It’s peaceful on the farm.  At least in my little farm world.  I come and go, cut some lettuce, kale, herbs and head home.  I know the lettuce just didn’t pop out of the ground untended.  I know it took lots of hard work, love, sun, water and the weather to cooperate for the plants to grow. [Not to mention some pest control!]

I am grateful for the hard working farmers that work tirelessly so that I can drop on by and pick produce for my family.

This year I joined Tangerini farm’s CSA (community supported agriculture) spring share  in Millis, Massachusetts.  A CSA is when consumer’s buy “shares” in the farm and in return the farm provides produce for the consumer.  The money you provide for your share helps fund seeds and materials in advance for the farm to grow wonderful fresh produce.  To learn more about CSAs, check out localharvest.org.  I have joined Tangerini’s CSA before, but this was my first try at their spring share…and I like it.

My first week on the farm I ran into the field, cut arugula and headed right on home. I do love arugula!

We had the most amazing fresh arugula salad that evening.  I especially appreciated seeing my son, Brennan munch the arugula leaves like he was eating a bowl of potato chips.  Pure nutritionist heaven.

I dress my arugula with lemon, good quality Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.  Here’s a quick recipe for you from a past post.

This week, my daughter  Chelsea, Brennan and I headed to the farm to grab some fresh cilantro, kale and lettuce.  I had chicken tacos on the menu and some fresh cilantro and lettuce would definitely dress it up.  Laura Tangerini pointed out the tasty kale, lettuce and cilantro and away I went chopping and bagging. Here I am in my glory…

And chopping down a big head of lettuce!

We came home with this absolutely beautiful Russian Kale too!

Brennan requested Kale chips to be made immediately upon returning from home…so Chelsea and I whipped them up and Brennan devoured 95% of them with a little help from Chelsea and I.  YUMMMMM….{FODMAP followers….Kale hasn’t been checked for FODMAP content yet}

If you haven’t joined a CSA before, I highly recommend it! I have found joining a local CSA  has provided new experiences for me and my family.  We have  tried produce we had never eaten before, harvested corn and other vegetables by hand, and simply eat more vegetables!  Farm fresh produce weekly for you and your family…you can’t go wrong!

Meet Liz and Jeanne…of  Weigh to Go! Nutrition Services.  Weigh to Go, a Massachusetts area service, offers in home cooking classes- teaching basic cooking skills or menu planning for someone with a specialized dietary requirements, think…allergies or celiac disease or perhaps just an family that wants to eat healthier.  Not only do these two enthusiastic culinary talents provide personalized cooking instruction in your own home, they also take the show on the road and provide corporate workshops as well. Check out this deelish dish…

Have a few girlfriends interested in learning how to cook a healthy meal, invite Weigh to Go and have a cooking party!

For more info, contact Liz and Jeanne at info@weightogons.com or check out there site here!  Fees vary so best to consult with them directly to design your personalized menu.

And FODMAP followers, this crew can help you cook up some tasty belly friendly dishes too!

Saturday, after a nice long run with our chocolate lab, Lucy, a soccer game, grocery shopping, and about 10 loads of laundry, Russ and I and our boys, headed into Boston for the Celtics playoff game!  It was one of the most exciting games ever…we won by just one point.  Yay Celts!

Of course, today is Mom’s day.  And as always…I feel SUPER lucky.  After our morning run, it was gift time!  Look at these wicked cute gifts I received….

Hmmmm….quite perfect for a nutritionist, huh?  I am in love!  I will adorn myself with muffin tin holders, forks and knives daily….Yay for thoughtful gifts!  I also received a new knife set which I am super excited about….sharp knives are key in the kitchen.

We did a bit of dividing and conquering today.  Chelsea and I visited with my Mom, my sister Trisha and her daughter, Dianna AND Russ spent some time with the boys with his mom. My mom is 87 years young this year.

We enjoyed a nice dinner out with some fancy desserts to end the meal. Girls just have to have those fancy desserts, right?

YUUUUUMMMM!

Happy Mother’s Day to ALL the Mom’s out there.

It’s the greatest job and really, for me, an  honor… to be a mom of my three wonderfully  compassionate and kind kids.

Here’s a few of the goodies we had available at the workshop.

As part of our workshop, we included many low FODMAP menu selections at our lunch buffet including the most amazing quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) salad.  In fact, it was the tastiest quinoa dish I have ever eaten.

Have you tried quinoa yet?

Quinoa is a gluten free ancient grain that is a great source of protein and fiber.

I asked the chef at the catering company to share her recipe and she is getting it together for me…but she did share a few key ingredients–lime juice, cumin and cilantro.

