Mmmm…bugs!!
One thing you learn when you have lettuce in your garden: you will never get all of them off. Even through multiple washings, I still find little water-logged gnats on my lettuce sometimes. Those times I pick them off. But I know there are times when I don’t see them!! AHH!
I met Andrea for yoga at 9:15 this morning and spent an hour stretching. This class was a laid back restorative kind and that’s exactly what my legs needed after two hard days of running. Felt so good!
Once back at la casa, Matt and I made lunch.
I made a sandwich with…wait for it…hummus, cottage cheese, pumpkin butter and lettuce. Yes, it was delicious and totally worked! Great way to fit more protein between the slices.
We also made hidden-bug salads with leftover roots, olive oil, and some dried berry mix Christine brought from TJs.
Plus a small, extra ripe pear
During lunch, the mail came!!
I got cards from Larbs, my mom and Matt’s grandmother Bonnie!
Anddddd….a cookie package from Ashley!! A few of her famous Mandel Bread cookies she’s been working on.
Had one for dessert – they are so light and crunchy! She’s right, I can’t wait to have them crushed on oatmeal!
Can I just say that these make me feel SO MUCH like a hobbit!?
[OMG, after writing that I Googled lembas bread and found tons of recipes, like this one! Tolkien describes it as "more of a chewing exercise" than enjoyable – sounds like my cup of tea! I love to chew.]
I have work to do, and it’s a gloomy day to stay indoors 
Ashley @ Nourishing the Soul says
That sandwich combination is certainly interesting! I never would have though hummus and pumpkin butter would work together, but bravo for your adventurousness!
Katie @ Healthy Heddleston says
My friend made pumpkin hummus last fall and it was delicious! I would imagine hummus plus pumpkin butter might taste like that!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is says
I found a crazy amount of bugs on my produce this year, but have heard thats a good thing since it means no pesticides!?
Samantha @ Bikini Birthday says
That mandel bread looks really tasty : d
Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin says
I’ve been experimenting with cottage cheese lately and just added it to my oats with pumpkin last week for the first time. I really love it but it isn’t something I usually keep in stock. I’m interested to see how it would be on a sandwich!
Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat says
That sandwich looks great! I agree about the bugs – doesn’t matter how hard I try there’s always a couple that don’t get washed out. Extra protein I guess? 😉
Have a great afternoon!
Dorry says
Birthday countdown! Excited to see what y’all have planned for tomorrow. 🙂
Amanda (Eating Up) says
Yay, I hope birthday cards never go away! I like the cake one the best–it’s so realistic!
Coco @ Opera Girl Cooks says
Mmm, I love rustic cookies like those! Just baked up a batch of biscotti last week, maybe mandel bread is my next project . . .
Heather (Heather's Dish) says
you know what though, anything on great harvest bread would work…it’s so amazing!
Jasmine @ Eat Move Write says
Hidden bug salad lol. Sounds … gross, actually lol.
Interesting sandwich combo. I’ve been thinking of creating a new combo with whipped cream cheese and this new cranberry-orange relish I found over the weekend. Protein though will be the issue.
The cookie looks like biscotti! Yum.
lisasfoods says
I never would have thought to put cottage cheese on a sandwich, but I bet it’s really good. I love making up strange combinations on sandwiches, like cranberry stilton cheese with avocado, tomato, and hummus. Hummus does go well with sweet flavors.
Estela @ Weekly Bite says
Birthday cards are so much fun!! I’ve been admiring Ashley’s cookies lately 🙂
Valerie @ City|Life|Eats says
That’s a cool sandwich combo!
And yes, I agree with you regarding the bugs. I shop at a farmer’s market and the greens I buy were usually picked within the last 12 hours before being sold, and I do find lots of bugs in them. Yay for organic though, right?
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine says
I think we all unknowingly eat gross things in our foods- bugs, dirt, hair and the like. It’s a good thing our immune systems can handle it!!
Hope you have a great afternoon!
LizLivingVegan says
I love sandwiches with hummus! (I just had a salad with hummus… I can’t get enough!)
Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg says
I love the idea of having a garden, but I have to say– the bug thing would really freak me out!! 🙂
tina says
omg, is there anything you can put on your plants to keep the big bugs away???? that would TOTALLY freak me out!
