ten weeks of veggies...

no image source. anyone have?

This week was my last CSA delivery and as promised, here are my thoughts on joining. The good, the bad and the yummy...

The good:

- I barely had to go to the grocery store during the 10-week session. I bought the staples I needed (olive oil, coconut oil, nut butter...) at the start, then only had to go back when I needed eggs or almond milk or some other perishable. 

- It was so much fun trying new veggies each week. I never knew how to make cabbage soup. Now I do! I never knew what half these less common vegetables even looked like. It was an adventure! (PS I tried okra for the first time and now wondering why they don't call it grosskra?)

- It actually felt like I got a present each week. And I love presents.

- Riverview Farms was amazing to work with. They were so prompt with their replies, made it easy to put the box on hold for trips and posted recipes each week with what to make from the box. Super fun.

- Riverview also threw in non-veggies items, which I didn't know they'd do. Grains, seasonings and fun surprises.

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- I saved money. Mmmhmm. Didn't expect that, did you? I paid a lot up front, but then since I went to the grocery so rarely, I avoided buying random stuff that I didn't need. Looking at you, $20 raw almond butter when I already had some at home...

-I had a lot of extra veggies each week, which I froze and am now using in soups. Also, I have frozen soup to eat this winter. Cha-ching!

The bad:

- It's a lot of food for a one-top. I'd suggest going in with someone and splitting it. Perfect for a pair!

- The box depends entirely on the crop, obviously. So this summer, when it rained a lot, the veggies were repetitive and spoiled quickly. This fall though? They were amazing. Also, Riverview was apologetic and did everything they could to compensate.

no image source. anyone have?

The yummy:

- Mostly everything in the box. Minus the okra and garlic :)

- I have so many pine nuts in my freezer. I can't wait for pesto all the time. 

- There was something romantic about eating straight from the earth - sometimes the veggies still had dirt on them. I loved knowing that if I got carrots in the box, the carrot crops were good. If I received a lot of potatoes and apples, but no spinach? That's all our sweet Georgia earth could give us this week. And that's kind of beautiful, if you ask me. 

In August, I told you I wanted to try new veggies, get creative with my recipes and go to the grocery store less. In December, I can tell you done, done and done.

I'm sad to say goodbye to veggie Christmas, but I guess that just makes it even better that real Christmas is less than a week away!

a confession & a recipe

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If you follow me on Pinterest, you might have noticed an influx of sugar-free, grain-free, nearly-everything-free recipes. During the last few weeks I've been doing a food intolerance elimination  diet to figure out what the heck is bothering my stomach so much. It's been a little extreme - during the first week my diet consisted of only veggies and seeds. I'm adding in something each week until I find the culprit. Fortunately, I'm doing it under Robyn's watchful eye, which helps/makes it more fun. 

It has, however, been a little challenging during the holiday season. And a little challenging for my boyfriend (uh yep. there's your confession. told you a lot can change in a year.) to find date spots. 

However, there are so many amazing blogs out there with tons of something-free recipes. 

I recently stumbled upon these GF blueberry muffins on the Lean Green Bean and, since sweet potatoes have been my main staple, decided I needed to try baked goods with them. I thought my zucchini bread was healthy. This is a whole new level. And yet, amazingly tasty. Especially with nut butter piled on top! 

So here you are, your recipe for Three Step, Grain Free, Vegan Sweet Potato Banana Bread, which I made up, but was inspired by Lean Green Bean, so you need not be too scared...

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Ingredients:

4 mashed bananas 

2 medium-sized mashed sweet potatoes 

4 T olive oil

2 T coconut oil

2 C. coconut flour

1 T baking powder

~1 C. water

1 t. cinnamon 

Instructions:

1. Combine banana, sweet potato, coconut oil and olive oil in a large bowl and mix very well

2. Add coconut flour, baking powder, water and cinnamon and stir until combined. If dough is not moist, add more water. You should reach the consistency of regular dough and coconut oil is very dry, so don't be alarmed if you need more water. 

3. Pour in greased bread pans (I used two) and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. It may not look cooked but test the inside - it is likely done after 25 minutes. 

You might want to know:

- Coconut flour is crazy dense. If you mind that quality in your bread, add more water, oil, or throw in applesauce or an egg. I wish I could have, but applesauce isn't fair game yet. And I was out of eggs and didn't want to go to the store (again) sooo no eggs here.

- This bread isn't very sweet. It is full of fiber and great for breakfast. If you want it to be sweeter, throw in some honey. 

- Feeling crazy? Add nuts! Or chocolate chips! Or blueberries. YUM!

...Or, duh! Top with sunbutter. 

