An RD & CSA: Week 5

I'm still eating leftovers (and trying to pawn food off on my friends) from this past week. The squash, zucchini, and cucumbers have taken over both my fridge and weekly menu.

I love leftovers but I can't eat the same thing too many times before I'm burnt out. So I freeze what I can't eat.. and then try a new recipe. I tried 6 new recipes in the last 7 days. Needless to say, I was in the kitchen a lot. Probably my favorite place to be though so no complaints...

I did go out to dinner last night. One of the specials involved squash.. I passed. I get enough of it at home!

Straight neck squash, garlic, white and green cucumbers, lettuce, spring onions, arugula, cabbage, zucchini, radishes, potatoes

{ Week 5 Share and Recipes}

Squash: cheesy pasta bake

Lettuce + radishes: salad
Cucumbers: salad, Quinoa with Cucumber, Black Beans, and Sesame Seeds (recipe below), California Bowl
Spring onions: Easy Pad Thai with Shrimp
Cabbage: Roasted Cabbage
Zucchini: Rustic Lentil Spaghetti

Potatoes: roasted

Garlic + arugula: both survived the week, to be cooked this weekend!



Have you ever cooked a cucumber? I've only ever had them raw. Cumbers on a salad.. in sushi.. with vinegar and salt.. etc.

In this recipe, cooked cucumber! I don't know why I never thought of this before.. guess I was just mindlessly following the masses and enjoying my raw cucumbers.

Never had quinoa? Try it in this recipe! Quinoa + beans = full so you can easily make this a main dish (I'm actually having it for lunch today).

{ Recipe }

 Quinoa with Cucumber, Black Beans, and Sesame Seeds (modified)

Makes ~ 3 (1 cup main dish) or 6 (1/2 cup side dish) servings

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 tsp olive oil
2 spring onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cucumber, medium, diced (remove the seeds if you want)
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 tsp soy suace
2 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 cup black beans, cooked
sesame seeds, toasted
Cook the quinoa according to package directions.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add onions and garlic, saute for 1 minute. Add cucumbers, saute for 3-4 minutes (cooked but still crisp).

Add red pepper flakes, black pepper, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Add black beans, quinoa, and sesame seeds.


Helpful hint: Put your fork/spoon down in between bites.. this helps you slow down instead of inhaling your food (always guilty). It takes 20 minutes for your belly to tell your brain you're full! Take. Your. Time.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN

An RD & CSA: Week 4

How do you clean your produce?

Like I briefly mentioned in yesterday's post about the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen, make sure you're cleaning all the wonderful produce in your CSA share. Your farmer may not be spraying for bugs.

My farmer's wife suggested this method for cleaning broccoli:

• Fill sink/large bowl with enough water to cover the broccoli
• Pour at least 2 Tbsp of salt into the water
• Swish to dissolve
• Soak broccoli for at least 15 minutes

Apparently, this will kill any cabbage worms that may be in your broccoli. You don't want to eat any of those, do you? Probably not much nutritional benefit..

Red leaf lettuce, pattypan squash, eight ball zucchini, cauliflower, cucumbers, new potatoes, radishes, straight neck squash, kale, zucchini, arugula

{ Week 4 Share }

Lettuce + radishes + squash + zucchini + cucumbers: lots and lots of salad
Pattypan squash + eight ball zucchini: sauteed

Cauliflower: Balsamic and Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
Potatoes: Light Scalloped Potatoes
Zucchini: Veggie Enchiladas
 Kale: Sicilian Kale with Tuna, Capers, and Beans (recipe below)

Arugula: Green Lentils with Arugula Pesto

Can you tell I enjoyed a lovely weekend of cooking? I read too. And cleaned. Pretty productive I'd say.

All the recipes were delicious and will remain in my menu rotation... except the lentils and pesto. Sigh. I didn't love the flavor. I've struggled with homemade pestos before but I won't give up! Eventually I'll get the right mix of ingredients and flavor.

I'm overrun with zucchini and squash. You can't tell in the picture above but the zucchini was longer than my forearm.

Evidence.

And the delicious kale recipe.. from a blog written by two RDs: Teaspoon of Spice. I find many of my recipes when searching Healthy Aperture - the only food photo sharing site founded and hosted by RDs. Check them out if you ever need a new recipe to try.

