Sausage Zucchini Bake

I am still getting quite a few zucchini from our garden, so I've been trying to use it up in tasty ways.  I saw a recipe for sausage zucchini bake on Kitchen Stewardship and thought I'd try it.  I made a few modifications based on things I had on hand, so click on the link above for the original recipe. 

This was really good!  We all really enjoyed it a lot.  I think this is a new favorite way to use up zucchini.  The leftovers were great, too... and for those of you that know me, you know I don't usually care for leftovers... so for me to say they were good is a pretty big thing.  :) 

This is a really affordable recipe.  Even moreso if you have a garden.  The zucchini, tomato, and onion all came from my garden.  The pasta sauce was homemade.  The pork sausage was local, organic, pastured.  I did use up some conventional shredded cheese that I had in the freezer for this, but I'll use local, raw cheese in the future. 

Another great thing about this dish is that it can be prepped ahead.  I prepped everything ahead 24 hours in advance - cooked the sausage/onions, sliced the zucchini and tomato.  So it was super fast to assemble and pop in the oven for dinner.  We've been more pressed for time than normal lately, with my working longer hours at work, so having something easy to prep and get cooking is essential for us these days. 

Something else to note, I only made a 9x9 pan of this, yet I still used the quantities listed below.  It filled my casserole dish to the top, but it was delicious! 

Sausage Zucchini Bake

1 pound sausage
1 chopped onion
1-2 large zucchini
1 jar pasta sauce, preferably homemade
1-2 tomatoes, sliced
2 cups shredded cheese

Slice you zucchini into 1/2" thick slices.  Don't worry about peeling it.  Sprinkle the zucchini with salt and let drain. 

Meanwhile, brown sausage. Saute onion in with the meat. 

Pour a little pasta sauce in a 9×13 glass baking dish. Layer zucchini on top.

Mix the remaining spaghetti sauce in a large bowl with the sauteed meat.  Pour over top of the zucchini.

Layer sliced tomatoes on top, then sprinkle with cheese.  (Look at that yummy tomato... fresh from the garden... I love this time of year!)

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15-30 minutes longer, until the cheese is browned and the sides are bubbling.


This post is linked to:
Grain Free Real Food Carnival @ Real Food Forager

Meal plans and the week ahead

We have another busy week ahead of us. Today we are going to church in Swartz Creek. Not sure what else we'll do today. We may go hiking if the weather is nice this afternoon. Monday I'm going to a free Zumba class at the beach in Linden. Tuesday afternoon I go back to the dentist to get my crown put on. I'll be glad to get the temporary one off. And hopefully this is the end of it and I won't end up needing a root canal in the near future.  I think Kevin is going biking with some buddies on Tuesday night.  Wednesday I am going to PF Changs for dinner with a bunch of people from work to send off my old boss. She's moving to Virginia and we're all going to miss her so much! Thursday I am going to Sault Ste. Marie for work. Thursday night is also the Back to the Bricks cruise down Saginaw that we're hoping to go check out. Friday is my flex day. I'm not sure what our plans will look like yet. Its possible we'll end up in Grand Rapids to visit some out of state family. Or we might meet up with my cousin and her son to go to the Genesee County Fair.  But I probably should really stay home and can some tomatoes since we are getting a good amount of ripe tomatoes. I'd like to do a batch of chopped tomatoes and a batch of salsa. Saturday morning, we'd like to get up and go for a family bike ride. I might can a batch of pasta sauce, too... we'll see if I get enough tomatoes this week yet. Otherwise, I'm not sure what we're doing on Saturday.

Here's what I'm thinking for meals...

Breakfasts:

• Fried eggs; bacon
• Smoothies
• Hard boiled eggs; fresh fruit
• Yogurt with crispy nuts and fruit

Lunches and snacks:

• Leftovers
• Roasted beet and feta salad
• Frijole mole dip with cucumbers and carrots
• Apple slices with almond butter
• Crispy nuts
• Fresh fruit and veggies
• Peach fruit leather

Dinners:

• S - grilled bbq chicken; grilled zucchini; fresh tomatoes; grilled peaches
• M - grilled steak; grilled baked potatoes; green beans
• T - zucchini nachos; corn on the cob; fresh fruit
• W - leftovers
• Th - eggplant/zucchini parmesan; green beans; corn on the cob
• F - crockpot beef roast with carrots, kohlrabi, and corn on the cob
• Sa - tbd... we'll see what we end up doing.

Zucchini Boats

We've been fortunate to have another bumper crop of zucchini again this year. Although, is there ever a year where everyone doesn't have a bumper crop of zucchini? :) It seems like its the veggie plant that just keeps on giving. Good thing we like zucchini! I generally use a lot of zucchini to bake with this time of year, but since we are trying to eat mostly paleo or primal, I'm not doing much dessert baking with it. We've been using most of it in our dinners - either as the main dish or a side dish. Something we've made a few times this year and have made many times over in years past (but I've never posted them) - are zucchini boats.

I don't ever follow a recipe, per se. I just throw together a bunch of random items that I have on hand and stuff it into the zucchini boats. There are lots of ideas out there for different concoctions and we've made our own versions of most of them... cheeseburger zucchini boats, italian meatball zucchini boats, taco zucchini boats, pizza zucchini boats, greek zucchini boats, etc. You can stuff them with just about anything. The night that this particular picture was taken (sorry I didn't get a picture after they were cooked!), I just through together some ground beef, diced tomatoes, diced onion, and diced bell pepper. Then I sprinkled on a little raw colby cheese about half way through cooking. It was a great tasting, healthy, and very quick weeknight dinner.

The idea for any zucchini boat is the same. I like to use medium sized zucchinis. You'll want to scoop out the seeds, just so you have a small hollow area to stuff. I've even mixed the seeds/flesh into my stuffing mixture before so I'm not wasting anything. Then throw together whatever sounds good to you for stuffing the zucchini. Stuff the zucchini boats. Place them in a casserole dish or on a baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes at 375, until done. Super easy!

Here are some ideas that I have made and we have liked:

• ground beef, ketchup, mustard, relish, cheese (cheeseburger)
• meatballs, pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese (italian meatball)
• ground beef, diced onion, diced bell pepper, minced garlic, pasta sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese
• ground beef, taco seasoning, salsa - then serve with sour cream, avocado/guacomole (taco)
• ground lamb, feta, diced onions, diced olives (greek)
• ground beef/sausage, mushrooms, banana peppers, pepperoni, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese (pizza)
• ground beef, sausage, shredded cabbage, diced onion, diced tomatoes, ketchup

This post is linked to:
Traditional Tuesdays @ Delicious Obsessions
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival @ Hartke is Online
Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist
Simple Lives Thursday @ GNOWFGLINS

Meal plans and the week ahead

We've been having a really fun weekend with a swimming playdate on Friday and a day trip to Holland yesterday. So I guess its probably time to work today and get some things done in the yard. Although we may still make some time to play and go water skiing at my aunt's.  We'll see what the day brings, but we do want to make the most of the water since it's supposed to cool off this week.  I'm not ready for the cool off - I love the heat (as long as I can also escape to the a/c when needed).  Its too soon to be cooling down already.  We want more beach time, at least one more trip to the splash pad, more water ski time, more pool time!  Guess we'll have to start putting the solar cover on the pool.  And hopefully it'll heat up again next week. 

