From applesauce to curry...

Nothing like going sideways on food prep and documenting it. Today I got an itch to cook, but mostly just vegetables. Some I over salted, others I wilted. And yet the majority were just straight up delicious.

Here is what I started with:

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, Swiss chard and kale.

But then after some of this...

Chopped Brussels sprouts, add olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt n peppa, and turkey bacon. Roast!

Take the ribs out of the kale and reuse the produce bag as a shaker! Olive oil, salt and pepper! (This one, WAY over salted!)

Lay the kale on a cookie sheet, bake for 15 minutes!

In the same genius produce bag, add cumin or curry powder to the chopped cauliflower. Pan roast in a hot oven!

The swiss chard creation was uninteresting, and I probably won't eat it until tomorrow. The other creations ended up looking like this:

Roasted and flavored to perfection!

Although my kitchen light is yellow, this food is so much more edible looking in real life. Just ask Moto...

After the immersion in roasting and grilling, I went big and decided to go with chicken curry. I am not adept enough to create the sauce, but the Thai Kitchen sure made a good one!

Add mostly healthy curry stuff, with chopped scallions, cilantro, carrots, onion and broccoli to simmering chicken!

Altogether and delicious!

Now that I think about it, that's a lot of veggies at once...and it still looks yellow...

Transition to the fruit option of the night: APPLESAUCE!

Golden delicious and Jonathan apples, if I remember correctly. Plus 1.5 cups of water.

They get squishy super fast!

This thing is awesome!! My mom and aunt say it belonged to my great-grandmother Christensen and now I am super pumped to have it to use now!

Just squish!! And add...

Lemon zest and some juice, cinnamon and nutmeg.

FOR. THE. WIN!!

So that's it. All fresh foods, only processed item was the curry sauce and everything tasted awesome!!

Fresh is Best Washington Produce

School got out at the beginning of June and the summer munchies set in. I don't thrive under a lack of structure, so I decided to hurry and prep my food just like I would during the school year! No packaged foods, everything as fresh as possible, and ready to eat so when the cravings hit, I was ready for battle!

Veggies to keep on hand:

Baby Carrots

Sugar Snap Peas

Celery

Chopped cucumbers

Fresh Spinach

Chopped bell peppers

Chopped lettuce

Extras:

Boiled eggs

Cottage cheese

Greek yogurt

Kalamata Olives

Pita pockets

Grilled red peppers

Grilled tofu, chicken

The more I have prepped, the better off I will be. I have found that the olives add great flavor to any dish as well as good fats! I like to have things prepped so when I get a moment away from my work, I know I have a safe and healthy option to dive into!

A great local option for produce is Washington Produce! Such an amazing option to purchasing fruits and veggies! I picked up my first order today, all of which arrived in the store today! You can order organic, pre-cut, and tons of local options! And I am about 99% sure I saved A LOT of money compared to the grocery store!

Another work break, another cooking binge

Well my iPhone doesn't take the most amazing photos, everything seems to look a little yellow or green, not that appetizing at all now that I think about it. But, the food has been delicious, and since I have more than 7 minutes to eat them, it's worth blogging about.

Sometimes, the best snack is some Go Lean Kashi cereal with almond milk, a banana, fresh blackberries, cinnamon, nutmeg and greek yogurt. Purrrfect!

A visit to Stell Coffee and Tea for a perfect soy/cinnamon/honey latte, and a PBnJ scone!

Pancakes!! I took 4 of these on my long Sunday ride as a snack and they were great!

1 cup each of the following: whole wheat flower; white flower; greek yogurt; almond milk; berries; along with: 1 banana; 2 eggs; 1 tsp baking soda; pinch of salt. Excellent! And so fast. Made these up on the giant griddle while I washed the dishes!

Avocado. Cilantro. Eggs. Cheese. These are some of my favorites. So why not put them all together? I toasted a whole wheat english muffin. I grew up on fried egg sandwiches, so I like to bring them back from time to time with a some cilantro, tomato slices, and sprinkling of cheese.

All quite simple, very basic, and quite delicious. For a little extra flare, I convinced Brian to go out to dinner, and our starter was one of the most excellent bruschetta. EVER. Goat cheese, fresh basil, and that super excellent balsamic vinegar!

Down Time equals awesome food prep!

With weekend plans getting shuffled and a new focus of rejuvenating and getting re-grounded, I decided it was time to cook. :)

I really enjoy spending time in the kitchen and I like to prep as much food as possible so my week days fly by. I decided to make stove-top steel cut oats Carson Miller style (added cinnamon, almond milk, molasses) along side a steaming pot of Quinoa for the weekend!

