Week 4:

1 really large Tomato
3 Summer Squash
3 Corn
1 Cucumber
2 Eggplant
Basil
1 quart blueberries
1 bunch kale
1 bunch watercress

This was a good week! We’ve already gone through the blueberries, 1 squash, the tomato, 2 eggplant and some basil. The cucumber and watercress will be for salad later this week and the rest of the basil went into the freezer for future use. The corn and squash will be made into a side later this week with some leftover onions from last week.

I think I’ve had enough of kale though…

Week 3:

1 large Tomato
3 Zucchini
1 Cucumber
4 small Onions
Basil
1 quart blueberries
1 head Iceberg Lettuce

Wasn’t much this week as we’ve already gone through the blueberries, 1 zucchini and 2 onions. The lettuce, tomato and cucumber will be next so this week will be pretty good and we shouldn’t waste much (due to the fact that we’ve had so much food every week).

Week 1:

1 large Tomato (1/4th of it was already punctured)
2 Summer Squash
1 Summer Savory
Green Beans
4 small Onions
Basil
2 Kohlrabi
1 head Leaf Lettuce
Kale
Cheese (Hannahbells Classic French by Shy Brothers Farm)

Week 2:

2 Zucchini
4 small Onions
1 pint Raspberries
Basil
1 head Romaine Lettuce
Kale
3 Corn
1 Tomato
Mustard

I’ve been really lazy and haven’t been getting tomato purees so I just get the regular jars of sauce. Just plain sauce with the lowest calories. Then add a ton of veggies! It is a cheap and healthier alternative to regular sauce and the best part is you can freeze it for the future!

Ingredients:
1 eggplant
1 zucchini
1 large green pepper
1 sweet onion
2 pints of sliced mushrooms
3-4 fresh tomatoes
4-5 cloves of garlic
olive oil
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Dried Parsley
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Red Pepper Flakes
2-3 jars of plain pasta sauce

Directions:
Cube your veggies with the exception of the mushrooms, just leave those sliced whole. Once all of the veggies are cubed finely, heat a very large pot to medium-high. Once the pan is hot, add your olive oil (full, not extra virgin) and minced garlic. It should sizzle and cook really fast so immediately add your chopped onions. Sweat your onions and cook until opaque. Be sure to add some salt to help the process. Once your onions are opaque, add some red pepper flakes. You are free to add more for a more “spicy” sauce or less if you want it less spicy. Mix and add your mushrooms.

Cook your mushrooms (about 5 minutes), turn down the heat to medium and add your diced eggplant. Cook eggplant until fairly soft and add your peppers and zucchini. Cook for an additional 5 minutes and then add your diced tomatoes.

At this point, you can lower the heat to medium-low and add 2-3 jars of sauce. Mix well to incorporate and add about 3-4 tablespoons of dried parsley, 2-3 tablespoons of dried oregano and dried basil. Add an additional tablespoon of garlic powder and some salt and pepper to taste. Mix and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

That is it! A very chunky, full of vegetable goodness, hearty sauce. Feel free to leave your comments as I’d like to see what you think about it!

Ingredients

• Sesame oil
• Pak Choy
• Napa (Chinese cabbage)
• Fresh snow pea pods
• Shitake mushrooms (a good dozen or so fresh)
• 1 box of chicken stock
• Udon Noodles
• Soy sauce
• Gai Lan
• Firm tofu
• Salt and Pepper

Directions
Add your chicken (or vegetable stock) to a large pot and bring to a slow boil. In the meantime, heat another pot with water to cook your Udon noodles. These noodles cook fast and only require 3 minutes in a boil before removal and cold water rinse. Once your stock is boiling, bring to a simmer and add the sliced Shitake mushrooms. Let it sit for 4-5 minutes and then add your Pak Choy, Gai Lan, 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Let this sit for 2 minutes and add the thinly sliced Napa and pea pods.

While everything is simmering, slice some firm tofu. We won’t be cooking this but this will be added first into your soup bowl. Next, add the cooked noodles and finally the broth with veggies.

