Category: Vegetables

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.

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

Weekly Meals

As part of our Lighten Up Weight Loss challenge, my husband and I promised to post what we eat daily.   Most of the people in the challenge are going with the Advanced Plan so that is what we are following so everything listed is approved fare.  Hopefully this will help people get additional meal ideas and to see how easy it is to apply to a busy life.    (F=Fred and K=Kim)

Wednesday Day 1 of the Weight Loss Challenge

Breakfast

F- 3 egg whites

K- Onions/spinach w/ fried eggs (I sauté the veggies and crack the eggs right in the pan with them.  I usually break the yolk but you can leave them sunny side up.

Lunch

F- Chicken over spinach salad with olives

K- Salmon with pesto cauliflower (I put it right in my vitamix and it comes out the consistency of risotto then add pesto sauce and salt)

Dinner

F&K- Grilled chicken with asparagus

Snacks

F-AM -Coconut Flakes, PM- Almonds

K-PM- Celery w/ Almond Butter

Thursday

Breakfast

F & K- Chocolate & Blueberry smoothie made with frozen blueberries, cocoa powder, chocolate NaturePro (available at the office soon or order from http://www.maximizedlivingdrroberto.com/), and coconut milk

Lunch

F & K – bowl of coconut soup and plate of stir fried vegetables w/ tamari

Dinner

F&K Grass fed steak with sautéed zucchini and green salad w/ olive & vinegar

Snacks

F- 2 hard boiled eggs

K- handful of almonds & walnuts

Friday

Breakfast

F&K- Blueberry chocolate smoothie

Lunch

F&K – grass fed steak fajitas w/ avocado – grassfed flank steak (purchased from http://www.whiteoakpastures.com/).  Marinated in apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, spike seasoning overnight.  Cooked on cast iron grill pan.  Sauteed sliced red bell pepper, onion, and celery in butter in a cast iron pan, added spinach at the last minute.

Dinner

F&K- Grilled Chicken Salad – organic chicken put between parchment and pounded to about ½” thickness.  Seasoned with organic seasoning mix, salt, and black pepper.  Grilled on cast iron grill pan.  Salad- red leaf lettuce, black olives, ½ tomato (tomatoes in moderation), cucumber, celery, onion, hearts of palm, slivered almonds with oil & vinegar.

Snacks

F – Almond Power Bar (recipe in boos), Coconut Flakes

K- green tea

Saturday

Breakfast

F&K – Berry smoothie

Lunch

F&K – at a wrestling tournament all day- packed leftover grilled chicken salad and almond power bars

Dinner

You CAN still eat out during your 30 day challenge,  you just have to be very careful what you order- here is what we did…

F- La Parrilla Mexican Restaurant – Monterrey Chicken Salad with no bacon, no cheese, no tortillas, salsa for dressing.  Chicken soup with no rice.  Unsweetened iced tea with stevia

K- Monterrey Chicken Salad, no bacon, no cheese, no tortillas, added extra avocado, salsa for dressing.  Unsweet tea

Snacks

F- handful almonds & cashews

K- almond power bar

Sunday

Breakfast

F- 3 scrambled eggs

K- Scrambled eggs with onions and mushrooms

Lunch

F- spinach/romaine salad w/ cucumbers, zucchini, black olives, oil&vinegar and 2 cups of chicken soup

K- romaine with cucumbers, zucchini, red onion, black olives, broccoli, celery, oil&vinegar and bowl of vegetable soup.

Dinner

F & K- taco salad- grass fed ground beef (from Publix) + taco seasoning recipe from the book with shredded raw cheddar cheese (from Nature’s Corner Market), whole avocado, black olives, cucumbers, salsa for  dressing.

Snacks

F&K- chocolate bark (recipe in the book), almonds

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

Curried Cabbage

I am a vegetable lover- there is no vegetable I don’t like.  However, many people are veggie-phobic.  Therefore, I am always looking for creative recipes to get people trying vegetables in new and appealing ways.  This recipe fits the bill. 