Happy bakes ya crazy animals! 

arugula and basil pesto // recipe

The magical thing about having a CSA is you have veggies all.the.time. I barely even have to go to the grocery! And this week, my box was full, full, most notably with some serious greens. 

Because I can no longer shop in the garden of Howden (aka my uncle's backyard), pesto isn't quite as easy to make. Why they charge so much for basil is really beyond me. 

However, this week my CSA came with both lots of greens AND pine nuts. 

You know what I'm thinking, don't you?

A mixed greens pesto!

Obviously. 

Because I don't know what to do with pine nuts other than put them in pesto. 

Here's how it went down:

Ingredients

1/4 c. pine nuts

2 c. arugula, kale, spinach or mixed greens (arugula makes it spicier)

1 and 1/2 c. basil

1/3 c. olive oil (add more if needed)

Salt, pepper to taste

Garlic if you like garlic (not this girl!)

To make

Pour all ingredients in food processor, with pine nuts on bottom

Blend until creamy

And enjoy :)

I put mine over quinoa pasta and it was wonderfullll.

Do y'all like that my recipes are basically always two steps? It's for the kids!

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Let's Try This Again: CSA

Do you remember last summer when I told you I joined a CSA then went totally crickets and never mentioned it again?

Right. Here's what happened:

I was all fired up to subscribe for the fall, which begins the first week of August. 

But then I remembered we were moving and the last thing you want to move is tons of produce. In fact I prefer to have completely clean cabinets for a move.

So I missed the August option, but figured I jump in to the next session, ten weeks later. 

But then we got rats. And you definitely don't want to bring precious local produce into a house with rats. We didn't want any food in our house at all, to be exact.

And then we moved again. 

And again.

And that CSA sure slipped my mind.

Excuses, excuses. I know. 

But here I am, one year later, to report that yesterday, I really joined the Riverview Farms CSA. Wahoo! I signed up, paid and have my official pickup location for next Wednesday. I'm so excited to eat local Georgia veggies for the next ten weeks. 

I'm hoping:

1. I get more experimental with my meals, instead of buying the same 10 items and eating the same three meals every week. 

2. I go to the grocery store less often.

3. I try new veggies I've never had - or maybe even heard of!

I will, of course, keep you posted. 

And this time, I promise to do it.

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Cookies (oh ya.)

(Note: nothing pictured above is used in this recipe, because they're vegan and gluten free. But I liked that picture. It's happy. So I used it!)

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Asking me to pick my favorite meal is like asking me to pick my favorite sibling. It's just not right. They're all so great and I love to enjoy them in their own way.

But, unlike with my siblings, if you really forced my hand, I would likely admit that there is a baby chance breakfast edges out lunch and dinner. Just a tiny bit!

Because on mornings that I don't have breakfast prepared in advance, I begin to panic a bit. The fact is, most days I wake up absolutely ravenous, to the point that I need a snack before I even get to breakfast time at my desk.  It's just the best way to start the day.

But you know what contends pretty closely with breakfast? Dessert. Which is why, when my friend Emily sent me this recipe for breakfast cookies, I had to make them immediately. 

Especially because I had two ripe bananas ready for battle. It was fate!

As you all know by now, I look at recipes as a great place to begin negotiation; a starting off point, really. The satisfaction I find in altering a recipe successfully, so I can avoid a trip to the grocery is actually a little scary. But we all have our vices, right?

So without further ado, my take on peanut butter banana oat breakfast cookies (which yes, I have realized that I like EVERY single word in that name), straight from my kitchen to yours this morning...

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 whole ripe bananas, mashed until creamy
• 1/2 c. peanut butter 
• 2/3 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 c. Vega chocolate protein powder
• 1 t. Earth Balance vegan butter
• 1.5 c. quick oats
• 1/4 c. Enjoy Life chocolate chips (Side note: I recently found these and saw they were gluten, soy and dairy free. I am not all of those things, but I was so intrigued by them and had to know, ASAP, how they would taste. And they were surprisingly amazing.)

To make:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Mix wet ingredients, then add in dry (real talk: I just mixed them all at once. But grown ups would say you should do it this way) 
• Let dough rest for 10 minutes
• Drop on greased pan or parchment paper
• Bake cookies for 15 to 17 minutes, or until golden brown

Eat for breakfast all week!

Happy day! 

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{peanut butter popcorn}

Last week I missed National Peanut Butter day, which is obviously a raise the bar for next year. My go-to food deserves a little saluting.

I decided the holiday(ish), while now a distant memory, still called for a little extra PB loving, and what better to combine it with than one of my other all time favorite snacks? That's right: popcorn.

