Tasty Tidbits

Our garden is really shooting up due to all the rain we've been having! Here, you can see (starting in the bottom left & going clockwise) baby broccoli plants, sugar snap peas, mustard greens, out-of-control kiwi vine, spinach, mixed greens, potatoes, strawberries & kale.  

I was hoping to get these babies planted out this weekend, but I think they're still a little too small. I have 2 other trays of 6, with tomatillos, jalapenos, eggplant, & purple basil. We moved them outside, but are still covering them at night since it's been getting so cold. My bell pepper seeds never sprouted, so I may have to buy a small plant instead.

We took a long walk one evening to de-stress & celebrate the warm (finally) spring weather. Somehow, we found ourselves at Rainbow Snow...oh darn! :-) I got a cone with chocolate peanut butter & moose tracks. I'd tell you that it was way too much for me to finish, but that'd be a total lie. It was the perfect spring treat!

Apparently Tink has decided that our house is too cold (despite it now being the warmest it's been in 6 months), because we've found her tucked under blankets many times this past week. I was doing yoga when she tucked herself in here, so I had to take a picture. She was so cute, burrowing in head first & then squirming around to poke her head out.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Cherry almond smoothies
• Peach yogurt with Chocolate & Toast's Just Plain Good Granola
• Angela's Tropical Pineapple Boozy Baked Oatmeal - We loved this! The pineapple gets caramelized in the oven & it pairs so well with the creamy baked oats.
• Whole wheat sourdough pancakes topped with almond butter - Soooo good! I froze a batch so we could have them anytime.
• Bananas & crunchy pb

Lunches

• Leftovers
• Sandwiches
• Quinoa with roasted broccoli
• Watermelon, apples & clementines 

Dinners

Saturday:

• Homemade sourdough tortillas
• Black & pinto bean mixture
• Sauteed leeks & mushrooms
• Salsa & cheddar cheese toppings
• Green salad

Sunday: 
Dinner at Mom & Pops'

• Linguini with marinara sauce
• Green salad
• Whole wheat bread
• Plum tart

Monday:

• Tofu nuggets
• Roasted sweet potato fries
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Mega salad: romaine, spinach, & mustard greens topped with onions, mushrooms, carrots, leftover roasted sweet potato fries, avocado, & dried cranberries, tossed in our Italian vinaigrette dressing

Wednesday:
Dinner with friends

• Personal pizzas - whole wheat crust with pesto, tomato sauce, onions, mushrooms, spinach, & parmesan/asiago/mozzarella mix

Thursday:

• Mama Pea's Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai - Always a great dish! I love how many veggies go into this. I added 1.5 cups of chickpeas this time & they turned out to be a good addition.

Friday:
Celebrating with a campfire!

• Mountain pie sandwiches
• Vegetable Foil Packets in the fire
• Green salad

Treats

• OhLadyCakes' Raw Cacao Ice Cream - So chocolatey, so good! Cholesterol free, plant based goodness.
• Heidi's Rhubarb Crumble Bars
• Rainbow Snow - ice cream (me - see above pic), milkshake (Bup)

Book Review: Salt Sugar Fat

I'm reading a great book right now that I just had to tell you about! It's called Salt Sugar Fat, by Michael Moss, and it's about the history of processed foods. I'm only partially through the first section, which is about sugar, and I've already learned so much!



This book just reinforces my belief that we need to be eating whole, real foods, not things that come packaged full of chemicals and additives. It's scary how little the companies who manufacture processed food think of the health of the people actually eating it.

I definitely think you should read this book, but if you just want the main point, here it is: eat real food! Don't trust companies that are out to make a profit with your health.

Tasty Tidbits

After all the gorgeous weather we had last weekend, this week seemed extra dreary! I've been looking at the flowers & being happy its spring, though. The rain really made our plants wake up. Our lettuces are out of control. We've picked some (especially the mustard greens & the kale), but haven't had a whole salad of the mixed greens yet. I can't wait!

I don't know how closely you read what we've been eating, but I've really been increasing the amount of mushrooms in our diet. They have a lot of health benefits, as do most plants, but mushrooms have the added greatness of decreasing the risk of cancer. Since we both like them & they're pretty cheap, I've been adding them to just about everything!

This weekend we're going to have a campfire (as long as the rain holds back long enough), work around the house & garden, & try to spend some time relaxing. It's been a very busy week & I'm just plain tired.

Here's to a weekend to recharge!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Blackberry Kale Smoothies
• Peach yogurt with Chocolate & Toast's Just Plain Good Granola
• Eating Well's Crackle Topped Rhubarb Coffee Cake made with white whole wheat flour
• Pumpkin Spice Baked Oatmeal
• Out to 3J's: Blueberry Brie French Toast (me) & Very Veggie Omelet (Bup) - We love this coffeehouse. They're so friendly & always remember us, plus their food/coffee is excellent!
• Bananas & crunchy pb

Lunches

• Leftovers
• Veggie soup
• Rice cakes with mashed avocado - This is my new favorite lunch. The rice cakes are better than having it on bread because they add a crunch that makes it almost like having chips + guac. Yum!
• Sabra Roasted Pine Nut Hummus with crackers/carrots/celery
• Apples & clementines 

Dinners

Saturday:

• Deb's Ramp Pizza - Oh my, this was delicious!!!! Can't wait to get more ramps & try it again.
• Green salad

Sunday: 
Our own mini Cinco de Mayo celebration!

