Where's the Beef ?

Where's the beef?
In our freezer!! On Sunday we got our first side of beef.  The farmer, Mark Nagel, delivered it right to our door.  It was $2.75/pound.  His farm is further south in MO roughly an hour and a 1/2 from here.  We wanted to get a 100% grass fed cow.  He said that all of his cows are able to graze and have grass the entire time.  Due to the weather, we were able to get a cow that had been "finished" or supplemented with grain.  The cow still had grass all the time, but then he has a mix of corn and hay that is available for them to eat.  The majority of the diet is still grass.

In terms of scale, I found a "sale" on grass fed ground beef for $4.99/lb.  It doesn't even claim to be locally raised.  We have not only 20+ pounds of ground beef but we also have a variety of steaks, roast, bones & liver to use ??, cube steak, short ribs, and more cuts of beef that I didn't even really ever pay attention to.  We are very excited to try out all the different cuts and try new recipes.  I will keep you in the loop.....

cooler full of meat!! :-) 

We had it wrapped in paper and it is very nicely labeled as to what cut it is.  Yippie!!

Bag of ground beef -- I didn't count, but I know its over 20 lbs. :-D

Dry Dock Farms.... the end!

We were anticipating the excitement of an end of the year fall festival to go out to the farm and meet our farmers, their friends, the other suppliers.  This didn't happen as they had a death in the family.  It was a bummer as we (June, Timmy, & myself... perhaps another straggler or two) wanted to see what our farm was all about and hand't been out to Silex, MO.

As the season has concluded, I am going to take a minute to reflect on our experience.  I feel strongly we received a full cooler every week but one.  I felt like it was top notch produce -- not the "leftovers."  I enjoyed our weekly newsletter and our suggestions for how to use and preserve the food.  With our season being finished, we still have items down in the freezer ready to microwave and eat.  I am planing to participate in a CSA again next year.  There is an option to get pick up across from our house at the Buder School for a cooperative. The downside is that all of the produce is not necessarily local.  Tim and I are leaning towards using Dry Dock Farms again.... June is leaning towards the co-op that you pick up across the street.

Also, through this experience with the farm we've had the opportunity to get locally raised chicken and pork.  It is wonderful.  I have a chicken and some pork downstairs in the freezer.  We have a grass fed cow 'hanging' for us at the processing plant.  The farmer, Mark Nagel, was a guy my dad met up at Kirkwood's farmers market.  We have been waiting for our beef for 3 months or so to be ready and it sounds like we are going to have a delivery in the next two weeks.  We will start working on some of that frozen stuff down in the freezer to make room.

Yum Yum!!

Old Navy Active Wear

Soooo... in case you haven't heard about crowdtap, it's a website that you join and give market feedback.  It's pretty simple but as you accrue more points you get to a higher level and are invited to opportunities.  This time I got an opportunity to sample the active wear line with my sister.  She was actually wearing an activewear top that she had purchased on a previous trip.  I own a runner skirt and a pair of compression pants from Old Navy's activewear line.

Today we tried on several new items and had a blast restocking our closet for the fall.  I picked out the 'carbon' women's color block jacket. It is a moisture wicking jacket that also has thumb holes, a full zip, and handy dandy pockets. (I love thumb holes.)  I picked out a matching grey pair of ruched compression capris.  They also have a handy pocket (can't get enough of those!).

Not only did I get some samples from Old Navy, I had the "obligation" of bringing a friend.  She picked out a pair of the full length compression pants with a "purple ivory" (sort of maroonish) strip across the top and a matching hooded running top.  Overall, a fun time checking out Old Navy's activewear.  I'm looking forward to sporting it around town as I train for my next 1/2 marathon ...

Meatless Monday

This week for Meatless Monday ~ we were lucky enough to have guest chef Megan Robinson.  She treated us to a spicy black bean and quinoa.  We got tortillas and made veggie burrito style.  We also were treated to a delicious Caperese salad.  Lori added fresh sliced avocados with tomatoes, mozzerela cheese, fresh basil, and a homemade balsalmic vingerette.  Timmy finished us off with spicy sweat potatoes.  Yum yum!!

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Footnotes

• Questions about quinoa?

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 76 | Total Fat: 1.5g | Cholesterol: 0mg