I’m back!

Hi everyone. 

I took a break from blogging for a while. My heart just wasn’t in it. I was more focused on other things. I think I’m ready to get back to it now though. 

In addition to giving up blogging, I also let other things go. Like eating the way I know I should and exercising. I am now working on getting back on track. Let’s do it together. Beat the New Year’s rush. 

I re-joined my local CSA a month or so ago.  Trying to get serious about eating a minimum of five servings of vegetables a day. Here is what I got yesterday: 

   

   
Cucumbers, Carrots, Eggplant, Persimmons, Romaine Lettuce, Kale, Cherry Tomatoes, Collard Greens, Cilantro, Parsley, Yellow Onion, Celery, Potatoes, Bosc Pears, Mandarin Oranges, and Lemons. 

There was also Swiss Chard and iceberg lettuce, but I switched those out for extra collard greens.  Why?  Because they are very easy to hide in smoothies and juices. Swiss Chard, not so much. And I already had a head of iceberg lettuce.  We are using that for (gluten free) sandwiches and such. 

I am determined to use this all up!  

-Teresa

CSA Goodies

Today’s CSA Basket:

Grape Tomatoes, Chard, Eggplant, Pluots, Nectarines, Green Beans, Romaine Lettuce, Red Leaf Lettuce, Cucumbers, Cilantro, Pickling Cucumbers, Apples, Squash, Avocado, Grapefruit, Pears, Zucchini, Oranges, Yellow Onion.

I switched the nectarines for 2 pears and a few oranges. Those sounded yummier to me this time of year.

What should I make for dinner?

Summer CSA

This week is my first CSA basket since summer officially started, and it is a good one:

Collard Greens, Black Kale, Tomatoes, Heirloom Tomatoes (Green Zebra), Eggplant, Green Bell Peppers, Swiss Chard, Red Kale, Cucumbers, Pluots, Celery, Basil, Nectarines, Peaches, Fennel, Dill, Carrots, Pink Turnips, and Romanesco Cauliflower.

It smells so good!

There was also a bunch of beets and quite a bit of broccoli. I traded those for extra eggplants and cucumbers. No matter how excited I get about broccoli looking like little trees the husband and kid just don’t fall for it and the poor broccoli ends up languishing in the refrigerator.

Cucumber “chips” are big sellers though.

I also picked up some of Farmer George’s ridiculously good strawberries, as the end of the season is this Saturday. I already have a ton of fruit, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of passing on his strawberries while I still had a chance.

Even Bunny gets a treat. Yum! Carrot tops!

CSA Basket – May 15

Here is my CSA basket this week:

It contained:

Beets, Collard Greens, Black Kale, Avocado, Kohlrabi, Swiss Chard, Red Kale, Purple Kale, Red Turnip, Savoy Cabbage, Cucumbers, Carrots, Fuji Apples, Red Leaf Lettuce, Radishes, Grapefruits, Celery, Cauliflower and Zucchini, Romanesco Cauliflower, Green Beans and Snap Peas.

I switched out the beets and radishes for an extra kohlrabi, a cucumber, and an apple. Beck ate the apple on the way home from the farm.

I had trouble fitting it all into the refrigerator. I made some kale chips and collard/apple juice in the afternoon which I shared with my neighbor and made paleo zucchini bread in the evening. That barely put a dent in it. I better get cooking!

Paleo Prep

How does one prepare for 21 days of eating paleo without added sugars and few fruits?

First, I threw away one chocolate bar that I was able to admit wasn’t really good enough to warrant the accompanying stomach yuchies, then I hid the two leftover halves of the worth it chocolate bars.

Then, I went to my farm and picked up my CSA basket.

There were tons of greens and salady things in this week’s basket. Perfect! I’ve been loving a quick sauté of greens lately. Also included were broccoli, cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, apples, oranges and kiwis. I’ll probably feed the last few items to my husband and son.

Here are pictures of my refrigerator drawers once they were filled.

And here is what was left in my basket after I filled the refrigerator.

