Welcome

This is my first blog which was inspired by joining The Produce Box, a local community supported agriculture group. With a weekly delivery of fresh produce, I have been challenged to create healthy nightly meals using ingredients I may not have purchased on my own.

Below is a compilation of weekly meals using the produce delivered by The Produce Box as well as some other recipes which have inspired me.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

May 11- May 17

This week's Box includes the following:  
  • Strawberries
  • Lesabre Garden Peas
  • Tomatoes (1.5 shares)
  • Red Russian Kale
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Cucumbers

Wednesday, May 11- I will be preparing Apricot Chicken Breasts in my Pampered Chef Covered Baker and serving them along with buttered peas and sweet potato fries.  The chicken is super easy.  Pour apricot preserves over chicken, cover and microwave for approximately 8 minutes.  The peas after washed and shelled will be boiled in salted water.  After draining I will add butter and for the grown-up dishes Garlic Garlic seasoning.  For the sweet potato fries I adapted an allrecipes.com recipe.
Sweet Potato Fries
  • 2 sweet potatoes, cut into french fries
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 tablespoons light olive oil

Directions

  1. Preheat an grill.
  2. Rinse the sweet potato fries with cold water and drain. Spread onto foil.
  3. Stir the cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar together in a bowl; sprinkle over the fries. Drizzle the olive oil over the fries.Cover with a second piece of foil to create a packet.
  4. Place on grill for 20 minutes flipping once during cooking.
**NOTE-These came out soggy.  I will try next time direct on grill pan and no foil envelope**

Thursday, May 12-  Tonight we are heading out for pizza and a movie!

Friday, May 13-  I'm grilling tonight.  I'll grill the sweet potatoes with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of brown sugar plus a few pats of butter.  I will also grill pork chops marinated earlier in honey, soy sauce, olive oil and brown sugar marinade.  I will round out the meal with grilled asparagus (drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic and salt).

Saturday, May 14- Stir Fry Night  I will using my replacement bok choy in a stir fry dish this evening.  I'll update with my exact dish later this week.

Sunday, May 15- My husband discovered this recipe on allrecipes.com.  Since  cooler weather is approaching I thought tonight was a great evening to try this recipe out.

Italian Sausage & Potato Soup

  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • 3/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 slice pancetta bacon, diced
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 cube chicken bouillon ( I will be using Better than Bouillon)
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 potatoes, cubed
  • 2 cups kale, rinsed and julienned
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
  2. Place sausage links on a sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until done. Cut each link in half lengthwise, and then into 1/2 inch slices. Set aside for later.
  3. In a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat, saute the onions and the pancetta for 10 minutes, or until onions are almost clear. Add the garlic and saute for one more minute. Add the chicken base OR bouillon, water and potatoes and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Puree 1-2 cups of soup add back to saucepan.   Add the kale, cream and reserved sausage, simmer for 5 more minutes and serve.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 348  Total Fat: 26.6g  Cholesterol: 68mg  Sodium: 693mg  Total Carbs: 15.3g  Dietary Fiber: 2g  Protein: 12.1g

Monday, May 16- Today is our wedding anniversary; therefore, I will not be cooking!

Tuesday, May 17-This has made it to my menu list for the past 3 weeks but alas I haven't made it once yet!  This week is the week!  I will make this tasty sounding meal tonight that I found on allrecipes.com.  I'll serve the meal along with a fresh green salad garnished with the tomatoes and cucumbers from my Box.
Easy Slow Cooker Pork Chops  12 WW Pts.
  • 4 (1 inch thick) pork chops
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sliced onions
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 1 (20 ounce) can apple pie filling
  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

Directions

  1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper, and then brown them in the hot skillet. Remove from heat.
  2. Spray the inside surface of a slow cooker with cooking spray. Arrange sliced onions in the bottom, and place pork chops on top of onions. Pour chicken stock over chops, and top with apple pie filling. Cook on Low for 5 to 6 hours, adding sweet potatoes during the last 3 hours of cooking.
Nutritional Information     Servings Per Recipe: 4
Calories: 567  Total Fat: 11.9g  Cholesterol: 59mg  Sodium: 1299mg  Total Carbs: 88.1g  Dietary Fiber: 9g  Protein: 28.3g 
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