Going to your local farmers' market is a great way to get healthy food and support your local community, but, if you've never been before, it can be a little intimidating. Here are a few simple tips to make your first farmers' market experience a great one!
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One aspect of healthy eating that a lot of people miss is eating seasonally. Eating seasonally means eating the foods that are in season in your local area. Following a seasonal pattern with your meals has several benefits, including better nutrition and more money in your pocket. Plus, it's the best way to not get bored with your meals.
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It's hard to believe, but this is the last week of our Summer CSA. This post is a little late because we just hadn't eaten everything up yet. :D As this series comes to an end, I'd love some feedback from you. Our Fall CSA will be starting soon, so if you liked this series and would want to see a fall version, let me know!
Now on to the food!
Here's everything we got in our last box. Items are below, starting at the top and moving left to right.
We ate all of the tomatoes for snacks (as usual).
The arugula served as a great salad for pizza night. I topped it with some tomatoes from our garden and a quick vinaigrette.
The potatoes and green beans were sides for a roasted spatchcocked chicken. I'm in love with this method of cooking a whole chicken! It cooks faster and gets nice and crispy all over. If you want more info, I raved about it in my August Favorites.
I roasted the potatoes with the chicken and then sauteed the green beans.
I'm trying to get some good BLTs in before all of the tomatoes are gone. Instead of lettuce, we used some basil from the garden and served it with the okra. I tried sauteing the okra this time and it was ok. I definitely need to play around with it a little bit. The cucumber went into a big batch of refrigerator pickles, which we also ate with this meal. I have no idea if the particular pickle here is actually the one from our CSA, but you get the idea.
The peppers and the eggplant got to take a trip to the beach with us and I threw them in with a bunch of other veggies to make my favorite easy dinner: roasted chicken and vegetables. I spatchcocked this chicken too, because, ya know, it's awesome.
And that wraps everything up for the Summer CSA. Summer flew by for me, and I'm sad to see it go, but I'm also excited for all of the fun autumnal things ahead of us.
What are your thoughts on the CSA series? Would you like me to continue it in with our Fall CSA? Let me know in the comments below!
Traveling can be tough when it comes to real food. Here's everything we packed to set us up for success! [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]
It's favorites time! These are all of the things I've been loving in the month August. Maybe you'll like some of them too! [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]
What was one of your favorite things this month? Share in the comments below!
It's hard to believe, but summer is coming to close and there is only one more summer CSA post after this one! Here's everything I got in my box. All items are listed below, starting at the top and moving left to right.
I ended up freezing the German lunchbox tomatoes to use this winter in a soup or stew. I laid them out in a single layer on a sheet pan in the freezer and, once they were frozen, put them in a mason jar for storage.
The arugula made a great salad to go with this tomato and sweet pepper pizza.
One night we had gumbo. It was good, but still needs some perfecting. My plan was to use all of those peppers in this dish, but, when I tried a piece of poblano, it was super spicy! According to my research (aka the Poblano Wikipedia page), sometimes poblanos can end up being spicy for whatever reason, even though they are usually a mild pepper. That meant that this gumbo ended up having a lot less in the way of veggies than I had planned. I used the okra, though you can't see it in the picture, plus some onion and a couple bell peppers I had.
I sauteed the green beans and served them with fried egg biscuits. So good!
A lot of the veggies went into this meal. I have to say, this isn't the most visually appealing thing I've ever made. I got the recipe for these Eggplant Lasagna Boats from the Half Baked Harvest blog and her pictures are much prettier. But hey, these posts aren't styled, they're I-just-made-this-for-dinner-and-took-a-quick-picture-before-I-ate-it, so yeah. The zucchini, patty pan squash, large tomatoes, and eggplant all went into this dish and I have to say it was a winner. The only note I would make is that eating this as your entire meal was a little too heavy with all of the cheese, sausage, and oil. Even though this has a lot of veggies in it, I would recommend eating it as part of your meal with lots of other veggies to go along with it.
