Saturday, I made another wonderful weekend breakfast. This time it was whole-grain dutch baby pancakes from batter that soaked overnight. (Recipe is from Sally Fallon’s cookbook, Nourishing Traditions.) After breakfast, we did a massive amount of work on our jungle—I mean the very neglected yard the previous owners left us. One of the unexpected benefits of staying in more is that our already-close family seems to be pulling together in ways we didn’t manage before. I’m not sure if it’s the added energy of cleaner eating, the extra practice we’re getting while cooperating to make meals and snacks and get them to the table each day, or if it’s simply the increase in quality time spent together at home. Whatever it is, and it’s probably a mix of all those things, I could really see it while we worked in the yard.
The weather was perfect and we were in it for much of the day. Mia played at putting grass clippings in cups, and pouring water from a watering can, while Brian chopped out stumps and I pulled weeds. Instead of feeling like it was a struggle to juggle taking care of Mia at the same time, it just naturally unfolded. Sometimes Brian took her in for a drink, sometimes I took her in to use the potty. And inbetween we got so much done, without one feeling the other was neglecting the baby or the work!
Knowing our limits and paying attention to our bodies helps keep us on track. It used to be that we would hit the yard and work for eight hours with barely a break. In the old days, we’d also finish our workday with a huge meal at local sandwich and pizza joint. With a child, that kind of excessive approach just isn’t feasible. And that’s a good thing. Lunch at home is much more restorative, and less disruptive of family time. And, we actually get more done when we take proper breaks! This weekend there was never any question that we would eat at home and doing so felt nearly effortless.
Mia went down for a nap at about 12:30 and instead of powering through more lawn work, we came inside, cooked lunch (Mia ate lunch too, but fell asleep too early to eat with us), and took a break. While Brian squeezed limes to make limeade, I made my new favorite weekend lunch: Chop House Salad. This salad is full of veggies from our CSA, and topped with currants, walnuts, boiled egg, cheese, and spicy grilled steak. One steak is usually enough for the whole salad and makes me think, “I’ll never get ripped off for $10 to $20-plus bucks at a steakhouse again!” There is no recipe, because it’s just made from what I have on hand. For dressing, I squeeze two lemons and whisk an equal amount of grape seed oil with about a teaspoon of celtic sea salt and twenty or so turns of my pepper grinder. Delicious! (Of course I forgot to take a picture, but I will add one next time).
A sign of our new level of family cooperation and participation in getting things done: Brian invented his own recipe this weekend! His Blueberry Limeade is definitely something I can recommend as an occasional sweet beverage. (We like it sweetened, but with a nice pucker factor.) It’s easy. Just juice two to three limes and whisk together with a tiny pinch of pure stevia* and about a teaspoon of honey or agave*. (Stevia is very sweet, so use sparingly to prevent a saccharine taste. You can also skip the other sweeteners and use stevia, but Brian likes just a touch of something else to keep away the stevia aftertaste.) In a mason jar, mix with about a cup of ice, a handful of frozen blueberries, and enough water to fill to about an inch below the rim. Put the lid on, shake, and then set aside to marinate for 15 minutes or so. Enjoy in a glass or straight from the Mason jar! (You can refrigerate for several days.)
With the windows open, and the breeze blowing through our house, we sat at the kitchen table and enjoyed our lunch in relative peace. Discussing our to-do list, we decided we had absolutely nowhere else we needed to be for the rest of the day! Mia had a really long nap, so after lunch Mama and Daddy got in some good alone time and a nap of their own, which is always a nice thing!
Sunday was family date night. It may sound ridiculous, but when we first went package free, I really wondered how we were going to manage situations that used to mean packaged snacks. However, we had lawn seats at Wolf Trap for Hippiefest (with Mitch Ryder, Rare Earth, Jack Bruce, and War), and because it’s a national park that allows you to bring in your own food and beverages, picnicking is part of the whole experience. Because it was an 8:00 show, I decided to make an early dinner at home (lemon and herb roasted chicken and fried yucca—a real treat!) and take only drinks, crackers and fruit as concert-time refreshment.
With easy homemade food the pre-concert meal no longer steals the show, and instead is more in balance with the whole experience. We sat on our quilt, sipping Brian’s blueberry limeade and watching Mia run around, dance, and play at tossing the beach ball back into the crowd. When she got tired, I put her in the sling and she snuggled up while we danced and grooved with the crowd. I couldn’t have been happier.
We got home, put Mia to bed, readied the oatmeal to soak overnight, started the culture (I want to try letting the bread rise overnight this time, so we’re feeding the culture at night), started the washer to wash a load of towels, and had a cup of tea before bed.
It was another perfect, package-free, weekend. (And now that Mia is done with Dragon Tales, I think it’s time for us to take a walk!)
*I am very cautious about sweeteners. In general, I dislike excessive use of sweeteners, and I define excess at far below what most people consume. I also dislike sugar substitutes, for a variety of reasons—mostly I think they keep our taste for sweets at a heightened level. That said, I do use sweetenrs sparingly, because everyone needs something sweet to drink or eat once in awhile. I prefer stevia straight from the plant, but I don’t have any this year, so I’m settling for pure powdered stevia. Agave is controversial. It’s low on the glycemic index, but acts like fructose as far as body fat is concerned. From what I’ve read, some professionals are concerned that women who are nursing or pregnant should limit or avoid stevia and agave; however, the same can be said of sugar. Other sweeteners I use include raw honey and maple syrup.
It was a great weekend. The perfect mix of hard physical labor and well-deserved relaxation. To get the mix on the limeade just right, squish the blueberries before shaking.
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