Author: Kimberly Roberto

Wife, Mom, Daughter, Business Owner with a Passion for Cooking and Eating Healthy Food and Helping Others to do the Same!

Chicken Spiedini & Green Beans w/ Crushed Walnuts

Quick Chicken Spiedini and Green Beans

I had no plan for dinner tonight so I got my wheels turning.  I love the art of cooking- taking random ingredients and making them into delicious meals.  Although not all of my choices are total homeruns with the family, this one hit the mark!

2 lbs boneless organic chicken breasts, cut into 1″ chunks

juice of 2 lemons + zest from 1 lemon

1/2 tsp dried rosemary or 1 tsp fresh rosemary

1/4 cup olive oil

sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

crushed red pepper, optional

Mix all ingredients and let marinate at least 30 minutes to overnight.  Place 5-6 chunks of chicken on pre-soaked wooden skewers (soak them so that they don’t catch on fire).  Cook on an outdoor grill or indoor cast iron grill pan until no longer pink inside. 

Garnish with additional lemon zest if desired.

Green Beans w/ Crushed Walnuts

This super fast, super easy veggie dish has an ingredient that will have people wondering…mmm what is that?

green beans (fresh or frozen) – use as much as desired.  All ingredients can be adjusted to taste.

1/2 cup crushed walnuts

1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg (see hint below!)

butter

Melt butter in a non-toxic pan (no aluminum or teflon), add beans, walnuts and nutmeg.  Sautee until desired doneness. 

NUTMEG HINT:  Keep whole nutmeg in your freezer and use a microplane to grate it fresh for recipes.  The taste is amazing and the nutmeg will last virtually forever in the freezer.

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Saving unused produce

I get a lot of vegetables from my CSA and there are times when I just don’t use them in time.  Instead of letting them spoil, here is a quick and easy way to save them for future use.  Nothing is worse than having to throw away organic vegetables.  (See below for instructions on fruit) 

Although fresh and raw or lightly steamed is best, this technique will help with freezing.  Blanching vegetables only takes a few minutes in boiling water.  Blanching helps kill the bacteria and stops the enzymes that cause the food to go bad.  By cooking them quickly and immediately freezing them, most of the nutrients are preserved. 

Just prep the vegetables by cutting or trimming them.  You want everything in “ready to cook” mode.  The best thing to do is to blanch the item, then spread them out on a baking dish for freezing.  When frozen, you can transfer them to a parchment lined bag or other container (don’t put food right next to the plastic).  Freezing on a tray first prevents the entire contents from sticking together thus allowing you to take out only what you need when you are ready to reheat them. 

Most vegetables take 2-3 minutes of blanching time only.  It is a quick and easy way to preserve your fresh veggies for future use.  They are great when you have to pull together a quick meal. 

To reheat, simply sautee them or steam them for a few minutes. 

For fruits, there is no need to blanch first.  You can freeze any kind of berry and stone fruits like peaches and plumbs – just remove the pit and cut in fourths or sixths.  Frozen berries are great for smoothies later on.

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Get local produce

Produce Box
My Produce Box This Week

This picture shows my box of local, organic fruits and vegetables that I get delivered right to my house.  Check your local area for CSA options.  You may have to do a little digging, but they are out there!  You can go to www.localharvest.org to get started.

It is really fun to get my box every week because it is always different.  I love opening it up and thinking about what I am going to cook up with it all.  I can feel good about the food I am eating and that I am contributing to sustainable agriculture by buying from my local farms.

If you live in my area (West Cobb County/Marietta, GA), here are some other options for local produce:

www.naturesgardendelivered.com – (the one I currently use) delivered right to your door weekly, bi-weekly or monthly

www.grassfedcow.com – includes grass fed beef, vegetables, fruit, etc.  Pick up location in Acworth, GA

www.farmersmarketbaskets.com – pick up at their warehouse in Kennesaw, Brookstone, Echo Mill, etc.

