Author Archives: Karin

Mar 8 2011

Orange slices, Bananas, and Scones

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The kids didn’t have school Monday morning do to a teacher work day.  This gave me more time to work on breakfast.  This breakfast hits a soft spot for me.  Growing up my family owned a cabin in Warm Lake Idaho.  Every summer we would take off for a week each month and go to the cabin.  I have many great memories of this place.  One memory is of these scones.  My mom would always plan on having scones for at least one of the breakfasts while we were there.  She would buy a package of frozen rolls and let them thaw overnight.  Then in the morning she would flatten and fry them and serve them with honey and sugar.  They disappeared faster than she could make them.  The kids love these.  These scones are really just a fry bread and aren’t that healthy all by themselves.  So I sliced three oranges and  2 bananas for  the kids to eat along with the scones.  This breakfast was a success.  Nothing was left.  Oranges are high in vitamin C and are a good source or dietary fiber.  Bananas are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and potassium.

Oranges and Bananas

Mar 7 2011

Cucumber Side Salad

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Sunday night I decided to make a cucumber salad to go with dinner.  Not something we have had before.  Usually when we eat cucumbers it’s in a green salad or just slices.  I peeled and sliced two cucumbers.  I went online to get a couple of ideas as to what to add and decided on one.  I chopped some green onions and then mixed together a couple of tablespoons of sour cream and ranch dressing.  I wasn’t very impressed with the salad.  It was really watery and lacked flavor.  I think I’ll probably get another chance on a cucumber salad.  Especially since I still have 5 cucumbers.  Everyone finished what was on their plate so the salad wasn’t too bad.  Levi was the one who liked it the most.  I think he ate more than half of the salad all by himself.   Cucumbers are a good source of vitamin C.

Levi on his fourths

Mar 6 2011

Bountiful Basket Week 2

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First off I would like to tell you what we have left of week one.  We have 2 tomatoes, 2 pears, 1 broccoli crown, 2lbs of butter ball potatoes, and a little bit of lettuce.  You might be wondering what happened to the coconut.  With much effort we opened it and drank the water and ate the flesh.  Nothing spectacular and not really worth the effort that it took.

Yesterday I picked up the second basket.  I was amazed at how different it turned out to be.  I was afraid I would end up with more broccoli, more asparagus, and another coconut.  Here is the inventory of what we received this week.

 

 

1 lb spinach               1 pineapple                   1.15lbs green beans

7 cucumbers              8 apples                        7 bananas

10 oranges                3 turnips                        3 yellow mangoes

1 acorn squash         2 yellow squash             4 tomatoes

This week if I had bought all of this at the grocery store it would have cost me $41.79.  This is a significant savings especially when I only spent $16.50.  I’m really excited to see the pineapple in the basket.  My family loves to eat fresh pineapple (I could eat it all by myself).  We have already consumed the mangoes.  I was really disappointed when I started peeling and chopping the mangoes because one was too ripe and had to be thrown away.  I think that I’m going to have a difficult time using all of the cucumbers.  I have never cooked a turnip so that will be the challenge this week.

So far this experiment has really helped put me in a different mindset.  I used to plan our meals base around what kind of protein we had in our freezer.  Now instead of protein I’m planning it around what fruits and veggies are in the fridge and need to be used up.  This past week I have consumed more fruits and veggies than I have had all winter long.  I’ll keep you posted on what happens this week.

Mar 4 2011

Fruit Salad for Breakfast

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Cantaloupe, Banana, pear, and Strawberries

Okay, I’m not a morning person.  I never have been and probably never will be.  I love to sleep in.  Unfortunately with young kids that isn’t as often as I would like.  Usually I drag myself out of bed and give myself just enough time to get the boys breakfast, make lunches, and see them off to school.  Then I’ll get Sophia dressed and fed.  I usually just have a small bowl of cereal.  Well Wednesday morning was something different.  On Tuesday night, while rummaging in the fridge for something good to eat, I discovered that I still had a cantaloupe hidden in the back of my fridge.  I decided to chop it up and have a small evening snack.  Then I put the rest of it back in the fridge.  After I got the boys off to school in the Morning I found the cantaloupe in the fridge.  A fruit salad sounded pretty tasty to me.  I took the cantaloupe, pear, strawberries, and banana (all from the basket) and mixed them all up.  It was really good.  Sophia ended up with second breakfast (she had oatmeal with her brothers).  I also had a piece of toast on the side.  This was perfect for my morning.  If I get more fruits in the next basket I’ll probably do the same thing.  Cantaloupe is high in vitamins A & C, and is a good source of folate.  Strawberries are high in vitamin C and folate.  Bananas are a good source of vitamin C, fiber, and potassium.  Pears are an excellent source of fiber and a good source of vitamin C.