The thought of combining them seemed a little scary to me at first, but then I remembered that: (1) almost nothing is better than sweet+salty, (2) National PB day calls for extra creativity and (3) seriously what doesn't taste good with popcorn?

Everything tastes good with popcorn.

I got to popping and melting and happying yesterday and, let me assure you: you cannot go wrong with this one.

To make:

Ingredients

1/4 cup popcorn kernels

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter or more if you prefer

Directions

Using an air popper, pop the popcorn kernels into a large bowl.

Melt the peanut butter in a pan over low heat. Remove from heat and slowly drizzle over the popcorn. Note that microwave melting also works. I tried it. I can confirm it.

 Mix well to incorporate.

While an excellent dessert, it's also much more than that. I always workout during the day at work, after which I am in need of a protein+carb refuel (especially around 3 p.m.). This is the perfect way to refuel - not too indulgent, but just enough to be more interesting than my normal apple+PB snack.

In fact, it's the perfect way to spice up this lovely Wednesday.

Happy popping!

PS I may or may not have added chocolate chips when I ate it as dessert. I'm not confirming anything, but if I had done this, I'd tell you it was a great idea.

{original ecipe}

recipe and image via

easy livin in the kitchen

I dabbled im veganism for a good chunk of 2012, but I've since gone back to my carnivorous ways. I learned a lot of excellent recipes and will likely always have a soft spot for my plant eating friends, but all in all, veganism is not the way of Whitney.

I have a pretty solid obsession with both eggs and breakfast (it's the most important meal of the day, after all) and am always looking for ways to make breakfast better, faster and more convenient.

So when my coworker Christina sent me an easier way to make hard-boiled eggs, I obviously had to try it.

Personally, I think egg's best kept secret is that they're called hard-boiled eggs not because of the texture, but because they're hard to make. Mine always crack. I never cook them long enough. They bounce around the boiling water and make me wonder if I've somehow convinced my eggs to turn in to popcorn...

But hard to make eggs they are no more! Because this recipe it just about the easiest thing ever.

Here's how you do it:

Preheat your oven to 325. Place a dozen eggs in a standard muffin pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

Let stand for 5 minutes.

Place in cold water until they're cooled all the way through.

Now peel and enjoy!

How's that for easy hard-boiled eggs?

images and recipe via

Fridee Frapeee

Yesterday started with the happiest of all Thursday happys: A Chai (aka Christmas in a cup) smoothie.

A homemade, super simple, chai smoothie nonetheless.

I snagged Chocolate Covered Katie's recipe and strongly advise you do the same.

Here's her single serving recipe (per my simplifications):

1 frozen banana

1 cup almond milk

1/2 tsp powdered ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

ice

And yes - that's it. Blend to smoothness of choice and voila! It really takes like a Chai frappe! I didn't believe it until I tried it, but now I'm a believer.

I got a little overzealous with the ginger and ended up with a slightly gingerbread flavored frappe, but, let's be serious: there are no complaints here on that one. It just made it that much Christmassyer.

Happy Friday Frapping!

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get get get it poppin

My relationship with holidays is like this: I have a serious obsession leading up to it, am on cloud nine the day of the holiday, but then following it, I am totally, completely done with it. Once New Year's Eve is over, I'm ready for spring. Out with the pine scented candles, in with the blossoms and beaches.

But the great thing about Thanksgiving > Christmas > NYE, is that they can all blur together in one beautiful season, during which time we can just love holiday living for two full months.

So, although Thanksgiving is long over, I thought I'd share these pie pops my parents and I (sort of not really that much) made.

The vision was my mom's - she saw the recipe on the Today show and immediately bought all of the tools to make them. Check it out below for the steps (full tutorial) - they were a big hit - and you should definitely make them for a party sometime between now and New Year's. But definitely not after - unless you make them spring themed, of course.

L to R: Soak sticks over night (if you use bamboo version), then pat dry.

Roll pie crust thin - 1/8 inch, then cut out small pie crust shapes.

Lay first crust on a wax paper covered pan.

Add dallop of filling to each one - then lay the pop stick in the middle of the pie.

Cover pie with the other crust side.

Use extra lollipop stick to crimp sides.

Dust top of each one with egg so they don't crack while baking.

Bake at 350 until golden brown.

And enjoy :)

PS: Don't let the speed of this tutorial fool you - they're a little time consuming once you get into it. But well worth it!

oh weekend. you were great.

This weekend was just plain happy.

Great weather.

Some pumpkin muffin baking.

A gorgeous wedding at the Atlanta History Center with Phil.

And after a few weekends of travelling and weeks of busyness, the chance to catch up on things. You know. Clean sheets. Organized bedroom. Front porch swept. Those types of activities.