We've got lots of fun things planned this week. Monday, I'm going to a yoga class in Swartz Creek with a friend. Tuesday, I am going to the local WAPF chapter meeting.  We're hearing about gut health this week, so it should be a good one again.  Then we are going to the ski show with my BIL, SIL, niece, and nephews on Tuesday evening. Wednesday we are taking advantage of the cooler weather and going hiking. Kevin is helping his brother with some stuff.  Thursday Kevin is going mountain biking with some buddies and Carson and I are possibly meeting some friends at a local park for some play time. we are taking a family hike.  Friday I have to pick up the milk and CSA order after work. Saturday we are headed down to Belle Isle for the day with some friends. So it'll be a busy, but super fun week!

I have no idea what I am going to do this week as far as extras. I know I'll freeze beans, sweet corn, and zucchini. But I haven't thought much past that. We're getting some tomatoes, plus lots of zucchini, so maybe I'll make some zucchini salsa. We'll see if I end up with some time later this week.

Breakfasts:

• Fried eggs with bacon
• Yogurt with fruit and crispy nuts
• Smoothies
• Frittata muffins
• Hard boiled eggs

Lunches and Snacks:

• Leftovers
• Salads with leftover meat/veggies
• Cucumber-tomato-onion italian salad
• Fruit
• Crispy nuts
• Fruit rolls
• Hard boiled eggs
• Sliced cheese
• Pickles

Dinners:

• S: grilled steaks; corn on the cob; zucchini and beans sauteed in olive oil and garlic
• M: grilled sweet italian sausages (local); corn on the cob; green beans; fresh fruit
• T: Jimmy Johns Unwiches at the ski show
• W: zucchini noodles with pasta sauce; roasted veggies
• Th: grilled bbq chicken; sausage zucchini bake; corn on the cob; green beans; caprese salad
• F: salads with leftover bbq chicken, veggies, and crispy nuts; ratatouille; fresh fruit
• Sa: in Detroit, maybe in Greektown?

Meal plans and the week ahead

We don't really have too much going on again this week, which is nice. Today we're headed to church and possibly to the farmers' market afterwards. Tuesday morning, I am going to the dentist to get prepped for a new crown. Is it bad that I sort of hope I feel too crummy to go back to work afterwards? ;-p Too bad that probably won't happen.  Maybe we'll go to the ski show on Tuesday night - we haven't been since June.  We'll see what we feel like doing.  Thursday I have to drop the milk jars off to Dianne. Friday is my flex day. Carson and I are hanging out with Kati and Tony. I'm not sure what we're going to do yet. Saturday, we may end up making a day trip to Holland - to the Dutch Village and Holland State Park beach.  We need to check to see if Kevin's grandparents will be around so we can stop to see them quick on our way home, maybe.  We were supposed to go camping this weekend, but as of even 5 weeks ago, there were literally zero sites available at about 20 different state parks that I looked into. So we're not going camping.  We're thinking about maybe doing some backyard camping, though... just depends on whether we go to Holland or not.

Since I am roasting a chicken today, I'll be making some chicken stock tomorrow.  I'm also dehydrating some crispy pine nuts and crispy pecans right now.  I'm out of mayo and ranch dressing, so I'll be making some later today.  I think I'll probably make another batch of pesto to freeze, too.  And I'll be freezing more beans again this week.  I'm getting some orange and red bell peppers, so I'll probably chop some of those up to freeze, as well.  Not sure what else yet.  I may finally make some nut butter bread, but I'm not sure yet. 

Breakfasts:

• Primal egg casserole
• Yogurt with crispy pecans and/or fruit
• Smoothies
• Herb baked eggs; bacon

Lunches & Snacks:

• Leftovers from dinners
• Leftover split pea soup
• Cashew avocado chicken salad (with pecans instead of cashews)
• Roasted veggie soup (from leftover roasted veggies)
• Deviled eggs
• Crispy pecans

Dinners:

• S: crockpot rotisserie chicken; roasted veggies (carrots, cauliflower, peppers, corn, summer squash)
• M: zucchini parmesan with zucchini and summer squash; green beans; fresh fruit
• T: modified chicken chili with pesto (no beans, extra veggies)
• W: grilled chicken; caprese salad; summer squash sauteed in olive oil and garlic
• Th: grilled beef kebabs with onions, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers; creamy cucumber salad
• F: grilled salmon with pesto; summer squash, zucchini, and kale sauteed in olive oil and garlic; fresh fruit
• Sa:  TBD... in Holland/GR?  or over a backyard campfire? 

Paleo Dolmades (a.k.a. grape leaves)

As I mentioned in my post for chicken souvlaki, we had a greek feast with some friends on Saturday.  I decided to make some dolmades/grape leaves to go along with our meal.  Some people think making dolmades is really labor intensive, but I don't think so.  Yes, they take some time to roll up each dolma, but it goes really quickly, in my opinion.  I prepped these the night before so they were ready to stick in the oven to cook before dinner on Saturday.  And I probably only spent about 20-30 minutes prepping them on Friday night... which I don't consider bad at all. 

I used my own pickled grape leaves for these, but you can pick up a jar at the store in the international section, also.  Normally, dolmades have rice in them, but since we are avoiding grains as much as possible, I decided to try making them without the rice.  They turned out great!  No one missed the rice at all and everyone commented about how delicious they were. 

Paleo Dolmades

1 jar grape leaves
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
3 Tablespoons dried dill
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken broth

Take the grape leaves out of the jar, rinse, and drain. 

Mix the ground beef, onions, dill, mint, tomatoes, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. 

Place one grape leaf on a flat surface.  Place a small amount of the meat mixture (about 2-3 Tablespoons, maybe?) in the center of the bottom part of the leaf. 

Fold the bottom pieces of the grape leaf up over the meat. 

Then fold in each side of the grape leaf.  Once the sides are folded in, start to roll it up.  You'll want to roll it pretty tightly.

Then place the rolled dolma into a casserole dish.  You'll want to pack in the dolmades very tightly so that they are held in place during the cooking and don't risk opening up. 

Once you have all your dolmades in your casserole dish, pour the chicken broth over top, just enough to cover.  I actually ended up switching mine to a different casserole dish so that it wasn't filled to the top edge and wouldn't risk boiling over in the oven.  You can do all of this ahead of time.  If you are prepping ahead, cover the dish and stick it in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them. 

When you are ready to cook the dolmades, preheat your oven to 375.  Cover your casserole dish with its lid (or foil if you don't have a lid) and bake for an hour to an hour and a half.  I cooked mine for an hour and a half.  Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and serve!  I've had dolmades with a tomato based sauce over them, an egg based sauce, and tzatziki.  They are great with any of these!  I decided to serve mine on Saturday with tzatziki. 



This post is linked to:
Traditional Tuesdays @ Delicious Obsessions
Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Simple Lives Thursday @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
Primal Cave @ Primal Toad
Grain Free Real Food Carnival @ Real Food Forager

Chicken Souvlaki

We had some friends over yesterday and I prepared a Greek feast for dinner... chicken souvlaki, dolmades (post to come), tzatziki, greek salad, and fresh fruit.  It was soooo good!  Everyone loved it, even the kids ate really well. 

