Tales from the CSA box - June 16

We bought a subscription to the CSA program at our local university.  We'll be getting fresh, organic veggies and some fruits all summer long.  We bought a large share with local delivery for $27.50/week.

Surferman picked up our first box this week.  They like to recycle the box they transport the veggies in, so Surferman decided to load the items onto what he promises me was a clean towel in the back of his Volvo.

Yep,  that's his surfboard and gear.  Those are my beautiful veggies.
Here's what we got...  1 bunch of beets, 1 bunch of carrots, 1 bunch of baby red onions, 1 head of butter lettuce, 1 bunch of basil, 1 head of cabbage, 2 stalks of broccoli, 2 small heads of cauliflower (one that I'm hoping tastes like cheese - but I doubt it - it's a lovely cheddar color), 1 bunch of kale?, 3 heads of garlic, a couple sprigs of rosemary, a box of blackberries, a half a dozen baby summer squashes and a softball sized zucchini?.

I'm excited to figure out how to work it into our meal plan.

My Strawberry Secret

It's strawberry season!

I love this time of the year.  When Farmer's Market smells wonderful, the air is full of strawberries.  I go from farmer to farmer to see how much they are charging, how big the berries are and who is offering pesticide free berries.  

Organic strawberries at my local Farmer's Markets are rare and very expensive.  A few of the local growers offer berries they advertise as "unsprayed" or "no pesticides" as a piece of cardboard is cheaper and easier than organic certification.  I know that conventional strawberries are on the list of fruits to eat organic - buying locally and "no pesticide" seems to be a reasonable (for my budget and health) compromise.

We mostly eat them raw - washed and sliced.  Sometimes in a bowl of cereal, sometimes with some vanilla ice cream, sometimes on a waffle with whip cream.  We buy them by the 1/2 flat (6 baskets) and even the flat when we want to put some in the freezer.

While strawberries are delicious they are also fragile.  One day gorgeous and ready to eat, the next mushy and moldy.  I have discovered how to help them keep.  

Here's how...

When you get them home put them into a sealed plastic container - air tight.  Don't wash them.  Don't fuss with them.  Just get them into a tuperware type container as soon as possible and then store them in the refrigerator.  Most will keep a week or more.

Enjoy those strawberries while they are at their glorious best.

photo by: jslander (Flickr)

From Frumpy to Fabulous in just under 3 weeks

I'm ready to be fabulous - inside and out.  

I enjoy the blogging Emma does at Charming the Birds from the Trees.  She encourages me in my role of wife and homemaker.

She's transforming herself from frumpy to fabulous in the next three weeks and I've decided to join her in the adventure.  I'm jumping in a little late - today is day three.  Fortunately I think I can catch up.

Day 1 - Prayer

I used to write the things and people I was praying for in my brain book.  I never liked my last brain and we never had the relationship I have had with other books.  Silly, I know.  I abandoned that book last week and have a new one.  So far we are getting along great.  I have a section dedicated to prayer.  I'm going to pray through that section every morning.

Day 2 - Water

I bought one of those water bottles with a straw in it for my desk at work.  I plan to fill it up when I get to work in the morning and finish it off before I leave.  It's 4 cups.  Another in the afternoon and a third between dinner and bed and I'm more than set.

I like to add Alacer Electro Mix to my water.  It makes it tasty and helps to hydrate me.  A splash of juice also helps the water go down.

Day 3 - Skin

I was doing great at washing my face.  I know that nightly washing keeps my skin clear.  I have the supplies.  Just need to do it.  Put on lotion after showering is also a must do for me.

I wonder what's in store for day 4?

What's for Dinner - Week of July 16th

I figure the best way to get back into the swing of things is to proceed like life is normal and adjust from there. I'm 10 days post gall bladder surgery. I'm feeling better every day. My biggest problem is sleeping - I'm tired when I shouldn't be and not when I should be. If you're inclined to pray - pray for my rest and recuperation.

We're back to our healthy eating plan. Here's what's in store this week...

Monday - Crockpot Sticky Chicken - Zucchini - Salad

Tuesday - Chicken Lettuce Wraps - Fruit (I'm going to make something like the recipe I posted - I'm not sure about the website I linked to - it's not one I'm going to go browsing around - you've been warned)

Wednesday - Chicken Veggie Soup - Salad - Fruit

Thursday - Eat out at Farmer's Market!!!! yay!

