Can I tell you how much I’m enjoying my break? I still have some blogging-type projects to finish up, but other than that things are much less hectic around here.

I wanted to share this post with you about our emergency preparedness week. I had all of it written, but had no photos to go with it. So, I decided to raid my phone for completely unrelated photos. Lucky you!

That handsome guy up there was enjoying his last few minutes of fun phone time before our “distaster” struck. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, click over to the Sweet Potato and Bacon Breakfast Hash post.

Basically we tried to live mostly off our long-term food and water storage and use as little electricity as possible. For six days.

Baby is a smoothie pop magnet.

For the first three days we ate mostly dehydrated meals, supplemented by produce in the fridge that I didn’t want to spoil. We cooked either on the grill or on the gas burner that was attached to the grill. That was it. No oven, range, microwave, toaster, blender (sniff), etc. I did run the dishwasher, though, because I knew we didn’t have enough water stored for washing dishes anyway. We didn’t unplug the fridge or freezer, but we didn’t eat anything out of the freezer.

We still took showers and baths because Steve still had to work and Sophie had school. And I showered about every other day. We also used our toilet (I’m not ready to tackle that one yet.)

We didn’t watch TV or use the Internet for anything recreational. I even deleted the Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest apps from my phone. We also responded to emails and texts when needed. We didn’t use any lights, but lit candles when it got dark. (The kids liked that.)

Notice I said, “for the first three days?” By Wednesday night I was sick and tired of the whole exercise. Thursday I gradually started slipping back into regular life. And by Friday we were back to normal. We didn’t make it to Saturday, and I’m OK with that. I felt we learned enough from three days.

This is what happens almost every morning. The sacrifices I make to put my face on.

Lesson #1 It’s really hard to fake an emergency when everyone around you isn’t.

Steve still had to work. Sophie still had school. I had deadlines I had to meet, which involve both food and technology. That meant we were supposed to live our normal lives, but in a really, really inconvenient way.

Lesson #2: I really like no TV.

My kids don’t watch a whole lot of TV in the first place, so I was surprised how much of a difference it made cutting it out entirely. They got along better. And whined less.

Not quite daily. Some days it’s tupperware. Some days it’s plastic plates. Or silverware.

Lesson #3: We need lots and lots and lots more water.

We’ve been storing water in empty 2 Liter POM juice bottles in the corner of our cabinet. (You know, the corner cabinet space that’s completely useless and eats the lids to your plastic storage containers.) This weeklong experiment made me conscious of each time I turned on the faucet. To wash my hands. To wash baby’s face, hands, feet, hair (she’s messy). To rinse off produce. To scrub dishes. To brush our teeth, wash our faces, etc.

I read somewhere that you need a gallon of water per person per day for everything, including drinking and bathing. And that doesn’t count the gallon of water needed each time to flush a toilet in case the water supply is cut off. Speaking of the toilet situation (which is never pleasant), that’s a real big issue if the plumbing isn’t working. AAAAND, we chose not to fake that emergency this time.

Lesson #4: Babies need their own food. And lots of other things.

I realized the first day that if we have a baby during an emergency, I’ll have to have a reserve of diapers, wipes, and food just for her. Out of the meals that we ate from our storage, there were only two things she could eat. We hold off on wheat and dairy (and eggs and nuts) for at least a year to avoid making her sick and to reduce the risk of developing food allergies. I’m still nursing her, so that was a plus. As long as I’m fed, she’ll have at least one source of food if she can’t eat what I’m eating.

Grilling + Facebook =

Lesson #5: Dehydrated packet meals are really hard on your stomach.

Speaking of those meals… I told Steve that if it really had been an emergency situation and this was our only food option, I would be eternally grateful. But only then. Our stomachs were burning and we weren’t looking forward to our next packet meal after the first night. I’m not gonna lie, though… opening a packet and stirring it into boiling water is pretty convenient food prep. I can see why so many people have a hard time letting that go!

Lesson #6: I spend too much time on social media.

I cleaned a lot on Monday. I should delete my social media apps more often.

