Here we go everyone! The beginning of fall veggie season is here! we still get the wonderful summer veggies, and the cool weather crops are beginning again!
This week we will have: Swiss Chard, Beans, Carrots, shallots, butternut squash, red fingerling potatoes, shisito peppers, radishes, and napa cabbage! Fruit shares this week include Gala apples, and hardy kiwi!
This week I would like to talk about something that is all too common, and really gets in the way of all of our lofty plans to make these wonderful meals. It's called: REALITY.
In real life, we want to make everything but don't know what to do with it. In real life, we make something and have leftovers that sometimes go to waste. In real life, the kids don't wanna eat everything we make. In real life, our partners come home with convenience store breakfast sandwhiches or hash browns instead of eating the good stuff you made, or the kids just want ellios pizza when you just made bolognese. We ALL have those kind of weeks and days. Let's talk about ways to combat this!
Breakfast Burritos
Potatoes, Peppers, Onions, eggs. Black beans if you've got em. Cheese if you want. Scramble those eggs with chile spices and saute that yummy breakfast hash. Lay it out on big ole burrito size tortillas, roll up, wrap, and freeze. You've just made about 14 or more ready to go convenience food knock offs that your teenagers will happily nuke and eat, or your hungry hubby can have instead of schlepping to Wawa and buying food with no nutrition. Trust me, these are a WINNER!
Short on time for dinner prep?
Carrots, Onions, Kale, etc - when you have a few extra minutes of downtime, peel, pre-chop, shred, tear off stems and put in a bag. Wash, dry and cut those radishes in hald for raosting as a side dish for whatever roast or grilled dish you are planning. Shred a few carrots and some cabbage and chop some lettuce so you have your own salad bar ready to throw together a salad or wrap sandwich at a moment's notice!
A few days later when you're in a rush and throwing together your dinner, you will thank three-days-ago-you for pre-prepping those veggies!
Don't forget, when you make that soup or that meal, if you have leftovers, throw into the freezer! In a few weeks you will run into a day when there's no time, and that left over dinner is going to be genius!!!!
Kid-friendly Cabbage
Not sure what to do with that napa cabbage? It's actually one of the easiest to sneak into a kid friendly meal.
Asian cabbage slaw with "crispity - cronchity toppin's" will get those kids wolfing it down and hollering for more! Add some canned mandarin oranges for even more fun and flavor!
Make some egg rolls!
What kid or grown-up kid doesn't like egg rolls? Easy to throw together! (Even easier if you pre chop all your veggies ahead of time!)
Pro-tip! Make a double batch and before frying, wrap tightly and freeze. In a couple months when you are bored of the same old, you will remember that you have egg rolls in the freezer!
Butternut Squash
Again this is one that will make the kids HAPPY! and its not hard to throw together. The hardest part is cutting up the butternut. But again, this is where the practice of pre peeling and chopping is going to pay off! do it when you have the time, and the rest is easy!!! This is an ultimate comfort food for me, and the kids LOVE IT. Better than pie, and I will eat it for breakfast lunch or dinner!
Butternut squash and ginger soup
This is delicious comfort food at its best! Once you cook it, freeze the leftovers in individual servings! Lunch for next week, or a quick dinner, andyour tummy will be oh so happy!
That's all for today, friends! What are some of your favorite recipes and tricks for easy, kid approved, healthy, reality-approved meals? Let us know at howellcsa@gmail.com
Have a great week ahead, everyone!
Colleen
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