This weeks thoughts-

Budget cooking = more peace? nesting, and overheating KitchenAids

Writing this on the full moon, the Snow Moon, ‘micromoon’ at its farthest point from us- the end of the winter season, very grounding. This time of year always feels like the last push inward before life begins to bloom again, the last of the slowing down before the moon returns toward us and the days get longer. This week has definitely followed the theme…

I’m 26 weeks pregnant, almost 7 months. The nesting has begun in earnest- very much the ‘winter’ before the bloom of new life! Organizing and re-organizing- I spent most of the day today moving things around in the kitchen until there was an empty drawer ready for bottles and things, shuffling jars full of various herbs & tinctures until there was space for the KitchenAid mixer we bought yesterday. Nothing much changed but it feels like we have a whole new kitchen, it’s so satisfying!

Speaking of the Kitchen Aid- it’s weird. We’ve been increasingly choosing to let go of money stressors while simultaneously learning to budget better, make more from scratch, use what we have and need less. Investing in what we have. And suddenly it seems like there has been a shift. Like as we have been more careful with our energy, spending it more wisely, it has become more valuable, the little that we sow reaps so much back to us. We went to town to do *the big shop* (dun dun DUNNN queue major money fear opportunity) and just got so many little favors. Money showing up that we didn’t know we had. Things on sale that we’ve needed for ages. Friends with connects helping us out with good deals. And the freakin KitchenAid!! I’ve been wanting one for SO long but recently have been doing my best to bake and make from scratch regardless. It all just takes so long! When we went to town I just had this deep desire to get one even though they were a bit out of our price range for now and lo and behold, there it was- on sale!! Within budget!! So we just…got it! I felt like the fanciest woman alive.

Of course I used it for the first time tonight (on my first real attempt at some sourdough sandwich bread) and somehow it overheated and I had to knead the rest by hand so….not sure what the lesson is there haha but I’m pretty sure this is gonna be my first really successful loaf of bread yet!

On a similar note- grounding, sowing energy wisely- I’ve had a major return to budget and simple from scratch cooking lately. Our goal is to have a small farm one day and work toward self sufficiency- but we don’t have to wait for that to begin practicing sustainable eating. For a while I was getting super fancy with meals and buying lots of snacks & quick things because I felt the stress of ‘no time’. We weren’t prepping well and altogether it had us spending way more than we needed on food and feeling disconnected. Food- such a simple necessity. How does it become such a big deal?

We’ve all felt the pain of the grocery store lately- prices raising, cost of living literal insanity. It can feel so disempowering and frustrating when you’re just trying to feed your family and stay sane. I think all the noise around food (Pinterest boards, this diet or that, new and improved toddler snack ideas) can be so stressful. This week I’ve done a lot of delicious, simple cooking from the pantry and it’s made me think..

Our ancestors-and even grandparents, or so many cultures around the world (ahem, anyone watched Live to 100 on Netflix about the Blue Zones??) lived on such simple, powerful food. Through famines, depressions, rationing.

We’ve become kind of obsessed with food during the modern boom of the west. But some of the most nutritious (and delicious) foods are the cheapest and simplest. Beans and rice- staple food of SO many cultures. Beans make a complete protein when paired with rice, as do lentils. And they can be so diverse & delicious, it’s all about how you season them. We were introduced to Dal Bhat (lentil curry with rice) while volunteering in Nepal a few years ago. That country RUNS on this stuff and we felt the best we ever had eating it every day. Kandreas says he gained 20lbs of muscle in the 3 months we were there (while building houses in the heat every day) which is quite an achievement for him!

So this weeks recipe is just that- Dal Bhat for a cheap, simple meal to keep on hand when weeks feel sparse. Needless to say, also so so yummy.

Also, a little bonus recipe for you and a testament to what can be done with a few simple ingredients- my super duper extra favorite easy peasy cheap and quick BANANA BLENDERMUFFINS. The kind of recipe everyone needs to have in their back pocket for a busy Saturday morning or an evening craving-

I feel like I could write about this for hours, so many thoughts around the food system, relearning our relationship with eating, the beauty of simple making the celebratory and fancy even more glorious when we aren’t constantly doing the most. But I will leave you with this for now!

Perhaps as we go about life this week, eating, cooking, consuming social media…we can be mindful of what our body (and soul) really needs. Not overwhelming our tastebuds, stomachs and minds all the time…retraining ourselves to appreciate the simple and maybe releasing some undue stress in the process.

Much love family!