Summertime Popsicles

Enjoying a strawberry-pineapple popsicle.

Who doesn't like a popsicle? They are awesome summertime treats to help cool off from the hottest days. What I don't like about popsicles are the sugar laden options found in your grocers freezer. I cannot say every single option you can find at the super market is horrible, but most are pretty much crap. They are full of sugars, chemicals, and dyes that are just not needed in your diet. There are some "healthy and all natural" options out there, but be careful with labeling. It is barely a secret that corporations hide lots of true facts in order to market their product as healthy or all natural. Plus the price on the "good" stuff usually sky rockets. I like to spend my limited dollars on essentials that are actually good for us.

As soon as the weather turned hot, Sophia started begging for popsicles. Last year, we had them in our freezer at all times. Within the past year, I have learned a whole heck of a lot about nutrition and all the crap most marketed foods are loaded with. This summer, I have not been able to allow myself to spend my money on these neon colored treats. But popsicles are part of summer!! I cannot deprive my child of such a childhood staple. So we set out to find some popsicle molds and made our own.

I am not going to give a recipe for this, because you can basically throw anything you want into them. Pick whatever fruits (and even some veggies) you have on hand and toss them in the blender. Simple enough! This may be a great opportunity to sneak in some veggies for some picky eaters you may have. So far we have made strawberry-pineapple pops and banana berry-kale pops. You may get turned off at the idea of kale in your popsicle, but the sweetness of the fruit completely masks the flavor and you get all the added benefits of the super food. Just pour the fruit blend into your mold and freeze! If you have any leftover, drink it as a smoothie! Totally delicious and totally healthy!

Adding some kale!

Stuffed Zucchini

"This is so good, it 's the goodest thing in the world. That's not right, because you are the goodest thing in the world, Mommy. This is the goodest thing after you."....An exact quote from Sophia after she tried the stuffed zucchini. It doesn't get much better than that, especially since she did not like zucchini the last time I made it and tomatoes are at the top of her Yuck list. Just another example that perseverance is key to avoid a picky palate. She even asked for seconds! I was planning to save the last little zucchini boat for today's lunch, but who am I to deprive my child of more vegetables? 

It seems we are getting into summer squash or zucchini season. Last week, I brought home 1 yellow squash from the farm. This week we were offered 6! Of course, I shared the bounty with my veggie partner so I really came home with 3. One of them was huge, so I immediately grated that to be frozen. We are looking forward to heating up our household in the cooler months by baking either zucchini bread or zucchini muffins. Sophia has her heart set on muffins, so that is what we will most likely make. I will keep you posted in the coming months of our adventures with all the CSA veggies we have preserved through freezing, canning, and drying. Have I mentioned how much I love my CSA at Snipe's Farm?? Seriously, I found my happy place. Visiting the farm to pick up our vegetables is always a major highlight of my week.

We are also definitely getting into tomato season, which excites me tremendously! We went from bringing home one tomato last week to 10 tomatoes plus some pick your own cherry tomatoes. As the weekly amount gets larger, fingers crossed, I hope to learn how to make my own tomato sauce and put it up for the winter. The prospect of not having to buy all that processed crap as well as cutting down on imminent packaging that comes along with it warms my heart. It may be a bit of extra work, but so worth it. Plus, less to spend in the middle of winter on groceries!

My Meatless Monday meal consisted of mainly zucchini and tomatoes. Within the stuffed zucchini, the majority of the ingredients came directly from my farm. I served them alongside fresh picked green beans and some brown rice. This was definitely a fresh, local, and seasonable meal.

• 2 medium sized zucchinis, ends removed
• a handful of cherry tomatoes, diced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese (or yeast crumbles, if you are vegan)
• 4 Tbsp Bread crumbs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp basil

 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using tongs, place zucchinis in the water. Boil for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 350. While zucchinis are cooling, heat oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and oregano to garlic and let simmer. Once zucchini is cool enough to handle, slice in each in half. Use a spoon to scoop seeds and flesh out of the middle, making zucchini boats. Chop flesh and add to the garlic and tomato mixture. Toss in breadcrumbs, mix and let cook on low for a minute or two. Scoop mixture into zucchini boats and place them on a baking sheet. Top with Parmesan cheese and bake for 15 minutes.

