Simple Womans Day Book

I found the simple womans daybook's blog (click header above to take you there) recently and love the idea of reflecting on the simple things in life. At taking time to look at these things.
FOR TODAY JANUARY 4TH...

Outside my window... the sun is shining, washing is drying on the line

I am thinking... how much nicer the house looks after spending abit of time cleaning this morning.

I am thankful for... my health, my lovely children

From the kitchen... I'm wanting to cook some recipes form new vegetarian cookbook I got for christmas. I made a really tasty mushroom, sun dried tomato, green bean and cream fettucini this week.

I am wearing... Jeans, barefeet and a singlet top

I am creating... a book of photos for january 09, a photo each day documenting our lives.

I am going... for a bike ride this evening when it cools down... some me time, some down time.

I am reading... The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

I am hoping... that the shop front i am looking at this week either works out or inspires me to move my work out of the home environment.

I am hearing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtqjmuUaYXA

Around the house... am doing a lot of decluttering, sorting and rearranging! Today though I vaccuumed the enitre house, did 3 loads of washing and soon to do a HUGE pile of dishes, need to get on top of it all before going back to work tomorrow.

One of my favorite things... relaxing in the tub with a good book... which is something I actually did first thing this morning!

A few plans for the rest of the week: plan to visit my grandmother, she is respite care as my dad who lives with her normally has gone on holidays. start cleaning out the front lounge room and knock out the current bar in there.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

vegie garden and thinking of going vegetarian.

Many years ago I used to be vegetarian. I made sure I ate a balance of foods to try to make sure I got the vitamins needed. I obviously lacked in something though as I was comepeting in competitive sport and a few times I passed out after competing! Not good. I also found I craved steak, yes bad, but its always been a food i really love. I could live without all other meat happily if i could eat steak occasionally.

So anyway. Lately we have been making more and more vegetarian meals. Joey and I eat out for lunch once or twice a week and we almost always choose vegetarian options now. We found a fab little cafe in upper ferntree gully called Tastee Az that has the most yummy vegetarian meals (they serve meals with meat also) and we now go once a week to make our way through there very tastee menu! I highly recommend anyone in the area to go and eat there you won't be disappointed, plus the food is reasonably priced.

So in all this I have been thinking about taking the step back to being vegetarian once again. For me it would be primarily for health reasons, secondly for the environment and thirdly for the animals. Is it unethical if I chose to eat meat on the rare occasion? like when at visitors who just find it too hard? at social events when there is no other option? and once in a while to curb my steak cravings? Give me your thoughts :)

Now on to a yummy recipe.
I made a vegie quiche this week which was soooo yummy!

Here is the easy easy recipe I did this time.

I used a square baking tin.
Put down a sheet of puff pastry.
then layered in the cut up vegies
Tomato
mushroom
silverbeet
red onion
red capsicum

then some crumbled marinated fetta

then relayered the vegies again
then topped with more marinated fetta and some asparagus and grated cheese.

then mixed 4 eggs with a little milk and cracked black pepper and poured over the top.
bake in the oven til risen and firm and brown.

then eat!!!

It was really yummy!

This is it with just the vegies layered in. I got busy and forgot to photograph the rest!


the garden is booming along out the back. I need to retie the tomatoes and transplant a few of them.
I posted apic just after planting about 2 motnhs ago, they sure are doing well here!


Int he pic above you can see the main tomato bed at the front which also has some basil, chilli and parsley in it. All growing well.
Behind that is a bed with more chilli, spring onions, cucumbers, beans and some lettuce. also tomatoes that have sprouted from previous years seed in the soil that I need to transplant this weekend.

to the left of the picture not in the built up beds I have zuchini growing and pumpkin and parsley and mint. to the right I have strawberries and another pumpkin (the pumpkin is a smaller variety that wont take over the garden hopefully! Its already flowering too.)

the back bed is the main lettuce bed which also has carrot and parsnip growing now and more silverbeet and radishes.

I'm really disappointed about the front beds, everythign is still not growing and just dying off :( I figure I am just going ot kep adding to the soil and keep trying. I probably should buy and do a ph test to see what is up with it.

Oh I picked and ate a snow pea yesterday. I was lamely excited by it :) pity the plant is out the front and joining the others in dying off so not sure if I will get much more thsan the one pea off it!