Lesson #7: I’m grateful that I keep a well-stocked pantry.

What I’m most curious about is how long we could live with the food we have on hand without dipping into our long-term storage. I keep a very well-stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer, and I’m willing to bet we could live off just that for about 4-6 weeks. It would be slim the last week or so and we’d run out of the fresh stuff quickly, but we’d be OK.

Lesson #8: Your baby may take her first steps during a distaster, so be sure to keep your camera charged or have extra batteries.

Yep, she did.

Lesson #9: We should camp more often.

I never thought I’d ever say that. Ever. I’d rather get a cavity filled than go camping with children (heck, without children), and sleep in a tent outside with no running water.

But. Going without basic commodities is very eye-opening and I think camping would be a more realistic exercise than trying to do it in your house.

Backpacking would be better, actually because you may not be able to use your car depending on the situation.

Documenting the day when I realized my new Stitch Fix top matched the teal shoes I bought last summer. If you don’t know what Stitch Fix is, click on the photo!

Lesson #10: If a distaster situation ended up being long-term, we’d be dead very soon.

Yes, we’d have food to last a month, but if our water supply ran out, we’d be in big trouble. (See Lesson #3) That goes for the propane in our grill as well. We need something that doesn’t rely on gas or fuel, like a solar oven or a wood burning camping stove.

Like I said, we did about three days of this before we started gradually sliding back into real life. Our sanity and our stomachs were ready to go back to normal! We learned a lot and now have a list of things to do to help our family be more prepared in an emergency.

And that part about wanting to camp more often was totally a joke.

        

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Come see me over at Food Fanatics today where I’ll be reviewing Gwyneth Paltrow’s newest cookbook, It’s All Good!

Gwyneth is one of my favorite celebrity mamas and any mama would be thrilled to have this book for Mother’s Day. This is definitely one of the most gorgeous cookbooks in my collection. See?

There’s also a Hoisin Sauce Recipe in the book that rocks. I thought I’d have to give up using it after I realized it was mostly corn syrup.

Until now…

Get the recipe and enter to win a copy of It’s All Good! 

       

 

 

Don’t forget to enter the other fair trade product giveaway and win a box of goodies from Fair Trade USA! Click over to the giveaway post and leave a comment. 

Have you ever heard of Noonday Collection?

If you have, you’re probably smiling. If you haven’t, you’re missing out.

In a nutshell, Noonday Collection offers gorgeous accessories made by artisans worldwide which provides them a pathway out of poverty. They also support adoption through fundraising opportunities.

Remember how I’ve been talking about fair trade products this week? These are my favorite because each piece has a story behind it.

A story about a mother who finally found a job that has a fair and reliable income to support her family and send her kids to school.

A story about a woman with HIV/AIDS who is able to restore dignity to her life by making a good living.

Or men and women who have been abused or trapped as bond laborers (basically slaves) and have built a new life through successful entrepreneurship.

Since I discovered Noonday and the miracle they are working in the lives of the impoverished, I felt something light up inside me. I wanted to be a part of that, so I signed on to be an Ambassador so I could spread the word of fair trade products. . . and show off all of their gorgeous stuff! (It will be a blast. I’m excited.)

What does that entail, actually? Well, I’ll be supporting these artisans by selling their jewelry and accessories on my Noonday website. And by doing trunk shows in womens’ homes.

“Natalie, aren’t you a food blogger with three children? When are you going to do this? And I thought you really disliked the whole ‘home party/social selling’ set up?”

I know, I asked myself the same thing. The truth is… I’m going to be blogging less for a while. I need to turn my blogging brain off. I’ve planned lots of special posts and projects for Perry’s Plate to keep myself excited, but when it came down to actually doing it, I felt like I was in high school all over again and I had just been assigned a research paper. My heart just isn’t in this right now. (Nope, no menu plans for a while. Sorry.)

