download: summer reading log

summer reading log

My daughter’s Tae Kwon Do academy is having a summer reading challenge. She has to track how many minutes she reads a day. I looked around online for a nice, simple reading log, but couldn’t find anything I liked, so I made one. Then I thought: I bet others would like something like this, too!

I created a blank version and you can download it here.

There is space for 12 weeks worth of reading. Fill in the days of the week at the top with the day you start. We started on a Monday. On the left, you can write in the start date of each week to help keep track. Happy summer reading!

getting ready for summer

There are only five days left of school. I can’t believe it. The snow earlier this month has really thrown me off. After keeping my little plants inside for over a week because of freezing temps, all the sudden it’s in the 90s and they need to go in the ground! Well, sort of. I’m trying something new this year.

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Since our veggies need to be portable, I’ve decided to use bucket planters. The tomatoes have already breathed a sigh of relief: Room! to grow! and stretch our branches! All that’s left is wrapping them in fabric to hide the ugly white plastic. I’m thinking burlap.

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I’ve also hung plants where the topsy turvys used to be. I’ve always loved ferns and they’ve already made our outside space happier. They need a little bit of trimming, though. They’re all crazy right now, kind of like when I wake up after going to bed with wet hair. Ha!

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The big project, which I have been dreading, is cleaning up an entire winter’s worth of dust and pollen. It’s everywhere: the furniture, the deck, the walls. But the sooner I get to it, the sooner we can start enjoying the beautiful weather. I can’t wait!

“don’t worry. it’s summer.”

bella pool

Yesterday I was sitting in my friend’s backyard when her husband got home from work. I couldn’t believe it was so late. I apologized and started to gather my things and she said, “Don’t worry. It’s summer.”

A wave of relief washed over me, and not just because I felt bad for staying over so late. There are a lot of things I had hoped to do this summer and it already feels like it’s over. Although there are still a few weeks until Labor Day, we are in our last days of summer vacation. Starting next Tuesday, it’s back to packing lunches, leaving the house early, and homework.

I have a pile of projects on my sewing table that haven’t been touched since June. I have ideas scribbled in my journal that haven’t made it past the page. I’m definitely excited to get part of my day back to work on these things, but can’t help but wonder where the past ten weeks have gone.

Yesterday afternoon, I decided not to worry about it, though. It is summer after all. And we’ve enjoyed every bit of it.

csa bags 7, 8, 9: leafy green pesto recipe

csa pesto

week 7: potatoes, carrots, summer squash, cucumbers, kale, lemon basil
week 8: potatoes, beets, cucumbers, summer squash, parsley
week 9: potatoes, carrots, cucumber, summer squash, kale, tomato, eggplant

One of the things I wasn’t expecting when joining a CSA was the enormous amount of greens I’d be receiving each week. In addition to chard, kale, spinach, bok choy, cabbage and lettuce, there are the greens that come with beets and turnips. I didn’t know you could eat them. They’re usually removed by the time they reach the grocery store.

Luckily, my daughter loves pesto. As long as it’s green with garlic, lemon juice and nuts, she’s happy. I’ve made it with broccoli, asparagus and all kinds of leafy greens. She never fails to eat it up, especially if it’s tossed with cheese tortellini (her favorite!).

When I found my crisper filled with greens that needed to be used up soon, I threw this together and it turned out so good. Try mixing it up with different ingredients. Enjoy!

Leafy Green Pesto

1 bunch kale, blanched
1 bunch beet greens,* blanched
1 cup almonds, blanched
1/2 cup fresh italian parsley
grated peel and juice from one lemon
1-2 cloves of garlic
sea salt to taste
olive oil optional

Whiz ingredients together in a food processor until mixed thoroughly. Add small amounts of water or olive oil if necessary.

Toss it with white beans, chick peas or pasta. Use it as a dip. Try not to eat it by the spoonful. Don’t forget to top it off with a little grated parmesan cheese. Yum!

*I used the greens from candy-striped beets (Chioggia beets). Red beet greens are too messy for me and go straight into smoothies.

Tips

  • I blanch all green veggies, especially broccoli and asparagus, when making pesto. The only exceptions are herbs and spinach. Give them a whirl in the salad spinner to drain excess water.
  • Don’t spend extra for blanched almonds. Buy raw with the skins on and drop them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Pinch between your fingers and the skins pop right off!
  • Bread and bagel bags are the perfect size for storing long, leafy greens.

csa bags five and six: recipe planning goes improv

csa cabbage cole slaw

week five: green cabbage, beets, kale, garlic, summer squash
week six: potatoes, beets, bok choy, green onions, parsley, basil

Planning how to use my CSA veggies has pretty much gone out the window. My kitchen faces west, and it gets too hot in the late afternoon to use the oven. I’ve just been grabbing things out of the fridge and making things up as I go.

