2 or 3 chickens back into the family. I miss our girls and their butt nuggets.
How is the freezer stash holding up?
What are you doing while the kiddo is with the horses? Could you listen to them then?
Good boy Bo!!!
The freezer meals are holding up well! We may be able to make them last until we move.
I usually bring Bo to the barn, but I could listen to them in the car on the way home. I just need to build the habit.
I know Mt Vernon or Burlington might be a drive for you but the chicks at the farm stores are free to touch with the help of a store employee. They even have cute little baby ducks sometimes too!
My mom used to get Smith bros delivery when I was little. I always thought it was so cool! As an adult, I’ve never lived within their delivery range 🙁
Yeah too far but I need to find some local fluff to snuggle soon!
You’re definitely out of their delivery range now!
Both my brother and I did the latch hook rugs! When we first moved into our home, the playroom was unfinished (they called it a “bonus room”) and the floor was cold concrete, so we had some latch hook Peanuts rugs to sit on. We made our own rugs, too, one was a square owl one that mom made one into a pillow and our littlest cat sat on it under my brother’s study lamp all. the. time.
Our week is so, so crazy this week, but I am going to try one new recipe on the night my husband is at a work function; it’s cashew chicken, which I’ve made before, but I’m using a recipe that doesn’t call for soy sauce since soy triggers migraines for me, or so it seems. The other nights it’s going to be easy stuff like burgers and chicken strips (not homemade, shame on me but see: easy).
I love that your hobby was also so functional!
Cashew chicken is one of my favorites! Are you going to use coconut aminos or liquid aminos instead of soy?
Yep, I found coconut aminos at Trader Joes (and Kroger now has their own brand of coconut aminos, so I have to cost analyze those to see which is cheapest). I’m going to try this recipe: https://strengthandsunshine.com/chinese-cashew-chicken-gluten-free-soy-free/
I really hate being a special snowflake, diet-wise; I’ve been gluten free for years now after a horrible season of depression and gut problems, dairy has always given me some issues, and now I’m finding that coffee, chocolate, bacon (BACON!!) and soy seem to make me more prone to migraines and just overall headachiness. I mean, I have a low-level headache most of the time, but I can live with it/ignore it, but a migraine puts me out of commission and I can’t afford it.
BACON?! Oh no, I’m so very sorry about that!!!
I’m not sure how much you love chocolate, but have you tried carob? I was recently sent a bunch of samples from a company and would be happy to send you some to try out. Email me at sarah@www.sustainablecooks.com with your address and I’ll get them sent out.
My friends with migraines have had good luck with magnesium supplements. Have you tried those?
Sarah, thanks! I emailed you. It’s not so much that I love chocolate (well, some chocolate I do, especially at Christmas time and Easter), it’s that I do not deal well with being TOLD I should not do or have something. Isn’t that a terrible personality flaw to have? I miss having hot cocoa most of all, it’s something we do in the winter when we go out to sled–we come home and have hot cocoa.
I loved latch hooking as a kid! They still sell the kits at craft stores, I bought one last summer.
Are they still super fun to do while you zone out?
I bought a yard of the latch hook fabric at Michaels a few years back to draw my own pattern on but I think my husband threw it away. You can find it on Amazon!
I can’t find shishito papers anywhere but never looked at Costco. Maybe they just don’t have them in Ohio.
Hollie, I live in Ohio and have seen shishito peppers at Trader Joe’s, if you have one nearby.
Oh wow, I never thought to make my own pattern!
Sadly, our Costco doesn’t have shishitos.
I am in Ohio and found them in Cincinnati Costco. We only have them for a month, maybe a month and a half.
latch hooking! I definitely spent a lot of time in the early 2000s doing those at home–used to be able to find them at Michael’s and AC Moore but I haven’t looked for them in awhile.
I remember it being so peaceful and meditative. It’s almost like the fuzzy version of adult coloring books.