Harvest Lunches

Whew! Harvest is over and seeding is under way. Between being back to work at nights as a nurse, dobie-mama, endless loads of laundry, farmwife, and mom to the sweetest baby....you could say life has been just a little chaotic!

During this harvest and seeding season, I have become the jedi-master of harvest lunches. I've even got a system down so that I prepare the next days meal the night before. Silly me thought there would be enough time in the mornings to prepare lunch and breakfast for my farmer, as well as feed and take care of my baby in the morning. All of this before my husband darts out the door to start a full day out in the field. Ha! Yeah right!

By doing the work the night before, I get to stay in bed with my baby and cuddle, all while my hubby gets up at the crack of dawn with breakfast and lunch ready to go. He gets fed and I get to "sleep in" (7:30am). It's a win-win!

During harvest, my husband drives truck while his father works the combine. In this scenario, he gets to park the truck for a bit, which allows for different meals like salads, sandwhiches and such. During seeding, he is maning the tractor, so everything has to be eaten on the go, using just his hands. Therefore sandwhiches only!

Eating regular old turkey and ham sandwhiches can get pretty boring. So my goal as farmwife is to provide some variety and excitement to my farmers lunches. The key to keeping them fresh and not soggy during the long days.....toast the bread! I swear it works! Try it!

Greek Panzanella Salad

Panzanella salad is a lunchtime favorite in our home. I'm not quite sure if this is technically qualified as "healthy" or not because of all the crusty ciabatta bread soaked in a glorious vinagrette. It seems naughty, but it's a salad.....so therefore we will call it healthy!

Greek Cucumber Sauce

....Also known as Tzatziki sauce. Although when I order my favorite "grilled chicken pita with tzatziki sauce" the high school kids at the local drive-in look at me like, huh? Tat-zi, what?!?

Then when I say, the cucumber sauce, all makes sense in the world! I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in town who orders their grilled chicken pita this way too. Whenever I ordered it, my mother-in-law (who works there) will look at the food order ticket and then look out the window to say hi because she knows it's me! Then she will write my name on my food bag with hearts on it, which is my favorite :)

I love this sauce on chicken and salmon. It's also great for dipping veggies. It's super fresh and tastes similar to the cucumber sauce I order with my pita at the local drive-in. It's perfect for those nights I feel like making my own grilled chicken pita at home!

Huckleberry Sherbet

Ice cream is a frozen dessert containing 100% dairy. Sorbet is a frozen fruit dessert that is 100% non-dairy. What do you get when you have 50% dairy + 50% frozen fruit? Sherbert! Sometimes, I really love math.

Caramelized Pineapple Sauce

Forget the boring old chocolate and caramel sauce the next time you sit down with a big bowl of ice cream. You must try this caramelized pineapple sauce with your favorite vanilla ice cream for a tropical twist!