Summer CSA Week 9

This week we got our first green pepper! We're definitely pepper fans over here so it was nice to get that little gem mixed in with all of our other goodies. Here's everything we got in this week's box. Items are listed below, starting at the top and moving left to right.

1. Savory cabbage
2. Red potatoes
3. Heirloom zucchini
4. Assorted eggplant
5. Green bell pepper
6. Yellow tomatoes
7. Sun Gold cherry tomatoes
8. Red cherry tomatoes
9. Green beans
10. Red Tomatoes

As always, most of the tomatoes were eaten as snacks. What can I say? I love tomatoes!

About half of one of the long, skinny eggplant and some of the yellow tomatoes made their way onto this week's pizza. The green beans were served as our vegetable and it was all quite delicious.

This night was super simple: fried eggs with sauteed zucchini.

The remaining eggplant and some tomatoes were used in a new recipe. Basically, you slice the eggplant and tomato, make a quick pesto, and then layer it all with feta cheese. Then, the stacks get baked in the oven. It's delicious and now qualifies as one of my favorite ways to use eggplant!

I made falafel for the first time this summer (it was a weekly staple last year) and served it with a tomato, cucumber, and red onion salad. The only CSA item in this meal were the tomatoes, but it still counts. :D

Ok, I'm not gonna lie, this last one isn't the most visually stunning meal, but it definitely tasted good! I roasted the potatoes, made a cole slaw from the cabbage, and served them with pulled pork. Yum!

As excited as I was about that pepper, I still haven't used it. We might just eat it raw or toss it in with a meal this week.

Summer CSA Week 10

July 2014 Favorites! Healthy Food, Recipes, Gardening, and More!

July is over and that means it's favorites time! I'm telling you all about the healthy food and recipes I've been loving this month, some exciting gardening news, and more! [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]

Summer CSA Week 8

This week was a good one for dinners. We had a nice mix of old favorites, plus a new one! Here's everything I got. Items are listed below starting at the top and moving left to right.

1. Red potatoes
2. Green cabbage
3. Heirloom zucchini
4. Green zucchini
5. Onions
6. Elephant garlic
7. Yellow squash
8. Basil
9. Red tomatoes
10. Yellow tomatoes
11. Sun Gold cherry tomatoes
12. Assorted heirloom tomatoes

Most of the tomatoes were eaten up as snacks, either plain or with a little salt and pepper. The garlic and onions didn't get used this week because I had some older stuff to go through first.

I've really been loving this tomato basil pizza combo, so I made it again this week! I paired the pizza with some sauteed peppers.

One night, I roasted a chicken with a ton of veggies. The yellow squash, heirloom zucchini, and potatoes ended up in the mix, along with some peppers and red onion.

The green zucchini found its home in a frittata. That yellow-green disk on the bottom is the cabbage! I sliced it up and then roasted it with a honey and Dijon mustard mixture. It was so good! If you think you hate cabbage, cooking it this way might just change your mind. I also roasted some purple potatoes to round off the meal.

The last meal for this week is one of my favorite summer dinners: BLTs! I used a homemade eggless mayo (recipe coming soon!) for these because the store-bought kind is gross and making the traditional stuff yourself is a huge pain. We threw in some of the basil too, to mix things up, and had a cucumber salad on the side.

What do you think about the roasted cabbage? Share in the comments below!

Summer CSA Week 9

Summer CSA Week 7

This week got a fun surprise in our box; a sunflower! It's added a cheerful touch to our kitchen. :D On the food front, it's all pretty standard summer fare. Here's everything I got in my box. Items are listed below, starting at the top and moving left to right.

1. Sunflower
2. Savory cabbage
3. Spring onions
4. Kale
5. Yellow squash
6. Zucchini
7. Oriental eggplant
8. Heirloom tomato mix
9. Sun Gold tomatoes
10. Red slicing tomatoes
11. Basil

All of the cherry tomatoes and most of slicing tomatoes were eaten up as snacks.

The zucchini, eggplant, and some of the spring onions were cooked together in a dutch oven as a stew and served over quinoa.

The cabbage, kale, and remaining spring onions were cooked with some chickpeas and chicken stock in a dutch oven. We had some buttered garlic toast on the side. This one was delicious, but not super filling.

I roasted the yellow squash with some potatoes and red onion. That, plus fried eggs, made for a simple and easy dinner.