Friday - Steak and a Movie Night: Steak - Baked Potatoes - Salad

Saturday - Grom's 3rd Birthday Party! Dinner will be leftovers.

Sunday - Dinner at my folks

Check out the menu of the other Monday planners at Organized Junkie.

What's for Dinner - Week of June 25th

Organizing Junkie hosts Menu Plan Monday. Click over there for more menu ideas. Here is what's cooking at my house this week. Our "healthy" eating continues... We are also at the end of the month and the food budget is basically spent. I'll be looking to my pantry to get me through.

Breakfast - Strawberry (Fruit) Smoothies
Snacks - Hardboiled eggs and raw veggies
Lunch -leftovers from dinner the night before
Dessert - Strawberry (Fruit) Smoothies


Monday - Chicken and Veggie Soup - Spinach Salad

Tuesday - Ground Beef Zucchini Pasta-less Spaghetti - Salad

Wednesday - Crockpot Sticky Chicken - Green Beans

Thursday - Chicken, Rice and Bean Chili- Watermelon

Friday - Steak and a Movie Night - Steak, Salad, Veggies

Saturday - Shredded Chicken Tacos in lettuce leave "shells" - Fruit

Sunday - Dinner with my folks.

I've been winging it while I'm cooking. I don't have recipes to share as I'm just putting things together. I want to start writing down what I'm doing and posting them, so that I'll have a source of ideas down the road.

HAVE A YUMMY WEEK!

What's for Dinner - Week of June 18th

Last weeks condiment challenge didn't go so well. We ate well and I stayed with my plan, I just didn't get to toss many condiment jars. Surferman thinks I should just start tossing one into the trash each time I empty the trash. That idea hurts every frugal bone in my body. I'm going to have to work on another plan.

Surferman and I are on a new plan again to eat healthfully. My menus this week will reflect those changes. I'll post recipes as I create and find them. My plan is going to look pretty simple. We'll be eating small portions of lean meat, poultry and fish with lots of veggies for lunch and dinner. Breakfast will be a fruit and whey protein smoothie. Snacks will be hard boiled eggs and raw veggies. Lots of fiber, low sodium and cranberry juice water all day long. It's our variation of Fat Flush if you're familiar with that plan.

We are both hoping to lose some weight and gain some energy.

Monday - LO Pork Ribs, Salad, LO Broccoli, Watermelon

Tuesday - Shrimp and Chinese Veggies

Wednesday- Ground Turkey, Tomato Sauce, Zucchini and Mushrooms

Thursday - Sticky Chicken and Green Beans

Friday - Steak and a Movie Night - Steak and Zucchini

Saturday - Women's Event (AM) - Chicken Vegetable Soup

Sunday - Bean and Rice Tacos (Lettuce Shells)

Smart Habit Saturday

I am a complete failure at drinking water. I just don't think about it. When I do, it's too late to try to get it in my body unless I want to sleep on the potty. I'm not giving up, but I'm going to reduce my goal and baby step up to the 3 qts that I need to drink each day.

And to keep things moving, I'm adding a new habit.

Habit 3 - Lights out by 11 pm nightly.


Habit 2 - Drink 3 qts of water daily. Baby stepping with 1 qt/ day this week.
Habit 1 - Wash my face every night. On track - almost a habit!

Check out SMART Habits Saturday at The Lazy Organizer.

Smart Habit Saturday

WOW! Drinking water is harder than I thought. I didn't do well. And I'm sticking with that habit again this week.

Habit 2 - Drink 3 qts of water daily.
Habit 1 - Wash my face every night.

What's for Dinner - Week of June 4th

When I posted my menus last week, I forgot we were going camping on the weekend. We had a great time "roughing it". We ate well, though not on from my plan. Surferman and I are wanting to eat differently - healthier. I hope this menu will start reflecting that decision.

Monday - Salad with leftover bbq chicken and assorted veggies

Tuesday - Crustless Quiche (from the freezer), vegetable, salad

Wednesday - Grilled Salmon, brown rice, vegetable, fruit

Thursday - Farmer's Market - EAT OUT!