Cabbage is such a healthy vegetable- it is often referred to as “natures broom” because of its fiber content and aiding in detoxification .  It is also a good source of vitamin K and vitamin C and is known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. 

In other words- you need to get it into your diet.  One way is to blend it into soups where you get all of the nutritional benefits without chewing on the actual cabbage leaf.  I think I may play around with making this very recipe into a soup.   

Another way is to try it braised and flavored to your liking.  This is a very easy, tasty way to prepare cabbage.  The flavors are simple yet rich and filling.  

Curry Cabbage – modified from a recipe on www.allrecipes.com

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small onion, grated
  •  1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 small head cabbage, sliced or chunked 
  • 1 cup grated carrots, optional (leave out for Advanced Plan)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 2 tablespoons curry powder
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

    •  Place a large skillet over high heat. Heat the oil and butter and sautee the onion, carrot (optional), and garlic until the onion begins to soften, about 1 minute.  Add the cabbage, coconut, and curry powder; sautee for 2 more minutes.

    Reduce heat to medium-low; pour in the coconut milk, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover, and cook to desired doneness.

    Kimberly Roberto2 Comments

    Authentic Israeli Menu

    CIMG0600Thanks to my great Israeli friend Tali!  She inspired this awesome menu.  Everyone in my family + two extra kids ate it up!  The flavors are very different than the traditional meatball but unbelievably tasty.  Tumeric is an especially powerful spice.  It is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, it is a natural liver detoxifier, aids in fat metabolism and weight management, etc.

    The flavors are all so fresh and appealing.  The addition of the ground lamb makes them very juicy.

    Tali told me that this type of meal is often served on the beaches of Israel along with lots of fresh dips and fresh fruits.  When was the last time you saw something like that here in the states?   Give it a try and post a comment with your thoughts.

     

     

     

    Israeli Salad

    2 tomatoes, chopped

    1 cucumber (halved, seeded, and chopped)

    1 large kosher dill pickle

    1/2 cup green olives w/ pimentos

    1/2 cup black olives

    1/4 cup parsley

    1/4 cup olive oil

    juice of 1 lemon

    salt/pepper to taste

     

    Israeli Kebabs

    2 lbs meat (I used 1 lb grass fed beef and 1 lb organic ground lamb)

    1 onion- chopped or grated

    1 teaspoon garlic powder

    1 teaspoon sea salt (I use RealSalt)

    Black pepper to taste

    1 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley

    1 teaspoon corriander

    1 teaspoon cumin

    1/2 teaspoon ginger

    small handfull of pine nuts, chopped

    2 cage free organic eggs, beaten

    Mix everything together and shape into meatballs.  You can fry them in coconut oil, bake them in the oven, or grill them on skewers like I did.  Just make sure your grill is well oiled so that they don’t stick and fall apart.

    Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

    Blasted Broccoli

     Although I normally recommend steaming…this is a different way to cook broccoli.  Save it for a special occasion.

     

    1 large head broccoli      1 clove garlic, minced

    1 tbsp melted butter      ½ tsp dried chili flakes

    1 tsp sea salt

     

    Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Trim broccoli into florets, rinse and drain them. 

     

    Toss the broccoli with the butter, salt, garlic, and chili flakes.  Put on a baking sheet and bake for approx. 4 min or to desired doneness.

    Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

    Mashed Cauliflower

    Core and Advanced Plan

    Serves 4

    This is so simple it seems silly to even call it a recipe.  It is super versatile and can take the place of potatoes.  

    1 head cauliflower

    Organic butter to taste (about 2-3 tablespoons)

    Sea Salt to taste

    A little bit of  full fat, whole milk (preferably raw) or almond milk just to get it to the right consistency and to get it to mix in the blender.

    A little squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

    1/2 clove garlic (optional)

    Lightly steam the cauliflower and then put everything in the blender or Vitamix.  Blend it to your desired consistency. 

    Kimberly Roberto1 Comment