For pizza night, I used sliced tomato and fresh bail as the topping. We had sauteed green beans on the side.

I made the basil into pesto (again) and pored it over a mixture of chickpeas, tomatoes, and cucumber.

Which of these dinners would you like the most? Share in the comments below!

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Salad

This simple recipe has become a staple in my house. With only 4 ingredients and minimal prep work, this Buffalo Chicken Salad is easy, healthy, and delicious. [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]

I feel a little silly writing out the recipe just because it's so easy, but I suppose this dish deserves the same love as all of the others, so here it is. :D

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Ingredients

Lettuce

Cooked chicken, sliced

Homemade Ranch dressing

Hot sauce

Directions

1. Wash, dry and tear lettuce to desired size.
2. Arrange lettuce on a plate or in a bowl and top with chicken.
3. Add Ranch dressing and hot sauce to taste.

Recipe: Ranch Dressing

Salad dressing is really something you shouldn't waste your money on at the grocery store. Even the best ones have additives you'd never use at home and making it yourself is incredibly easy. Most people are familiar with making oil and vinegar based dressings at home, but the creamier ones, like ranch,  seem a little more complicated. Well I'm here to tell you that making your own ranch dressing is super simple and you likely already have all of the ingredients in your pantry. You can use this dressing any way you would use the bottled stuff and, as always, can personalize it to your own taste.

I like to mix and store mine in a pint sized mason jar. You can use the markings on the side of the jar to measure your yogurt and it looks nice for serving. This means you eliminate a measuring cup, mixing bowl, and serving container when it comes to dish washing time.

Ranch Dressing

Ingredients

1 pint sized mason jar (optional)

1.5 cups pastured, whole milk yogurt (learn how to make your own yogurt)*

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1.5 teaspoons dried minced onion

1 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt!)

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

*Note: If you'd prefer a thicker dressing, you can strain your yogurt in a colander lined with paper towels or a clean cloth set over a bowl. Alternatively, you could use a Greek style yogurt.

Directions

1. Pour the yogurt in the mason jar, using the markings on the side to measure 1.5 cups. If you don't have a jar, you can use a measuring cup and small bowl.
2. Add all of your other ingredients to the jar and mix with a spoon or whisk to incorporate.

Summer CSA Week 6

I'm happy to report that the tomatoes are multiplying! We also got a couple new treats this week. Here's what we got in our box. Everything is listed starting at the top and moving left to right.

1. Swiss chard
2. Basil
3. Chinese cabbage
4. Red tomatoes
5. Sun Gold and German Lunchbox tomato mix
6. Bicolor corn
7. Heirloom zucchini
8. Spring onions
9. Yellow squash

Tomatoes don't last long around here. :D  Most of them ended up as snacks.

I used the Chinese cabbage and some of the spring onions to make fried rice.

The Swiss chard and remaining spring onions were sauteed with some garlic and finished with apple cider vinegar. I served them with scrambled eggs. Fried would have been better texture wise, but scrambling was easier. On this night, easy won.

I used the basil to make pesto and combined that with some chickpeas, a couple of the tomatoes, and some cucumbers from our garden.

Some of the yellow squash found it's way into a frittata. The rest got cooked in butter with the zucchini and an onion. I boiled the corn and it all came together for a quick dinner. I have to admit, it wasn't my best meal planning as far as color goes, but it's what we had and it was delicious.

What have you been cooking lately? Share in the comments below!

Summer CSA Week 7

The Best Way To Cut Up A Watermelon

Watermelon is a perfect summer food, but it can be a pain to cut one up. Between the huge mess, the awkwardness of such a big fruit, and the risk of cutting yourself, the whole process can be a source of dread and frustration. There is a better way! I'm showing you my favorite method for cutting up a watermelon that results in quick clean up and is much safer. [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]

Summer CSA Week 5

Hooray for the first tomato from the CSA! Tomatoes are my favorite veggie and I can't get enough of them after going so many months without. When the tomatoes finally start coming in, it's a mini celebration at my house. This week was full of some of my favorite recipes. The pictures can never compare to tasting, but I hope that seeing how I use these veggies each week shows you that veggies don't have to be boring.

Here's everything I got in my box. All items are listen below, starting at the top and moving left to right.