Maria says
That sandwich sounds delish…. extra protein FTW 🙂 xx
Holly @ couchpotatoathlete says
I almost always find bugs in my kale — no matter where I buy it from or how thoroughly I wash it, I always find at least one! Makes me wonder how many I have eaten…
Melissa @ Live, Love, & Run says
Kath, I’m not TOO new to your blog, but I am new to comment! I’m a busy momma down in Roanoke and unfortunately, my commenting skills suffer from time to time!
First, love your blog, second…what hummus did you use on your sandwich above and that bread looks delish! I’m always looking for a good, hearty bread.
You sparked a salad light in me with that one…I need to do more of those here at work!
PS: Happy Belated Birthday!!!
Kath says
Welcome!!
I used the hummus quartet from Whole Foods – and plain on my sandwich.
Amanda-The Nutritionist Reviews says
Happy almost birthday!! And what a neat sandwich combo! Will have to try that one.
Katryn@rampantcuisine says
Love the unusual sandwich combo! I say sandwiches have the potential to be a great creative outlet… 🙂
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
It always feels good to get cards for your birthday! Lunch sounds delicious! It is gloomy here too…guess it is time to get some work done!
Marina says
I love weird sandwich combos, sometimes the weirdest one taste the best!
Lembas bread always sounds so delicious to me!
Amanda says
A few bugs or a little dirt won’t hurt 🙂 Just think of how healthy your own veggies are!!! I already miss my garden. Our short season flew by. I can’t wait for next May to start all over!
faith @ gracefulfitness says
Do you wash your lettuce in a bowl of water or in a colander? If you don’t wash in a bowl already I would suggest that method, it helps A LOT but a few little guys sometimes manage to hang on.
Cottage cheese, hummus, and pear butter, eh? I may just have to take your word on this on ;).
Kath says
I use a salad spinner, so it does soak for a minute and hopefully let things sink to the bottom or float!
Kaci says
Happy Birthday! Funny how bugs are common when eating outside. We had smores over a campfire this weekend and someone exclaimed “There’s an ANT in my smore!” ha ha
Kaci says
or almost birthday…. : )
Eve (Nutrition by Eve) says
Omg, i’ve been struggling with this! we don’t have a garden, but we have an organic csa we get our veggies from and there are so many bugs on all the veggies!!! In particular the heads of lettuce we get have tons! It really freaks me out. I wish I wasn’t as much as a woos about it!
Lindsay @ The Ketchup Dairies says
Eek…bugs are just so gross, aren’t they? I think I’d give my left arm to try this Dakota bread! No Great Harvests here in MA!
Brittany (A Healthy Slice of Life) says
I love that chocolate cake card! I have gotten it from someone at least once every birthday 🙂
Ashley says
Yum cookies! Kath check out my POST on PROBIOTICS! Even if you don’t get everything off of your lettuce, these will help your immunity:)
Marisa @ Loser for Life says
OMG, I thought about pumpkin and cottage cheese this morning! I was hesitant to try – glad you tested it out for me! 🙂
Yeah, I buy organic so I’ve eaten lots of hidden bugs…*shudders*
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says
LOL, no worries, insects are actually a very natural part of a human’s diet. 🙂
That birthday card of the cake looks real!! 😯
Camille says
Eeek! I know that bugs are simply a fact of life, but I reaaally don’t want to think about it :/
Claire (Low Impact Fashionista) says
I love all the interesting sandwich combos you come up with!
sweetersalt says
Nothing like a little insect protein 😉
Laura
Ashley says
Glad they arrived in ALmost 1 piece! The lady was like “are they fragile, liquid, perishable…” and I said yes, fragile + perishable. She stamped them with “perishable” and threw them 5 FEET behind her into a box…lol..I knew they were doomed!
Kath says
You know I”m gonna crumble them anyways!! 🙂
Christie {Honoring Health} says
I have been thinking about that bug thing a lot lately since I started volunteering at the CSA. Even after they wash the salad mix twice and I wash it, I still find bugs. I once couldn’t get through eating the kale because I found a huge bug mid bite. Then I realized if I have found this many bugs, there is no telling how many bugs I haven’t found and eaten.
Eeek!
Allison K says
ooh. what an interesting sammie!
Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down) says
Your sandwich combo sounds amazing! 😀
And, really, I used to get so grossed out by hidden bugs in my salad. I still kind of do. But I try to convince myself that it’s just a little bit of extra protein here and there…haha. 😉
Michelle (The Runner's Plate) says
I totally thought the card on the left was a real piece of cake!
