Something from nothing

The other day I needed lunch and there was "nothing to eat." Or so it would seem, to the untrained (read: non-cheapskate) eye.

I knew I had about a cup of brown rice to use, and after that I was winging it. Pulling random things out of the fridge suddenly gave me an idea...

I sauteed a clove of garlic with green onions, then added some thawed shrimp and crushed red pepper flakes.

Then I added 1/2 of a summer squash and a giant handful of Napa cabbage. When all that was wilty, I removed it from the skillet and tossed in my cup of brown rice, which I seasoned with wheat-free tamari.

When it was warm, I stirred in a whisked egg until it was cooked through, then added back the rest of my goodies, plus some Microplaned ginger.

And shrimp fried rice was born.

I was too heavy-handed with the tamari; next time I'd err on the side of not enough, and add more to taste later. The chopsticks are for decoration only--this stuff got shoveled in faster than the 'sticks could handle, so a fork was my weapon of choice. Nice mental pic, huh? What I meant was "It was very good."

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.

Summertime, and the livin' is CHILLY!

The high temperature yesterday was barely into the 70s. It was breezy and sunny, and perfect--as close to fall as we'll get for the next few months! My favorite. I celebrated it with a trip to the farmer's market AND by looking ahead to *real* fall weather and registering for my first full marathon in October! (FYI, a marathon is always 26.2 miles--always. Anything less is not a marathon; anything more is an "ultra"marathon.) I've been following an 18-week training plan for the past 2 1/2 weeks, so it was about time I officially registered. Wish me luck!

Lunch was a lovely little autumnal beet-green-and-poached-egg skillet topped with crumbled goat cheese, sea salt, and black pepper. Those odd little yellow-green things are garlic scapes and green onions, from last week's trip to the market. I chased it all down with a warm, steamy mug of Oregon Chai. Cheers to summertime fall!

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. :)

Celery--who knew?

Over time I've come to realize that, while I don't really care for cucumbers as much as I think when I see them in the store, I really do like the taste of celery, especially when I find it in a meal where I wasn't expecting it. My photographer friend's Pad Thai is one of these meals--she snuck some celery in there last time I had it, and my tastebuds did a little dance when they tripped over that light and crunchy bite. The same thing happened when we enjoyed our stir-fry soup this week. Celery goes great in chicken soup! The crispy pieces in the middle of the soft noodles and tender chicken was just right. Springy and fresh!

Celery is sometimes called a "negative calorie food," meaning it takes more calories to chew and digest it than the food itself contains. The idea that celery is a staple of dieters who are severely limiting their calories is kind of off-putting to some people, which is maybe why I never remember that it's actually quite tasty AND good for you. It *looks* really boring, but it's so not!

Did you know that celery is actually a great source of vitamin C? Yeah, that vitamin found in oranges and bell peppers and broccoli--it's also hiding in those pale, unassuming stalks. No wonder chicken soup is so good when you're sick! Celery can also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. You can see more of celery's awesome credentials here, one of my favorite sites.

While the Clean Eating Machines don't eat a 100% organic diet, celery is one of the items I always buy organically. It is on the Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen" list--a list of the 12 most contaminated fruits and veggies, which they recommend you purchase organically if possible. What makes celery so dirty? Its lack of skin or peel makes it highly susceptible to pesticides and chemicals used on conventional crops, which are hard to wash off with just soap and water. Buying organic celery ensures that your stalks are safer. You can see how the produce is rated here.

When I buy a bunch of celery, I try to wash and prep it right away, to keep it from getting limp. It's also a lot easier to add a handful to your soup, stir fry, or simple sandwich when it's already washed and cut! I like to cut one bunch (a package usually contains two) into sticks, which I store in a dish with water to keep the ends from browning; the other bunch gets chopped into smaller chunks.

Here are my favorite ways to enjoy this crunchy powerhouse:

--In my favorite Chicken Beet Salad, which I will make this week with beets from the farmer's market.

--Mixed with tuna, Greek yogurt, dill, chopped fresh tomato, and Dijon mustard for a tuna salad sandwich.

--In chicken stock or soup, Asian-inspired or not! This is a great way to use the celery you may have forgotten about and allowed to get a little soft... I won't tell.

--As a quick and crunchy side with burgers or other summertime fare, dipped into homemade Ranch (or other) dip made with plain yogurt.

--In this tabbouleh recipe from Clean Eating Magazine.

Is there a fruit or veggie you tend to forget about until you have it, then realize how much you enjoy it??

Hey, thanks!

Yesterday another blogger friend told me that we had made the list of "50 Best Blogs for Cleaner Eating" published by nursingschools.net. Cool, huh? But the original link wasn't working, so I didn't get to see my name in "print." And then... I did! Because The Clean Eating Mama was also mentioned, and she had the link in her latest post. I was excited to see some familiar names on the list--some of them, like The Eat-Clean Diet and Eating Clean Works, helped me get my clean-eating feet wet. Thank you for your readership. It's nice to be known, especially since I was convinced only The H was aware my blog existed. Keep reading, and I'll keep eating. I mean, posting. :)