Food for the mind and body. (Podcasts)

Happy Monday! We are coming off a weekend away and full of food treats.  Pizza twice (yum), cheese and crackers, and even some sugary treats.  I woke up this morning giving myself a mental to-do list which included eating some better foods for my body so I feel refreshed and ready to face the week with strength.  I thought a peek into the garden would do the trick. 

Of course many of these are from a trickle of photography that's been streaming out of the garden all summer long.  A capture here, a click there.  Our cucumbers are now long gone but our pantry is stocked with pickles for fall and winter days. 

My best, most intense exercise has by far come from the garden this year.  Especially during potato digging times!  There is something about getting my fingers and toes in the dirt and sweating buckets that just doesn't live up to the treadmill or an exercise video.  I need the earth. 

We've had tomatoes for days and already have a nice supply canned as well.  There's nothing like a bright, red jar of tomatoes to brighten up a cold, grey winter day.  

The thing I like about the garden is how easy it is to provide our bodies with food.  Real food.  No needing to check for ingredients, no counting calories.  Just the pure pleasure of biting into a ripe, juicy garden tomato, seeds dripping down your chin. 

A few other easy recipes we've enjoyed this summer are DIY snow cones.  After watching Betsy's skin become so dyed with color after eating a roadside snow cone last year I decided they weren't for us.  So this year we crushed ice in our food processor and then added real fruit juice from either watermelons or blueberries on top.  I simply crushed the fruit, poured the juices over the top, and then added a piece of two of fruit on top of the ice.  The girls love these things! 

We also tried this "Nutella" spread made from black beans.  Surprisingly enough, this was really good!  Brett and I first ate Nutella in Italy and once we came back to the states we were totally under the impression it was healthy.  Now we know better.  This dip was thicker than Nutella but the flavor was fantastic.  I enjoyed it with apples. 

A favorite way I've been dressing up our Asian-inspired meals and adding a bit of crunch is with black sesame seeds.  I simply toast them for a minute on the stove-top and add to just about any dish.  

And of course, you can't go wrong with a bowl of soup made from homemade broth and tons of veggies. 

See, I feel ready to make good, delicious food choices already! 

Another way I enjoy feeding my mind is by listening to podcasts.

I usually put one on at night when I'm folding laundry or sitting on the back deck with Brett. 

Or cooking.  

A few I enjoy are: 

1.) The Glorious in the Mundane with Christy Nockels

2.) Timothy Keller sermons

3.) Room in the Trees: living creatively

4.) The Big Boo Cast

How about you? What are you eating/listening to lately?  

Tomatoes

I wanted these luscious, red tomatoes to giddy up with the post from yesterday.  Because if we're going to pursue health a garden sure does make it easier.  It combines both exercise and good food all in one swoop.  I like that.  There's nothing quite like a good hour or two in the garden, sweat dripping off your brow and legs aching.  The bounty you're left with is both beautiful and delicious. There is just nothing quite like a garden tomato. 

We've made spaghetti sauce, bruschetta (as we ate in Italy every single day), roasted tomatoes, sliced tomatoes, tomato salad, with many more ideas to come.  Of course, canning is also part of our process.  Come winter these beauties will be the eternal spring in the midst of cold. 

Do you garden?  How are you most enjoying your bounty these days? 

Our 2016 garden

 Each year we try our hand at gardening.  For us it's about more than just growing our own food.  It's about gathering together around an activity, a rhythm if you will, that has meaning and purpose.  There's almost no place I'd rather be than in the garden with dirt on my hands.  In the art room with paint on my fingers is a close second. 

 We've lived in our home for five years.  We started a garden in the backyard about 4 years ago I believe.  But don't take my word for it, I really don't remember! We started with a garden half the size we have now.  

 Some years certain things grow beautifully and you are left with baskets and baskets of produce all needing your attention before it's too late.  Other years the bugs or just bad luck has left us somewhat empty-handed when it comes to some vegetable types.  Yet you can always count on at least a few things growing well, and tasting beautifully. 

 The girls are tremendous helpers in the garden and they wouldn't have it any other way.  We don't "make" them help, they simply beg to all on their own! We try to give very good directions and do more showing than just talking.  It's harder for a kid (or me!) to hear "Don't step on the vegetables" if you don't know what the vegetables look like.  So for now it's lots and lots of showing.  I can tell you one thing though, our girls are very schooled in all things "garden". 

 They also really like the taste of all these growing greens too.  We currently have: radish, green onion, mustard greens, kale, and lettuce ready to eat.  We've also planted eggplant, squash and zucchini, and tomatoes.  We'll finish up with some peppers and see how this gardening season will go.

 Putting my trusty black boots on is like stepping into an old friend. My best adventures have happened with these boots on my feet.

 Seeing as I'm quite terrible at remembering what's what, this year I painted some garden markers and wrote the names of things on them with Sharpie.

 It's also very handy for us that the girls' playhouse happens to be right behind the garden.  That way if the girls get tired of helping they can scamper off to play and I can still hear them. I like that.

Of course after all that hard garden work we are often ready to sit, have a salad, and relax.  Our back deck is our favorite spot to do that! We have thrifted finds, picked flowers from the farm, and string lights from Target.  At night, this is such a happy little spot! 

If you want a taste of what life is really like in the garden with the four of us, take a look below:

How about you? Do you garden or have any tips for us?