Let It Flow (And I Don’t Mean Wine) – Part I.
Cleaning out the bathtub drain took up the better part of the morning. After pulling out the gunk (ours? The previous tenants?!) followed by baking soda, vinegar, some organic matter homebrew cleaner and LOTS of hot water, I think we must resort to Drain-O. I think the water flow is worse!?
But on the bright side, the house is very very clean, and Matt and I went on an hour-long bike ride through some gorgeous farm neighborhoods and ended with a tasty lunch.
Salmon Salad Melts on Flax Oat Bran
For TWO salmon salad portions:
- 1 can of salmon (skinless, boneless from Trader Joe’s)
- Chopped celery, carrot, pickle (2 of each)
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1.5 tsp mayo
- 1.5 tsp mustard
- Salt + pepper
Topped with smoked cheese from the Hickory Farms basket (which never melted….hmmmmm….not sure I like the cheese in there much)
On the side – Apple Army!
Smothered in pumpkin butter, cinnamon and flax. It was a great topping idea!!
See that one on the end?
He’s my dessert. A tsp of Justin’s Hazelnut butter added on!
I’ve been sipping through Twinnings Decaf Chai tea and do not like it. It lacks spice!
Going to hunt down a good minestrone soup recipe for dinner tonight, and then we’re off to the grocery store!
Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg says
Yum! Perfect lunch for an easy Sunday. But yeah…that cheese is definitely not melted, ha!
Camille says
Oh gosh, cleaning out the bathroom drain is the grossest thing ever! I would definitely recommend just Drain-O-ing it within an inch of its life!
Maryea @ Happy Healthy Mama says
We’re having soup for dinner, too. What a lovely lunch. Your pictures are great!!
Christin@purplebirdblog says
Melt resistant cheese is super bizarre!
laine @ beets, butter and mountaintops says
Have you tried plunging? Be sure to have one of you holding a wet cloth over the overflow drain while the other plunges in a few inches of water. Don’t use Drano before you do this or it could fly up and hurt you.
Also, if you use Drano, be sure to tell the plumber that you did if you end up using a plumber, since they don’t want their face burned off either.
Or head out to the hardware store for a plumbing snake.
Estela @ Weekly Bite says
Cheese that doesn’t melt weirds me out.
Best of luck the with plumbing situation. Draino always seems to work best for us 🙂
Simply Life says
sounds like a wonderful day so far!
Kim says
Don’t use Draino!!!!!!!!!!!!! It works for small blockages, but in rental houses where there could be a big block of god-knows-what in the drain, it will only make things worse (…don’t ask about how I know this). It pushes the block farther down the drain and makes it even harder for a plumber to get to it. Call a plumber and have them snake out the drain instead.
Allie (Nutty FlexitALLIEan) says
cute apple army 🙂
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
Cleaning out gunk is never any fun..especially if it happens to be from somebody else! I had to clean out the goop the was clogging up my dishwasher becuase the previous owner never pre-washed dishes..THAT was gross. I’d recommend one of those snake things..they’re pretty amazing.
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine says
I love that you added the Justin’s to that one apple slice…best nut butter ever!!
Cleaning out the drain is so gross. I’d rather wash toilets with my bare hands than come face to face with all that muck!!
Shauna says
Definitely rent a snake and snake the drain! Do it right the first time, then pour a kettle full of boiling water once a month to keep things flowing!
If you like spicy tea, try Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice. yum!
Grocery Goddess Jen says
Man, I was hoping you would say that all natural concoction worked – I hate using Draino, but nothing else has helped! Good luck.
Salah@myhealthiestlifestyle says
yuuummm that salmon melt looks yummy!!!
Erica says
I agree with others, don’t resort to Draino!!! It’s a gross chemical. Before you do anything else, either rent a snake OR buy a Zipit http://zipitclean.com/ We got ours at Walmart for about $5. It works wonders – I do it about once a month. The other thing is that I brush/comb my hair before showers so that it doesn’t all go down the drain.
Plunging will also work, here’s a really good description how to do it :
http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/10/in-your-face-clog/
Kath says
We JUST bought one and then I read this!!
Lissy says
I was also going to recommend the Zip it…it works so well….
Toni says
We had a similar problem not to long ago and had to call in a plumber. Well, my husband tried to fix it first but only made it worse!
Shannon @ Philadelphia Phitness Pharmacy says
Salmon Salad looks delish! Can’t wait to try the recipe!
hippierunner says
Mmmmm, hazelnut butter!
Eva says
A lot of plumbers won’t even come if you’ve used draino!
suki @ [Super Duper Fantastic] says
Draino didn’t work in my sink. 🙁 I had to call in the plumber!
Keri says
I highly recommend Zhena’s Gypsy Coconut Chai tea. It is so so warming and yummy–plain, and with honey and a splash of milk! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Jill says
You gotta wonder about a cheese that does not melt!!
Jill says
P.S Try Coca-cola in the drain. After it clears it you will think twice about ever drinking it again! Ha!
Jen says
I second the zip-it suggestion. I get mine at Lowe’s for like $3. After I use that, I follow with the baking soda/vinegar/boiling water. If that doesn’t work, I call the maintenance dept. to snake my drain. I never have to use Draino.
