Real Food, Real Delicious

In honor of the Real Food Challenge, i thought i'd repost this, my husband and my FAVORITE of seasonal dishes: Pesto Kale! I've been making this dish the past two Winters, and have honed it to absolute perfection, though am always willing to put in whatever ingredients are freshest for a brand new and even better absolute perfection!

This particular evening's version of pesto kale was soooooo good, and was a glorious tribute to the mission statement behind the real food challenge.

Grown in my garden: Serranos (frozen from late summer), garlic, pesto (frozen from last fall, made with local pecans), onions, home canned tomatoes, and of course: the kale!

Sourced locally: Buddy's all natural chicken sausage. Minimal ingredients. Locally made. Natural and delicious.

Non local ingredients: Olive oil, the cheese in the pesto, salt and pepper.

Feels pretty great to grow it, make it, eat it, and enjoy a nutrient packed, uber fresh and easily put together meal. Fist pumps all around.

*** Update: made this favorite dish again last night with ground turkey and mushrooms. OMG. Even better. Always cook the meat first with the onions/garlic and tomatoes, then add the pesto and other veggies (mushrooms) and end by adding the kale and cook until wilted to your satisfaction. Nom nom nom.

This post can also be found at the super fantastic blog hop: Simple Lives Thursday.

Wholesome Wednesdays: Real Food

I did not participate in the Real Food Challenge last year, but think i will this March (despite this March being intensely busy and full of WAY too many things to think about). Since we already eat pretty much solely what i refer to as 'real food' the challenge shouldn't be too hard for us. Depending on the parameters the ladies at Not Dabbling In Normal and Chiot's Run, among other participating blogs set: we should be fine doing what we usually do. 

Some foods we'll be cutting out: soda, sugar free gummy bears. Some foods we may cut out depending on the rules: Annie's Macaroni and Cheese, Morningstar Farms Veggie "Chick'n" Nuggets.

Those are really some of the only 'pretend' foods we eat around here. I've been meaning to try Marigold's SUPER SECRET chicken nuggets soon. Our chickens are laying so we have plenty of 'free' protein to take advantage of. My garden is finally growing, thanks to some excellent composted horse manure from Dripping Springs, some improved weather, and more careful attention to actually WATERING it, so i'll have my own lettuce big enough to eat in a week or three.



I didn't participate in the challenge last year because i was afraid that the term 'challenge' might encourage people to go all out for a short while, then fall back into old habits once the challenge was over. I read and followed the challenge, though - and it truly seemed that the people participating or reading were truly concerned with developing a system for a new way of living and eating. I love to set a good example, and eating real food (and growing it if possible) is one of my great passions. At the gym ust yesterday, a young mother expecting her second child stopped and asked me some questions about growing a veggie garden. A. I just love it that people ask me about this stuff! B. I just love that i know enough now to be helpful. I recommended an easy way to start, some easy plants to start, and some tasty plants that grow well here and would be fun for her and her kiddos to plant, harvest, and eat.  I'll be participating in the challenge to help spread the good word about eating 'real food' while also growing as much of it as possible.



Would you like to join the challenge this year? For the month of March, head over to Not Dabbling In Normal and their sister sites for a fun, healthy, and wholesome challenge - sure to increase your knowledge, immune system, and pride.