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.

Monday, November 4, 2013

November 1-November 6

Friday, November 1-  Apple themed dinner tonight.  I am using my older apples from a previous box to make oven baked apples and pork chops served along side apple stuffed acorn squash and fresh green beans both from my box.
Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash
  • 2-3 apples peeled, cored and large diced
  • Acorn squash cut in half seeds removed
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Mix spice mixture together toss into diced apples.  Scoop half of apple mixture into each half of the acorn squash.  Place half of butter on top of each acorn half.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.  In baking dish pour a water onto bottom of pan to cover dish.

Apple Pork Chop Bake
  • 4 pork chops seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 3 apples peeled, cored and diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons Melted butter
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Arrange seasoned chops in cover baking dish.  Combine spices and brown sugar, add apples and butter, toss to coat.  Pour apple mixture evenly over chops.  Cover and bake 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Last 10 minutes remove lid.

Saturday, November 2-   Tonight we are treating ourselves to dinner out or at least take out.

Sunday, November 3- After hiking today we had a late lunch so dinner will be leftovers.
Monday, November 4-  I'd like to bake a full herbed seasoned chicken tonight along with my butternut squash casserole and corn pudding using the corn, onion, and squash from my box.
Butternut Squash Casserole- from Williams-Sonoma
Casserole:
4 cups butternut squash puree
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Topping:
1 cup vanilla wafers, crushed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Lightly grease a casserole dish (4 - 6 cup capacity).
2. Combine squash puree, sugar, milk, vanilla, orange extract, salt, flour, eggs and melted butter. Pour into the prepared casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until set.
3. Meanwhile, make the topping. In a medium bowl, combine crushed vanilla wafers, melted butter and the brown sugar. Sprinkle over top of the cooked casserole and return to the oven to brown for an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Corn Pudding (recipe from Just Right Menus)
1 can (14 3/4 oz) corn, drained - - or 1 1/2 to 2 cups of fresh corn, 3-4 ears' worth
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. evaporated milk
1/4 c. sugar
2 1/2 TB flour
2 TB melted butter
salt to taste
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. 
  2. Combine all ingredients together. 
  3. Pour into a greased pan/dish (about the size of a 10" round dish) 
  4. Bake 350° for 50 - 60 minutes, or until brown on top and sides. If you're not sure if it's done, insert the tip of a butterknife into the center. If you can move the pudding over & see the bottom of the pan without the pudding running back over, it's done.
Tuesday, November 5-  I have a great number of peppers from my box along with a hearty amount of corn on the cob.  So, I will either make sausage and peppers over spaghetti or stuffed peppers for the grown ups and Mac n' Cheese for the girls along with fresh corn on the cob will make up tonight's meal.
Stuffed Peppers  WW Pts: 7
  • 4 large peppers (8 banana peppers)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery
  • 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • 3/4 cups bread crumbs
  1. Cut off tops of peppers, and remove ribs and seeds. Chop edible portions of tops; set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add peppers, reduce heat, and simmer until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  2. Heat butter in a medium skillet. Saute reserved chopped pepper, onion and celery until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and garlic. Season with basil, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine egg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan. Mix in sausage, bread crumbs and 1 cup of the tomato sauce mixture.
  4. Using a piping bag or sausage stuffer, fill each pepper with the meat mixture. Place in a 3 quart casserole dish, and pour remaining tomato sauce mixture over peppers.
  5. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 1 hour. (optional- last 15 minutes sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese)
Amount Per Serving
Calories:310 Total Fat: 24g  Dietary Fiber: 1.9g

Wednesday, November 6-  Scout night so it's fajitas with any leftover peppers and onion from my box along with any potato and macaroni salad we picked up over the weekend.

Thursday, November 7- Not sure what tonight will bring either a new dish or leftovers....

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