On Sunday, I sat on the porch with coffee and my laptop, and enjoyed the glorious weather, the sweet neighbors being out and about, and the fact that my flowers are still alive (mir-a-cle, I tell ya).

I hope your weekend was great, too!

[images via my instagram]

green smoothies

OK. Maybe this is just me. 

I hope it's not just me.

But here's the deal.

Do you ever have those times where you've been doing something for-ev-er, and then it gets really cool? And you're like: wait. I've known about that for a bajillion years. And then you try to say that, but you end up looking like a know it all.

This is how I feel about green smoothies. They're everywhere nowadays and I feel like they're old school to me.

And I was getting all up-in-ma-head about this and then it hit me that I actually stole them from Courtney. And if I've been green smoothing for a bajillion years, she has been doing it for two bajillion years.

And this was a reality check for me: yes. I have been drinking them since before they were cool. And Courtney was rocking them even before that. And guess what? Neither of us invented them. Nor did we discover them. So I should just chill out (with a smoothie in hand) and let the world enjoy the goodness that they offer. Especially because they're the sneakiest way ever to get more spinach in your diet. Which is great for everyone, especially - you know - spinach farmers.

And in the spirit of true smoothie loving, I thought I'd offer up my favorite new recipe:

1 apple

Spinach (duh)

Peanut Butter

Cinnamon

Flax

Almond Milk

Blend over ice.

OK. That's all for today. :)

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On Coconut Oil

Pretty basically everywhere I go lately, I hear about coconut oil. And so I figured it was time to try it out.


I picked up Dr. Bronner’s Unrefined Whole Kernel oil at Whole Foods and made chicken and peppers with it.

Pros: Easier clean up than olive oil, and if you accidentally use to much like yoahsss truly tends to do, it doesn’t splatter.

Cons: Contrary to what I’ve heard, the coconut flavor doesn’t cook out completely. The whole time I felt like I should have had some Malibu Rum in hand (+ possibly my swimsuit and a tan).

Re: cooking, I think I’ll stick with EVOO. However, I quickly transferred it from my kitchen to my bathroom, and it’s served as lovely lotion/chapstick this week.

Put the lime in the coconut, my friends!

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Atlanta Fresh!

I'm not opposed to making blanket statements, and certainly wouldn't dare to call myself a skeptic. But as a seasoned Greek yogurt connoisseur, when I heard that Atlanta Fresh Greek yogurt was life changing, I knew I needed to investigate.

Still abstaining from sugar, I could only try the plain version, which was kind of a bummer because of their enticing flavors (Chocolate Rocket! Peach and Ginger!). But, it worked out since I typically eat plain anyway; it made it easier to benchmark.

While I didn't love the price, it had an undeniable smoothness that made it taste more decadent than other Greek yogurts. I also love that it's local because even though I don't technically know the owners, it still kind of makes me feel like I'm supporting my friends.

Next time, I'm thinking I'll mix it with my Reginald's and just really be blissing.

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orange you glad?

Hallelujah oh my stars yaay! Yesterday, after three months of detoxing, two of which have been completely sugar free, I have been officially granted permission to add fruit back into my diet. Still no grains or refined sugar, but I don't.even.care. I'm so stinking excited to eat fruit again. I can't think of a better way to kick-start the most fabulous month of March. 

A funny thing happened during the course of my sugar freeness. My taste buds have changed completely. Things like natural peanut butter (just nuts+salt) taste sweet. My Reginald's cashew butter tastes like absolute candy. Once an exclusive Riesling and White Zin drinker, now I opt for the slightly dryer Pinot.

I feel weirdly dramatic saying this, but I almost can't imagine what it'll taste like when I try ice cream and chocolate milk (my two obsessions pre-detox) again. Will I still like them? Will I be able to add sprinkles to my froyo? Or will it be too much?  (Seriously.)

Last night after leaving the doctor's office, I bee-lined for Whole Foods to stock up on fruit. Upon arriving, I got so overwhelmed with options that I walked out with only bananas. There were too many options! So much potential! Fight or flight at its finest.

I can't wait to jazz up my smoothie regimen, eat Greek yogurt with fruit, and, oh my gosh, have a banana with peanut butter for breakfast. Cloud nining to the max!

I hope your Thursday is equally as exciting as mine. Even if it's the little things, like tiny baby blueberries. Nom!

PS: Best Leap Day ever.

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smoothie fridee

Due to some recently discovered food allergies and intolerances, I’ve been on a pretty restricted diet since December. And by pretty restricted I mean no corn, wheat, soy, oat (OK, grains.) or sugar.

