SAVE THE BEES!!!!

There is a serious epidemic going on in our world and it is the Vanishing of the Bee's! I have been aware of this for the past few years and in landscaping my yard I have been very careful about planting bee friendly plants.  I am also very protective of them when it comes to my dog because she likes to eat them and that is NOT okay. I never swat at them or try to kill them as there is this respect I have for them and what they give us and how hard they work.

I recently watched the movie, Vanishing of the Bees and it was amazing! Jeremy and I watched this together and it was if we were studying for the course of our lives. Bee's are a vital part of our civilization. Without them, we would not have food and they keep our plants growing and thriving through their cross pollination. So it is very important to find out why they have been disappearing. There was a lot of scenarios out there but after watching this movie and hearing different perspectives, I truly do believe their conclusion.

The movie has interviews from beekeepers, scientists and food (yes my man Michael Pollan was part of this movie) and environmental experts from around the world, Katerva nominee “Vanishing of the Bees” not only uncovers the story of the Colony Collapse Disorder phenomenon, but also brings to light its consequences and a platform of everyday solutions, such as monoculture planting and the use of chemicals in our agricultural industry.

If you have Netflix it is free to stream! If you don't I would HIGHLY recommend spending the $3.99 for the pay per view screening.

I will leave you with some memorable quotes from the movie...

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead 


Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money. – Cree Indian Proverb

It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure. - Albert Einstein 

Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field. - Dwight David Eisenhower

Peace and Love

Mushroom and Barley Soup

I have decided that a good way this winter to eat whole foods is making crock pot meals! I am so excited to try different recipes. I made a Minnesota Wild Rice Soup and now Mushroom and Barley.  What I really loved about this soup is that it is about 80% local.

Mushroom and Barley Soup

• 1lb or more of Hazel Dell Mushrooms. I used a mix of cremini and baby shitake
• 1 sweet onion diced but I used cippolini onions (chopped equivalent to a small onion) which are smaller and sweet and it is the end of the season and Grant Family Farms had some left!
• 3 carrots peeled and diced from Cressent Farms
• 3 cloves of garlic pressed from local garlic growers at my farmers market. They don't have a website or I would post it for you.
• 3/4 cup of pearl barley from Harvest Share Organics
• 6 cups or a little more of vegetable stock
• 2tsp of Herbs de Provence from Old Town Spice Shop.
• 1tsp of crushed red pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• If you would like to make this more hearty I would suggest increasing the broth a little and throwing in some tempeh. Tempeh is my go to protein addition in veggie dishes. 

Throw all ingredients in your crock pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Then serve! Perfect Sunday evening meal.

Happy Eating!

Great Read!

I am not a big reader but between my husband and I we read some interesting books.  I thought I would start sharing books we have read and want to read with you. I recently came across this book and it holds very close to my heart.


"The Feast Nearby" was written by Robin Mather.  After searching online I found she has a blog too! Here is some information on Robin Mather. I can't WAIT to read her book! Here is a brief exert from an article I read about her.

Within a week in 2009, Mather lost her job as food writer for The Chicago Tribune and ended her marriage of twelve years. Depressed and lost, she retreated to a small summer home beside a lake in rural Michigan. Few people in the town were full-time residents; most came up on warm weekends, and in the winter the lake was quiet and peaceful. Mather saw this cottage as the perfect place to make a new home with her talkative parrot and playful dog.  With a very limited income, Mather knew that she had to watch her food bills. But she also knew she wanted to spend as much of her forty dollars a week in food expenses on local growers and businesses as she could. She lays down a few ground rules in the book's introduction, including allowances for coffee beans, sugar, and spices to be sourced from further away. But her weekly consumption of produce, meat, and grains would come from farmers within her immediate surroundings, and of course her diet would follow the schedule of the growing season. For more information, click on this link for more on Leah Douglas's article.

Here is Robin's blog too if you would like to continue to follow her, The Feast Nearby.

Nelsetti's Famous House Pizza!

