Just a lonely little menu!

I love writing things I am passionate about or what is on my little mind when I post my menus but I am totally focused on getting my photo project up to date on here that I am just going to post my menu this week.  I am trying a new recipe with gnocchi this week.  I have never cooked with it...so I hoping that it goes well.  It's always so exciting yet scary to try new things in the kitchen.

MENU:

MONDAY:  Creamy Spring Asparagus Soup and Strawberry Spinach Salad (I sprinkled crumbled goat cheese on top of the salad)

TUESDAY:  Breakfast Burritos with black beans & kale

WEDNESDAY:  Out to dinner with some awesome family!

THURSDAY:  Homemade pizza with a green salad

FRIDAY:  leftovers

SATURDAY:  Picnic!!! Hummus & Veggie Wraps,  Parmesan Cheese Spread w/ baguette, and pineapple.

SUNDAY:  Kale Pesto Gnocchi **I am going to add organic cherry tomatoes and grated parmesan cheese to this recipe.**

What are you cooking this week?

Happy cooking!
Alyson

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” -Michael Pollan

365 Photo Project- February

I have been slowing organizing and getting my photos ready to update on here.  Trying SO hard to get all caught up with it, so that I can get back on track with posting my photos weekly.  February, March, and April were difficult to get photos daily with everything that was going on, including my husband traveling for work (and taking the camera with him).  So unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a photo every single day.  But I tried hard and that is all that I can hope for when being a busy mama.  Starting May 1st...I have done so much better with my photo project.

So I am still going to post the photos I took for February, March, and April.....each month get there own post.  Enjoy!

For my new readers.....click here to see what my photo project is all about!

February 1st, 2012
Garlic in our garden! 

February 2nd, 2012
My sweet loves playing on a nice winter day!  I love watching these two boys grow such an amazing bond.  It is by far the most amazing journey of my life!

February 3rd, 2012
Coffee!

February 6th, 2012
The husband and I were downtown taking pictures and a nice fireman let us check out the firetrucks.  It was such an awesome experience for the boys.

February 7th, 2012

My love day photo shoot with the boys.  All you need is love!  

February 8th, 2012

"If I have a monument in this world, it is my son."

-- Maya Angelou

February 9th, 2012

February 17th, 2012

A journey into the dryer! 

Unfortunately......we lost a memory card from a big chunk of this month.  MAJOR SAD FACE!  I was totally bummed when we figured this out.  But a great excuse to get our office organized in hopes to find it.  I will post them if I find them.  I hope you enjoyed the few that I posted.  

Thank you for all of you that have continued to support me in my journey as a blogger!  I have heard some pretty encouraging words lately from a lot of you and I truly appreciate it.  It is was keeps me doing what I love.  

Curveballs & Menus

You know when life throws those curve balls at you so hard that it hits you in the face!  That happened to us last week!  Totally throwing us for a loop!  It was emotional in every aspect that I can think of.  I am choosing to not share what exactly this curve ball is on my blog but just to write about our feelings on such life changing events.

When things happen in your life unexpected and throws things off a little there are two things you can do.....sit and dwell on the negative part of this circumstance or you can move forward and realize the good that is coming from the situation.   My husband and I have chosen to move forward.  Deep down we know how much of a blessing in disguise this was.  We were able to sit, reflect, and remind ourselves what our life intentions really are.   We are excited!  We revisited our major "goal list" again and we are ready!  With the world at our finger tips, we are ready to dance together in our next adventure with our boys on our backs!  For now we are remembering to celebrate....organic food, our world, and our family!!!!!

On to an important part of our life..... nourishing our soul and body!  Our weekly menu!  I made my own recipe last week!!!!!  I am SO excited to share it this week with you all!  I have played around with making my own recipes all the time but I finally made the time to write it down and be precise.  I love knowing exactly what I am putting in my families bodies.

MENU:

MONDAY: Grilled Salmon (freshly caught by my amazing brother), grilled asparagus, and grilled pineapple

TUESDAY:  Spinach-Ricotta Stuffed Shells and a fresh green salad.  Having my brother and sister in law and their precious new baby boy over for dinner.  They just moved here for the summer!