The oats were awesome! I have been doing them in the crockpot, but this was much better, not nearly and gooey. Plus they were ready in 40 minutes! Added fresh strawberries and some almond slices, dialed!

The Quinoa cooks up best with some vegetable or chicken stock and added spices, so i went for 30/70 stock to water and have tasty and fluffy quinoa ready for dinner!

I grabbed another awesome recipe from Stephanie - fellow foodie/cyclists/seeker of fun! I will keep the recipe explanation to her site, but this was so easy! I had a dish full of cooked potatoes, carrots, onion and broccolli and I didn't know what to do with it! It now has a home. I added a bit of feta too, because I am addicted to cheese. Yes, I know, I probably should cut back. :)

Enjoying the Holidays without paying for it!

I discussed this topic in my last Food post, and it seemed to suit me well over the holidays! I had a few items I was so excited to eat and savor with my family and friends, it really made the wait worthwhile.

What I have found over the past few years is that if I completely lock the cupboards and don't allow myself any sort of sweets or fats, I end up cracking in a huge way and going way over board. Making the damage much higher than if I had adopted the approach of moderation. There was a time I was so strict with my intake, that I would flip out and buy a baugette and block of cheese and mow it down on a park bench solo! Gone are those days with the slice of cheese here, spoonful of nutella there, just enough of a taste that it will hold me over.

I also have learned to LOVE many different fruits and vegetables. Pears and strawberries are some of the sweetest creations around, and nothing beats a ripe apple with some natural peanut butter on it. Great healthy snack can usually be found in the produce section of the market!

Here's one of my most favorite holiday treats: Brie en Croute!

There are thousands of recipes out there for savory or sweet baked brie. And they are super easy! It is a great cheese because a little goes a long ways! If you invite me to a holiday dinner in 2011, I just might bring one of these along. But until then, I will just research the best recipes for the occasion!

Prepping for the holiday sauces, soups, and sweets!

The holidays tend to stress me out because more than 1 meal quickly gets taken out of my control and spirals into a a mess of empty calories, high fat levels and self-deprication.

Here are a few things I have done this week - yes I know, it is only Tuesday but at least I am trying - to attempt to stay on track!

I made all my usual things. Sundays I usually make a crockpot of oats. Check. I also make a gluten free carb like rice, kasha or quinoa. Check. I chopped all the veggies, grilled tofu and stocked the bin with all the favorite fruits. Just as I would if I was heading to work all day.

Since I have school holidays being a teacher, I am sticking to my normal eating routine and not having any extra goodies close by, so I won't be tempted. I am also thinking ahead to Christmas Eve where we have been invited for a delicious dinner. My thoughts: Don't go big, go moderate. Breads and jams, mashed potatoes and pie will be just fine. I just won't eat a lot of them! Small portions are the best and if I did eat a lot I would feel horrible! My body just wouldn't be used to them!

When I go to these dinners, and I need to bring a dish, I usually opt for a stellar salad. I may splurge and add candied walnuts, but our salads have a reputation for being huge and delicious. Multiple types of lettuce; cherry tomatoes; avocado; craisins; nuts; feta; purple onions with dressing as an option. When I serve up, half my plate is salad and it is filled with nutrients and good fats! Plus it helps fill me up with the good stuff.

So don't worry about getting off your plan. Start thinking ahead now with the challenges you will be faced with and create an exit strategy! And realize all your hard work will pay off and that one meal won't ruin your objectives.

I also think about a dish maybe moms coffee cake or grandmas pumpkin pie. Now those I will eat! Not too much but part of the holidays is sharing, and these important ladies put hard work into making a delicious classic which they know I love. So I plan on enjoying a piece with them and savoring the flavors of Christmas. After I go for my bike ride. :)

A week's worth of food

I thought winter would show up by now, so for the past month or so I have been prepping crockpot food for lunch. But that means I have to heat it up and eat something HOT while I am outside in the HEAT doing lunch duty. It's all good though, because it is delicious!

This week I went for Minestrone Soup - and I was not disappointed! I probably should have let the beans cook a bit longer, but oh well! Being on a Gluten Free option recently, I put rice pasta in, keeping with the theme.

I also cracked and made Gluten Free Cornbread! I wasn't about to make that from scratch however, way too many odd ingredients that I just do not have. A little legwork and research found me Bob's Red Mill and it worked out perfectly!

After an extremely long bike ride, which of course left me totally wasted and starving, this was awesome to come home to! No prep, good calories, REAL food, ready and waiting!