Tasty Tidbits

This past week was very un-June-like. Lots of rain & cooler days. We're loving it, because it's like the weather in the northwest, so we're pretending our vacation is extended. :-)

Tink went crazy during the thunderstorms on Thursday morning. She was racing up & down the halls, jumping all around, & generally being chaotic. Crazy cat! It was her first real thunderstorm, though, so she was freaked out.

We appeased the cat by letting her come out to join us by the campfire last weekend. She sits at the window & paws at it when we're outside, so we feel bad. We're considering getting a leash so she can be out with us on her own. I think she'd like it.

We took a nice bike ride & then came back to relax outside. I'm trying to rush around less (ask me how that's going! ha!), so I've committed to spending more time on our patio this summer. Plus, we're not going to the beach & I'm pasty white. This should help.

My view of the kiwi plants while lounging on the patio. I think we should get a bunch this year, unless the birds beat us to them. We can't wait. Currently, we're gorging on strawberries & snap peas. They're both delicious!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Pineapple yogurt with Strawberry Almond Coconut Granola
• Ashley's Rhubarb Berry Baked Oatmeal - I don't like my oatmeal to be sweet because I like eating it with banana + pb, so I didn't add any of the sugar. I was a little worried because rhubarb is very tart, but it works out perfectly!
• Bananas & crunchy pb

  

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Hummus with rice crackers, carrots & celery
• Watermelon & strawberries

Dinners

Saturday:
Campfire!

• Tofu dogs on potato buns
• Veggie foil packets with onions, mushrooms, garlic & jalapenos
• Green salad
• S'mores!

Sunday:

• Adrianna's Spicy Black Bean Cakes (leftover from Fri. night)
• Mama Pea's Strawberry Avocado Salsa with organic blue corn chips & rice crackers

Monday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops'

• Eating Well's Grilled Portobellos with Chopped Salad - While the recipe promised a quick dinner, this was a bit labor intensive. It was totally worth it though! So much flavor!
• Roasted red pepper & eggplant hummus with rice crackers
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Eating Well's Thai Red Curry with Vegetables - We loved this! Plus, it was easy to make. Next time, we might try to increase the broth & make it more of a soup.
• Brown rice noodles
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Eating Well's Snap Pea & Quinoa Salad - This looked so good, but was just ok. It was perfect to make ahead of time for a quick dinner, but I don't think I'd make it again. There are too many other great recipes out there!
• Chili & Lime Pistachios

Thursday:

• Eating Well's Roasted Garlic & Asparagus Salad
• Corn tortillas
• Green salad

Friday:

• Pizza with gluten free brown rice crust
• Green salad

Treats

• Chocolate Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Bars
• Katie's Chocolate Strawberry Truffle Pie (leftover from Fri. night)
• Banana soft serve

Tasty Tidbits

Home again, home again...though we got home mid-week last week, this was the first full week back to the normal routines. Last weekend, I traveled to western PA to visit Jen & go to my cousin's fiance's bridal shower. The time flew by & next thing I knew it was Monday again.

Jen made us some very yummy "spa water" with cucumber, lemon, & mint. It was super refreshing!

It's strawberry time at last! Our first picking (on Monday) yielded 3.5 quarts & we've been getting almost that much each day since! We're having no trouble keeping up with eating them. I've been waiting for this ever since last year.

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Pineapple yogurt with Pinepple Coconut Granola
• Puffed rice & puffed millet cereal with strawberries, bananas & almond milk
• Ashley's Strawberry Rhubarb Buttermilk Upside Down Cake - Ok, technically this is not a breakfast food...but we decided it should be! :-)

  

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Easy Three Bean Salad
• Hummus with rice crackers, carrots & celery
• Watermelon & apples 

Dinners

Saturday:
Out for Mexican with Jen

• Spinach quesadilla
• Steamed veggies
• Mexican rice

Sunday:

• Leftovers - brown rice, steamed broccoli, & baked sweet potato bowl

Monday:

• Black bean quinoa burgers on homemade buns
• Mango & avocado salsa
• Grilled asparagus, mushrooms, & onion
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Veggie stir-fry (broccoli, asparagus, onions, & mushrooms)
• Brown rice
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Grilled portabella caps
• Grilled zucchini & onions
• Grilled sweet potato
• Green salad

Thursday:

• Whole wheat rigatoni with tomato sauce
• Green salad

Friday:

• Adrianna's Spicy Black Bean Cakes
• Mango guacamole
• Green salad

Treats

• Fresh strawberries with Angela's Coconut Whipped Cream
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp topped with banana soft serve
• Katie's Chocolate Strawberry Truffle Pie - sooooooooo good!
• V.K Rees Photography's Vegan Cookie Dough Bites - I made these to freeze for future banana soft serve "blizzards," but we had to have several samples! They're made from chickpeas, but before you cringe, you totally can't tell. Try them!

Easy Three Bean Salad

 

Here's a perfect kick-off to summer recipe for you! It's healthy, filling, & delicious.

 For those of you with plenty of potluck picnics to attend, this is just the thing to bring. It can be eaten cold or at room temperature. No mayo or eggs to worry about spoiling in the heat.

It's also very easy to make & suits many allergies/dietary restrictions. It's vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, & dairy-free! What more could you want from a simple side dish? You can even make it a quick weeknight dinner by pairing it with a green salad and some hearty bread.

My mom made a lot of bean salad when I was growing up. She's the one who gave me this recipe, but I made a few tweaks. The main change was to take out the green beans. They aren't my favorite veggie, so while I do enjoy green beans in some ways (like grilled!), I don't like them in bean salad. However, if you are a green bean lover, feel free to add in about 1 cup of lightly steamed 1 inch pieces.



Easy Three Bean Salad
Serves 8-10

1.5 c cooked kidney beans (or 1 15 oz. can, rinsed & drained)
1.5 c cooked chickpeas (or 1 15 oz. can, rinsed & drained)
1.5 c frozen lima beans, thawed
1/2 of a yellow or white onion, minced finely
1/2 of a green bell pepper, diced finely
1/3 c sucanat or coconut sugar (or substitute with brown sugar)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 c apple cider vinegar

Mix together all three kinds of beans, onion, bell pepper, sucanat, salt, & pepper. Pour apple cider vinegar over mixture & stir until coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving to allow flavors to meld. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Note: This salad lasts quite awhile when covered & stored in the refrigerator. I like to make a batch to go with lunches & it's perfect for 2 people for at least a week.