CSA - Week 1

I decided to write a CSA post every Friday with the previous weeks CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm share box and what I've done with it.  I've only just decided this now so forgive me in the lack of pictures.

Let's start with a link to the contents of last weeks box!  Looks good, doesn't it?



So being the busy gal I am, I thought I'd be forced to be rid of most of my box - but no!  I made a true effort to get through this bad boy and boy did I make good on my plans.

I brought the box home on Thursday last week and unfortunately had to eat out due Paul's 1 year Reunion at Sloan.  Well... whatever!  I started using this bad boy on Friday.

THE MENU
Friday - I had a mesculin salad for lunch with tomato, onion, hakurei turnips and avocado.  I made pork stir fry with bok choi, green garlic, onion and red bell pepper!  It was so yummy and delicious.  I served it over white rice and used only a small piece of pork ... leaving room for a ton of veggies.  I ate 2 servings alone since Paul was at another reunion event.

Saturday & Sunday- I blew it... as we were in NY the whole weekend
Monday - I had a mesculin salad for lunch & I fried up 2 pieces of Tilapia and served it with corn, braised greens with green & regular garlic and made a huge salad of mesculin again for dinner.

Tuesday -  I made a huge salad for Paul and I for lunch.  We had to skip eating home this day too - we had a work function dinner for Paul's job.  We tried this amazing Afghan restaurant in Cambridge.  It was unbelievably good!

Wednesday - Yet another huge salad for lunch and for dinner... Sausage & Broccoli Rab over pasta with a huge salad.  It helped use up more green garlic, the broccoli rab & more salad! 

Thursday - I had some left over pasta for lunch... and for dinner I made some pork stir fry with brown rice!  I included some red bell pepper, spinnach, bok choi, green garlic, carrots, Hakurei Turnips  & some of the cilantro that was salvageable.  I also added some garlic scapes from this weeks box.

What I have left:

• 3/4 bag of arugula
• 1/3 bag of spinach
• Oregano - I dried the oregano and have it all left.  I don't particularly like oregano but may use it during the next sauce making day

 

What I threw away:
I did have to toss some of the cilantro.  It was a shame but I did continue to add it to stir fry, salads, and really almost anything, just to use it up.  But even I couldn't seem to get rid of it all.  I had to toss the last bit since it was approaching the mushy stage.

Reflection on week 1 -
I'm pretty proud of myself for using most of the box despite having to eat out of the house for 3 days of the week.  It's been tough eating the amount of salads I've been eating as an entree and not as a side dish... but hey - that's okay!  Tonight we plan on eating the left over stir fry for dinner & we'll be munching on the rest of the pasta for lunch.  It really forces you to eat more veggies.  It helps you think about what you are eating and where it's coming from.  And it really encourages you to plan your meals around this box of seasonal and local veggies  I'm proud to say that 90% of the veggies in my house right now were grown 22 miles away from my home!  And that 80% of my fruit was grown within the state of MA! 

30

Yep... I'm 30.  It's weird and creepy and kinda sad.  But that's okay. 

I was pretty bummed out about my birthday.  It fell on Memorial Day this year.  Our weekend was fully booked and none of it involved me....
Friday was a bachelor party Paul was invited to
Saturday-Sunday Paul's family came to town to visit and celebrate a belated mother's day
Sunday night - we had a wedding for Paul's buddy from undergrad
Monday - my birthday... we had nothing planned and Andy was in town.

I felt left out.  I felt unloved and underappreciated.  I felt shitty that I couldn't be with my friends and family.  I felt seriously sad.  And I had my period... so I felt doubly emotional.

But life goes on right?

Monday was okay... we went to the city to have some drinks by the water.  I think Andy may have had a different idea of what I wanted than what I did want.  I also think that Paul's lack of planning anything irked me to no end.  I turned 30.  It was a big deal.  If not to him... at least to me.  Doesn't he get that?  I guess not.  Even up till the very end I felt like I was short changed... again.  Really pizza?  Yeah, we watched TV at home and had pizza.  Because Pizza is a lot cheaper than staying in the city and continuing to celebrate.

I wasn't bored.  I could have spent all day basking in the beauty of the day with a beverage in my hand and some snacks.  But ... yeah we went home and had nasty MA take out pizza.  Ugh... pizza in MA makes me miss NY even more.

But alas - some people don't get to celebrate birthdays.  Some people don't get to eat any pizza.  So I should be grateful I suppose.  I'm just finding it really hard being grateful.

My family called... at least most of them.  Some sang happy birthday, some wished me a happy birthday, other's followed that up wtih whining about their jobs, their work outs, their responsibilties or the endless other things people like to complain about.  And some didn't call at all.  Yeah ... I noticed.  And I'm feeling the lack of love.  And I likely won't forget it. 

I decided that I'm allowed to complain once in a while too.... and I am chosing to complain about people.  I'm sick of the BS, I'm sick of the drama, I'm sick of the blame game and I'm sick of the self pity and excuses!  SICK OF IT!  If your life sucks... it's because you made it suck by the shitty decisions you made!  It's not your friends fault, your parents fault, your husbands fault, your jobs fault, your bosses fault, etc...!  NO IT'S YOUR FAULT!  Your life is the way it is because of the decisions YOU MADE!  And my life is the way it is because of the decisions I've made.  Now the only thing that will change that is to CHOOSE TO CHANGE IT!

So yeah... there you go - an entire birthday post dedicated to me complaining.  And you know what....

It's my birthday and I'll bitch and complain if I want to!

Bummer

Getting down seeing everyone's awesome weekend and dinner plans on my birthday weekend while I sit home alone eating crappy pasta. I'm only feeling a lot sorry for myself. This blows...

Backyard

I love how while we are looking for homes ... Paul delightedly imagines camping "trips" in the backyard with our kids.

We don't have kids.

YET.