Yup, School Is In Full Swing!

 Wow, what a past few weeks this has been. So far for the first three weeks of school, both kids have had a bug twice, we had a flushed toilet paper roll holder and one missing I-Phone.
I am secretly afraid ( well, it's no secret now lol) that my sweet baby girl followed in her brothers footsteps and tossed the phone right down the commode.


  Needless to say with sick kids, adjustment to school in general accompanied with not getting much sleep, my food life has been suffering.  You remember that post about how prepared I planned on being? The one with the great to go lunch boxes? HA! That has happened like five times, maybe. But I'm a fighter, so I can't give up. I know that I am only human and will strive to get back on track.


Speaking of getting back on track, school fundraisers are in full effect. I've figured that I can budget in some of my grocery funds to help out with some of the good ones. So far I've bought a few soup pouches and pretzels. But Holland Avenue Baptist is starting their "Kicken Chicken" fundraiser and their chicken is down right good! With the price at only $8 a plate I can count that as a treat night out. If you are interested in ordering to go, you can do that too! If you are interested in any tickets, you can email me and I'll get you the information. eatgoodsupper@gmail.com

Tell me what fundraisers your child will be doing this year. Here's to supporting our kids and the fundraisers they do! Ok, we do.

Soda, It's A Process!

Wow! This recipe was about so much more than making soda.

In doing this recipe I learned a few things about myself, about writing recipes and reading recipes. Writing a recipe is not a strong point for me nor is following one without making some kind of adjustment. So when the instructions said to follow it to the “T”, I took a deep breath and said “ok, I can do this”. And I did.

The first day was rather easy as I just needed to mix three ingredients, Ginger, Sugar and Water.

Over the next few days I needed to repeat and that’s when I ran into trouble and had to request interoperation from a friend.  She advised me that she was reading it the way I was, so I carried on. Mix- wait-repeat.

I had to skim white mold which totally freaked me out. I was to look for bubbles. I never did see them, except around the side of the jar after stirring.

I started to question if I had made a mistake.  How could I screw it up? It’s a total of four ingredients.

Then something happened that made me realize that maybe ones idea of what soda is, is very different than mine. After all I was thinking soda like well you know the highly fizzy, caramel colored stuff in a plastic bottle.

This Fermented Grape Soda was anything but the previously described. It was however a bit sour with a grape essence. Not fizzy, which I think is because the ginger I bought might have been bit old. But who really knows.

What I do know is that this recipe forced me to walk through each step. Being patient and letting the ingredients come together.

As I sip on my “soda” I am happy to report that I will try this recipe again. I feel like this would be an excellent party drink, but it’s really a ton of work for not a great amount of yield.

Remake!

  

A few of us local foodie people have volunteered to take part in a cooking challenge put on by The Last Bitten. There are about 500 participants, and we must remake recipes from the last issue of Bona Appétit magazine. They have assigned the recipes and I was chosen to make Fermented Grape Soda!

  Ha-ha, yup, SODA! It’s really kind of funny because a) I do not drink soda, b) I will actually have to measure and c) I have to stay dedicated to the recipe for seven days. To measure and stay on top of the recipe for a week is going to be the most nerve wrenching part.  I mean, I never measure! It’s always a pinch of this and a dash of that then, Tada’. I have a tasty dish on the same day I started.

  This is going to teach me to slow down and take care in what I am doing. Really, it’s forcing me to walk through each step with a little more caution.  It makes me smile to see lessons like this come my way.

  I have grated my fresh ginger, measured my sugar and water. Swirled it around, topped the jar with some cheesecloth and now I wait.

  I am excited to see the dishes our local friends finish as well as how this grape soda will taste. 

Here is the link to the remake;

 http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/2013/08/here-we-go-the-bitten-words-2013-cover-to-cover-challenge.html#more

School Is Back, Well Almost

Ah, School is back in session for most everyone now. Everyone except us. We start back Tuesday.

I say we because I am the one who must make the routine happen, the rigid enforcer. Gha! The hubs, is a great help in many, many ways, but he has work. That makes me the one to rally the troops in the morning, supplying their tiny little bodies with enough fuel to get to the moon and back.
I mean after all they burn through so many calories just being the active toddlers they are. To add actual play-time-with-other kids, and learning in there. They will be starved by the time I get them back.


So, how shall I over come the easy way of hitting a drive through for lame calories?
Well, My plan is to actually start prepping lunch just like I do for the suppers I make. Plan ahead, choose real food and pack it in some really cool containers.
I figure if I pack to go, then we can also have a little park time to follow the school day.. Or as I like to call it, wear-them-out-for-nap time. Jesse has long given up on his naps, but maybe just maybe I can sneak them back in. Wish me luck with that one.

I suppose that since I'll be prepping for lunches, you will start to see more kid friendly recipes in the making. Keep your eyes looking for them soon, since school starts on Tuesday :)

Mommy's Timeout!

