My favorite meal involving cucumber is probably Mediterranean Salad from Shab’s, for some reason I can gobble that up. It's just a simple combination of tomato and cucumber, but it is so yummy. Shab’s also makes a delicious tabbouleh salad with cucumber. If you are not familiar with Mediterranean cuisine, tabbouleh is a simple salad made primarily with parsley, bulgur wheat, cucumber and tomato. It’s amazing.
Confession: there are some vegetables I don’t love. I cannot stand arugula, and I have a hard time eating plain sauteed spinach. I also have a hard time eating a lot of cucumber. It’s not that I completely dislike it, but there are only certain cucumber dishes that I enjoy.
My favorite meal involving cucumber is probably Mediterranean Salad from Shab’s, for some reason I can gobble that up. It's just a simple combination of tomato and cucumber, but it is so yummy. Shab’s also makes a delicious tabbouleh salad with cucumber. If you are not familiar with Mediterranean cuisine, tabbouleh is a simple salad made primarily with parsley, bulgur wheat, cucumber and tomato. It’s amazing.
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I think it's about time that I share my meal planning strategy, especially since planning dinners and preparing food is such a huge part of my life. Those of you who know me in real life know that I have gotten this weekly planning down to almost a science, and you can too! I'll bet if you start using a few of my tips, after a few weeks you'll find a meal planning rhythm of your own.
Here is my step by step process for planning my weekly menu and grocery shopping. Ready? Don't be scared off by the words "low sugar" folks, this bread is amazing. I can eat an entire loaf in a couple days. Every time I try to find a recipe for treats like breads or muffins, all the recipes seem to have at least a cup of sugar on the ingredient list. Don't get me wrong, I love the occasional super sweet dessert (I'm talking to you, chocolate cake with peanut butter icing), but when I'm baking my own breads and muffins I don't like to use too much sugar. Even with minimal sugar, this zucchini bread is still sweet and fluffy. The addition of chocolate chips and applesauce adds a subtle sweetness that is not overwhelming. Plus, less sugar is definitely better for the waistline! This may just become your go-to zucchini bread recipe too. Zucchini bread is pretty easy to make, simply mix up your bread ingredients, grate in the zucchini, and add your chocolate chips. I just grate the zucchini right over the bowl for less mess. This recipe makes two loaves. To make sure I don't inhale both loaves immediately, I usually wrap one loaf in foil and put it directly in the freezer, or I give it to a friend or family member. As for the loaf I keep for myself to eat- watch out. Kelly's comin for ya. Low Sugar Zucchini Bread
Ingredients: 3 eggs 1/4 cup canola oil 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1/4 cup sugar 2 t vanilla 2 cups white whole wheat flour (plus more if needed) 1 t baking powder 1 t baking soda 1 T cinnamon 2 c shredded zucchini 1/2 c chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9x5 pans with cooking spray. Beat eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla until it gets foamy. Add baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and flour to eggs. Consistency should be thick- not runny- so add more flour if necessary. Stir in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips, then pour half of the mixture into each pan. Bake about 45-50 min until it passes the clean toothpick test. This recipe is ridiculously easy, but super delicious. Sometimes the simplest recipes can be the best. Take, for example, some of the meals and snacks I eat on a daily basis:
peanut butter + banana + honey + waffles plain Greek yogurt + raspberries I am sure many of you also have easy staple foods you eat throughout the week. I like to take a step back sometimes and remember that I don't need to kill myself making a time consuming dinner to eat something yummy and healthy. How is this for an easy combination? zucchini + garlic + olive oil + spaghetti + Parmesan cheese I love oatmeal, so when I read that Bob's Red Mill hosts an annual contest called "Spar for the Spurtle" I knew I had to create an oatmeal recipe and enter. The contest winner will represent Bob's Red Mill at the 20th Annual Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship in Scotland this October. Sounds amazing, right?
Fun fact: according to Wikipedia, a spurtle is a Scottish kitchen tool used to stir oatmeal or soup. Who knew? Last night I met my friend Tracy and her friend Sarah at The Garlic Poet in New Cumberland PA. I had been wanting to try this place ever since I heard about it- it seemed like everyone in Central PA had been there except me! Obviously I had to remedy that situation ASAP.
Another week, another Spiral Path Farm produce delivery. One of the items in the veggie box was a HUGE bunch of kale. I have been putting a handful of kale in my smoothies lately, but this bunch of kale was so large I knew I needed to make something of substance.
Luckily, when I was leafing through my June issue of SELF Magazine, I spied a kale recipe that looked amazing: Mark Bittman's Kale Sandwiches with Avocado. You guys know I am obsessed with avocado, so anytime I see avocado on the ingredient list it increases the likelihood that I will try the recipe. Pesto seems so fancy, right? I remember buying jars of pesto before I learned how to cook for myself- I wasn't sure what was even in the jar, I just knew it was delicious.
With a bit of experimentation, I found a way to make pesto at home that is easy, healthier, and a *little* less expensive. Most pesto recipes I see call for pine nuts, so the first time I made pesto at home I splurged and bought some pine nuts at the grocery store. Umm.. the bag of pine nuts was TINY and super expensive. No thank you. When I tasted a pine nut, I realized it tasted a lot like a walnut- which I buy anyway to make workweek granola bars. I also knew that I wanted to reduce the amount of oil in my pesto- using a ton of olive oil didn't seem like a good idea, especially because Matt & I typically eat an entire batch of pesto in one meal. Here is what I came up with: recipe after the break. So last week I bought a half gallon of coconut milk, and the carton said it keeps in the fridge for only 7-10 days. That's a lot of pressure on a girl! You guys know I hate to waste food, so I had to think of something to make stat. There are only so many coconut milk smoothies a girl can drink! Ok, I can probably drink a ton of smoothies, but I should have some solid food too. On Sunday afternoon I was thinking about buying some beer or cracking open a bottle of wine when I spotted a bottle of Captain Morgan in the back of my kitchen cupboard. Hmm. The ideas started flowing. Coconut Milk, Captain Morgan, what to do? Pina Coladas of course! The trick to pina coladas, and my regular smoothies too, is using frozen fruit. That way you get a nice icy cold drink without watering it down with ice. Break out your blender, and gather your ingredients.
Happy Saturday! It's a hot steamy day here in Harrisburg and my four-legged furry friend doesn't like the heat, so I thought today would be a good day to do some writing from the comfort of my air-conditioned living room and update everyone on what I've been eating lately. Summer has the potential to be a diet bomb for many of us- ice cream, hot dogs, mayo-based salads- there are so many temptations! I try to find a nice balance by eating a ton of veggies and fruit, and then rounding out my day with a cool treat.
Here are some of the eats I've been loving lately: |