Last week when I tried to make a Blueberry Flaugnarde, but it was a huge fail. So, I found a muffin recipe to hide the results in. Below is the recipe I followed other than the blueberries were no longer fresh and also contained some cream, honey, egg and vanilla.
Alas, during the last 5 minutes of the bake my “new” oven suddenly sparked inside and when I took a peek, the coil in the bottom of the oven was on fire (a small one) and broken apart.
Determined not to lose these muffins, I blew the fire out and continued to let them bake. The result, amazingly, was delicious! I can’t guarantee you’ll have the same results. I encourage you NOT to emulate my process!
The recipe:
1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour 3/4 c. sugar 1/2 t. salt 1/3 c. virgin coconut oil 2 t. baking powder 1 egg 1/3 c. milk 1 c. fresh blueberries 1/2 c sugar 1/3 c. all-purpose flour 1/4 c. butter, cubed 1-1/2 t. ground cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease muffin cups or tine with muffin liners.
Combine 1-1/2 c. flour, 3/4 c. sugar, salt and baking power. Place virgin coconut oil into a 1 cup measuring cup, add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 c. sugar, 1/3 c. flour, 1/4 c. butter, and 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Mix with fork and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.
This past year, I have really analyzed my time, who/what I give it to and how I continue to manage it. I’d like to share what I’ve learned as a busy, active, full-time work-at-home mom of 2 young kids in a single parent home.
Let me begin by saying, I LIKE to be busy and involved. I like being part of ideas and then implementing them into action. But, I like to say YES a lot, because I get passionate about things I believe in and find myself feeling a bit over taxed. So, really, I think this post is also about learning to say NO in a way that allows me time to think it through. It’s not just me, after all, that feels the affects of my decisions.
These DO’s and DON’T’s might seem small, but have had life changing side-effects for me. I feel in control of my time now.
DO NOTever, under any circumstance, unless I feel it with every bone in my body, make an on-the-spot commitment or plan that may require a schedule adjustment. (It’s critical with kids.)
DO say, “Thanks for thinking of me, let me check my schedule/calendar and get back to you on this.” (Stick to your guns, people are often shocked by this.)
DO NOT let someone else’s emergency become my emergency. Whether it’s poor planning on their part or just a fluke.
DO say, “I’m sorry I can’t help” or simply “No” if helping them out is going to cause a strain on my family.
DO NOT Let anyone drag me into a schedule comparing contest. Everyone’s calendar is full. I feel allowed to have a different comfort level and priority level of activity in my life.
DO feel it’s ok to say, “I’m too busy” or “This isn’t something that is going to fit into my schedule.”
One Golden Rule that will make it to 2012:
I do NOTHING extra on Mondays. The busiest day of my week (isn’t it everyone’s?!). I devote this day solely to my main job. I take no extra calls, no personal calls, no personal emails, no meetings, no lunches, nothing extra on Mondays. This includes just having a nice normal Monday night at home with my kids, having a nice normal meal that I cooked on the table, nice normal baths, nice normal bedtime routine. I calculated that if I let distractions side-step me on Mondays, I would waste 4 hours of work time and most likely return to work after the kids went to bed. Nose to the grindstone.
Bottom Line: We all must do what is right for ourselves.
Girls living in poverty are uniquely capable of creating a better future. But when a girl reaches adolescence, she comes to a crossroads.
Things can go one of two ways for her and for everyone around her.
FACT: Today, more than 600 million girls live in the developing world. The total global population of girls ages 10 to 24 — already the largest in history — is expected to peak in the next decade.
FACT: When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later and has 2.2 fewer children.
FACT: One girl in seven in developing countries marries before age 15. 38 percent marry before age 18.
I understand and believe in why we must invest in girls. And my initial reaction to watching this video was a little sobering and a feeling of ignorance. Not totally ignorant, because I know this is an issue even in our own country with impoverished adolescent girls. But, it was amazing to think about it all in context of what an effect educating and speaking to girls before they are 12 years old can have.
Take a moment, if you would, to learn more. Please share your reactions and please sign up to join us!
[Note: You do NOT have to be an expert to participate in the campaign. The campaign is about bloggers from all different fields writing about The Girl Effect ideas- sharing personal reactions, stories from your own experiences, questions, reflections. You do not need to be an expert on these issues!]