{ Recipe }

 Sicilian Kale with Tuna, Capers, and Beans (modified)

Makes 4 servings

1 pound of kale, chopped, stems removed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup capers, drained
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
1 (5 ounce) can tuna in water, drained
1 1/2 cup kidney beans

Fill a large pot 3/4ths full of water and bring to a boil. Add kale and lower to medium-high heat, boil for 3 minutes then drain.

Place empty pot back on stove on medium heat and add olive oil. Add onions and saute 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute.

Add capers and pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes and then add kale and sugar. Stir until incorporated and cover with lid.

Stir occasionally and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Mix in tuna and beans, cooked until heated through.

Helpful hint: Skip the salt - the capers make this dish salty enough!

I served the kale with the cauliflower. Yum!

Do you have a favorite go-to website for recipes?

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN

2012 Dirty Dozen Plus and Clean Fifteen Lists

Do you buy organic or stick with conventional produce?

I wasn't really paying attention when the organic movement picked up steam. I was in college then grad school - just trying to stay afloat in my sea of books, papers, and projects. After grad school came some serious personal budget cuts and still no interest in spending more on groceries. Now, I'm debt-free but still following my budget so I pick and choose which fruits and veggies I buy organic.

How do I decide? The Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen Lists (released annually by the Environmental Working Group).

And guess what... there's an app! Of course there is.

The 2012 lists came out today without any huge changes but green beans and kale/greens have been added, turning the Dirty Dozen into the Dirty Dozen Plus.

Simply put, the annual guide helps people determine which fruits and veggies have the most pesticide residues: the Dirty Dozen have the most (buy organic if you can) and the Clean Fifteen have the least (go ahead and save some money - buy conventional).

Source

As stated on the EWG's website, the health benefits of eating fruits and veggies outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. Please continue including fruits and veggies in your diet no matter if it's organic or conventional!

All the produce in my CSA is organic and we're reminded by the farmer's wife to clean, clean, clean the produce when we get it. You never know what little guys are hanging out in there!



Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN

An RD & CSA: Week 3

Week 3 has come and gone and I'm now anxiously awaiting today's pick up at the Market Square Farmers' Market. Have you been yet? The MSFM is open Wednesday 11AM to 2PM and Saturdays 9AM to 2PM, May through November. Check it out!

Pattypan squash, napa cabbage, sweet onion, radishes, cauliflower, eight ball zucchini, lettuce, broccoli, turnips

{ Week 3 Share }

Strawberries (I ate them all before I took a picture!)

Lettuce + radishes: salad
Turnips + sweet onion: roasted

Cauliflower: Pasta with Beans, Roasted Cauliflower, & Toasted Garlic Breadcrumbs (recipe below)

Broccoli + napa cabbage: stir fry
Zucchini + pattypan squash: grilled

I never follow a recipe perfectly (even if I've never used it before) so what you see is what I did. The beans and roasted cauliflower were delicious but dry - I threw in some pesto to make up for it.

{ Recipe }

 Pasta with Beans, Roasted Cauliflower, & Toasted Garlic Breadcrumbs (modified)

Makes 4 servings

1 head cauliflower, cut into thin slabs/florets
3/4 c breadcrumbs
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper


Preheat oven to 400^o F. Toss cauliflower with 1/2 Tbsp olive oil. Lay out in an even later on a baking sheet (or stoneware); roast until browned and crisp, about 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente.

(Next time, I would skip the breadcrumbs) Add breadcrumbs to a dry skillet set over medium heat. Toast, stirring often, until crisp and golden-brown, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to plate.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in the skillet over medium heat and add garlic. Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beans and cook until heated through. Remove skillet from heat.

Toss together breadcrumbs, cauliflower, and beans and serve over 1 cup of pasta.


Helpful hint: Serve food on small plates. Our eyes are always bigger than our stomachs and this helps keep portions in check.

I'm finally back into a routine after vacation and my routine involves meal planning. It takes some time on the front end but makes my week run more smoothly. Every so often I want to just wing it.. but that's rare and I usually don't like what I end up eating.

I used to grocery shop on the weekend but have switched things around since my CSA pick up is on Wednesdays.

My action plan:

• Pick up CSA share
• Decide which recipes I want to use or how I want to cook the veggies
• Make my grocery list and then shop

Save money and time and make your list ahead of time. If you know what you need, you're in and out in no time and less likely to get aggravated with the slow-moving cart-pushers.

Oh wait, is that just me?

Meal planning.. some just use paper, some use a chalkboard or dry erase board (you've seen the fancy ones on Pinterest, yes?).. I use my "without you I'd be lost" Gmail calendar.

