instead of protests and writing letters to my state representatives, husband and I shopped for carseats and strollers. does that make me any less American than those at the front lines? I don't think so. for me it's a matter of priority. and with baby Brooks coming in April, baby stuff trumps everything else. besides, my Facebook feed needs a mood boost -- too many sad stories and tragic outcomes already from the executive order. thus, I'm writing about my perfectly mundane saturday as I prepare for the biggest change my life has ever seen. there is a certain joy found in the mundane, in the simple, and we thrive in it, independently and as a couple. this is something I find beautiful about us.
on saturday, we woke around 7.30a. husband left for a walk/jog/stairs and I stayed back to make breakfast casserole -- an easy dish that has quickly become a family favourite. and I was simply in the mood to cook. when he got back, we headed off for the great land of babies 'r us. we are truly keeping to a simple plan for baby Brooks but being in that baby land made me want all kinds of unnecessary stuff. you should have seen the dinosaur onesies and the baby bathtubs! I was good -- we came away with ideas only and strollers to research.
our adventure moved on to a booth at chik-fil-a, where the research on strollers and travel systems (a stroller and car seat combined) continued. we hit up a target nearby and after being disappointed in their baby stuff selection, moved on to the tv department. we are not getting a new tv. but husband deserves his own treat, and staring at huge tvs seems to do the trick.
heading toward home, we made one more stop at a boutique shop and tested out another stroller brand before going to the grocery store. my list was simple: kale, chicken broth, yogurt, ice cream, milk, eggs, beets, flour, white cannellini beans, and grapefruit juice. finally, once home, I hopped back into the kitchen and whipped up our favourite kale soup (recipe below). it simmered all evening while we watched a show and reveled in how much we love our cozy apartment.
it was a good saturday.
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kale soup recipe
a tube of mild italian sausage
as much kale as you can stuff in your stockpot
3-5 cans of white cannellini beans
a carton or two of low sodium chicken broth
a yellow onion, chopped
vegetable or olive oil
brown the sausage in a frying pan. in the stockpot, saute the yellow onion in oil. when the onion is tender, add the browned sausage. stir and let them cook together for a few minutes. then add the cans of beans, with their juice. add the kale in batches. add the chicken stock. add salt and pepper to taste. let it come to a boil and then turn down to low/simmer and let it cook down for at least an hour. check on it regularly for taste. depending on how soupy you want it, you may want to add a bit more stock.
