Friends, it’s time I cut back on the blogging. I got a new job I am so very excited about, but it means something has to give, and I’d really rather that something wasn’t sleep.
I’m sure most of you, like me, find it absolutely horrifying that I could have chosen to have an abortion in Canada when I looked like this:
I saw that baby moving around on so many ultrasounds I cannot even fathom how someone can argue there is nothing wrong with ending its life. We currently have German boarders living with us, and they were totally appalled to learn that Canada has no laws regarding abortion. They wondered, as do I, how is this even possible in Canada?
When the call came for applications to work for this campaign in an official capacity, mostly from home, literally the very same day I had discussed the possibility with Carl of looking for a job soon, it felt meant to be. Reading the job description, doing the interview, discussing things I have already been following as this work has progressed, waiting for the result, it was all I could do not to grab them by the shoulders and shout, “Can’t you SEE that I am meant to have this job?!”
Well, I’m glad I didn’t have to shout for my passion to come through, and so thankful that I wasn’t misreading things after having felt this job so strongly calling to me. Although being publicly outspoken on big issues like this is certainly out of my comfort zone, I’m excited to get started in the hope that God can use my small contribution to further the goal of some, any, legislation to protect the lives of preborn children in Canada. And hopefully this uncomfortable push will make me much less timid about standing up for Him in all situations, big or small.
So now just to find 15ish hours in my weeks, the only small concern. In evaluating my schedule, it was pretty obvious that the blog was the only large user of my time that wouldn’t be offended if I spent a little less time with it. However, I do love this peaceful, colourful little space and the fact that it gets me to write, every week, in a light-hearted, casual manner about whatever I happen to feel like, and gives me a small snippet of memory of what we’ve been up to. Instead of aiming for two recipes per week (ha, did you even notice I was trying?), I’ll be aiming for one, and if that still proves too time-consuming I’ll share one every other week. I want this online recipe file for my kids one day, when they remember those squares with the sprinkles and the icing that kind of tasted like a cookie? and I can point them straight to their favourite sugar cookie bars.
All this to say, I’ll still be here, just maybe not quite as much. Quality over quantity, as they say :) And thanks for reading anyways, whether much or not as much. I will never stop appreciating that and loving you for it.
SO.
With all this talk of time management, is there a person alive that hates meals that take less than 30 minutes to prepare, have less than 10 ingredients including the salt and pepper, and combine a decent amount of nutrition with great flavour? I’ve yet to meet such a person, and I’m reasonably sure that if we did meet, we wouldn’t be friends.
When we were living in Ontario last year my mom had picked up a copy of “Oh She Glows”, a cookbook by Angela Liddon, author of a beautiful vegan blog by the same name. Not being vegan, I wasn’t sure how much interest it would hold for me, but I flipped through it out of curiosity before it got passed on to my sister, its rightful owner. Well, colour me surprised, there were multiple recipes in there I wanted to try! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not using nutritional yeast in place of cheese because I am still a normal person, but this pasta?
I make this at least once a month now, and it is second only to guacamole as the best way to enjoy an avocado. Let me qualify this by saying that I do not, as a rule, get excited about avocado. It’s ok in things, but I don’t go out of my way to buy them or put slices of them on my sandwich or smash them and call them an open-faced sandwich topping.
This avocado sauce, though? So easy, so creamy, so slightly green, and so fresh. It takes about 60 seconds to make, and is great on its own or combines well with leftovers of other sauces you may have lingering in your fridge, such as alfredo or tomato. Toss in some chicken since I’m totally not vegan, grab some crusty bread because I’m also totally not anti-carbs or gluten, mix up a salad because I’m totally obsessed with healthy eating, despite what you may now believe about me, and this is downright fancy.
Every weekly meal plan should include pasta, and sometimes you need something besides spaghetti (like, you can have both on your plan. Don’t misunderstand me: spaghetti cannot be improved upon.)
So, what are your thoughts? Avocado “cream” sauce, yay or nay?
I’m a hand-waving “yay”.