Jeremy and I have become quite novices on the homemade pizza making front!  For my bridal shower I received a Pampered Chef pizza stone and who would of known what wonderful things it would have brought us!!!  We have become pizza making machines, having it about once a week. I have started calling it "Colorado Goulash", because you can simply put anything and everything on it.  Whatever leftovers we have in our fridge, we throw it on a pizza. First, it is simply something Jeremy and I truly enjoy doing together! It has become very bonding and an event I look forward too!

Jeremy is the king of the crust! I don't know what he does but it is thin, crisp and simply wonderful!  He has it nailed down! Now we just need to figure out a yummy wheat crust.  I am the master of our secret sauces we put on all our pizzas and I have to admit that I am pretty good. I am pretty secretive when it comes to our pizza recipes, however I don't mind sharing with you our house pizza. You will probably see a lot of reference to our wonderful pizza's throughout the blog so I wanted to give you a little background.

Nelsetti's House Pizza

• 1/2 lb of Hazel Dell Mushrooms (I really like the Shitakes and Cinnamon tops) sauteed - I would recommend some local mushrooms but any will do.
• 1 whole sweet onion (Vidalia or Walla Walla) caramelized
• I use my secret red sauce for the base
• 1 cup of Mozzarella
• 1/4 cup of Fresh Parmesan grated

Bake at 500 degrees on your pizza stone! MAKE SURE TO PUT YOUR STONE IN THE OVEN AND THEN PREHEAT AT 500 degrees.

I think pizza night is so much fun at any age!!!! We have picnics in our backyard, movie nights or friends and family over!






 

The Beginning...

Welcome to our lives! I hope this blog brings you laughter, knowledge, and enjoyment as you follow my and my family's everyday journey. I had a blog awhile back that was just focused on food, however I realized I had so much more to talk about and needed to expand my content. Our family keeps growing and learning and I realized that some people out there might be interested in this journey.

My husband and I recently became chicken owners! We are the proud parents of 6 adopted Rhode Island Reds! I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to get them! I do not live on a farm or out of city limits. I live right here in suburban Fort Collins. About a year ago Fort Collins passed an ordinance that allowed everyday people like myself, living in suburbia, to have backyard chickens. I honestly think I could do a daily blog on chickens alone they are just so much fun and interesting. You will hear a lot of stories and information about the chickens as we move along this journey.

Aside from the chickens I love to eat, cook and garden. I believe in whole foods as much as possible. My goal for my family in my last blog was to make us as limited as possible on processed food and we were successful. I would say only 20 to 30% of our food is processed. Don't get me wrong though, I LOVE going out to eat and I can wait to share with you some fun and interesting places in and around Colorado. The main way to eat healthy (and cheap) is to learn how to grow your own stuff. Whether you live in an apartment or house, there are ways that you can eat healthy year round and I hope to share those with you.

I am by no means a vegetarian, vegan or anything such! What I am is a locavore and a foodie! What is a locavore you ask? "Someone who seeks out locally grown and produced foods", New Oxford American Dictionary. I try my hardest to eat grass fed beef, chicken from places where I know the bird has lived a happy life, like Jodar Farms (http://www.jodarfarms.com/pages/farm), black raspberry jam from my mother-in-laws wild bushes, honey from Copocos Honey (http://www.copocoshoney.com/), veggies from my garden and yummy breads (http://www.facebook.com/goodseedbakery) and so on and so on. I believe what grows together goes together, however I am not perfect and you will see I do use food weekly from the grocery store, packaged, etc...because let's face it...I live in Colorado. Our growing season is short and I seriously love avocados!

Another big part of this blog is Jeremy's and my journey to get our son Cy. We are adopting from South Korea and couldn't be happier!! I hope you join me in the journey to bring Cy home and and once he is home. Adoption can be a very long and arduous rode with an outcome so wonderful it changes your life forever. There are so many products, information, books and just regular baby information I can't wait to share with you. I am sure this blog is more for me, but I hope you enjoy!

Peace and Love,
Sarah