We've Moved

In more ways than one!!
You can check out new posts on the new site at:

http://drivethirty3.wix.com/drivethirtythree

So excited to share the new site with you!!!!!

100 days of failure....

Boy oh boy have I really messed up my 100 days of real food mini pledge challenge. Yikes!
When we last left our heroine she was ready to avoid all fast food and deep fried foods. And that was an awful failure. So, we will pick up where we left off, with a Week Four do-over starting on Sunday along with adding in week 5 challenge. Which should be interesting..

• Week 5: Try two new whole foods – Try a minimum of two new whole foods that you’ve never had before.

Yeah...this should be good. I am, much like Jackson, not a fan of new things, but I will try. Oh yes, I will.  Here is a quick run down of some ideas from the 100 Days of Real Food site (because lord knows I need them):

• Quinoa (pronounced “KEEN-wah”)
• Barley
• Parsnips
• Kale
• Collard greens
• Steel cut oats
• Papaya
• Brussel sprouts
• Black-eyed peas
• Chickpeas
• Bok choy
• Swiss chard
• Radicchio (pronounced “rah-DEE-kee-oh”)
• Spaghetti Squash
• Watercress
• Dates
• Kiwi
• Eggplant
• Pomegranate (and having the juice in a martini does not count!)
• Fava beans
• Lentils
• Spelt
• Pine nuts
• Star fruit

Yikes, okay, that list is not helpful at all. So, please help! What are some not scary awful things I can try next week???

Yumminess!

So I've decided to start a new recurring post (I realize how hilarious this sounds given my lack of posting lately) called YUMMINESS!!  And guess what? It will be about yummy things. I know.

So, for my first entry, I give you probably the most delicious, moist (proper), fantastic, both my kids wanted more pork chops.

This recipe was included in my Walden Local Meat Co. February share. They do this really cool thing where they give you recipes each month to help you figure out to do with what you got. This month in addition to all the lovely local meats they also sent along some organic rosemary. Well, sort of. See, for some reason my share bag didn't come with any rosemary. The only reason I knew that there should have been rosemary is because the February newsletter talked all about it. So, I emailed Charley at Walden Local Meat to make sure I wasn't missing something. He apologized and said he'd drop some off. I told him it was not a big deal and I just wanted to make sure there wasn't rosemary hidden somewher eand not to worry. So, that night when at 7pm my door buzzer buzzed and I looked outside and saw the Walden delivery truck I was amazed. Charley ran up and gave me my rosemary. It was so nice and so great to meet someone I'd had some email exchanges with.

But I digress...

So, I had all this rosemary, and a bunch or rosemary recipes, and I had some pork chops. So, I found the recipe for the pork chops in a creamy rosemary sauce and went to town. Now, I do not have the recipe in front of me, but it's so easy I don't even need it.

The recipe calls for 2 pork chops, I did 4 and it was fine.

You will need:

pork chops (duh)
rosemary (double duh)
flour
salt & pepper
olive oil
garlic

and for the sauce:
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
rosemary

Start by heating up the oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a pan and saute the garlic. Once sauted, remove garlic.
Sprinkle the chops with salt pepper and rosemary and dredge in flour. Shake the excess off. Once the garlic is done add the pork chops and cook till brown and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes each side.  I had a few thicker ones so I left them on for about 10 minutes each side. Remove and put on a plate and tent them. I think this is the most important part as it really locks in the juices and keeps it from drying out.

Now, add the cream, wine, vinegar and rosemary to the pan. Boil for about 10 minutes until thick. Spoon over pork chops.

Seriously. So good. BOTH my kids ate it. And if you have ever had dinner with Jackson you know what a big deal this is.

I highly recommend using fresh rosemary if you can. I think I used about a teaspoon in total.

happy

let's ignore the fact that I haven't updated this here blog in like forever shall we? good, thank you. that makes me happy :)

which my friends is the whole point of coming here today. a few weeks ago a friend of mine posted this challenge on her facebook page. And you know, I love a good challenge..

Yep, it's #100happydays challenge, and I'm all over it.

It's simple, the challenge is to find something that makes you happy every day, for 100 days. Or so it seems. According to the website 71% of people that accepted this challenge failed, mainly siting that they didn't have enough time. No time to be happy? Well that's just silly.

