Tuna Salad and Cabbage Kind of Sunday...
I debated on a few Title Names for this post and I probably should explain it so no one goes off thinking that tuna and cabbage are on the menu for tonight! In all honesty, the title was suppose to describe the smell of what's going on in my kitchen...and even that doesn't sound appealing!
I'm not sure about you, but Sundays when Bill and I do our weekly grocery shopping. The kids also like to come over for "Traeger Sunday" where Bill wows us with his smokin' skills, but last night the kids (2 of the 3 because one lives out of state) brought over their dogs and we had PUP-FEST and pizza! It was the first time they all have ever been together and it required major planning lol. First, we don't have a fenced in yard, but our two Shepherds are trained and know our yard boundaries, or "state line" as it's referred to. Second, Maia, my daughter and her boyfriend's American Boxer, has never met little Nash (the 5 month old English Cream Golden Retriever) nor has she ever been off her leash in an unfenced area. And lastly, Nash is still a 'pup in training' so we didn't want him to 'go on his own little adventure'. Throw in the fact that we have deer that LOVE to eat, walk through, poop, and sleep in our yard...and things could get all kinds of ugly if our dogs took off after the deer, Maia decided to run the other way, and Nash felt compelled to jump in the creek! Fortunately, none of this happened! The dogs did amazing together. Humans were unknowingly strategically planted, but the dogs never wanted to leave. They were so happy to have their little bit of freedom to run, chase, fetch, and of course POOP!
Nash and Maia just wore their little selves out lol. Our two looked like Olympians chasing their balls like they do everyday, never wanting to stop, and these two were totally okay letting them do their thing while they took a breather between wrestling matches. Did I mention poop? (Oh My God!) All in all, it turned out to be a wonderful night of laughs and 'lovins'!
So, back to the grocery store. Do you all weekly shop? We do. We sit at the table and plan our dinner menu since that's what normally changes each week. Breakfast and lunch is about the same day to day except since we no longer eat lunch (deli) meat (processed food) I now make different options each week for Bill such as egg salad, tuna salad, ham salad, or chicken salad. Yes, we have literally taken this food thing seriously and have made some significant changes which I have to admit has made a big difference in the way my joints feel. The benefits have been quite amazing actually! BTW, if you're looking for a great place to start and want to change your eating and are like me and want to take the government out of your health equation, please check out Dr. Livinggood (yes, that's his real name!) Founder of Livingood Daily. Through all my research, I HIGHLY recommend him as a great place to start.
Most of my choices have been organic and this year we grew our first crop of lettuces, beets, and kale. Not being fond of salads, I have TOTALLY taken to homegrown lettuces. I'm amazed at the flavor differences between homegrown and store bought. But because I'm also trying to get more vegetables in (which I'm not fond of either lol) I have had to buy store bought salads in the interim. We are currently growing our fall crop of lettuces, beets, spinach, and arugula so we still have some time until harvest season. In the mean time, the local farmer's market has provided a lot of different veggies for us and I love having our kitchen island loaded with options!
I just love letting the farmer's market tell us what we're having for dinner each week. The farmer's market is literally the only thing I like about this time each year! We don't give our farmers enough credit for growing our food! I mean, we grow a couple tomato plants, cucumber plants, and peppers in our raised beds and THAT alone is a lot to deal with when it comes to water, bugs, and/or animals! I can't imagine fields of these nuisances! So I can understand the higher prices for organic food!
And just because it's organic doesn't mean it's not dirty lol. After we get home from the store, I immediately get to cleaning all our produce and making Bill's salad for the week. Of course you know I sell Norwex so this is where I use my fruit and veggie scrub cloth (see above) to clean the veggies. This thing is amazing (SERIOUSLY!). I like to have all the produce cleaned and put away, ready to eat or use! That means cutting off stems, cutting celery into strips, scrubbing carrots so they're ready for the juicer, and soaking berries, strawberries and/or grapes in the Norwex wash. After using the wash once and seeing how much "sediment" came off the grapes, I refuse to ever eat anything at the store until I get it home to wash. I mean, seriously, we all have done it, popped one of those grapes in our mouth as we walked around the store! That's why I like to clean them asap because I store them (and other fruits) right in the front in our fridge with no lid, so when you open the door they are ready for you to grab and eat!
Never mind the whole back 1/2 of the third shelf and our obsession with coffee🤦🏻♀️ Trust me though, these fruits and veggies go fast this way so no lid is required! I've also learned, I personally will turn to junk food when 1) it's in the house and 2) when I'm too hungry to prep something. So a little extra time on a Sunday morning is worth it!
So what's up with the title Tuna Salad and Cabbage kind of Sunday? Well, if you haven't already guessed it, tuna salad is what Bill chose for lunch this week. And the cabbage, well, we had cabbage casserole and I decided to freeze the leftovers for another dinner some night in the future. The autumn nights are moving in and soups and casseroles will be filling our kitchens before you know it. Nothing like having a meal ready to go!
Hope you have a great start to your week!