Over the past few months I have been meeting a group of mothers out for some me time.  We have been eating at different restaurants around the area in no particular order.  Meeting once a month for a few hours is about all we can squeeze into our crazy schedules. Between multiple activities, work, kids getting sick and husbands being out of town its all we can do to manage the insanity.


The group lives throughout the Columbia and Lexington area. There are several members and not all can make each get-together. But thus far, we have managed about ten mothers from a variety of backgrounds. Some ladies have lived here their whole life, some, like me, are transplants.


Mostly we have stuck to places where you know what you're going to get when you order. But at our last shin-dig we decided to put together a bucket list of places and write up weather we enjoyed it or not as a way to remember what worked and what "DIDN'T. Basically compiling a list of "Go To" places depending on what you are looking for. Some outing are just a pizza kind of night and others are a "I need to put-real-cloths-on-wear-a-bit-of-makeup-and feel like a lady" kind of night.


There are so many great places to eat. It's sometimes hard to know what you are walking into. For example; If you are heading downtown Columbia with your two littles, are any of the "HOT" places appropriate to bring them?  Most likely not, but some places may be. It's hard enough getting them dressed and loaded into the car.  Then to get them settled into a place that really isn't kid appropriate is basically a nightmare.


Our Time together, for that short duration, is packed full of crazy. And we talk about it all. With everything laid out for discussion, the last thing we want is a sweet baby to be in a ears-shot of our raunchy discussions. But we need to have this time. So we hop around place to place and enjoy the different cuisine.

I'm really treasuring the time we get to spend together. And to throw in eating too, well lets just say that it's pretty close to a perfect time for me.  Talking about the nastiness that kids bring, eating delicious food, and knowing there are others out there going through the same trials has become such a wonderful blessing.
Keep your eyes out for the ladies!

Changing Lanes

I have spent a good amount of time moving.  Moving like pack-all-your-stuff moving.  I think I had moved about four times by the age of seven. At least those are the ones I can recall. I had an unstable foundation. We always stayed in the same area just swapped houses or trailers.

Yup, I was that kid. I was the kid that counselors didn’t talk to about going to college. I lived in hand-me-downs and everyone thought I would stay in our hometown forever.

I am glad I was able to prove those people wrong about me. You see, I left when I was nineteen and went to college. It wasn’t for me at that time so I hopped a flight and moved to Germany.

When I was childless, it was easy to just get up and go. Go explore all the world had to offer, and I did. I cherish the different places I have lived. I really was a bit of a gipsy as my step mother would say.

When the hubs and I moved to Cayce we had only planned on staying for a year or two at most. We wanted to set our roots but were not sure of which area would best suit us. I mean now we have kids, and there is so much to plan for.

Where are the best schools? What’s the economic outlook looking like? Can I get a job should I need to? How is the traffic? So much more to process then back in my carefree unattached days.

Well almost four years later the time has come for us to get it together. We are renting our place and it’s time to move on. We have a pretty good idea of where we want to be. This being the last move we plan on making. I am thanking god for that. I would be riddled with chaos if we didn’t have at least that going for us.

I have been a bit overwhelmed with the very real fact I will have to go back to a job. I’m freaked out about having to put the kids in daycare. I am more freaked out that daycare is so crazy expensive. I have been a mom for the last few years. I love it. As much as I get stressed out by them, I really do want it to be me with them all day. But the simple fact is our family cannot survive on the state salary the hubs makes, especially when retirement continues to rise and raises just aren’t there.

I know there are many, many people that go to work every day. Dropping their sweet babies off at the place they have so much fun. I know this. But it doesn’t change my feelings of anxiety. I guess it’s time to pull up my big-girl-panties and do what needs to be done.

Let the packing begin!

Raw Food

Over the past few months I have seen and heard tidbits about the Raw Food way of life.
I am not at all familiar with this way of eating, so I naturally thought everything is completely raw and that is that.


Well That is not the case at all. From what I understand foods can actually be heated, just not greater than 115 degrees.The understanding is that once food is heated above the 115 degrees, it can lose a major part of its nutrients and is more difficult for the body to absorb the enzymes.

After seeing that a Raw Food restaurant had opened I couldn't resist going to check it out.

The Good Life Cafe located on Leaphart Rd in West Columbia was all that I had hoped it would be and more.
The staff was so sweet and caring. They knew the menu and even offer suggestions. Needless to say I was so excited by this point that I could hardly contain my smile.
I ordered the Burger with a side of kale and fruit. As I waited to see my plate, I read Sharon's story about how she came to opening such a unique place.

I was personally moved by the road she has traveled. Come to find out we actually have similar paths. Both our lives have been touched by cancer.

When the food came, my excitement jumped a notch. I am not really sure what I thought it would look like. All in all, it looked like a burger and I was ecstatic to to devour every bit of it.
The flavor was bright and refreshing. The warmth was a pleasant surprise. The texture, firm and delightful. The sides were as amazing as the burger itself, sweet and just ripe.
The care that went into making this meal was very apparent and I truly appreciated it.

I definitely recommend giving this spot a try. I mean, after all I pretty much licked my plate.

AHH, Good, Clean, Real Food..... Finally!