Before I recount what I ate, I want to wish my parents a happy anniversary! Those two lovebirds have been together for 43(!) years and they’re still going strong. Love you, mom and dad! Okay – enough mushiness. Back to the eats…
The morning got off to a late start. Big-O’s supposed to be in school by 8:15, but we didn’t roll out of bed until 7:40. Ugh.
After staggering into the kitchen, I quickly packed him a lunch and fried up eggs, bacon, and cherry tomatoes for everyone’s breakfast.
Raw cherry tomatoes are fine, but they taste even better when you toss ‘em in hot bacon grease ’til the skins become delicate and the insides are juicy and molten.
After my hubby sprinted to school with Big-O, I hung out with my little guy as we waited for his preschool buddy, E, to arrive for a mid-morning playdate.
As soon as E arrived, the boys took off for the backyard and I was free to break out my advance copy of Sarah Fragoso’s Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook: Real Food For Real Life.
Like her previous book, Everyday Paleo, this one has lots of helpful tips on how to feed your family when you’re super busy and how to make the most of your family time together.
I swear, I can’t help but be inspired by Sarah – super mom, super fit, and so dedicated to her family.
At lunchtime, I plated baby carrots, strawberries, and mini chicken apple sausages for the little guys. For myself, I reheated leftovers from last Saturday’s dinner party: cabbage rolls stuffed with braised beef shanks and roasted vegetables.
On the day of the party, I had planned on making only chard-wrapped braised beef shank and cauliflower “rice” packets, but I ran out of chard and “rice.” Luckily, I always have a head of cabbage in the fridge, so I was able to bundle up the remaining meat.
Although having quiet time to peruse my cookbooks is a treat in and of itself, I also received a surprise package from TX Bar Organics in the afternoon: Paleo jerky sample packs and lots ‘o grass fed beef. Thanks, guys!
I barely had time to throw it all in the freezer before we had to rush off to Big-O’s wushu class. When we returned home in the evening, it was too late to try out one of Sarah’s recipes. (Besides, I need to stock up on some of the required ingredients for her Brother Mike BBQ Sauce and Best Ever Chicken Wings.)
Instead, I whipped up a batch of Big-O burgers filled with bacon and sautéed mushrooms (the recipe is in my iPad app)…
…and stir-fried zucchini and cherry tomatoes in the fat left in the skillet.
Here’s my dinner plate:
I’ve been so wrapped up in cooking and back-to-school activities that I haven’t had a chance to properly plan out my trip to Portland to attend the International Food Bloggers Conference. Sadly, I won’t have much time to explore the city, but I’m definitely carving out some time to visit the Cultured Caveman Cart and sample the gluten-free goodies at Crave Bake Shop.
My free time in Portland’ll be pretty much nonexistent, but tell me: Are there other places in Portland that I must visit (and would be worth me skipping part of the conference)? Leave me your suggestions in the comments, por favor!
