Maybe it looks like one of those miniscule nouveau cusine salads of the 80's, but I thought it was pretty. I snipped some baby greens from our raised bed before it snowed, mixed in some purchased spinach, and we had a nice salad with our homemade chicken soup on Sunday night.
I hope no one got the wrong impression from my last post on eating from the pantry. As Marjorie pointed out in the comments, sometimes a well-stocked pantry is literally a lifesaver -- as when your entire city is shut down for a week because of ice. Unlike Atlanta (which is still frozen) or Jen, who got 11 inches of snow, here in northwest Mississippi we only got about 3 or 4 inches, which melted off the roads in orderly fashion. So we have been able to run to CVS all week to pick up sore throat pops, and, uh, ice cream (which I have categorized as a medicinal expense in this instance). I should have had more of a store of things like children's ibuprofin, though, because we are almost out. And I hadn't set aside any elderberry syrup either (but if you can get out, there is a coupon for Sambucol elderberry syrup at coupons.com and our CVS had it on sale this week, so I managed to get it for $8.99 instead of the ridiculous $12.99 regular price. I'm not sure how that compares to vitacost because I haven't checked.)
(A little aside about Northerners, Southerners, and winter weather...)
When we moved down here, Andy and I talked about how we would need to be prepared for power outages, winter storms, etc. more than in New York. New York may get a million times more snow than Mississippi, but that means that New York also has the equipment to handle the snow. Since snow and ice are a relative rarity in the South (and it never sticks around like this -- all week!), it doesn't make sense for cities to buy the kind of snow-moving equipment that is necessary up north. The South also gets more ice than upstate New York. Ice is crippling no matter where it falls. The ice storm that hit Albany, NY a couple of years ago pulled down trees, knocked out power for a week or more in some areas, and resulted in an enormous number of burst pipes and flooded basements. One family we knew had to fill their toilets with water from their creek, because their well pump was electric. The roads may have been clear, but the roads were the least of anyone's problems.
So, no, I am not going to make fun of Southerners and snow. Although when I walked outside the other day to chase the recycling that was blowing down the street, and the sun was shining off the snow, and the birds were chattering in the trees, I think I said, "Hey! It feels just like April!"
Ok, so maybe that was making fun of upstate New York.
(Back to the point, whatever that was...)
Anyway, I have been following a sort of half-hearted pantry challenge this month, a little less half-heartedly this week as Andy and a couple of the kids have been sick, and of course -- the snow. I needed to use some of the meat and fish I had in the freezer before buying more; I couldn't get to Whole Foods, which is farther away and where I buy meat; and the cupboards were decently stocked. I've been grocery shopping twice since January 1, mainly to buy fruit and dairy, which we eat in insane quantities, but I've only done so-so with going grain-free. It's tough to figure out what to feed my boys.
Grain-free meals I've made this month:
I have to say something about the pancakes, because they were awesome. I substituted honey (local, raw) for the agave nectar, hazelnut flour for almond, stirred in some frozen blueberries, and cooked them in butter. Heavenly.
Grain-full meals this month:
- Vegetarian lasagna
- Homemade pizza/cheesy bread
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Spaghetti
- Soaked Flour Pancakes (adapted from Joy of Cooking, with the added step of soaking the flour)
- Salmon patties
Not Grain but not Grain-Free:
- Bacon Potatoes (Chop up a package of bacon and fry it. Cut up some potatoes, onions, and garlic. Fry in bacon drippings. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in bacon pieces and sprinkle with grated cheddar. Now you have "Bacon Potatoes".)
Extras:
- Muffin Bread
- Pumpkin Custard