Farm flowers

 We met a new friend last night, and he happens to work on a farm. So we drove over there today and got to pick a bunch of produce including different varieties of lettuce, tomatoes and bok choy. We also bought some fingerling potatoes, heirloom tomatoes and a pie pumpkin. I got to pick some flowers and take home this mini pumpkin. There's nothing like picking produce and then taking it home and eating it for lunch.  Yum!

Good morning

Homemade granola with oats, walnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds, pecans, golden raisins, flax seeds, cinnamon, salt, almond extract and olive oil.  Served with greek yogurt, topped with strawberries, fuji apples and chia seeds.  Side of green tea.

We've been trying to eat healthier these days, cutting down on sugar, meats and fats in our diet.  Thus, the meatless meals I've posted lately.  W has lost 7 lbs.  I made this granola without adding any sugar, honey or maple syrup, but I realize I don't miss it because the fruits add natural sweetness.  The ingredients listed above are all that I put in it!

Personal pizza

I mixed bread flour with wheat flour for this pizza. Toppings are green bell peppers and shitake mushrooms.  Side of water and a mini Fuji apple.

Healthy & delicious lunch

Nooroonji rice, egg, cucumbers, radish kimchi and bibimbap leftovers.

Saturday breakfast

I made breakfast this morning for the first time in awhile.  Omelettes with red bell peppers from Lynd's Fruit Farm, and fresh basil and onions from Jaclyn's garden; honeycrisp apples from Lynd's, and whole grain bread from La Brea Bakery.  Fall is here!

Fresh produce

 We just got back from Jaclyn and Brian's place with a handful of goodies from their garden.  I wish I could've taken a photo in daylight, but I wanted to grab a shot before W started cooking stuff up.  From the left going clockwise: basil, chives, bell  peppers, potatoes, onions, garlic, swiss chard, purple beans and tomatoes.  It was so fun to see their garden in full force and to get fresh produce.  I love it!

New home

So we finally moved!  It's been almost 2 weeks since we've been here.  Some info about our new place:

1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
10 miles from W's work and my school
9 miles from my work
No washer/dryer
No microwave
We rented 2 covered parking spots (necessary for winter)
Our rent with the parking is $807/month.

We cut our commutes in half, so it takes me 15 minutes to drive to school or work.  We live behind a Walmart, to give you a sense of the neighborhood.  It's also geographically in between the two places I shared about in a previous post.

To be honest, at first it was a difficult adjustment, downsizing from a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car attached garage, with washer and dryer.  We used to live in a newer single standing home, and now we live in an apartment unit.  Things like the noise of neighbors, a smaller space, and the lack of amenities is taking some getting used to.

BUT, there are some things I'm really enjoying.  Mainly, simplifying our lives.  In terms of furniture, the only new thing we had acquired was a $75 desk from IKEA, so all of our furniture came to the new place.  But I got rid of a bunch of kitchen stuff, clothes, books, and random stuff because we don't have space for things we don't use on a daily basis.  It's amazing how much we had accumulated in the last year.  We got rid of 9 large shopping bags of stuff.

Also, we don't have a washer/dryer in the unit (or in the building), and we don't have a microwave.  And you already know we haven't had a TV in 2.5 years.  We contemplated renting a w/d for $35/month, but decided against it.  And I didn't think we could survive without a microwave but so far we've been able to (we'll see what happens in the winter).

It has been very freeing to simplify life, save on rent & utilities, drive less and even live in a smaller space.