Juice!

Grapefruit, pear, blueberries, tomato, carrots, celery, and one great little sous chef. This was a fun and tasty way to refuel after a 4ish mile run.

Summer has begun!

At least, the little guy's summer vacation has begun. I feel a lot more work coming my way. Ha! I absolutely cannot believe he's a first-grader now. Just...wow. I might have to come up with a new nickname for him. We kicked off the season with a grocery-getting jogging-stroller run--man, that's hard now that he's so big! He turns six in a few weeks. Because it is summer, and I didn't have a school dropoff to make, I just didn't feel like getting up early to run. :p

We picked up some locally-made multigrain bread, a few fruits and veggies for dinners and juicing, and a bag of local tortilla chips to shuttle guacamole to our faces. Most importantly, we beat the rain that was headed our way, and I didn't have to wait for The H to come home before I could exercise. :)

Tomorrow's juice will be a concoction that includes melon (from the reduced rack--nice and sweet), carrot, tomato, grapefruit or lemon, celery, an old spotty pear, and maybe some cranberries.

Behold, my raw materials

This is what I'm working with this week, in terms of fruits and veggies. Of course I'm filling in the blanks with quality proteins and carbs where applicable.

If I write down what I have to work with, it helps me remember what's lying around and prevents me from finding limp brown celery at the bottom of the crisper in a month. So far, we've only completely crossed off "kale" because I made a batch of my one true love for lunches. The little guy and I made great progress on the green beans, onion, mushrooms, and cucumber tonight, but haven't completely wiped them out yet. Our oven stopped working--it doesn't come up to temperature and smells like gas when it's on--so I'm trying my best to work with stovetop, slow cooker, Foreman grill, and microwave (last resort_ as much as possible. Lucky for me, little man prefers his veggies raw.

Tomorrow I plan to use the celery, remaining bit of onion, carrot, brussels, and last few mushrooms to make chicken noodle soup with some leftover frozen rotisserie chicken. The forecast shows more rain and the potential for my least-favorite weather EVER (hint: it rhymes with NO!) for the next few days, so it'll be a nice addition to the menu.

Got any brilliant ideas for sweet potatoes? My preferred prep is thinly sliced and baked/broiled, but that's obviously out.

Pesto!

This summer I decided to branch out a bit and try growing more than just green beans, since that turned out well last year. Part of this expanded gardening attempt means I now have several basil plants growing in my yard. And yes, they are growing! So much, in fact, that a friend was kind enough to harvest some for me while we were in CT (to keep it happy), and I still had enough to make a batch of pesto with the stuff that remained.

Well, I thought I did. But it would've been a small batch. Not quite enough for the company we were having for dinner. And when I went to my beloved Ken's Fruit Market (they have a website now! isn't it pretty?) to grab another bunch or two, they were out. ACK! My company was on its way, if not at my house already, and I had to decide what to do, quickly.

And thus, spinach-basil pesto was born. Thanks to most of a bag of spinach in my crisper and the end of a jar of Trader Joe's pesto genovese, my meager harvest turned into a giant delicious heap of green goodness. Even the little guy, once we convinced him to just try it already, enjoyed his.

We served this with a salad (I know, leafy green overkill much?) and yellow watermelon from the farmers' market. That was the juiciest melon I've ever had! I think it's called a "yellow doll" or something. The little guy needed a bit of convincing to try that, too (are all newly-turned-3-year-olds this picky?!) but then he couldn't get enough.

These photos are remarkably less staged than even my usuals, since I almost forgot to snap any before we sat down to eat.

I used Bridget's blog for inspiration, mostly regarding the toasting of the nuts/garlic and bruising of the basil, but the quantities I used were based on what I had available. The spinach helped mellow the bite of the garlic and peppiness of the basil, but it still had plenty of flavor. My nuts were walnuts; my oil was grapeseed. I added 8 ounces of cooked chicken to the pasta before stirring in the sauce to make it more filling. And, of course, the pasta I used was gluten-free.

I was right...

I had no idea what day it was when we got home! We left for Connecticut on a Sunday, and returned on the second Thursday. For most of our extended  trips, we are gone Sunday through Saturday. When The H travels alone, he gets back on a Friday. So Friday felt like a Sunday to me and Saturday to him. Now that it's Sunday, it feels like...well, something else. I'm all messed up. What a jumble!

