The menu-licious blog revisited…
My original plan for this blog sort of got tossed to the side when I started training for Boston. It wasn’t that I wasn’t cooking/baking or planning my meals, but I wanted to focus on sharing my journey (back) to the finish line. It was quite a tumultuous year for me and it was somewhat cathartic being able to share my thoughts and feelings. Now that the marathon is over and spring/summer has FINALLY sprung, I’d like to get back to the original plan for this blog…FOOD!
A few years ago a friend introduced me to CSA’s. For those of you who don’t know, that stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, you purchase a share of a local farmers’ crop and once the harvest season begins you get a box of fruits and/or vegetables on a weekly basis. Not only are you supporting a local business, but you are getting good quality, healthy ingredients for a similar cost, if not cheaper, than the grocery store.
I’ve been using Farmer Dave for the past few years and I LOVE it! We got our first box of the season last week, and as usual in the beginning, it’s mostly greens. The second week we start to see a little bit a variety, and in a few weeks we’ll have so many different kinds of veggies we won’t know what to do with ourselves. Being able to use all the veggies does take some planning, but it’s definitely do-able. We usually get our share on Wednesday, so I take that night to separate everything, wash it and store it as needed. Then I make a list of what we have and start planning.
Like most people, I have several go-to recipes that I’ve accumulated over the years, but I also love incorporating 1-2 new recipes per week. I usually find new recipes by scouring the plethora of food blogs I follow, reading through cooking magazines or just searching for a specific ingredient on Pinterest.
This week our CSA included: Oregano, baby spinach, garlic scapes, bok choy, arugula, romaine lettuce, basil and parsley. I wanted to focus on some new healthy ways to use everything, so after a little bit of searching, here’s what I came up with…
- Roasted Red Peppers marinated in Garlic Scape Vinaigrette
- Caprese Grilled Cheese with Argula Pesto
- Grilled Bok Choy with Sweet Soy Glaze
- Mediterranean Chicken and Spinach Pasta
Now remember, every new recipe isn’t going to be a gem, but more often than not, we enjoy a tasty meal.
Check back later in the week, and I’ll try to highlight one or more of the recipes I’ve tried and give it the thumbs up or thumbs down!
Happy Menu planning 🙂