Souvlaki always goes over really well.  It's such a simple thing, yet full of delicious flavor.  It's one of my favorite things to make in the summer on the grill.  I've tried it indoors in the winter in a grill pan and it's great, too... but you really can't beat the grill.  :)  I posted the recipe for pork souvlaki a couple of years ago, but I most often make chicken souvlaki.  So I figured I'd post it for chicken... plus, I've changed a couple ingredients, which are reflected below. 

Chicken Souvlaki

2 pounds chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 medium onion
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 heaping teaspoon sea salt
1 heaping teaspoon black pepper
1/4 - 3/8 cup cold-pressed, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping teaspoon dried Greek oregano
wooden skewers, soaked overnight

Cut the chicken breasts into uniform pieces/chunks.  Cut the ends off your onion and then slice into quarters.  Separate the layers into a large bowl.  Add your remaining ingredients.  Then add chicken and toss to coat.  Place in the fridge for at least 5 hours and for best results, overnight. 

Place your wooden skewers in a shallow baking dish that’s filled with water. Allow the wooden skewers to soak overnight.  This prevents them from disintegrating when grilling.

The next day, skewer your chicken.  I add some of the onions on the skewers, too. 

Pre-heat your grill.  When you have a medium-high heat, grill your souvlaki skewers for 3-4 minutes a side and then keep warm until all the souvlaki are cooked. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on your souvlaki, followed by a sprinkle of fine sea salt and dried Greek oregano.


This post is linked to:
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival @ Hartke is Online
Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist
Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet
Simple Lives Thursday @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
Primal Cave @ Primal Toad

Meal plans and the week ahead

Is it really a new week already? Last week went by so fast. Work was really crazy and I expect this week to be more of the same. I'll be glad after August 1st when things slow down a little... at least I hope they do.  In theory, they should slow down at least a little... if we can close the deal by our deadline anyway. 

We don't have much going on this week at all, which will be nice since I'm sure I'll be working long days. Today we'll be going to church and the farmers' market. If I get out of work early enough on Wednesday, I'd like to take Carson blueberry picking at a local place. They have a special on Wednesdays for $1/pound, so I'd really like to go picking. Friday is my milk and CSA pickup day, so I'll take care of that after work. Saturday, we're going over to my Aunt Roberta's house for a going away party for my cousins Zach and Matt. They've both enlisted - one in the National Guard and one as a Ranger in the Army - and they leave for boot camp within the next week or so. That's about it for our plans this week! Hopefully we'll get some things accomplished around the house/yard. We have a lot of unfinished projects right now. We have others we want to start on, but really need to finish up the older ones first.

Assuming we go blueberry picking, I'll freeze more blueberries.  I'd also like to make some blueberry topping to freeze and maybe some blueberry-raspberry jam.  I'd also like to make some fermented/pickled beets and some fermented pickles.  And we'll be picking blackberries from our patch this week.  We're also starting to get zucchini and beans, so I may need to freeze some of each. 

So anyway, on to the meals..

Breakfasts:

• Yogurt with fruit
• Fried eggs with sausage links
• Frittata muffins with leftover sausage
• Smoothies

Lunches and Snacks:

• Leftovers
• Greek salad with leftover chicken souvlaki
• Egg salad with avocado
• Creamy cucumber salad
• Cucumbers and bell peppers with pesto dip
• Raisins
• Fresh fruit
• Strawberry fruit leather

Dinners:

• S:  paleo stuffed zucchini; roasted beets and carrots; salad; fresh fruit
• M:  leftover chicken souvlaki; leftover grape leaves; fruit salad
• T:  grilled brat burgers; grilled zucchini; cucumber-tomato-onion salad with italian dressing
• W:  chicken breasts stuffed with tomato-basil-garlic chevre and spinach; sauteed kale; cuc-tom-onion salad; fruit
• Th:  roasted whitefish on peas; salad; fruit 
• F:  crockpot split pea soup
• Sa:  eating at the enlistment party... I'm bringing tomato avocado cucumber salad

Honey and Vinegar Braised Short Ribs over Spinach

Last month, in preparation for getting this year's grass-fed beef order, I was trying to use up some of the last few remaining cuts of beef from last year. I had some short ribs left, so I went looking for a recipe. I came across this one on Epicurious that sounded pretty tasty.  I did make some changes to it, which are reflected in the recipe below. These turned out awesome. They had a wonderful flavor and we all loved them. They look and sound like a lot of work, but they actually weren't. I multi-tasked while they were browning and during the stovetop cook time, then the majority of the cook time is done in the oven. So they weren't really that labor intensive at all. 

Unfortunately, I didn't snap any final pictures, so you'll have to use your imagination, but they did look quite nice.  I did get a couple pictures of the stove top cooking, which are included below, at least.

Honey and Vinegar Braised Short Ribs over Spinach

2 tablespoons olive oil or lard
4 1/2 pounds beef short ribs (I'm not sure how many pounds I had... but these quantities still worked well)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onion
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
4 cups chicken broth
1-2 cups dry red wine
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1 pound baby spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil or lard in heavy large pot over high heat. I used my cast iron dutch oven. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown ribs, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Return all ribs to pot. Add carrots, onion, and garlic to ribs; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add honey; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar and boil until most of liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Add broth, red wine, thyme and bay leaf and boil 5 minutes. Cover; transfer to oven. Bake until meat almost falls off bone, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours.

Using tongs, transfer ribs to large bowl. Boil cooking liquid until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Mix 1 tablespoon butter and arrowroot powder in small bowl. Add to sauce; whisk to blend. Boil until thickened, 3 minutes. Mix in ribs.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in another large pot over medium-high heat. Add spinach; cook until just wilted, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide spinach among plates. Top with ribs and sauce.

Meal plans and the week ahead

I'm a little late posting this, as we've been in Grand Rapids for the weekend. We went to an absolutely beautiful wedding last night for one of my college friends - it was so much fun! This morning we got up and headed out to my BIL's and SIL's church for my nephew's baptism. What a wonderful thing to witness. After church, we went over to their house to have lunch and visit. It was great!

Tomorrow, I will hopefully be going to the dentist at some point. I've got a bad toothache. I think one of my crowns is loose or something. At least I hope that's all it is and I won't end up needing a root canal or something. I need to get fitted for a bite splint finally, too. I grind my teeth while I'm sleeping something fierce and I think that is what is causing my crown issue right now. Or maybe its the jaw clenching, who knows. Life has been really stressful lately... which makes the grinding and clenching even worse.... between Kevin's hurt back and his not being able to contribute much at home, to work being really crazy. I need to just relax, I guess. Anyway, hopefully my dentist can squeeze me in on Monday, if not then Tuesday. I can't take this pain much longer. As much as I really hate taking any drugs, the only way I can function is to keep ibuprofen in my system constantly. Otherwise, the pain is too bad and I can't concentrate on anything.  Update:  I went to the dentist...  Good news is I don't need a root canal!  It turns out I grind/clench my teeth so badly that I've worn a small hole in my crown so I need a new one... and the severe pain was probably caused by a really bad night or two of grinding/clenching and inflaming my jaw tissue.  Bad news is I have to wait two weeks before I can get a new one.  Looks like I'll be living on ibuprofen for a bit longer.  At least the pain is decreasing a bit each day as the inflammation goes down. 