Where are you planning for your feet to take you this year?
I continue to strive to get back up to 4 miles/day walking outdoors while the weather lasts!
I don’t have any training plans or races that I am planning to participate in. I’m mostly just planning on keeping a diverse exercise routine a part of my life.
Whether it’s bare feet during my yoga practice
(Note: Actual photo from @SoundMethodYoga photo shoot! A pleasure to be part of this experience & get to snap a quick picture of her atop a hay bale in a cornfield in Nebraska. Gorgeous!)
fast & furious feet for Zumba
or steady & quick feet for walking,
I just want to be sure to keep them moving and daily!
This recipe is a great example of how cooking healthy, nutrient dense foods at home is actually just as easy, if not easier, than using processed foods or going out to eat.
Due to my location, “organic” isn’t always available. But, I can still be selective and have sources that I trust. Sometimes they amaze me.
For example, I can purchase frozen wild-caught Alaskan Blue Hake right off a truck that comes to my door. The asparagus is also not organic or even fresh, but nutritious and chock full of vitamins (pronounced vee-tah-mins a-la Molly Shannon) for my kiddos. It’s also just pennies per serving, took less than a half an hour to make, and gluten free!
I threw some of the frozen fish fillets in a glass pan and drizzled a bit of Virgin Coconut Oil over the top. Sprinkled Lemon & Pepper Seasoning, Turmeric, Minced Onion and Himalayan Salt over it as well. Baked at 350 F for about 20-30 min.
Then in a hot wok, I pan fried the frozen asparagus spears and sun-dried tomatoes. The tomatoes were marinated in a little bit of olive oil that I used for frying. Maybe 8 minutes total.
Here’s something fancy that I tried to do for the kids and it was an epic fail.
It didn’t even photograph well! It was supposed to be this tasty Flaugnarde with roasted berries. It was mostly that.
But, I got all cocky thinking I could make a substitution on something I have NEVER tried to make. As you can see, I got out some cute ramekins and put fresh whip cream on it. But, the kids knew it sucked.
As they say, two out of three ain’t bad. I did end up taking what was left of the berries and transforming them into these last night. (A small kitchen fire ensued...)
I made it through 12 days of the 2 week challenge. I didn’t miss a workout, I was devoted, dedicated and overcame my fears of how much it was going to suck. And, in the immortal words of Nike, “Just Do It.”
The last two days fell on an extremely busy weekend, with no personal time to set aside. (Working on that…) I even got the double workout in after an extremely late girls night, before I had to work a full day on Saturday, then rush off out of town for a dear friend’s wedding. This is something I would have never done in the past, I would have forfeited the workout to pamper myself because I was oh, so tired.
But, as it turned out, I had commitments the entire day on Sunday. Earlier in the day, I volunteered at Nebraska’s largest car show in my hometown. The theatre board I serve on was hosting a margarita (and beer) garden. As well as, some extra travel I was not expecting. I snagged up my kids, then home for all of us to collapse in our beds late Sunday night.
I’m pretty proud of myself that Sunday was what stood in my way. I was very aware of the fact I was not going to get my workout in and I noticed that even though I was surrounded by poor food and drink choices, I kept pretty well in check because of that fact.
Did I mention this 2 Week Challenge Workout was developed by Grunt Style, a U.S. Army Drill Sargent?! That in itself blows my mind, I have NEVER ever done anything like this.
This week’s question: How are you planning to change up your workout as summer ends?
I’d like to pick back up to 4 miles per day with walking again, now that I am finished with this challenge. I never tire of it and I challenge myself each time. I’m aware that the weather allowing for this in Nebraska will be very short-lived, so I’ve got myself signed up for a second round of Zumba (fun, fun, fun) and I have a line on two yoga studios that I love, Blue Yoga and Sound Method.
I’m looking forward to changing it up a bit, getting back to enjoying it and get over this grueling hump! I consistently have trouble keeping to a set routine, so I’m constantly finding ways to “trick” myself at the spur of the moment and creating more of those opportunities for myself.
So, the results of the challenge…
I don’t have a toes on the scale photo of my weight, but I will say that I lost a total of 5 inches overall throughout the course of those 12 days and that is pretty freaking awesome!
