Taking Advantage

 I do believe late Spring is one of my favorite times of year! Particularly here in California, where the fresh produce is plenty and some of my all-time favorites make an appearance, namely: apricots, nectarines and strawberries! The possibilities for healthy snacking and cooking are endless and I try to take full advantage of the delicious fare.

This week I am especially enjoying a combo of my favorite Greek yogurt, topped with sliced apricots and a drizzle of agave nectar. It is a lovely combination that keeps me feeling nourished for hours (which is pretty rare these days!). You would be crazy not to give it a try!

Happy snacking!

image/via

Planning it Out

Woot! As we got home last night our Farm Fresh to You box was graciously sitting at our doorstep, bursting with delicious produce! I think I got a little too excited about the green beans (one of my favorite veggies) and was pleasantly suprised to find Kale among our goods (another fave of mine!). Which also gives me a chance to try out kale chips this week. Ever since my friend Blythe raved about how delish they were, I can't seem to get it off my mind! And of course, my husband was pretty stoked about the oranges. Oh, the simple things in life!

Here's everything we got and how I plan on incorporating this delicious fare into our menu next week.

The Goods

2 Valencia oranges
2 Fuji apples
1.5 lbs green beans
1 bunch Kale
1 bunch Spinach
1 bunch celery
1 head baby lettuce
2 large heirloom tomatoes
cilantro

Plan of Action

Sunday: Mom's enchiladas
Monday: Salsa chicken salad with fresh guacamole
Tuesday: Lemon pepper grilled chicken, sauteed green beans, brown rice
Wednesday: Bean and grain soup, big spinach salad
Thursday: Brie, Apple and Arugula quesadillas (we will be substituting for gouda, hubby's fave!)
Friday: Turkey burgers and kale chips

image/myrecipes

Planning it Out

Today we are scheduled to receive our wonderful box of local, organic goodies from Farm Fresh to You! Here is our menu for the week, including a new recipe for turnips, which I've admittedly never cooked with. Exciting!

The Goods

2 Bartlett pears
2 Gold Delicious apples
1 cantaloupe
1 bunch turnips
1 bunch chard
1 lb heirloom tomatoes
1 lb fingerling potatoes
1 bunch green leaf lettuce
2 bell peppers, mixed colors

mixed hot peppers

Plan of Action

Saturday: (lettuce, tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, apples)
Grilled lemon garlic chicken

Tossed salad with heirloom tomatoes

Roasted fingerling potatoes

Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk cake

Sunday: (turnips)
Herb crusted pork tenderloin

Roasted Turnips, Sweet Potato, Apple and Dried Cranberries

Monday: (pears)
B) Autumn Oats
Because Mondays are so long and I don't get home until about 8:45 pm, dinner typically isn't planned and is usually an egg white scramble.

Tuesday: (chard)
White bean and Swiss chard soup

Wednesday: (pears, lettuce, tomatoes and peppers for salsa)
B) Autumn Oats
D) Southwestern chicken salad w/ homemade salsa

Thursday: (bell peppers)
Windy City Pie

Friday:
Date night!

image/wanigan

From Farm to Doorstep

Yesterday I received my very first Farm Fresh to You delivery! I absolutely love the idea of eating local and seasonal foods, so I decided to try this service I've heard so much about. I started out getting only the small box every other week, mainly to make sure we put everything to use (I hate waste!). Thankfully, the website shows you what is scheduled to come in your box the upcoming week, making it incredibly easy to plan a menu around the produce! It will be a fun challenge to see how creative I can get as the seasons change!

Here's what I received this week:

2 Bartlett pears
1 lb black plums
1 lb heirloom tomatoes
1 lb Roma tomatoes*
1 large cucumber
1 head green leaf lettuce
1 bunch Italian basil
2 bell peppers

*Farm Fresh to You allows you to exclude certain items from your box. I chose to omit beets, broccoli and cauliflower (bleh!). So this week, instead of the scheduled broccoli, I recieived 1 lb of Roma tomatoes!