  • I’ve been pan sautéing anything and everything: beets, turnips, carrots, cabbage, zucchini. I find you can’t go wrong with a base of red onion, garlic and lemon.
  • I’m still making kale chips in the mornings when it’s cool.
  • Extra greens are finding their way into smoothies.
  • The cabbage came just in time to make some slaw for a potluck picnic. I’m not usually a fan of traditional picnic sides, but this lime and peanut coleslaw was deliciously different.
  • Speaking of non-traditional picnic sides, I’ve fallen in love with this no-mayo potato avocado salad. I skip the chives and add lemon zest. It’s good either warm or chilled.
  • My favorite new-to-me veggie so far has been the candy-striped chioggia beets. I hope we get lots more of these. Aren’t they pretty?

csa candy striped beets

There’s no CSA pickup this week. I’m looking forward to using up all of our odds and ends with generous amounts of basil and parsley.

csa bag four: lots and lots of greens

csa cabbage

week four: kale, cilantro, napa cabbage, salad mix, carrots, head lettuce

Well, I’m definitely back to eating lots of salads. I’m also excited to make another batch of cilantro pesto. My daughter cheered for more kale chips, which I made yesterday. I don’t expect them to last past tonight’s dinner.

I made saag “paneer” with the turnip greens and collards. It’s amazing how such a big bowl of greens can cook down to such a small amount of puree. I had to add two bunches of fresh spinach from the store to feed four adults. I also substituted extra firm tofu for paneer to make it healthier. The dish got a thumbs up from my mother-in-law, who is from India. Yay!

The napa cabbage found its way into Heidi Swanson’s Japanese pizza recipe with a few modifications. I skipped the leeks and added some shredded carrots and chopped green onions. It was so good I ate my portion straight from the pan – never even added the garnish.

My favorite salad right now: salad greens tossed with balsamic vinaigrette, chopped tomato and strawberries, hard boiled egg whites, crumbled feta cheese and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds.

This is starting to sound like a food blog! Don’t worry, I’ve got some knitting that’s almost ready to share. Pics to come soon!

csa bags two and three

csa cilantro

week two: broccoli, green garlic, radishes, salad turnips, lettuce mix, cilantro
week three: broccoli, salad turnips, purple top turnips, head lettuce, collards, green onions

I need to do a little bit of catch up on my CSA notes. Even though I planned out how to use my veggies the first week, I wound up throwing things together at the last minute in the evenings.

  • Instead of the kale salad, I made kale chips. They are one of my daughter’s favorite and she practically ate the whole batch in one sitting.
  • I was in the mood for Indian food, so I added the radish greens to my Channa Masala for Dummies recipe. Yum!
  • I roasted one batch of radishes in the oven at 350 degrees. I usually roast veggies at 500 degrees, but I was afraid the radishes would cook too fast. Instead, they didn’t get that brown crispy outside my family loves. They were good, but not great.
  • I pan sauteed the second batch of radishes with chopped turnips, broccoli stems and onions. I let them get nice and caramelized, then added the turnip greens until wilted. Yum!
  • That big bowl of cilantro pictured above lasted a long time. I added chopped leaves to all kinds of dishes, but used most of it to make cilantro pesto.
  • After the second week, I bought a salad spinner and it’s made life so much easier!
  • I’m still buying a few organic staples from the store each week: lemons, tomatoes, avocados and strawberries.

My favorite sandwich right now: fried egg over medium with tomato and avocado slices on multigrain toast.

My big plan for this week is to make saag with the turnip greens and collards. I’ve done a little research and even though most recipes use a mix of spinach and mustard greens, saag is technically any type of green. Crossing my fingers on this one!

our first csa bag

csa radishes

I have a confession to make. I’m giving up on growing summer veggies. I feel kind of bad about it, but I wasn’t having very good luck. I really want to enjoy locally grown, organic veggies during the summer; I would just rather someone else grow them for me.

So I decided to buy a small CSA share from Community CROPS. I opted in for the fresh eggs, too. This week we got kale, mixed greens, salad greens, mint, green onions and radishes. I think I’m going to have to invest in a salad spinner!

csa mint

I’m going to try and keep track of what we get and what I make. Here’s what I’ve got planned:

  • roast the radishes and toss with a mint/yogurt sauce. Idea via NYT.
  • make kale salad from Super Natural Every Day
  • substitute radish greens for dandelion greens in the chickpea salad
    from Super Natural Every Day
  • use the onions in stir fry
  • eat lots and lots of salad!

My favorite salad right now: toss mixed and salad greens with raspberry vinaigrette, chopped tomato and avocado, crumbled goat cheese and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds.

What are some of your favorite recipes using fresh greens?

resource: Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day is my favorite summer cookbook. You can find my previous posts about her book here and here. She has a recipe sampler available here. You can find the above recipes in her book when you “search inside” on amazon.com.

savoring the last days of summer

this moment

I find this time of year difficult. I love Autumn. I can’t wait for bright red and yellow leaves, crisp breezes, wool scarves and pumpkin soup. I have to stop and remind myself that the last few weeks of summer are also wonderful:

  • warm, sunny days without the oppressive heat
  • cool evenings with chirping crickets
  • long daylight hours, which are slowly getting shorter!
  • a three-day weekend with “daddy home!”

I’m noticing the soft grass between my toes, the lush green trees on the horizon and the brilliantly colored flowers that are still in bloom. I’m trying not to wish it all away in anticipation of the next season. It will be here soon enough.

I made a desktop background with my little mantra as a daily reminder. You are welcome to download it here.