About Dana

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I'm a dichotomy of blue jeans, pretty jewelry, frugalista, and Southern girl living the simple rural life. I want to live my life holistically, thoughtfully, economically, and most of all gratefully, and encourage other women to do the same.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Joining a Produce Co-op

Even though I have a small garden, I decided to join a local produce co-op to take advantage of local, healthy and mostly organic seasonal offerings from area farmers. It has been a wonderful decision for my family.

Every Friday, I drop by a neighbor's garage to pick up my $13 basket of goodies. I always get more than my money's worth, and I often don't need to buy produce during my weekly grocery shopping trip.

Here's a sample from one of my weekly pickups:

Spinach, pineapple, broccoli, bananas, peaches, and apples.

I've also gotten blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, potatoes, sweet potatoes, two kinds of onions, leaf lettuce, and kale.

I had to wait a while to become a member of this co-op, as it only allows a set number of families to participate. There are options nationwide to allow your family to have fresh produce. Ask your friends to see which ones they know about. You also can search the web under terms such as "CSA, Community Supported Agriculture" and the name of your town.

It's fun to show up each week to see what surprises are in my basket. Then I get a chance to go to the kitchen and cook creatively for supper. I've used kale to make kale chips, peaches for peach cobbler, pineapple for pineapple upside-down cake, and bananas for protein-fruit breakfast smoothies.

Support local farmers and know where your food is being sourced. It's economical and healthy.

TCB

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Southern Blackberry Cobbler

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Tasty Scrambled Eggs

August is all about making delicious food quickly. I'll be writing all about food this month on The Country Belle. With school starting back later this month, it's time to begin relying on freezer meals and quick supper solutions for school nights when my evening time is mostly spent at swim team practice or driving to Boy Scout meetings. By planning ahead, there is always a home-cooked meal that is hassle-free for mom.

It's equally important to have nutritious, but quick, meals for breakfast and lunch. Although we are a homeschooling family, we adhere to an early start schedule since mom (the primary teacher) also is a full-time writer.

Here's a tested - and super speedy - way to prepare scrambled eggs that is delicious and spot-on with the nutrition necessary to start the day. It has vegetables, protein, and a lot of flavor.

Tasty Scrambled Eggs

2 eggs
splash of half-and-half
pepper
sea salt
1/2 chopped tomato
handful of fresh spinach leaves
crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese
olive oil spray

Spray a small non-stick frying pan with olive oil. In a small bowl, beat two eggs well, adding a splash of half-and-half. Season with pepper to taste.

Cook the eggs on low heat until done, but still moist, moving them around constantly with a spatula. Mix in the chopped tomato. Pile immediately onto a bed of spinach. The heat will help the spinach to wilt slightly. Add your choice of crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese and sprinkle with sea salt to taste.

When I eat eggs at breakfast, I snack so much less throughout the day.

Hope you enjoy!
Love,
TCB

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