1. Romaine lettuce
2. Spring onions
3. Broccoli
4. Cabbage
5. Lacinato/Dinosaur kale
6. Tomato
7. Roc d'Or bean
8. Cucumbers
9. Kohlrabi
10. Yellow squash

We ate the cucumber fresh as snacks.

The cabbage became a big pot of cabbage soup, with some potatoes and white beans.

Here's an old favorite from college. I roasted up a bunch of veggies, cooked some brown rice, and threw it together with hot sauce. It's simple, and it's a great way to get a lot of vegetables in! The yellow squash, broccoli, and kohlrabi all ended up in this batch.

The kale made a great salad (as usual) and was the side for pizza night. The tomato got sliced up and made a delicious pizza topping.

Lettuce = buffalo chicken salad for us, so that's exactly what we had! Another simple dinner, but so so yummy!

To finish everything off, the spring onions and beans made their way into on of my favorite recipes. It's a summer veggie stew from Deborah Madison's Local Flavors cookbook. The flavor is incredible and it can easily be adjusted based on what you have on hand.

I threw an egg on top to round things out.

And that's it for week 5!

Do you love tomatoes as much as I do or does another veggie have your heart? Share in the comments below!

Summer CSA Week 6

June 2014 Favorites!

It's June Favorites time! I'm sharing my favorite things from the past month, including healthy food, a kitchen gadget, and natural skincare. [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]

What are you loving this month? Share in the comments below!

Red, White, and Blue Popsicles

The 4th of July is almost here! There are lots of festive treats making their way around the internet, but most them rely on highly processed ingredients and chemical nasties. Yuck!  Instead, why not try these layered pops? They're the perfect way to cool down on the 4th, and aren't full of junk. All you need  is some fruit, plain yogurt, and a little honey.

The measurements below are specific to my popsicle molds. If you have different molds, you can figure out how much you'll of each layer by using the following method.

Determine how many ounces each of your popsicle molds hold. Divide this number by three and then multiply by the total number of popsicles. This is how many ounces you will need of each layer. My popsicle molds hold 3 ounces each and there are 10 molds total, so I need 10 ounces of each layer.

Knowing how much whole fruit you'll need to get the correct amount of blended fruit is a little bit of a guessing game. My best tip is to start small and keep adding more until you get the correct amount.

Note: Even with all the measuring, your eyes will be your best guide. Things expand when they freeze and fruit can vary in size and water content. When you fill your molds, you want each layer to take up about a third of the mold, so keep that in mind. If you have left over yogurt or fruit puree, you can always use it for something else!

[x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]

Ingredients

1 heaping cup fresh or thawed frozen strawberries (raspberries or cherries would work too)

1 cup plain yogurt (learn how to make yogurt)

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons honey

1 heaping cup thawed frozen blueberries

Directions

1. Puree the strawberries (or other red fruit) in a blender.
2. Pour the strawberry puree into the first third of each mold being careful not to get the puree on the walls of the mold.
3. Add your popsicle sicks and freeze until solid, about 6 hours.
4. Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, and honey and whisk until combined.
5. Pour the yogurt mixture into the molds on top of the frozen strawberry puree, filling up the second third of each mold.
6. Freeze until solid, about 6 hours.
7. Puree the blueberries in blender.
8. Pour the blueberry puree into the molds on top of the frozen yogurt mixture, filling up the last third of each mold.
9. Freeze until solid, about 6 hours.
10. For serving, you have two options. You can remove the popsicles from the molds at the time of serving or you remove them ahead of time and wrap them individually in parchment or wax paper. The first is less work over all, while the second allows for effortless distribution at serving time.

Note: Alternatively, you can add all of the layers at once, as shown in the video above. This gives you some mixing between the layers and takes less time because you only need to wait for things to freeze one time.

What's you go-to dish for a summer party? Share in the comments below!

Summer CSA Week 4

Well, things are starting to shift in our CSA box. The abundance of greens is over and now we're working with a little more variety. We got our first cucumbers this week along with a few other new additions. Here's the picture of everything laid out. It's all listed below starting at the top and moving left to right.

1. Broccoli
2. Head of lettuce
3. Salad mix
4. Yellow squash
5. Fresh elephant garlic
6. Green and purple basil
7. Assorted cucumbers
8. Globe radishes
9. Spring onions

The radishes and cucumbers served as snacks, so no pics of those.

