the freshman 10

one of the unexpected side effects of our first house: weight gain. yes, seriously. between house projects, my longer commute, and general laziness, we have put on 5-10 pounds each - in two months. sad faces. and the more i eat popeye's, the more i want it. trouble! and phil's knee has been swelling, so i have also been using it as an excuse to not exercise... hehe : ) anyway, the honeymoon is over and it is time to start being healthy again! 

i already get a farm share once a week: a file box full of veggies delivered to my office every wednesday from a farm in pennsylvania. this is the second CSA i've tried, and this one wins since they deliver to my office!  i've found this to be the most cost-effective way for us to get fresh, seasonal, local produce on a regular basis.  as much as i love the farmer's market, i am not good about waking up early to go every week. plus, it encourages me to cook with new foods. this week, our box included: a bunch of spring onions, beets, swiss chard, zucchinis, blueberries, yellow plums, purple plums, and red potatoes.  nothing too crazy, but i would have never bought yellow plums!  and it is time to resume the exercising. hopefully it helps with the terrible sleeping schedule i've been keeping, too. like i said, i am definitely off the wagon!

yesterday, we went to the pool because it was over 100 degrees (again).  then we came back and made moscow mules.  if you have not had a moscow mule, you are missing out! i used to drink them in denver, but rediscovered my passion at jack rose. the drink is supposed to be served in a special frosty brass mug, but jack rose had too many stolen...i don't know if they're even still serving the drink on the menu. anyway, making them at home is very easy and MUCH less expensive. and you can serve them in coffee mugs, to make it fancy. which, clearly, i am. so you pour 1-2 shots of vodka over lots and lots of ice, then add another shot's worth of lime juice, and top off the glass with ginger beer. ta-da. that's it! alycyn, beth, and i enjoyed a few of them pre-dinner because they are such a great thirst quencher. but take it easy and have some water, too - especially if you made yours with two shots! 

we've been grilling since it is so hot, and last night was no exception. phil grilled up some skirt steak, and i made roasted potatoes and a chimichurri sauce for the meat.  it was a great, low-cost, (fairly) low-calorie meal that we were lucky enough to enjoy with alycyn.  we made our meal into little fajitas, too, with tortillas and tomatoes. the sauce is a creamy sauce that tastes a lot richer than it is. this is an approximate recipe; i don't measure and i make it up as i go along, so let me know if it doesn't turn out! this makes a few cups of the sauce, which was enough for three people last night, plus enough for phil and i to use with salmon for tonight's dinner. also, it is REALLY garlicky - so reduce if you don't love garlic (like i do!)

CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

1/2 to 3/4 bunch parsley, washed and de-stemmed

1-2 cups other mixed herbs, washed (i used basil, rosemary, sage, and chives - because that is what was in my garden)

salt & pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon water

3 tablespoons olive oil

put everything into the blender, in the order listed. pulse until mixed, and add olive oil or water if not runny enough. i like a little body to my sauce, but you can thin it out if you want. i do part water to reduce the fat, but olive oil is good for you, so you can use all oil if you want. the great thing is you don't have to chop anything. soooo easy. 

we loved it! : ) 

this morning, phil and i went for a hike through glover-archbold park. it's so peaceful! i highly recommend it, for those who haven't been. and now my sweet friend mary is over for crafting on a rainy afternoon. we had a nice, low-key (low-cost!) weekend with friends: free pool, free hike, and eating at home. off to make my smoothies for the week... i think i'm going to try a plum smoothie to use up some of the CSA fruit : )