I am REALLY trying to get my son to eat green smoothies. He is very selective when it comes to textures...so I started with a more sweet green smoothie and had him pick the fruit.  Here is what was in it!!
3 c spinach
2 c apple 100% pure juice
1 c frozen cantaloupe
3 c frozen strawberries
1 banana
It was delicious! It made approximately 1 1/2 quarts (plenty for at least three people!) 605 calories.  My daughter gobbled it up, but the smoothie was not "red" enough for my son, so I let him make another one...no greens in it, but he loved it and drank quite a bit! It's a start, right? This is what was selected to put in my son's RED smoothie:
1 cup frozen cantaloupe
2 frozen red plums
1 cup apple 100% pure juice

Green Smoothie Breakfast

 1 cup spinach
1 cup collard greens
1 cup water
1 frozen banana
2 Bartlett pears

Mix spinach, collard greens, and water together first.  Add banana and pears and blend!  Made approximately one quart.  315 calories

Asian Eggplant & Red Bell Pepper Stirfry

I am pretty proud of what I made up for dinner last night! 

1 T canola oil
4 scallions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T white wine vinegar
2 T low sodium soy sauce
1 T honey
1 t fresh ginger root, grated
2 Asian eggplants, chopped
1 T fresh basil, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
brown rice

Saute oil, scallions, red bell pepper, garlic, and vinegar until veggies are soft. Add soy sauce, honey, ginger and eggplant and saute until eggplant is cooked through. Next add salt and pepper and the fresh basil. Serve over brown rice. I also served fresh pineapple and grapes on the side! Spectacular taste combinations and VERY HEALTHY!!

Zucchini Boats Pizza or Casserole

If you are experiencing an excess of zucchini this year, like I do every time I plant zucchini, here is one more recipe that my kiddos actually eat. The original recipe and picture can be found here and can be found below as well. I also modified this recipe a bit to make a casserole version.

Boat version:

6 med zucchini
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
1 (2 oz) can sliced black olives
2 c shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wash the zucchini well to remove any grit. Slice the zucchini lengthwise and, using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from center leaving about one centimeter of zucchini around the edges (if you leave more, the zucchini will not absorb all of the yummy flavors.) Save scooped out flesh to be chopped up and used in filling.

Place empty zucchini halves on baking sheet. Dump reserved zucchini back on cutting board and cut into fine pieces. Return zucchini to bowl and combine with tomato sauce, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.

Refill zucchini halves with prepared mixture. Top with mozzarella cheese and black olives. Place in oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.


Casserole version:

6 med zucchini
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 c bread crumbs or crushed club crackers
1 (16 oz) container cottage cheese
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 to 2 c shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease 9 x 13 glass casserole dish and set aside. Wash the zucchini well to remove any grit. Slice the zucchini lengthwise and, using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from center. Place scooped flesh on cutting board and cut into fine pieces. Return zucchini to bowl and combine with tomato sauce, bread crumbs (crackers), tomatoes, cottage cheese, and Italian seasoning. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. Place in oven and bake for approximately 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Fig & Pear Flatbread

I made my simple pizza dough and rolled it super thin. Covered it with EVOO, colby jack cheese, bleu cheese, salt & pepper, fresh figs and fresh bartlett pears. Bake 450 degrees for about 10 minutes. Finished it with a drizzle of honey and balsamic vinegar. Delish!!

Mini Grape Sorbets!

Here are the mini green grapes I got in my basket a couple of weeks ago!  I froze these little gems and now we have mini sorbets that burst in your mouth! A delicious healthy treat for the kiddos! My daughter even asked me to make them for her Birthday so you KNOW they must be good! I cannot believe I have not done this sooner!! TRY IT!! They are SO DELICIOUS!

Mini Cucumber Salad

Another yummy salad...I took 2 mini cucumbers (from my Bountiful Basket) and sliced them, sliced a handful of freshly picked grape tomatoes (from my neighbors garden) and added some mini fresh mozzarella pearls. Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt...DELISH!! (You can also add a drizzle of olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar to add another dimension of flavor!  Would also be good with black olives!)