We were able to use up a good chunk of the lettuce with an entree salad. This Buffalo Chicken Salad is become a new favorite around here. Look for a full recipe in the future. :D

One night we had a zucchini frittata with a side salad. Simple, easy, and delicious!

Pizza night also benefited from our abundance of lettuce. Plus, who doesn't like a little homemade ranch on their pizza? The pizza itself looks slightly burnt in this picture, but I promise it was totally edible in real life.

I prepared the broccoli using my favorite method: roasting. It was crispy and delicious and went perfectly with some scrambled eggs.

We had pork chops one night this week and I roasted up the yellow squash, onion bulbs, and some zucchini as the side. Once the pork chops were done cooking, I quickly sauteed the green onion tops in the remaining fat and threw in some tamari (kind of like soy sauce) to deglaze the pan. This was the perfect topping for our pork chops!

The basil is going into tonight's pizza.

As far as the garlic goes, I haven't used it yet. I was playing around with the idea of trying to dry it for long term storage, but I'm not sure that will work without the stems intact. I'll probably just end up using it in recipes. We definitely use our fair share of garlic!

 Are you as excited as me that the summer veggies are starting to come in? Share in the comments below!

Summer CSA Week 5

5 Tips For The Perfect 4th of July!

The 4th of July is all about celebration! Here are my 5 tips for a great Independence Day. [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]

What To Expect: Follow-Up Session

For a lot of people, it's difficult to imagine what a session with me might be like. I want you to know exactly what to expect, so in this post, I'm breaking down what goes on during your follow-up sessions. If you haven't read about what to expect at your first session, make sure you go look that over and then come back here. It'll make more sense that way. :D In most cases, you'll meet with me about every 2 weeks. While every client and appointment is different, this is the typical timeline.

Catching Up

You'd be surprised how much can happen between sessions! We'll start off each session just catching up on the happenings of life. Because food is such big part of our every day, even small changes in our routine can bring on new challenges to work through. Sometimes, there isn't much to report. Other times, you'll be telling me about the great new job you got that's completely changed your schedule or how staying up with a sick kid left you with no energy to make dinner.

Goal Review

Once I'm up to date on what's been going on with you, we'll move on to the goals you set at our previous session. You'll tell about your progress and where you encountered challenges. We'll talk about the factors that influenced your success with each goal and talk about what you could do to set yourself up for more success in the future.

Discussing and Strategizing

This portion of the session can vary from client to client and appointment to appointment. It all depends on how successful you were with your goals and if you've experienced any significant life changes. This time is for us to talk about whatever you need guidance with in relation to your lifestyle changes. From there, we'll work together to find solutions that will best suit you and your situation. This is also where I may provide you with additional education and you can ask any other food and nutrition questions you may have.

Goal Setting

Based on your success with your previous goals and what we talked about during your session, you'll set new goals for yourself. Goals that you found particularly challenging may stay the same or be modified to be more realistic. Goals that you were successful with may be refined so you can continue to improve in that area, or replaced with a new goal entirely. As we continue to work together, you'll see old goals grow into new habits. This process of gradual change is the key to building a lifestyle and finding your new normal.

Still have questions about my services? Ask in the comments below or contact me directly.

Summer CSA Week 3

Happy Friday! It's CSA time and Week 3 continued with the greens explosion we saw last week. A lot of my food prep time was spent washing and rewashing those gritty leaves. A good reminder that our food, ya know, grows in the dirt. :) We got our first yellow squash in this box, which made me super excited because it's one of my favs! Unfortunately, the hubs wasn't too thrilled. He says I should be glad he's not a fan because it means more for me.

I also got to play with some more kohlrabi, and it is definitely becoming a new favorite! It's tastes kind of like a mix between potato and broccoli with a little sweetness thrown in.

Here's everything we got. Items are listed starting at the top and moving left to right.

1. Perpetual spinach
2. Head of lettuce
3. Chinese cabbage
4. Snow peas
5. Radishes
6. Yellow squash
7. Russian red kale
8. Kohlrabi
9. Spring onions

The snow peas we ate plain and the radishes were dipped in hummus or homemade ranch. Hooray for veggie snacks!

I used the Chinese cabbage and half of the green onions in some  fried rice.

The perpetual spinach, kohlrabi leaves, and radish leaves got sauteed with the rest of the spring onions and served alongside some eggs.