Anyway, we don't really have any plans till Thursday, when I'll be going to my friend Destiny's baby shower. I need to drop our milk jars off at Dianne's too. Friday is my flex day. I think we might hang out with Kati and Tony again. If our pool is up and running finally, they may come over and swim. We may also go raspberry or blueberry picking. Or we may have a peach canning party.  Scratch that, not sure what I was thinking... the canning peaches aren't ready yet... won't be for another month, probably.  We'll have to talk this week and figure things out. Saturday afternoon/evening, we might be are having our friends Paul, Justine and their kids over. We haven't seen them in about 3 years since they moved out of state. But they recently moved back to Michigan, so we're excited to hang out with them again. Saturday night, we're all planning on going to a wakeboard tournament at a local private lake.

Our blackberries should start ripening this week, so I'm hoping to get a few quarts, at least, in the freezer. We've got tons of them on the bushes, plenty for fresh eating and freezing. I finally was able to freeze a good amount of our raspberries last week.... Carson normally eats them up fresh before I have a chance to freeze any, but I was able to get a few quarts in the freezer finally. I should be able to get about the same this week.

This week, I'll be freezing lots of broccoli. I'm also going to make and freeze some garlic scape pesto. And I'll be freezing more cherries and will start freezing some blueberries. I might pick up a half-bushel of peaches to can, as well. And maybe I'll do a batch of raspberry jam, too. We'll see how the week goes. I'm sure I'll come up with more, but that's all I can think of right now.

So here's what I'm thinking for meals....

Breakfasts:

• Scrambled eggs; sausage links
• Smoothies
• Yogurt with fruit
• Hard boiled eggs
• Omelets with veggies and cheese

Lunches and snacks:

• Leftovers
• Egg salad avocado boats
• Butternut squash soup from the freezer
• Creamy cucumber salad
• Hard boiled eggs
• Crispy nuts
• Kettle corn (from our out-of-town guest bags from the hotel stay this weekend)

Dinners:

• Grilled pork chops; roasted beets; steamed broccoli; grilled peaches
• Paleo tuna cakes; green beans sauteed with butter and garlic scapes; corn on the cob; raspberries, mulberries, and blueberries
• Chicken fajitas on the grill; avocado; sour cream; tomato
• Stuffed tomatoes; steamed broccoli and beans; applesauce
• Leftovers for K&C; S eating at baby shower
• Grilled burgers; grilled zucchini; roasted beets; grilled peaches
• TBD.... possibly Greek food if Kozaks like Greek...  We're going Greek... Chicken souvlaki; grape leaves; tomato avocado cucumber salad; greek salad; fresh fruit salad; and Kozaks are bringing baklava... yum! 

Meal plans and the week ahead

I am feeling really burnt out today. Last week was a crazy week at work full of long days. I stayed at work till 7:00 two different nights - and considering I only worked 3 days last week with the holiday.... It felt like a lot. One of my late nights, I ended up having to work from 10-midnight once I got home, too. And I ended up being on a 3-hour conference call on my flex day. No fun! I have to say, I'm thankful that I enjoy my job. Else I'd really be miserable! :) But it does take its toll on me, mentally and emotionally. With Kevin having limited ability to do much with his back just adds to my feeling overwhelmed. Hopefully this week is a little better.

This afternoon, we are meeting my in-laws, SIL, BIL, niece, and nephews at Crossroads Village for a ride on the Genesee Belle riverboat. Tuesday I will be going to a WAPF meeting in the afternoon. Wednesday, Kevin is hanging out with some buddies after work. So Carson and I are going to meet up with my cousin for dinner and walking. Friday is milk and CSA pickup, and we're going to the Gaines Rodeo. I'm also kind of hoping I can take Friday off without using any vacation time and just use my comp time from last week. We'll see how the week goes, I guess. If I take the day off, I'm going to take Carson cherry picking at one of the local orchards. There is one orchard that is doing both rapsberry and cherry picking right now... So maybe we'll go there so we can maybe do both. Even though we are getting a ton of raspberries on our own bushes, they have all been eaten fresh. I want to get some to freeze and to make raspberry jam... So maybe we'll go picking. Saturday we are headed to Grand Rapids for my friend Katie's wedding. We're planning to head out there early in the afternoon so we can take Carson swimming at the hotel pool before we have to get ready for the wedding. We're looking forward to some fun! Kevin and I haven't been dancing together in a long time, so we're looking forward to it! Hopefully his back is feeling a little better by then.

I'm working on cherries this week. I dried some yesterday and am going to make a few trays of cherry fruit rolls today. Carson loves snacking on homemade fruit rolls.  I'm going to make some cherry mousse today... only with real whipped cream and sweetened with honey... I'll try to remember to update the recipe after I make it.  I'll probably make a cherry crisp this week, too. We're still getting a lot of lettuce from our garden, so we are eating salads nearly everyday. I'm going to try a new dressing again this week... though I'm not quite sure what yet. Probably some sort of balsamic vinaigrette, but we'll see. I need to look though my saved dressing recipes still. I've got some almonds soaking so I can make crispy almonds... and more almond butter. I ordered some baby carrots from the CSA so I can make some more spicy carrots, too. And who know what else. That's all I have planned so far.

So here are my thoughts on meals....

Breakfasts:

• Fried eggs; bacon
• Smoothies
• Yogurt with fresh fruit
• Veggie omelets

Lunches and Snacks:

• Leftovers
• Big ol' salads
• Egg salad over lettuce
• Apples with almond butter
• Hard boiled eggs
• Fruit rolls
• Fresh fruit
• Raw veggies

Dinners:

• Grilled chicken; side salads with dried cherries, raw feta, and cucumbers; artichoke gratin; fruit salad
• Sloppy joes over veggies; side salads; fruit salad
• Salads with leftover grilled chicken, lots of veggies, dried cherries, and hard-boiled eggs
• Out to eat on Wednesday
• Beefy vegetable soup; side salads
• Leftovers on Friday
• Wedding on Saturday

Meatza

I found this on The Primalist a while back and knew I wanted to try it. So I made it for dinner a few weeks ago. This was really tasty! We all thought it actually did serve as a good substitute for pizza. It's a versatile recipe, too. You can pretty much use whatever you like or have on hand. And its very easy and quick to throw together. If you don't mind your child touching raw meat (I don't... that's what hand-washing is for), its a lot of fun for the kids to help press out the meat layer. Carson loved helping with that, at least.

I made some subtle changes to the original recipe. Mostly, I just scaled it back for our small family of three (and still had plenty leftover for lunches). I'll post the recipe below as I made it.

Meatza

Beef mixture:
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder

Toppings:
Use whatever you like. Here's what we used:
homemade pizza sauce
fresh basil leaves
sauteed mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper
shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 450°F. Prepare a baking dish or pan. I used a 12" x 9" jelly roll pan. You may wish to line the pan with parchment paper... I usually would, but didn't because I realized I was completely out of paper.

Combine all ingredients for beef mixture by hand. Mix well. Transfer the beef mixture to the pan and flatten out all the way to sides and corners of the pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Pour out juices that have accumulated in the pan. The meat will shrink away from the sides some, but this is normal.

Set oven to broil. Place toppings on meatza. You can use whatever toppings you like. I had mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper on hand, so I sauteed those up in some olive oil and used those with some homemade pizza sauce, fresh basil leaves from the garden, and some shredded co-jack cheese. You can use whatever pizza toppings you normally like, though.

