The morning started off well enough. There were requests for 'apple pie' for breakfast from the boys, probably more facetious than I'm apt to acknowledge. Imagine their surprise when I readily agreed. Now, I'm not the sort of person who believes that real pie should be eaten for breakfast - sugar, saturated fats, and refined carbs aren't exactly a respectful way to set your body up for a day of activity. Of course, we've all stood in front of our fridges post-holiday, pie plate in hand, shoving forkfuls of cold pastry and fruit filling into our mouths in a sleepy sort of haze. That's a lovely sort of excess, a tradition of delicious debauchery. But on a regular basis? Not a great plan.
Apples, however, are a healthy way to start the morning. And when you bake them with a little cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, stevia, vanilla extract and Earth Balance and spoon them over Ezekiel cinnamon-raisin toast, it's almost like having pie for breakfast. I had mine sans toast, substituting an especially tasty Green Machine (fresh basil and ginger inside, so bright and flavourful!):
After breakfast, my brother started to limber up for a run and he asked me to go with him. I refused; I'd already worked out before breakfast and lately I've been feeling incredibly sluggish and stiff. It's hard work just to get in forty-minutes of aerobics. With Fitz, forty minutes is a bare minimum and there's so much sibling competitiveness between us that everything becomes an all-out, balls-to-the-wall, savagely fierce effort. So no, I did not want to go on a run. But you know what? I
We left at 9:30. We got back at 11:45. I'm not even joking. It was ridiculous and we only stopped once to catch our breath and snag some water from a hose. And when we got back to the house, we did a ten minute ab circuit. I'm going to be so sore tomorrow!
After all that activity, we were voraciously hungry and so I got to chopping and topping for a nice, filling summer salad. Leaf lettuce, curly kale, red kale, cucumber, tomato, red onion, celery, scallions, peaches, grapefruit, and salmon. It was just begging for a nice creamy dressing, but the only one I had on hand was Amy's Tuscan Italian and tomato wasn't the right base for this. Out came the mini-blender. In went an ounce of almonds, a big handful of lemon basil leaves, a teaspoon of Maile Dijon mustard, some garlic-infused red wine vinegar, some white wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper. Blended it all up and ohhhh - it was heavenly. Light and creamy, the fresh, clean line of the basil cutting right through the rich, earthy nuttiness of the almonds and ending with the zippy twang of vinegar, all underscored by a spicy pitch from the Dijon.
I tossed the salad with it and then stuck it in the fridge while we showered so that it would marinate a little. We ate heaping, massive platefuls of salad with mashed cauliflower on the side:
I love how salads fill you up but don't leave you with that heavy, sated feeling. What's your favourite summer salad?
After tidying up the mess in the kitchen, I did some cleaning around the house and finally, gratefully, flopped down for a rest with my library book.
Did any of you ever read any of the Little House on the Prairie books when you were growing up? I absolutely adored them and read each and every one, even the later series about Manly and Laura's daughter, Rose. It was in one of these latter ones where a memory is recalled of Laura cooking up a special dinner for Manly as they forge along on a trail in their own homesteading journey. It was apparently one of his favorites: apples and onions. That scene used to absolutely enrapture me with it's descriptions of the hot, cast-iron skillet braced over the fire, onions and apple slices sizzling away inside with butter. Even as a kid I was obsessed with cooking!
I remembered it while cooking up the apples for breakfast this morning, and decided that I wanted to make our own apples and onions for dinner tonight. It was pretty simple - sliced Vidalia onion, thinly slivered Red Delicious wedges, mushrooms, Hawaiian chili pepper, tomato, and kale, sauteed in the thick skillet I inherited from my grandmother.
So tasty! The combination of onion and apple, though it sounds a little strange, is just delightful. Crunchy and sweet and savoury all at the same time. There was plenty leftover so I know exactly what I'm having for lunch tomorrow!
Today I Am Grateful For: Nature. All too often we become so accustomed to our surroundings that we forget to stop and really look at them. When we do remember, it's always so breathtaking and humbling.
Well, that's it for me, kids. I'm going to go snag a nice, long bath with essential oils and then collapse into bed, where I will no doubt sleep like the dead. Have a wonderful evening, lovelies! I'll see you tomorrow. <3
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