My 30th Birthday, 2009

At 12:05am tomorrow morning (tonight?) I turn forty years old. 

I’ve been whining a lot about turning 40 to the people around me. Mostly, I’m joking. I’m so grateful to have another year, and will take as many as God will give me. The only complaint, though, is how FAST 40 arrived! As I’ve mentioned before, my grandmother used to say “The days are long, but the years are short.” and holy cannoli, is that ever the truth! It seems to be more so every passing year.

I’ve been overcome with the feeling that 40 is the start of something for me. The first act of a new play. A lot has changed for me in the last year. Harlow started school, I stopped working… okay, that’s really only two things, but they are pretty decent-sized things! I’ve been realizing how much I’ve been neglecting myself. Here are some things I want to try to work back into my life.

A very Pinterest-Worthy shot of my Vision Board, such as it is…

• Yoga (Someday I will be a certified instructor! Even if I’m 80 when it happens!)
• Self care – I let things go for myself way too long. Case in point – I haven’t had a hair trim in over a year. I put things off when it comes to my own health and upkeep. That has to change.
• Exercise in general. Would you believe that I used to get up at 5am to go to the gym EVERY DAY before work? And sometimes pop in a second session after work, too? Yeah… me either. Those days are like a distant fog of WTF was I thinking? HOWEVER now that I’m not working anymore, you would think I would be working out again, right? Wrong. See bullet point #2.
• Crafting and photography. These things make me really happy. I need to do more of them.
• Nutrition – Ya’ll, this is a hard one. I hate cooking. So much. So everything I make is the easiest of the easy, and that is generally high carb, high fat foods (but so yummy). This one may have to wait until I’m turning 50…

Which brings me to the real “meat” of the post. Or, non-meat… or something.

Anyway. Last night I had a head of cauliflower that was two steps from being past it’s prime, a whole bag of potatoes that I didn’t really know what to do with, and a craving for soup. Enter in, Cauliflower Potato Crock Pot Soup!  Forgive the shoddy photos again, as I wasn’t setting out to share this recipe, but it was pretty delicious and so, so easy, so I just had to!  Plus vegetables and stuff.  So… healthy-ish.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 32 oz vegetable broth, (plus around 10 oz I had leftover in the fridge)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• A hearty smattering of “chicken seasoning” (rosemary, salt, pepper, etc)
• 1 cup of diced onion and celery
• 1 can of evaporated milk
• Flour if needed

To Make:

Throw all but the last two ingredients into the crock pot for 8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.

After time is up, plunge your immersion blender in there until no lumps are left, then stir in the can of evaporated milk and serve.  If it is too runny for you, you can add flour to thicken it up. I added a few tablespoons of flour at the end because I like my soups very thick.

I topped it with a little cheese and sour cream, and served it with a salad and warm crusty bread.  So much yum!

Have a wonderful day, and wish me luck on my SUPER HUGE transition into middle age tomorrow!