Place meatza in oven, broil for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and just starting to brown.


This post is linked to:
Traditional Tuesdays at Real Food Whole Health

Meal plans and the week ahead

Our house is running a little slow this morning.  We all slept in... the heat wore Kevin and Carson out yesterday and I didn't get home from the bachelorette party until 1:30.  So it was nice to all sleep in.  The party was lots of fun yesterday.  We toured around to a couple wineries in Muskegon and then one in the north part of Grand Rapids... Robinette's.  That was the best one.  They have a big apple orchard, too.  I'd like to visit them again in the fall during apple season - it seemed like a very nice place.  Dinner at San Chez was amazingly delicious!  Yum!  I want to go back there for sure!  After dinner we went out to a few bars downtown.  We all had a great time until the very end when some conservative jerks had to say some crappy stuff to the bride's sister and her friend.  Why people can't just be nice and accepting of everyone is so frustrating.  But I'm not going to get going on this rant... :)

Today, we may make a trip to the farmers' market.  And we'll spend the rest of the day working in the house and yard. Trying to catch up still. Tomorrow is Independence Day. We may go out to the parade in Fenton in the morning. We're headed to my aunt's house on the lake for a family party at noon. And we may stay out in Fenton for the fireworks, we'll just see how the day goes and how spent we are. Wednesday I'll be stopping by the farmers' market in Lansing on my way home. Thursday I have to drop off the milk jars at Dianne's. Friday is my flex day. Kati, Tony, Carson, and I are going to hang out in the morning. We might go shopping. I have to find a dress for a wedding in two weeks, so we may go shopping to find one. Or we may take the boys cherry picking. We'll see what the weather is like. Saturday, Carson and I are headed out to Grand Rapids for a bridal shower for Kevin's cousin's fiance. I'll be stopping over at my SIL's afterwards to pick up the rest of our grassfed beef. Kevin will spend the day working on my car... I desperately need new brakes, so he'll be doing those, plus some other maintenance on my car.

Our raspberries started coming in last week. The ones we planted last year are so amazingly sweet! We all love them. The raspberry patch is now the first place Carson heads when we go outside. He loves picking berries - or anything really. He got to go strawberry picking last week with his Grandma, aunt, and cousins and just loved it! So now his first question when we are any where near the veggie garden or fruit patches is "what can we pick today, mama?"  He loves to work in the garden, helping me pull weeds, water, put compost on, and picking.  It's going to be a fun year in the garden! 

Ok, so here are my thoughts on meals this week...

Breakfasts:

• Smoothies
• Yogurt with fresh fruit
• Fried eggs with bacon
• Mini frittata cupcakes

Lunches and Snacks:

• Leftovers
• Big ol' salads
• Deviled eggs
• Apples with almond butter
• Raw veggies with pesto or ranch dip
• Crispy nuts

Dinners:

• Burger lettuce wraps; asparagus; beets; raspberries and strawberries
• Family party - burgers and hot dogs and the typical cookout food... I am going to make something, but haven't decided what quite yet
• Grilled chicken; veggies from freezer - probably broccoli and carrots; roasted beets; applesauce
• Salads with leftover grilled chicken, hard boiled eggs, bacon, cucumbers, peppers, beets, goat cheese, cherries, and cherry vinaigrette (made like the strawberry vinaigrette I posted last week)
• Grilled salmon with pesto; roasted beets; green beans; peaches
• Salads with leftover grilled salmon, hard boiled eggs, beets, cucumbers, peppers, peas, goat cheese, pesto dressing
• Misc. leftovers

Campfire Chicken Fajitas

Last weekend, we headed out to Sleepy Hollow State Park for our first camping trip of the summer.  Of course, I planned out our food for the trip earlier in the week and had much of it prepped before leaving home to make the cooking around a campfire easy and fun.  I had originally planned to make some hobo dinners like we tried on our only camping trip last summer.  I had decided I'd use some chopped up chicken breasts since I had some in the freezer that needed to be used.  Then I got to thinking... why not do chicken fajitas instead of the typical hobo dinner?  So that's what I did.  These were super easy to prep and they tasted awesome!  We're not eating grains much these days, so we opted for no tortillas and just added some toppings to the fajitas and ate it all with a fork.  These will definitely be something I'll make often when we go camping - they were a total hit! 

Campfire Chicken Fajitas

chicken breasts, cut into strips/chunks
bell peppers, sliced
onions, sliced
other veggies are optional (we had asparagus in our since its in season)
taco seasoning
extra virgin olive oil, cold-pressed and unfiltered
toppings - diced avocado, homemade salsa, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Cut the meat from your chicken breasts (or you can use boneless) into strips or chunks.  Place into an airtight container and toss with taco seasoning and olive oil.  The amount you use will depend on your tastes and how much chicken you are making.  I used two large chicken breasts and used about 3 Tablespoons of seasoning, plus enough olive oil to coat.  I didn't measure anything, just used what looked right.  Put the lid on your container and place it in the refrigerator or cooler with ice.  I prepped everything the night before we left, so my chicken marinated for about 24 hours or a little more. 

Next, slice up your peppers, onions, and whatever other veggies you like.  I added asparagus to ours since that's what was in season.  If you are taking these camping with you, do this step at home so everything is ready to go.  Then place the veggies in another airtight container or ziploc bag and place in the cooler on ice. 

When you are ready to make your campfire fajitas, tear off some large pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil.  You'll want big enough pieces to form into packets around your meals.  Place however much chicken you want in each meal in the center of the foil.  Then top with the prepared veggies.  Wrap up the foil around everything, into a packet.  Then wrap again with another piece of foil - double wrapping helps so the food doesn't get too charred on the fire. 

Finally, place the packets onto the hot coals in your campfire.  You should flip them and rotate them a few times.  Let them cook for 15-20 minutes, depending on how hot your fire is.  Once done, remove from the fire.  Unwrap the foil carefully - the steam escaping is very hot and can burn you if you're not careful.  We just dumped ours out onto our plates.  Then top with your favorite fajita toppings.  We kept it simple and just used some homemade salsa, diced avocado, and sour cream.  If you are ok with grains, serve with some tortillas.  Otherwise, enjoy with your fork - that's what we did and they were delicious!

This post is linked to:

Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS

Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade

Grain Free Real Food Carnival at Real Food Forager

Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Its strawberry season here in Michigan.  So that means we are eating strawberries quite a bit.  I'm always looking for new ways to use them.  With all the lettuce and spinach we're getting from the garden, we're also eating a lot of salads.  It dawned on me over the weekend that I should try making a strawberry vinaigrette dressing to eat on our salads.  So I just through a few things together in the blender tonight as I was processing an entire flat of strawberries... yes I got through them all last night... several trays of fruit leather, some frozen topping, some frozen puree, some frozen whole berries, and this dressing.  Not bad for about an hour and a half's work.  ;) 

So anyway, I didn't even look up a recipe.  I just pureed up some berries, added some vinegar, oil, and sea salt.  Then I tasted it.  It tasted great!  So here's what I did.

Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

1 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped
3 Tablespoons vinegar - I used white wine vinegar
1/2 cup cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree.  Transfer to a mason jar or dressing bottle and serve or refrigerate.  Enjoy!