The head of lettuce and all of the chickens in our freezer inspired me to make a buffalo chicken salad. So so good!

I was able to squeeze the rest of the veggies into this meal. The yellow squash and kohlrabi bulbs were roasted with some zucchini I had picked up at the farmers' market, the rest of the spring onions were added to a quinoa and black bean salad, and the red Russian kale was served as salad. A note about the kale: this particular variety was the easiest to strip from the stems of any kale I've tried.

And that wraps up everything for Week 3!

Are you a squash lover or a hater? Let me know in the comments below!

Summer CSA Haul Week 4

The Truth About Saturated Fat

There has been a lot of talk about saturated fat in the media recently. TIME magazine's "Eat Butter" cover has really stirred things up, but what does it all mean? In today's video, I'm explaining it all and giving you the low down on saturated fat. [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]

What To Expect: Your First Session

As it turns out, most people don't really know what it's like to work with a dietitian. I'm constantly getting questions about how exactly I help clients. Do I sell supplements? Give out meal plans? What do we talk about during your sessions? Now, I obviously can't speak for every dietitian out there, but I can give you some insight into what it's like to work with me. Today, I'm laying out what we'll cover at our first session together.

The Basics

Before we start going through the components of your first session, I want to clear up some of the confusion about what I do.

I do not sell nutritional supplements. I help people build a healthy lifestyle based around whole, real foods. People eat food, not pills and powders.

I do not hand out meal plans. There are a couple reasons for this. One, meal plans are short term. You follow them until you reach a certain goal and then you stop. I'm not in the business of dieting. Rather, I want to help you find a new, healthy way of living that is sustainable and lasts. No going "on" or "off," just living. Second, meal plans are boring and static. No one can eat the same foods all the time and variety is key when it comes to nourishing your body. What happens when you want to try a new recipe or go to a new restaurant? I want to arm you with skills and knowledge that you can take with you, not rules and stagnant plans.

Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about what happens at your first session. :D

What You Want

We'll start off by getting clear on why we're working together in the first place. Now, by the time you end up in my office, I'll already have some idea of what your main focus is from our initial conversations and your paperwork. However, no two people are alike, and the same general goal can turn out to be quite different from one person to the next, once we really get down into the details. This is about me getting clarity on what exactly you are working towards and also helping you to take the time to truly consider what it is that you really want.

Health History

As diet and lifestyle are so closely tied to your health, it's important for me to know about your health history. Having this information helps me make appropriate recommendations based on your individual situation.

Diet History

Our past experiences help to shape who we are. We'll discuss any notable weight fluctuations, plans or programs you've tried in the past, and any other nutrition or health information you may have picked up along the way. This helps me to better understand how you got where you are now and how those experiences may influence your habits and beliefs around food.

Current Lifestyle

Once we've dealt with the past, we'll talk about what you're doing right now. What you're eating, your physical activity, sleep habits, and more. Everyone is starting at a different place and my recommendations are always tailored to where you are currently. I'm gonna push you to make changes that are challenging for you, but not unrealistic or so overwhelming that you just throw up your hands and give up. This isn't about a quick fix, it's about gradually replacing old habits with new ones so you can build a healthy lifestyle and find a new normal.

Education and Questions

Now that I know more about you, we can start talking about changes. Looking at where you are now, we'll figure out what you first step will be. I'll give you the education and information you need to get started and you'll get your initial food and nutrition questions answered.

Goal Setting

At the end of our session, you'll set some goals for yourself to work on until the next time we meet. These are smaller goals that will help you reach your ultimate goal over time. We'll make sure they are challenging enough that they require some effort on your part, but not so drastic that they become unrealistic. You'll leave knowing exactly what to work on.

Wondering what comes next? Make sure to read about what to expect at your follow-up sessions! Still have questions about my services? Ask in the comments below or contact me directly.

Summer CSA Week 2

The greens are here and there are lots of them! I love my veggies, but I am struggling a little bit with this season transition. Figuring out how we're gonna eat everything is feeling a little bit like a puzzle. I think it'll just take a couple weeks to shift my meal planning and get into a new groove. Despite the challenge, I really am loving the sight when I open my fridge: a sea of vegetables! I also got a couple things that were new to me in this box: tatsoi and kohlrabi. I had never even heard of tatsoi before, but it's similar to spinach. Kohlrabi on the other hand, I was somewhat familiar with, but I was always a little afraid to buy it for some reason. I'm still learning how to use it, but I like it so far.