Mar 3 2011

Broccoli

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We were given so much broccoli that I’ve been a little worried that I won’t be able to use it all.  Monday night for dinner I decided to make broccoli and cheese soup for dinner.  This is one of my favorite soups.  I really love to make bread bowls and eat the soup out of that.  My husband thought it would be better with some bread on the side.  So that is what we ended up doing.  I chopped and sauted about 1/2 cup of onions and then added about 2 cups of broccoli.  I added 3 cups of chicken stock (just enough to cover).  I brought it all to a boil.  I reduced the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.  I then took my stick blender and blended it until it was smooth.  I added  a 1/2 cup of cream and 1/2 cup of cheese.  The soup had a really good flavor, but I was reminded why we don’t eat it very often.  Preston and Sophia didn’t have any problems eating the soup.  Levi, however, had to choke it down.  He kept complaining about how he didn’t like it.  I’m hoping with time that his opinion will change and we can at last enjoy this wonderful soup.  I used about half of the broccoli that was in the basket.  Since I boiled the broccoli it lost a lot of it’s nutritional value.  You can steam, microwave, and stir fry broccoli with no effect on it’s nutritional benefits. Broccoli when prepared right is high in vitamin C and  high in folate. Broccoli is also a good source of dietary fiber and potassium.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

 

Mar 2 2011

Sunday Dinner

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Swiss Steak, Herbed potatoes, Garden salad

For dinner on Sunday I made Swiss steak.  For the sides I used the Butter Gold Potatoes, lettuce, and tomatoes from the basket.  I tried something new with the potatoes.  Most of the time when we buy potatoes its the big russets that you get locally.  I thought that with these small potatoes I could make herbed potatoes.  I washed and boiled the potatoes until they were tender.  Then I sliced them in half and tossed them in a teaspoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of butter.  I sprinkled them with garlic powder, basil, parsley, green onions, and salt and pepper.  My husband and I thought that this was the best thing we had at dinner.  The kids however weren’t sure about all the herbs on the outside of the potatoes.  The kids liked the salad the best.  I made the salad with the lettuce and tomatoes from the basket.  I also added cauliflower, carrots, celery, and red pepper that I had already had in the fridge.   The potatoes are high in vitamin C and a good source of Potassium.  Potassium helps regulate blood pressure.  The Lettuce is high in Vitamin A, and a good source of Folate.  The Tomatoes are also high in Vitamins A & C and is also a good source of Potassium.  A salad is one of the best ways to consume fresh fruits and vegetables because you consume them raw.  When you cook fruits and veggies they lose a little of their nutritional value.  Sunday Dinner

Mar 1 2011

Asparagus

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Sunday afternoon, after feeding the kids, Corey and I needed something to eat for lunch.  I remembered that I bought some frozen ravioli from the grocery store a couple of weeks ago.  I put some water onto boil and took  my saute  pan out. When I was a kid my mom used to make asparagus for dinner.  Sorry mom, but it was yucky.  She would take the asparagus and boil the heck out of it.  Then she would make a cheese sauce and cover the asparagus with it. The cheese sauce was the best because it covered the gross texture and taste of the asparagus.  Freshman year in college I had a roommate who introduced me to a new way of cooking asparagus.  She chopped it up into bite size pieces and sauted it in a little butter with some salt and pepper.  It was really good and opened up a whole new world of asparagus for me.  Since then I’ve learned that asparagus is really good grilled and with lemon too.  So for this meal while the noodles were boiling I chopped up some asparagus and sauted it in a little butter and olive oil (too cold for grilling).  I seasoned the asparagus with some lemon pepper.  When the noodles were done I tossed it all together and topped it with a little Parmesan.  Corey and I really enjoyed our lunch.  Our two year old kept stealing my asparagus and when mine was all gone she started to take it from her dad.  She didn’t even want any of the ravioli.  Asparagus is high in folate.  Folate helps reduce spinal cord and brain defects in a developing fetus.  Asparagus is also a good source of Vitamins A & C (see previous post for benefits of these vitamins).