Most of my recipes are online so for each meal, I put the name and link to the recipe. Tada! Easy to pull up in the evening plus I can just click and drag the meal to a future date if I want to cook it again.

It's weird that I get excited about this stuff, isn't it? Oh well.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.

 

Any meal planning secrets you'd like to share?

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN

An RD & CSA: Week 2



After looking at the lovely mountains out west for the past 5 days, it's now back to work and reality. It was a wonderful trip with great company, beautiful (and steep!) hikes, and delicious food.


Possibly the best burrito I've ever had.

But like a good RD, I'm ready to get back into my routine..

Before I left, I made sure to cook and freeze all the vegetables from last week's share (minus the lettuce). I'm a Planner (yes, capital P). It makes my life easier and much more enjoyable when I'm not standing in my kitchen after work wondering what to cook that night.

If you're thinking about participating in CSA, it will help if you have a plan. Create your meals around the fresh vegetables you get each week. That's the trick with produce: it goes bad quickly. And since no one likes throwing money away, plan to cook what you can as soon as you can.

And if you dare to get into my crazy head, I'll share my grocery and meal planning ways with you next week.

L to R: Spinach, zucchini, pattypan squash, strawberries, green leaf lettuce, cabbage, garlic, summer squash, one ball squash, eight ball zucchini, red leaf lettuce

{ Week 2 Share }

Strawberries

Green leaf lettuce

Garlic + zucchini : Ravioli with Sauteed Zucchini (recipe below)

Cabbage: Cabbage Stir Fry
Squash + spinach: roasted side dish

Notice the different shapes of the squash and zucchini? Great shapes.. and even better names: one ball squash, eight ball zucchini, and pattypan squash. 

Do you have to cook them differently? Nope. I cooked all the squash together and all the zucchini together. Everything was delicious!



{ Recipe }

 Ravioli with Sauteed Zucchini (modified from Real Simple)

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2-3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
~10 c zucchini, sliced
1-2 lb frozen cheese ravioli

Heat oil in heavy, large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, then cook garlic and crushed red pepper until fragrant about 2 minutes. Add zucchini, cook about 5-7 minutes (I like my veggies crispy - you could cook longer if you like a different texture).

Meanwhile, cook frozen ravioli (or tortellini) according to package directions. Combine zucchini with hot pasta and serve.

Helpful tip: Scoop out servings with a measuring cup (1-cup size) and have with a side salad.

Have you ever had any differently-looking zucchini or squash (besides the standard grocery store kind)?

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN

Weight Management Apps: RD Reviews & Ratings

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has reviewed several free diet and nutrition apps to help you understand which apps are helpful and based on fact, not fad. The following apps are for weight management. The Academy has also reviewed diabetes management and gluten-free apps. Check them out!

Click each app name to read a full review by Sarah Krieger, MPH, RD, LDN.

• CalorieCounter & Diet Tracker by MyFitness Pal: Tracks a combination of fitness goals and nutrition analysis features to help you lose weight. RD Rating: 4.5 stars
• Calorie Counter: Tracks food, exercise, weight and all the nutrients listed on a Nutrition Facts label. Includes daily inspirational articles, healthy recipes and an easy-to-understand help section. RD Rating: 4 stars
• Calorie Counter: Diets &Activities: Features a classic food diary that tracks calories, water, fitness and the time each food item is consumed and an option to create your own diet and physical activity plan and an Integrated Body Tracker. RD Rating: 4 stars
• Calorie Tracker by Livestrong.com: Food and fitness diary designed to help you achieve your diet and nutrition goals, whether you want to lose, maintain or gain weight. RD Rating: 4 stars
• Sparkpeople Food and Fitness Tracker: Fitness and food tracker for people looking to lose a half-pound to 2 pounds per week or to maintain weight. RD Rating: 4 stars
• Calorie Counter by MyNetDiary: Allows user to personalize a calorie limit for weight loss, gain or maintenance. RD Rating: 3 stars
• Lose it!: Keeps track of foods you eat with this detailed food database; primarily for people wanting to lose weight. RD Rating: 3 stars
• Daily Burn: Keep track of calories consumed and track workouts to see how much energy is burned. RD rating: 2 stars
• Weight Watchers Mobile: Follows the Weight Watchers plan step by step, using interactive tools, finding local meetings and creating shopping lists. RD Rating: 2 stars