I don’t consider myself to be much of a health food nut, but as I’ve gotten older I have definitely learned to appreciate simple foods done well. I recently cleaned out the fridge and managed put together a lovely lunch consisting of some leftover white beans and steamed kale with a dusting of freshly shaved parmesan and lemon zest, a small nugget of goat cheese and a thick slice of toasted seedy bread. I topped the whole lot with a drizzle of olive oil and went to town. No individual element was particularly flashy, but all together it made for one of the better meals I’ve had in awhile!

Hmm…after rereading the previous paragraph I have come to the conclusion that I am slowly turning into my dad. My sisters will back me up when I say that while growing up my dad would share with us what he had eaten for lunch that day almost every single night. It would usually go something like this:

Setting: The Fridh Family Dinner Table. All are present. Holly is creating a diversion while Jessica hides her vegetables under her seat cushion and Beth expertly catapults a bean back into the serving dish using only her fork. This is not her first rodeo.
Dad: Did someone just ask what I had for lunch today?
3 Sisters: [In unison] Nooooo!
Dad: Sure I’ll tell you! I had a can of plain tuna, a handful of prunes and almonds, four carrot sticks, and a spoonful of wheat germ. It was deeelicious!

I may have exaggerated just a little bit, but you get the general idea. Pretty much every day was pizza day at my school, so I couldn’t fathom the idea of having anything remotely healthy for lunch. To be honest, though, his lunch doesn’t sound half bad anymore, and he is one of the healthiest people I know! Dad, I formally apologize for all the times I teased you about your lunches; like father, like daughter!

On an entirely unrelated note, I had an exciting business development recently. Two awesome stores in downtown Portland started carrying some of my handmade wares! I feel like quite the fancy mogul, and if you live in the Portland area you should check them out! The stores are Flora and Tender Loving Empire, and they both have a fantastic selection of doodads, trinkets, and goodies and are run by exceptionally cool people, even by Portland standards. Starting a small business has been a really fun/exciting/scary/inspiring process for me, and I am so excited about where I am now and where I might go in the future. Thank you so much to my friends and family who have been the best cheerleaders (and customers) a fancy little mogul could ask for!

xo, Holly (The Apiarist)