This post is linked to:
Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival at Hartke is Online
Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade
Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

Meal plans and the week ahead

We are back from our first camping trip of the summer. We had a great time! Kevin got to do some mountain biking with his buddy, James. We took some family bike rides. We enjoyed the beach. We hiked. We made s'mores (our guilty pleasure while camping). We basically just had fun. :)

We've got another busy week ahead of us this week. We've been unpacking and getting the house back in order for the last few hours that we've been home today.  We're taking a quick break and then we'll all get back to work.  I've got to get some weeding done in the garden and flower beds. Tomorrow will be more of the same. Tuesday we're headed to another Silver Lake ski show. This time I believe our friends, the Fransons, may be meeting us there. And I think my SIL, BIL, niece and nephews are as well. Wednesday I am going to Livonia for a conference. Thursday we are meeting my SIL, BIL, niece, and nephews at Crossroads Village to see the Flint Symphony Orchestra. Friday is my milk and CSA pickup day. We also have another company coming over to give us an estimate on our roof. Saturday I am headed to Grand Rapids for a bachelorette party for my friend, Katie. Its going to be so fun! We'll be escorted around town in a party bus to 3 different wineries for wine tasting in the afternoon. Then we're headed to dinner at San Chez. And then we're headed out on the town! I'm really looking forward to it all!

I have been freezing and drying lots of strawberries during the last week.  I picked up another flat this afternoon on our way home from the campground.  I'll probably get another flat at the farmers' market in Lansing this week, too.  I want to freeze and dry some more.  And I'd like to make a batch of strawberry jam.  I'm also going to make some strawberry coconut milk ice cream and strawberry vinaigrette salad dressing this week.  Not sure when I'm going to fit it all in, with such a busy week... but I will figure it out. :)  I'm still making butter each week right now and sticking it in the freezer, too.  And I'm making water kefir again finally. 
So anyway... here's the plan...

Breakfasts:

• Yogurt with strawberries
• Kefir smoothies
• Scrambled eggs with veggies
• Muffins from freezer
• Hard boiled eggs

Lunches and Snacks:

• Leftovers
• Salads with homemade dressing
• Egg salad avocado boats
• Frijole mole dip with veggies
• Apples with almond butter
• Sliced cheese
• Fruit

Dinners:

• Grilled chicken topped with cucumber avocado salsa; asparagus; peaches
• Jimmy John's unwiches (picnic at ski show)
• Spaghetti squash with pesto, peas, and grilled chicken; side salads
• Meatloaf; asparagus; side salads; applesauce
• Grilled steaks; asparagus; side salads
• Leftovers

Burger Lettuce Wraps

This is how we eat our burgers these days.  Since we're eating mostly primal, we're avoiding grains.  This means... no buns for our burgers.  At first, both Kevin and I thought it was going to be very difficult to eat our burgers wrapped in lettuce.  But it wasn't hard at all.  In fact, we actually tend to prefer our burgers this way... we seriously don't miss the buns at all.  Especially right now with all the yummy lettuce we're getting from our garden and that you can find at just about any farmers' market this time of year.  On this particular night, we had burgers topped with raw provolone cheese, pickles, mayo, and bacon... and I'm pretty sure I had avocado on mine (Kevin's is in the picture).  All wrapped in lettuce and served with a side of green and yellow beans from last year's garden (that we'd frozen).  It is a perfect summer time meal!

Homemade Poppyseed Salad Dressing

We went over to my in-laws' house to celebrate Father's Day yesterday.  The family had lunch together after church.  We just had a simple lunch of make-your-own salads.  It was perfect for a hot day and a quick-prep meal!  We had a great assortment of toppings to choose from and everyone got to put together the perfect salad for themselves. 

I made a couple of homemade salad dressings to contribute to the spread... ranch and I tried a new recipe for poppyseed dressing.  I've been wanting to make poppyseed for quite a while now - I think I found this recipe over a year ago... and I didn't write down where I found it, so I'm not sure what the source is for this.  I just never got around to actually making it until Saturday.  This was very quick and easy to put together.  And it was very tasty!  I think everyone who tried it enjoyed it.  Even my husband tried it and said he really liked it (the picture is of his salad). 

Poppyseed Dressing

1/2 cup homemade mayonnaise
1/2 cup organic Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons poppy seeds

Mix all ingredients together until creamy.  You can either whisk in a bowl, or put all the ingredients into a glass jar and shake them all up together.   Once ingredients are combined, your dressing is ready to use.   Pour over salad and toss just before serving.  If you are making the dressing ahead of time, you'll want to shake/stir it up well just before using it.


This post is linked to:
Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival at Hartke is Online
Traditional Tuesdays at Delicious Obsessions

Homemade Mayonnaise

I've been making homemade mayonnaise for quite a long time... for at least a year now on a regular basis.  As I was getting ready to post a recipe for a salad dressing (coming up next) I made this weekend, I went searching for my mayo post to link it to the new recipe... and I couldn't find it.  So here it is.  I got the original recipe from The Nourishing Gourmet.  I've tweaked it a bit for our tastes (as written below).  My SIL, Mary, also has a great version on her blog for something closer to Miracle Whip if you prefer that.  I'll have to try hers sometime, as Kevin likes Miracle Whip... but he also always liked Hellman's which was always my favorite.  So I usually just make plain mayo.  It really does taste very much like Hellman's. 

You'll notice that this mayo is quite yellow.  This is because I use farm-fresh, pastured eggs.  These are the most nutritious eggs... with very orange yolks.  The contrast between pastured and conventional yolks is amazing.  You'll also see that the yolks remain raw in this recipe.  Please don't make this recipe with eggs you don't trust.  If you are using farm-fresh, pastured eggs from a farmer you know uses sustainable practices... you are most likely safe.  That's who I'd trust, at least.  :)

Homemade Mayonnaise
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar (we do prefer ACV, though)
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
3/4-1 cup oil - I usually use all olive oil, but sometimes will add in some grapeseed oil

Combine everything EXCEPT the oil. I use a quart sized wide-mouth mason jar.  You just want something that fits your immersion blender.  Mix with a stick blender until creamy.

While blending, add the oil in small increments and mix until it’s homogenized. Make sure you lift the blender up and down as it’s blending- the quick up and down motion helps the mixture to homogenize, and it will thicken right up.

Meal plans and the week ahead

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers out there!!  I hope you all are able to do something fun with the special dads in your life today. 

Today we're headed to my in-laws' church.  My SIL, BIL, niece, and nephew are visiting from Grand Rapids and we're very excited to see them!  They are bringing us some of our grassfed beef that we ordered together - I'm very anxious to try the beef!  We'll have to run home after church to stick it all in the freezer.  Then we're heading over to my in-laws' house for lunch.  We'll be heading out to my aunt's house on the lake for some water skiing later in the afternoon, probably around 3:00.  That will be Kevin's special thing to do today - water ski.  :)  It's what he loves to do and wants to do.  Carson says he wants to give it a try today, too.  So we'll see how that goes. 

