Garden update

Today I realized that my plants are actually growing!!! I took a photo of my lettuce plant.  The onions and lettuce and strawberries are doing the best.  Tomatoes seem very slow to grow.

Recycled Garden Box Update

Carrots - the seeds haven't sprouted at all.

Chamomile and Basil - new plants that's why they are still green! Ha ha.

We've managed to keep the strawberries, lettuce and basil alive.

Had a lot of little onions to plant so I added some around the yard to see where/if they grow.

Extra onions that are probably too close together.

Salsa garden in the HEAVY iron tub.  No sprouts from seeds but plants doing ok.

Sunflower seeds doing great.

A Kale Chip is Oh So Hip!

How did I get so behind the times?  Apparently people have been eating Kale chips forever.  Well this week Daron's mom and I made not only Kale chips but Swiss Chard chips too.  We liked both.  Daron even ate them.  Eating them and truly liking them are two different things but he will eat them and get some veggie nutrition so that is a score for me!  I LOVE the texture - the kale ruffles really make them crunchy and cool tasting.  There are many recipe variations so I would suggest trial and error.  We like ours just a tad bit brown. See how I do it below.

Wash kale and rip leaf off the stems.

Place on tinfoil covered cookie sheet and sprinkle with olive oil and salt.

Bake at 425 for 10ish minutes.

Eating More Greens Thanks to the Food Co-op

Basket of fruits and vegetables from a local food co-op.

Prepping the fruit so that it is easy and convenient to eat.

Prepping the stir fry veggies & herbs and keeping them in canning jars for convenience.

I have really enjoyed being  part of our local food co-op called Bountiful Baskets.  Initially, I thought it was local food but upon further investigation realized that wasn't the case.  The food comes mainly from Arizona, Washington, Utah, California, Idaho, Texas and Mexico. They will however start offering organic fruits and vegetables which I am looking forward too.  The co-op does save you money and fosters the feeling of community.  You get a basket of fruits and vegetables (about 30 lbs) for $15.  In addition you are challenged  to try new things since you never know exactly what fruits and veggies you will get.  I discovered that my family loves turnip fries and that I am the ONLY one in the house that will eat cauliflower.

Peppers, Peppers, Peppers!

Vegetarian Chimichurri stuffed bell pepper with fresh green beans and a side salad.

Turkey stuffed Poblano pepper with a side of corn chips.

As you know I have been trying to cook with more vegetables and less or no meat.  This week our food co-op offered a Mexican package in addition to the regular veggie/fruit basket.  I ended up with A LOT of peppers.  Jalapeno peppers, Poblano peppers, green bell peppers and a pepper that I don’t recognize and am afraid to try!  Time to Google peppers! It also included Mexican squash, cilantro, garlic and onions. 

We had the Poblano and white bean tacos the other night but I still had four Poblano peppers left.  I also had some ground turkey meat that I needed to use.  I decided stuffed peppers would work - some with turkey meat and some vegetarian. Add some fresh cilantro leaves to the top of the finished peppers!

Turkey stuffed peppers

Ground turkey meat – about ½ lb

½ can of black beans

½ can of corn

3 cloves of garlic (I like garlic)

½ onion

Mexican or taco seasoning (to taste)

Small can of tomato paste

1/2 cup – 1 cup of grated cheese (Mexican blend, cheddar or jack cheese)

1 Poblano pepper or 1 Bell pepper – roasted (or heated a bit), peeled, seeded, cut in half

1.      Pre-heat oven 350 degrees. 

2.      In a medium saucepan, heat the oil, garlic and onion over medium heat. Add the turkey and stir frequently until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

3.      Add beans, corn, taco seasoning and tomato paste.  Stir frequently and then let simmer until all is warm.

4.      Fill peppers and sprinkle with cheese

5.      Put in oven until cheese is melted (10 minutes).

Vegetarian stuffed peppers with chimichurri sauce

Ingredients

½ can of black beans

½ can of corn

½ onion

3 Tbsp Chimichurri sauce

1/2 cup – 1 cup of grated cheese (Mexican blend, cheddar or jack cheese)

1 Poblano pepper or 1 Bell pepper – roasted (or heated a bit), peeled, seeded, cut in half

1.      Pre-heat oven 350 degrees. 

2.      In a medium saucepan, heat the oil, garlic and onion over medium heat.

3.      Add beans, corn, taco seasoning and tomato paste.  Stir frequently and then let simmer until all is warm.

4.      Fill peppers and sprinkle with cheese

5.      Put in oven until cheese is melted (10 minutes).

There are many great chimichurri recipes out there this is what I used.   

 Ingredients

• 1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of thick stems
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 Finely chop the parsley, fresh oregano, and garlic (or process in a food processor several pulses). Place in a small bowl.
2 Stir in the olive oil, vinegar and salt.  Adjust seasonings.
Serve immediately or refrigerate. If chilled, return to room temperature before serving. Can keep for a day or two.
Serves 4.

Our Girls - Not Strictly Grain Fed

This is my beautiful girl Miss "J"

Miss Cayenne, Powder & Miss "J" waiting for some cheese.

Addy feeding the girls and thanking them for their yummy eggs.

Would you believe that our girls LOVE buffalo meat, fish, cheese and pasta.  They don't seem to eat much of the veggies we put out.  They do like watermelon and corn on the cob. We love these girls and they give us an egg a day for the most part. I guess you could say our eggs are from free range chickens that are not strictly grain fed! 

Makeup - Many Reasons to Go Green

Zu Zu foundation, Larenim minteral skin care and Kiss My Face lip color.

Physicians Formula - Licorice Extract & Tomato Derivatives help brighten skin and diminish the appearance of sun spots. Hypoallergenic. Fragrance Free. Paraben Free. Non-Irritating.  Non-Comedogenic. Oil-Free.

ZuZu eyeliner and Beauty Without Cruelty mascara

I have been thinking for years about using all natural organic based cosmetics.  Finally I thought to myself what are you waiting for? So I switched over and no it wasn't any more expensive than my ordinary cosmetics.  In addition, I had to buy them at our closest natural grocery store which is an hour and a half away. Since our local grocery stores don't sell this type of makeup it lessens the chance of impulse buying.
Think about how many lipsticks or eye colors you buy on impulse and never use?  Now that is a waste of money.

I love the eyeliner because it goes on smooth and doesn't leave splinters in my eyelid!  The Larenim powder is terrific. It is called Dusk til Dawn and I use it before I put on my makeup and a little after then at night before bed.  It is a  pearl colored powder and it makes my skin feel good and I swear it has made some of my sun spots fade.  It is anti-microbial, very healing and helps protect your skin from the sun! 

You'll notice all of the products are paraben free.  What the heck is a paraben you ask?  Well I would suggest you do your own research. The main reason I don't want it in our house is the fact that it is known to mimic estrogen. Sorry but women are hormonal enough without adding additional chaos to the mix!  In fact, ladies who wear a lot of makeup, have perfectly coiffed hair, and flawless mani pedi's are bitchier aren't they?  Hmmm could there be a connection?