my happy little life

when i've been eating not so great:

i spend some time on favorite foodie sites

 poring over beautiful styling and photography.

it helps me make better choices that day/

want to menu plan + shop + cook whole food meals.

1. whole living:

2. sprouted kitchen:

3. honey and jam:

4. what katie ate:

and, a cow:

i had to end the whole food inspiration

with this beautiful bovine.

happy, grazing in grass, out in the sun.

i am a huge believer in/ supporter of

real milk dairies- whole, raw milk is all we drink.

(well, and almond milk).

read about the campaign here.

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lots more whole food blog links on my side bar.

am i missing one you love? do share.

lately,

i've become obsessed with the idea of being a world class bread maker. my sister lent me her whisper mill for a couple years while they are abroad, whereas i used to have to hand-crank my wheat (not so much fun and kept me from making our bread a lot). but now i am committed to never buying bread. i am so excited to master all my favorites (and am prepared for this to take lots of years). i mean, i want to get really, really good. rye, pumpernickel, sprouted grain, french, sourdough. oh especially sourdough. i really love me some sourdough. i bought this cute little old starter yesterday from old mrs. seal.

and as we speak it is out on the porch frothing into a sponge. when it is ready to go this afternoon i will start the experimenting with recipes to find a good, no great, no perfect, wheat san fransico style loaf to go with some clam chowder, or an omelet. mmmmmmmm. i love to bake even more than i like to cook, and mastering bread just seems like, well, it for a baker, don't you think?

ps- this has been a life-long goal of mine that i am finally making time to work on. here i am at 10 with my first loaves of french bread made all by myself. maybe i will re-create this pose, complete with 80s hair and puffy painted sweatshirt, after my first loaves of sourdough that work. what do you think? wish me luck!

grant cleaned out and refilled the pool

grant and kelly kebabs

soak wooden skewers for at least 30 minutes in cool water. meanwhile wash and cut up zucchini, peppers of all colors, red onion, and pineapple. wash whole mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. cut desired meat into chunks. make marinade:

2 C real mayo

2 T peanut butter

2 T soy sauce

2 T bbq sauce

assemble skewers and cover heavily in marinade. put in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. meanwhile, make brown rice and more marinade for dipping sauce. grill!

oh jamie oliver, i love you

he's just my favorite. we wish his cooking show was on food network more- we miss him and have had to watch way too much tyler's ultimate lately. grant in the kitchen reminds me of a mix of jamie and tyler, come to think of it. grant's a really good little slicer and dicer. (speaking of grant cooking, i'll show you his amazing kebabs tomorrow. he got a new grill as an early father's day gift and has been feeding us well).

but back to jamie. besides our love of his kitchen gardening ways, and that cute lispy accent, i'm a huge fan of his food revolution passion. i believe completely in what he is trying to do. teach your kids to cook at home! eat whole foods! fight those horrid school lunches! seriously, watch this. what a guy.

but what got me thinking about jamie this morning was looking at his cooking and storage and entertaining products, good gracious they are beautiful. i've been buying more and more from the bulk bins, as well as making more things at home i store in jars like granolas and crackers, etc. making jars overtake my pantry- so this organized pretty system really appeals to me. and i would like re-do my spice rack situation (after we move of course) and these jars about made my heart stop (and so easy to do yourself, too):

so beautiful!

get one of jamie's amazing cookbooks, jamie at home: cook your way to the good life, here.

my husband loves asparagus

and it is in season!

here and here are recipes that look delicious to me.

i'm thinking i will make them both for him this weekend.

read about asparagus here.

my (current) fave green smoothie

2 cups spinach

1 cup kale

1 ripe banana

1 tbsp hemp oil

1 tbsp ground flax

1 tbsp chia seeds (soaked in water first)

1 cup raw milk or almond milk

2 scoops vanilla protein powder

this shake has about 45 grams of protein and over 20 grams of fiber and crazy amounts of vitamins and minerals, omegas from good fats and antioxidants (chia seeds carry a heavier antioxidant load than even berries). that's really good. grant and cate like more berry/ fruit tasting smoothies, but i like a nutty, earthy taste like this one.

tip: i keep portioned out greens, berries, etc. plus a big bag of super ripe bananas in the freezer. right before produce goes bad, or when i'm offered free produce, or when i go berry picking i just stuff it all into ziplocs, freeze, and they are all set to blend! yummers!

what's your fave smoothie recipe? please do share!