So in usual form, I didn’t wait for her to email the recipe to me…and started right away experimenting in the kitchen.  I created a pretty delish version…3 servings later…it is so very, very yummy.

The recipe at our workshop called for red quinoa.  But I had tri-color quinoa from Trader Joe’s so I just used that.

Quinoa has to be soaked and drained to remove the bitter tasting saponins on the outside of the grain.

It cooks up quickly–in fact, I think I did overcook it a bit.

Since I love tomatoes and scallions, I added some to my dish.  Since the only fresh herb I had in the house was fresh dill, I swapped out the cilantro for dill.

This recipe is super easy to whip together and can be stored in the refrigerator for few days and incorporated into other meals as a side salad, topping to grilled fish, or as a meal by itself.

I started with Bob’s Red Mill almond meal/ flour.  This stuff is pure heaven.  I am somewhat of a nut queen, so anything with nut ingredients is OK in my book.

Almond flour makes a great crust to chicken cutlets instead of using flour or bread crumbs.  I thought it would add a nice texture to homemade crackers so I added it to my recipe!  I also added some grated Parmesan cheese and fresh dill.

Adding fresh herbs to any recipe really makes it so much more tasty and special.  I think all food should have some degree of specialness.

I also dampened  the mixture to help it spread out with a wee bit of almond milk but if you wanted to you could use a bit of regular milk or even a heaping tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt. [Low FODMAP diet followers stick with the almond milk.]

Add the ingredients together in a bowl and stir until well blended, then roll out the mixure.

Cut into squares.

Place on cookie sheet and then into oven and bake up into golden brown yummy crackers!

These crackers are nice and cheesy….mmmmmmm….GOOD!

I would make them a little thinner next time but this recipe is a keeper!

I saw a picture of what looked like French Fries and when I took a closer look,  it was asparagus dipped in bread crumbs and then baked! Hmmmm….I thought I would try a version of this recipe with Parmesan cheese and whole-wheat bread crumbs and we liked them! [ Asparagus is NOT FODMAPs friendly...but with some zucchini and GF bread crumbs it is low in FODMAPs] Here’s the asparagus before it hit the oven!

WE decided this recipe was a keeper. I will definitely try with other veggies.

I also tried to make a goat cheese appetizer yesterday…because this is how I spend my free time!!??!

This also came out pretty great but the whole “goat cheese” notion did not appeal to my kids. This is more of a ‘ladies get-together’ appetizer. (and is low FODMAP, for those who are wondering)

The past 2 weeks, I took some time off  from seeing clients to get much needed paperwork done.

Instead, I painted my backdoor…
mulched the yard…
I cleaned out our freezer and made a few homemade cards…

and I was even on television for the first time!! How cool is that? I spoke about the crazy K-E diet! Have you heard of this? Do a google search….C-R-A-Z-Y!

I did get a lot of work done in-between but not as much as I envisioned. Boy, can I get side tracked!?

I tried to be easy on myself, take it down a notch from my usual frenzied life and lived by this motto, which is a great sign Russ bought for our house. The artist who made this wonderful sign can be found  here.  I love her style!
Do you get encumbered with your old nonsense?  Ha!

When was the last time you took a break from your usual routine?

Todays concoction….a Blueberry Kiwi Minty smoothie which was totally scrumtrulescent if I do say so myself!

Recently our blender broke….perhaps too many smoothies overworked the poor thing.  So, Russ decided he and my son Brennan would pick up a new blender.  And what blender did the get?

They picked up a blender called the Ninja!  Does that sound like something 2 boys/men would buy? Well, yes, of course it does! Ha! It does not simply have one blade in the bottom of the blender like traditional blenders… NO… this blender has a whole row of blades…it is serious stuff.

I am a bit technically challenged.  So, at first I hated the new blender. Why?  Because it requires details in setting it up to work.  1) It has to be sitting on the base –just so- 2) the top has to be aligned–just so–3) and honestly, I am way too busy for these details!  But, the good news is I now know how to use it properly and LOVE it! It’s so strong, I think it would blend rocks.

So my Ninja made a nice smoothie for me today….First, I grabbed a kiwifruit.

Do you like kiwifruit?  I do.  They taste like sweet tarts…sweet and tangy all in one.

I also added mint to the mix. I  have mint sprouting rampantly in my garden.  And I love the fresh taste it adds to recipes.

Here’s the mixture in my NEW NINJA mixer!  Thanks Russ and Brennan!!I had some frozen blueberries and a small scoop of Greek yogurt, so tossed them in with the other ingredients.

