How does your garden grow?

I have a black thumb when it comes to gardening. But that hasn't stopped me from attempting to grow vegetables and herbs in recent years. 

The first year I grew anything, a work friend brought tons of tomato seedlings to our office. I had two large tomato plants and a few different herbs. They all grew well and I was hooked to having (ahem, attempting to have) home grown produce out back. 

I stuck to potted plants for a few years until six or seven years ago, and then we attempted a (too) large vegetable garden. We definitely bit off more than we could chew and after a week away with no one tending to it, our garden morphed into a forest and we were harvesting the biggest zucchini I had ever seen. 

Since then, we plant in pots and in a raised bed, and some years are better than others. This year, we are starting late with vegetables although the herbs have been planted for a little while now. I had parsley, Rosemary, and mint from previous years, and I always plant basil and cilantro. I planted lavender, thyme, and another type of mint. I also added some pollinator friendly plants and marigolds around the garden. 

This weekend, we will add peppers (bell and jalapeño), a few different types of tomatoes, a couple different types of cucumbers (yellow variety was a big hit last year!), some squash, and watermelon and melon varieties. I may try a couple new plants just to experiment - okra and something else. 

What are your favorite vegetables and/or fruits to plant? What grows best where you live? And what do you love most about edible gardens?

Unfortunately, I don't have any tips for guaranteed success or any foolproof tricks for good harvests. So if you do, please share! 

Weekly Meal Planning for April 24 - 30

This week's meal plan got off to a rough start. (Translation: there was no plan as of dinner time on Sunday!) We had a late night school event Saturday evening and spent Sunday working on house-related things so 6pm came and I scrambled! Thankfully I had some eggs, ground beef, and salad stuff. The farm box came yesterday so there is some good, local produce being used! I'm putting those pesto zoodles and shrimp back on this week's menu because they were replaced by a school spirit night last week. And my oldest had a softball game Monday so we packed food. 

Sunday: fried eggs in sautéed spinach and ground beef (similar to eggs in purgatory)

Monday: bell peppers, cheese quesadilla strips, olives, hummus, etc at a softball game 

Tuesday: nachos with black eyed pea salsa, onions and peppers, guacamole

Wednesday: pesto zoodles with shrimp

Thursday: cucumbers, cheddar, Brie, apples, blackberries, rice balls, kale chips 

Friday: out to eat after softball practice

Saturday: out to sushi with family 

Weekly Meal Planning for April 17 - 23

After a weekend spent at a retreat, my mind is in no place to properly meal plan. But we have barely any food in the fridge so I need to come up with some easy post-softball game and -soccer practice meals at least so we don't hit the drive thru!

Sunday: kale and quinoa veggie burgers, raw carrots, kiwi

Monday: super eggs (scrambled eggs with spinach and tomatoes)

Tuesday: broiled flank steak fajitas, mango guacamole, sauteed peppers and onions

Wednesday: school spirit night 

Thursday: leftover fajitas 

Friday: Cobb salad 

Saturday: school fundraising dinner 

Road Tripping Snacks

The girls and I had a fun little road trip last week, and we prepared some snacks to take along with us. When planning road trips, I envision frequent scenic, peaceful stops on the way. But it isn't always like that with little kids, is it? I wrote a quick post on road tripping several months ago, but this will give additional options plus recipes (or links to recipes) to along with them.

First are energy bites. I blogged about them here and included a recipe but we haven't made them in a while. And really they are a great make-ahead snack. 

These breakfast cookies are a big hit around here - with grownups and kids alike! I love them with pistachios but they are also very good without. They are from the Weelicious website.

When we make green smoothies, I try to fill up a smoothie pop with any little leftovers. We use whatever we have in the fridge for smoothies. Just as a general rule, I blend together: 2 cups of greens, 2 cups of fruit (frozen is perfect!), 2 cups liquid (almond/cocunut milk or water) and usually throw in some rolled oats, flax meal, chia seeds, honey, nut butter, cinammon, and/or greek yogurt. Sometimes, I will just make smoothie pops for lunches or snacks, instead of using leftovers from smoothies, and the girls love them. They are also great because they keep other stuff cool. :)

This is a new recipe for us - apple leather - and we pretty much followed it to the letter. The girls LOVED their homemade fruit roll-ups.

