After a long spring break, my daughters went back to school this morning and the house is quiet. I don't know about the rest of you out there, but for me, too much family togetherness is more than a little crazy-making. So for the past ten days, everything has felt off. My routine, my diet, my sleeping patterns, everything. Today, I plan to take some steps to re-establish the balance.
We need to go shopping! As far as fresh fruit is concerned, we are down to the wrinkly navel oranges in the bottom of the fruit bowl. I try to make it a habit to have fresh fruit at breakfast every day. Berries are my first choice as they are chockful of antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, and yumminess. Luckily we have been able to get some delicious fresh strawberries lately, as our own strawberries won't begin to ripen until mid to late May. (Who knows this year, as we are running about 3 weeks earlier than normal!) I try to eat with the seasons as much as possible, and also purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables when I can. Of course, when I say "local" that is a relative term. Florida is much more local than Chile, for example! I am not a fanatic in this area, and we will also purchase bananas and canned pineapple from Trader Joe's. I use the pineapple in a Thai soup that I make often and my daughter loves it as a snack.
When I plan the grocery list, I like to try and think ahead about some of the meals I want to make over the course of the week. As you know, I like to roast a whole chicken once a week. That is a staple. We also try to always have cooked frozen shrimp in the freezer. My older daughter often makes a shrimp fried rice dish that she learned to cook at school. Frozen green peas are her veggie of choice, so we need a few bags of those on hand. Frozen chopped spinach and broccoli florets are regular additions to both lunch and dinner. The frozen French green beans are wonderful, too! And from Costco, a large bag of frozen sweet potato fries! These are a treat-- a little too high-carb to indulge in on a daily basis.
Costco is a great place to purchase large bags of raw nuts. We have almost every variety on hand. I use nuts whenever I bake anything. For my cheesecake, I use nuts in the crust. If I bake cookies or a cake, I usually substitute nuts for at least half or more of the wheat flour. I grind the nuts fresh in the food processor immediately before mixing into the batter. You can buy almonds already ground into flour, but this exposes the oils to the air and the flour tends to go rancid quickly. I recommend grinding your own as it is quick and easy!
Off to do the shopping now! Hope you enjoy your day!
We need to go shopping! As far as fresh fruit is concerned, we are down to the wrinkly navel oranges in the bottom of the fruit bowl. I try to make it a habit to have fresh fruit at breakfast every day. Berries are my first choice as they are chockful of antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, and yumminess. Luckily we have been able to get some delicious fresh strawberries lately, as our own strawberries won't begin to ripen until mid to late May. (Who knows this year, as we are running about 3 weeks earlier than normal!) I try to eat with the seasons as much as possible, and also purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables when I can. Of course, when I say "local" that is a relative term. Florida is much more local than Chile, for example! I am not a fanatic in this area, and we will also purchase bananas and canned pineapple from Trader Joe's. I use the pineapple in a Thai soup that I make often and my daughter loves it as a snack.
When I plan the grocery list, I like to try and think ahead about some of the meals I want to make over the course of the week. As you know, I like to roast a whole chicken once a week. That is a staple. We also try to always have cooked frozen shrimp in the freezer. My older daughter often makes a shrimp fried rice dish that she learned to cook at school. Frozen green peas are her veggie of choice, so we need a few bags of those on hand. Frozen chopped spinach and broccoli florets are regular additions to both lunch and dinner. The frozen French green beans are wonderful, too! And from Costco, a large bag of frozen sweet potato fries! These are a treat-- a little too high-carb to indulge in on a daily basis.
Costco is a great place to purchase large bags of raw nuts. We have almost every variety on hand. I use nuts whenever I bake anything. For my cheesecake, I use nuts in the crust. If I bake cookies or a cake, I usually substitute nuts for at least half or more of the wheat flour. I grind the nuts fresh in the food processor immediately before mixing into the batter. You can buy almonds already ground into flour, but this exposes the oils to the air and the flour tends to go rancid quickly. I recommend grinding your own as it is quick and easy!
Off to do the shopping now! Hope you enjoy your day!
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