Friday - Steak and a Movie Night - Steak, Salad, Baked Sweet Potatoes

Saturday - Hosting Baby Shower Brunch - Crispy Potato Quiche, Fruit, Asparagus, Cake

Surferman's Pizza - looking for a whole wheat crust recipe - topped with veggies, salad

Sunday - Sunday dinner with my folks

Smart Habit Saturday

I'm back for another SMART Habits Saturday with The Lazy Organizer.

It's been a great week. I'm 7 for 7 with my habit of washing my face AND as a bonus I've been taking my vitamins and supplements every night also. 23 days from crossing off one of my 101 things to do.

I'm adding drinking water this week. My goal is to drink 3 qts of water a day. One of the quarts will have electrolytes added.


Habit 2 - Drink 3 qts of water daily.
Habit 1 - Wash my face every night.

Have a smart week!

Fat Flush Update Week #1

11 - yes ELEVEN pounds gone!

My food cravings are decreasing and I feel like I basically know what I can eat.

I made a great dinner tonight. Napa Cabbage with Shrimp. I sauteed some onions, garlic and ginger - through in a couple of carrots, then some mushrooms. Finally a shredded head of napa cabbage and then some shrimp. Served with a tablespoon of flax seed oil drizzled on top. DELICIOUS!

I'm losin' it.

I probably lost my mind the day I met and fell madly and deeply in love with Surferman. So that isn't what I'm losing.

I lose my keys (and find them) daily. So that's not it either.

I'm losing weight. I need to shed the excess pounds that I have been carrying around for far too long. I have made excuses, half-hearted attempts, complained, blamed, whined, prayed and I'm still fat.

I guess it's time for me to do something.

Barbara at Mommylife wrote about the Fat Flush Plan a while back. She has been having great success following it. I bought the books and thought I'd give it a try. I know it's not frugal to buy books, but I couldn't wait to get them from the library- I needed to do something NOW.

I've been Fat Flushing since Thursday. I made it through a bridal shower today and will make it through a baby shower tomorrow.

I can do this. I will do this. I have to do this.

I don't want Grom to be embarrassed by his fat mom. I want to be able to keep up with and play with Grom. I'm an old mom. I have to get fit and healthy if I want to see my boy grow up.

Please pray for me to be strong and to do what I need to do instead of what I want to do.

I weigh every Tuesday so I'll provide an update then. Until then... Please pass the cranwater.

Speaking of handwashing...

Flu season is here.

Wash your hands! I trotted everyone off for their flu shots, but truthfully the most important thing that we can all do to keep our home healthy is to wash our hands.

Wash before you:

• Prepare or eat food
• Treat a cut or wound
• Tend to someone who's sick
• Put in or take out contact lenses
• Do any kind of activity that involves putting your fingers in or near your mouth, eyes, etc.

Wash after you:

• Go to the bathroom
• Handle uncooked foods, especially raw meat
• Eat
• Blow your nose, cough or sneeze
• Handle garbage
• Tend to someone who's sick
• Change a diaper
• Play with or touch a pet, especially reptiles and exotic animals

Here's How

• Use soap and warm running water.
• Vigorously rub your hands together until you've worked up a lather. Scrub your wrists, between your fingers, under your nails, and around the tops and palms of the hands for at least 15 seconds.
• Rinse, then dry hands with a clean (change daily) or disposable towel.
• Apply hand lotion

Healthy Foods - Swiss Chard

Last night we had some wonderful Swiss Chard. Never thought I'd use wonderful and Swiss Chard in the same sentence.

It's a deal. I bought 2 large bunches for $1 each. They were beautiful. The stems were bright shades of red, yellow, orange, pink and white. The leaves were big and ruffled.

It's easy to prepare.

Wash the chard in cool water. Trim the ends off the stems. Cut the stems into inch long pieces. Rough cut the leaves.

In a large pan (I used a non-stick wok), saute some garlic (to your taste) in a small amount of olive oil. Add the stems and continue cooking until the stems start to soften. Add the leaves and place a lid on the pan.

Saute until leaves are wilted. Season with salt and lemon juice. Butter buds can be added if desired.

Serve hot.

It's packed with nutrients. Excells in Vitamin K, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Full of fiber, it's also a great source for iron and calcium. More information can be found at this great site.

It can be used instead of spinach in many recipes. You should limit your swiss chard intake if you have problems with kidney stones or gall stones because of it's oxalate content. It shouldn't be an issue for most people.

I had trouble finding recipes at allrecipes.com but found quite a few at epicurious.com.

Enjoy!