Here's the overview. Everything is listed below, starting at the top and moving in rows from left to right.

1. Swiss chard
2. Head of lettuce (A gigantic one! The picture doesn't do it justice.)
3. Turnips
4. Salad mix
5. Tatsoi
6. Lacinato/Dinosaur kale
7. Kohlrabi
8. Scallions

The salad mix and lettuce meant we were eating lots of salads. This is one of them. I had it for lunch with some leftover chicken, homemade ranch, and a touch of hot sauce. Yummy!

The Swiss chard got sauteed with garlic and some asparagus I had picked up at the farmers' market. Seasoned with just a little S and P.

I was able to squeeze the kohlrabi, turnips, tatsoi, and scallions into one meal, along with some peas I had from the market. Here's a close up of the tatsoi.

Everything was cooked in some garlic-infused olive oil and homemade chicken stock, plus some salt. It was super yummy as leftovers the next day.

I still had the greens left from the turnips and kohlrabi, so those got cooked up and finished with apple cider vinegar. They were quite delicious served with pulled pork I made in the slow cooker.

To finish everything off, the kale will be served as salad tonight with dinner!

Are any of you kohlrabi fans? I'd love to hear your tips and favorite ways to eat it. Please share in the comments below!

Summer CSA Week 3

Healthy Grocery Haul!

Ever wondered what I buy at the grocery store? I'm always sharing my CSA and farmers' market hauls on Instagram, but it's not often that I show you how I fill in the gaps. In today's video I'm showing you everything I got at the grocery store on a recent trip. [x_video type="16:9, 5:3, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2" m4v="" ogv="" poster="" hide_controls="" autoplay="" embed='' no_container="true"]

Summer CSA Week 1

Today, I'm excited to announce a new blog series! I recently posted a picture of everything I got in my CSA box on social media and asked if you guys would be interested in seeing how I use the items each week. Lots of you were excited about the idea, so every week I will be showing you what I got in the previous week's box and sharing how I ended using each item. I'm introducing this on a Monday, but all of the following posts will go up on Friday. Since this is the first post, I'll start with a little background info to get us started.

What's a CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It's basically like a weekly subscription to a local farm. You sign up before the growing season starts and pay up-front. Once the season is under way, you receive a share of what the farm is producing each week.

Why join a CSA?

The CSA model has a number of benefits for the farmer and consumer.

For the farmer

• More accurate forecasting of demand, resulting in less waste
• Financial security in the event that poor growing conditions, natural disaster, or some other unforeseen event negatively impacts production
• Closer relationships with consumers

For the consumer

• Consistent access to fresh, local foods
• More food for less money because of the security you are providing the farmer with your up-front payment
• Opportunity to try different and specialty items
• Greater awareness of the seasonality of foods grown in your area
• Closer relationship with the farmer

This week's box

This is technically the second week of our CSA because we missed the first week while on vacation. To make things less confusing, I'm just calling this Week 1.

Here's what we got! Everything is listed below, starting at the top of the picture and moving from left to right.

1. Head of lettuce
2. Bok Choy
3. Cilantro
4. Green Kale
5. Swiss chard
6. Snow peas
7. Strawberries
8. White salad turnips
9. Garlic chives

How I used it

The snow peas and strawberries were ate up as snacks, so no pics of those.

I used some of the garlic chives to add garlic  flavor to a roasted potato salad...

...and used the rest when I sauteed the bok choy.

I cut the swiss chard into ribbons and chopped the stems to all be sauteed with some onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Simple and delicious, especially when served with a fried egg!

The kale became a massage kale salad.

Cilantro = burrito bowl night. It got added to the rice and was a key player in the guacamole.

The lettuce was salad and a topping for our burrito bowls. Here it is after a few rinses.

I thinly sliced some of the white salad turnips and ate them raw on a salad (shocking, I know). I still have a few left and I plan to saute them up as a side one night.

So that wraps up everything from our first week! Let me know if you have an ideas for this series, such as info you'd like me to include/omit or a catchier title. :) We'll be doing Week 2 on Friday, so make sure you come back for that!

Are any of you CSA members too? Let me know what you're getting in your boxes and how you're using it in the comments below!

Summer CSA Haul Week 2