Everyday Beautiful is my recap of the things that brought me joy during the previous week. I know it’s been a couple of years, but I think I’d like to try to bring these back.
The holiday season is upon us once again, and big surprise – I’m NOT READY for it!
In The Garden
We pulled all but one tomato plant for the year. The tomatoes were still coming in like crazy, but I knew they wouldn’t get the total hours of sun necessary to ripen on the vine and frankly I’m a bit tomatoed out. We harvested some of the healthy looking green ones and are letting them ripen on our porch. So far, it seems to be working.
I took all of the ripe tomatoes we had and roasted them in the oven with an onion and head of garlic at 425 degrees until they were slightly blistered. Poured everything into a pot and blended it until smooth. Now I have fresh tomato sauce in the freezer for spaghetti, chicken parmesan, or anything else that you would use spaghetti sauce for.
I need to get some compost and more soil to fill the beds back up. For winter, I’m planning to grow lettuce, kale, arugula, parsley, and carrots. I also need to replace all of my perennial herbs – rosemary, thyme, and sage, because they all died this summer – whoops.
Currently Reading
I’ve been in a bit of a reading drought the last month, hoping that will end soon so I can enjoy some holiday romance this season. I started reading Reel by Kennedy Ryan, because I know her writing is consistent. I’m also working through Sex Talks by Vanessa Marin – research for a writing project I’m working on, but also because I could benefit from some communication in my marriage.
Currently Listening
I haven’t been listening to much lately, but I need to find a consistent routine for podcasts. I like the short bursts of education they provide, but I struggle with sitting down to listen to give my full attention, or listening while cooking/cleaning/driving and potentially missing some of the lessons. Let me know if you have anything you’d recommend that I check out.
Recipes I Tried
Last night we made this Creamy Taco Soup and it was delicious! My only complaint was that I didn’t have any avocado, and I believe it would have made it perfect. We also decided that we want to try more soups this year, so we’ve decided that we will make a list of all the soups we want to try or beloved favorites and we’ll pick a new one each week for (wait for it)… Souper Sunday!!!!
We also needed a quick dinner last week, so I sliced up some chicken breast, bell peppers, and onion, tossed them in a little olive oil and taco seasoning and baked in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. We then turned the fajita mixture into Fajita Quesadillas on the stove and it was a fresh and easy change up from our usual fajitas, don’t forget to enjoy with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.
I’m hoping to try these High Protein Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes this weekend – they look amazing!
Words to Live By
Ask yourself about the kind of life you want: What would you do day to day, and with whom, and where? Consider the life you have. Do one thing today, however small, to close the gap between the two.
Maggie Smith
What is bringing you joy this week?
Becca @ Life's A Pearl
Look at all those beautiful tomatoes š I love your soup idea! We have souper Saturdays but now Iām going to start calling it that š Fantastic words to live by!
Something bringing me joy this week is rethinking how I “utilize” nap time. Basically I’m trying to focus on my creative or mentally taxing work during that time and move the rest of the to do list to fit in when Mr. O is awake. It could be a game changer!
ASHLEY
Yay for souper Saturdays and productive naps! I can’t wait to hear how this continues to work for you. Especially since the creative work is way more mental work than cleaning, cooking, and other chores. Plus, that way you can feel a little more of a “break” during that time. Woo hoo!