Leeky Potato loveliness...

I am going to completely bypass the fact that this is my first post in forever. Let's just focus on the fact that as a healthy, happy woman I am back into blogging mode! Thanks to those who sent kind words and good karma during, you know. Your positive vibes clearly worked. I truly, truly love you all for it. And in trying to pay it forward if I can do anything for any single one of you...all you have to do is say the word. 

But for now, the word most on my mind is this; Soup.  

I love making soups. There is something so satisfying about the whole process. Taking the raw ingredients. Washing, cutting, and making sure everything is prepped ready for the process.  Hubby and I are trying to eat good, whole, and as locally sourced foods as possible.  It isn't easy, and sometimes you have to just throw your hands in the air and give up over an ingredient that would be local for another 6 months...but we do try and we are very mindful of the issue.

So when shopping on Friday, knowing I had today off, I picked up some lovely fat Leeks.  I felt the need to soup it up today. Typically I make a large pot, and then freeze it in 1.5 cup freezer bags for work. Hubby doesn't like soup as much as I do so it's really a personal mission I am on.

I also picked up some wee potatoes, and some other fun stuff to make in my Monday Soup. 
However, when I got up this morning, I was feeling far from inspired since ittah bittah kittah is keeping us up a large portion of the night.  So we are quite exhausted and looking forward to Agatha not being such a kitten any longer. 

So, talking to a friend on Facebook, I became re-inspired. Come with me and take a gander... 

Leeky Potato Soup

First we start with some fat Leeks. Did you know that Leeks do the same as Onions and make you cry?  I didn't. Now I do.  I should have, but I am big enough to admit I didn't. Leeks may your eyes leeky.  See what I did there?

Oh my heck, is that? Wait I think it is! Some lovely Shallots and about 3 big old Garlic cloves.  Hellz yeah. This is going to be hundo p awesome.  Oh who am I kidding, I can't carry off cool-kid language anymore.  Those extra ingredients are going to make this really tasty!


After grabbing and melting a big glob of butter in the fry pan, I tossed those Leeky-Leeks in to melt them down.

The smell of the house is amazing at this point. All oniony and leeky and garlicy and slightly buttery.

And what did I do with all that goodness? Into the crock-pot you go!  But wait...there's more...






Oh yeah, look at this; tiny potatoes with, wait, whats that you see? Why yes, it's some tiny heirloom potatoes just to mix this shiznit up.

Plus it's good starch so that's nice too.

Making sure I well seasoned it, I plopped those bad boys into the crock-pot as well.  With a couple cups of organic chicken broth, I set it on low and walked away from it.

And when I say I walked away from it, I actually mean I meandered back to the couch, and called it a vay-cay day proper.  Although we are heading out for dinner shortly, at the time of this posting I am still in my jammies.  Yay Tina!

But back to the soup...

The view from above the crock.  Thought I'd show off some of my fave books as well. No, I'm not a vegetarian or a vegan...but I find those recipes to be healthy and wholesome and typically as a side to some sort of animal protein. Sorry, I am way too far up on the food chain to deny myself ethically raised, humanly butchered meat.



On that note: Please don't write me and tell me how bad meat is. I have done my research for my body and blood type. I tried going vegetarian but my iron levels just never adjusted. And, as a survivor, I am very aware of the foods, including meat, I ingest...and the proper portions to stay healthy.

In the meantime, let's take a look at my soup helpers...

Having let the Leeky Potato goodness cook on low for the last 6 hours, I get to break out the immersion blender and blend the hell out of that goodness!  Adding some 35% cream (just enough to make it creamy) we ended up with this loveliness...

...which turned into this excitement for me...

...since this means yummy lunches at work!

At the end of it all the house smelled amazing, I got my soup-making ya-ya's out and I will have healthy, good food for lunches that won't make my 'My Fitness Pal' app cry.  Added bonus, it really uses so few dishes that my kitchen can once again look clean and sparkly for the morning.

Special thanks to my friend Gordon. Although I had purchased the ingredients, I wasn't really feeling inspired to make the soup until a nice chat about how awesome food really is got my butt into gear!

And, yeah, I'm going to be blogging more. I miss the little notes from the people who like to read about my adventures. I am humbled that I may write about my adventures at all. 

May goodness surround you and yours. 

Namaste,

Tina 

Okay, I've been schooled...nicely.

So I guess you can tell from the last post that I have been feeling very sorry for myself lately.  And, well, to be honest, there are two sides to that coin isn't there?  I mean, yeah, this sucks. But I have been given some amazing forecasts, I have awesome family, and I am starting to amass support both in my real world as well as online from people who in some cases don't even know me, but are offering me huge support.  THAT is the reason why I am being schooled...and kindly at that.

So...I am shutting down my pity party. It doesn't make sense to wallow day after day. It doesn't make sense to compare my fight and my journey with anyone else's. And it certainly doesn't make any sense whatsoever to beat myself up about NOT doing stuff because I am tired. 'Cause I am freaking tired. 

It does make sense to stop laying down and acting dead when I'm not...nor am I going to be for a long time. I don't know what happened though. I am always up for a fight. Adam can certainly attest to that. I think it just might have been that in order for people to try to be supportive, I wasn't really given the information as to how bad it can BE. And if I feel its this bad....how bad will it GET? 

Well,  by all accounts I am in the thick of it. And I am living through it. I am fighting and I am going to win this. More than that is this plateau I have reached: I both don't want to, nor do I NEED to talk about this all the time. I think the psychology behind the wallow is to own it and realize it fully. I get that. But at some point it became exhausting. 

Then I realized my biggest problem. 

I have been beating myself up because of cancer and because perhaps I fight a little too much with Adam and because I am mourning not being at my awesome job, and because of a thousand other reasons which is when it hit me - I have forgotten what it's like to be 'Tina in Repose'. I don't know HOW to relax. I have forgotten the sheer joy of getting completely obsessive compulsive about doing leisure activities and chilling my shit down. I forgot how to just BE in the universe. 

Now the constant emotional and intellectual flailing makes sense.

So.  Here I am having to remind myself how to be patient and kind to myself. I have to remember what leisure activities make me happy. Plus I am told that more meditation is probably a good thing too. I am off to find out what makes a slightly addled brain excited. I think quick activities are probably best with a slight inability to focus right now. Any suggestions are welcomed.  

Oh, and I have found out one universal truth - Pinterest is the devil. Just sayin'.

Ta ducks,

Tina  :)

Quick and random thought about church

I think with Christianity the folks who are leaving church can be summed up much more succinctly: Peer Groups and Instant Gratification.

To the later, we no longer have to walk the fields and ponder next steps and big decisions. We no longer ‘wait’ for God to speak to us. We go online. We talk to our global neighbour. We get opposing and confusing views and in many cases, with the decline of those going to church, people don’t have sufficient ‘peer groups’ who can relate to similar struggles, questions, and concerns.

The Church is not an attractive place to many people for a myriad of reasons…not the least can be laid at the doorstep of the breakdown of the Catholic untouchable rightness and the laughable moral consequences of Christian televangelists. Who wants to listen to those beseech what is good whilst themselves engaging or covering up the bad? Sadly, those acts do reflect upon even the kindly local Chaplin or lay-minister.

But at the end of it all I still believe it is indeed Patience and Peers…most churches are unable to provide these simple resources anymore.

~tina