Bridges going home.
June 22, 2014
Bridges going home.
Month: June 2014
What To Do With A Box Of Vegetables: Paisley Farm CSA Box 2
This year’s CSA is from Paisley Farm, a 25-acre operation located in Tivoli, NY. Paisley Farm grows organically and plants with the chef in mind. The 22-week CSA runs from June – October and I purchased the standard vegetable share. This share includes 8-9 vegetables and herbs per week (8-12 pounds) – enough to provide a family of three with 3-4 dinners’ worth of veg. The price equals out to $25 per week, the cost of which will be calculated in my weekly Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking posts.
This week’s share …….
Next week, I will be going on vacation and won’t be picking my share up – I’ll be salvaging what I haven’t eaten by the time we leave for our meals the Monday-Wednesday we get back.
Paisley Farm 2014 CSA Box 2
Arugula – I’m imagining it’s the bunch of really spiky arugula/rocket looking stuff
Mixed lettuce – A whole huge bag full
Tokyo turnips – These were set to come again this week, but it looks like i got some nice hearty kale instead
Radishes – A huge bunch
Spring onions – All of the spring onions.
Summer choi – A bunch
Collard greens – A bunch
Leftover From Last Week
Asparagus
Turnips & radishes
Carrots (non-CSA)
How I Used My Share
This is a weird week, as it straddles a week-long vacation. I won’t be able to use up all the veggies I’ve gotten, so I will be bringing the huge bag of lettuce + the arugula to a friend of mine.
I used last week’s asparagus and some young garlic in a fresh salad to accompany steak.
The turnips & radishes from last week were used raw in salads, and broiled for dinner one night – I used the greens in salads and as a braise another night.
I still haven’t touched the carrots.
My Favorite Dish From This Box
The braised turnips & radishes. I prepared them simply (roasted at 400 with a glug of olive oil and a glug of balsamic vinegar) and ate the whole lot in a single meal. Delicious.
Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking – Week of June 16 – 20
A number of people I know are completely flabbergasted when contemplating sticking to a budget while eating a primarily “paleo” diet. I’m hoping to shed a little light on that issue for those of you on the fence about eating healthfully in this manner – it *can* be done – and done well – without spending all the money. All it takes is a little planning.
A little background: I live in Brooklyn, NY, and the grocery prices here are definitely not the same as what you will find in other areas of the country. If you live in say, Raleigh NC for example – you may very well be able to cut this grocery bill by a third, depending upon where you shop. For where I live, where I shop and what I buy, $100 a week is a doable budget without having to sacrifice the quality I want too much. My DH thinks $130 is probably more realistic with our morning smoothie supplies, but I want to shoot for $100. I aim to make 4-5 dinners for two and 5 lunches per week, plus two smoothies per day six days of the week with my budgetary allowance and update you all weekly on what’s going on. Let’s see if I can make it.
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The CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program I have joined runs through October, so I will be doing things a little differently with the vegetable portion of my meal planning for the next few months. My veggie-only share averages out to $25 a week, which will come off the top of my budget allotment and will comprise the bulk of my non-smoothie-related vegetable purchases. To see what I’ve been up to with my CSA shares, check out the posts labeled ‘What To Do With A Box Of Vegetables‘.
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Last Week (Week of June 9-13)
The Plan vs. Reality
Monday
- The Plan – Quick-pick meat from the grocery + CSA veggies
- Reality – I grabbed some bbq spice rubbed chicken breasts and the hubbs wanted something light, so I whipped up a chipotle/scallion/lettuce/arugula/cucumber/radish salad. Yum.
Tuesday
- The Plan – Meatball subs with braised rapini
- Reality – The rapini was on the salty side, but the dinner was a success. I had no roll, and it was still satisfying. The hubbs absolutely loved the meatballs.
Wednesday
- The Plan – CSA day, so something quick – quick-pick meat from the grocery + asparagus salad
- Reality – I grabbed a nice big sirloin steak from the grocery and we had that along with a mostly-raw salad of thin sliced asparagus, spring onion, balsamic vinegar and asiago cheese.
Thursday
- The Plan – Chicken with chipotle BBQ sauce and braised turnips & radishes
- Reality – Yum!
Friday
- The Plan – Quick pick meat from the grocery + whatever looks most appealing in the crisper
- Reality – a great plan.
Lunches
- The Plan – Salads & leftovers
- Reality – ALL THE SALADS – yum.
Extras
- The Plan – Nothing planned but fresh fruit for dessert
- Reality – And nothing made
This Week: June 16 – 20
This week is another vacation week, so I won’t be cooking for dinner (or shopping for groceries). We will pick this back up next week.
This Week’s Proposed Menu
- Monday: Travel day – I do hope to grab some healthy snack options so I don’t eat craziness on the road
- Tuesday: I’m hoping for pulled pork
- Wednesday: Hopefully something delicious but not crazy
- Thursday: Hopefully something delicious but not crazy
- Friday: Hopefully something delicious but not crazy
- Lunch: Hopefully something delicious but not crazy
- Extras: I’m sure there will be
Shopping List & Cost Breakout
Grocery Store Key: TJ = Trader Joe’s, WF = Whole Foods, O = Optional if budget allows
Shopping List
None to speak of this week, though I intend to grab simple snacks – things like plain nuts, maybe some sort of fruit bowl, possibly a jerky, and I may make paleo banana/nut butter “muffins”
Total TJ: $0000
Total WF: $0000
Total For The Week: n/a
Pantry/items repurposed from last week: n/a.
June 21, 2014
Early morning cat petting time time to be forcibly petted by Mittens & Mr. Kitty.
Apparently, I was doing it wrong.
Sweet & Smoky Chipotle Sauce (paleo)
This sauce started out as a request from my brother, who asked me to recreate the pizza sauce from his favorite pizza joint in the town he and his wife just moved from. “It tastes kinda like the Chipotle sauce from Tabasco,” he said. And that’s about all I had to go on.
So I took to the kitchen and came up with a sauce that works well both as a BBQ sauce and a pizza sauce. And it’s good. Smoky, sticky, a little sweet, a little earthy, with a shot of tart – fantastic with chicken thighs and braised turnips/radishes and really good on a pizza. Hopefully this does the trick.
Paleo (check your labels and swap the brown sugar for maple syrup), and gluten-free (watch your labels)
Sweet & Smoky Chipotle Sauce
1/2 c. minced onion or shallot
1 clove minced garlic
2 tsp. ghee
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 chipotle in adobo, chopped
2 Tbsp. coconut aminos (if you’re not paleo or gluten-free, you can use soy sauce)
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar (the cheapie stuff is fine)
2 Tbsp. ketchup (check your labels!)
1 Tbsp. molasses
2 tsp. brown sugar (swap for maple syrup if paleo)
Kosher salt
In a small saucepan, heat the ghee over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic, hit with a big pinch of salt, and sautee until translucent.
Add the tomato paste and chipotle and sautee 30 seconds to a minute, mixing vigorously the whole time to combine evenly.
Add the coconut aminos and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 1-2 minutes. Add the ketchup and molasses and stir to combine. Taste. Add the brown sugar/maple syrup if needed.
Let cool. Blend to break up the onion pieces if desired.
Makes about half a cup of sauce – enough for chicken + a pizza if needed.
June 20, 2014
Raleigh. City of Oaks.
June 19, 2014
Moody Asheville
June 18, 2014
A beautiful sunset at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC – plus catching up with old friends and family — today was a great day.
June 17, 2014
It’s good to re-discover loved ones.
June 16, 2014
Bubble lights
Gastography 