Blogging has been such a huge part of my life for so long, and deep down I love it. I really do. I just need a break for a while — a break from trying to tie my weekly menu plan into what assignments or posts I needed to have done that week, a break from trying to race the sun for good photos during the “witching hours” that every mother dreads, a break from constantly wondering how to grow my blog and what magical combination of content/social media will boost my traffic and engagement. I just want to make dinner and cook for the sake of cooking and not for a post or an assignment. I’ve been at this for five years, and I’m burned out, friends.

And yes, I do dislike the home party/social selling set up, which is why it’s hilarious to me that I’ve actually signed up to be an Ambassador. I think I’ll get over it.

What does this mean? Well, I’m not going to shut everything down. Nor am I going to quit posting altogether. I have far too much invested in this happy little corner of the Internet to let it disappear. You’ll just be seeing less of me, that’s all. I’ll still be posting at Food Fanatics and Tasty Kitchen every now and then, and if I come across a life-changing recipe, I’ll let you know. I may even post things about Noonday occasionally, so I hope you don’t mind. I created a Facebook page just for Noonday updates, if you want to follow along! (Please do. It’s kind of lonely over there right now.)

The fun part about Noonday is the  JEWELRY. Oh, the jewelry. And the accessories. When are you ever going to find a company where you fall in love with their products AND their purpose? (See why I couldn’t say no?)

I’ll be throwing a launch party at the end of the month (and if you live within driving distance of Reno, NV, you’re welcome to come. Seriously. Prove to me you’re not a creeper, and I’ll tell you where I live.) But I also wanted to give a little something back to you guys. Some of you have been reading my little blog for YEARS, and I thank you. I’d hug you if I could.

I’m going to give TWO of you $50 vouchers for products on the Noonday Collection site!

Just leave a comment on this post and answer this question for me:

What makes you light up inside?

Being with your kids? (Being away from your kids? I’ve experienced both.) Helping those in need? Finding really awesome shoes on clearance?

A few little details…

1. Comments will close on Thursday May 16th, 2013 at 8PM PST. I’ll use a random number generator to choose two winners that I will contact and announce here shortly after. If I don’t get a response from the winners after three days I’ll pick new ones.

2. One entry per person. As much as I love having new Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram pals, I want you to follow me because you genuinely like my blog. Not for extra entries in a contest.

3. Contest open to US and Canadian residents only.

4. Leave a valid email address for me to contact you.

Disclosure: Giveaway provided by Perry’s Plate

        

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Mother’s Day!! I almost became a mother on Mother’s Day. I was due the Friday before and she decided to take her sweet time and come Tuesday morning. Stinker.

Do you have any plans? Traditions? I think we’re doing the same thing again this year.

I’m totally excited.

Steve’s making lunch after church (while I hang out on the couch) and then he cleans up the kitchen (yep, I’m on the couch again). For that to be my Mother’s Day gift, you might get the impression that he never helps me. He does sometimes, but most of the time he has work to do so I take kitchen duty.

And he usually gives me flowers. I love flowers. Fair trade flowers would be even better. (But I’m not going to push my luck.)

I’ve mentioned here and there the importance of knowing where your food comes from. (Like, over and over in the Staying Whole in a Processed World Series.) One aspect of food sourcing to be aware of is “fair trade.” Fair trade can apply to food items as well as non-food items (like clothing and accessories) and means that creating a product improves lives and protects the environment. Everyday purchases that bear the Fair Trade Certified™ logo come from farmers and workers in the developing world who are justly compensated, allowing them to build sustainable businesses that positively influence their communities.

This week I’m going to be talking about a few fair trade companies that I’ve had experience with, and on Thursday I’ll have another giveaway and some fabulous news for you that will make you squeal.

I’m squealing inside just thinking about it.

I received this lovely box of fair trade goodies last week from Fair Trade USA! Dark Quinoa Chocolate (like a crunch bar with quinoa instead of puffed rice — super cool), rainbow quinoa, and mascobado cane sugar from Alter Eco, Lemon-Lavender-Mint herbal tea from Choice, and four Larabars.

The chocolate lasted about 5 minutes.

Want to win this fun box of fair trade goodies?

Just leave a comment on this post and answer this question for me:

What do you love most about THE special woman in your life?

