Winter Food

I knew winter would be challenging for me in terms of providing truly healthy, well-balanced meals for my family. Summer is SO easy with the bounty of fresh vegetables and fruits! Winter time in the northeast is just not so very bountiful.

Near the end of summer, Aaron started buying more food than we would eat in a given week or two. He bought beans, broccoli and other vegetables in rather large quantities. He blanched and froze them for the winter. I went on a frenzy of applesauce making and baking various quick breads (e.g., zucchini bread) so that we would have the yummy foods from summer and early fall later in the season. Our preparations were helpful but not nearly enough. We need to learn more about preserving vegetables, so I bought us a book to learn more for next year.

In the meantime, a strange thing has happened. I miss lettuce. I miss green salads.

Maybe that doesn't seem strange to anyone else. However, I don't like salad much. Sure, I eat salad like I'm supposed to. It's good for me. I need my vegetables, and I need to set a good example for my kids. Yet when given a choice of foods, I don't say "Oh, I think I'd like a nice salad today." In fact, I think I would choose almost anything BUT salad. Until this past weekend when I realized I missed the crunch of fresh vegetables, especially leaves.

A few weeks ago, our town's first winter farmers' market opened. We excitedly went in hopes of green vegetables, maybe some tomatoes for my boys (husband and son). Until about 1-2 weeks ago, no greens for us. And then all of a sudden - LETTUCE!! I'm putting green stuff on my sandwiches, and I keep doing a double take. Since when did I like anything on a sandwich besides the meat, cheese, and mustard? Apparently going long enough without a food really can make me appreciate it. :)

But the question remains - what are we going to feed the kids? And some ideas are coming in my next post!