veggiePREP

this may be one of the most important steps to keeping it healthy around here from day to day.

the veggiePREP.

it's a step that i started doing a couple of years ago for this reason:  i would go to the grocery store, buy a  whole bunch of produce, come home & put it in the refrigerator & there it would sit.  and sit.  and sit.

    anyway, it got to be a real problem because a lot of the food would end up going to waste...and i do not like wasting food.  i think this would happen because after getting the produce into the fridge, it just looked like a big veggie bag tornado of non-washed, more work, i can't even remember what veggies i bought mess.  thus, then demotivating me to use it, let alone eat it.  

so after quite a few cycles of this frustrating scenario (not to mention wasting food & money), i decided that it was time for a change.  the hardest part, was admitting that i was the problem.  i was literally causing my own frustration on this one.  acceptance, argh!

but it all worked out, ha!  my produce/fridge frustration has led to a routine that i repeat every week, because it really works for me.  no more wasted food, no more wasted money &  no more frustration! (late night infomercial for veggiePREP)

the steps to veggiePREP are simple and are far from ground breaking, however, it's the commitment part that can be challenging.  i don't know about you but going to the grocery store is not the highlight of my week; so now add on the veggiePREP step to the "adventure" & you have a couple of hours invested.  super exciting, right?

but i assure you, if you can commit, it is worth it;  making healthy choices throughout the week...washed, chopped & ready to eat!

...& it all starts with a veggieBATH.

see, i told you that it was not ground breaking.  step one is literally...wash the produce.  for me it is the doing it immediately following the grocery store that has been life changing.  otherwise, it's like i said earlier; i put it in the fridge, i get lazy & i don't end up using it.  

soooo...first i sanitize the sink & then rinse it out.  next, i fill the sink up with warm water & then add about a 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the mix.

white vinegar is an awesome safe & natural cleaner, disinfectant, overall miracle liquid that i love.  i do buy mostly organic & local, but i still always wash all of the produce!  

i personally like to let the produce soak for a bit, usually while i put away the remainder of the groceries.

then, i scrub(with my hands) & rinse off each piece of produce one by one.  well, i mean, i may do a handful of brussel sprouts all at one time, but you get the idea.  

& then off to the drying pads they go.

as for the drying pads you see pictured, they are microfiber and they are awesome.  i place all of the produce on them to dry & they absorb all of the extra liquid from the washin'(said with an accent, for no reason whatsoever).  this is actually a new step that i am very excited about!  before the microfiber wonders entered my life, i would use clean dish towels & it was just a sopping wet drippy mess.  well, not anymore, not with these bad boys! :) (another late night infomercial for microfiber drying pads)....this one might actually exist! ha!

i let the veggies sit there for a bit until they are mostly dry and then i simply transfer the produce to containers.  completely innovative, i know! ;)  i currently use these large size BPA-free containers, however, i am currently working on slowly replacing them with glass containers.  but for now it is what it is, so i'll let it be.

i do have a "sorta-system" as to the veggies i put together, but i think that it would only make sense to me...based on the way i use the produce & how we eat.  for example:  i put the kale with the parsley, because i typically include these two things in my morning juice regimen.  i would suggest doing what works best for you based on how you plan to use the produce or how you eat.  

i continue along with this step until the clean produce is situated in various containers.  

then, i put it all in the refrigerator!  but FIRST, i empty the fridge of anything that may have got left behind from the week prior, or has expired, or whatever.  this is key!  out with the old, in with the new. i feel like when my fridge is cluttered, my brain becomes cluttered & i feel overwhelmed & scared!  haha!  okay, well maybe not scared, but it completely stresses me out & it does not serve me well when it then comes time to dive in there & figure out what's for dinner.  

this is why i take the time to clean it out, before i put the containers in the fridge.  i like things organized & when it comes to life's frustrations, i'll be just fine if my refrigerator is not part of the equation. :)

which is exactly why these simple steps help me.