Is it your mom? Your grandma? Your sister? The lady who does your nails?

A few little details…

1. Comments will close on Tuesday May 14, 2013 at 8PM PST. I’ll use a random number generator to choose one winner that I will contact and announce here shortly after. If I don’t get a response from the winner after three days I’ll pick a new one.

2. One entry per person. As much as I love having new Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram pals, I want you to follow me because you genuinely like my blog. Not for extra entries in a contest.

3. Contest open to US and Canadian residents only.

4. Leave a valid email address for me to contact you.

Disclosure: I received this complimentary box from Fair Trade USA. Like always, opinions shared are 100% my own

        

Comments

• I love my Mom so very much! She is the kindest, most generous ... by MJ
• My older sister Carolyn, who beat cancer. She is 5 years cancer ... by Isabel
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I’ve also decided that street tacos would be my last meal on earth.

Out of the 60+ recipes I have in my Mexican/Southwest category, these are our all-time favorites.

Of course I had to start with the Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas. It’s the most popular recipe on my site!

If you like these you’d also like the Stacked Chicken & Zucchini Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce or the Leftover Shredded Beef and Kale Stacked Enchiladas.

(I’m into stacking enchiladas instead of rolling them. Can you tell?)

Speaking of shredded beef, this is my favorite shredded beef in the whole world. The Taqueria-Style Shredded Beef takes a bit of prep, but it cooks all day in the slow cooker and is great for tacos, enchiladas, nachos, quesadillas, salads…. omelets. (Yes, I actually did that. Best omelet I ever had.)

It’s criminal to have Mexican food without guacamole. Or at least a chopped avocado. I adore this Loaded Roasted Chile Guacamole! I have a basic guacamole recipe as well if you want something quick. For the laziest of lazies, try my Lazy Guacamole.

I have to pace myself when I make Crispy Shredded Chicken Tacos. I could really eat an entire platter and then bask in a crispy tortilla-induced coma for the next several hours. No, not even close to paleo, but so, so worth it once in a while. For a vegetarian version, these Crispy Black Bean Tacos are great, too!

And for the best Mexican food, you need the best tortillas. Have you ever made your own corn tortillas? Hand-rolled Corn Tortillas are a snap, once you get into a good rhythm. I can pump out 35-40 in a half hour.

Have a great weekend! Ole!

(Do people actually say Ole? I may have outed myself as a great, big dork.)

        

Comments

• Bell’articolo, molto utile! Stavo facendo le mie belle ... by traslocatori
• What a lovely roundup and beautiful photographs! And I agree ... by Meagan @ Scarletta Bakes
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• I'll def be making those taqueria tacos! by Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily
• What a great collection of recipes! by Bree {Skinny Mommy}
• Those roasted veggie enchiladas are one of my favorites as well! by Joanne

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Take a gander at this beauty…

Isn’t she sexy? (Yes, she.) Well, as sexy as a sauté pan can be. It’s a 12-inch saute pan made by Nambe. I recently discovered them and really love the thought and design that goes into their kitchenware. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. The first couple of weeks I had her she sat on my counter and was simply admired. Partly because I didn’t want to get her dirty. Partly because I had no idea where she was going to live.

I adore the handles and the curves in the side. Don’t get me wrong. This is a hefty pot, not just pretty. Durable, too. It also has handy nubs in the lid for automatic basting. Stunning and smart. Quite a catch.

For this post I was going to share a steak recipe I’ve been working on and make the steaks in this pan, but ended up grilling them instead.

Hello, I had to. It was nearly 80 degrees outside.

So instead she steamed four stuffed artichokes I made for a Clean Eating photo assignment.

Artichokes are so pretty, but so much work and so much gets thrown away. Tasty, but a lot of effort for such a small amount of food. (And admit it… just a vehicle for butter.)

We also had steaks that night since it was a celebratory dinner of sorts. Celebrating the return of real food and the departure of dehydrated meal packets. (Truly a celebration.)