September 24th Basket

Prepping Veggies for Freezing

Here is what I know about freezing veggies:

• Prepping them can mean cooking or cutting. Very few veggies cut well after frozen.
• Peas, beans,broccoli, cauliflower, and peppers can be frozen without cooking but need to be cut.
• Carrots & corn taste better if they are blanched before freezing.
• Pumpkin needs to be cooked and pureed before freezing.
• Zucchini can be shredded (grated) and frozen. I try not to freeze tomatoes unless I have made them into salsa or marinara sauce.

Frozen Grapes

On Sunday, I saw an idea for frozen grapes posted on the Bountiful Basket Facebook page (see sidebar for link.) A member named Holly had this to say about freezing grapes, "If you haven't tried freezing grapes, you're missing out... I think that might be my favorite way to eat grapes now. Just pop off the stem and put in a freezer ziplock bag. Lie it out 'flat' in the freezer and then when they've been in 8 or so hours lift the bag up and jiggle them around good so they are all individual. You can eat them then and they are slushy, or you can leave them in and they get harder. They are delish. Like little bitesize popsicles."

I just might have to try this!

Cheese and Broccoli Soup

1 can cream of chicken soup (or 1 1/2 c white sauce)
1 1/2 c milk
2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 bunch broccoli, separating tops and cutting the stalk into tiny pieces
1 1/2 c shredded cheese (I used medium cheddar)

Cook potatoes and broccoli in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes (5 minutes longer if potatoes are not soft after initial time.) In a separate, large sauce pan heat soup (white sauce) and milk together over medium heat. Stir until smooth. Add drained broccoli and potatoes to sauce. Stir in cheese and heat soup until the cheese is completely melted.

Tomato Cheese Bread

1 slice Bountiful Basket 9 Grain Bread

1 slice fresh picked tomato

1 slice mozzarella cheese

fresh cracked pepper, garlic salt

Broil bread until lightly toasted.  Add tomato and 

cheese then broil on high until cheese is melted!

Boston Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup buttermilk
1 t celery seed
1 T fresh oregano (or 1 t dried)
1 t lemon zest
1 t coarse salt
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1-2 heads Boston lettuce
Optional vegetable garnishes:
grape tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, carrots,
sugar snap peas, red peppers, radishes...
or any other yummy veggie!!

In a bowl, whisk together everything except lettuce and veggies. Clean and dry whole lettuce leaves. Place leaves in serving bowl and drizzle with dressing. Garnish with veggies if desired. Serve immediately. Excellent with fresh veggies from your garden!!

September 17th

2 bags of green grapes
12 bananas
5 apples (pink lady or gala variety)
3 yellow onions
1 bunch broccoli
7 yams or sweet potatoes
1 box figs
5 Asian pears
4 black plums
5 ziti style cucumbers

I am looking forward to making sweet potato fries (see previous post for recipe), fig newtons, plum crisp, and fajitas with my produce this week. What are you making?

P.S. Thanks to all of you who post your recipes. Can't wait to try some of the yummy things I am reading about!

Greek Vegetable Pasta Salad

1-12 oz. bag "Wacky Mac" veggie shapes pasta
1-16 oz pasta (radiatori, wheels, bowties, rotelli)
1 square feta cheese, crumbled
2 cans olives, cut in half
1 package grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 peeled cucumbers, diced
6 peeled carrots, sliced
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 bottles zesty Italian dressing
1 T dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta, drain and rinse with cold water. Add all ingredients and chill until serving! This recipe makes A LOT!! Perfect for parties!!

Ginger Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps

1 T oil
1 lb ground chicken or ground turkey
1 pouch Simply Asian® Ginger Teriyaki Stir-Fry Sauce
lettuce leaves (Bibb, Green Leaf, or Romaine)
Desired Toppings: shredded carrots, bean sprouts,
chow mein noodles, chopped peanuts,
chopped fresh cilantro and chopped water chestnuts

HEAT oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add ground meat; stir fry 5 minutes or until cooked through. Add Stir-Fry Sauce; cook and stir until heated through. SPOON chicken mixture into the center of each lettuce leaf. Sprinkle with desired toppings. Fold sides of lettuce over filling and roll up to serve.