The little guy and I made the best of it, however, and made a stop at the farmer's market on Friday for some deliciously seasonal produce. Here's a couple-days meal plan I was able to concoct:

Friday - chicken tacos with cilantro-lime rice, corn on the cob, and homemade pico de gallo
Saturday - my former running partner's wedding! Leftovers for lunch
Sunday - breakfast-dinner for lunch, then homemade pesto pasta with chicken, watermelon, salad in the evening

My lunches on Friday and Saturday were largely composed of this beauty:

A rainbow of tiny tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, both from the farmers market, with basil from my yard and olive oil/vinegar from the co-op. I enjoyed a side of Greek yogurt with local blueberries and raw honey on the side. It was *almost* as good as ice cream. Don't let The H know I said so.

Summer staples

This afternoon, after a trip to the library and local coffee shop, the little guy and I stopped into our beloved Ken's Fruit Market for a few tomatoes. My mom came for a quick visit earlier this week and helped me plant some *beautiful* basil plants from the farmers' market, and it was about time to pick a few leaves for a caprese salad.

My lunch, or at least the first half (I'm sure I'll need more protein in a bit), was a delicious rainbow of summery colors: red tomatoes and green basil with some cubes of fresh white mozzarella, next to half of a juicy golden orange peach and emeralds of kiwi. Everything was SO fresh and SO succulent that I quite simply forgot to take a picture. Not everything was locally sourced (peaches and tomatoes aren't ripe here in the mitten until later, and I've yet to see a kiwi plant here) but I'm pleased I was able to support local business with my purchases anyway. These gorgeous shocks of color are sure to be major players in our meals for the next few months.

What is your favorite summer produce?

Coconut Chicken

I hadn't originally flagged this recipe when I flipped through the September/October 2010 issue of Clean Eating Magazine, but at second glance (as is the case for many dishes I make from there) it caught my eye and got added to my meal plan.

Coconut Chicken with Pineapple-Strawberry Salsa
from Clean Eating Magazine, Vol. 3, Issue 5
serves 4

1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup light coconut milk, divided
4 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced, divided
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
1/2 small fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced (about 2 cups)
10 large strawberries (about 8 oz), diced
5 oz mixed greens

1. In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup coconut milk with white parts of scallion, salt, and pepper. Add chicken and let marinate at room temperature 30 minutes, or covered in the fridge overnight.

2. In another large bowl, combine remaining 1/3 cup coconut milk with green parts of scallion. Stir in pineapple chunks and diced strawberries (I also added a seeded, diced jalapeño). Set aside, or if not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Heat a grill (or grill pan) over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 5-7 minutes per side, until cooked through and juices run clear.

4. Divide chicken and greens evenly among four plates. Top each serving with fruit salsa and serve.

The little guy wasn't into the chicken, so he had turkey breast, string cheese, and assorted fruits. With the exception of the bell pepper, which he said was sour (he preferred the red one he had before dinner), he cleaned his plate.

Nutrition information per 4oz chicken + 1/2 cup salsa:
Calories - 214
Fat - 4g
Carbs - 17g
Fiber - 3g
Sugars - 11g
Protein - 28g
Sodium - 90mg
Cholesterol - 65m

Ki-WHAT-now?

Kiwano! (kee-WAH-no)

Ever heard of it? It also goes by the name "horned melon," although this funky little fruit is far different from any melon I've ever had.



The H put this in my Christmas stocking. It's kind of been tradition for us to exchange fruits every year, and this time he really stumped me with this one.

We looked it up in my Cook's Handbook and also online, where I learned to expect the inside to be gelatinous, green, and full of edible seeds. Various sources will tell you this has a flavor similar to cucumber and banana. I found it to taste... green.



Given two choices for how to eat this (in vertically-sliced wedges, or in half with a spoon) we chose the wedge option and added it to a plate of citrus fruit. This accompanied a spinach frittata for lunch this past weekend.



The little guy was a trooper and gamely tried a wedge...



It's a go!



Who likes kiwano?



We do! My sister, the little guy, and I appreciated it more than The H. The Jello-like interior was not a pleasing texture for him. It's very slurpy. It isn't something I'd snack on daily, but it wasn't *gross* either in taste or texture. A fun experiment. :) You can read more about this colorful fruit here, if you are interested.

Berry puree

At any given moment, there are usually no less than three types of frozen berry in my freezer. I got tired of shoving bags of them out of the way to reach other things, so I decided to combine a bunch and make a puree that I could use to flavor plain yogurt, pour over pancakes (The H doesn't care for syrup), and who knows what else.



