Spring Stew

Tonight I made a quick 4 quart soup for myself, (Dan's at work). It took 10 minutes to prep and an hour to simmer on the stove. I sauteed 1/4 cup of diced white onion and 1 portabella mushroom with olive oil and thyme leaves. I then added about a cup of dried lentils and 3+1/2 cups of water. I tossed in a diced tomato, yukon potato, collard greens and a cup of tomato sauce. I seasoned the soup with sea salt, cumin and lemon juice...

 

The tomato sauce is in a recycled pickle jar... and yes the pickles were THAT spicy. I can't tell if Dan got me the pickles to be considerate or just plain evil.... I know he enjoyed watching my ears smoke and face turn red hot. I still ate the whole jar in 2 sittings. 

                I ate the entire soup for dinner...comfortably full.

Lunch before WORK

 

I needed lunch to tide me over for a few hours until my break at work. I made a quick and substantial salad like yesterday with additional portabella mushrooms and lightly steamed zucchini.

 

            I simply add the mushroom cap to a medium heated pan with salt and a fresh sprig of thyme.

I placed sliced zucchini in the same pan with salt and cayenne pepper. I added a small amount of water to coat the bottom of the pan to lightly steam the zucchini.

I added tomatoes, avocado, baby kale, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and cayenne pepper.

This meal only took me 10 minutes to make and should hold me over for a few hours... all I'm craving now is a kombucha!

Cobb Salad

 I made myself a protein rich salad for brunch. I had random RIPE produce in the fridge and needed to use it! I have recently been eating lots of beans in salads and stews (I finally got tired of lentils and needed to increase my variety). I've taken the convenience route and opted for canned beans. Eating home soaked then cooked dried beans are superior to canned beans because they have not been subjected to high heat in the canning process. However, I am still getting key nutrients from the canned goods. I like Eden's brand because they are organic and salt free. In my vegan Cobb salad I included: Organic Arugula, Organic Baby Kale (so good), Vine ripe Tomato, Avocado, Organic Radishes, Organic Red Onion, Organic fresh Dill, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Flax seeds and Lemon Juice with Sea Salt and ground Cumin. 

 

I have been fighting a cold for a week now...sad since I am never sick. I decided to increase my intake of the immune enhancing mineral ZINC by eating Pumpkin Seeds. I ate the whole bag in one sitting. According to my trusty book Prescription for Nutritional Healing zinc deficiency can cause fingernails to develop white spots... the horror! I have a couple of white spots on my thumb nails which may explain why I have recently been craving zinc rich foods such as legumes and pumpkin seeds.

 

  

I haven't had coffee in over a month. I managed to avoid painful withdrawal symptoms by drinking my side kick cure all Kombucha. I now average 2 kombuchas a day instead of the crazy expensive 4. Also,  I am not a huge fan of the Botanic varieties because they are never effervescent but this one had the immune boosting herb Elderberry = smart choice.

The RAW truth....

 

 

This morning I was craving a sweet snack that I could eat quickly. I picked up some"RAW" macaroons. As I read the ingredient list I learned that 4 out of the 5 ingredients were not RAW... And although the cooking process takes place in a dehydrator "at low temperatures," the company does not state that the temperature is under 118 degrees. Although these snacks are much healthier than the mainstream macaroon, if you are a die-hard RAW foodist it is really important to read the ingredient list. You can't judge a product by its cover. There are no regulations for using the word "RAW" on food packaging, therefore is up to the consumer to be diligent... Readinbetweenthelines.

 

 

 Even though I was a bit miffed about the lack of integrity in the marketing of this brand, I still ate them ALL...don't judge. The macaroons were tasty and moist. There were about 6 bite sized treats in the bag for $4.99.

 

 HOWEVER, this past Saturday I found EMMY'S macaroons at a small health food store close to my parents' house...and they beat out Hail Merry's in flavor profile and RAW quality. Ingredients include: organic raw shredded coconut, organic raw agave nectar, organic raw cacao powder, non-gmo almond flour, organic raw coconut oil, fair trade vanilla flavor (alcohol-free), himalayan crystal salt. 5 out of the 7 ingredients are RAW...