Creating next weeks menu was especially fun! Here's how I plan to use my goods:

Sunday: Grilled pizza with heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella and gingered pears over vanilla bean gelato for dessert (heirloom tomatoes, basil, pears)

Tuesday: Pistachio raspberry crusted chicken, salad w/ pine nuts and shaved Parmesan (green leaf lettuce)

Wednesday: Fajitas (bell peppers)

Thursday: Cold sesame noodles with chicken and cucumbers (cucumber)

We will enjoy the plums for snacking and I would love to make a homemade pasta sauce with the Roma tomatoes and extra basil for next week!

In-Season: Produce

I don't know about you, but for me, nothing says Spring like the brightly colored produce that start popping up in stores and at the Farmer's Market. Particularly the ranging variety of greens, a sign that lighter meals and warmer weather are in bloom. Of course, where you live is going to play a role in the fresh, local produce you find, but for the most part, these things can be found in the next several weeks and months.

These are some of my favorites!

Artichokes~ A favorite of my husband, who will eat them in pasta, dip and any other way you can imagine them! And a bonus, they are a good source of vitamin C, folate, magnesium and dietary fiber, while containing no fat!


Avocado~ Come on, we're from California, of course we love avocado...on pretty much anything! And did you know they pack 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid? Don't be fooled by their high fat content, as it is mostly unsaturated (the good kind!).

Strawberries~ I am absolutely giddy these are beginning to show their rosy little faces and will continue to grace us with their presence through late-summer! Packed with Vitamin C (even higher than some citrus fruit), folic acid, potassium and dietary fiber, strawberries are a fantastic sweet treat!


Asparugas~ my favorite way to enjoy asparugas is grilled with a squeeze of lemon juice. Of course I love that I can eat a lot because it is also low in calories, contains no cholesterol and is very low in sodium.


Apricots~ This small, delicate fruit is extremely versatile and deliciously tangy when ripe (closer to early May). In addition, they are one of the best sources of beta-carotene.

To find out what's fresh in your area check out NRDC's Eat Local produce finder.

All in Good Health

So it's almost summer and the good "exotic" produce is probably showing up more and more in your local grocery store. Have you ever passed over the pineapple section and maybe even the table holding the ripe, delicious mango because you thought to yourself, " While that would be delicious, it's just too much of a hassle to prepare". Or maybe you just plain don't know how to cut them properly. Trust me, you are not alone! I think that Americans, in general, miss out on the abundance of nutrients in many foods because of a) the inconvenience or b) the unfamiliarity.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret that will practically solve the problem of exhibit a. Aren't you excited?!?

Pineapple slicer ~ I'm sure you've seen these in Crate and Barrel and though to yourself, "How in the world does that little thing slice a pineapple?". I'm here to tell you that it makes the task SO incredibly simple! I should tell you that my childhood was spent living in Hawaii and I have had my fair share of pineapple in my life, but I have never enjoyed it as much as I do now that it literally takes me 30 seconds to cut. It comes out in the perfect round slices and you have the entire shell of the fruit left to use as cute presentation for salsas and dips! How great is that?


Mango pitter ~ This little tool is also a big time saver. It allows you to remove the seed while taking none of the precious fleshy fruit with it!



You may think these things look silly, but trust me, I am much more likely to include these yummy tropical fruits into our diet with these time saving gadgets. My husband definitely appreciates having more of these savory treats in his lunch during the summer months!

Next time you're at the farmer's market or at the grocery store, try to pick up at least one thing you've never tried before. Google a recipe with that ingredient and try something new! It is so important to vary your diet with an array of fruits and vegetables! Also try to focus on what's in season (it always tastes better!).

Check out this link to find out what's in season in your region.

Celebrating our Wonderful Planet

So I have been thinking, "What are we going to do to celebrate Earth Day?". The thing is, we have a one too many potted plants, plenty of herbs and no where to plant a tree. Typically, I would suggest one of these things. However, with little time after a long work day, I made the decision to celebrate by making a dinner out of my new fabulous cookbook, Simply Organic! I was skimming through the book yesterday and the recipes look truly delectable!

I am specifically excited about this book because the author has made the focus of each recipe to highlight local, seasonal, and of course, organic foods. Lately, I have really tried to shop and cook with this in mind. Imagine how diverse our meals could be if we really experimented with seasonal produce. Yum!

I hope you are enjoying Earth Day and find fun ways to celebrate this magnificent planet we have been given!