Natalia - a side of simple says
I definitely go with the whole “ignorance is bliss” idea when it comes to bugs and salad!
Amber K says
ewwwwwwwww This almost turns me off completely to lettuce! lol
Jean@RoastedRootsandPumpkinSpice says
What an odd combo for your sandwich! Kinda wanna try it out..
Paige @Running Around Normal says
I don’t even want to think about the bugs that go unseen on organic produce! Ack!!
Lunch sounds very interesting. So many different flavors!
Dimple Snatcher says
Hahahah
I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten a few good mango worms in my day 🙂
Eileen says
Check the lettuce against a light, (ie shine the light through the leaf) it will show the bugs. (This is required for kosher lettuce, as it is forbidden eat insects if you keep kosher). Also soak the leaves in water, and for tough leaves like kale you can use a vegetable brush…
Food & Other Things says
Interesting sandwich combo! I love the card that looks like a slice of cake!
Rachel Randolph @ Life in Bite says
I keep seeing posts for savory pumpkin recipes and, though I usually am a lover of odd combos, I just can’t seem to to get on board. Breakfast and desserts, totally. I guess I need to just get over it and try it.
Happy Birthday, by the way!
Lisa @bakebikeblog says
Oh my – what a perfect lunch!! Well aside from the hidden bugs that is! 😉
thelma says
Kath: love your blog- soak any greens in a little salt in water usually removes bugs for me and does not hurt anything……
natalie says
we grow our own letucce too and i totally agree about the bug thing, however the letucce tastes alot better than the store one..we just hav to remember to wash it 2 or 3 times …but some critters are just determined to stay on the greens…what we dont see wont hurt us right?! lol
Shayla says
Kath – On Meghann’s blog there are gorgeous pictures of you from your celebratory weekend – love the photos of you in the blue/purple top. And your posture is amazing – you’re so confident and photogenic in front of the camera! Just had to let you know that 🙂
Kath says
Aw thanks Shayla 🙂
Felicia says
its all good! extra protein 🙂 i have the same problem and just try not to think about it… im still alive! hahah
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
Well hmmm..at least they’re nutritious? 😛
stacey-healthylife says
Bugs in my salad always freaks me out. I know it happens but yuck.
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
Ugh it makes me shudder to think of all the bugs I probably eat. I’m terrible at remembering to wash my produce. But if we don’t know we’re eating them at the time… then I guess what we don’t know can’t hurt us. 😉
Joanna says
We are probably all eating bugs constantly and just not conscious to it. Supposedly bugs are ubiquitous in processed foods, so it’s not just us produce lovers.
lynn (The Actors Diet) says
i once almost started cooking a green caterpiller that was on my green cabbage. EW.
that cake card looks delicious!
Melissa says
The cake card totally tricked me! *drool*
Hannah says
*hyperventilates* There are recipes for lembas bread? AH! I’m so geeky-giddy right now!
Anne says
cottage cheese is a great addition to sandwiches
cc + pb^2 = good times
Namaste Gurl says
Mmmm, your sammie looks DELICIOUS– no kiddin’. Pumpkin, hummus, and cottage cheese….interesting combo, never thought of putting together those lovely ingredients. I love all 3 so why wouldn’t I love the combo! Must try!
What brand of hummus do you use? Or did you make your own for this occasion? 🙂
maya @ finding balance in tokyo says
I like a good layer of dirt on my produce, but bugs bother me. Not so much because of their bugginess, but because I don’t want to be the cause of their untimely demise! How crazy is that? >_<
Nelle @ Living Cliche says
I work in a restaurant and I’ve found bugs in my own salads from there and I know guests have, too. I wish I could share this post with them. I know the greens are pre-washed and we wash them AGAIN in the kitchen, but you just can’t get rid of all of them! I want to say, “It’s nature, get over it!” Shouldn’t we just be glad they aren’t soaked in pesticides?
Eating bugs is gross, but eating poison is worse.
Kristin says
I have found two GIANT green worm things in my latest bunch of kale. And it’s nothing to have a spider scurry across the kitchen counter as I’m unloading my latest bunch of goodness from the garden. =)
Cathy B. @ Bright Bakes says
welcome to the world of growing your own veggies! 🙂 I’ve come to accept those little bugs as a simple fact of life if you’re into growin what you eat!
love,
cathy b.
Gretchen says
I good trick for getting bugs off lettuce – add some salt to the water when you’re soaking the lettuce. It makes the bugs lose their grip! Happy birthday!