What do you think I should do with all of those peppers? Share in the comments below!
A sandwich is the standard in many lunch boxes, but they can get boring. Here are 2 ways to switch up your sandwich routine this back to school season. [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]
Back to school also means back to packing lunches. Here are some tips to make lunch packing and lunch eating easier and more fun. [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]
Leftovers get a lot of hate, but I think they're awesome. They're easy and many foods actually taste better the next day. Find out if there's a microwave available to reheat things (in glass of course!). If there isn't once, pack things that taste good cold or use a thermos.
Kids always want more say-so in their life and lunch packing is great way to give it to them. Letting a child make decisions about what goes in their lunch box makes them more excited about lunch time and more likely to eat what you've packed.
Assembling food at the lunch table is fun and it also prevents things like sandwiches from getting soggy. Take the unhealthy, ultra processed store bought version and flip it on it's head by making your own at home.
Lunch can get boring as the year goes on and you get stuck in the habit of making the same things all the time. Switch up your normal fare by making things a little more interesting. Using a cookie cutter is a great way to transform your typical sandwich into stars, hearts, or whatever shapes you like!
It's that time when everyone is getting ready for the new school year. To help you get ready, I'm giving you the basics to building a healthy lunch that will leave you feeling full and energized for the rest of the day. Whether you're packing for yourself, or someone else, these are some guidelines to keep in mind.
Protein is important because it helps you stay full after your meal. Now, for a lot of people, protein equals meat. And, while meat is a great source of protein, it isn't the only one out there. Beans, yogurt, cheese, eggs, nuts, and seeds are all protein sources as well. Getting away from a meat-centric mentality opens you up to a ton of lunch possibilities, so step away from the turkey sandwich and try something new!
The poor vegetable just doesn't get enough attention when it comes to packed lunches. Non-starchy veggies, like cucumbers, tomatoes, leafy greens, peppers, and carrots, should make up about half of your meal.
Starchy foods are an important part of the diet, but many people tend to go overboard with them. We always want to strive for a balance of all of the food groups so we're not getting too much of one thing and not enough of another. Grains, potatoes, corn, peas, and beans are all considered starchy foods, so keep that in mind when planning your lunch. Starchy foods should make up about a quarter of your meal.
I see fruit as an optional item in your lunch. Fruits are great for you, but they do have a lot more sugar than veggies. For this reason, make sure you get your veggies in the meal first, and then add the fruit if you want it.
This week, my box had all of the ingredients for fresh salsa! Oh and I almost lost my lips to some seriously hot peppers.
Here's everything I got in my box. Items are listed below, starting at the top and moving left to right.
You guys know the drill. I ate almost all of the tomatoes fresh. :D
One night, we had black bean tacos. I used some of the tomatoes, onion, and hot peppers in the salsa.
Lots of the veggies found their way into this stir fry. I combined the leeks, sweet peppers, a hot pepper, garlic, and cabbage with some leftover chicken and served it all over quinoa. This dinner was about 30 minutes later than planned due to a hot pepper emergency. I took a small bite from one of the peppers to see how hot they were and practically lit myself on fire. I've seriously never experienced anything like it, and I love spicy stuff. My lips were in agony! It took a lot of scrubbing, but I eventually got to a point where I could stand the pain without running my face under cold water or holding an ice pack on my lips.
This next little experiment wasn't the worst thing ever, but definitely not a winner. I sliced and cooked the zucchini and eggplant and then rolled them up with some goat cheese. I think they probably needed more goat cheese, but even then I don't think they would be great. It's all just part of trying new things in the kitchen. Sometimes things don't work out, but it's not the end of the world. The fried eggs and bread were good. :D
Does fear of failure ever stop you from trying something new in the kitchen? Share in the comments below!
A summer picnic is the perfect way to enjoy the beautiful weather and abundant fruits and vegetables. Come along with me for a healthy summer picnic! [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]
What's your favorite picnic food? Share in the comments below!