The rest of the week will be sort of busy, too.  We don't have anything on Monday.  But Tuesday, we may be headed up to the Silver Lake Ski Club ski show again.  Wednesday I have to go out to Hadley/Lapeer area to pick up 5 fresh chickens.  Thursday a friend from work is coming over for dinner - he spends 4 days at UM-Flint every 6 weeks or so for his MBA program.  So he's coming over for dinner and to hang out for a bit on Thursday night.  Friday is my flex day.  I am hoping to be able to hang out with Kati and baby Tony in the morning - doing something active.  Then I'll be packing up the car in the afternoon.  As long as the weather holds up, we're going camping at Sleepy Hollow State Park this weekend.  Our friends, the Chapmans, are going to join us, and possibly a few other friends, as well.  It should be a fun weekend!

In between plans, I need to do some serious weeding in the flower beds up front and in the veggie garden and berry patches.  We're also going to be picking up a bunch of sand to lay the foundation for the pool.  Hopefully we can at least get the sand in, spread out, and tamped down.  Then next week we can get the pool set up finally. 

So here's the plan... I still need to figure out what I'm going to make when Chris is over on Thursday night...

Breakfasts:

• Yogurt with fruit
• Kefir smoothies
• Scrambled eggs with veggies and sausage
• GF muffins from freezer

Lunches and Snacks:

• Leftovers
• Salads
• Fruit
• Apples with almond butter
• Veggies with dip
• Sliced cheese
• Pickles

Dinners:

• Grilled salmon; asparagus; carrots; peaches
• Stir fry with leftover beef roast, snap peas, carrots, onions, zucchini
• Grilled steak; asparagus; broccoli from freezer; applesauce
• TBD

Camping food:

• Yogurt with fruit
• Hard boiled eggs
• Salads with homemade dressings
• Egg salad with avocado
• Sliced cheese and local, organic, pastured beef jerky
• Fresh fruit
• Local, organic, pastured brats; home canned baked beans; asparagus; applesauce
• Hobo dinners; applesauce

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Here's another recipe that I've made quite a few times now.  I've made them as written below.  I've also substituted the blueberries with strawberries a couple of times, too.  Both are excellent!!  These are very quick and easy to throw together - perfect for making them with a child.  Carson loves to help make them!  He also loves to eat them and requests these often.  We all love them. 

This recipe comes from Nourished and Nurtured.  Be sure to check out her site for lots of GAPS-friendly recipes.  While we're not doing GAPS at our house, many GAPS recipes are also paleo and/or primal friendly, as well. 

Blueberry Banana Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
1/2 cup butter or unrefined coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
3/4 tsp celtic sea salt
6 eggs, preferably pasture-raised
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup coconut flour
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 heaping cup frozen blueberries
Melt butter or coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, combine the eggs, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a large bowl. If using an immersion blender, pulse a few times to combine. Otherwise, mix to combine with a whisk or mixer.

Add the honey to the butter (or coconut oil) and stir slightly. Pour this mixture into the wet ingredients and blend well with immersion blender or mixer.

Pour the coconut flour into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Use an immersion blender or mixer to thoroughly combine all ingredients, making sure there are no lumps.
Add mashed banana and mix to combine.

Line a muffin tin with paper cups. Scoop the muffin batter into the paper cups.
Add about 8-10 blueberries to the top of each muffin. Push them down slightly into the batter. If you try to fold the blueberries into the batter, they tend to sink to the bottom of the muffins during baking, making everything a bit soggy.

Bake muffins in 325 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes, until muffins are set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you are in a time-crunch, you could bake them at 350 degrees initially, but you'll need to reduce the heat after a bit so they won't burn before being set in the middle.

Remove from oven and cool.

Organic Gardening - Asparagus

I have been doing a lot of research on growing asparagus and I just wanted to share what I've been learning. I use my blog as my resource for information, so it will be helpful for me to have the info here. Plus, I hope others may find it useful at one point or another, as well.

Last year, I planted 25 crowns of Purple Passion Asparagus in our garden. We love asparagus and tend to eat it every other day when its in season. I want to eventually have enough to not only eat fresh as often as we like, but also to blanch and freeze so that we can enjoy our own home-grown asparagus in the fall and winter months.

Find a Source
The first step in growing asparagus is to find a good source for crowns. I ordered my crowns from Fedco. You'll need to decide what variety you are interested in. There are many to choose from. I chose an all male variety, as I have read they are most productive since they're not wasting energy producing seeds like females.

Planting Asparagus
Plant asparagus during the dormant period - for me that meant early spring. To plant the crowns, you need to dig a trench about a foot deep and about a foot wide. Make sure you also amend your soil, if necessary. Remember, asparagus is a perennial, so you'll want a good, nourishing soil to grow it in. You should add some good compost as you are planting the crowns, too. I also added some manure as I was planting mine.

You will want to space the crowns about 18 inches apart and then cover with a few inches of soil. As your plants sprout and grow, you should fill in the trench with more soil so as to provide a good, strong growing base.

What to Plant (and Not to Plant) Near Asparagus
Good companions for asparagus are: basil, parsley, and tomatoes.  Bad companions for asparagus are: onions, chives, garlic, and leeks.

Harvesting Asparagus
I have read mixed things about when to take your first harvest after planting crowns. Definitely do not harvest any asparagus spears the first year you plant the crowns. Just let them grow. I think asparagus is actually quite pretty. I never realized how pretty the asparagus ferns could be. The ferns get quite tall - like 5 or 6 feet - so make sure you also take this into consideration when you are planting your crowns.

Some sources say that you should not harvest the second year, either. And some sources recommend leaving them alone a third year, even. Many sources say you can harvest the second year, but only a light harvest.  I've decided not to harvest mine yet this year.  I will harvest some next year, but only a light harvest.  I figure I will harvest 2 or 3 stalks per crown next year and leave the rest to grow into ferns, as I want my crowns to really get established and growing strong. 

Harvest asparagus when the spears are between 6 and 8 inches long and the tips are still tightly closed. Cut off the spears just below the surface of the soil using a sharp trowel/shovel.  You'll want to leave the very thin spears to grow into ferns and nourish your roots.

You can extend the harvest of your asparagus by allowing 3 or 4 spears per crown to grow into ferns. By doing this, your crowns are always producing enough energy and food via photosynthesis. This will extend your harvest by weeks. Once the diameter an the spears is thinner than a pencil, its time to stop harvesting and let them grow into ferns.

After 4 years of good growth, your plants should be producing strong for about 8 weeks.

Diseases and Pests
Asparagus is susceptible to asparagus rust, which looks like orange/yellow spots on the foliage. Make sure you are selecting varieties that are resistant.

Another common issue are asparagus beetles. They usually appear later in the season and eat the ferns. This will weaken the crowns. Hand-pick off the beetles and squash them, or try applying soap spray directly on the beetles. After the first frost, remove the dead ferns and destroy so as to eliminate a place for the beetles to over-winter. A good defense against asparagus beetles is to plant tomatoes, basil, and parsley next to your asparagus plants.  They will deter one another's pests. 

To make a soap spray, mix 1 teaspoon Dr. Bronners soap in 1 quart of water. Shake it up and spray.

Cutting The Ferns As You Prepare For Winter
Asparagus fronds should not be cut until very late in the fall.  By this time, the ferns should be dry and brittle.  You want to leave the ferns as long as possible, as the roots need the top growth to enable them to make spears the following spring.

After you cut the ferns back, you will want to spread a layer of compost or manure over the asparagus bed.  Then top with a thick layer of straw. 