We have made chocolate beet muffins a handful of times after a friend introduced them to us while we were wading in a creek a couple of summers ago. My girls love them, especially if I make bigger muffins instead of mini ones, but I find the mini ones are best for a quick snack and/or to pop into lunches. We haven't yet made them grain-free but my friend has and they are just as good! This one is adapted from the Cake Student recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz bag of bittersweet chocolate chips, divided
• ¼ cup butter or coconut oil
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ¾ cup honey (I use a little less)
• 1 cup beet puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup plain greek yogurt
• ¼ cup milk

Instructions

1. If you haven't already, prepare the beet puree. 
2. Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare muffin tins with paper liners.
3. In a small saucepan, melt ⅔ cup of chocolate chips and butter/oil over low heat. Stir occasionally, until melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pecans, and the rest of the chocolate chips (or a little less if you want).
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, beet puree, vanilla extract, yogurt, and milk. Stir in the melted chocolate.
6. Finally, carefully stir the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until just combined. It should look very fluffy. Don't over mix them. A few streaks of flour is fine.
7. Spoon mixture into the prepared muffin tins, fill the cups to the top. 
8. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center and when pulled out should be clean. Or lightly press down on the top of a muffin and it should bounce back up.
9. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes before handling.

I also cut up a bunch of vegetables to take along, which are easy to snack on alone or dip in hummus cups. And I try to take along some easy to eat whole fruit - apples, clementines, and bananas are easiest. What are your favorite road tripping snacks?

Weekly Meal Planning for April 10 - 16

It is going to be a crazy few weeks around here. I have committed to help with a couple of big events - one is this weekend and one is next weekend. My mind is not really wanting to think about meal planning or cooking! And this week, I'm only cooking twice! How's that for simple? ;)

Sunday: kale and mushroom pasta, green salad with lemon dressing
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: Chipotle
Wednesday: chicken pot pie filling (my kids don't love the crust)
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: my event starts so we will eat there
Saturday: at my event

Weekly Meal Planning for April 3 - 9

Happy Spring break! Cooler temps here are making seem more like a late winter break but I guess it's better than 90-100 degree temps! We have some staycation style plans in the works and will likely end the week with an annual favorite around here - the Dogwood Festival. I haven't put a ton of thought into meal planning for the week since we may be out and about but I have a few dinners in mind. My oldest requested chicken pot pie a couple of weeks ago and that never came to fruition, so we will have that at some point. We have all the ingredients for stir fry for tonight, and chili will make an appearance if the temperatures stay low(ish).

We are also planning a bunch of snacks for the week since we will be out and about, probably taking a hike or two, going to the botanical gardens, etc. We love having things on hand. I'll write up a separate blog post with recipes but here is what the girls and I have on our list so far: veggies and hummus, fruit with lemon yogurt dip, energy bites, breakfast cookies, chocolate beet muffins, frozen smoothie pops, and apple leather.

Sunday: beef and veggie stir fry
Monday: black bean nachos
Tuesday: stir fry leftovers
Wednesday: chili 
Thursday: chicken pot pie
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: not sure yet

What's on your menu for the first full week of April?

Meals on the Go

For many, it's that time of year that dinners end up being concession stand food or whatever drive thru options they can find. With just a little planning ahead, you can avoid both of those. Normally, meals on the go end up being just for the kids, but these are adult friendly meals as well. Most of these ideas are glorified (or not) packed lunch ideas, but depending on what your child had for lunch that day, they probably won't mind!

1. Quesadillas are easy to put together and make, simple to wrap individually, and stack nicely. Quesadillas can be filled with anything - chicken, black beans, sautéed zucchini, even plain cheese. Fill a few cups with easy-to-make guacamole (chopped tomatoes, mashed avocados, chopped red onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt) and you have an easy side. To add even more to this meal, mix up some frozen corn kernels, chopped tomatoes, black beans, cilantro, salt and lime juice in a bowl and bring a few forks or spoons. 

2. Pasta salad is another really easy to-go option and can be made with anything you have on hand. We prefer a Greek style one. I try to find some leftover chicken to chop up or shred, or I keep it vegetarian. Add whatever chopped raw or cooked vegetables - leftover roasted veggies make a great addition too - some cheese and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. 

3. This next one goes along the lines of a concession stand meal but homemade is always better (& cheaper!). Hot dog rolls or big pigs in a blanket are an easy make ahead, wrap individually, and grab to go. These are our go-to brands for this: Immaculate Baking or Annie's Crescent Rolls, and Applegate hot dogs. Bring fruit and cut up veggies for sides, and you're set!

4. This is a basic but not forgotten one, and it depends on whether your child already had one for lunch - sandwiches! To spruce up a regular sandwich, change up the bread. Make it a sub or wrap. Slice up some tomatoes and avocado for it. Pop it in a sandwich maker (or panini machine) to melt the cheese. The options are endless!

5. Lastly, use a thermos (or multiple ones) for bringing hot meals on the go. Leftovers are great options for this or make a quick rice-and-beans dish (or a chipotle style burrito bowl), mac n cheese n peas (or other veggie), stir fry, or even "super" eggs (scrambled eggs with spinach or kale). 

Again, the key to this is planning a little ahead of time. Aside from having a stocked fridge and pantry, give yourself time earlier in the day or even the night before to prep. Sometimes I will make lunches for school AND dinners for sports practice the night before. It's just easier to do it all together! Be creative. And bring extra fruit.