my kids first chore, my culinary garden, and a gluten free sandwich hack
the weekly R.E.P.O.R.T 04.10.26
What is the Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T? I wanted to create a fun weekly format to share food, reads, hobbies, items, shows and more that I’m currently loving or making my life easier. I see “Efficient Kitchen” embodying the whole home as well as the people in it. I also want to hear from YOU. What are you enjoying? Comment on the post anything you’re loving in a R.E.P.O.R.T category.
Suprise, surprise. I read another Beth Brower book! I read her stand alone novel called The Q. It follows a young Quincy St. Claire in her quest to run a newspaper that her Uncle Ezekiel “leaves” her. I wouldn’t say this was my favorite, but definitely worth reading. I personally like Emma M. Lion better but I think that’s the point about Quincy. She isn’t as likable for awhile and for good reason.
I almost put this book down, and I’m so glad I didn’t. The end had me in tears. I don’t want to give away any of the plot, but there is a line in it from Quincy St. Claire that almost broke me. As always, I CANNOT believe that Beth had to self publish her books. She has made me fall in love with reading again. Something that I’ve really missed! (If you read The Q, you’ll understand the name of her publishing company!)
You can find her “book club” on The Q here. Her current Substack Beth Brower has extra stories from other characters perspectives from the Emma M. Lion series which is really fun to read. (Y’all know I’m anxiously awaiting volume 9!)
I loved having Easter Brunch leftovers this week. One of my favorite Easter Brunch dishes is Callie’s Strata. She has some of my favorite holiday recipes. This year, I used Unrefined Bakery’s Gluten Free 5 grain loaf in it and loved the texture of the bread. (They ship!)
I also made “funeral sandwiches” with Canyon Bakehouse’s Gluten Free Hawaiian Rolls. They are sometimes tricky to track down, but I was able to find them at Target.
I need to do a post with all my quick homemade sauces on it, but I quickly made my own honey mustard combined with butter, coconut aminos, and poppy seeds for the “sauce”. I similarly follow this recipe.
I kind of forget how easy these are to make. I made my family a bunch with regular Hawaiian rolls to eat on this week as well. Using a pack of Hawaiian rolls is such an easy make ahead sandwich idea, especially if you are out with a bunch of kids. Just slice a pack in half, add you middle and you can store them in the bag they came in on the go.
I’m on year three of building my culinary garden! I need to do a post of a full tour but I can’t believe how well everything is growing this year! I recently added oregano and strawberries to my garden and am shocked at how much they’ve already grown.
I have LOVED having a culinary garden, but it’s taken me some trial and error. My number one tip would be to go to a local garden center versus a big chain. Your local garden center will have more native plants to your area that with grow and thrive better.
I grew up in a different zone than I live in now and have tried one too many times to grow plants from my native middle Tennessee in the middle of Texas. Big mistake! Once I leaned in to native plants, everything has started thriving. What’s pretty crazy is my zone can grow citrus trees! I think mine will finally fruit this fall, and I’m so excited about it. I’ll do a full post on my culinary garden soon.
I know y’all have heard me talk about KoalaEco, but I’m on bottle number two of their mandarin and peppermint laundry wash. I am truly OBSESSED. We have hard water here, and it’s really freshened up our household laundry. I like that it has multiple enzymes for breaking down stains and only essential oils for fragrance (that aren’t lavender or patchouli!).
Lately, I could NOT get my kitchen dish towels and napkins clean. I finally did a strip using Koala Eco detergent, washing soda, and Borax in hot water, and they came out so fresh.
It puts off a fresh smell in the house while washing, and then my laundry smells so fresh. I will say that if you are used to synthetic fragrances, you will have a hard time with “non toxic” laundry detergent. I have a draft of a laundry post that I’ve been meaning to finish up forever!
This may be a hot opinion, but I prefer to eat off real plates and use cloth napkins. I feel like food tastes better- ha! These are my favorite every day napkins that I’ve used for maybe six or seven years. Yes, I use cloth napkins for every single meal and wash them every week.
For care, I wash the napkins and dish towels around once a week and fold them. I just “hand iron” them aka smooth them out with my hands when I fold them. It’s a bonus that the kids are also capable of folding them to help out sometimes. Usually one of the first household tasks that I teach them.
If you’ve never tried cloth napkins for daily use, maybe give it a try!
I thought I would share my favorite Christmas present that I got in case you were looking for a Mother’s Day gift. After delivering three large gestational age babies, I not-so-jokingly said that I wanted a medal for all that.
My Christmas present was this necklace, and I’ve worn it every single day. It has my children’s initials on it and is customizable. I truly love it so much, and it is my favorite piece of jewelry. I often pair it with a shorter chain like I’m wearing in the picture.
Let me know any of your recommendations below! I would love to hear them.
