Food Again

Every spring I think I talk about how excited I get for fresh, home grown, hand picked food. After the winter months and comfort foods, I crave those light meals that we foraged for in some way or another. But this year is especially celebratory for me, being as how I loathed our poor, unsuspecting garden last year. The fresh spinach that poked itself through was no competition for a pregnant woman with food aversions and weird cravings. Don't get me wrong. I wanted salads. Just not ours. Chris stared at me in disbelief when I insisted that the only thing I could stomach at the moment was a salad from Wendy's. He gently reminded me that we had an entire garden to make a lovely salad. I not so gently told him where to go and I drove myself to the drive through and shamefully ate days old salad.

As we progressed through the summer and my pregnancy got worse and worse, I didn't even go to the garden. I didn't care and was sick of the guilt. It was too much work for food I didn't want.

But here we are again...a new spring...Eliza Kate is on the outside and I am back to myself. I am ready for spring meals. This winter was a bit of an exception food wise with friends, family, and church members providing our meals. They were absolutely wonderful. And not having to cook for three months was a little nice too. We were brought hot soups, warm pastas, Indian food, and countless other foods that comforted my breastfeeding self. Comfort in the sense that I can now out eat Chris and still not feel full. Two weeks ago I made a 9 x 13 dish of sweet potatoes and apples and between the two of us we polished it off in one sitting. Or should I say I polished it off? I did. I like guiltless eating and will take advantage of it as long as I can.

Anyway, back to spring. I'm not much of a food blogger but I was so proud of my little meal that I decided to take pictures. Proud, not because this food is anything exceptional, but proud because I somehow found the time and energy to prepare an entire meal from scratch. I'm not claiming that it was done in anyway gracefully. Most things I do anymore aren't graceful. It's a juggling act of doing snippets here and there between preschool, diaper changes, laundry, timeouts, playdates, and the occasional night where the entire family is somehow awake at the same time. I may not have grace, but I have a sense of humor which gets me by.

Anyway, back to food. Here are a few pics of our "made from scratch" meal. I'm documenting this because it is pretty and it might not happen again for a long time...

Fresh greens with pears, walnuts, and homemade vinaigrette

Bacon, asparagus quiche

(Chris and Isis collected asparagus from nearby fields)

Rhubarb muffins drizzled with honey

And while dinner was looking extra pretty this particular night..

...our children were not. With a three year old, a five month old, and life...I'm learning to pick my battles. This time, dinner won.