9/12/2023
Hello my foodie friends! Thank you for a great week this week, I was super busy in the kitchen yesterday. Trying to wrap my head around the new school year schedule and my own was a challenge to say the least! But routine is huge for me and cooking every monday is strangely meditative and grounding for me, despite how crazy it can get sometimes. I am so excited to bring butternut squash back to the menu this week. Expect to see an abundance of orange and yellow root veggies coming your way. I also got inspired this week for some new foods I want to try and introduce so keep a lookout for some yummy stuff to come!
Just the Tip - How to Make these meals "the best you ever had":
Put your meals in your own tupperware when you return home for maximum freshness!
Add a piece of paper towel to "moist" meals like salad.
Eat your salads first!
Try to heat your food stovetop or in the oven vs. the microwave.
Add a drop of moisture like water or EVOO to meals when heating them covered in the oven so they don't dry out.
Remember if you are ordering 3 or 4 meals, it pays to order the "partial" or "full" order vs. buying a la carte.
This week's "food for thought":
Carrot ginger soup is for sure a delicious meal but when I say food is medicine, I really mean it for meals like this. Carrots are packed with Vitamin C and A which is huge for immune support, and ginger works wonders for our health. With these stormy days ahead, starting your day with a little liquid sunshine wouldn't be a bad idea.
This week's salad can be eaten as a grab and go salad. I would personally add some fish or chicken to this one for more protein bang, but depends on your dietary preferences there. If you have got some time I would sautee this one up in a cast iron pan with a little EVOO and add a dollop of my favorite Cocojune yogurt for a little creamy tart probiotic boost.
If you want to stuff your face with the Stuff My Taco dish from this week, I would heat this one up in the oven or toss it around like a fried rice dish stovetop. I got a little confused when packing the orders that I did add sprouted brown rice to this dish and I confused the dressings. The crack ranch was accidentally packed with the stuff my taco dish. That said, I love playing around with different flavor and frankly I don't think you need the ranch or the avocado dressing on this one at all. I would save the ranch for a burger or some veggie dip and eat this one on its' own!
You can also eat the roast me dish cold but I would prefer this one hot. One of my clients suggested she might try this one with some shrimp on top - I was thinking a tangy marinade would be great!
In the effort to offer more plant variety, I gave you my favorite white sweet potatoes for the side dish this week, hope you enjoy!
Weekly Fun Food Fact
You probably always hear the suggestion to eat local and seasonal foods, but do you know why? Well, I will tell ya...
Local and fresh food is flavorful! Most of the food we buy in grocery stores has been previously frozen or stored (or worse - bathed in preservatives). Biting into a freshly picked apple or carrots is a far better experience than an old, stale one.
Seasonal, local food has a higher nutrition content. Want to make food your medicine? Well then eating local and seasonal veggies and fruit will offer you the most bang for your buck when it comes to vitamins like A, C, folate, and more.
Our ancestors ate what was available to them at any given time. They didn't have access to kiwis grown in Mexico in the middle of February while living in New York. And while it is a privilege to have access to food like we do, it is also beneficial to support your body's needs for the season at hand! Eating with the natural cycle of crops is the most ideal for our systems.
And obviously we love to support our local farmers! But you might be able to save money too buy joining a local CSA or when crops are in abundance often the price drops. Look out for sales at even the priciest stands around!
Oh and last but not least, eating seasonally supports the environment!
Try this:
Have littles who love pasta more than veggies? Try using soups like the carrot ginger as a pasta sauce instead of a soup. Not only will you get a meal for the whole family, but the kids will get their veg too!
Looking for more protein? Lentil pasta is a great way to add more protein in your diet in a creative way. Sometimes I get sick of plain lentils and I crave a good pasta dish, but don't love the carb heavy feel of a regular pasta dish. Lentil pasta is the way to go. But remember, as I have mentioned recently, make sure to check ingredients. Lentil pasta should ONLY contain lentils.
Try making the stuff my taco dish into Nachos for the whole fam. Add some cheese if that's your thang, yogurt for sour cream, make some guac, and some pickled jalapenos would be perfection!
Try adding black or white sesame seeds to any of your dishes. We do eat with our eyes first, so for sure black sesame seeds are visually pleasing, but they also add a welcomed crunchy texture experience as well as a nutrient boost. Remember seeds are plants too!
Hope you all enjoy and please let me know if you missed anything this week - I had a few mixups with the orders and I am still trying to sort it all out! Thank you for your understanding with that too, you guys are the best!
xoxoxo