I am please to say that I can now walk down the street in NYC! and pretty much every time see someone that I know. My daughter has an active group of little friends and my husband can see familiar faces at the playground. We’re cooking from scratch a lot more & I currently have a pot of soup, fresh muffins and a batch of yogurt going. There are worms eating our compost and a batch more of compost in the freezer for drop off at the farmers market. Two weeks in a row we’ve made it to the farmers market for milk & butter. I’m working on improving our park, finding space for a community garden, the harvest festival, the easter event, running our building parents group and taking care of my little one.

There is still tons more to work on but it is a shift that I’m proud of!

From a Well Traveled Woman

Just a bit late, I came across this “Get Real 2012″ challenge at Once a Month Mom Cooking. It is a year-long challenge to get yourself of a real food diet. Sign me up! I love that most of her cooking is done ahead of time & frozen. It is the perfect solution for a hungry toddler at 5.30PM.

Since I’m a little late, I need to jump quickly through January. Thankfully I’ve already been working on a bunch of these!

Week 1 – Inventory Your Pantry Need to replace pre made frozen food & snacks.
Week 2 – Hard Habits to Break Take a look at the ingredients in everything (strive for 5 or less).
Week 3 – Food, Inc. Watch the movie!
Week 4 – Sugars Switch to Organic Sucanat, Raw Honey & Pure Maple Syrup

She put together these AMAZING freeze ahead menus for January & February for 18 month olds. There is an adult whole foods version as well monthly. Cheddar Coins and Fish Stix are now in the freezer. I’m in love the printable freezer labels & grocery lists.

This might just be doable.

So here’s a modified version of the list for us to start working on! I’m copying it here so I remember but please go read her post instead!

Load/unload the dishwasher with supervision
Wash silverware (in a little basin)
Learn to use a sharp knife; grating
Practice pouring into a glass
Stir, pour, play with flour/dough, etc.
Spread butter on toast
Pick the leaves of kale, tear lettuce, spin in dryer
Shell peas
Scramble eggs
Unload groceries
Spray and wipe windows and bathroom walls
Wash tub with sponge and baking soda
Polish wooden toys/furniture
Hand me items from the laundry basket as I fold
Get napkins and silverware for table
Water plants
Learning to iron
Polishing silver
Help make bed

To make a long story short, I’ve been coupon-ing in an effort to save money. That is what you do – right? As it turns out, I’ve started to feel silly. The endless printing ($) and sorting (time), plus the tolls to get to the store and I get the feeling I’m ending out where I started. Plus, we always seem to bring home things we were’t planning on buying.

Then I came across this post. I don’t think I’d EVER be able to get us down to $250 a month and even she normally is $450. How does she propose do it? Instead of couponing, she is cooking from whole foods! That resonates! During the summer, my daughter and I eat mostly from our CSA. All that goes out the window during the winter – even though I’m splitting a winter share for the first time this year. Here’s another whole foods blog a family of four for $500 a month.

There seems to be quite a bit of interest in a buying club for the community. Let’s make it happen! Get me out of the grocery store.

Sites like this local lady are SO inspirational. Check out their diet! So starting today, I’m taking little steps to cut out the processed food from our diet. Another round of yogurt is in the making, pizza dough is in the freezer, granola is in the oven, soup in the crockpot and pasta for dinner in the fridge. Not bad for nap time!

Inspired by the Ted talk above this is my 2012 wish for us all.

“let ourselves be truly seen, love with our whole hearts, practice gratitude & joy and believe that we are enough.”

Thank you Julia.

Just a note to myself to remember that a simple and relaxed party works great! Ask people to help & potluck is wonderful. Oh and folks like the dip (which rocks since it was easy).

spinach artichoke dip
2 cups parmesan cheese

10oz box frozen spinach, thawed

14oz can artichoke hearts, drained

2/3 cup sour cream

1 cup cream cheese

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tsp garlic, minced

1. Thaw the spinach in the microwave and mix with the drained artichoke hearts in a casserole dish. mix in the cheese.
2. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave and combine with the sour cream, mayo and garlic. stir the cream mixture into the spinach and artichokes until everything is coated.
3. bake at 375 F for 20-30 minutes.

Thanks to Pete Bakes via pinterest

Instead of the planned running amuck, our holidays have become quite simple… trip to santa clause, a party with friends, a bit of family, a pile of clementines and a few decorations.  I think we have time for one last hurrah & I am planning a drive through of the holiday lights in Brooklyn this weekend!  Happy Holidays!