gratituesday – part 4.

Because there’s always something to be grateful for. And also, it’s Tuesday.

Here, I’ll get us started:

I’m grateful for my MacGyver-like skills when it comes to things like foraging for food.

Take today, for instance. We were away for the weekend so we have virtually no food in the house. Everything with any semblance of nutrition was already sent to school with Olivia.

But the parental units need to eat once in awhile, too, and when lunchtime rolled around, our options were dismal.

What’s a girl to do?

That’s right, kick it MacGyver-style and start foraging. I’ll share the recipe with all of you – that’s how much you all mean to me – but please note: explicit written permission is required before the reproduction of this special gem:

The Forager’s Lunch
aka “God Bless The Immune System”

1 handful of the remaining crumbs of tortilla chips/pita crackers/etc. OK, pretty much anything you have on hand that used to resemble a chip or a cracker.*

*Disclaimer: I tried to add some broken pretzel crumbs but John drew a line.

1 can refried beans. If you don’t have refried beans, then use black beans. Or garbanzo. Or rice. Or whatever you have at the back of the pantry with a questionable expiration date.

1 cup of shredded cheddar, mold layer removed. Don’t worry, it comes right off. Plus? Cheese is basically just mold anyway. It adds flavor. If you don’t have cheddar, use any cheese you have on hand. Don’t have cheese? Skip to next ingredient.

¼ cup diced tomatoes from last week’s chili dinner. These do require a sniff-test. If YOU don’t pass (out), then THEY pass the test. It’s as simple as that.

¼ cup diced onion (optional). Ah, the beloved onion. Almost always available in the pantry, adds a ton of flavor, and, lucky for me, lasts just above forever.

Bake at 400 degrees until heated through and cheese is melted. Also, long enough to kill harmful bacteria.

Doesn’t it plate well? Who said this wasn’t a food blog?

It was actually pretty tasty, truth be told. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion tomorrow, which may or may not be written from a hospital bed as I recover from food poisoning.

I’m grateful for this big, bright orb in the sky, trying with all her might to break through the clouds:

If you’re from the Pacific Northwest (aka PNW), or know someone from the PNW, or have ever seen the PNW mentioned on the news, you might know that summertime can be a bit like the elusive blue whale that is really, well, elusive.

No one around here takes the sun for granted, let me tell you. When we have regular weather reports like this:

where only 50% of the week looks promising, we throw caution and sunscreen to the wind and take full advantage of the situation.

Sure, we’ve had our fair share of rain this month, but technically summer doesn’t start for two more days so I guess the joke’s on us. Oh, PNW summertime. You give new meaning to “she runs hot and cold”.

Speaking of summer, I am grateful for the time of year when you can walk outside your front door and be greeted with colorful gifts like this:

We moved into this house last fall, so we completely missed all of nature’s spring and summer splendor. It’s like Christmas in June! Except with more strings attached. You know, with all that business about WATERING and WEEDING.

Nature can be SO demanding sometimes. Sheesh.

Last but certainly not least, I am pretty grateful that this guy:

invented this stuff:

I’m all for taking a holistic approach when I can. I take my vitamins close to regularly, I drink my smoothies. I even use my neti pot (I hope you’re reading this, Mom). And I can just about always shake a cold with a few extra naps and positive thinking.

But when things start to get cozy in the sinuses? All bets are off. I don’t know about you, but “Enjoy a hacking cough” will NEVER be an item on my to-do list.

Sometimes you just gotta call in the Big Guns.

What are you grateful for today? I’d love to hear from you!