Color me Red...

I was watching CNN today -- 360 Anderson and I saw this interesting clip on 31 Million Americans who were living on SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) or Food Stamps. I cringed at how lucky we were and how far off all this seemed. We had a roof over our head, a refrigerator filled with healthy organic food and a car filled with fuel...however I did resolve to watch our grocery spending with the mantra - Covet not...waste not.

I have made it a habit to shop at the farmer's market -- I am able to put healthy organic meals on the table at less than $2 per person. We are not huge meat eaters and I am usually able to pick really fresh good vegetables at a steal and we eat seasonal...so things work out.

My refrigerator is full of healthy vegetables - Red Cabbage, Purple Cauliflower, Fresh Brocolli, Beets, Parsnips, Rutabaga, Carrots and New Potatoes and wonderful fresh Mandarins, Pears, Apples and Kiwis. I just need to plan this week out in an organized way for home as I do at work...lets see if I succeed.

I did make myself a pot of root vegetable soup to drive away the remanants of a viral flu...dosed with ginger, cumin and toasted chile, I am sure I will feel energetic (soon). My soup had the vibrant red color of the beets and was loaded with Carrots, Rutabaga, Parsnips and Beets. And yes a pot with about 6 servings cost me about $2 to make. Add to that a loaf of garlic bread from Whole foods at $2 and some curried kidney beans...and its a feast fit for at least the kings and queens of this house.

K1 and I have had a tough couple weeks work wise but the work load has normalized again. However the weekends have been particularly dreary and rainy, so we have pretty much been confined to the house. Its difficult taking hyper active K2 out in the rain. We have resorted to short half hour walks on the weekdays...playing Wii Fit with K2 ( he loves it) and in general spending more time at home. During our walks K2 loves watching the Pelicans and the Ibis which stand still in the water patiently waiting for the fish, he watches the little rabbit which makes it way across the grass, he is a little nervous of the slinking skunk and the large racoon but he observes them anyways. It is wonderful spending this precious time with our wonderful boy...so life color me red, or black or blue or even gray...I am determined to enjoy every moment, capture every feeling and treasure it for times to come...