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?  

Creating a Compost Area

This is the spot! Right behind Addy will be our new compost station.

Luckily we have a big backyard. Addyson and her dad scope out the perfect spot for a compost pile. I must admit we have been composting for years but I use the word composting lightly. It was more like throwing scraps in the chicken area and calling it a day! I would bury some of the scraps periodically. Now we have decided to do it right. Well as close to right as we can. Hopefully next year we can use the compost in our garden area.

Yummy Natural Bug Repellent

Apparently mosquito's hate the smell of vanilla!  Who knew?  Luckily, I love the smell of vanilla.  Although we don't have a lot of mosquito's in Kanab it is always good to have bug spray on hand in case we go to Duck Creek. 

Recipe:
2 oz of pure, clear and sugarless vanilla extract
2 oz of water

* Be sure you use the clear sugarless kind otherwise you'll be a buffet for other bugs.

It's a Strata not a Quiche!

Daron and I are always looking for creative ways to use the fresh eggs we get from "the girls"  and I am always looking for ways to increase the veggies in our diet.  This recipe from Cooking Light combines both plus my LOVE for goat cheese.  I of course didn't read the recipe thoroughly before starting so I didn't layer it.  I just dumped it all together and it turned out fantastic.  To make it even better my husband LOVED it. I think the key is NOT calling it a quiche.  Men don't like the name and would never say to their friends "My wife made this great quiche last night" so be sure and call it a Strata.  Strata sounds more manly and men like foods that start with the letter S (think Stromboli, subs, salami).   He even ate the leftovers for lunch the next day.  My three year old however not so much.  Due to my health/fitness days I think it is important to add that artichoke hearts are rich in fiber, vitamin C, potassium, folic acid and magnesium. 

Artichokes & Goat Cheese Strata
To make ahead, prepare through step 2, cover, and chill. Before baking, let bread mixture stand at room temperature 10 minutes while the oven preheats. Then assemble and bake. The cook time will increase by about 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley.

Total: 1 hour, 39 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped shallots (about 1 large)
• 1  (10-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried herbes de Provence
• 1 3/4  cups  1% low-fat milk
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 4  large eggs
• 1/3  cup  (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/2  (1-pound) loaf country-style white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
• Cooking spray
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese, divided

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in artichoke hearts and garlic; cook for 8 minutes or until artichoke hearts begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in herbes de Provence. Cool 10 minutes.
2. Combine milk, black pepper, salt, and eggs in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bread; toss gently to combine. Stir in artichoke mixture, and let stand for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375°.
4. Spoon half of bread mixture into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with half of goat cheese, and top with remaining bread mixture. Sprinkle remaining half of goat cheese over top. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until browned and bubbly.