This began as roughly two cups of strawberries (thawed), one cup of blueberries (semi-thawed), and 1/2 cup blackberries (frozen). To cut the tartness, I also added 2/3 teaspoon of stevia.

When it was smooth, I poured it into ice cube trays, with the intent of popping them out into a freezer bag once they were frozen.



Today I pulled out two cubes to thaw in the fridge throughout the day, then mixed with about 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt as part of my afternoon snack (total thaw time was approximately four hours).

Cleaned-up blueberry muffins

Yesterday when our Internet was out (our house took a big surge when our old Dish Network dish served as a lightning rod on Wednesday) I was looking for things to do. The little guy was at daycare and it was too hot to be outside. Naturally, turning on the oven to 400* made perfect sense. ;) I had already made a batch of garlic hummus and was ready for something sweet.

The recipe as written comes from my aunt, and has yielded great results. This time I thought I would clean it up a bit.



Blueberry Muffins
Makes 12

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 lb softened butter (1 stick)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions
Mix ingredients together in order listed. Batter will be dry--do not add more liquid. Gently fold in berries. Bake at 400* for 20-25 minutes.

To make gluten-free: Use Bob's Red Mill AP GF flour blend and a GF baking powder, and add 1 1/8 tsp xanthan gum.



And now, my recipe:

1 cup white flour (I know! Roll with it)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Sucanat
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk (2% for a bit of fat)
1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed
1/2 tsp turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top during baking

I made them in my jumbo muffin pan, so I only got 6 muffins out of it. I wanted a treat for me and the little guy to have for breakfast, and I didn't want to have too many leftovers hanging around to tempt The H.



The texture was a bit denser than a typical muffin, which I attribute to the wheat flour and lack of fat. Spread with a bit of Earth Balance and warmed in the microwave, these were quite a filling breakfast/snack. One day I'd like to try making them into "muffin tops" with the right kind of pan.

Berry Picking

This week, the little guy and I had our first berry-picking adventure! I can't believe I've never taken advantage of the U-pick stuff around our area. It was fun, and cheap. We got over 10 pounds of berries in about an hour, and it cost just a bit over $13. TEN POUNDS of bloobs is more than 14 cups, in case you were wondering. I felt accomplished when I washed and bagged them all up right when we got home.

He had such a blast, and was a great helper.

The berry bushes were so full--the farm was on their first picking--and it was so easy. We could get a handful of berries in one gentle grab. Look how pretty they are.

Happy summer, now in my freezer!

Gluten free fruit cobbler

This recipe comes from celiac.com, a great resource for those transitioning to gluten-free living. We were planning dinner with The H's parents, and I wanted to use some of our co-op haul for dessert. I was looking for something that would go well with with ice cream. Fruit cobbler sounded just right.

I used four of these lovely peaches, and the rest of the organic blueberries, perhaps 1 cup.

Gluten Free Fruit Cobbler

from Celiac.com

1 stick of butter

1 cup gluten-free flour blend (your choice--I used Bob's Red Mill GF all-purpose)

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup kefir or buttermilk (I used milk soured with 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar)

1 large can peach halves, or 2-3 cups frozen thawed berries to which 1/4 cup sugar has been added (I had a total of 4 cups fresh fruit)

Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, or other spices, to taste (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350* and melt the butter in a glass 8x8 baking dish.

2. Mix all other ingredients, except for fruit. Pour batter onto melted butter. If you stir it around to incorporate the butter, you'll end up with a rich, buttery cakelike cobbler. If you don't mix it in, you'll have a chewy, buttery edge (I mixed it together).

3. Spread the fruit on top of the crust and sprinkle with spices of your choice. Bake 45 minutes or until set in the center.

Because of the full stick of butter and loads of sugar called for, I can't really consider this "clean" though there are certainly ways to clean it up.

I think the crust could get away with less than a full stick of butter (see how much is just sitting on top after I mixed it in? Yikes...), and the sugar in the dry crust mix could likely be cut back a bit and probably exchanged for sucanat. I just didn't have enough to try it.

I used maple flakes for the sugar on the fruit, though as I typed the recipe above, I think I could have omitted that since I wasn't using frozen berries, which are notably more tart than fresh peaches! If I were to use frozen, I'd try mixing them with honey rather than a dry sugar.

The spices I used on top of the fruit were cinnamon and nutmeg. I used a light dusting of each.