For a while I didn’t want to blog about it because I didn’t want it to be perceived as complaining, but then I realized that I have been heavily relying on other people sharing their coping mechanisms online, so why wasn’t I sharing what I’d learned, too?

At first I tried to just take those things out of my diet, but now that I’m a few weeks in, I am tired of veggies, meat and nuts. Minus peanut butter. Will never grow tired of that.

This week I have been exploring more options, including the smoothie below. I was really struggling without fruit, and this one tastes almost as good as my regular morning banana smoothie. Even if you’re not grain and sugar free,  I highly recommend it.

Ingredients:

Almond Milk

Spinach

Peanut Butter

Flax

Ice

Cinnamon

I subbed the peanut butter and flax for my latest obsession, Trader Joe’s PB with Flax. Blend to taste, and enjoy! And know I did!

Reggie, Reggie

Um. What is wrong with me? I finally went to the grocery (amazing) and I forgot peanut butter. What in the world?

Looks like my misfortune is actually turning out to be my own fortune (I realize that's not the correct expression, but you get it), because in lieu of another trip to Trader Joe's, I ordered Reginald's homemade peanut butter. I learned about it while doing the Shape No Grocery Challenge and have been itching to try it ever since. I ordered the Original Roast and the Hazelnut Amaretto. I'm currently sugar free in my diet, but as soon as I'm eating it again, I'm trying the Apple Sin. It looks amaze.

And now that I'm allowed to shop, I'm apparently going grocery wild. Publix Saturday? Sure. Trader Joe's twice Sunday? Yep. Online grocery shopping? Why not?

My abstinence may have backfired, since I'm apparently binging on groceries now, but my time away from the store did make me realize I can work a little harder to clean out my cabinets. I'm going to try to stick to an every other week schedule, which means this weekend's activities will have to last me until late February. Here waa go!

PS: Would it be weird to buy the shirt? Too much, too soon?

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nuts about it

Which is more embarrassing? The fact that I am blogging about peanut butter two days in a row or the fact that multiple people contacted me today telling me it’s National Peanut Butter Day?  

Do I have a problem?

You know, there are a lot of versions of the story about why I moved to Atlanta (Sort of a lot. Sort of really only one or two…), but the story I like is, it’s because Georgia is the top peanut producing state. I knew I’d feel at home in this nutty state.

Can you really blame me? It’s heart healthy, has been attributed to preventing Alzheimer’s, keeps you full and tastes oh-so good (source).

So today, I salute the sweet spread. For bringing me childhood happiness. For providing daily satisfaction. And for our bright future ahead.

(And to follow up: this post confirms that I do, in fact, have a problem. Owning it.)

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Is it OK to blog about food two days in a row?

Don't get too excited now, but this week can be summed up most adequately as the Week of Brussels Sprouts. I've been on a serious mission to fall in love with them, partially because of their high Fooducate score, and partially because I'm trying to expand my horizons.

Tuesday night was a total failure. I threw them into a sauté pan with veggies and chicken, and when I started eating them, they were basically still raw.

My mom then informed me that you have to boil or steam them prior to sauteing, which was a real game changer Wednesday night. Once boiled, I cooked them with walnuts and evo -- and never looked back. I can't stop thinking about them! Now I know why people either love or hate them. People that love them have moms that know to boil them. People that hate them have sillies like me making them.

I'm really excited about this addition to my fridge. Anyone want to come over so I can sauté them up some bsprouts?

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sweet pickles

It's rumored that the only people in the world that know the recipe for Coca Cola are two top company executives, both of which only know half of it. Regardless of whether this is true, its kept under lock and key, and I'm pretty sure my dad's recipe for pickles should be treated the same way.

Absolutely amazingly delicious, I'm positive they're his ticket to fame. But, I'd be kind of sad because then he'd be too busy making them for other people than for me. Ah!

Last week was Leslie's last week with our company (sad) and after learning of her mutual obsession with sweet pickles, I decided to give her a jar from my stash.

It was really (really) hard to part with them, but she loved them so much that it was definitely worth it.

I'm down to only two jars, which is concerning. But I have a feeling my dad might send me more if I ask really nicely.

tour de georgia

After living in Georgia for more than a year, I finally stopped talking about going to Fat Matt's, and made it happen last night. Regarded as one of Atlanta's top spots, I dreamt of BBQ + sun + summer for months, but somehow we ended up going on one of the only rainy nights we've seen in weeks. However, rain or shine, Fat Matt's did not disappoint.

Atlanta has a whole lot to offer, and I'm slowly making it through the Georgia Moon Guide, one BBQ sammie at a time.

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