Asian Cabbage Salad

1 head cabbage, chopped
3 stocks celery, sliced
1/2 c sugar snap peas, halved
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
2 T butter  
1 c cashews
1 c sliced almonds
3 T sesame seeds
1/2 c olive oil
1/4-1/3 c sweetener (stevia, agave, honey, sugar)
1/3 c rice wine vinegar
1 t salt
1 t pepper
2 T shredded coconut
1 bag wonton strips
2 cooked chicken breast, chopped (optional)
Add cabbage, celery, and peas in large bowl. Drain oranges and add to mixture. Saute nuts and seeds in butter until slightly browned. Let cool in separate bowl. Make dressing in separate container with oil, sweetener, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Shake until well mixed and let chill in fridge. Before serving, mix all ingredients together and top with cooked chicken, coconut and wonton strips.

Sweet Potato & White Potato Oven Fries

Sweet Potato & White Potato Oven Fries

2 sweet potatoes
4 russet potatoes
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
various spices- use whatever you like- I used a combination of ...
salt, pepper, garlic powder, garlic & herb seasoning, Italian seasoning, onion powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel potatoes and cut into strips. Spray two large cookie sheets. In a bowl combine potatoes, EVOO, and spices. Mix until evenly distributed and place on sheets. Bake 35-40 minutes, turning potatoes half way. Potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside!!

Fig, Spinach & Goat Cheese Salad

1 cup baby spinach, chopped
1 fresh fig, quartered
1 oz goat cheese, crumbled
salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 T superfruit berry vinaigrette

September 10th Optional FRUIT Basket

ALL FRUITS

2 Gala Apples

2 Red Delicious Apples

2 Bartlett Pears

2 Bosc Pears

6 Prune Plums

3 Nectarines

3 Peaches

8 Bananas

2 Oranges

2 Tangelos

1 Bag Small Green Grapes

September 10th Regular Basket

FRUITS

5 Pears

4 Peaches

7 Bananas

1 Container Figs

1 Bag Small Green Grapes

VEGETABLES

4 Sweet Potatoes

1 Green Leaf Lettuce

1 Head Cauliflower

1 Bunch Spinach

1/2 lb Green Beans

Tomato Salad

3 to 5 Roma tomatoes
1/2 c medium black olives
1 can kernel corn (2 to 3 cobs cooked with kernels removed)
1/2 to 1 c mozzarella cheese
1 can tuna or 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (boiled and shredded)
vinaigrette of your choice (I like Raspberry or Balsamic best)

Slice tomatoes and place on serving plate as bottom layer of salad. Top tomatoes with olives, corn, cheese, and chicken or tuna. Cover with vinaigrette and serve.

Creamy Rice, Chicken, & Spinach Dinner*

1/4 cup roasted red pepper Italian (or regular Italian) dressing
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into thick strips)
1 1/2 c chicken broth
2 c Minute rice (brown or white), uncooked
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
8 oz baby or torn spinach leaves (8 cups packed leaves)
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Heat dressing in large deep skillet on med-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 min. Add broth and bring to boil. Stir in rice; return to boiling. Cover and reduce heat to medium; simmer 5 min.

Stir cream cheese into rice mixture until melted. Add spinach and cover. Cook 1 min or until spinach is wilted. Stir rice mixture gently to mix in spinach. Cover.

Remove from heat; let stand 5 min. Stir in tomatoes, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve.

*Recipe is from kraftfoods.com.

Corn Chowder

I am a recipe kind of person. I like to know exact measurements and exact times. Because of this need, I did not learn to cook much of anything until after I got married. I have learned to adapt and combine recipes as well as come up with things on my own. I have a few recipes I keep in my head that I have trouble writing down because the recipes are not exact. My recipe for corn chowder is one of the recipes I have stored in my head rather than my recipe box. I will attempt to share it below.