This week, the CSA box had lots of tomatoes (hallelujah!). We also got something new: carrots! The flavor of fresh carrots is incredible, plus you get the greens. Those frilly tops are totally edible and I'm not a fan of wasting food, so I make sure to work them in when I get them. Here's everything I got in my box. Items are listed below, starting at the top and moving left to right.
I made a yummy summer veggie soup one night, using homemade chicken broth. The leeks, zucchini, yellow squash, a couple tomatoes, about half of the carrots, and all of the carrot greens went into the pot for a quick dinner. We ate it with some bread I picked up at the farmers' market.
Next up is one of my favorite summer recipes (we had this in Week 5 too). It's basically a huge pot of vegetables stewed in their own juices and finished with a basil puree. The recipe comes from Deborah Madison's Local Flavors cookbook. The green peppers, remaining carrots, and about half of the green beans were used in this, along with some other non-CSA veggies. Some of the basil was used for the basil puree (surprising, I know :D) and I topped our bowls with fried eggs.
We had those eggplant and tomato stacks I tried last week again this week. The hubby isn't a huge eggplant fan, so he also had some leftovers to round off his meal.
For pizza night, I actually switched things up from the tomato version I've been doing practically all summer long. Instead, I used a sweet pepper we got out of the garden that night and a little red onion. I topped the pizza with fresh basil and sauteed the rest of the green beans for our vegetable.
Did you know that carrot tops are edible? Share your answer in the comments below!
Canning your own food at home can be a little intimidating, but once you have the right equipment and understand the process, it isn't that hard. In this video, I'm showing you all of the basic equipment you'll need to get started and then going through the whole process with you, step-by-step. You'll find a written equipment list and canning instructions below this video. :D
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Have any more canning questions? Ask in the comments below!
This week we got our first green pepper! We're definitely pepper fans over here so it was nice to get that little gem mixed in with all of our other goodies. Here's everything we got in this week's box. Items are listed below, starting at the top and moving left to right.
As always, most of the tomatoes were eaten as snacks. What can I say? I love tomatoes!
About half of one of the long, skinny eggplant and some of the yellow tomatoes made their way onto this week's pizza. The green beans were served as our vegetable and it was all quite delicious.
This night was super simple: fried eggs with sauteed zucchini.
The remaining eggplant and some tomatoes were used in a new recipe. Basically, you slice the eggplant and tomato, make a quick pesto, and then layer it all with feta cheese. Then, the stacks get baked in the oven. It's delicious and now qualifies as one of my favorite ways to use eggplant!
I made falafel for the first time this summer (it was a weekly staple last year) and served it with a tomato, cucumber, and red onion salad. The only CSA item in this meal were the tomatoes, but it still counts. :D
Ok, I'm not gonna lie, this last one isn't the most visually stunning meal, but it definitely tasted good! I roasted the potatoes, made a cole slaw from the cabbage, and served them with pulled pork. Yum!
As excited as I was about that pepper, I still haven't used it. We might just eat it raw or toss it in with a meal this week.
This week was a good one for dinners. We had a nice mix of old favorites, plus a new one! Here's everything I got. Items are listed below starting at the top and moving left to right.
Most of the tomatoes were eaten up as snacks, either plain or with a little salt and pepper. The garlic and onions didn't get used this week because I had some older stuff to go through first.
I've really been loving this tomato basil pizza combo, so I made it again this week! I paired the pizza with some sauteed peppers.
One night, I roasted a chicken with a ton of veggies. The yellow squash, heirloom zucchini, and potatoes ended up in the mix, along with some peppers and red onion.
The green zucchini found its home in a frittata. That yellow-green disk on the bottom is the cabbage! I sliced it up and then roasted it with a honey and Dijon mustard mixture. It was so good! If you think you hate cabbage, cooking it this way might just change your mind. I also roasted some purple potatoes to round off the meal.