• Guacamole & sea salt+lime rice crackers
• Blue corn chips & tomatilla salsa
• Fresh lime margarita (me) & gin + tonic (Bup)

Monday:

• Mega salad: romaine, spinach, & mustard greens topped with pan-seared tempeh, onion, mushrooms, carrots, & apple, tossed in orange balsamic dressing

Tuesday:

• Whole wheat rigatoni with homemade tomato sauce
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Quinoa with sauteed kale, onions, garlic & mushrooms, topped with peanut sauce - This is a quick & easy meal to prepare. It's soooo good (it makes us so happy to have peanut butter on our veggies!), plus it's healthy & filling.

Thursday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir 

• Cabbage & Edamame with Brown Rice Stirfry
• Green salad

Friday:

• Toasted tomato & cheese sandwiches on whole wheat sourdough bread
• Sauteed zucchini, mushrooms & onions
• Green salad

Treats

• Trader Joe's sipping chocolate
• Angela's Vegan Gluten Free Brownies - I won't say these are just like the brownies from a box, but they are possibly even better. I loved how chocolatey they are & they are full of healthy ingredients like almond meal, banana, dates, & applesauce. Next time, we're going to try baking them in ramkins to make deep dish brownies. They come out very soft, so I think this will be perfect!
• Banana soft serve

Tasty Tidbits

This crazy cat is loving the sink lately. We don't necessarily want her there, but it's tough to keep her out! She just loves water (weirdo!).

I got to see my chickie last weekend!!! We had fun catching up while shopping & visiting Troeg's Brewery.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

This weekend, we're having a yard sale on Saturday. Hopefully we sell lots of things & make some money! Our church choir banquet is on Sunday & we're planning to take a nice afternoon bike ride. I can't wait!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Gena's Peaches n' Green Smoothies
• Peach yogurt with Eating Well's Lisa's Granola
• Baked oatmeal
• Sourdough toast with pb & coconut butter
• Bananas & crunchy pb

Lunches

• Leftovers
• Sandwiches
• Sabra Roasted Pine Nut Hummus with crackers
• Kale salad with carrots, onion, mushrooms, sunflower seeds & apple with orange vinaigrette
• Spinach & Chive pasta with zucchini, onions & mushrooms
• Rice & quinoa mix with roasted carrots & broccoli
• Apples & clementines 

Dinners

Saturday:

• Tomato Soup
• Cheese Quesadillas
• Guacamole

Sunday: 

• Mushroom bean bugers
• Baked sweet potato fries
• Sauteed ramps (bulbs & greens)
• Roasted broccoli

Monday:

• Vegetable Soup
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Mega salad: romaine, spinach, & baby greens topped with onion, mushrooms, baked sweet potato fries, dried cranberries & sunflower seeds, tossed in Italian Vinaigrette

Wednesday:

• Grilled cheese sandwiches
• Sauteed onions & mushrooms
• Green salad

Thursday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir 

• Sundried tomato polenta with sauteed kale & mushrooms
• Green salad
• Vegan chocolate cake with healthy peanut butter icing

Friday:

• Toast with avocado
• Green salad

Treats

• Mama Pea's Chocolate Protein Truffles from More Peas, Thank You
• Maryea's Clean Eating Raw Brownies - These are SO chocolatey & delicious! I was super impressed with this recipe. Often, the dried fruit & raw nuts combos aren't as authentic to the flavors of the food it's imitating, but this was spot on with the rich brownie taste.
• Banana soft serve

Hiking

Over the weekend, we took a break from the craziness that is life & went for a hike with my parents. We drove to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area & hiked around the game lands for about 2 hours.

Mom found this cool tree. If I were smaller, I would have tried climbing in!

It wasn't an overly strenuous hike, although there was some hill climbing. Mostly, it was just nice to be out in the fresh air to clear our heads & refresh for the upcoming week.

The view from the top was decent - it would have been much better on a clear day! The guide book said that when we reached the top there was a log bench to rest & take in the scenery. It truly was a log "bench" - a tree fell over & someone decided to leave it there for people to sit on. :-)

About midway through the hike, we came across the ruins of an old building (the chimney was still standing!) & this crumbling spring house. We could actually walk inside & see the water that was captured.

Part of the hike was on the old trolley rail bed. The ties had all decomposed, but the path was still full of rocks & very flat & straight. It followed the stream, so we enjoyed listening to the water & watching it flow.

We're hoping to make these Sunday afternoon hikes a permanent thing. Since we haven't been getting away as often as I'd like, we can at least bring the getaways closer to home!

Any recommendations for an interesting hike in the Harrisburg/Lebanon/Lancaster area? We're up for some new hikes!