Hope you all have a great week! Would love to hear some tips, ideas, or best practices on how you fit those opportunities into your day, without weighing down a full schedule.
I’ve been following and supportive of opposing this issue for the better part of a year, but I’d like share with you why I stand with landowners like Randy on opposing Transcanada’s proposed Keystone XL Pipeline.
And regardless of your feelings about Big Oil, regardless of your political affiliation and regardless of your love (or lack of) for the environment, this is a cause I feel deserves to be given some light.
When I first heard about the activism behind this issue, I was outraged. The more I learned about it, the more important it felt for me to try to stay informed. I can’t always participate in the efforts to shed light on the situation or put pressure on state government. Activism itself isn’t my style, but this is an issue that I can’t help but try to assist by being a megaphone to inform people.
In a nutshell, here are the major issues I have with this proposed pipeline:
The Nebraska Sandhills and the Ogallala Aquifer
This is an ecological disaster waiting to happen. We need to protect our land and water at all costs. The Sandhills are a fragile ecosystem that cannot withstand the weight of the equipment needed to install the pipeline and is not the same as soil when it comes to an oil spill. Add the fact that this pipeline will sit directly above the world’s largest underground lake, the Ogallala Aquifer.
Nebraska draws 80% of our drinking and irrigation water from the aquifer, it supports our largest industry, agriculture. We need to protect our way of life for generations to come. Yes, they say they will clean it up.
Here’s what a tar sands oil spill clean up in Michigan looks like 14 months later:
Eminent domain and the threats against landowners by a foreign company.
No foreign entity has the legal right to threaten landowners or present information in a way that provides “no other choice” to landowners in the freest country in the world. Period. We, as Americans, should not tolerate it.
The lack of state regulations to control the situation and the lack of leadership from our governor who denies that he can do what other states can and do to protect their land.
Already other states have implemented regulations to attempt to control situations resulting from a pipeline being built in their state, proactively anticipating issues. Why is our state government ok with lying down and letting them do what they want? Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman has repeatedly denied there is anything he can do. He has continually maintained there are only 2 people who can stop this pipeline: President Obama and Sec. Clinton. It wasn’t until Republican Senator Mike Johanns had spoken out for months wanting more information, did he finally concede with one weak attempt to ask Obama to deny the pipeline.
Promise of jobs
Nebraskans, I ask you to please not fall for this. This is like “No new taxes” and “Economic Development” during elections. Unless, of course, you support the building of as many pipelines across the state as Transcanada wants. We have businesses in Omaha chomping at the bit saying this project is “shovel ready.” The jobs will be short-term in terms of constructing and installing the pipeline. Then, guess what? These workers will be displaced and unneeded as Transcanada can monitor oil spills remotely – yet somehow promise to react quickly.
Claims of increased national security
Frankly, the more I read this one, the more I don’t understand it. NAFTA and other trade agreements strengthen our relationship with Canada. Both countries governments are responsible for strengthening our relationship with Canada. It seems a little sinister and Big Oil related to me, but we should be exploring partnerships for alternative energy sources as the 5th windiest in the nation. This would be considered more of a sustainable future interest for our state.
The oil isn’t for the U.S. and doesn’t decrease our dependency on foreign oil.
TransCanada has plans to get access to all of our ports so they can sell oil to other countries. China is often cited as the country that wants the oil. Canada also has regulations in place around greenhouse gas emissions and tribal land that prohibit TransCanada from refining and shipping tarsands from their ports.
Bold Nebraska has continued to be THE source for information in Nebraska about this issue. I encourage you to check out the numerous resources they list HERE. But, I also encourage you to do your own research.
Please contact Gov. Heinemann, Speaker Flood or your state senator to ask for a special session addressing the lack of Nebraska legislation and oil pipeline regulation.
Ahhhh…look at it. Isn’t it beautiful? Ok, maybe not really. I rent, so it’s not as pretty as it would be if it were truly mine. But, I have to say this was single-handedly one of the best decisions I made this summer: Hiring a Lawn Service.
I had to face it, a single mom has to be it all and do it all. My kids are gone most weekends, so every moment we have during the week is very important to me. I have to create time in the middle of the week to spare with them. Pretend Thursday night is our Friday night. Use the weekends to play catch up on the laundry and everything else that needs to wait while I work full-time. Anything that gets in the way of me enjoying this short time of them being small goes to the weekend. I also do my own downtime then.
