Summer's over...

The farm share ends this weekend, but my vegetarianism will continue. The past four months have been a wonderful experience; no meat and a happy me, who knew?

Matilda and Jacob are free to eat what they like, but I think I'll stick with the meat free me.

This concludes this blog. I didn't do a good job of keeping it up, so I'm saying goodbye!

BFFs

Flexitarianism

Jacob wants some bacon. He really, REALLY wants it. There's a pancake house next to the train platform where we wait each morning and the overwhelming scent of bacon nearly sent my lovely husband on a murderous bacon spree today. I'm not sure what a murderous bacon spree would look like, and I'd rather not find out.

The summer is nearly over, so shall we maintain our vegetarian lifestyle? I'm leaning toward Flexitarianism. I didn't make that up (unlike BuckWick, which I totally coined); check it out on Wikipedia.

There's a big part of me that wants to maintain the vegetarian lifestyle, but when a body craves something that usually indicates that a body needs something, right? Maybe Jacob's body is in desperate need of sodium nitrites, salt and saturated fat. How can we deny his body these basic needs?

Grilled tofu, squash, jasmine rice and edamame by Jacob

Guaca wuaca wuaca guacamole

Ten years ago Jacob's sister was the stage manager for a small theatre company in Newton, Massachusetts. With connections like these, two poor, overworked and starved for entertainment college students known as Lolly and Jac gobbled up plays, musicals and the odd revue. If the tickets weren't free, they were half-priced and if they weren't half-priced, the parents (the same ones who kept us in Birkenstocks and a tiney apartment close to campus) took us to see the latest creation. And we all wore our dressy Birks. Sometimes with socks.

There was one musical that stays with me; it rears it's rhinestone-emblazened cowboy hat every so often. You see, there was this particular song that went something like this, "Guaca wauca wauca guacamole!" Sure, there was more to it, but that's all that I remember in vivid, technicolor detail. There's a heel touch involved and hands placed on tilted hips. It's a lively, happy memory of a time that was simple, quaint, consisting of late mornings and cold cereal: COLLEGE. And the good kind, not the graduate school kind. Deep sighing and glassy eyes implied.

Today when I realized that the lovely person who ordered lunch for my office mates and I included a condiment free option for Mikey's anti-condiment palate but neglected to include a vegetarian option for me, my 21 year old self reared up and declared the GUACA WUACA WUACA WUACCAAAMOLE a perfectly acceptable lunch. Eaten with a fork. Lolly loved every bite.

daffodils? diamonds? nah...hand me the lobster bib, please

We put our vegetarian summer on hold last night and went to Shaw's Crab House for a delicious dinner. Madam Awesome (as I refer to the babysitter as) kept Matilda busy while Jacob and I indulged in cocktails, multiple appetizers, a dinner suited more for four adults, and the dessert sampler. It was all thanks to Andrea and Ross. Without whom we wouldn't have multiple advanced degrees, Birkenstocks, a supply of baby OshKoshB'Gosh overalls and L.L. Bean pajamas (Have you tried them? Cotton has never held up to baby diarrhea so well). Nor would we have stuffed our faces with Alaskan king crab, clam chowder, and buttery lobster tails on the eve of OUR TENTH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. Yes, it's been ten years since a spider dropped down from the leaves of an old oak tree and forced Jacob to stop the Justice of the Peace's speech about love and fidelity to pinch the little sucker off my bare shoulder. And no, he did not hurt the spider.

Bliss, from minute one.

McDreams

Okay, so I dreamed about a sausage McGriddle last night. It tasted wonderful (in my dream). Yuck. What was my subconscious mind thinking? Those things are terrible, but...sometimes I really really really want one. Help me!

Matilda is obviously shocked and disappointed.

Oh beans

Black beans, oh black beans, you make my tummy rumble. The sour cream that I cover you with does nothing to ease the pain. A vegetarian I may be, but these black beans have got to go...

Oshkosh MaTickle Squeeze

A few things on my (vegetarian) mind:

Jacob coined a new nickname for Matilda. He was laughing and tickling Matilda when he fused her name with Tickle. MaTickle was born. We can't stop laughing.

Yesterday Jacob and I had back-to-back dental appointments. While his went well, mine resulted in scary words like "graft" and "gum" being used in the same sentence. Ick.

I was talking with a friend today about humane slaughtering practices. I'm a huge fan of Temple Grandin and her curved corrals which calm animals as they are led to slaughter. She also invented a squeeze machine for autistic people who are calmed by physical pressure contact, but cannot tolerate hugs. Fascinating!

My ballet teacher says I need to use my bum more. So if on your way to the Metra this afternoon, you saw a tall woman in a green jacket doing a very poor impression of a Monty Python Silly Walk, that was me. Trying to raise my knees higher whilst walking. To use my bum more.

Fat Saturday

Recently, Jacob was walking home from the train and spotted this ad. On this, the most meaty of all national holidays, I needed this (not so) gentle reminder.

