Last Week's Veggie Box
:-D
One reason that I decided it would be a good idea to change to a
C.S.A. (Commercially-Sustained-Agriculture) was because I also wanted to change my diet. My fiancee and I have been forced to eat more salad then we should. We have also been eating out five-times less. I have made it a goal to get rid of all the veggies before the
C.S.A.-delivery man named Don gives us more. It is a great way to make sure that my fiancee and I are still getting our right amount of vegetables, and spending less money on eating out, and more money on promoting the organic foods market, especially the free range eggs.
One of my favorite things about the free range eggs is knowing that the chickens are happy and doing good. I used to be a vegetarian for three years, so making the switch completely has always made me feel a little guilty, so I try to buy free-range as much as possible. My favorite thing about getting a Los Poblanos veggie basket is getting a letter from the Farmer. With every box of veggies that is sent out, the farmer also includes a letter about the difficulty of the crop, growing tips, upcoming farming seminars at Los Poblanos, ect. It is a wonderful resource and helps one feel more closer to the farmer producing our food. I am happy to know that my money is going to someone down the street than rather to a multi-national non-profit co-op. I think it is important to imagine only a few individuals to produce food rather than a whole corporation. Especially when I know that the foods will be incorporated back into my New Mexican economy.
I think I am starting to get the hang of cooking around the vegetables every week. I have managed to organize my recipes around the groceries, rather than my groceries around the recipes. I have learned to be more quick-witted and less prepared. Without having the option of choosing my own veggies and recipes, I learn to be happy when a certain food is in season, and I learn to thankful for the changing seasons.
The week by great in terms of food. We ate soup and salad one night, baked potatoes and steaks another, pizza and salad, fajitas. Although I did have to buy a few additional items from the store, the bulk of my food this week was organic, all the way down to my cilantro. Although there have been many studies that organics to not have a great change on your health, I still believe--from a chef's perspective--that organic just tastes better. There is something about the love and care taking into the account of an organic food that I believe I can taste.
Recently, I have been trying to relive a new lifestyle lately. I am trying to omit sugar from my diet, and make alcohol drinking minimal, if only for pairing with entrees. I have also started running pretty intensely lately. I recently just finished my first 5k--the first of many. In accordance with this new lifestyle I am adopting, I am also going to drastically change my diet through this program.
Now, I have a very strange dieting technique. I believe when dieting it is important to take an optimistic step into the right direction. We need to be able to feel like we are living and also eating. I feel sad when I think of girls who don't get to eat what they like. Sure, we need to do things in moderation, but I would rather have my body drastically change because of the things that I love and not because of the things I hate.
With that, adding the vegetables have probably lowered my caloric intake (and wallet) a lot. Its surprising to me how much less money I have used this week. I don't even pay for going out anymore. We went out twice this week. And we've saved a lot of money too.
In the mornings, we have been making a lot of omelets. I have steered away from breakfast burritos mostly because I try to stay away from heavy carbohydrates (like tortillas) in moderation. However, tomorrow I am going to try to start eating egg white omelets in the mornings because I hear those are a lot lighter in calories. (Yay!)
I am already planning for not this next week, but the week after (May 19th). Since they don't allow you to change your shopping options the Friday before the delivery, you have to wait the next week. Now I remember, that's the whole reason I started this blog, so I can remember why I bought what ingredients for what. I am so funny sometimes.
My brother recently gave my fiancee and I a book as engagement present called "
Williams Sonoma Bride & Groom Cookbook". I recommend this cookbook to any couple who is looking for recipes that only make two servings. It is very difficult to make dinner because there are so many servings in one recipe. This book makes it easier for a couple to eat nice, small portions that are the appropriate size.
Within the book, I have already seen what recipes I want to make, some morning in the future, and also another pasta recipe (ingredients I can get from the C.S.A. are included):
Recipes for the week of May 19th:
Zucchini-Basil Frittata
LPO (Los Poblanos Organics) eggs
Zucchini
Fettuccine with Peas and Asparagus
Asparagus
Rasband Dairy Cream
Zucchini Potato Pancakes
served with grilled smoked sausage and steamed LPO veggies
From the Williams Sonoma Bride & Groom Cookbook
LPO zucchini
LPO potato
LPO eggs
Yum, also that reminds me. If all you
Albuquerquens are looking for a good place for amazing pasta, check out the local
La Montanita Co-Op, for
Montebello Organic Pasta. For only three dollars, I think I had the best pasta of my life. I can't imagine eating pasta any other way in fact. My
Barilla pasta I got from the local grocery store has recently been abandoned since I found this stuff. (Plus if you get a Co-Op Membership you can get $23 massages at the
New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics.)
For this next week, I have the following ingredients coming from LPO:
Bananas
Cauliflower
Celery
Carrots
4 fuji apples
Green Onions
Weekly Garden Box
Here is what I have planned out, recipe wise for this week's delivery:
Cauliflower Soup
Sauteed Apples with Ice Cream
From the Williams Sonoma Bride & Groom Cookbook
Fajitas a la Ami (That's my name in French)
green onions
LPO veggies
Salad
Los Poblanos Greens
Although I can't plan out all of next week, at least I have a little bit in mind what I want to do this week. This evening, I am staring at my leftovers from this past Tuesday's veggie box. I have two bananas left, one orange, and one tangerine. I have some cilantro that I will try to use up in the next week and some leftover spinach. I plan on making banana bread tonight, and having bread in the morning, some grilled cheese & spinach salad for lunch, and a pasta mixed with the leftover spinach. by then, we will only have two fruits left. It is a good feeling to know that we ate all those vegetables. It's important in life to continually be eating the food we are given and to be thankful for the food we have.
As Americans, I think that sometimes it is difficult to have gratitude for all that we are given. It is hard to continuously be inspired and empowered by food and its affect on your health. If we all try, one step at a time, to be a more consumer conscious society, and try to build up our economies locally, I think that we all have a better chance feeling good about what we put in our bodies and minds.
On that note, I hope that we all try to stay healthy this week. I hope we all stick to our exercise routines and continually attempt to promote an economy that helps our local job market. I hope we try to make New Mexico into a farming town, the Metro Albuquerque area specifically. It is important to feel connected to our metro city and to the nature around it. That is one reason Albuquerque is so special.
I am going to be at the
Run for the Wine, so if you see me, feel free to say "Hi!". I have also been getting very excited about wine pairing lately.
Final Note Scott Rasband Dairy Milk
Candelaria Farm is an open space area that the city allowed Scott Rasband to raise his milk in. Just this week, LPO has added this man to their pack of people. So now we all can have fresh milk locally too. Thanks LPO!
Happy Mother's Day from my family to yours!
