healthy eating

{Field Goods}

August 6, 2017 by zeelemons

More food talk!

Thursday’s delivery consisted of:

broccoli (not shown, we ate it Thursday night in our fav “beef” and broccoli dish)
a HUGE thing of celery
dirty potatoes, as they should be
zucchini flowers – one was eaten raw, as is at work
blueberries!
iceberg lettuce
kale!

I also got that HUGE zucchini from the owners of our company at work and that bundle of basil from a friend – thank you Caroline! I wasn’t intending on receiving the delivery this week, however, I forgot to put my account on hold. Oddly enough, many of these items will fit right into the meal plan I had made for the next two weeks.

The stems of the broccoli will either be used for stock or a cheddar broccoli soup – which ever one happens / is needed first.

The potatoes will be used for home fries paired with a big tofu scramble – an easy dinner and way to pack in your daily fiber!

At first I was going to give away the zucchini flowers because I knew this weekend I wasn’t going to take the time to stuff and cook them. But then a coworker suggested just adding them to a salad – duh! I’m making a kale and brussels sprout caesar salad tonight for myself and will add them in for a pop of color, yum! The kale will also be used in this salad and a stir fry most likely happening on Monday evening after yoga.

Blueberries! So delicious on their own, I’ve been snacking on a handful here and there. I’ve also been adding them to my kombucha. I found a recipe for banana oatmeal zucchini muffins, I may add in a few to switch it up a bit (and if they last, I’ll add some to pancakes one morning for breakfast!).

Iceberg lettuce: salad. Not my favorite salad green but I’m not going to knock fresh.

And celery. I’m not a HUGE celery fan, I mean I’ll eat it but it’s not my go-to veggie, so I have zero clue what I’m going to do with this big bunch. There are so many greens, I may incorporate them into a chickpea salad (similar to tuna salad) during the week for lunches. Anyone have a favorite celery recipe I should know about?

Oh and the basil is going to be used for a ratatouille risotto dish. Can. not. wait!

Post 3/23 for August.

{Field Goods}

July 4, 2014 by zeelemons

In this week’s bag:

portobello mushrooms
white sweet corn
cherries
lettuce
broccoli crowns
zephyr squash

The shop is a drop-off point for Field Goods and if someone forgets to pick-up their bag, we get to keep it. Out of all the weeks there have been deliveries, we’ve never gotten “lucky”. But last night, there were two extra bags! We connected with one of the recipients to arrange an alternate pick-up but the other belonged to a shop owner that we knew was out of town for the next week. Score! We got double the veggies! And let me tell you, we couldn’t have gotten luckier! Those mushrooms! Ahhh!

Can you tell we’re pretty excited?

Portobello mushrooms: As I type this, the beau is devouring a big green salad topped with caramelized mushrooms, for breakfast. Nothing better than getting your greens first thing in the morning! The other mushroom caps will be marinated in a balsamic vinegar mixture and grilled on our back porch, probably this weekend. The stems we like to dice up super small and saute with black beans and a homemade taco seasoning (the packet works great too if you don’t have everything on hand) to make tacos! Or plop the mixture on greens and you’ve got yourself taco salad. So simple but so good. The mushrooms really have a great “meaty” texture. And despite the heat, one or two of the caps may make it into a green bean casserole. We still have a ton of frozen green beans from the winter deliveries and just so happen to have a monster bag of those crispy onions. Don’t ask.

White sweet corn: The beau is also a pro grilling corn, so on the grill it will go! I’ve been wanting to try corn on the cob with coconut oil- have any of you ever tried it? I typically don’t add anything to my corn cob. I also like to add corn to the taco salad mentioned above and a basic stir fry. Simple but so good in the summer.

Cherries: In the time it has taken me to type up to this point, I’ve consumed a pint of cherries. Whoops! They taste so good after five miles of sprints! No other plans for these cherries other than picking and snacking when we need a little bite of sweetness.

Lettuce: Salads! Salads! Salads! Salads have become our go-to meal for dinner; they are quick and easy and don’t require to much preparation in this heat.

Broccoli crowns: Delicious when diced and added to tofu scrambles. Even better in cheddary broccoli soup. I know not many people turn to soup throughout the summer but I don’t mind it, especially for lunch, because my place of employment has air conditioning. I have a couple jars of homemade veggie stock in my fridge from my mom that would be perfect for that meal. If there are any crowns leftover, we may just whip up homemade Chinese broccoli with garlic sauce. I’ll ask the beau to write it down so that I can share.

Zephyr squash: Growing up, there was one food we had a pass on that we (my sister and I) weren’t required to eat. For my sister, it was tuna noodle casserole. For me, yellow squash. It still makes me gag today when I think of eating it, especially fried. But last summer I shaved it very thin with the veggie peeler and sauteed it quick with other fresh veggies and balsamic vinegar and it wasn’t that bad. Using this veggie is not at the top of my priority list; I have to spend more time looking into recipes that HIDE this veggie.

No cooking for the beau and I today, we’re headed to the city! Hope you all have a happy (and safe) 4th of July!

Oh Sunday, Sunday.

June 24, 2014 by zeelemons

Now that I’ve been hiking less on the weekends, I’ve filled my Saturdays with work at the shop. And although I do love the added hours and slightly larger paychecks, I’ve been missing time off. Time spent with the beau not at the shop or in bed while we both sleep. He suggested that we drive down to Woodstock and I must admit, I wasn’t sold on the idea at first. I then reminded myself that the (dirty) apartment would be there when we got back and that I’d have the rest of my life to clean it. So off to Woodstock we went!