That’s it! This is a very simple, fast and hearty meal that is very tasty! Enjoy!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chewy-Peanut-Butter-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped semisweet chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the honey, water, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks. Drop by 1/8 cupfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes

1. I used honey in lieu of corn syrup… I dislike corn syrup.  You could also use molasses instead.
2. More peanut butter is needed.  I would use a full cup of peanut butter and cut out 1/2 cup of flour
3. These cookies do not spread.  If you leave them in a big dollop on the baking sheet, you’ll have a thick cookie!
4. These cookies aren’t too sweet either, which is great!  You’ll get that nice chocolate taste when you bite into the chips.

In other news, TEDxBoston is this Thursday. Stay tuned for a new Live Blogging system that I am currently putting in place.

strong>Breakfast Yogurt

Lunches are a la carte [Yes again] but will probably be sandwiches, soup, salad, etc. with some type of veggies and/or fruit!

Dinner: Monday-Friday (for the Mrs.): Roasted Garlic Onion Jam Pizza (I didn’t make this until Sunday night), Grilled veggie kabobs, Falafels; Monday-Friday (for me): on the road so I’m hoping something somewhat healthy (except for the pizza last night at WordPress)

This is my adaptation on Greek Spinach Pie (spanakopita) only I used a puff pastry dough since I couldn’t find Filo dough. I also made this a 2 layered pie with spinach/goat cheese as 1 layer and summer squash/onion as the other layer. For future recipes, I will make this 1 layer and just make more filling so it is less caloric. This recipe was totally some concoction of my own. I wanted to improvise and it turned out pretty damn well! I’d like to know what you think!

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 red onion
• 2 small summer squash
• 2 packages of spinach
• minced garlic
• Crumbled goat cheese
• Dried oregano
• 1 puff pastry package
• Salt and Pepper

Directions
Please prepare puff pastry dough per package. I think you need to remove from the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature for 40 minutes. During this time, you can start cooking the veggies!

Start by slicing the summer squash into thin diagonal slices. Next, slice the red onion into thin slices. Heat oil in large skillet and stir in butter to melt. Add the red onion slices and sweat until translucent. Once the onions are done, immediately add the summer squash. Cook until squash becomes translucent and remove from heat, transferring to a bowl. Keeping your burner on, immediately add some garlic and spinach.

Drain your squash and onion mixture and set aside. In the meantime, your spinach should be done cooking! Remove from heat and drain when cooled.

Once the 40 minutes are up, unfold the sheets and assemble. I will go over what I did, but you can change it any way you like!

There should be 2 full sheets. Cut each sheet into thirds (on the folds) and place 2 pieces onto baking sheets. Layer some squash/onion mixture, followed by a sheet, then with some spinach, topped with goat cheese and finally the last puff sheet. Repeat for the other full sheet.

Next bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until the puff pastry turns light golden brown. Once it turns light golden brown, you can top with some shredded Parmesean cheese for looks and some added taste. Shut off the oven and let it sit for an extra couple of minutes while the cheese melts. Remove and serve!

I’ve been oh hiatus because I’ve been on vacation! Went to Portland Maine which I consider to be the east coast San Fransisco… only with beer instead of wine! I’ll need to review later but for now, let’s get back to it!

Breakfast Yogurt

Lunches are a la carte [Yes again] but will probably be sandwiches, soup, salad, etc. with some type of veggies and/or fruit!

Dinner: Monday-Wednesday: Swordfish with zucchini/peppers; Thursday-Friday: Roasted Garlic Onion Jam Pizza

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 6 chicken thighs
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 3 teaspoons curry
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced on diagonal
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 2 cups whole mushrooms (quartered)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• Basmati Rice

Directions
Heat oil in large skillet and stir in butter to melt. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Cook thighs skin side down until golden brown. Flip chicken and continue to cook until golden brown. Remove chicken to a plate. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in curry, cayenne, cinnamon and cumin and cook until aromas are released. Stir in carrots, peppers and mushrooms and toss to coat. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer.  Stir in broccoli. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes to cook chicken. Stir in cream and peas. Season to taste.

Bake your salmon at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Serve protein (chicken or fish), rice and add curry/vegetable mixture over everything.

I hope you like this as much as we did!