Dark Days Challenge - Week 6 [Venison]

I mentioned yesterday that I needed to get a tad caught up on my Dark Days meals since I missed the past two weeks :0

So, last night for dinner, Allen made a Venison Pot Roast. I was a tad concerned I would go to bed hungry as his track record cooking Venison isn't exactly up there with Martha & Julia. But, I went at it with an open mind...and empty fork...and honestly, it wasn't too bad. After a few bites, truly it just tasted like the [cow] beef I am used to eating. But I kept picturing the dead deer hanging from the rafters of my garage and it kinda made me not really beg for seconds! ;)

Seriously though, if I didn't think about it, it wasn't bad. Then I think, how silly. It is just Venison. Get over it. But Vension is not something we normally eat, nor something we grew up on, so obviously, it takes some getting used to. I guess too, I don't see the animals I eat in their whole form and then butchered down so that could be part of the aversion too ;) But that could be a whole other blog post for another time!!

Carrots, potatos, onions and garlic all purchased from local farmers!

Do you eat venison? What is your favorite way to prepare it?

Dark Days Challenge - Week 6

Finally, I am back with a Dark Days Challenge post after a 2 week hiatus because of the craziness of the holidays, a sick household and because it totally slipped my mind. And I am not going to lie - I feel like a total cheater with this meal because it couldn't be easier! But, to make up for it, hubby is roasting a venison steak for dinner, which I will post about soon!

So, what we have here is fried (local) eggs and maple sausage patties from Whitefeather Meats.

I must say, one thing I am enjoying more and more about cutting out the grocery store as much as possible and purchasing local is the people. They are so friendly, willing to answer questions or spark up a conversation and you never feel like you are bothering them with your purchase. It is such a breath of fresh air. At the grocery store half the time, you get some crabby cashier that hates their life and would rather be anywhere but there and they aren't afraid to make you aware of it - total downer.

Yesterday was my first trip to Whitefeather Meats. I have heard lots of wonderful things about them and finally made my way there. They are wonderful people! And the babe had a great time picking out meat too :)



Dark Days Challenge - Week 3

Thisi s my 3rd week of the Dark Days Challenge.

The focus of this meal for me was E.A.S.Y! There is so much hustle and bustle going on right now that I didn't have much time to think & prepare for this meal. It kinda felt like cheating, but the more I thought about it, instead of feeling like cheating [since it was too easy], I think it just goes to show that eating local is much more easier than one may think!

Excuse the photo! Courtsey of the cell camera...

This meal was Butter Garlic Gourmet Chicken Patties from Tea Hills Farm with steamed broccoli from our summer garden! The broccoli was topped with a touch of butter from Hartzler Dairy and the pan drippings from the chicken patties. 

The meal was quick & delicious! Even the babe seemed to thoroughly enjoy his first gourmet chicken patty with a side of broccoli! And for dessert (not pictured), we dined on canned summer peaches :)

Now, one other thing I thought about with this meal....

The chicken patties were $8 - so $2 a patty. But really, that was the only cost for this meal. The broccoli was from our garden and the peaches were canned in the summer. Sure there were some costs at those times - buying the peaches, planting the broccoli - but that aside, this meal cost $8 for 2 adults and one 'nibbler'! Sometimes you can't even get a fast food meal {gag!} for 1 person at $8!



Dark Days Challenge - Week 2

Today I made the meal for week 2 of the Dark Days Challenge.

I kind of feeling like I cheated almost since it was so easy, but I have good reason. And I should also note that I still am not finding this overall challenge as easy as I thought! I think of things I could make, but once I get into ingredients required, there is always something that disqualifies the recipe!

For this week, I made an egg fritata of sorts. My husband is currently fasting due to a procedure he is having done tomorrow. So, as much as I wanted to cook up some bacon with this, I was trying to be as simple as possible all while trying not to make the house smell too good! He's starving and bacon would have been too much torture!

All I did was melt some butter from Hartzler's Dairy in my small cast iron skillet. I threw in some swiss chard I picked up from my local farmer's market yesterday and cooked it down some. Then I threw in a minced up garlic clove, also from the farmer's market. After a minute or so, I poured in 3 eggs I scrambled. The eggs were from a local Amish family. I let it cook through and breakfast was served!

The toast is probably not included ;) However, it is made from Spelt and I picked it up at the market yesterday too. I was intrigued as I learned the spelt was grown here in the area by a family whose land is certified organic for growing spelt and other grains. The other ingredients though are what outrule the bread for the challenge....salt, apple cider vinegar etc. Though, 'wild yeast' also peaked my interest! Again, I plead forgiveness! My intent was local, grass-fed bacon but I couldn't do it to my starving husband!!



Dark Days Challenge: Week #1

Yesterday I prepared my first meal for the Dark Days Challenge. If you aren't familiar,  you can read more about it here. But, in a nutshell, it means I have accepted the challenge to prepare at least one meal a week from Nov.27 through March 31 that is a SOLE meal - sustainable, organic, local and ethical.

I made oven baked grass fed beef patties, roasted beets and roasted purple potatos! I was going to do frozen broccoli from the freezer stash, but the beets were calling my name at the store :)

The ground beef was from Green Vista Farm - purchased at Local Roots.

The purple potatos were from Adonai Acres, also purchased at Local Roots.

The onion and garlic I used in my beef patties were from a recent visit to the Medina Farmers Market.

The only ingredients I used that were't local were olive oil on the potatos and coconut oil with the beets for roasting and the cornstarch I used when I whipped up a gravy for the patties.

Check out other particpants and their meal for the week here!

I have also linked this post up at Ruth's Real Food
and The Healthy Home Economist

The Dark Days Challenge!

I have signed up for the Dark Days of winter eat local Challenge from Urban Hennery!

From Sunday, November 27 through Saturday, March 31, anywho who signs up for the challenge will have to commit to making one meal a week that is a 'SOLE' meal...meaning sustainable, organic, local and ethical.

I know I am not the best at keeping with a 'schedule' for things of this nature - my sporadic Apple Harvest Party being a case in point! - however, with my move towards a real foods diet for my family and I, how hard could this possibly be? This is what I am striving for with the majority of our meals, not just one, one time a week! Although, it is going to be winter time so the food is a tad harder to come by in my area, but not that difficult as long as I am making the effort.

So, starting in December, I will be posting once a week on what I made & ate for the Dark Days Challenge that will be a SOLE meal. Sound like fun? Sound like something you would like to do, too? Join in!

Sign up at Urban Hennery, and then, Not Dabbling in Normal will be doing the recap posts from all participants.