This week felt somewhat chaotic. It was a bit busier than usual, and parts of my schedule got shifted around. On Wednesday morning, I agreed to substitute for a couple of classes on Thursday. I quickly realized that this meant that my baking day needed to move, so I started whipping things up in the kitchen before I taught my own classes that afternoon.
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| The queue for the oven. |
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| Things EVERYWHERE. No, I didn't use four containers of cottage cheese. I reuse those containers to freeze all sorts of things like zucchini, beans, vegetable broth, etc. |
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| Crackers that just came out, and bread about to go in as soon as the rest of the crackers emerge. |
I also needed to make a meal for us this week, so I cooked up some Spanish rice and some refried beans while food baked in the oven.
Chaos.
It was ever-so-pleasant to clean off my counters at the end of it all. About four-and-a-half hours work, and I had rolls, bread, zucchini bread, crackers, granola bars, cookies, pear crisp, Spanish rice, and refried beans, and a clean kitchen. Plus, I had a short break before I needed to go to work.
Anyway, these pictures kind of reflect life this week and maybe even this term. Chaotic, beautiful, messy and then cleaned up. Teaching has been a bit more stressful this term. Terms go pretty quickly, and there's always hope for improvement next term. I've really been enjoying yard work, though. Wondering why I haven't been blogging much? Unless I need to do something for my classes, I'm generally not at my computer anymore. There's just so many other things to enjoy! I kind of miss writing though, so maybe I'll show my face more often in the coming days.
As I type this, I feel the stress of Monday: Back to the routine, and back to classes where I will return a midterm and try to pace new material so that we don't fall desperately behind. I have this ache in my chest and stomach as I feel imperfect and inadequate. However, I hear frogs by the pond and little chickens peeping and pecking, and I'm grateful for the safe haven of home where I am surrounded by love, happiness, and beauty. Tomorrow as I feel overwhelmed, I will try to remember that life's not about me, and I'll see if I can share the love, happiness, and beauty that I experience daily.
2 comments:
Wow, I'm impressed that you can make so much food so quickly! I'm also impressed at how resourceful you are: you even make your own crackers! What portion of your food do you make from scratch these days? Is your goal to get to 100%?
I've been doing it long enough that I have a rhythm, so it goes pretty quickly. :)
We do eat most things from scratch these days. My groceries generally come from the bulk bins or the produce section. I do still buy some dairy products and eggs for baking, too.
Essentially, we just try to virtually eliminate packaging from food, and it has worked pretty well. This is why I make my own crackers, tortillas, bread, etc. It doesn't hurt that it saves some money and is healthier, too! I reuse bags and jars for bulk and produce, so I rarely have to throw out much. The occasional cheese wrapper we have to throw out, and we recycle the half gallon milk carton that we use every two weeks. :)
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