Pineapple

Our Produce Pick of the Week!

While Annabelle is off running another marathon, (Go Annabelle!) I am going to go to the market and pick up a pineapple.

I used to be intimidated by whole pineapples, and instead relied on the canned variety on the rare occasion that I used them, but not anymore.   Now I embrace them.  Not too closely though, they can be a bit prickly.  It is also quite common to find a bag or two of pineapple pieces in my freezer.

Pineapples are native to South America, and are now grown in tropical regions throughout the world. There are many varieties, the “Smooth Cayenne” is the one you are most likely to find in stores here in the US.  I found it interesting to learn that the pineapple is actually between 100 and 200 seedless fruitlets which fuse together as they grow to form one large fruit.  This explains a lot about their appearance. They do not sweeten once picked, though the skin will continue to change color from yellow-green to brown and it will soften.  They do not ship well once ripe, so unless you live in or are visiting a region where pineapples are grown, you will not experience all that a pineapple can be.  How sad.  Perhaps we should organize an AT: Your Life field trip to an organic pineapple plantation.

Pineapples are a good source of Manganese and Vitamin C.  They can be used in both savory and sweet dishes and are used extensively in many tropical cuisines.  Pineapples contain several enzymes that digest proteins.  This can be used to your advantage by using the juice in a marinade to tenderize meat.  However, it will also break down the protein in gelatin so it won’t set, and react with the casein in milk and cream to create a bitter taste, so pineapple needs to be cooked to deactivate the enzymes in these applications.

Pineapples are a symbol of hospitality in many cultures.  This week, let’s welcome the pineapple to our plates and glasses.

-Teresa

 

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Not a stuffed zucchini

I was going to make my favorite stuffed zucchini recipe Wednesday night.  By the time I finally got in the kitchen though, I just didn’t want to deal with it.  Instead, I decided to let the “>recipe inspire me to create a sauté, which I served over polenta rounds and served with a simple salad of lettuce, walnuts, strawberries, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  It was delicious.

Mediterranean Zucchini Sauté

Inspired by Zucchini Stuffed with Olives and Tomatoes, from ” title=”Vegan Italiano, by Donna Klein” target=”_blank”>

1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 plum tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 young onions, sliced; or 1/2 yellow onion, diced
6-8 pitted kalamata olives, sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a sauté pan.  Add zucchini and cook a few minutes till almost tender.  Add garlic and onion and sauté briefly, till fragrant.  Add tomatoes, olives and herbs (I used a mix of thyme, basil, parsley and savory because that is what I had in my garden. You can use whatever you have on hand that sounds good.)  Sauté another 5-10 minutes until everything is soft and flavors have merged.  Season with salt and pepper.  Alternately, combine all the ingredients on the stove top, and then put a lid on the pan and place it in a 300 degree oven for up to 30 minutes instead of doing the final sauté.

 

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Today I . . .

My son woke me up early today.  I got up and made him breakfast and got both of us ready for the day.  I even combed his hair.  I made a smoothie out of orange juice, hemp seeds, frozen banana and frozen mixed berries for my husband and I.  I brought my son to school, talked to the teacher a bit, and then went to the doctor’s office to get some paperwork filled out to get my son enrolled in kindergarten next year.  On my way back to the school I stopped at the grand opening for the new Whole Foods in my city.  It was crazy busy, but I couldn’t resist.  I walked around to see what they had and picked up some raw crackers for my son to have for a snack later.  Then I went back to his school and dropped off the paperwork.  I volunteer in his classroom on Wednesdays, so I helped 5 year olds connect the dots, color caterpillars, and dance to songs for an hour.  After school I had a meeting with another parent and the teacher to plan the end of the year carnival we are having for the kids.  Then it was lunch time.  My son wanted to go to the new Whole Foods, but we only had one hour and there wasn’t even a parking space, so we went to his favorite Mexican restaurant instead.  We finished lunch just in time to go back to school for his afternoon class.  I dropped him off, and then headed over to the farm to pick up my CSA basket and some free greens for the bunny.  I stopped at the bank on the way home. When I got home and managed to fit the contents of the basket, minus one very large head of broccoli, into the refrigerator and fed the bunny.  I headed back to school and picked up my son.  He wanted to go to Kite Hill, a park across the street from the school, so we went on a mini hike.  Then I brought him to Whole Foods where the crowds, combined with a tired kid, conspired against me.  My son picked out some salami and a different kind of raw cracker.  We went home, played a bit, then it was time to make dinner.  While I was making dinner (recipe to come Friday), my son went out in the backyard and made some mud to play in.  Once he was sufficiently dirty, I put him in the bath, my husband came home, and I got dinner on the table.  We ate.  One of Beck’s friends came over and asked to play.  I started cleaning up from dinner.  I locked up the bunny and checked on the salamander.  Then, I poured myself this:

Red wine is full of antioxidants.

*If you choose to drink alcohol, please do so in moderation.  As my mother was quick to point out, there are other ways to get antioxidants, the best way is a diet filled with an abundance of fruits and vegetables.  If you are looking to relax, meditation, walking, and yoga are all great choices.  I ended my day with three sun salutations and was able to calm my body and mind and fall asleep quickly.

 

Peace and Calm,

-Teresa

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Mindful Movements

This week, make exercise your meditation.

Embrace that your workout matters, and you matter.

You matter so much, in fact, that you are willing to really show up, and fully participate in your activity, and your life.

When you exercise today, whether you are running, walking, swimming, practicing yoga, lifting weights or going to a class, attend fully to your body.