This lawn thing was really stressing me out.
It’s just about an hour to do. But, it’s hard to come to the realization you can’t do it all. Especially for me.
I can do anything!I am woman, hear me roar.
I’ll fight anyone tooth and nail who holds my gender against me. Which happens more often than I care to admit in rural Nebraska.
For example, the male neighbors who all sat there and literally watched me in pairs each weekend struggle with my dying mower engine that is about ready to explode because I’m not really mowing grass in some spots, it’s thick weeds and crab grass.
Cruising by on their riders and tractors, avoiding eye contact.
The same ones who watch that same dying mower struggle with a huge mole infestation that my landlord won’t address and I refuse to keep complaining. Fine. You want a destroyed yard? You got it. I’m constantly sensing they are thinking I wouldn’t have this problem if I still had a man around.
Wrong – I always took care of the lawn and garden you old fashioned pukes. So, stick it.
I’m feisty like that.
Anyway, I digress. The important thing here is that I just love the look of a freshly mowed yard, that satisfaction of having it look nice. The thought of, “This place isn’t so bad, it’s kind of cute” when it is actually mowed.
My lawn service does a better job of it than I ever did. They have an edger, better equipment and they bag it to take away with them. Awesomeness.
I think I will sit out on my front porch later tonight to admire it under the big Nebraska sky, with a sweatshirt on, enjoying some of that cool, Canadian air that made it down here this week. Yes.
This is my 4 year old daughter’s favorite recipe. She took the recipe to school. She brought them to Sunday School. She brought them to the neighbors. When she found out I was making them last night, she started screaming, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
Combine ingredients and press into a 15x10x1 pan. Bake at 425 F for 15-17 minutes. Should be golden brown. Cool for about 5 minutes and then cut into bars. Remove from pan when completely cooled. I store these in a container. These are easily made gluten free as well, depending on your stance on oats.
Variations:
Instead of the figs, try walnuts, almonds, raisins, chocolate chips, or mini M&M’s.
Instead of orange marmalade, try raw honey or any other favorite jam.
Instead of chia seeds, try toasted ground flax seed.
Here is her standard reaction to these treats:
Although, I have to admit, this one was taken on Husker game day last weekend. But, this just shows you how excited she gets!
Actually, both the kids love these and they can be packed with as many nutrients as you’d like. I don’t feel bad if this is the only thing we have time for breakfast and they can wash it down with a quick glass of milk before dashing out to the bus stop. I like these for a filling, but not heavy breakfast or for a snack when I want some crunchy, chewy and a little sweet.
So, we’ve all heard the expression that chivalry is dead, but what about courtesy and consideration?
I don’t usually write about things I feel I am “whining” about in my life, but this has been on my mind the past few weeks. A couple of instances have arisen recently where I felt as though people were being really inconsiderate. Nothing life shattering, but later felt either left out, hurt or holding the bag, so to speak.
Instantly, I feel like an afterthought or that I’m thought less of. And usually, when I am disappointed, I try to decide whether or not I’ve had some unrealistic expectation. Since, that is where I feel that ultimately disappointment comes from. I like to make sure I’m living in reality as much as possible.
But, am I considerate and courteous? I would really like to think so. Often I would like to think that I would like to have the opportunity to make a decision about whether or not I would enjoy something. Not have someone else decide for me that I wouldn’t enjoy it and not even extend the invitation. Or how they would feel if they were treated the same way they just treated me.
I’ve talked about my sharp tongue. And boy, I realize that I have misspoken to people. But, I feel like following that up with an apology or meaningful conversation is better than not even thinking of someone at all or how they would love to just feel appreciated.
In remedy of this occurring in my life, I’m going to make a conscious effort to not get caught up in the drama of it all. I’m not going to keep a mental list and then use it against someone the first chance I get.
Instead, I’m going to focus on making sure I’m living up to my own expectations. Making that extra effort to send a thank you to someone, or reaching out to a friend that I know might need it. Not saying, “Oh, I really should do that…”
Maybe it’s not enough to have good intentions. If courtesy and consideration are dying, perhaps I can do my part to keep it alive, by putting it back out into the world. And as for chivalry? I’m sure I’ve seen it around.
