Quick yet satisfying meals are always popular but they’re even more so in our house with a toddler running around. This simple and fast Szechuan Shrimp has been in Sean’s family’s repertoires for years. He ate it a ton growing up and made it for us the other night. It was delicious! Get the recipe. Continue reading
Since chronicling Harrison’s foray into real foods the past 8 months, I’ve gotten many questions about Harrison’s meals and how we got him to eat so well and with such variety. Growing up, my brother was an extremely picker eater. My dad was always picky and later in life has gotten even worse. I’ve seen so many parents struggle and struggle and struggle with feeding their toddlers and kids anything but complete junk food. I knew I wanted a different way. We saw what Sean’s cousins did with their two kids – palate training – and were in awe when their nine-month old ate a vegetable curry from a market in London.
Ultimately, we had to have a plan. Our world has so much to do with food. Cooking is my hobby and passion and trying new foods is such an important experience for both me and Sean.
I was also concerned about nutrition and the addiction to sugar. It’s in EVERYTHING and 100% impossible to avoid. But I believed there had to be a way for a child to eat a variety of foods – not just the “beige foods” (bread, chicken fingers, french fries, macaroni and cheese, hotdogs, etc.) and sugar. Enter Palate Training. Continue reading
We’ve been making kombucha at home for a while now and felt like it was getting to the point where we’d like some objective feedback and to see if it’s in-demand. We’re not ready to sell it so the Atlanta Food Swap seemed like the perfect next step for us as we hone this craft beverage. Sean and I work together on all our batches of kombucha and think that our Lavender-Mint Kombucha is our best and most unique flavor to date. So that’s what’s going to the swap later today. I’ll probably update this post with a report on how it went, but wanted to get this up in case we had site visitors from the event today.
Welcome! Thanks for stopping by! If you’re interested in potentially ordering some kombucha, leave a comment. All kombucha is made-to-order and can take 1-2 weeks.
Update: The Swap Meet was great! There were all kinds of items from fresh produce to canned jams and jellies and handmade toys to spice blends. We got a lot of stuff and had a wonderful time meeting everyone and learning about their crafts and hobbies.
Sean and I try to go on a “date night” 3-4 times per month. It’s more than a quick dinner on Buford Highway – it’s planned out with reservations and is generally somewhere we have not been or something we haven’t done previously. This works great for us as a way to keep exploring Atlanta beyond our own favorites on Buford Highway.
One site I always check for fun and interesting date night ideas is Scoutmob and their “Hand-Picked” series. It goes beyond food to include activities, massages, music, museums, etc. and all for great prices. When I saw the Hand-Picked promotion for tea tastings at Zen Tea in downtown Chamblee, I knew it was perfect for date night. Continue reading
Because the bf and I had a couple of cheat days during this challenge, we extended it another couple of days to be sure we got in the full 21 days. I know this doesn’t really count because we still interrupted the gluten-free diet, but we did it anyway. The last week wasn’t really any harder than the previous weeks, and I found myself still feeling great in the afternoons – no crashes like I normally have with starchy foods. So, here’s how we ended up: Continue reading
The first few days of our gluten-free challenge have gone pretty smoothly. I planned out our lunches and dinners, as well as my snacks, so we’d have an easier time making the right choices.
On the first day we went to a local restaurant called Sun in My Belly and I regret to say I failed a little. I didn’t know it at the time, though. The bf and I each had a salad, and he had a pork chop with a sweet potato hash and greens. I ordered the mis-glazed salmon with marinated kale and cilantro couscous. I thought couscous was in the same vein as quinoa…oops! I discovered later that it’s made from semolina flour. I was disappointed that I made a mistake so early on in the challenge. However, I learned 2 main things from it: Continue reading
That’s right, I’m embarking on a “challenge.”
I’m often skeptical of challenges like these – after all, what really changes when it’s over? What keeps us from going back to exactly the way we were before? My friend Jesse, over at The Ripening, has been doing a series of 21-day challenges including going car-free, meditating, drinking only water, etc. This was very inspiring to me, especially when he described how the challenges DID stay with him. He rode his bike more often than before, would meditate frequently even if not daily, etc. Continue reading
The weather in Atlanta has been hotter in September than in any of our summer months, which has prolonged the desire for summer salads, cool drinks and grilled meats. Normally, we’d be switching over to fall foods, decor and clothing but with days filled with 90+-degree temperatures, we’re still able to swim and shoot the ‘Hooch!
Another thing we’re enjoying with the hot days is a cold soup, specifically my gazpacho. I first tried gazpacho in Spain, which is where this cold vegetable soup originated. I was 15 at the time and didn’t care much for it, but my tastes developed over time and now I love it – so I’m going to share my recipe with you. Continue reading