Jen says
I had big plans for my cheese in the HF basket, but they depend on the cheese melting…dang it! Love the apple/flax/pumpkin butter/cinnamon dessert!!
jen
stacey-healthylife says
A cheese that doesn’t melt, somethings not right about that. ???
Julie @ Honey B. says
Oooh which Trader Joes salmon do you use?? I have tried it and I can’t get past the brown spots – I even found bones in there last time! Very iffy on that but would love to find a good one…
Sounds and looks like the perfect Sunday. x
Kath says
It was wild Alaskan and said “boneless, skinless” on the can
Lisa (bakebikeblog) says
oooh I love minestrone soup!! YUMMO!
Haley says
Hi Kath, I have been reading for a while and wanted to say hi. Fun fact, we have the exact same birthday! Your food pics are great, I look forward to checking your blog every day. Have a great rest of your weekend.
Haley
Kath says
🙂 10/26!
Laura (spokesnoats) says
http://spokesnoats.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/sayonara-lyme/
You’ve probably already found a recipe by now, but this is the best minestrone!
Maddie (Healthy Maddie) says
Mmm your apple topping looks perfect! Good luck with your drain.
Anne P says
I have a homemade minestrone recipe on my blog – it’s awesome, if I do say so myself 😉 Give it a try if you like!
http://www.fannetasticfood.com/recipes/veggie-tastic-minestrone-soup/
Lee says
I love Justin’s chocolate hazulnut butter. That Justin is such a good nut butter maker!
Alaina says
Hmm, I love tea on a cold afternoon. I used to have this vanilla spice tea from Stash, but can never find it anymore!
As much as I love spring cleaning, I love Fall cleaning too 🙂
Sara says
The Pioneer Woman has a great roasted veggie minestrone on her site. We made it, and it was delicious! Roasted zucchini, yellow squash, and mushrooms, along with tons of other vegs. You should check it out.
Amy says
My bathroom drain clogs often (rental home) and I have found that pouring about 22 quarts of boiling water slowly down the drain always works. To prevent hair from going down the drain, I have a little stainless steel drain catcher. After I shower, I just pull out any hair, rinse the catcher, and put it back in place. They are really inexpensive.
Kathy W. says
Plunging clears our shower drain like a charm! Doesn’t seem like it should work, but it totally does.
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
Haha I love your little dessert apple slice! It’s so cute. 😀
Amy at TheSceneFromMe says
Way to go plumbers!
The apples look fabulously delicious!
Erica D says
I agree about the tea! It was in my mom’s house when I came here, and it was sorely disappointed. It doesn’t have much flavor at all, much less spice!
Halley (Blunder Construction) says
The “boneless and skinless” note for the T Joe’s salmon is very important. I once bought whole salmon in a can. So gross & impossible to use for salads like yours.
Laura says
You should try Celestial Seasoning’s Decaf Sweet Coconut Thai tea — it’s super spicy and the coconut takes it over the top : )
kristi (sweet cheeks) says
I just got that Justin’s hazelnut butter. Can’t wait to try it!
Emily says
Love the apple army! I had my own today with cinnamon, yours definitely look a little better 🙂
Paige @Running Around Normal says
plumming troubles are the worst! Hope you get it fixed soon and it doesn’t take much more!
Paige @Running Around Normal says
er, plumbing.
Dynamics says
My plumber/friend told me putting chemicals in the drain just prolongs the inevitable. Better to either snake it yourself or hire a person to snake it for you. Matt is handy, might be cheaper. Good luck.
Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down) says
Ugh…I hate cleaning drains. So gross!!
Your lunch looks fabulous, melted cheese or not. 😀
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
Ew – drain cleaning makes me gag a little bit.
Evyn says
Question that I thought people here could help me out with: What is canned pumpkin supposed to look like? I’ve always loved oatmeal, but I’ve never bought canned pumpkin to put in it until the other day. It looks really soupy and I was expecting it to have more of a paste consistency–like tomato paste. I live in Korea and I bought it at the foreigner’s market, and I don’t really want to eat it unless I know that this is how it’s supposed to look. help?
Kath says
It is kind of like tomato paste, and can be bright orange. There’s a photo of an open can in this post:
https://www.katheats.com/the-orange-army/
Evyn says
ooo thanks! that’s not what mine looks like at all. won’t be eating it.
Jil @ Big City, Lil Kitchen says
ick…yes cleaning the gunk of previous tenant. never pleasant. that lunch on the other hand – veryyyy
mariaeatsbeets says
I tried this recipe last week for Quick Fall Minestrone, it features kale, orzo and beans. It keeps well in the fridge is very satisfying. Something “must be in the drains”. My husband spent the day unclogging his bathroom sink…yes…we use separate powder rooms. He used a snake first, then drano I know, I know, but hey it worked. Wish I would have heard about the zipit earlier.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000000549834
Hannah says
I love how you transform apples into magical tasty dessert magnificence! I rarely eat apples anymore because I hate the way supermarket ones [don’t] taste, but maybe I could if I spruced them up like you do…
Jillian@ Reshape Your Life says
I’m in love with Tazo Chai Tea (latte concentrate) at the moment! 3/4 cup of concentrate with 3/4 cup of almond milk and I have a large up o’ chai “latte” 🙂
Molly says
My favorite Decaf Chai is Tazo. It’s delicious! Perfect this time of year.