Bountiful Baskets Roundup and Menu Plan January 14, 2012

Heather here filling in for Nisha while she is at a business retreat.  Bountiful Baskets rarely disappoints at this house.  We got a great variety of fruits and vegetables for only $16.50!  If you haven’t taken advantage of Bountiful Baskets for a great deal on produce, check out their website www.bountifulbaskets.org.  This weekend, the conventional basket included:

Vegetables: Broccoli, red leaf lettuce, cauliflower, tomatoes, avocados, mushrooms and Brussels sprouts.

Fruits: bananas, kiwi, clementines, pineapple, and watermelon.

The vegetables this week will make some great dinner side dishes.  My 6-year-old was so excited about the cauliflower!  Kids excited about fresh produce makes me happy.

 Brussels sprouts – if you don’t like them, then you may try cooking them differently.  I was not a huge fan of Brussels sprouts until I learned some fun ways to prepare them.  The easiest way to prepare Brussels sprouts is to cut off the ends, slice in half, blanch then  sauté in a little bit of olive oil and garlic.  A woman I volunteered with at Bountiful Baskets on Saturday said to score the end and put them in a roasting pan with baby carrots, olive oil and onions at 425 degrees.

 I am continuing a cleanse this week.  What a great way to reset good eating habits during the winter months and after the holidays.  The dinner menu plan below will be what my family will be eating; I’ll mostly be eating steamed veggies, fresh fruit and salads w/vinaigrette.  If you are interested in a Healthy Transformation and/or doing a
cleanse, check out My Healthy Transformation.  I participated in this program last January and it was fantastic.

Sunday – Dinner at the in-laws.  I will be bringing an extra-large salad

Monday – Chicken Tortilla Soup Use some fresh Bountiful Baskets tomatoes instead of the
canned if you want to use them up.  If you are going for weight release, omit the tortilla chips.

Tuesday – Chicken Rolls, roasted cauliflower.  This is a total splurge for my family, but it
is my son’s birthday and the kids love them!

Wednesday – Ham and Broccoli Quiche, roasted Brussels sprouts.

 Thursday – Broccoli Cheddar Soup To make the recipe healthier, substitute milk for the half and half, reduce the amount of cheese.

Friday – Traditional Pizza and Movie night at our house, served with a green salad and some fresh veggies on the side.  I make a whole wheat pizza crust, but use all whole wheat flour because I grind it fresh.

Saturday – Beef Stroganoff (use Greek yogurt instead of yogurt), salad

Because I am participating in a cleanse and needed a lot of produce, I purchased an organic basket in addition to the conventional.  In the past I haven’t been as pleased with
the organic baskets, but this week (and last) the organic baskets have been fantastic.  For $25 it is quite a deal for organic produce.  Here’s what the organic basket contained and some ideas on how to use this produce:

 Vegetables: Rainbow chard, green leaf lettuce, spinach, broccoli rabe, tomatoes, cauliflower, potatoes

 Fruit: 2 small containers of blackberries, 1 bag Red Delicious apples, oranges, grapefruit, and bananas.

 Rainbow Chard – I love this mixed with spinach, berries and bananas in green smoothies.

Broccoli Rabe: Maria’s Broccoli Rabe is how I’ll be preparing mine

 Blueberries (if they make it long enough to become a dish – at my house they are consumed quickly!) Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

 Blueberries & bananas: (these are so good!) Blueberry Banana Muffins – these are so good!

Spinach – Spinach Eggs make a great breakfast or main dish

 Potatoes: Fiesta Frittata

 Tomatoes: Baked Parmesan Tomatoes look interesting

 Cauliflower:  Basil Cauliflower Pizza looks like fun