The last meal for this week is one of my favorite summer dinners: BLTs! I used a homemade eggless mayo (recipe coming soon!) for these because the store-bought kind is gross and making the traditional stuff yourself is a huge pain. We threw in some of the basil too, to mix things up, and had a cucumber salad on the side.
What do you think about the roasted cabbage? Share in the comments below!
This week got a fun surprise in our box; a sunflower! It's added a cheerful touch to our kitchen. :D On the food front, it's all pretty standard summer fare. Here's everything I got in my box. Items are listed below, starting at the top and moving left to right.
All of the cherry tomatoes and most of slicing tomatoes were eaten up as snacks.
The zucchini, eggplant, and some of the spring onions were cooked together in a dutch oven as a stew and served over quinoa.
The cabbage, kale, and remaining spring onions were cooked with some chickpeas and chicken stock in a dutch oven. We had some buttered garlic toast on the side. This one was delicious, but not super filling.
I roasted the yellow squash with some potatoes and red onion. That, plus fried eggs, made for a simple and easy dinner.
For pizza night, I used sliced tomato and fresh bail as the topping. We had sauteed green beans on the side.
I made the basil into pesto (again) and pored it over a mixture of chickpeas, tomatoes, and cucumber.
Which of these dinners would you like the most? Share in the comments below!
I'm happy to report that the tomatoes are multiplying! We also got a couple new treats this week. Here's what we got in our box. Everything is listed starting at the top and moving left to right.
Tomatoes don't last long around here. :D Most of them ended up as snacks.
I used the Chinese cabbage and some of the spring onions to make fried rice.
The Swiss chard and remaining spring onions were sauteed with some garlic and finished with apple cider vinegar. I served them with scrambled eggs. Fried would have been better texture wise, but scrambling was easier. On this night, easy won.
I used the basil to make pesto and combined that with some chickpeas, a couple of the tomatoes, and some cucumbers from our garden.
Some of the yellow squash found it's way into a frittata. The rest got cooked in butter with the zucchini and an onion. I boiled the corn and it all came together for a quick dinner. I have to admit, it wasn't my best meal planning as far as color goes, but it's what we had and it was delicious.
What have you been cooking lately? Share in the comments below!
Watermelon is a perfect summer food, but it can be a pain to cut one up. Between the huge mess, the awkwardness of such a big fruit, and the risk of cutting yourself, the whole process can be a source of dread and frustration. There is a better way! I'm showing you my favorite method for cutting up a watermelon that results in quick clean up and is much safer. [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]
Hooray for the first tomato from the CSA! Tomatoes are my favorite veggie and I can't get enough of them after going so many months without. When the tomatoes finally start coming in, it's a mini celebration at my house. This week was full of some of my favorite recipes. The pictures can never compare to tasting, but I hope that seeing how I use these veggies each week shows you that veggies don't have to be boring.
Here's everything I got in my box. All items are listen below, starting at the top and moving left to right.
We ate the cucumber fresh as snacks.
The cabbage became a big pot of cabbage soup, with some potatoes and white beans.
Here's an old favorite from college. I roasted up a bunch of veggies, cooked some brown rice, and threw it together with hot sauce. It's simple, and it's a great way to get a lot of vegetables in! The yellow squash, broccoli, and kohlrabi all ended up in this batch.
The kale made a great salad (as usual) and was the side for pizza night. The tomato got sliced up and made a delicious pizza topping.
Lettuce = buffalo chicken salad for us, so that's exactly what we had! Another simple dinner, but so so yummy!
To finish everything off, the spring onions and beans made their way into on of my favorite recipes. It's a summer veggie stew from Deborah Madison's Local Flavors cookbook. The flavor is incredible and it can easily be adjusted based on what you have on hand.
I threw an egg on top to round things out.
And that's it for week 5!
Do you love tomatoes as much as I do or does another veggie have your heart? Share in the comments below!
It's June Favorites time! I'm sharing my favorite things from the past month, including healthy food, a kitchen gadget, and natural skincare. [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]
What are you loving this month? Share in the comments below!
