Kombucha

Y'all know I'm a teacher, right? So when I say "one of my moms" you know that I'm talking about a student's mom, right?

Okay, good. Glad that is cleared up.

One of my moms drinks kombucha every day. Have you heard about kombucha?

I hadn't, until Kid was about 5 months old (when school started). I had read an article or two that mentioned kombucha, but I didn't look into it beyond that.

Then I saw that one of my moms always had a bottle of kombucha with her. So I chatted with her about it. She says that, instead of buying a Starbucks every day, she buys a bottle of kombucha. Yep, it's about $5 per bottle.

And then, it some how got brought up at daycare one day. My daycare lady makes her own kombucha! Say what!?

If you don't know what it is, check out this article.

I'm brewing my own kombucha, kids. The daycare lady gave me a SCOBY, and I'm giving it a go. I don't really know that much about it, though. My husband was a little concerned that it was something for Kid. I reassured him that it was for me; Kid wouldn't be drinking any and I wouldn't make hubs drink any.

So. Here is what I have learned about brewing kombucha:

It is unbelievably easily. I made the tea. Added the SCOBY and starter. Covered the jar with towels. And it's been hands-off ever since.

It's weird. The SCOBY thing? Weird looking! It kind of looks like...chicken? Or a hunk of some sort of meat. But it is white-ish. Interesting.

I have yet to taste it, though. The daycare lady said that it would take a few tries to get it to my preferred taste. She adds fruit to hers. Again, interesting.

::Dinner Plans 11::

I'm finding myself at a bit of a loss this week. I feel as though this is becoming a pattern for me. One week, I am very excited about meal planning. The next week, I'm at a complete loss. I have no motivation to look for a new recipe or two. I have no desire to think about what I want to cook from memory (it is pretty cool that I have a few go-to dishes that I just know).

Maybe it's the super random weather we've had. On Friday, it rained AND snowed. Really!?

Okay, I guess it's not all that unusual. I do live in Minnesota, after all.

Maybe it's because I feel like I repeat myself over and over again. Chicken. Beef. Venison. Beef. Chicken. Venison. Chicken. Chicken. Pork. Seafood.

Or, maybe. Maybe I'm just in a mood.

Alright, kiddo, buck up. Everyone is there sometimes. It's life. It happens.

Chin up, butter cup and plan your meals.

Okay! Here we go!

(sometimes and "Okay, here we go!" is all I need)

Sunday: Baked Chicken with Mushrooms & Onions

Monday: Garlic Pepper Venison Steaks with Sauteed Vegetables

Tuesday: Salad Bar

Wednesday: Grilled Paninis

Thursday: Chicken Soup

Friday: Scrambled Eggs with Sweet Potato Hash

Saturday: Kid's Birthday Party! Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

See, that wasn't so bad now, was it?

I hope y'all have a wonderful week. I've finally made it to spring break, so this one will definitely be great!

{recetas} Venison & Asparagus Burgers

Last week, we had to stray a bit from the ::Dinner Plans:: because the dinner plans with Mootzie & Pa fell through. I had to whip something up pretty quickly!

And what I came up with was a HUGE success. The hubs, the guy that does not like asparagus, gobbled it up and went for seconds. I would have to say that is the best dinner time compliment there is. That, and saying, "This is better than my mom's." 

Mom always is the best cook, right?

(wrong...it totally depends on the mom!)

Venison & Asparagus

What you need:

1 lb ground venison (or ground whatever meat you want)

1 lb fresh asparagus

1 or 2 cloves minced garlic

minced onion flakes

4 tablespoons butter

sea salt

oregano

basil

4 eggs

What you do:

First, wash the asparagus and cut off the ends. Hold up. I have to back up already. First, start the grill (or ask the hubs to, because he likes to grill so much). Put your pound of meat into a glass bowl and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Not too much, or it will burn, burn, burn on the grill. Sprinkle in some dried onion flakes (maybe 2 teaspoons) and basil (2 teaspoons). Knead it all together and form your burger patties (we make 4 burgers from 1 lb of meat).

Now, wash and cut off the ends of the asparagus. Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the asparagus. As it is cooking over medium heat, add sea salt (1 teaspoon) and oregano (2 teaspoons). Stir the asparagus around occasionally. It's done when it is tender-crisp. Okay, really. It's done when you want it to be. Taste it and see if it is cooked to your liking. When the asparagus is done, put it on a plate in a warm oven. Leave the butter/garlic residue in the pan for the eggs.

Grill the burgers. We grill our burgers for about 7 minutes. A few minutes after starting the burgers, crack the eggs into the warm pan (keep the heat around medium). When the eggs are ready, flip them.

Place a bed of asparagus on each plate. Place the venison burger on top of the lettuce, and finally, add the egg. Okay. I got creative and added a few asparagus tops to the egg.

Have you ever watched Chopped? I was playing Chopped while "plating" so I had to add the asparagus.

((this moment))

((this moment))

A Friday ritual. A single moment - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember.

~SouleMama~

\\Thankful Thursday Vol 11//

I find that it is impossibly easy to get into a rut of negativity. And once you're there, it's hard to climb your way out. Writing down my thankfuls for each week has become a way to stay away from the negative. Feel free to leave your thankfuls in the comments.

This week, I am thankful for...

...our restored health. Both the hubs and I were battling some sort of bug that had us running to the bathroom far to frequently. We are finally feeling better, and are thankful for it. It's so easy to take for granted the time that you have in a day (even when you think you don't have any time). When you're sick, you realize how much time you actually have. And you miss it. It's so nice to be feeling healthy again!

...snowboarding. I haven't gone snowboarding in two seasons. WHAT?! For one season, I was pregnant. And this season, time just got away from me. And, the temperatures were often way too far below zero. But this weekend, THIS WEEKEND!, the hubs and I are going snowboarding. My sister will be watching Kid. The hubs and I will ride until we can ride no longer.

...family close by. I know I've said this time and time again. But my parents are out of town. And so is my brother. And, it just feels weird. I enjoy knowing that they are there. Just 10 minutes down the road. The world just doesn't feel right when they're off traveling and seeing the world.

First Year Photos

My big, big boy is turning one. In just over a week.

It is so hard to believe.

The time really does fly by.

The party planning has taken place, and now it is time to think about the photography. That's right. Kid is going to have a first birthday photo shoot with his mama.

Sorry, kid, we won't be paying for some fancy-schancy photographer. Mama's gonna do it.

I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I have made a board on pinterest, dedicate to the pictures I will be taking with Kid. My only job now is to start looking for the props.

Besides sales at Joann, Michael's, and the Hobby Lobby, do any of you have thoughts on where I can find some cheap props for the photos?

photo credits:

first birthday cheer

mirrors & cake*

balloons in the crib

the ultrasound**

happy birthday to me!

*Help! I could not find the source for this picture. I found it on Pinterest, but the pin doesn't go anywhere. If you know the source, please let me know so I can update and give proper credit!

**This picture is actually of a boy holding the ultrasound picture of his little brother. My thought is to have Kid hold his own ultrasound picture. Then, when he turns 2, we will take a picture of him holding this picture form his first birthday. Doesn't that sound fun!

Fiesta Food

I'm still digging the Fiesta Décor from my last fiesta post. I am now getting my ideas narrowed down and set in stone for the menu.

Ahh, I love Mexican food. I am so excited. And, on the plus side, the meat for the tacos/burritos can be done in the crock pot. SCORE! Seriously, the crock pot makes life so much easier.

the sources of all inspiration:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Doesn't all that up there look delicious!? Don't you want to come to Kid's fiesta?