When was the last time you got new workout shoes? What do you use them for?
And I got to thinking about some recent purchases. I think somewhere along the last 15 years, I lost my girly-ness. I don’t know how it happened and I’m sure I would hate the psychology of exploring what was behind it, but what’s important is that last year I purchased myself a brand new pair of work out shoes for a Zumba class I had coming up. And I’m not sure if I’d purchased anything with the color pink on it for myself in decades.
I had a pair of Sketcher Shape Up’s that I loved for walking, but knew the platform on them would be detrimental to Zumba, so I opted for this pair that I ended up loving for walking & everything in between. Love the air soles, even if they make a bit of a weird noise at times. I have covered a lot of ground with these bad boys: my first two 5k’s, miles and miles of walking in my hometown, hiking while camping and just sporting them with jeans when I know I’ll be doing a lot of walking.
These have single-handedly been the most valuable piece of fitness equipment I own.
And every couple of years, I have to make a new funky shoe purchase. I have always had at least 1 pair of funky shoes I love. I’ve worn a lot of low and high top Converses. Recently, I had these awesome black & floral printed, slip-on Vans that I wore into the ground during the elections last fall when I did a lot of walking. So, this year they were replaced with these. One of my BFF’s was like, “What is that, velcro?!” Yep, three whole fun straps!
Most significantly, and this is where the losing my girly-ness comes into play, is that I picked up these three awesome pairs of heels to replace no pairs of heels in my wardrobe. I did have a pair of black wedges I’ve worn for 3-4 years, but nothing fun.
The red ones are fun, I actually had someone lean over at a conference as we were getting ready to switch sessions and touch them. “Just wanted to feel those!” And the black ones are the most comfortable pair of shoes I’ve ever worn, I highly recommend Aerosoles.
I know so many women with shoe fetishes and pairs upon pairs of shoes. But, in my late 20’s I cleaned out my closet at one point and then never replaced anything. So, this was pretty significant for me and kind of fun to explore my girly-ness again.
By the way, I’m participating in the #2WeekChallenge! It’s kicking my a$$ and I’m going to reserve my actual weight loss for the end of the 2 weeks. My clothes are already fitting better after 5 days!
Imagine what you believe to be the impossible without limits.
A good exercise would be to write down what’s stopping you and determining what it would actually take to make it happen. It might not be as hard as you have built it up to be.
Don’t let your dreams be squashed by hurdles in your mind or by others’ negative thoughts.
This past summer, I felt like I was completely derailed.
Working full-time from home, with two kids on summer vacation, filling in with summer activities, and me being very civicly involved, left me wasted at the end of most days. To top it off, I became a single mom. And for the first time, I was learning to truly “juggle it all.”
By the end of the summer, though, I settled into the new chaotic routine. Having patience and a desire to organize our time better helped.
I’ve had to scale back on some of my involvement with outside activities, but it’s worth it to be able to have quality time with my kids when I have them (vs. me being very frazzled) and being able to snag up some time for myself to recommit to fitness.
Since I live in rural Nebraska, my options are a bit more limited in terms of being able to mix things up. I get bored easily with gyms. I was thrilled to findBlue Yoga, only 30 miles from me. After I attended my first class there, I felt proud of myself (not guilty) for getting back to making time for me a priority. I anxiously await the fall Zumba class to get some more movement into my life as well. Plus, what a blast!
The best thing I did for myself this summer as we prepared to go back to school is physically organize my work space. I feel that went miles in helping me feel like the rest of my life was organized. This meant rearranging to make the space more usable, buying shelving and post-it pads for making lists. I live my life by list making and get such a sense of accomplishment when I cross that last thing off my list each day!
My go-to tips for staying organized are definitely making realistic lists and getting everything on a calendar that I look at each day to work from.
I was upset with myself for taking that time off this summer and gaining some of the weight back that I had worked so hard to lose. But, I find now, I needed that time. Now that I’ve worked through this period of change, it’s time to move on and get back into the swing of things.
Located a block or two north of the historical district in downtown Fremont, NE, Blue Bottle Coffeehouse is located inside a gorgeous, historical old building full of character itself. Blue Yoga offers classes inside this same location.