But first, breakfast at Carmen’s. No photographs because it was a cell phone free breakfy, but I had toasted quinoa with sautéed zucchini and squash noodles, a sautéed mix of onions, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes and asparagus with two scoops of baba ganoush, and a side of pickled fennel, chard stems, carrots and cabbage. It really was a plate of everything veggie but everything was delicious! I knew it was going to be a great day because during our walk home, the temperature was perfect and the skies were blue.

We then drove up to Engelke Farm to pick strawberries! I miss out every year and was happy we could easily fill two-quart containers full. One for me, one for the basket…

After a quick drive down 87, we were headed toward Woodstock. This time instead of hiking or walking the cute town, we were looking to visit the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. And let me tell you, this place is like heaven on Earth! I could go on forever about this place but I’ll leave you with these few simple facts:

Admission is only $10 per adult! They are non-profit organization, so they run entirely by donations and WFAS purchases. You can stay the whole day, long enough to take a walk around the farm, or as long as the guided tour; you aren’t committed to a specific schedule. Not bad for ten bucks.
The tour is educational. You will learn about factory farming and the living conditions in which many of the animals had to endure. You’ll notice that many of the chickens have clipped beaks, the turkeys lost their toes, some of the sheep are missing tails and the pigs have notches in their ears. These are not natural occurrences and you’ll learn the reasons why previous “farmers” altered their appearances. I did learn a little something myself.
You get to go into the pens with the animals! My favorite were the pigs and I could lay there in the hay with them all day. Come and get your free belly rubs! But seriously, I’ve never seen pigs that big before. They surely were happy pigs.

It was a wonderful experience to hang out with all of the animals, no matter how big or small they were. I loved hearing their names and the stories of how they became a member of that farm family. The beau enjoyed being near the cows; there’s just something about their size that puts things into perspective. Each animal had it’s own personality.

We stayed for the tour and left shortly after 3 o’clock. After hopping in the car, we both looked at each other and I could tell that we were both thinking the same thing: an early dinner at Garden Cafe on the Green!

We both love this little gem and wish it were closer to us in Troy. The last time we visited was New Year’s Eve, when we dodged a freak snow storm to eat some good, vegan food! This time around we shared the sweet pea guacamole served with wasabi lime rice cakes. I also sampled the black bean soup and the beau had the curry mushroom soup.

Paired with a pinot noir, I had (and sorry I can’t remember the exact description) pasta with a cashew basil cream sauce, tempeh and sauteed greens. It was delicious! With every bite I took a sample of all three and had enough to take home as leftovers… which were devoured once I got home, let’s be honest. The beau tried their homemade sweet potato and black bean burger served with salsa, guacamole, and vegan cheddar with a side of potato wedges. I tried a bite- it was good but I was happier with my decision. Do you ever regret your choice because your partner’s meal is better? Well, I didn’t feel that this time around, ha!

Phew! It was a long but special day. And despite the fact that we were both exhausted, we teamed up and cleaned the apartment. Nothing better than starting your week off organized.

{Field Goods}

June 20, 2014 by zeelemons

In this week’s bag:

Siberian kale
carrots
strawberries
garlic scapes
lettuce
cucumber
snap peas

Deliveries like this one are what get me excited for the summer months. There’s such a wide variety of produce that becomes available to us in Upstate New York and I love getting outside as much as possible to pick that produce to bring home. The strawberries gave me a gentle reminder that I need to go up the hill to my favorite farm in Brunswick to pick some strawberries of my own to freeze for the colder months. We don’t have much freezer space but I’m determined to freeze more this summer so that we not only save money this winter, but continue to have options other than root veggies.

The beau and I were both super excited to see the scapes. The beau (and his mom) are master pizza makers and their specialty is a white pizza with a garlic scapes pesto and sauteed kale. Yup. We now have everything on hand for a delicious pizza party. Maybe I’ll be able to convince him to make it this evening because I have a long run tomorrow morning and I heard extra carbohydrates can help a girl out.

The cucumber, lettuce and a carrot was used for a big salad this morning and I packed some of the peas to bring to work for a snack. Switching things up a bit and reducing the amount of bagels I find myself snacking on instead of fresh produce. But let me tell you, Daiya’s onion and chive cream cheese-like spread is so good!

It’s going to be a gorgeous weekend, my friends! I have to work the Farmer’s Market tomorrow and am contemplating taking a mini road trip Sunday. I have so much to do around the apartment but can’t help but want to get out an explore with the beau. Decisions decisions. Stay happy, healthy and active!

{Field Goods}

June 9, 2014 by zeelemons

In this week’s bag:

Tuscan kale
bibb lettuce
iceberg lettuce
canola oil
Japanese turnips
granny smith apples
vine tomatoes

Woah. Completely forgot to share this post last week before leaving for the weekend.

It’s funny what a week can do cravings-wise. Two weeks ago I couldn’t stand the thought of a salad and last week I had one for dinner every night. If you’re friends with me on Facebook you may have seen the photograph of me at Trader Joe’s; the soy chorizo is vegan again! I was literally dancing in the market with happiness- that product is so delicious! We bought two of them and two nights in a row, we had taco salads for dinner. Lettuce, avocado, salsa, pickled jalapenos, a handful of crushed tortilla chips, tomatoes, red pepper, and a handful of Daiya cheddar cheese topped with the chorizo = next year’s birthday dinner request. Done. No more searching. So good.

That being said, the lettuce will definitely not go to waste aka TJ’s better consider pulling that item off the shelves for a couple weeks because soon I’ll need a chorizo detox. The kale will most likely be paired with farro and coconut. The tomatoes I’ve been using in my salads but if I have any extras, I may roast those with the remaining parsnips. The apples will be brought throughout the week as a snack with cookie butter, surprise surprise. And no plans for the turnips- maybe a hash combined with the kohlrabi.

Because I was gone all weekend, the beau ate like a bachelor and I didn’t get a chance to meal prep; we have plenty to enjoy until our next delivery on Thursday.