Fruit Salad

One of the best things I started doing when I got my groceries, was going ahead and washing all of my fruits and vegetables and cutting up anything that needed prepping.  I usually do this on Sunday mornings.  It takes some time but is so worth it during the week.  Also I have a tendency to eat the stuff and not waste it when it is prepped.

I know most of you are saying that this is too much work, but you will find that it helps tremendously.  One way to eat lots of fruit and not let it spoil, is making a fruit salad.  The one in the picture is not one that I cut up but was served at a breakfast we had this week so it reminded me how much more fruit I eat when it is served this way.

I will post a great fruit salad recipe later this week.

What is in season?

We are told to eat in season.  What does this actually mean?  Certain fruits and vegetables are produced at different times of the year.  We have gotten so used to having every fruit and vegetable in the supermarkets but at what cost?  

There are numerous reasons to eat in season:

• It helps reduce energy needs (transportation & growing out of season)
• It will reduce the price of an item because it has not traveled as far
• Buy locally, it helps local farmers and the local economy
• Helps work with nature's cycles
• Also it is so much fresher

So what is in season right now (February):

Vegetables:

Broccoli, Broccolini, Brussels sprouts, Butternut Squash, Celery root, Fennel, Kale (my favorite), Leeks, Potatoes, Rutabaga, Salsify, Turnips

Fruits:

Grapefruit, Kiwi, Oranges, Tamarillo, Tangerines

What is your favorite?

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Icing Cookies

One of my favorite bakeries in Norman, OK makes these heavenly peanut butter with chocolate frosting cookies so I decided to try and duplicate them today.  I got out a very old Better Homes & Garden cookbook to get the recipes.  I will say that the cookies match the bakery's but my icing sucked.  I used a decorating chocolate frosting recipe but it got too hard.  At least now I know that the cookie recipe is a winner but now I have to find a better chocolate icing.

What constitutes a serving?

I decided that since this is about getting in enough fruits and vegetables, I needed to talk about what constitutes a serving?

According to the government's food pyramid, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or 2 cups of raw leafy greens is a serving of vegetables.  In regards to fruit, 1 cup of fruit or 100% fruit juice, or 1/2 cup of dried fruit is considered a serving.

I will get into some more information as I start paying more attention to what I eat.

Kiwi & Topo Chico

I wanted something refreshing this morning because I am trying to cut out sugar drinks again.  So I had some Topo Chico, http://www.topochico.com/, and kiwi and I put them together.  It was not bad.

For some reason when I get some fruits that I am not as familiar with, I have a tendency to waste them because I am just not sure what to do with them.  So this was one idea.

Also, if you have never drank a Topo Chico, I highly recommend them.  The fizz is the best.

Lavender Pound Cake

My mom lives in Harrisonburg, VA and has a beautiful lavender farm near her so she sent me a couple of recipe cards from the farm.  I tried the Lavender Pound Cake this evening and it is so good.