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We’re going with an investment-grade range in our kitchen, which I know lots of people find wasteful, or indulgent. It’s probably both those things, honestly, but we all have different things we’re willing to splurge on. I drive a 12 year old car I bought off my in-laws, for example, but am willing to lay down cash when it comes to my kitchen range. Which is all to say – deciding to go with a pricey range is a big decision!  Also, FYI, I’m not being paid or sponsored for this post (or ANY post – my poor little baby blog dreams of being paid for things, especially fancy French things), so my opinions are my own.

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First, sorry for the two weeks without posting! I had some computer difficulties that are now (I hope) fixed. Second, I’ve been spending some time thinking about re-doing my kids’ bathroom when we re-do our kitchen. We have a very slow but steady leak coming from somewhere behind our bathroom wall (could be interior or exterior), so we have to tear out some bathroom walls to find it. If we have contractors in to do our kitchen this summer, it seems like a good idea to get it all done at once, given that the bathroom and accompanying leak sits above the kitchen. To that end, here’s some fun things I’m thinking of for a kid-friendly bathroom that fits in with our antique home …

Lentils are fast becoming my favorite meat-alternative. They are quick, easy and (I think) delicious. They are also traditional in lots of different types of cuisine – Middle Eastern, North African, Italian and French, to name a few. And of course, Indian food has so many amazing lentil dishes, especially dal.

Over time I’ve noticed small ways to save money for home items that also are environmentally friendly. Win-win! While these aren’t all giant money savers, some surprised me with how much you can save, and annually they make a sizable difference …

My daughter recently turned three, and informed me she wanted a “pig party.” News to me, since I didn’t even know she liked pigs, but apparently because they are pink and like mud, she and the pigs have a lot of interests in common. So I did a couple quick DIYs, because it turns out that the ‘child’s pig birthday party’ market is pretty darn dominated by Peppa Pig, who my toddler informed me is not a real pig, because she wears clothes. Lesson learned …

Our ladies are laying three eggs a day now. This leaves us with 21 eggs a week, which means I can justify being on team Swanson/Knope up there regarding having breakfast for every meal.

The timing of our chickens producing more eggs and deciding to reduce our meat intake (sorry, Ron Swanson) could not have been better. Eggs have provided a nice, backyard-sourced meat alternative. Yes, sure, chickens produce environmental waste. But given that we free range them, feed them organic food when they can’t range and use their waste materials (pine shavings and poop) to supplement our compost, it’s pretty much the circle of life around here.

If you’re looking to eat less meat but still have some animal protein, or if you just like DELICIOUS FOOD, here are three super-easy-yet-kind-of-gourmet egg meals for you!