After a one year unintentional hiatus, it’s time to write again. I was thinking about writing again and checked the last installment – a year ago today! I will take that as a sign :).
In the last year we have moved across the country, moved again to different county, finished one year of grad school (my husband), and had a baby!
Reestablishing ourselves in a new place, with another child, has invigorated me to do more of what I love. Get closer to God, nature and the simple things in life.
Below is step by step of how I prepare dry beans for use in recipes. This is a convenient and make-ahead option.
First rinse the beans with water in a strainer and pick out anything that doesn’t belong (rocks etc.). Put in bowl, fill with water, and let the beans soak overnight.
After the beans have soaked, rinse them well with water.
Pour into kettle and fill pot with water to more than cover beans.
Simmer until beans are tender –not mushy! It may be necessary to add water during process. Mine almost always boil over, so be careful!
When done, drain and allow to cool.
If I am making the beans ahead of time, I spread them out on cookie sheets and pop them in the freezer.
When they are completely frozen, I bag them up in gallon zip bags. This way they are ready when I am cooking and scooping out the correct amount is easier than opening a can. This is a fantastic way to cut back on canned bean purchases and save lots! I have noticed that frozen beans tend to be dryer, hence I take this into consideration when cooking and make sure that I don’t try to cut simmering time short because I want to give my beans time to soak up moisture and flavor.
My daughter usually makes breakfast with her grandmother when Nana is home from work. This morning, just as Nan plugged in the waffle iron she got a phone call.
So, I took over and my daughter and I mixed up the waffles together. How important these simple things are! Instead of going to a restaurant, spending money that we don’t have, eating white flour waffles, and trying to get a four year old to sit still and be quite throughout the whole process…
My daughter and I used wholesome ingredients (buckwheat flour, farm fresh eggs, organic milk, honey, olive oil, and real maple syrup) which she got to mix up herself.
Then she waited for the waffle iron to do its work.
She got excited when we cut up strawberries on her waffle and yelled “I want maple syrup!”
Finally, she got to munch down on the yummy goodness.
Yes, we still go to restaurants. After all, convenience still reigns as supreme in America, right?! But, maybe we should appreciate these homemade meals more. They are full of nutrient rich foods. Our children naturally learn to be thankful for their meal since it didn’t just appear before them. They learn that work can be rewarding… Invaluable lessons!
My husband commented this morning that he is addicted to walking. Not the worst addiction, I’m sure. It seems to calm him and refocus his mind. He goes off almost daily for long walks (at least an hour). Me? I’m not that in shape. A nice walk for me lasts 5, maybe 10, minutes…
I hope to walk everyday, but that NEVER happens! For example, I took a quick walk on Sunday afternoon. It felt good and I was excited to have such a great start to the week. Well, I failed to find time on Monday…and then Tuesday just seemed so full… Now it is Wednesday and the sun is beginning it’s decent with no sign of a walk in sight.
You just can’t leave a four year old alone while you go trotting off down the road. And her pace is equivalent to that of a turtle… Yes, I know excuses…excuses…
So, somehow my husband finds time for an hour walk while I can’t seem to squeeze in 5 minutes. What’s wrong with that equation? It’s not his fault, not at all. I think he just knows himself better. He understand that he needs that time of refreshing out in God’s magnificent creation, so he takes the time to make it happen.
This is where I so often fall short. I don’t think I have the time to simplify my life.
It seems like a wonderful dream – to enjoy an invigorating jaunt down the road and build my mental and physical health, but best of all taking the time to soak up all this natural beauty that is waiting just down the road…
Oatmeal and Apricots 