The middle was a bit soft after 45 minutes, so I left it in the oven for another 10, then turned it off and let the heat continue cooking it while we cleaned up after dinner.

It was still somewhat soft when we ate it, but since there was no raw egg or anything potentially harmful in it, we just dug in.

This made 9 servings. The H and his brother had two servings each, in rapid succession. It was one of the better gluten-free desserts I have eaten, let alone made from scratch. We didn't eat it with ice cream, but it was great nonetheless.

How to avoid dessert

1. Purchase a deliciously ripe pineapple (or two...).

2. Slice pineapple into chunks for ease of use.

3. Realize the storage container you chose for said pineapple is too small to hold it all; therefore, you must eat some.

4. Marvel at how sweet this particular pineapple is.

5. Decide that pineapple shall be your dessert today (end of story? Oh, nay nay...).

6. Proceed to eat so much pineapple that your mouth--including under your tongue--feels burned from the acidity.

7. Forget about dessert, as you can now barely swallow. Anything.

8. Success! :p

(Oh, and now the lid fits on the container, too.)

Breakfast for dinner

Tonight the three of us went for a run after The H got home from work, so dinner needed to be something quick and easy that we could make afterwards and still get the little guy in bed at a decent time. I made a gluten-free coffeecake this afternoon, so we decided on eggs to round it out.

It ended up being a kind of fridge cleanout meal, since I got to use up the garlic scapes, golden zucchini, beet greens, and a few eggs, in addition to some cherries and a few near-wrinkly peaches that I served on the side.

The H requested poached over scrambled, so I nestled the eggs in the greens/zucchini and let them cook through a bit before putting them in the oven to set completely (make sure your skillet is oven-safe if you try this). I meant to put some goat cheese in there, but I forgot.

Breakfast for dinner = coffee, so The H made a fresh pot, and we were good to go.

Happy Birthday, Little Guy!

Today my son is two. TWO. I can't believe it. I wanted to make daycare treats for him, but knowing what he likes, I couldn't just whip up a batch of cupcakes and call it good. He literally shudders when he eats things that are overly sweet. So what do you make for the kid who wakes up every morning and tells me, "I need a peach!"?

Fruit pizza!

I didn't get to make this until after 10pm last night, or I would have put more effort into cleaning up the cookie crust. Eventually I'd love to make a gluten-free one. This one is simply made from a sugar cookie mix, but I cleaned up the rest in my own way.

Rather than cream cheese + sugar, marshmallow fluff, or whipped topping as various recipes called for, I mixed lower fat Neufchatel cheese + raw local honey for the "cheese" layer. The toppings, which in the recipes are to be mixed with sugar + cornstarch or marmalade for a glaze, are simply fresh, local blueberries from the farmer's market and sliced peaches that I soaked in pineapple juice to prevent them from browning too terribly. That's it.

I sampled some before I sent him off to daycare (quality control, folks) and it was mighty tasty. He ate the fruit off the top of his tiny square and told me I could have the cookie. :)

Meal plan SATURDAY

Look at me, all ahead of the game and stuff. :D We're home from ATL after a *perfect* travel day, and ready to stretch out in our own house (and kitchen!) for a while. I jetted to the grocery store after dinner--pizza at a local joint that offers gluten free crust--to stock the fridge.

As usual after a long trip, I went a little nutso in the produce department and came home with the following:

Avocados

Bananas

Bell peppers--orange and red

Blueberries

Celery

Peaches--the little guy has been asking for them since we experienced real, fresh Georgia peaches this week :)

Mangos

Mushrooms--white and portobello

Watermelon

Spinach--I have about 450 frozen banana halves waiting to be smoothied!

Sweet potatoes

Kale

Vidalia onions

Green onions

Cilantro

Parsley

Lemons

Chex for The H (gluten free!)

Kashi cereal for me

Cottage cheese

Organic half and half

Yogurt for the little guy

Earth Balance "butter"

Milk--skim for me and The H, 2% for the little guy

I'm quite sure I react to not cooking a lot by overestimating the fresh things we'll eat when we get back, BUT I made a meal plan first (built around meat that we had in the freezer) so I wasn't just buying random ingredients. I will make a trip to the farmer's market on Wednesday to get fresh eggs (we boiled the dozen left in the fridge today after checking their freshness) and whatever produce/herbs looks good. I would've loved to shop more locally for this trip, but I needed selection and convenience this time.