This post is shared at: Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Pecan Crusted Chicken

I've made this quite a few times now, but I just haven't gotten around to posting it yet. I've made chicken and fish this way and want to try it with pork chops sometime, too. I've also made it with other crispy nuts - almonds and walnuts.  All are great, but pecans are my favorite! It's delicious, fast, and so easy! Perfect for a weeknight meal. I originally got the idea from a recipe I saw in my Everyday Paleo cookbook - you can also view the recipe on the Everyday Paleo website. I've made it exactly as written in Sarah's book/site, but it tastes just as great the way I've written it below. Plus its even easier.

Pecan Crusted Chicken (or Fish or Pork Chops)

4 pastured chicken breasts
1/2 cup organic/natural dijon mustard
1 cup crispy pecans
sea salt, to taste
coconut oil or butter, for greasing the pan

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a glass baking dish with some coconut oil or butter. Set aside.

Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped. Pour the chopped pecans into a pie plate or shallow/wide bowl.

Squeeze the dijon mustard into another pie plate or shallow/wide bowl.

Take each chicken breast individually and dip into the dijon mustard. Make sure to coat on both sides. Next, dip the chicken in the chopped pecans. Again, make sure to coat both sides.

Place coated chicken into the greased glass baking dish. Sprinkle each chicken breast with just a little sea salt.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear.

This post is shared at:
Grain-Free Tuesday at Hella Delicious
Traditional Tuesday at Delicious Obsessions
Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Meal plans and the week ahead

Ok, so I am writing this before our weekend in Wisconsin and scheduling it to post on the normal day. So no updates on how the weekend is going in Wisconsin. I hope it's going fabulously and that we're having wonderful weather! It didn't look so great as of Thursday... but one can hope, right?! :) 

UPDATE:  We are having an awesome weekend!  The family reunion yesterday was so fun!  There were 42 people there and it was great to meet lots of my cousins that I'd never met.  I've heard many many stories about them all, so it was good to put names and stories with faces.  Today's weather looks very nice... a little cool still in the high 60s, but it's nice and sunny today.  We're looking forward to enjoying some time at our beach and exploring a little more today.  Tomorrow looks great, too.  We might come back a little later than we had originally planned, so we can enjoy a little more time here.  We'll see how it plays out. 

So obviously, we're in Wisconsin still. We're getting up tomorrow morning, packing up the car again, and heading home. We should be home before dinner. Tuesday afternoon, I'm going to our local WAPF chapter meeting. Then on Tuesday evening, we're meeting up with our friends, the Franson and Parks families, out at the Silver Lake Ski Club ski show.  Wednesday night I'm getting my hair done. And I am debating about taking Friday off... we'll see how the weather looks and what is going on at work. If I do take the day off, Carson and I will probably be meeting up with our friends Kati and baby Tony to do something fun. And Saturday, we're headed out to my Uncle Dave's lake for the Jason Amy Memorial (JAM) slalom ski tournament. So it should be another fun week!

I'm sure the yard is a jungle again, so we'll need to mow and weed whack this week. Maybe tomorrow after we get home, if the lawn is looking too bad. I'll need to weed out the flower gardens and veggie garden, too, I'm sure. We're still working on cleaning out a section of our backyard - cutting down some trees, removing brush and overgrowing things, removing cement blocks that have been buried under the top layer of soil, etc. So hopefully we'll make a little progress on that project this week, too. I think that's about all we'll have time for this week.

As for meals, here's what I'm thinking...

Breakfasts:

• Breakfast cupcakes
• Smoothies
• Yogurt with fruit
• Avocado cream cheese frittata

Lunches and snacks:

• Leftovers
• Frijole mole dip with raw veggies
• Asparagus basil salad
• Hard boiled eggs
• Homemade beef jerky
• Crispy nuts
• Fruit

Dinners:

• Salad with hard boiled eggs, bacon, roasted chicken from the freezer, bell pepper, carrots, cucumber, avocado, vinegar & oil
• Beef short ribs; asparagus; side salads
• Paleo tuna cakes; asparagus; strawberry rhubarb coconut ice cream
• Grilled chicken kebabs; side salads; fruit
• Meatza

Meal plans and the week ahead

This is going to be a busy week. We're going away this weekend, so we have lots of preparation... packing, making some healthy snacks for the car, cleaning the house, etc. Its a good thing we don't have many plans early this week. We don't really have anything going on until Thursday.  Scratch that.  Kevin told me this afternoon that he has to pick up a rental car tonight.  He's headed to Ohio tomorrow and won't get home until very late.  Tuesday he's headed to Canada, but hopefully won't be home too much after regular time.  I have to attend an MDOT public meeting on our state rail plan on Thursday evening in Flint. And I'll be going out to pick up our milk on Thursday night since we can't get it Friday, but I can't go until after the evening milking at 8:30. That's about it for the first half of the week.

Then we'll be loading up and heading out around 6:00am on Friday morning. We're going to Sheboygan, Wisconsin for a family reunion with my maternal grandma's family. My grandma was from Sheboygan, but I have never been there. It will be fun to see the town she lived in, see the places I remember her talking about, and meet some of my cousins from that side of the family. I really wish we would have done this before my grandma passed away. :(

I hope we have nice weather while we're in Wisconsin (doesn't look too great now, hope it changes). My grandpa, his girlfriend, my parents, my aunts/uncles, sister, some of my cousins, and us have rented one big house on Lake Michigan for the weekend. So I just hope the forecast changes and its sunny and warm so we can enjoy the beach!! We'll be coming home on Monday next week, so no posting for me next Sunday. I'll post the plans for next week a few days late after we get back.

We've had amazing weather this weekend (finally!). Yesterday was nice and hot! Hopefully today is as well. I have about 2/3 of the garden planted at this point. I will be finishing it up today. We did a lot of yard work yesterday and will do more today, as well. We're working on cleaning up a section of the backyard so we can till it and seed it.

I took my last dose of those dreadful antibiotics yesterday. I'm very glad to be done with them. Now I can get my gut back in order. I'm looking forward to feeling back to normal soon. And I'm really looking forward to milk and cheese again! I figure I'll try them again on Wednesday. Let's hope they go over better than the slice of cheese did last weekend.

Ok, so here's what I'm thinking for meals:

Breakfasts:

• Fried eggs; bacon
• Grain-free muffins from freezer
• Fruit
• Smoothies

Lunches and snacks:

• Leftovers
• Salads
• Hard boiled eggs
• Apples with almond butter
• Raw veggies with ranch dip
• Fruit rolls
• Crispy nuts

Dinners:

• Grilled burgers wrapped in lettuce, topped with bacon, cheese, pickles; green and yellow beans
• Grilled balsamic glazed pork chops; green beans; cauliflower; peaches
• Split pea soup
• Stir fry
• Grilled marinated chicken breasts; salad; applesauce

To pack in the cooler for WI:

• Milk... Can't go w/out our real milk!
• GF power bars
• GF granola
• Yogurt
• Apples
• Fruit rolls
• Crispy nuts
• Hard boiled eggs
• Butter... I just cannot stomach the idea of not having good, quality butter
• Bacon... our contribution for family breakfasts
• Sweet breads from freezer... another contribution to family breakfasts (and a good way to use them up since we don't eat them anymore)