Tag: organic

Lettuce Be Friends

Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Lettuce.

Lettuce who?

Lettuce be friends.

I think I read that on a Valentine’s Day card… probably in grade school.

Anyway, friends, I wanted to share this awesome organic lettuce we’ve been buying from Aldi.

The box is crammed with organic lettuce varieties like red and green leaf lettuce, red and green oak, red and green chard, Lolla Rosa, tango, spinach, arugula, beet greens, frisee, radicchio, mizuna, kale, red mustard greens, tatsoi, and collards. I’ve never even heard of some of these.

It’s prewashed, and its a full pound.

It’s a good deal, though I can’t tell you the exact price I paid. #worthit

Daughter Days

Our daughter is with us this summer and I couldn’t be happier. 🙂😍

Tonight, she’s the chef. She made an amazing kale salad that is really healthy and nutritious.

We added a little grilled chicken on top.

Here’s the recipe if you want to give it a try:

Warm Kale and Quinoa Salad

Cold Plates

It’s really hot this week.

I lived most of my life in Florida, where it’s like this all the time: WAY too hot to use the oven for at least 10 months of the year.

There was a cute little diner at the Tahitian Inn on Dale Mabry where we used to meet friends on groggy Sunday mornings. They had an amazing cold plate there… salad greens and three hollowed bell peppers filled with your choice of chicken, tuna, egg, ham, or potato salad.

We made it part of our routine. Summer dinners (and by that, I mean March thru November) were often homemade cold plates, starting with a green salad and adding a bunch of cold sides.

For example:

  • Chicken salad/cold chicken
  • Potato salad
  • Tuna salad
  • Egg salad
  • Pasta salad
  • Carrot & celery sticks with hummus
  • Pickles
  • Sweet peppers
  • Olives
  • Sliced cheese
  • Good bread or crackers
  • Fruits
  • Cole slaw / quick slaw

Last weekend, I made a batch of my yummy purple yams with coconut. Yes, I had the oven on for an hour, but I make enough to snack on all week. It makes a great cold lunch or side dish.

I made lentils, too, which is also great served cold.

My husband made a potato salad and an egg salad, and chopped another pineapple into bite sized pieces.

Anyway, if you’re looking for healthy dishes to throw together for hot summer nights, I suggest you try a cold plate night.

Quick Slaw

Another quick, cold, plant-based recipe for you. I’m sorry, I don’t have a more exacting recipe. You’re gonna have to use the force on this one.

Enjoy!

  • Red cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Sunflower seeds or pistachios
  • Raisins or another similar-sized dried fruit
  • Honey
  • Salt
  • Red wine vinegar

Find a bowl you’d like to serve this dish in.

Slice the cabbage very thin. You want enough to fill the bowl approximately 60% full of the shredded cabbage.

Wash the carrots and then either use a hand peeler OR a cheese grater to shred them. Add them to the bowl. These 2 ingredients will take up most of the space in the bowl, so keep adding until it is about 90% full.

Add at least a cup each of sunflower seeds and raisins. Mix well. Salt liberally, unless the sunflower seeds have already done that for you.

Add honey and red wine vinegar in equal amounts to coat the ingredients. Mix well.

It’s crunchy, sweet, salty, and healthy. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated, which makes it perfect for summer, camping, etc.

Once you get the hang of it, swap out white cabbage for red, different nuts or seeds, different dried fruit, fancy vinegars… just make sure you include something crunchy, something sweet, something salty, and something vinegarrey. 😋

Use the force!

Lentils

Not gonna lie, I cut this recipe off the back of the lentil bag. It’s delicious.

  • 1 cup organic green lentils
  • 3 cups chicken broth or water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large or 2 small carrots, finely chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 ounces Feta or goat cheese

Combine lentils, chicken broth (or water), and bay leaf in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until lentils are tender.

Remove bay leaf and strain. Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except the cheese.

When lentils are cooled (pop them in the freezer for a few minutes), add lentils to the mixture and stir it all together.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Crumble goat cheese on top when serving.

Ice Cream, You Scream

My husband and son have to have their ice cream! I don’t join in (lactose issues, and it’s too sugary for my post-diagnosis diet)…

I tried to find a healthy ice cream brand using the Yuka app, but it seems that they just don’t exist.

So, I decided to make it myself, using a little Cuisinart ice cream churn that our nephew gave us a few years ago.

Here’s the recipe:

  • One and a half cups organic heavy cream
  • One and a half cups organic whole milk
  • 2/3 cup maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

I usually add in some organic dried cherries, strawberries, blueberries, etc. from Trader Joe’s or Aldi. Let them soak in the unchurned mixture for a while in the fridge.

Halfway through the churning process, I sometimes also add a handful of chocolate chips.

Update: Last night, Jimmy said the only thing wrong with this ice cream is that it is too rich. I’m going to experiment with different ratios between the milk and cream to find the best way to do it. I’ll post updates.

¡Viva 🇲🇽 Mexico!

Just heard this morning that Mexico is saying no to buying and importing the genetically modified, cancer-causing, glyphosate-drenched corn our country is selling. I could not be happier to hear it!!!!

I feel bad for the farmer. This mess will take some work to un-mess. But it’s critical that we stop using GMO corn and its glyphosate counterpart.

Fridge Oats

So I’m not eating Cheerios anymore, or really anything from the cereal aisle (if we’re being truthful, it’s more of a candy aisle).

But I still like oats! If you can find an organic source, here’s a tasty and quick breakfast recipe — and it is loaded with fiber, aka post-biotics.

These Woodstock Oats are great. Yuka gives them an excellent rating, 100 out of 100.

So I fill up a little jar about 50% full of the oats, then add a heaping spoonful (each) of milled flax seeds, hemp seeds, and chia seeds. These are all organic, purchased at either Trader Joe’s or Aldi.

Add a couple sprinkles of cinnamon if you like, then stir everything up. Add the milk of your choice and stir again.

If you want to add honey or maple syrup, add it after you stir, and don’t stir any more because it will get sticky and your spoon will get coated. Just put it on top.

Pop on the lid and put it in the fridge. Let it soak overnight or at least for a few hours.

When you’re ready to eat, add some chopped apples, raspberries, or blueberries. You’ll probably also want to add a little more milk as the oats really soak it up!

Pro tip: Check your teeth after eating, because these seeds get stuck everywhere, and you may look a little crazy 🤪 after eating!

Bon Appétit!