Corn (and Potato) Chowder

1/4 c cooked ham or bacon (crumbled)
1 tsp margarine (if needed to add moisture to the meat)
cornstarch (as needed)
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (14 oz) can evaporated milk
2 (15 oz) cans kernel corn, undrained (or about 4 to 6 ears of corn cooked and kernels removed from the cob)
3 to 6 c chopped and boiled potatoes*
1/2 to 1 c sour cream (optional)
basil to taste*
black pepper to taste*
garlic powder to taste*
chopped or dehydrated onions to taste*
salt (optional)*
milk (optional)*

Brown (cook) ham or bacon. Add margarine or butter if needed to moisten meat. Add enough cornstarch to absorb moisture. Slowly add evaporated milk to create sauce base. Add seasonings (basil, black pepper, garlic, onions, salt), sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, liquid from canned corn, and milk as needed to make the sauce rich and creamy. It is best to add the liquids a little at a time and allow the sauce to thicken before adding more. Add more spices as necessary. When the desired amount of sauce is thick and creamy, add canned corn and heat thoroughly. Add potatoes and serve immediately or pour into a crockpot and leave on warm for up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

*For a larger batch increase potatoes, milk, and spices. For a smaller batch, use less potatoes, milk, and spices.

I really enjoy this creamy soup and my kids (6 and 4) do too. I hope it turns out as yummy as it turns out for us. Enjoy!

Frozen Berries are Better Than Ice Cream

Ok, so I will concede that I still like ice cream more, but my kiddos seem to like the concept of a frozen treat more than the amount of sugar in the treat. When we had a play date with some friends they wanted to share a snack with my kiddos. I was surprised when the children didn't want cookies, goldfish, or fruit snacks, they wanted frozen berries. I was not quite sure what my children would think of that and I was pleasantly surprised to find they loved the berries! Now, I can add another healthy, low sugar snack idea to my list of kid snacks.

We often have berries in our Bountiful Baskets. To freeze them yourself

• Lay berries out individually on a cookie sheet to avoid clumps of berries being frozen together.
• Place in cookie sheet in freezer and leave until berries are frozen solid. About 4 to 6 hours.
• When berries are completely frozen, remove cookie sheet from freezer and place frozen berries in a ziploc bag for safe storage to use later.
• Return bag of berries to freezer.

Celery and Peanut Butter

We got 4 bunches of celery from our two baskets this week. Here's what we did with one bunch.
This is a simple lunch that my kids LOVED.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of celery (trim off the bottom and tops, you can leave on the leaves)
1 cup of Peanut Butter (or any nut butter; almond)
1 cup Raisins
1 cup raw Sunflower Seeds
1/4 Cup milled Flax (optional)
Chop the celery into 1/2 inch pieces and put in a large bowl, then add in all the other ingredients and mix well. I pulled out my hand mixer to get it mix well.

We served this with a bowl and spoon for lunch as well as a side of plums. This makes a lot so you could easily halve it.

September 3rd

4 bananas
1 head green leaf lettuce
8 roma tomatoes
1 bunch spinach
1 celery
2 heads cauliflower
1 bag Thomas grapes
7 nectarines
6 bosc pears
15 plums
5 lb potatoes

Yum! Looking forward to making cauliflower soup, corn chowder (with my potatoes), spinach and tomato chicken with rice, and maybe another plum crisp. I don't have time today to do the cost analysis, but keep watching for these yummy recipes and more coming later this week!

Freezer Meals

After I came home from picking up my basket, I had my kiddos help me cut up and bag a good chunk of the produce to freezer for soup at a later date. I used gallon size bags and filled them each with chopped veggies that included

• 1 med zucchini
• 4 carrots
• 1/4 cabbage
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 head broccoli

Other veggies I have used in a variety of combinations include

• onions
• kale
• spinach
• tomatoes (cut or pureed)
• cauliflower
• corn
• annaheim peppers

Now, the next time I want to make hamburger stew I can pull a bag of veggies out of the freezer to toss in the crock pot instead of having to take the time to cut them the same day. To make hamburger stew I use these additional ingredients

• 1 lb hamburger (browned in a separate pan before adding, or crumbled in between veggies and cooked in crock pot)
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• water - enough to cover veggies

Combine all desired ingredients in crock pot and cook on low (6 to 8 hours) or high (3 to 4 hours).