Begin by keeping your awareness on your breath. Just like in a meditation. Then bring your focus to the movements and sensations of your body as you exercise.

If your mind wanders away from the task at hand (each movement, each breath), without judgement, guide your thoughts back to your breath, or the movement of your body.

Share your experiences on our Facebook page or in the comments below.

Enjoy the day!

*Annabelle

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Raw Zucchini “Pasta”

Raw Zucchini Noodles and Tomato Sauce

1 zucchini
2 tomatoes
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 date, pitted
pinch of salt
small handful of basil leaves, chopped
tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano

Grate the zucchini to be noodles. You can use a vegetable peeler to make long strips, a mandolin to julienne it, or get all fancy and use a spiralizer. You may want to avoid the seedy area. Generally a good idea in most aspects of life.

Blend together the tomatoes, lemon, date and salt in a blender or food processor. Mix in the basil and oregano or any other fresh herbs you have available.

Top the zucchini noodles with the sauce and mix.

(Serves 1)

-Teresa

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Health on a Budget

Do you want to eat and live healthier, but aren’t sure if you can afford it?  Check out the “Health on a Budget Summit” online starting on May 19.  Over the course of five days you can hear talks on creating a budget, eating healthy, affording organic produce, gardening, foraging, healthcare, fitness, and more.  It even comes with recipes.

You can register to listen to the talks live for free, or if you want to be able to listen whenever you want for the next year, and get a cookbook, you can purchase access for $30.

 

Peace and Calm,

-Teresa

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Zucchini Pizza

Want a pizza?

Here is a healthy and tasty version of pizza for you to make with all the in-season zucchinis floating around now.  I came up with this as a way to still be able to eat pizza without making my son sick from cheese.

Ingredients

Pizza dough (make your own or buy it pre-made, Trader Joe’s has decent dough in the refrigerated section)

1 Zucchini, sliced into thin rounds

1/2 an onion, sliced thinly

mushrooms, sliced thinly

Pizza sauce

Olive Oil

Fresh herbs

Heat oven and pizza stone to 500 degrees.  Stretch out dough on a lightly oiled surface.  When the stone is hot, put the dough on it and top with pizza sauce.  Add onions and mushrooms.  Top with zucchini slices.  You should have enough zucchini to completely cover the surface of the pizza.  Don’t be stingy, this is what makes it good.   Drizzle with just a bit of olive oil.  Bake in the oven until the crust is good and brown and the vegetables are done.  Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve.

Trust me, you don’t need the cheese on this one.  You could add other veggies too, experiment and see what you like best.

Peace and Calm,

-Teresa

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Checking in with our goals.

Hello!  Did you miss us?  Thank you for your understanding while we caught our breaths and re-focused.

I want to take some time today to remind everyone, including myself, of our group goals.  I know I have been slipping with some of them lately.  On the other hand, I am finally getting better about writing my journal, which is a huge accomplishment for me.  It can be overwhelming to try and meet too many goals at once, so if you are finding that you are struggling, pick one or two goals to focus on now and in a month or two add another goal to your daily routine.

Our Group Goals:

Set an intention for the day each morning when you wake.

Start each day with a glass of water. Drink at least one full glass before you eat or drink anything else. You can add a squeeze of lemon if you like.

Have a healthy breakfast. Some choices are a smoothie, fresh juice, fruit salad, whole grain cereal, a homemade breakfast bar or muffin or an egg.

Three sun salutations or gentle stretching morning and night, or any other time you need a break.

Spend at least ten minutes exercising morning and evening.

Write a daily journal entry. Some days we will give you something to journal about, others you can write about anything you are inspired by.

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Zucchini

Our Produce Pick of the Week

Whether you call them zucchini, courgette, or marrow, these popular summer squashes are worth having around.  They are low in calories, a good source of folate, potassium, vitamin A and manganese.

Famous for overwhelming home gardeners with their bounty, zucchini can be prepared in so many different ways there is really no excuse to ever get bored with them.  Eat them as flowers, babies, or full fledged adults.  They get tough as they grow though, so I would advise picking them before they grow to the full three feet they are capable of.  Should you find yourself completely overwhelmed, however, you can slice them up, quickly blanch them, and freeze them for later without loosing too many nutrients.  Frozen zucchini can later be used in soups, stews, casseroles, sautes, and many other dishes.

Time to move past zucchini bread (though there is nothing wrong with that) and expand your zucchini recipe repertoire.  They can be steamed, braised, roasted, sauteed, fried, and eaten raw.  You could easily make a 7 course meal featuring zucchini in every course.  (Ok, maybe I should clarify that, you could easily plan a 7 course meal, and then hand the recipes off to your personal chef to prepare it for you and have the kitchen staff clean up the resulting dirty dishes.)

Next time you are at the market, don’t forget to pick up some zucchini.

-Teresa

Hmm, What should I do with these?

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Cucumber-Mint Juice

Hello,

I’m taking a break from our little break to bring you this juice recipe in time for Cinco de Mayo.  My husband told me about this juice he gets from a taqueria near his office sometimes, so I recreated it.  It is super simple to make and very refreshing.

Cucumber-Mint Juice

2 whole cucumbers

1 bunch of mint

squeeze of lime (optional)

Run the cucumbers and mint through your juicer, peel and all.  Add in a squeeze of lime to taste. Serve over ice or blended frozen margarita style.

If you do not have a juicer, you can peel and chop the cucumber and remove the stems from the mint and make it in the blender.  You would then need to strain it.

Yes, you could add some tequila, but I didn’t tell you that here.

-Teresa

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