The Song of Spring Onions & Asparagus

Let's all take a moment and bow our heads in admiration for the baby swing which makes the writing of this blog post possible...

If you read this week's ShoppingMama post, you know that I've decided to make an effort to eat better, but not to worry too much about my calorie intake. I can't remember a time in my adult life that I haven't been hyper aware of the caloric value of what I was eating, even if I was eating something with a ridiculously high amount of calories. Like counting my billable hours when I still practiced law, I have spent years doing the math in my head at every meal, adding up the calories and either being proud of coming in under the wire or pushing down the shame of exceeding my limits while enjoying something sinful. But too many of the women I trust most have told me that a strict calorie count could affect my precious breastmilk supply, so I'm going to try my hardest to stop doing the math and just enjoy a good, well-balanced pig-out for the next few months.

We used the lettuce and some of the spring onions last night when we grilled a nice piece of steak and sliced it over salads. I also added some pecorino cheese that came in our last winter CSA share. My favorite salad dressing is a simple homemade one of dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Always a winner.

I came across this recipe in my Google Reader, yesterday, and liked it because a) it had a dijon mustard dressing and b) it could be made in starts and stops, something that is helpful when you have a little one who likes to wake up and feed just as you start to get into some sort of non-baby-related activity. It used our asparagus and a few of our spring onions, plus I love anything pickled! I did the pickling early this morning when Charlie and I got up for the day. Then I boiled the potatoes and cooked the veggies during his mid-afternoon nap. After I got him fed and into the swing, I chopped and mixed all the components and made the dressing, to be added at the last minute, before we eat. We will be pairing it with some grilled salmon steaks and BEER. Yes, beer.