Changing It Up

Hey! I'm just dropping in real quick to explain the redesign of my blog.

I realized the blog was becoming very focused on food, cooking, health, etc, and less on my life, random thoughts, and daily adventures. Of course food, cooking & health are all a huge part of my life, but still I wanted something more streamlined. So I created a brand new blog and redesigned this one to match! The new blog will become my primary blog and that's where you can follow me on this food challenge and my weekly ingredient and recipes. You may want to read my pilot post as well to see what I have in mind for the new blog. 

I will still keep this blog up and running, but it will be just for the daily life and personal stuff. I may not update it quite as frequently, but it will still be here and I'll try to post pictures and stories of the fun I find as often as possible.

To find the new blog, you can either click here or use the tab at the top of this page called "Get Real." Once you're on that page, a similar tab at the top will redirect you back to this part of the blog if you want to see what's going on in my life. That tab is called "My Reality."

Hope that all makes some sense. Thanks for reading!

Oh, and just to whet your appetite for what's to come next on this page....

Guatemala

Ingredient of the Week

Before I get to this week's ingredient, let me display my goods for the week from the Farmer's Market:

{cantaloupe, tomatoes, corn on the cob, garlic, carrots, green beans, and kettle corn}

This week's ingredient is tomato!

Tomatoes, although commonly known as a vegetable, are actually a fruit. They're a great source of antioxidants and are specifically rich in vitamin C and lycopene, among many other vital nutrients. Lycopene has many protective health factors such as building bone mass (especially important for us women), making skin less sensitive to UV light damage and reducing risk of cancer. Tomatoes are also important for promoting immune health (vitamin C) and vision/eye health, and they can even make your hair stronger and more shiny (thank you vitamin A!).  

All in all, plenty of reasons to eat tomatoes. And another little known fact - unlike many vegetables, cooking and processing tomatoes can actually make the lycopene more bioavailable. So feel free to cook up your tomatoes in sauces, soups, and any other way you may want to. Here are three ways I enjoyed tomatoes this week.

Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

4 beef steak tomatoes, halved horizontally

1/4c freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp chopped fresh oregano

1/4 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1. Pre=heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Wash tomatoes and cut in half horizontally. Place in a baking dish, cut side up.

3. Top with parmesan, oregano, salt, and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until tomatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

(source)

**I didn't measure anything for this recipe, just sprinkled and drizzled until it looked right.

 {before going in the oven}

{served with couscous and greens}

Bruschetta
5 roma tomatoes
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/8+ cup fresh basil, shredded
fresh bread

1. Boil a pan of water. Remove from heat and cook tomatoes 1-2 minutes, covered. Remove tomatoes, discard water. 

2. Let tomatoes cool slightly; chop tomatoes, removing skin if desired. Place in medium bowl. 

3. Add next 4 ingredients and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Slice bread and bake until crunchy at 350 degrees, or brown in a sauté pan using butter on bread (similar to making a grilled cheese).

5. Top bread with bruschetta.

(I don't know where I got this recipe from originally.)

{step 1}

{step 2}

{step 3, after mixed well}

{step 4}

{step 5}

Caprese Salad

beef steak tomatoes

fresh mozzarella cheese

fresh basil

extra-virgin olive oil

balsamic vinegar

salt and fresh ground black pepper

1. Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella into equally thick pieces.

2. Clip fresh basil into whole leaves, wash and dry well.

3. Layer tomato, mozzarella cheese, and basil. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

 {pre-dressing drizzle}

{quick and easy lunch for work!}

Enjoy!

Ingredient of the Week: Aug 12

My ingredient of the week for the week of August 12: cilantro.

Cilantro is also known as coriander, and all parts of the plant can be used. Most commonly used are the leaves and dried seeds of the plant. This is one of my favorite herbs and I especially love it in the summer. It has citrus overtones and adds so much flavor to dishes. Here are a few ways I used it the week mentioned (although, I must admit - the first recipe I actually made a couple months back). Both recipes came from Better Homes & Gardens magazine.

Coconut Shrimp with Mango Salsa (serves 4)

1 lime

2 mangoes, halved, seeded, peeled and chopped

¼ c honey

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Snipped fresh cilantro

12 oz fresh or thawed frozen large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 c unsweetened flaked coconut (~4oz)

Lime wedges (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. Finely shred 1 tsp peel from lime and squeeze juice from lime; add lime juice to blender with 1 cup of the chopped mango, the honey and cayenne pepper; cover and process until smooth. Remove ¼ cup to shallow dish. Transfer remaining to bowl; top with lime peel and snipped fresh cilantro. Set aside for dipping sauce.

2. Rinse shrimp; pat dry. Sprinkle with salt. Place coconut in shallow dish. Dip shrimp in the ¼ cup mango sauce and then coconut, pressing to coat. Place on baking sheet.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until coconut is golden and shrimp are cooked through. Serve with dipping sauce, remaining chopped mango, cilantro, and lime wedges.

{served with sautéed zucchini, extra mangos, the dipping sauce, and a missing side of pasta - horrible presentation, I know}

Garden Veggie Linguine with Cilantro Pesto

8oz dry whole grain linguine or fettuccine

8oz baby zucchini, halved lengthwise, or 1 small zucchini, sliced

8oz package peeled fresh baby carrots, halved

2 seedless oranges

½ c olive oil

1 c fresh cilantro leaves

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp minced garlic or dried garlic

½ tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to instructions on package, adding zucchini and carrots in last 5 minutes (may add carrots sooner as they take longer to become tender). Drain; reserve ¼ c pasta water. Return pasta to pan.

2. For pesto, peel and quarter one orange. In processor combine orange, olive oil, cilantro, pasta water, salt, mustard, garlic, and red pepper. Blend well, until it becomes a pesto consistency.

3. Peel and chop remaining orange. Toss pasta, pesto, and orange slices together; top with extra cilantro and orange peel.

*I always add extra veggies to the pasta as I'm cooking it because I like a lot of veggies. Specifically, I usually add yellow squash and sometimes broccoli.

As a flavoring/seasoning

Add cilantro to guacamole, salsas, dressings {honey-cilantro or cilantro-lime}, salads, or any variety of food for a citrus-y burst of flavor!

{here I added cilantro to my shrimp salad}

Enjoy!

Ingredient of the Week

Ingredient of the week for August 5th: peaches!

Peaches are one of my favorite items from the plethora of summer produce. I enjoy them almost every week, but usually I just eat them as a snack in their raw and natural form. This week though, I enjoyed peaches in a few ways other than simply plain. Here are my recipes/ideas for the week:

Fruit Salsa (great for topping fish, chicken, or even eaten with pita or tortilla chips)

2 fresh peaches, peeled and chopped

2/3 c diced red pepper

2 tbsp each, fresh cilantro & white wine vinegar

1 tbsp each, sugar and olive oil

1/3 c minced red onion

1 avocado, diced (add just before serving)

½ tsp each, salt and fresh ground pepper

Mix all ingredients in small bowl and chill 1-2 hours.

{served over grilled salmon}

(I got this recipe from my mom; not sure of the original source.)

Peach Smoothie

1½ c frozen fruit (any combination you like - below is what I chose)

Peaches

Pineapples

Mango

Papaya

Strawberries

Low fat vanilla yogurt, about 1/3c

Orange juice, enough so that about 1/4 - 1/3 of fruit in blender is covered

Blend all together and enjoy!

Fresh (As Is)

As a snack - whole or sliced

As a topping on oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, ice cream, etc.

 Enjoy!