WEDNESDAY:  Vegetable stir fry over brown rice

THURSDAY:  Dinner with some girlfriends for my birthday!!!  My boys will have tuna pasta salad and homemade bread!

FRIDAY:  Big family backyard birthday fiesta with my family!  And lots of them.  We have a lot of my husband's family in town right now.  So we chose to get them all together to celebrate!  We are have a taco bar and a salsa bar!

SATURDAY:  Spring Pizza, salad, and steamed artichokes

SUNDAY:  Mother's Day Picnic with my family!  I am bringing goat cheese & crackers, homemade hummus & veggies, and making a Lemon Pound Cake!

What are you making this week?

Peacefully,
Alyson


"Peace comes from within.  Do not seek it without."  -Buddha

Forever......

About a month ago, I was rocking my sweet little Asher during the time he usually takes a nap. He was restless and having a hard time falling asleep.  My lullaby station was on Pandora softly in the room.  Nursing, rocking, massaging, singing, breathing....nothing was working that day to get this little one to rest.  I thought to myself..."he must just not need a nap today"...and I was just going to give up on nap time.  Then, on Pandora, came a song that I never really have listened to or at least paid attention to in the past....Lullaby by Dixie Chicks.  I looked down and those sweet little eyes looked up at me so heavy and moments later they were closed.  And off Asher went into dream land.  This song has now become part of our nap time rhythm.  Every time it comes on, seconds later he is fast asleep.

So I have come to love this song and the beautiful words that are sung.  I could have written them myself!  From the deepest part of me I know that my life began the moment I became a mother.  Life didn't even make sense to me until I took that first glance at my boys.  Every single thing I do....every breathe I take is for them!  Some people say not to lose yourself as a mother.....but I found myself as a mother.  I don't care if my clothes are out dated....my hair is a mess...my home is disordered....my makeup hasn't reached my face in days.....I am with my babies.  My babies need me now...in a few years they will start to become more independent.  They will start to go out into the world and explore it as their own.  I want to cherish and embrace this part of motherhood now!  

Their dada and I love them more than we can even grasp....more than words that can even be typed.  So all we can do today is promise that we are here for them NOW and tomorrow.  And that my husband and I will continue to fall deeply in love with each other and our children every single day and into forever!  Because deeply, truly, and honestly I believe that all we need is love!  

Peacefully,

Alyson

“When you moved, I felt squeezed with a wild infatuation and protectiveness. We are one. Nothing, not even death, can change that.” -Suzanne Finnamore

Menus & Farmers Markets

Last weekend my mom and I took my two boys down to the Portland Farmer's Market!  The sun was shining....which we DO NOT take for granted here!  The sun comes out and everyone erupts with smiles and energy!  It's fantastic!  The market was booming with happy people, which is amazing to have all this support for our local farmers.  The energy there is infectious!  I was able to get some radishes, onions, kale, carrots, leeks, and some beautiful fresh seasonal flowers.  I was giddy about all it!  I might be a nerd if I get giddy over fresh local veggies but I like that nerd part of me!  I took only a couple pictures as I was focused on my kiddos since it was a crowded adventure!

Last week I made a Spring Pizza that was to die for!!!!  I highly recommend making it before the asparagus season is over.  It was perfect with steamed artichokes or a micro green salad!  Here is our menu for this week.  I am trying a couple new recipes this week and I am very excited about them.  I will let you all know how they turn out.  It is just my littles and I for most of this week since my husband is traveling, so I will cook smaller portions!  Enjoy!

MENU:

MONDAY:  Vegetable Stir-fry over brown rice

TUESDAY-  Dinner with some close family friends

WEDNESDAY-  Tex-Mex Taco Salad (substituted the meat for brown rice)

THURSDAY- Egg Salad Sandwiches (omit mayo) and Beet & Avocado Salad with Fresh Mozzarella & Fennel.

FRIDAY-  Leftovers and a big green salad

SATURDAY-  Quinoa Burger and steamed broccoli

SUNDAY-  Family Picnic!!  Tuna pasta salad, homemade hummus and veggies, and pineapple

What is your favorite thing to get at your local Farmer's Market?

