The tomatoes and blueberries are coming!

To recap last week, by the time we picked up a new box we had 1 zucchini, 1 bunch beet greens, a small handful of arugula and 1 bunch radishes left. The radishes had gone soft, so I threw those out.

We picked up our box a day early since we were out of town on Sunday. This box
1 small head of leaf lettuce
2 zucchini
3 summer squash
1 bunch Swiss Chard
1 bunch Kale
1 bag green beans
1 bunch beets (5 with greens)
3 cucumbers
2 small tomatoes
1 pint blueberries
1 sprig basil

I saw corn at the market which is super exciting! I would have totally bought some if I knew I was going to be able to eat it that day, but we were heading out, so saved my cash for next time.

We came home late Monday. Bert was ready to order Chef Chow's Chinese take-out, but I convinced him 1) we needed to eat the veggies 2) I could make something faster than delivery. I sauteed last week's zucchini and 1 summer squash. At the end added 1 can of diced tomatoes and some basil. Served over whole wheat pasta. Sauce could have been a little thicker. Probably should have used more oregano. I seasoned with Everyday seasoning and some salt when the squash was dry, before adding to the pan.

For lunch I had lettuce with cucumber and tomato. Had cottage cheese and hummus with Kashi vegetable crackers. Rounded out the meal with a peach. I ate lunch at 2pm and was still hungry by the time I got home for dinner.

Tonight I made a stir-fry with 1 zucchini, 1 squash and 1 block of firm tofu. Island Soyaki sauce from Trader Joe's provided some extra flavor. We served with Goya brown rice mix. Although it has a heart healthy stamp on it, it was very salty tasting. I prefer the plain Jane Uncle Ben's 10minute brown rice better.

To get ready for lunch tomorrow, I prepped lentils and roasted beets tonight. I burned the bottom lentils in the pot since I kind of forgot to check on them and did not set a timer. I remember checking on them and there was still a little bit of water left. I should have taken them off the heat at that point, but no, I thought I would keep them going to the end. I only thought to check on them when I smelled the hint of something burning. I was also multi-tasking, which is a challenge for me in the kitchen. I was busy carefully peeling the beets for roasting. I feel like Lady Macbeth. The beet juice is not washing from my hands very easily.

I hope I can get the burn marks out of my expensive stainless steel pot!

And Bert informed me that two of the peaches I bought at the store on Saturday are already showing mold spots! Such a bummer and a waste!

Mid-week cucumber and summer squash salad

Monday's work salad was dry without dressing, so for Tuesday's lunch I made an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing which paired well with the tomato, beets, lentils and lettuce. I can't tell if I am eating fewer calories with my homemade lunch or not. I know I have been starving after eating my salad and fruit, so started to eat pita chip crackers from Trader Joes.  I am certainly eating less added sugar by not eating the pineapple Chobani yogurt (the best flavor!), and yes, probably more controlled calories than the hot meals served in the cafeteria. I started eating more hot meals last August when the cafeteria rolled out the "green plate" entrées, which means they meet certain heart healthy guidelines for fat, salt and calorie content, although I am almost certain the portions used to make it a healthy plate are not the same portions served at the counter, but I digress.

Last night we made another salad. Recipe here: https://stillmansfarm.wordpress.com/2014/07/05/fresh-summer-squash-cucumber-and-fennel-salad/
And I have a mandolin! This is the second time I have used the mandolin. The first time I made a breakfast casserole for my brother and sister-in-law and I sliced the potatoes with it.

I used a large squash and large cucumber. I had to dirty two bowls, because the first one I used just wasn't big enough for "folding." I also didn't have time to let the salad marinate since as usual, I came home from the gym, curled up on the floor with a low blood sugar, then decided to take a shower before starting dinner, by that time I was starving, so wasn't going to wait 30minutes. We also didn't make anything else but chicken with everyday seasoning. The salad was very lemony. I am not a big fan of raw summer squash, but it tasted okay with the lemon and mint. Not sure I would make it again. I am going to try it again Thursday for lunch, maybe marinating the salad will help balance the flavors.

Tonight I ate lunch for dinner. For lunch I went with two friends to Legal Crossing in Downtown. That meal (Garlic shrimp over homemade pasta) and drink was exceptionally good. Because I was drunk from the "cold tea" which was Allagash White mixed with some hard liquor, I craved ice cream for dessert. Bert was available, so we stopped by Ben and Jerry's. I had Gilly's SNL ice cream which was delicious.

I don't know if we are going to make it through this box! Still remaining:
Radishes
2 zucchini
1 bunch arugula
1 bunch beet greens
1 bunch kale
Few leaves of lettuce

I am still making my way through the beets. Two cooked ones left.

Week #3

I find myself eagerly awaiting 3:30pm on Sunday so we can head over to pick up our goodies and then make a menu for the week!
This week's box:
1 bunch of radishes with greens
1 bunch of arugula
1 head of red leaf lettuce
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 bunch kale
1 bunch beets with greens
2 summer squash
2 zucchini
2 small and 1 large cucumber
1 bag of green beans
1 fennel bulb

Plus we still have one zucchini from last week.

After shopping, I started by prepping the beets. I will eat those on my salad this week. I boiled them since I like them that way better than roasted, plus we were using the oven to make veggie pizza. Recipe here: https://stillmansfarm.wordpress.com/2012/07/04/kale-pizza-and-other-thoughts/

We really liked it. I think next time I would render some bacon or Pancetta first, then cook the onions, garlic and greens. Tonight we ate it with pork with applewood rub. Not a great flavor combination, but at least it wasn't chicken with everyday seasoning! There were no real carbohydrates with this meal. I considered making some pasta crust, but I didn't have any milk to keep the pasta together We were also running out of burners.

I spent the remainder of evening making lentils to add some oomph to my salad and washing the lettuce. I used the beet water to make the lentils. Thought I would save some energy by using water that was already heated.