it helps me to feel organized, prepared, relaxed & ready for the week ahead...and sooooooooo glad that i took the time to do the veggiePREP.  i love opening the refrigerator and actually being able to see what could possible be for dinner, where it is & then to have it be clean, fresh & ready to eat...total bonus!  when it comes to eating healthy for me a lot of it has to do with preparation.  whether it's washing the produce, organizing the fridge or making some meals ahead of time...it just works!  if healthy is what's available in our house, healthy is what we will eat.  ...& for that exact reason, i can not keep potato chips in the house, because i love them & i will eat them.  all of them!!!  haha!  so i bring them in on occasion, as i do believe in moderation too! ;)  anyway, i always say...wellness is not a destination, it's a journey & it's what you do NOW, that creates health & healing in your body & benefits you for the long haul!  so for me this veggiePREP step is just that...a step on my personal journey to health & wellness.  

in regards to this one, i feel good knowing that i acknowledged an area of my life that was not working (even if it was something as silly as my refrigerator/produce situation)...and i did something about it!

i took charge, made the change & benefit from the effort...in more ways than one!

peace, love & veggiePREP!  

enjoy! e.

tunaSALAD

 my twist on the classic dish.

i kicked it up a notch in the healthy department, with a nice dose of veggies & vegenaise!

i make this recipe about once a month.  it's great for lunches; as a salad, as a sandwich or with a spoon!     

as i do with many things, i make a big batch of it so we have it for a couple days.  this way we have healthy choices available & ready to eat.  i find that the odds of making healthy choices skyrocket (particularly for my husband) when there are pre-made options waiting for him in the fridge.  because if he has to think about it, or make it, i can assure you that it will most likely involve cheese, meat, cheese & meat:) 

so for us, this is a good one to have in the fridge!  the protein & good fats from the tuna make it very filling and with a rainbow of veggies, it's colorful & nutrient rich too!  it twists up the classic tuna salad a bit, which i know to consist of: tuna, mayo, onion & celery.  not that there is anything wrong with that version, however, these days i do my best to add-in veggies & good alternatives when & wherever i can.  i want to promote health & healing in our bodies...through the foods we eat the majority of the time.  and i let's just face it, i never rrrreally liked mayo anyway.  

which brings me to vegenaise, a mayonnaise alternative, that can be found in most grocery stores(typically in the egg section or the health food section of the store).  vegenaise is low in saturated fats, cholestral-free & low in sodium.  it also does not contain dairy, gluten, egg, wheat, yeast, corn or starch and there are soy free options available too!  all of that making it a great choice if you have food allergies or practice a way of eating that supports heart health.

now how about that lettuce?  i just think it looks completely delicious, full of life and absolutely beautiful!  and what makes it even cooler is that i know where it was grown & it's right down the road!  it's from a local company located in burton, oh  Great Lake Growers.  they have an awesome philosophy to "consistently deliver the absolute freshest, cleanest, highest quality, local produce".  such an outstanding and admiral approach to have, especially when it comes to food!  i love their approach, their products & the fact that i am supporting local producers when i buy it!  good for me/us & good for them:)

in fact, i thought that the lettuce was so pretty, that i was hesitant to use it.  but then i thought, well unless i'm going to put it in a vase on the table, i should probably eat it!  so i used that amazing lettuce as the backdrop for my tunaSALAD today.  it was the perfect choice for presentation & most importantly...taste!  

ingredients.