So, can you make the time to be happy each and every day? I bet you can!!
You can follow my posts on instagram, and make sure to post your own with #100happydays

Oh, and if you can't think of anything to be happy about, this should help :)

Eating Real week 3 & 4!

Oh, hi! Remember me? Yeah...unintentional blog break. But let's just get moving right along shall we?
So Week 3 of Eating Real was all about meat. And if you recall, I was super excited because this week coincided with my first ever delivery from Walden Local Meats.

I was way to excited for my delivery. Like couldn't wait to get home. The meats had arrived in a reusable insulated bag and were all labeled accordingly. The nicest touch was the recipe book for members. Each shipment they include recipes to help you with planning on how to use your delivery.

photo credit: rosecolleran.com

So far I've only made one of my favorite pot roasts. This week it will be beef stew. Next week sausages peppers and potatoes. And I heard from the girl that works there that the meatball recipe in the book  is amazing, so we'll try that too. Pretty bummed there wasn't any chicken in this shipment but maybe next time.
The other bummer is they slightly messed up my order. They sent out a survey a week or so before delivery to ask if there were any special items we wanted. They were offering additional ground beef, bones for soup, and their home made rub. I ordered the additional beef and the rub, but ended up getting bones for soup. womp womp. I emailed them the next day and they were super great about it, so I"m really looking forward to my next order since they are "going to take care of me" this month :)

So this week, which will now be week 4 since I got off track there for a bit is a bit of a challenge.

• Week 4: No fast food or deep-fried foods – No fast food or any foods that have been deep-fried in oil.

Luckily, I had planned on making home made pizza this week, so we can avoid the extra oil and french fries we usually order with that. However, this Saturday is a big night out (comedy show and dinner with my sister and brother in law) and I have a feeling I'll have a harder time avoiding those, but I'll try!




this most likely will be me saturday. don't judge.

Eating Real-Week Three Prep

This weeks 100 days of real food mini pledge couldn't be timed more perfectly if I do say so myself.

All meat consumed this week will be locally raised (within 100-miles of your hometown). Meat consumption will also be limited to 3 – 4 servings this week, and when it is eaten meat will not be presented as the “focal point” of the meal. Instead meat will be treated as a side item or simply used to help flavor a dish.

Perfect! Why you ask? Well, because this week we'll be receiving our first shipment of local grass fed beef and pasteurized poultry courtesy of  Walden Local Meat.

I've been, like FOREVER, scouring the interents looking for either a CSA with meat or some sort of access to local grass feed beef and pasture raised chickens.  I thought I had resigned myself to picking up a freezer box all the way in RI at Aquidneck Farms (which by the way has THE best meatball mix in the WORLD!). Which isn't a bad thing, it's just getting to RI and the drive time, I was having a hard time figuring out logistically.

I found another great delivery program at Shaw Farm that delivers literally everything from your meats to cheese, milk and eggs and bread.  That may be on my list to try out later on down the line.

During all my searching I came across a local company that basically does all this hard work for you. They locate the farms and deal directly with them, getting you all the best product they can and then they deliver it to you. Yes, please and thank you. Except for when I initially came across them they didn't' deliver to my area.  But a few weeks after emailing them to get the scoop on how everything works, they reached out to me to let me know that they were expanding their delivery area and that my city was included. Woohoo!!

So, I signed up for a small share (at least 7-9lb) and it will be delivered this week. I can't wait to see what I get and start some serious meal planning for the next month!

Eating Real: Week Two Prep

Ah, on to another week of eating real. Obviously my week one challenge will continue and I will do my best to get better at eating fruit. Promise.

Week two is going to be pretty easy for me at least.

Week 2: Real Beverages-Beverages will be limited to coffee, tea, water and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup).  One cup of juice will be allowed throughout the week and drink as much wine as you'd like.

I swear it says that about wine. HA!

The only things I drink are coffee, tea, water and wine, so I'm not too worried.  I'm going to do my best to limit the kids juice intake, though its hard when they aren't with me. I have no idea what Mike drinks all day, but I'll find out.

The only real issue I see here is flavoring my coffee. Here's hoping honey will do the trick because it looks like i'm saying good bye to my International Delight and Bailey's flavored creamer...

Did anyone else tackle week One? How'd you do? Share recipes too!! If you made anything from her blog let me know how it turned out!