- 9 ounces (255 g) uncooked pasta (use gluten-free, if desired)
- 1 clove garlic, quartered
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
- 1 ripe avocado, halved and pitted
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons water (can sub alfredo sauce or tomato sauce for water)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Chopped cooked chicken (optional)
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- While the pasta cooks, make the sauce. In a food processor, combine garlic and basil and pulse to mince.
- Add the avocado, lemon juice, oil, and water and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drain the pasta and place it back in the pot on the heat. Add the avocado sauce and chicken and stir until combined and heated through. Serve immediately.
Adapted from Oh She Glows.
I commend you for stepping up to defend the lives of vulnerable unborn children. It’s so important. While I enjoy your recipes, I appreciate even more that you are prioritizing your time and energy for what matters most. It inspires me to do the same.
Thank you so much Julia!
Congratulations on the new job!! :) You’ll have to keep us posted on working from home… I’ve never had that luxury and would love to hear how it’s like. Although working from home in my apartment is probably very different from having multiple littles running around :)
I have to say that I’ve never been a huge fan of avocado — I don’t hate it and I’ll eat it if it’s offered, but I can’t remember the last time I bought it. Something about the texture, I think, and the fact that it goes bad so fast. But this really does look good… I may have to try it out!
I must say I am not a big fan of avocado. I still remember the first time I tried it, after my mother was raving about them and said here, take a bite. I did…and the gag reflex from it still haunts me so much that even in recipes where I can’t taste it, just knowing it is in there somewhere makes me heave. I will miss your more frequent posts. I always enjoy them…even with avocado…but I hope you will enjoy your new job and that God will bless you and your family as you start this new task.
Oh Anna I have some nutritional yeast in my fridge if you want it :) I tried it but did not like the taste of it at all; too bad since it made a great cauliflower cream sauce. Anyways, I wanted to say that I sometimes feel like I’m forsaking the vegan recipe when my instinct is to add some chicken or something. Haha. Will have to try this avocado sauce though!
Wishing you all the best in this important work, Anna!
I’m so excited to try this recipe! I’m always trying to find ways to hide avocados in my kids food, this is genius!
Congrats on the new job, what a great opportunity to do something you are passionate about. I will, however, miss reading your regular blogs.
PS – I LOVE nutritional yeast… although it will never replace my cheese obsession (come on, I do still have a Dutch background), it has become a staple in my diet
So what else do you use nutritional yeast for?? Maybe I can be persuaded… ;)
Congratulations on the new job, Anna!
This pasta looks intriguing…I’m not a huge avocado fan, but I might have to give this a go. Just curious, would the sauce work as well in a blender, do you think? I don’t have a food processor.
I think it would be fine in a blender…you could even just mince your garlic, mash your avocado with a fork and whisk it all together and be fine I think! It’s definitely not a strong avocado taste – let me know if you give it a try :)
Oh! And by the way, wishing you much success in your new job! I’m not sure how you do it all–I sit here and marvel at the amount of energy you must have!
Thanks Jeanette! And for the record, my energy levels are nothing to write home about – but I do find research/work gives me more energy than, for instance, watching TV, so I try to keep busy :) And I think I started buying avocados because they were supposed to be so great for skin, and then to feed my babies for the healthy fats – I still find I’m not quite confident with them for myself though! When are they perfectly ripe? Why do they go brown so fast? They are an interesting food.
They are perfectly ripe when they are a rich dark colour and soft. When that happens I put them in the fridge right away so that they don’t rot on me. I don’t know why they go brown so fast, but it doesn’t seem to affect flavour (do they even have a flavour of their own? lol)
Did you know (you probably do), that avocado is a “super food”? I’m not sure what a food needs to contain, or be, to be included on this list of “super foods”, but I’ve been told they’re all very healthy. I gave my youngest an avocado for breakfast (mixed with other fruits) for breakfast every morning for months (while I was eliminating grains to determine where his rashes were coming from). Apparently it’s very good for brain development. I think I’ll start doing it again for him and mix it with his cereal. Anyways, thanks for the recipe. I definitely need to try this one because we can use some variety in our pasta here–and seeing as I don’t tolerate dairy very well, I really like this recipe. I’ve pinned it :-).