4cans  albacore white tuna in water

1/2cup cucumber

1/4-1/2 cup onion (depending on your taste)

1cup peppers (i used a red, orange & yellow combo)

1/2cup celery (i remove the skins) 

1/4cup carrot

1/2cup vegenaise

1/4cup mustard

sea salt & pepper to taste

how to.

drain cans of tuna and add to a medium sized mixing bowl.  dice cucumber, onion, peppers, celery, carrot and add to the bowl.  add vegenaise, mustard & sea salt/pepper to taste.  stir it all together & place in the refrigerator.  i like to leave it in there for at least an hour...to chill & let the flavors come together a little bit before serving.  

simple serving ideas.

add a scoop to a bed of greens & garnish with tomato.

make a sandwich with it, adding the tomato & the greens too!

put it in a wrap, using a tortilla or a big leafy green.

eat a scoop of it with a spoon:)

or make a tuna melt.  add a scoop to a piece of bread, top with cheese & bake in the oven on 350, until cheese melts & the bread is crispy!

on ice cream...just kidding!!! :o

enjoy! e.

strawberrySPINACH

strawberrySPINACH salad.

....or on the other hand, maybe it should be called spinachSTRAWBERRY salad?

hmmm?

well, whatever you want to call it one thing remains the same...it is GOOD! :)

this was my contribution to our family's easter dinner.  & it was a hit!  (and i promise that it was not just rob & i at the dinner!)  i swear! :)

i typically get designated with the salad duty at our family gatherings.  i am not sure if it is because the host or hostess thinks that i make the most amazing super fantastic salads on the planet, or if it just gives them comfort knowing that i will have something to eat for dinner!  lol!  & probably the latter!  but in all honesty, when i am out to dinner, or when i am a guest for dinner, or whatever...i really do go with the flow.:)  i practice flexibility & moderation & all of the other things that keep me from becoming too rigid &/or obsessed with my eating habits.  been there, done that & it does not work for me.  i would say that 90% of the time i try to eat mostly veggies, a lot of raw, organic, no gluten, very little dairy & so on...  however, 10% of the time i eat whatever i want, or whatever life calls for.  i have found that this works the best for me, but to each there own...always!

now, how about that salad?!?!

the main ingredient is SPINACH, maybe one of the most awesome nutrient rich foods ever!  it is packed full of phytonutrients, which when eaten may help to keep your body functioning properly & assist in preventing disease.  the two main phytonutrients in spinach are flavonoids & carotenoids...which act as anti-inflammatory & antioxidant agents in your body.

it also is loaded with lots of vitamin K, great for maintaing bone health & it's even a plant based source of omega 3 fatty acids.

know wonder it is considered a superfood, as all of the nutrients work together to prevent disease & promote health!

now when contemplating what type of salad i was going to make for the dinner i knew that i wanted to make something colorful & spring like.  but also, healthy & good...something that might even appeal to the non-veggie eaters.  

considering all of the color in this one, and with a few of the flavors i selected...i may have just flown right passed "spring inspired" & went straight to SUMMER!  oops;)

 as i currently imagine making this one for a backyard barbecue this summer; using fresh cucumbers & tomatoes from our garden!  i see flip flops too!(on my feet of course!)

so spring or summer, this one is bright, cheery, delicious & packed with things that are good for your body!

ingredients.

spinach 

quinoa

strawberries

cucumbers

avocado

white onion

shaved almonds 

balsamic vinaigrette

i did not include amounts with the ingredients above, as this salad could be prepared for 1person or 10+....depending on the occasion.  you could also vary the amounts of certain ingredients based on your personal taste.  i will say that i made this salad for 8 people & it was a perfect amount using the following quantities...

spinach:  i used one of those large pre-packeged containers by earthbound organic farms

quinoa:  1/2 cup, prepared as directions indicated. 

strawberries:  about 6-10, quartered. 

cucumber:  1 medium, diced with skin removed 

avocado:  1, sliced

white onion:  1/4-1/2 of a medium one

shaved almonds:  1/2-3/4 cup

balsamic vinaigrette:  every body dressed there own salad.  however, it would be nice tossed in too.  also, i did not make my own balsamic this time.  i used annie's organics, which has a nice rich flavor.

& for the non-vegans in the group, i brought along a little feta cheese to top it all off!  

enjoy!  e.