A Fruit and a Root

I haven't posted our new produce but we have still been sampling a nutritious variety of yummy treats.  I tried a real exotic fruit last week - an apple.  Stop the crazy train, right?  :)  Yes I have had an apple a time or two in my life but not this variety called Lady Alice apples.  It sounded intriguing - it does have a royal title which must mean its impressive, right?  I thought so.   I really like Golden Delicious apples with its bright yellow skin and not as crisp flesh and a nice mild flavor - a tad sweet, very little tart, and comforting, especially with some peanut butter.  I mentioned all this because the Lady Alice apple shares a few similarities. For instance, if you see a Lady Alice apple it looks like a Golden but with a warm pink blush.  And the size just fits the palm of my hand.  The peel feels firm but not like armor (nor a candle - but sadly I have tried an apple or two that couldn't boast the same :( .  I enjoyed this variety and kept the snack real simple.  I cut it up and ate it with almond butter.  For years I have listened to some family members and friends really talk up the Honeycrisp variety.  This is a good stand - in.  I find some Honeycrisp apples to be quite large - I want a snack not a whole pie from one fruit.  Also some of the apples are REALLY sweet and when I find something REALLY sweet - thats almost scary!  So sweet you pucker your lips kind of sweet.  I also have found near the end of their season that Honeycrisp tends to be near flavorless, almost blah.  What's great about a Lady Alice apple is they take awhile to brown - you can enjoy your whole snack and it still be the white crispy slice you cut thirty minutes prior.  Also this is the perfect season for the Lady Alice to make her royal appearance; where most apples are in season during fall Lad Alice is perfectly right and ripe for Spring.  Easy go to snack at hopefully your grocer's.  I also leaned towards almond butter as peanut butter would compete against the apple's own sweetness.  Yummy!

Now unto the root.  Roots in the produce aisle look scary with their gnarliness and dirty exterior but when peeled and prepared they are so tender and delicious.  So this week we tackled the *pound piano* celery root!  These roots can be quite large and in charge.  But a great addition to a roast.  At least that's how we prepared it and loved it!  I am not a huge celery fan.  But its not really the flavor I mind - its the strings and texture.  Raw celery not a fan! But roasted or sauteed celery - quite enjoyable.  One string or snap and I'm done with it.   So celery root quite a nice find.  We had planned a roast for Monday in the crockpot.  Filling meal without too much hassle.  Monday around here we both had to get up early and work all day.  Who wants to mess with dishes after a long day?  So we were going to prep the veggies Sunday night and in the morning would just toss in the roast and turn the knob.  Simple, right?  Sort of.  We both hit that evening lull where you are just ready for bed.  And cutting vegetables sounded like such a chore.  But in all honesty ten minutes from gathering - rough chop and quick clean-up.  We quartered a couple of potatoes, chunked a big onion, and tackled the celery root.  It looks hard to deal with it.  But really a quick rinse and the peel is not tough at all.  Because the surface area tends to be good size you don't have to worry about nooks and crannies like a sunchoke or the tough exterior of the turban squash (I still get tense about that ordeal!!!) . Quick peel and you can immediately smell the celery aroma.  Its flesh has tinges a spring green that peek through the peel but a creamy white inside (closely resembling a potato).  I did read at www.eattheseasons.com mentioned you could eat it raw - but suggested slicing thin matchsticks and possibly blanching it quickly for a creamier texture. My hubby cut the root into cubes and we were ready for the roast.  I really liked the flavor it lended to the other vegetables and the meat.  It had such a comforting flavor - almost cinnamon like - tish sweet but more a warming spice - think warm apple cider on a chilly day.  It has been two days since we made our tasty roast but I just had yummy leftovers and the flavors only deepened.  And for any other diabetics or those seeking low carb - root vegetable but not loaded with starch (at least according to wikipedia and http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/carbcounts/a/celeriac.htm .  Great way to stretch mashed potatoes or make a creamy soup. 