I also had a bunch of arugula, mixed greens, and dandelion greens that wouldn’t fit, so I set them aside for a salad.

That should last me for a while.

Smoothie Flowchart

Lately, I have been a smoothie fiend.  Have you noticed?  I am starting to crave them now.  I think I will make one as soon as I finish this post.  Just wait til my chocolate Amazing Grass arrives.  Then there will be no stopping me.

For anyone who needs some smoothie inspiration, here is a little flowchart you can print out and save.  You may want to laminate it in case you forget to put the lid on your blender.

http://www.eatingrules.com/2010/08/the-smoothie-flowchart/

p.s.  Never forget to put the lid on your blender.  No good will come of it.

Something to be Thankful for.

I got my CSA basket from South Coast Farms today. Just in time for Thanksgiving.

This is the way to feast.

Included in this week’s basket:
Dill, Romanesco Cauliflower, Chard, Kale, Tomatoes, Fennel, Potatoes, Cilantro, Eggplant, Parsley, Valencia Oranges, Celery, Yams, Beets, Yellow Onion, Bartlet Pears, Pink Lady Apples, Green Cauliflower, Red Leaf Lettuce, Garlic, Grapes, and Grapefruit.

I traded in the beets, fennel and green cauliflower for extra pears, oranges and parsley.

Here is a picture of the green cauliflower that I didn’t keep. It looked good; I just don’t think I’ll use that much cauliflower in the next week or two.

Here is the romanesco cauliflower that I did keep.

Who wants to come over and help me eat?

Score!

Does it get any better than this week’s basket?
Green Beans, Carrots, Black Kale, Ambrosia Melon, Beefsteak Tomatoes, Summer Squash, Basil, Winter Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Eggplant, Sweet Onions, Red Leaf and Red Romaine Lettuce, Cabbage, Plums, Valencia Oranges, Peaches, Nectarines, Green Bell Pepper, Grapefruit, Beets and Broccoli.
Seriously, if you live in Orange County and aren’t signed up for South Coast Farm’s CSA, you are missing out.

P.S. I weighed my basket when I got home because it felt extra heavy this week. It was 35 pounds! At $39 a basket, that comes out to just over $1.11 a pound for beautiful organic produce!

Raw Vegan “Cook” Book Sale

Ok, I am really into the raw vegan thing right now.  I just finished a 21 day raw cleanse, with only a few minor cheats.  I lost 9 pounds and feel great.  My waistline has shrunk substantially and I am so happy with how I look and feel.  My mood has improved greatly as well.  Two of my neighbors joined me on the cleanse and they both lost 15 pounds each.  One of them had their cholesterol checked at the end of the cleanse, and the results were AMAZING!

On that note, I am going to make more of an effort to eat as much raw food going forward as possible.  Breakfast is a fruit smoothie or something similar, lunch and dinner will have raw elements at a minimum.  Snacks, the big one for me, will be raw.

So now I am on the lookout for easy recipes.  I got plenty of recipes with my cleanse, and more can be found on the internet, in health food magazines, and in books.  Ecookbooks published by individuals are a great way to go because they can be instantly downloaded to your computer and the price is often just right.  Until this Friday, the price on 2 that I have found is even better.  Brandi Rollins M.S. of Raw Foods on a Budget, is having a sale on her books “Confessions of an East Coast Raw Vegan” and “Raw Foods on a Budget.”  Both books are only $5. I bought mine this morning and they look good.  Hurry up though, the sale only lasts till Friday. She is also offering an online 28 Day Raw Foods on a Budget program for $50 that starts August 8th if you are interested in that.  The online program includes the books, curriculum, weekly conference calls, shopping help and online support.

Check it out!

Pick Your Own Farms

Beck and I had so much fun picking strawberries last month!  It made me motivated to find more things we can pick.  Lucky for us, there is a website that lists pick your own farms all over the US, Canada, Britain, Australia, South Africa and other countries.  I’ll likely stay in So Cal, but it’s good to know I can pick fruit and veggies just about anywhere.   You can too!

www.pickyourown.org