Veggies at The Lunch Store

M's cousin refers to IKEA as the lunch store; a wise 3 year old with an unending desire for all things purple, we love her choice of nom de plumes so much that we may start a name changing petition.

off topic

His name is Fred. His nose is soft. Matilda is in love. Thanks to the Lawyers for introducing my kid to a very expensive hobby...

No, we didn't eat the horse...

June has been a busy month: It began with an Architects shin-dig in Indiana, then the farm share started, next I flew to New Jersey to orchestrate a girl's weekend for big sister Melanie's upcoming nuptials, flew back to Chicago, started a ballet class, then this past weekend we drove the chicken (i.e. our darling toddler) to the Lawyers party in Michigan.

In between, we had dinners with friends, babysat a gorgeous child, celebrated Father's Day (we miss you, Ross), visited the pediatrician, dentist, & optometrist (not all on the same day), spent 340 hours at the playground, got the Honda's wheel thingy replaced....AND BECAME VEGETARIANS.

Did I mention that the car flooded? We shared a terrible cold? I spent 12 hours stuck at O'Hare airport with loads of people, including a girl who trimmed her toenails into my yogurt cup (same storm that flooded the car cancelled my flight and grounded plane #2 in Omaha), and have a receding gum line? But who cares...DID YOU HEAR THAT WE'RE VEGETARIANS?

The positives far out-weighed the minor annoyances: There was a gorgeous beach on Beverly Shores (M. squatting on it above), loads of laughter at every turn, a mind-blowing deep tissue massage at bliss spa Hoboken, Monty the 17 lb. cat (down from 27 lbs...good job Mel & Laike), Bambi the pony, Fred the horse, M.'s first swimming lesson, the warm leather smell of new ballet shoes, and VEGETABLES. Did I mention the radishes, garlic scapes, and delicious peas? Well, I should...BECAUSE WE'RE SUMMERTIME VEGETARIANS.

Now, I need to get to bed. Tomorrow is day number 2 without a car (that pesky flood ruined the carpet, which will take 4 days to replace). Let's rock & roll the stroller 2 miles to the nannyshare, M. It's good for us to exercise off all the ... um, peas.

The veggies are here! Doesn't Matilda look like she's ready to dig in?

I ate half a polish sausage on Sunday, a sort of "good-bye delicious meat" gesture and because I love me some polish sausage. Jacob also had one, but Matilda turned her nose up at it. She's a better person than I am. And so freakin' cute. Her newest word is Happy and she says it constantly.

The first newsletter from Fat Blossom Farm arrived in my in-box yesterday. It details what to expect in the first delivery this Saturday; a ton of greens, garlic scapes, peppermint and radishes. I'm anxious about how to ingest all those greens without becoming unbelievably gassy. Guess that's part of this journey...

Jacob was watching Everyday Food over the weekend and decided to tackle a simple dish. It was a mixture of Isreali couscous, mushrooms and onion sauteed in olive oil, and dried cranberries. A generous sprinkle of black pepper and sea salt was added table-side (but not on Matilda's portion). It was delicious, filling and pretty.

Dishes like that that make me think I can do this vegetarian thing. I'm constantly amazed by the amount of vegetarian possibilities, and how tasty the concoctions can be. The only problem is getting the energy up to actually cook...

Thanks for cooking, Jacob! We'd be eating frozen pizza 7 nights a week without your culinary skills.

In preparation for our summer of veggies, we ate an entire package of salami for dinner last night. Considering the substantial heartburn that I experienced soon after, I'll remember this experience and remind myself of the pain and discomfort during those dark summer days when I crave all things meaty.

Matilda, on the other hand, does not show the slightest interest in eating animal flesh. She's my guide for the summer; stuffing green beans into her trap with glee and begging for bananas each morning. I've spent the last 16 months as her teacher, now it's her turn!

The countdown begins: The first farm share drop-off is June 13. That's less than a month until my cheeseburger cravings will be allayed by bean burgers. Oh boy!

Love and kisses,
Laurie

My husband, Jacob, and I decided to join a farm share this summer. The amount of fresh vegetables and fruit coming our way each week got me thinking: Why not go vegetarian for the summer? We eat very little meat at home as it is, so it doesn't seem like such a stretch. That said, I'm a huge cheeseburger freak--can I stay away from Hamburger Mary's for the entire summer?

Other than joining the farm share, my motivation is more serious: I'm eager to teach our daughter healthy eating habits and to help her understand where her food comes from. As city-dwellers we are disconnected from the process of farming, and as each year passes I feel less and less connected to my rural upbringing. As a child, I knew where apples came from because I helped pick them, and, how tall corn can grown, and what it is like to skate on a frozen cranberry bog. At the very least, Matilda will get to visit the farm that we have a share in and understand the origins of that delicious fried green tomato.

I have to admit, this project intimidates me to no end. Thus this blog, a place where I can write about the summer and try to keep on track with this idea. If nothing else, it'll be fun to look back over these posts and laugh at myself.

Let the veg-ing begin...

Laurie