 

source

Stay Tuned for my own version of truly RAW macaroons...

Delicious Ratatouille-ish

I had Thursday off so i spent a chunk of my free time food shopping. I visited Trader Joe's where I picked up mushrooms, asparagus, organic clementines, olives and a chocolate bar for my dad and black licorice for my mom, (Hugh's vacationing at their house so it's a mini offering).  I stopped at Shaw's on my way back home from visiting my mom and Hugh. I bought organic celery, organic carrots, 1 organic cucumber, organic arugula, zucchini, vine-ripe tomatoes, swiss chard, hummus for dan, green grapes, basil, red potatoes and brown rice spaghetti... This is the fullest the fridge has looked in awhile...very exciting! P.s. The stockpile of beer belongs to Dan.

It's restaurant week, which is really two weeks long... Dan has been working f.o.r.e.v.e.r. He has been trying to eat healthy throughout the day but it's not always easy when you are surrounded by tempting food and rarely have time to eat a meal during a work shift. He actually asked me to pick him up a multivitamin a few days ago...(I smiled when i received the text).

Thursday night I made my own version of ratatouille from ingredients I had on hand: Asparagus, zucchini, vine-ripe tomatoes, red potatoes, mushrooms, swiss chard, garlic and fresh basil. I was also adding some of the veggies on the cutting board to a salad (that's where the avocado ended up). I sauteed the garlic in oil until it browned and then added red potatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus, tomatoes, chard and basil. I seasoned the stew with sea salt, red chili flakes and a dash of apple cider vinegar.

 

 

Delicious! I was originally going to put it over the brown rice spaghetti, but we opted for just veggies... It was filling along with all the other snack food we had in the newly replenished fridge. I'm pretty sure i ate 8 clementines for dessert.

VEGGIES GALORE and SNACKS...

 

I went food shopping today for Dan's dinner.. I couldn't figure out what to make so I kept picking up various colorful veggies...not exactly a friendly wallet method... Ultimately I decided on a veggie marinara over whole wheat pasta, sauteed collard greens with butter beans and artichoke hearts topped with roasted roots veggies and dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt...I always make Dan large portions because that's how I eat but apparently he has a small stomach. (what's up with that chef?) 

 

FYI: I ate most of this dish... sorry Dan. I sauteed collard greens with olive oil, butter beans and chopped artichoke hearts. I finished it with lemon juice and topped it with roasted root veggies. Delicious!

 

I made the sauce with extra-virgin olive oil, leek, garlic, red onion, fresh thyme, red chili flakes, salt, button mushrooms, red bell pepper,  canned crushed tomatoes, fresh basil, lemon juice, and agave.

Last night Dan came home from a 16 hour shift and told me that he didn't eat anything all day except for tiramisu and a canolli. Where's the nutrition?! Ironically in the restaurant industry employees rarely eat...too much to do and too little time! He always opens the fridge at midnight looking for sustenance and too often there are only avocados and arugula so he reaches for the sugar loaded ice cream...
Today I picked up some healthier snack food items for his late night snack attack:

 

Organic Bananas, Hemp Chips with Organic Salsa, Clementines and Vegan trail mix!

 

 

Walnuts, Almonds, Cranberries, Raisins, Goji Berries,  Pumpkin Seeds and Golden berries!

 Hugh-man is visiting my mom and dad for a few days. He loves staying at the house and playing with his friends. I snapped some pictures before I dropped him off. He was licking his lips in anticipation for her home cooked meals...

Double Portabella Burger

 

 I made Dan a  double portabella burger for Dinner tonight. I toasted a multi-grain bun and added 2 sauteed mushrooms, quick sauteed sliced vine ripe tomatoes with red onion, and purple kale. He was a fan! This meal took about 20 minutes to prepare and it was super healthy!