Peacefully,
Alyson

"Hug a farmer" 

Happy Earth Day

Today is set aside to celebrate the beauty that surronds us on our Mother Earth and the awareness that is made to protect her.  Though in my world I believe and practice that Earth Day should be everyday.  Everyday we should be doing something to make this world a cleaner and better place.  This goes beyond  today....this goes beyond just the acknowledgement that something needs to be done....it is about doing good and actually doing it in our everyday activities.  It doesn't have to be big huge changes every day, it is about just taking the strides to get to a more earth-friendly way of life....big or small!

My biggest motivation to protect our Mother Earth are my children.  I want to protect their future, their surroundings, their ability to enjoy and fall in love with the world around them.  They deserve to hike the trails, awe at the waterfalls, frolic in the meadows, ride on the mountain, swim in the lakes, fish in the rivers....they deserve what the Earth provides us.  If we don't protect it.....our children may not get these amazing incredible adventures.

Our Mother Earth is pretty spectacular and provides the perfect balance for us.  She deserves us to fight for her and to take the steps to allow her to heal.  We are all connected by our Mother Earth as a big family with one big home.  We need to pick up that big broom and sweep up the filth, the hate, the grim that is seeping into our beauty.  So....tred lightly my friends!  And get outside today and love on our planet!  Here is the link to my list that I put together last year....it is still a great list.  I am adding these great ideas along with it....

• Slow down....enjoy your surroundings....show your children the little details this Earth has provided us with.
• Visit a local farm.
• Make art from something that might have been thrown away.
• Turn off your lights!  Use candles!  
• Go out!  Explore!
• Most important....have fun with it all!

I am off to enjoy this beautiful sunny day with my children.  We are working on our garden, playing in the sun, attending our local Earth Day Celebration, and finishing the day with a delicious seasonal organic dinner with my family!  

source via Climbing-Up

Happy Earth Day!

-Alyson

‎"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." - Native American Proverb

Easter Celebrations & Menus

We were all over the board in our Spring & Easter celebrations.  My husband has been traveling a lot the past two months so he was gone for Easter and I went to Utah to help my sister in law have a baby.  So we had a family celebration at home and dyed eggs a week before Easter.  Then in Utah we had a small little family celebration.  Then back at home when daddy was with us...we had an egg hunt!  Haha....does that even make sense.

I love holidays, celebrations, birthdays, and gatherings because I believe it is important to gather with love ones for any reason at all!  And I love to reel in all the delicious food, love, and laughter that comes along with such celebrations.  So I had to make sure we were doing all the celebrating for Spring and Easter.  I could not get pictures for each celebration but I'm posting a few.

For the past two years we have dyed our eggs in all natural dye by boiling down different vegetables, spices, and teas.  We absolutely love doing it this way and we will never purchase store bought dye kit!   I believe it is way better for our bodies and our beautiful planet to stay away from these artificial dyes.  Ayden was very involved in every part of the work for this....from preparing the vegetables, to cooking them, to dying them, to eating them.  I think I enjoyed doing it with him just as much as he enjoyed doing it.

Yep....I totally put a bunny tail on my baby boy!  I think it is cute...he might not when he is a teenager!

Trying to get better at posting my menus.  I get such a great response when I do and I love sharing delicious, organic, healthy recipes.  We are looking forward to the season of copious amounts of fresh vegetables and fruits from our backyard, farms, and farmers markets!  

MENU:

MONDAY:  Tortellini Primavera

TUESDAY:  Out to dinner at a local Mediterran Restaurant

WEDNESDAY:  Fish tacos and black beans

THURSDAY:  Rice, Cheddar, & Spinach Pie and a fresh green salad

FRIDAY:  Spring Pizza and steamed artichokes

SATURDAY:  Baked salmon, Basil Brown Rice with Lemon & Peas, and Avocado Asparagus Tartine

SUNDAY- Family Earth Day Dinner at my parents.....we are attending our local Earth Day festival and the farmers markets this weekend to find some delicious local and organic edibles to cook up!

What are you cooking this week??

Peacefully, 

Alyson

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” - Virginia Woolf