Natures Corner Market – carries local produce and organic animal products in their store

The Avenues at West Cobb are hosting a “Green Market” every Wednesday from 3PM – 6PM – check it out

You can check out other local farmers markets during the summer:

Kennesaw Farmers Market -Phone: 770-815-8870. Open: May-September Tuesday, Every Tuesday from 7 am to 11 am. The Market is conveniently located on Main Street in Downtown Kennesaw, in the City parking lot adjacent to Trackside Grill. The Kennesaw Farmers Market features a variety of fresh produce grown by local farmers, as well as other locally produced items.

Marietta Square Farmers Market -First Baptist Church parking lot on the corner of Church Street and Hansell. Phone: 770-499-9393. Email: jlfulmer@verizon.net. Open every Saturday from 8am-12noon from May to October

Powder Springs Farmers Market– Thursday afternoons, 4:00 – 8:00 PM Located next to City Hall

Try one of them out!

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On the Menu Tonight

On the menu tonight:  Grass fed beef meatloaf:  2 lbs grass fed ground beef, 1/2 – 3/4 cup quinoa (in place of breadcrumbs), 2 cage free organic eggs, parsley, carmelized onions, salt, & pepper; smashed sweet potatoes (chunked and boiled) with shredded granny smith apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, coconut milk, and a tiny bit of stevia; fresh steamed broccoli with lemon juice & grated rind.  No recipe required- just adjust ingredients to your taste.

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More Core Plan Menu Ideas

CORE PLAN MENU IDEAS

As requested, here are some more core plan menu ideas.  This is actually what I prepared for myself (and my family) last week. 

  Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Monday Salad Smoothie – 1 head romaine, cocoa powder, coconut milk, chocolate Nature Pro Salad w/ chick peas, hearts of palm, hard boiled eggs, fresh basil, olive oil/vinegar Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf (see recipe) with Mashed No-tatoes (recipe in book)
       
Tuesday Apple slices w/ almond butter jerk chicken w/ brown rice and plantains Teriyaki chicken with vegetables and fried brown rice
       
Wednesday Vegetable omelette Turkey wrap with hummus spread smoked salmon with asparagus
       
Thursday Berry Smoothie Curry chicken salad over greens Grass Fed burger with sweet potato
       
Friday Ezekiel bread with almond butter and sliced apple Chicken/vegetable fried brown rice salmon with wilted spinach
       
Saturday oatmeal with cinnamon, stevia, and nuts tomato soup with not-tuna salad (recipe in book) Greek salad with grilled chicken
       
Sunday Apple Flax Muffin Ezekiel bread with tomato, avocado, and gomasio Chicken cacciatore with broccoli and salad

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Core Plan Meal Ideas

CORE PLAN MENU IDEAS

Here are some sample meal plans for the core plan.  There are unlimited options on this plan but you can use this as a guide.  I will be posting recipes for some of the items you see here so check back often. 

  Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Monday Chocolate NaturePro with Frozen Banana & Coconut Milk Vegetable Fajitas Chicken/Vegetable Stir Fry with Coconut Aminos
       
Tuesday Almond Power Bars, Turkey Bacon Wilted Spinach Salad with Roasted Vegetables, Olive Oil & Lemon Juice Salad & Ezekiel Pasta with Red Sauce
       
Wednesday Ezekiel Cereal with Almond Milk Pineapple/Strawberry Smoothie Quinoa with chopped chicken, broccoli & curry powder
       
Thursday Grapefruit Veggie Fajitas with Guacamole Rotisserie Chicken with Sauteed cabbage & carrots
       
Friday Cherry/Pineapple Smoothie Coconut Soup with steamed veggies w/ coconut aminos Spelt crust veggie pizza
       
Saturday Ezekiel Bagel & Green Tea Sauteed veggies with olive oil/butter, garlic, over spiral sliced zucchini Taco Salad 
       
Sunday Acai juice, juice of 1 orange, 1/2 frozen banana Turkey Reuben – ezekiel bread, organic turkey, saurkraut, vegenaise Quinoa w/ chicken, broccoli, pine nuts, and curry powder

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