Thinking spring around here but feel like I was eating autumnish :)  Its beautiful weather and we are four days away from our  Strides for Autism walk Saturday, April 14, 2012. We still would love donations to meat our $500.00 goal.  We are past the half-way point - your donation could help us meet or even surpass the goal!!! Please visit https://scautism.org/strides/team/3/ .

May your HealthFULL Journey keep you grounded to your roots but motivate you to always reach for the highest fruit :)  'Til we meet again. . .

To Cook or NOT to Cook

It has been a good week this week.  Even my Wii congratulated me on my healthy success.  I worked out seven days in a row and the machine admired my dedication.  I'll take the pats on the back from anywhere I can :)  Other good news is that my blood sugar continues to decline slowly and my blood tests came back from the doctor with some thumbs up.   Cholesterol is awesome (so awesome the nurse questioned if I take cholesterol medication ) Ha HA no!  But I was ready for something to come back good.  I also checked my blood pressure and that is well within a healthy range.  Its nice to get some positive feedback and see true results.  Because on those tough days it is easy to tempt ourselves and lose sight of the goal.  But when results keep appearing it strengthens your resolve and keeps temptation at bay. 

However, temptation still creeps at the edges and sneak surprises us.  I had pizza.  After three weeks of no pizza, no pasta, and a serious decline in bread consumption I gave up the fight.  We had planned squash soup for Wednesday night.  (Remember that excess turban squash?)  We had purchased a beautiful butternut squash.  Color was a beautiful tan with an almost flawless peel.  And butternut squash is by far our household favorite squash - versatile, great flavor with a hint of sweetness, and long shelf life.  Once again I was home with our little one for the day and had plans to peel and cube the newly purchased squash for soup.  The day quickly flew by and by dinner time I was drained.  I had no desire to hack through a squash after my recent bout with the turban squash.  I turned to my hubby and hinted and than downright suggested pizza for dinner.  He hesitantly agreed; excited at the prospect but wanted to be supportive of our new lifestyle.  Easily 3 weeks is the longest we have ever gone without pasta or pizza for a meal.  We switched up our regular order as two pizzas are pretty normal so that we can have at least a breakfast and lunch covered too.  Plus a side of breadsticks (I love to dip!).  But no longer are carbs our friends or at least mine.  New order some wings with one pizza with extra thin crispy crust.  I limited myself to three pieces which is not slices but smaller squares.  And my blood sugar remained right on track.  Obviously not an every night a choice but a treat that didn't bust the bank.  And out of my guilt I prepped the butternut squash that night (and some onions) so there would be NO excuse to make the soup Thursday.  I think I was scared of the squash due to the Turban incident but the butternut was so easy and quickly prepped within fifteen minutes.  We did eat a delicious soup Thursday (still have leftovers - but soup leftover is yummier than the original meal as the flavors deepen and blend). 

Speaking of prepping veggies which helps keep me on track to eating healthier.  The veggie (or I should say fruit) of the week was the graffiti eggplant.  How fun!  Eggplant is delicious produce that I enjoyed stewed, roasted, grilled, fried, and baked. The graffiti eggplant has an interesting outer layer.  The peel is either ivory with purple stripes or purple with ivory stripes.  The texture was super smooth; almost plastic - like.  Otherwise the graffiti eggplant is very similiar to the classic eggplant.  So to test out our new produce we oven roasted the eggplant with onions, mushrooms, and peppers drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  YUM!  We treated it like a salad and let it cool in the fridge as a side to our turkey meatloaf.  The roasted produce had a tangy but sweet flavor with great textures of soft and chewy (eggplant and mushrooms) with a little bite (peppers and onions). 

The moral of the story - a little prep work in the kitchen eases the cooking decision.  I know it sounds like work and it takes a little bit of effort.  But if you can spare that ten - fifteen minutes the night before after your belly is satisfied.  It will save time (why debate the choice if the food is already prepped) and you can do the fun stuff right away (stirring and mixing and cooking) and money is easier to hang unto when you aren't paying someone else to feed you.

May your HealthFULL Journey include treats, wisdom, and effort. 'Til we meet again. . .