Juicy

 

Carrot Celery Tangerine Lime Juice

 

 

I've started juicing this year, as a result of finally watching the documentary, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, and rediscovering my juicer during a whirlwind of late winter closet cleaning. I love knowing that what I'm putting in my body is fresh and healthy as well as experimenting with different combinations of fruits and vegetables in my juices.

 

After a few weeks of juicing on a regular basis (I'm aiming for a few times a week), I discovered a few things that have made a big difference in whether I am motivated to juice frequently or if I succumb to making excuses and choose to snack on a handful of Cheese-Its instead.

 

Our fridge has two produce drawers--I am finding it really helpful to use one to store my juicing produce and one to store other produce. This helps me easily keep track of what I have to use for meals for the week and what is available for juicing.

 

After I have prepared my produce for juicing (washing, peeling, chopping), I pile it all into a large bowl or onto a cutting board that I keep close to the juicer as I'm processing the fruits and vegetables in order to help reduce the length of time the juicer is running without anything in it.

 

Lining the canister that collects the produce pulp with a produce bag from the grocery store helps to cut down on the clean up time.

 

While juicing, don't leave the chute uncovered very long after dropping something into juicer. I once dropped half an apple into the chute without covering it quickly enough and the apple shot out of the chute at me! It was hilarious at the time, but could be dangerous. 

 

Keeping an eye on the juice pitcher while processing produce in the juicer helps ensure that you capture all of that tasty juice. If it moves out of place, your juicer will start pouring juice out onto the counter, onto the floor and into the heater vent...

 

Clean your juicer immediately after juicing. If you don't have time to scrub it down, at least give it a good rinse and use a nylon brush to clear the filter of any pulp that has gotten lodged in it. If you don't clean the filter shortly after juicing, you will regret it later.

 

 



a few new Christmas decorations.

I made a few new Christmas decorations for our home this year!

I first saw this idea on Pinterest, but have since seen it all over the place. I used this tutorial as a guide, but didn't do my painting the same. It was pretty easy and cheap to make (using coupons at Michaels), but I had trouble with using just hot glue to attach the letters on the back, like the tutorial instructs. It currently is hanging somewhat precariously on the wall behind my front door and I'm planning to try and secure the letters together with small brackets after the holiday season.

 

 

 

I'm really loving my new clothespin wreath! I used this tutorial as a guide and was able to make it using materials I had in my home already--so it was free. I love free. I didn't have enough clothespins that were all the same size, but I really love that it breaks up the edge of the wreath. I am planning to cover the back side of the clothespins with paper for another season, but I'm not sure what yet. The author of the tutorial did Valentines Day, which would be fun, but I might like to do something that I can use longer, like a spring or summer theme.

 

hearty minestrone.

The weather finally turned cooler today, so homemade soup was in order. I love this hearty minestrone soup because it is so healthy but really satisfying. It is one of my go-to meatless meals. I have to sneak meatless meals by on my husband--he isn't so much anti-vegetarian as he is pro-meat and anytime I find a filling meatless recipe that he likes I make it over and over again.

I originally found this recipe on Allrecipes, but have since altered it a decent amount. If you make it according to the original recipe, it is still really good, but the measurements below are more to our taste. This recipe makes a ton of soup--so unless you have a crowd to feed, be prepared to eat it for the whole week or freeze it for later (or maybe both--this really makes a ton!).

Hearty Minestrone

(inspired by "Jamie's Minestrone" on Allrecipes)

1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or 1 heaping tsp of minced jarred garlic
1 1/2 onions, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups carrot, chopped
2 cups chicken broth (homemade is the best, but canned works great too!)
2 cups water
4 cups tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans, drained
1-15 oz can green beans, drained
2 cups spinach, rinsed (If using baby leaves, don't chop. If using mature leaves, run a knife through the pile of leaves once or twice to prevent any huge leaves from making it into the soup)
2 zucchinis, quartered and chopped
1 T dry oregano
1 1/2 T dry basil
about 1/2 tsp black pepper, to taste
kosher salt to taste
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup seashell pasta
Parmesan cheese, for serving

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until softened, about 1-2 minutes. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes. Add celery and carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in chicken broth, water and tomato sauce. Stir mixture well and bring to a boil. Add kidney beans, green beans, spinach, zucchini, oregano, basil, a little salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir well and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook seashell pasta according to package directions until noodles are al dente. Don't cook the noodles until they are mushy because most likely you will be reheating leftovers of this soup and you don't want the noodles to be too squishy when the soup is reheated. Drain noodles and set aside until the soup is finished simmering.

Once soup has cooked for 35 minutes, taste it to see if the vegetables (namely the zucchini and carrots) are done the way you would like. If needed, simmer the soup a little longer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour in the cooked noodles and stir well.

Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

ing.

:: watching as the clouds move slowly across the sky this morning. It is supposed to be a colder day today and I'm looking forward to some homemade minestrone soup.
:: sitting near my Christmas tree enjoying the glow of the lights in my predawn living room.
:: sipping on some Ozo coffee to celebrate St. Nicholaas.
:: hoping I can get to some sewing today and finish a few orders for the shop.

oh sweet owls.

Do you love owls? They seem to be all the rage these days. My Owl Barn has recently published their 2013 free customizeable owl calendar. Choose from over 40 fun owl images (like these shown here!), assign your favorites to each month and print out your calendar!

missing my herb garden

I'm missing my container herb garden tonight.

Red Basil
 



Oregano

 

Mint

the post in which you learn I'm not a skilled food photographer.

Well, you likely could tell that already. Moving on...

Deviled Eggs!

Growing up, we ate deviled eggs only once a year, on Easter. We would crack a ton of boiled eggs, mix them with mayo and sprinkle paprika on top. It was also the only time each year that we used paprika. No joke, we had an eons old jar of paprika in the cabinet whose only joy was to be sprinkled on deviled eggs once a year.

Once I discovered this recipe, our family quickly learned that deviled eggs don't need to be confined to once a year feasts or stuffy parties. I don't make them often, but they are a crowd pleaser whenever I put them out.

I don't remember where I found this recipe, but if anyone does know, please let me know so I can credit the right source. I didn't create this recipe myself, but I sure love it!

 

 

Deviled Eggs

6 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup light mayo
1 tsp white wine vinegar (can sub rice vinegar in a pinch)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dry dill
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt to taste

Boil, cool and peel eggs.

Cut in half vertically and place yolks in small mixing bowl. Reserve egg whites.

Using a fork, mash up the yolks and mix with remaining ingredients. Taste mixture and add a little salt to taste.

Carefully scoop a heaping teaspoon of filling back into the reserved egg whites. Serve and enjoy!