Blueberries are a rich source of antioxidants, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), blueberries are near the top when it comes to antioxidant activity per serving, a rich source of Vitamin C and manganese (important for bone development), plus are low in calories and a great source of fiber.  Kiwifruit provides a nice dose of Vitamin C and potassium! Blending these nutrient rich fruits together with the yogurt, rich in calcium and protein, my body is gratefully nourished.

So today’s mixture for my Blueberry Kiwi Minty Groovy Smoothie included:

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1 small kiwifruit (peeled)

1/3 cup Greek yogurt (sub in lactose free yogurt if on low FODMAP diet)

1/3 cup water

6 fresh mint leaves

Blend away to a creamy texture.  Enjoy!

This recipe is low in FODMAPs.

Today, I thought I would whip up a frozen concoction with almond milk,  a small frozen banana (I always toss my overly browned bananas in the freezer, so I always have a stash) and a generous dollop of all natural peanut butter and yum, it was so good.

Almond milk is lactose free, vegan and contains just 40 calories per cup.   My almond milk has added calcium and Vitamin D (Good for bone health) and also is a great source of Vitamin E, an antioxidant…bonus! But, it has very little protein, just 1 measly gram per cup.

So to boost the protein content of my smoothie, I added some peanut butter! I find when I add protein to my meals and snacks, I feel fuller longer!  And since I don’t like feeling hungry , I think that was a good move.  Plus, peanut butter + bananas=  great combo!

I like all natural peanut butter.  It is made with simple ingredients….and for that, I am thankful. I also like unsweetened almond milk.  Less sugar=good.  {Except when it comes to cupcakes and cookies}

Care to make my “Just Monkeying Around” Smoothie?

Well, then, here’s the recipe…

“Just Monkeying Around” Smoothie 

(low FODMAP)

1 frozen banana, peel removed

1/2 cup almond milk

1 heaping tablespoon all natural peanut butter

3-4 ice cubes

Toss everything into blender.

Blend away until creamy and smooth.

Enjoy.

Care to share your favorite smoothie combos?

Yesterday was warm  and pleasant so… Russ, Brennan, and I, took Lucy on a nice long walk.  It was Lucy’s first official walk off leash! She had so much fun and behaved herself.  Yay Lucy! She is usually not  a rule follower!Warm weather makes me want to eat lighter and one of my favorite light meals is my Mom’s Spinach, Brie and Walnut salad.

A great combination on its own, but certainly can be dressed up with grilled chicken, roasted red peppers and whatever suits you.

Start with baby spinach.

Whip up a simple white wine vinegar and olive oil dressing.

I add small chunks of brie including rind and some toasted walnuts.

Today I added a few baby carrots and some chopped green scallions slices too.  This recipe is so simple, yet fit for a Queen!

Spinach, Brie and Walnut Salad

Serves 4

8 cups baby spinach leaves

1-2 scallions, chopped (FODMAP followers use green part only)

6 oz. Brie cheese, diced at room temperature

1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces

1 cup baby carrots

Dressing:

Whisk together the following until blended.

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 TB white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

• Combine spinach, scallion, carrots and cheese.
• Sprinkle with walnuts.
• Drizzle with dressing.
• Eat!

A couple years ago, I asked for a cheese making kit for Christmas. Yes, you read that right.  Russ is always so great at treating me to my crazy requests….and my cheese kit was found, with a bow on it, under our Christmas tree. Since then, I have made cheese a few times.

One of my cheese making events included a family affair. I invited my sisters, Trisha and Sue and our Mom over to enjoy an evening of cheese making.  It really was a great girl bonding experience…one I highly recommend!

My cheese making kit is from Ricki, the cheese queen, and it makes cheese making fool-proof and yummy.  Here is the link so you, too, can make yummy homemade creamy mozzarella.

First start with milk. Whole milk makes a tasty, creamy cheese.

Add a small amount of rennet to spring water. Rennet is an enzyme used in cheese making to help  coagulate the milk—into solid curds and milky whey.

Adding citric acid seems to help curdle the milk more and helps the mozzarella stretch or at least that’s what I have read…

The milk curdles up nicely….separating into yellow liquid (whey), where the milk sugar, lactose is found, and the protein rich curds. That is why most cheese is low in lactose!  Unless it’s really wet and contains more of the whey like cottage cheese.

After about 5-8 minutes the mixture is ready to be drained.

Squeeze out as much of the whey as possible before you knead the cheese.

Mozzarella gets kneaded like bread and stretched for smoothness.

Of course, cheese pairs nicely with some salt so adding in some special cheese salt  {that comes with the kit} works well.

When shiny and well-kneaded, it’s ready to eat.

I store mozzarella with oil or a bit of cold water.  Refrigerate or eat right away.