How does your garden grow, Part 2

Here goes for composting. 

So much to learn...

We went to a thrift store and bought these canisters. One is for eggshells, veggie and fruit scraps. And the other for coffee grounds.

We were going to build a compost bin of sorts but my parents had this composting container that they weren't using.

They had some extra compost in the bottom so we didn't have to create the foundation. All though it looks disgusting, those are just food scraps and coffee grounds on top of old compost and straw.

So I found tons of charts telling me what to compost and what not to compost. And how there has to be a certain part green (nitrogen) to brown (carbon).

I was starting to get overwhelmed. And then I realized that it will all decompose and become dirt. Hopefully it is not that hard. I found this great blog from Young House Love. Here is their experience composting. 

My personal handy man making frames for the garden beds. 

The beds are now framed and the garden is starting to come together. Michael built a cute little gate we will add once the chicken wire is all up. 

I found some bricks behind our fence and I plan on elaborating on the pathway.

Some sunny weekend I will level the pathway and get the pavers and bricks in their place. 

First round of seeds have been planted! My sunflower, marigolds and bell peppers are the first to plant. Next week I will start the cilantro, dill and basil. I had to create a chart to keep up with when to start planting seeds, when to buy the plants, when to transplant the seeds and when to plant the plants. So much to figure out. But I love it!

More to come next week....

Yummy Healthy Quiche

So my sister discovered through a bunch of tests that she has a severe intolerance to yeast and a mild intolerance to gluten. Recently I have been exposed to so many people who are embracing the gluten free diet. I discovered that a lot of my fatigue, nausea, headaches, acne, etc. could be because of a food intolerance. Although this has not been 'officially' proven, my twin sister has it, so might as well try this new diet.

Last night I decided to make a quiche because I wanted to use up some vegetables we had.

*By the way, 3 tomatoes, 2 onions, a red pepper, a head of cabbage, a bushel of kale, 5 sweet potatoes and some chives cost us $10 at the Farmer's Market! So we will now be shopping there every weekend for our produce. And the farmer himself bagged our veggies, it does not get more local than that! The website: Nashville's Farmer Market will show you what vendors are there, times they are open and what is currently in season. 

I love quiche because you can use just about anything! It really is one of those 'kitchen sink' meals. 

1. I chopped up some tomatoes, onions, red peppers, chives and kale. 

You could also use zucchini, squash, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms- really most vegetables. 

You can also add bacon, sausage, ground turkey, and cheese. I added some cooked turkey bacon to my quiche. 

2. I then sauteed some garlic, added the onions, and then added the rest of the veggies. I let that cook for a few minutes.

Because I am trying to avoid gluten, I made a crust with sweet potato slices. 

3. Peel two sweet potatoes and slice them really thin. Arrange them in a pie pan like the one below:

4. Whisk 8 eggs together and then add your cooked veggies and cooked bacon/sausage to the eggs. I also added some sundried-tomatoes!
5. Pour mixture into your pie pan and season with some salt and pepper.

 6. Put into a 350 degree preheated oven for 40 minutes- or until the eggs solidify.

7. Ta Da! Slice and serve :) 

It was delicious!

To summarize:
-Preheat ove to 350 degrees
-Peel and thinly slice 2 sweet potatoes, arrange in a pie pan
-Chop:      Kale
                Red Pepper
                Onion
                Tomato
                Chives
-Add to sauteed garlic, cook for 5 minutes
-Whisk 8 eggs together
-Add vegetable mixture, cooked bacon and sun-dried tomatoes to the eggs
-Pour into pie pan and season with salt and pepper
-Cook for 40 minutes
-And done, easy!

I will be experimenting over the next few weeks with other yummy recipes that make a gluten free diet doable! Send me some of your recipes!