Our meals for the week, in no particular order are:

Fajitas--with flank steak from the co-op and portobello mushrooms with peppers and onions on corn tortillas... there will be plenty to share, anyone care to join??

Burgers--on the grill, served with a mango-melon fruit salad and parsnip/sweet potato fries

Kabobs--with locally-farmed chicken and loads of veggies, over brown rice

Pizza--our meatless meal for the week, gluten free and grilled if possible, using all sorts of veggies

Turkey Sausage Ragu--a good rainy day (there are some forecast...) meal from Clean Eating Magazine, with kale

And, if we don't end up going out, Turkey Chili with black beans (in the slow cooker)

Lunches for the week will be leftovers, clean-eating egg salad, and clean PBJs (natural peanut butter + fresh fruit on whole-grain bread).

Do you eat enough fruits and veggies?

A little blurb in the most recent issue of Clean Eating Magazine (at least, I think that's where it is... of course I can't find it now) includes a reminder that we should be getting 9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Do you? It made me wonder how close I get to that goal, so I decided to keep track for three days and see where I fall.

Sunday

1. Dried cherries (breakfast)

2. Raisins (breakfast)

3. Strawberries (lunch)

4. Beets (lunch)

5. Edamame (snack)

6. Tomato (dinner)

7. Red onion (dinner)

8. x

9. x

3 fruits, 4 veggies. Two servings short... I could do better by having a banana (and spinach! Go green monster!) with my breakfast, or as a morning snack. I did not have an AM snack, so that would've been an easy fix.

Monday

1. Mixed fruit (with breakfast--grapes, melon, orange slices, pineapple, raisins)

2. Green salad (spring mix, baby spinach, radicchio) topped with...

3. Beets (for lunch)

4. Blackberries (snack)

5. Edamame (snack)

6. Sauteed bell peppers (dinner)

7. Sauteed onion (dinner)

8. Pinapple salsa (with soy-flax tortilla chips... now I'm reaching!)

9. x

3 fruits, 5 veggies. Better than Sunday, but still not where it should be. Skipped the AM snack again. We were out shopping... I should've put some berries or a banana in my purse. I will have to make a concentrated effort to reach my 9 when we get back home!

Tuesday

1. Raisins and dried cherries (breakfast oatmeal)

2. Spinach (green monster)

3. 1/2 banana (green monster)

4. Blackberries (snack)

5. Vegetable soup (carrots, corn, tomato, zucchini)

6. Green salad (Romaine, mushrooms, tomato, broccoli)

7. Banana (snack)

8. Strawberries (snack)

9. More blackberries (snack--the last three were topped with cottage cheese)

FINALLY! I got my 9. Just out of curiosity, I'm going to keep track for 3 days at home, too. I think being in a hotel and not having a solid meal plan for the past 2 weeks has thrown me off. At least, I hope so--I would have thought my fruits and veggies intake was much higher than this shows! And if it's really not, well, then I have all the more reason to hit up the farmer's market.

Chicken apple sausage salad

The little guy and I have been busy this week! I went for my run first thing this morning, after a light first breakfast of sprouted grain toast, peanut butter, and fresh strawberries.

After my hard-and-fast 4 miles on the treadmill (Atlanta, I'm not a fan of your hills!) I refueled with a green monster (skim milk, chocolate whey protein, peanut butter, spinach, half of a banana) and coffee.

There is a park within walking distance, so we slathered up in sunscreen and spent the morning there swinging, climbing, sliding, and digging. After lunch in our room (turkey, strawberries, cheese, and rice-pasta macaroni--The H ate with us) we took his new inflatable turtle friend to the pool for his inaugural dip.

Success!

Dinner was quick and light, perfect for a sunny summer evening when we've spent all day playing.

Tonight's chicken apple sausage salad, which I've mentioned before, was made of the following:

Spring mix

Baby spinach

Granny Smith apple

Strawberries

Goat cheese

Chopped pecans

Pear-Gorgonzola vinaigrette

Sweet apple chicken sausage

Once everything was cooked, chopped, and mixed, we packed it up and walked to the picnic area at our hotel for a truly summery experience.

The little guy ate sausage, strawberries, apples, and cheese. He's not a big fan of leafy veggies yet, unless they're in a smoothie.

After a quick exploration to find the (very nearby!) gluten-free bakery I read about online, we stopped at the dollar store for a few odds and ends, then jetted back to the hotel for bed. Long day!