Week three is behind me, and it passed as easy as week two. Day 21 actually snuck up on me. To me, this is a real sign that things are going well. What a great bartering week it was too. More eggs, which is always awesome! And new to the freezer is venison!
An unexpected thing is happening to me too. I have lost 15 pounds. I'm not letting myself get hungry, but I'm not overeating either. I'm eating until satisfied or until 'not hungry'. When you really start thinking about hunger and realistically how your body feels in terms of needing food or not, things start to become quite complicated I am realizing. As a culture many of us eat too much, even when we aren't even hungry. Over the last three weeks I have continually asked myself, "Are you full?", "Are you hungry?" And then I find I'm satisfied (another word that is hard to define) or I eat a serving of applesauce to top things off. Other than losing 15 pounds, I am more relaxed. I feel like I've been through a detox and all that is inside me is my last satisfactory meal. When I'm ready to eat it's obvious, I am out of fuel. I'm eating to live.
Day 15
breakfast: blackberry smoothie sweetened with leftover syrup from canned green apples
lunch: pickled beets, johnnycakes
dinner: venison stew (venison, tomatoes, potatoes, wild onion bulbs, rosemary), toasted farl with butter
Venison barter! Be still my heart! Jama and I worked out a barter, 10 pounds of venison loin and burger for a variety of jellies and syrups. That was just the bump I needed for the freezer, and this opens up some great things to cook! Thanks, Jama!
An unexpected thing is happening to me too. I have lost 15 pounds. I'm not letting myself get hungry, but I'm not overeating either. I'm eating until satisfied or until 'not hungry'. When you really start thinking about hunger and realistically how your body feels in terms of needing food or not, things start to become quite complicated I am realizing. As a culture many of us eat too much, even when we aren't even hungry. Over the last three weeks I have continually asked myself, "Are you full?", "Are you hungry?" And then I find I'm satisfied (another word that is hard to define) or I eat a serving of applesauce to top things off. Other than losing 15 pounds, I am more relaxed. I feel like I've been through a detox and all that is inside me is my last satisfactory meal. When I'm ready to eat it's obvious, I am out of fuel. I'm eating to live.
Day 15
breakfast: blackberry smoothie sweetened with leftover syrup from canned green apples
lunch: pickled beets, johnnycakes
dinner: venison stew (venison, tomatoes, potatoes, wild onion bulbs, rosemary), toasted farl with butter
Venison barter! Be still my heart! Jama and I worked out a barter, 10 pounds of venison loin and burger for a variety of jellies and syrups. That was just the bump I needed for the freezer, and this opens up some great things to cook! Thanks, Jama!
Day 16
breakfast: fried potatoes, toasted half farl with butter, mint tea
lunch: leftover venison stew, toasted half farl with butter
dinner: scrambled eggs on toasted half farl with mayo
Day 17
breakfast: plum and green apple smoothie
lunch: farl with butter and forsythia jelly, cinnamon applesauce
dinner: rooster and oyster mushroom soup with spinach and field garlic (broth made from tomato peels and herb stems), griddle cakes
Egg barter for elderberry jelly and crabapple syrup. Thanks, Crystal! I love the look of the varied colors and sizes of fresh eggs.
Today Deb at work had bisquits and gravy for lunch. She walked by my cube slowly. I asked her if I could smell her lunch, and she agreed to it. I wafted my hand over the gravy, took in a big whiff, smiled, and thanked her. I then ate my applesauce with my eyes closed, pretending.
breakfast: fried potatoes, toasted half farl with butter, mint tea
lunch: leftover venison stew, toasted half farl with butter
dinner: scrambled eggs on toasted half farl with mayo
Day 17
breakfast: plum and green apple smoothie
lunch: farl with butter and forsythia jelly, cinnamon applesauce
dinner: rooster and oyster mushroom soup with spinach and field garlic (broth made from tomato peels and herb stems), griddle cakes
Egg barter for elderberry jelly and crabapple syrup. Thanks, Crystal! I love the look of the varied colors and sizes of fresh eggs.
Today Deb at work had bisquits and gravy for lunch. She walked by my cube slowly. I asked her if I could smell her lunch, and she agreed to it. I wafted my hand over the gravy, took in a big whiff, smiled, and thanked her. I then ate my applesauce with my eyes closed, pretending.
Day 18
breakfast: griddle cakes with butter and crabapple syrup (this was weird)
lunch: leftover rooster and mushroom soup, cinnamon applesauce
dinner: black walnut cookies and soy milk
What?
Day 19
breakfast: griddle cake with butter
snack: pear smoothie
dinner: scrambled egg griddle cake sandwich with mayo, elderberry/blackberry wine, half glass of mulled apple wine
Day 20
lunch: over easy egg and griddle cake sandwich with mayo
dinner: leftover rooster and mushroom soup, griddle cakes, cinnamon applesauce, black walnut cookies
breakfast: griddle cakes with butter and crabapple syrup (this was weird)
lunch: leftover rooster and mushroom soup, cinnamon applesauce
dinner: black walnut cookies and soy milk
What?
Day 19
breakfast: griddle cake with butter
snack: pear smoothie
dinner: scrambled egg griddle cake sandwich with mayo, elderberry/blackberry wine, half glass of mulled apple wine
Day 20
lunch: over easy egg and griddle cake sandwich with mayo
dinner: leftover rooster and mushroom soup, griddle cakes, cinnamon applesauce, black walnut cookies
Day 21
breakfast: pear smoothie
lunch: leftover rooster and mushroom soup, griddle cake, mulberries
dinner: bluegill and carrot tacos with carrot top pesto (carrots cooked in leftover syrup from canned pears in applesauce and cinnamon), "chips" made from fried pan bread and salsa
Remember the oyster mushroom worms? Three of them showed up in the final bowl of the rooster and mushroom soup. Apparently they rehydrate as easy as the mushrooms themselves. Isn't that...interesting?
breakfast: pear smoothie
lunch: leftover rooster and mushroom soup, griddle cake, mulberries
dinner: bluegill and carrot tacos with carrot top pesto (carrots cooked in leftover syrup from canned pears in applesauce and cinnamon), "chips" made from fried pan bread and salsa
Remember the oyster mushroom worms? Three of them showed up in the final bowl of the rooster and mushroom soup. Apparently they rehydrate as easy as the mushrooms themselves. Isn't that...interesting?
Recipes:
Griddle cakes:
1 cup cornmeal, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 small egg, 1 cup hot water, 1/4 cup canola oil for frying. Whisk all but oil, pour like pancakes into oil, cook both sides until brown and crispy on edges. If the batter is too thick, add water, and if too thin just add extra cornmeal.
Carrot top pesto:
1 cup of carrot tops (minus stems), olive oil, 4-5 garlic bulbils. Put all in a little chopper/food processor and chop until it turns into pesto. Add a little olive oil at a time until you get evrything to stick together like a paste. Makes 4 servings.
Image credit: me and Cale
Griddle cakes:
1 cup cornmeal, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 small egg, 1 cup hot water, 1/4 cup canola oil for frying. Whisk all but oil, pour like pancakes into oil, cook both sides until brown and crispy on edges. If the batter is too thick, add water, and if too thin just add extra cornmeal.
Carrot top pesto:
1 cup of carrot tops (minus stems), olive oil, 4-5 garlic bulbils. Put all in a little chopper/food processor and chop until it turns into pesto. Add a little olive oil at a time until you get evrything to stick together like a paste. Makes 4 servings.
Image credit: me and Cale