From Soup to Strawberries

I am excited about the soup I made this morning. Slow sauteed onions and peppers, the last 6oz container of roasted sweet potatoes and onions, the last of the beef and chicken broth packages in the fridge, and a large bunch of alligator kale that was stemmed and chopped. Also invited to the party were a half bag of lima beans and a handful of corn. Stone Soup; all the oldest and left over bits from the fridge and freezer. I forgot to season the soup, but tasting it after an hour at simmer, I found it needed none. Almost. I did add a couple of grinds of fresh pepper to each container. Oh, and there were five links of smoked apple Gouda sausage in the pot. Links I had cut in half for easy measuring later.

I weighed out protein for three servings (three half links and a bit), and covered with mostly veggies to get to my 6oz, then weighed out 5.5 ounces of beans for two more servings and covered them with veg from the soup. So five servings, then I divided the leftover broth and the few veggies that were left between the containers. A note about the beans. I know that in Bright Line Eating there are 6oz of beans in a serving of protein. But once the can of pinto beans were rinsed, the net weight was just under 11oz. It makes more sense to me to divide the can equally for two servings than to open another can of beans that I will have to store most of in the fridge - which will get lost and spoil and eventually be tossed out with much disgust after the stink in the fridge warrants the search to find and destroy. Five and one half ounces of beans is plenty of protein. Plus there is the soup broth adding a bit more protein, so it's all good.

Tomorrow after work I'll do my weekly turn at shopping, and stop for mushrooms on the way home. I wanted to make a fritatta today with the fresh spinach that needs to be eaten, but opted for soup since it was the mushrooms I was craving. So that's on the cooking schedule for Sunday, and will provide breakfasts for next week. Eggs, cheese and milk will provide the protein, and I'll eat with my usual triscuits each morning. Can hardly wait.

It's beautiful outside today, and I have already been busy watering and bringing in garbage cans. It's actually too hot for where I want to work by the front door right now, so that will have to wait for later. The damn snails have eaten all of the johnny jump ups that were left over from winter, but I can't really justify another trip to a store to buy flowers. I should have taken the time to pick some up the day I was getting the garage door. Which is wonderful by the way. A shout out to M for installing it!

Earlier this week we gathered around the fire pit in the back yard for S'mores. I had one tiny taste of warm sticky roasted marshmallow on a graham cracker, but that was it. Mostly I was just out there to spend time with the family. I'm so glad we did the back yard last year so we can actually use it.  The tomatoes are growing nicely, with peppers a bit behind. And the potatoes seem to be thriving. It's so exciting! Oh, and the strawberries are flowering already, the little plants nicely tucked away in their new tower.

Between the cooking and the garden, I am going to have to start taking pictures again.