Gosh, I loved this place. From the very first time I set foot inside the door I thought, “Now this place is interesting!” I had found a deal on Living Social and usually the deals are all about 70 miles from me in Omaha. I live in rural Nebraska so I jumped at the chance to take advantage of yoga classes only 30 miles from me.
The owner is of Polish descent and when choosing the name for her coffeehouse, she remembered a story about a Polish man who opened the first coffeehouse in Vienna named the Blue Bottle. It stuck with her and she couldn’t think of a more appropriate name for her own coffeehouse.
Their delicious coffee beans are locally roasted in Lincoln, NE, mostly organic. They make a true macchiato and their selection of fair-trade loose leaf teas is amazing! It’s very unique to find loose leaf teas here at all. I’m not sure why I was drawn to it, but decided to try their Phoenix Pearl. It’s a less strong tea, with a unique, almost perfume flavor. I equate it to drinking flowers, it’s unusual and pleasant. I wasn’t sure I would try it again, but on the second visit, there I was asking for it!
As you can see from the photos I snapped, it was a gorgeous sunny day. You can see the sun shining in and lighting up the blue bottles that line these beautiful old, leaded glass windows.
The sunshine literally pours into this place in the early afternoons. Here is a shot of one of the three rooms customers to the coffeehouse can enjoy while they sip coffee and tea or eat any of the fine baked goods. The space and atmosphere of this place is amazing.
And here is a snapshot of the Blue Yoga classroom. The whole reason I came to this place. It reminded me so much of the yoga school I had first taken yoga at in the Old Market Passageway in Omaha years ago and it was so comfortable and inviting.
I can’t wait to spend more time here and looking forward to enjoying more yoga here as well!
Conveniently located right off of Broad St/Highway 77, it’s along a major highway leading through that I imagine many Nebraskans drive right by this place perhaps without knowing what an awesome stop, meeting place or collaboration point this is!
But, the wonderful people inside alone are worth stopping in to say hello to. I really can’t recall the last time I felt so immediately friendly with people I had just met. (Ok, well, there was this one time where I knocked on doors during the mid-term election campaigns, but that is for another post.)
Visit their website or Facebook page for hours and make a point to check this place out!
This question was posed over on Slightly Off Kilter this week and it stuck with me.
It so reminded me of this plaque that used to hang on my mother’s office wall. I remember looking at it and reading it as a kid.
Wondering if I’d ever have a friend like that. Someone I could dare to be myself with, someone I could have a naked soul with or breathe freely with.
(Click on the image to enlarge)
Pretty deep stuff for a kid.
I left this laying on the counter after snapping a picture of it and I found my 7 year old son intensely reading it as well. So I began to wonder, do I have a friend like that and am I that type of friend for someone?
I think so. Maybe even a couple.
My favorite friends are the ones you just pick right up where you left off with each other, no matter how long it’s been or if you’ve kept in contact or what either of you’ve been through. (In some cases, hopefully you’ve both matured.)
I hope you’re thinking of your friends this Friday wherever you are and hope you at least have one real friend in your life. We all need at least one with whom we can not hold back and be genuine with.
I love surprises and I came home yesterday to a nice one in my kitchen. A gardener friend of mine left me an ice cream bucket filled with green beans, peppers, some tomatoes and Swiss chard.
The kids helped me break the beans in half and then I simmered them in a large pan on the stove in water, minced onion and salt for about 30 minutes. I then added 1 T. of apple cider vinegar and 2-3 T of butter.
I let them cool and put them in a container to store overnight in the fridge. (p.s. thought I would have enough for 2 or 3 meals, but we gobbled them up, they were so vary tasty! I think there is 1 small serving left.)
For a little pre-dinner munching, I cut up the four different kinds of peppers. Aren’t they pretty? The darkest one is a chocolate pepper.
I thinly sliced a layer of potatoes and lined the bottom of a greased 9x13 glass pan with them. Added pan seared pork chops fried in a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil, covering each chop in a bit of my Rhubarb BBQ Sauce. And adding the 2-3 lbs of green beans on top. I covered the pan with aluminum foil and baked at 350 for an hour. Served with apple sauce with a bit of cinnamon.
Perfect. Simple, elegant, healthy, real foods. Costing pennies to make. (And probably less, since mine was free!) To top it off, the kids always appreciate and love these types of meals, too.
What are you digging from your (or friends’) gardens or farmers markets this season?
