Happy New Year (and new decade), Farm-ily!
Early January is a time of opposites: the infectious enthusiasm for the blank slate of a new calendar page alongside the lingering effects of the holiday season. I find myself, year after year, needing gentle reminders to temper my excitement with respect for the labor we’ve all completed in the last few weeks. Filling hearts and homes with all manner of celebrations is no small feat! Instead of a headlong rush into resolutions, I’m learning to carefully consider the starting point so I’ll know how far I’ve truly come.
This fresh beginning, so often, is met with a thirst for change, for better health, for more responsible stewardship of our lives. For some, this will be the year of becoming a vegetarian, or trying a ketogenic diet. For others, maybe incorporating a new recipe once a week will make for a happier, healthier menu. No matter where you start or where you plan to end 2020, we’re excited to feed you for the journey. One of my favorite things about farming is that we all work each day knowing that what we grow is unequivocally good for you!
Maybe your goals stretch outside the kitchen and into other parts of your lifestyle; are you considering ways to be more mindful of how your habits affect your environment and climate? Perhaps you want to decrease your carbon footprint through buying locally. One of the big-picture benefits of knowing your farmer is decreasing the transportation mileage between your food sources and your kitchen! Because we pack your produce exclusively for you instead of a grocery store supply chain, we recycle our transport boxes and use fewer wasteful packing materials. For one of our own resolutions, we’re experimenting with new packaging options for CSA in 2020 by eliminating plastic milk bottles and plastic liners in our CSA boxes. You may have noticed we don’t sell bottled water in the Farm Stand; taking a refillable water bottle everywhere you go is one of the easiest and most impactful ways to reduce your consumption of plastics.
As we press forward and embrace change, I'm craving fresh flavors and extra nourishment this week. Let these recipes bolster you for all your many endeavors!
Meal Plan Week #4
Hearty Entrees
- Easy and Elegant Gemelli Pasta with Arugula and Sausage
- The Perfect Slow Cooker Carnitas with Mexican Street-Style Cauliflower
- Carnitas Soup – Saving You Time with Deliciously Reinvented Leftovers!
- Step-By-Step Directions for the Perfectly Cooked Steak, Straight from the Freezer with your choice of veggie sides: Maple Roasted Beets and Carrots, or Crispy Potatoes with Arugula
Vegetarian Inspiration
- Vegan Thai Squash Curry (Farm crew tested and approved with Khuri Squash)
- General Tso’s Cauliflower… or Yotam Ottolenghi’s Cauliflower Steak? We can’t choose...
- Arugula Pesto Pizza
A Breakfast Idea: Homemade Blueberry Turkey Sausage Patties
Extra Credit
- Beet Donuts are beautiful, guilt-free treat
- Carrot Loaf, for a healthier take on the classic cake
As we walk into 2020 together, know that we see and appreciate all the choices you've already made for own your good health, and the health of your community. Your resolutions are rooted in the positive groundwork you've already laid.
Eat well today, and be well for this year and many more to come!
Ashley, Collin, John, Lex, & our two- and four-legged friends