Let’s chat about the steaks for a minute. I used a tenderizing technique found on Steamy Kitchen (thanks to my lovely friend Kathryn) that I use for every single steak I grill or pan-sear. I have zero tolerance for chewy beef, which is why I have so many beef slow cooker recipes. This technique not only tenderizes, but deeply flavors the meat as well.

Click over to the tenderizing by salting method to see the details. After salting and resting the steaks I sprinkles them with garlic, five-spice, and black pepper. A few minutes of grilling later I topped each steak with a pat of ginger compound butter… which is missing in the photo up there. I added it a few minutes later when I realized I had forgotten, but the steaks weren’t hot enough to really melt the butter properly. So I ended up with this…

Meh. Don’t let that gloppy butter fool you, though. Those steaks were some of my favorite we’ve ever had. (My sweet, little, carnivorous 4-year-old thought so, too.) Ginger butter rocks my world, guys. It’s easy, too, just butter and… ginger. Remember when I made that herb butter for the roasted chicken? Same idea.

These steaks would be just as good seared in my new pan and finished off in the oven. I love pans that go from stovetop to oven. Except when I forget the handle is hot and grab it with my bare hands. (I’ve done that more times than I’d like to admit.)

Recipe for the steaks is below!

Do you want to win a set of those pans? Like… 4 of them?

How about an 8, 10, 12, and 14-inch set?  That range would be nice, too, but I’d settle for those pans right now. Nambe is giving away a set of four pans worth $650!

Here’s the thing, though…

This is a group giveaway with a few other blogs, so I’m kind of along for the ride. These pans rock, so I was willing to put aside my “one entry, no hoops” rule this time. For this one, the contest will be a Rafflecopter giveaway using the widget below. The mandatory entry is simply just to click the button. Three other entries are possible (follow Nambe on Facebook, on Twitter, and to tweet about the giveaway). Everything is handled from the widget. And you can enter once a day from all of the participating blogs until the contest is over!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can leave me a “oh, those steaks look awesome” or “your daughter is nuts” or “those pans look like space ships” comment if you want, but it won’t count as an entry. Just as a big smile on my face.

Five-Spice Steaks with Ginger Butter

Yield: 2 steaks

Prep Time: 10 minutes + rest time

Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Total Time: About 20 minutes + rest time

Ingredients:

For the steaks:
2 New York strip steaks (or any cut you like)
salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 freshly ground black pepper

For the ginger butter:
3 Tablespoons softened butter
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

Directions:

(To use the tenderizing method I talked about, click the link within the post to read the details.)

Preheat your BBQ grill or stove-top (oven-safe) pan to medium-high heat. (If you're using a pan, also preheat your oven to about 400 degrees F.)

Combine the garlic powder, five-spice powder, and pepper in a small bowl. If you aren't using the tenderizing method, also add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Rub the spice mixture on the steaks. I only rubbed it on one side, but you can do both if you like.

Place the steaks on the grill (or pan) spice-side down and let them cook, undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, until grill marks (or dark sear marks) form. Flip the steak and cook for another few minutes, until the steak is cooked to your liking. (We like them medium to medium well.) If you're doing it in a pan, you'll need to transfer the pan to the oven for several minutes. Transfer to a platter and cover to keep warm. Let the steaks sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing to retain their juices.

Meanwhile, combine the butter and ginger in a small bowl. Add a spoonful to each steak before serving. You can also make this ahead of time, wrap it up in wax paper, and store it in the freezer. It slices into "coins" nicely that way. (see the link within the post for photos)

from Perry's Plate

Disclosure: I received a complimentary saute pan from Nambe. As always, opinions shared are 100% my own.

Photo credit: Nambe website (photo of cookware set)

        

Comments

• Beautiful cookware and I would love to win them. Thank you and ... by Liz
• Gorgeous pans! by Michelle S
• I made a ginger-and-garlic marinated steak and used a modified ... by Anna
• Those are gorgeous pans!!!! I am in desperate need of new ones ... by Jodi
• I love chinese five spice, but never thought of putting it on ... by Bree {Skinny Mommy}
• These pots are gorgeous. I would love to have a set of these. by Maneesha Pradhan

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