Mar 1 2011

Mango

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First item that I used from the basket was a mango.  I noticed that the mangoes felt fairly ripe.  It was snack time.  I peeled, sliced and divided the mango.  The kids were excited.  This isn’t the first time they have had mangoes, but we don’t have them often.  I was worried that the texture was going to be too much for them.  They devoured it.  It was a great snack and healthy too.  Mangoes are High in Vitamin A and a good source of Vitamin C.  Vitamin A is good for the eyes and skin.  It also helps with your immune system.  Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds.  It helps boost your immune system and is good for your teeth and gums (fruits and veggies more matter).

Kids Eating Mango Slices
Sophia taking a bite 

Levi stuffing his face

When Preston finished I heard him run down the stairs shouting “I love Mangoes”.  It’s feels good to give them something they love and good for them too.

Feb 28 2011

My First Basket

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I ordered my first basket last Monday.  Saturday finally arrived.  We packed the kids up and drove the short distance to the designated pick up spot.  It was really simple.  We brought our own basket to put the food in and stood in line for a short time.  They were well organized and kept the line moving quickly.  I was surprised with how many people were showing up.  We took the basket home and lined everything up to take inventory.  7 Bananas                    2 Mangoes                    2 Bundles of Asparagus

5 Roma Tomatoes       1 Coconut                      1 Carton of Strawberries

1 Cantaloupe               6 Forelle Pears              1 Head Romain Lettuce

3 lb bag of Butter Gold Potatoes                        2 Bundles of Broccoli

After weighing everything and putting it away we made a trip to the grocery store.  You’re probably thinking, why the grocery store?  Didn’t you just get a bunch of food?  Well I wanted to go to the grocery store to calculate how much all this food would cost me if I had bought it there.  The basket cost $15.  I also had a one time basket fee of $3. There is also a handling fee of $1.50.  So all together it cost me $19.50.  On my trip to the grocery store the only item I had trouble with were the pears.  I couldn’t find that exact pear so I had to estimate according what was there.  All together if I had bought all this at the grocery store it would have cost me about $26 + tax.  So far the value is great.  I’m a little concerned about eating everything before it goes bad.  We don’t get coconut very often and I’m not sure what to do with that.  My next dilemma, do I buy another basket for this Saturday or wait a week.  I have so much in my refrigerator it’s really hard to tell what I’ll need next week.

 

Feb 27 2011

The Experiment

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I wanted to do something different for a change.  As some of you already know I graduated from BYU almost 10 years ago.  I got a bachelors of science degree in community health.  While in school I had an internship with the Utah County Health Department.  I put in over 300 hours of time and energy devoted to the cardiovascular health department.  I spent time at farmers markets, classrooms, and health fairs promoting eating healthy foods and more specifically eating more fruits and vegetables.  So, what have I done since then?  To be honest not much.  Don’t get me wrong I eat pretty healthy and have taught my kids to make healthy choices.  I exercise at least 3 times a week.  I just don’t share my knowledge with those around me.  In an effort to refresh my memory and maybe share a little, I’ve started a new experiment.

My inspiration for this experiment came while exercising with a couple of friends.  These friends know that Corey and I don’t like to eat processed  and boxed foods.  We both like to cook and try new foods.  They asked me if I had ever ordered a Bountiful Basket before.  I had heard of it but never really knew what it was.  They told me to look it up and try it.  Here is a quick run down of what it is.  Basically it is a food co-op that started in Arizona.  You order from the website, starting Monday 12:00pm and ending Tuesday 10:00 pm, and pick up at a location near you on Saturday.

These were the common complaints from my friends.  The window time to order is very short and specific and if you want to pick up at a popular spot than you need to order early.  They also complained that they would get so much food that a lot of it would go to waste.  Sometimes you would get foods that you have never seen or heard of and you don’t know what to do with it.  So for this experiment these are the questions I want to answer:

  • Is it worth my money?
  • Do we eat more fruits and veggies?
  • Does it make us try new things?  and do my kids like it?
  • How much goes to waste?

Along with answering these questions I am also going to take an inventory on what is in my basket.  I’ll tell you how we have used the fruits and veggies that we got.  It’s also good to know why it’s important to eat fruits and vegetables, so I will tell you what nutrients you get from them.

From this experiment  I hope to show you, and remind myself and family, how easy, delicious, and healthy fresh fruits and veggies can be.  I strongly believe in eating fresh fruits and veggies rather than canned or processed.  I hope that this experiment will help my family and I to become less dependent on those kinds of foods.  This will also help me to find things to blog about and maybe I can become a little more consistent.

Stay tuned.  I ordered last Monday and picked up my first basket yesterday.  I already have a couple of post in the works.