Some stuffed zucchini recipes include meat, a lot of them include rice. Rice takes way too long to cook on its own to be an ingredient for a week day meal. I decided to make the rice and the stuffed zucchini at the same time, so I could just serve the zucchini on a bed of rice. Usually, I cook more rice than I need for one night, so I have leftovers to serve with another meal during the week. It's all about saving time and money, while trying to eat as healthy as possible.

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

Lately, my crock pot has not been getting much use. It has had the sole purpose of being my veggie broth brewer. This is mainly because lots of crock pot recipes revolve around meat, which can withstand the long and slow cooking process. While I am not a vegetarian, I have been trying to cut down on my meat consumption. I have not had many veggies from my CSA that would hold up in the crock pot. The only vegetarian dishes I know of for the crock pot are a variety of bean chili's. While I love chili, it is not the season. If you have any ideas for vegetarian crock pot dishes, please comment!! I do not receive nearly enough comments and I really enjoy reading them.

There are loads of pasta crock pot recipes out there, but this is the first time I tried one. Basically, they do not take enough time to be considered a weeknight meal. Does that even make sense? I love the idea of the crock pot, because you can set it before work and have dinner (or broth) completely cooked when you get home. If you tried to do this with pasta, you would come home to a big pot of mush. Most pasta recipes take about 2-3 hours to cook on high. This just seems highly inconvenient, since I can't run home at 4 to set it up for my arrival home at 6 and we would be eating way too late if I had to set it once I was home from work. The only reason I wound up making this was because I had some cheese that needed to be used and i was having  a very lazy Sunday (aka I had a rare Sophia free evening on Saturday, so I was hurting a little from my night out). It also helped that pasta was on sale!

• 1/2 lb uncooked pasta. Any kind should be fine, but I used shells.
• 4 cups milk
• 4 cups cheese. I used 2 cups mozzarella and 2 cups cheddar. Mix and match, or use whatever you have/prefer.
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

 In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add salt, pepper, and mustard then whisk again. Grease crock pot with cooking spray. Put all ingredients in the crock pot. Fold together, making sure everything is evenly mixed. It will be very liquidy (yes, I make up my own words). Set to high and cook for 90 minutes to 3 hours. Around 90 minutes, you want to start sporadically checking your pasta. Mine took 2 hours to complete. All crock pots cook different and you want a nice al dente texture that will hold up to the cheese.

We loved this crock pot concoction! I think it will definitely be on the menu again for a lazy weekend dinner. The texture is definitely not that of the boxed macaroni and cheese. It has a bit of a gritty texture from the real cheese. This reminded me of the mac and cheese that an ex boyfriends mom used to make in the oven. She would toss some extras in there sometimes, like sausage or mushrooms. Maybe next time Ill jazz it up with some extras. Maybe I'll mix in some fresh broccoli from my CSA. The possibilities are endless, everything tastes delicious smothered in cheese!

Sophia really liked this as well, which is always a total plus! She asked for seconds AND wanted me to pack some for her school lunch. I love when I can send leftovers for her lunch, because finding solutions for a wholesome lunch is a major challenge. Sandwiches everyday seems so boring, but with a school change for kindergarten next year, I believe it is the only option we will have. At least the school she is in now will refrigerate and heat up leftovers that I send. I may have to invest in a good thermos or two.

You may think half a pound of pasta won't be enough for your family, do not be fooled by the numbers! This makes a lot of mac and cheese. Sophia and I both had seconds at dinner on Sunday, we both brought some for lunch on Monday, and there's enough left for me to have it for lunch again today. The pasta seems to swell as it cooks. Especially if you accompany it with some chicken breast and greens, that half pound will go very far!

Colcannon

Not sure what Colcannon would traditionally be served with, but fresh veggies go with anything!!

Colcannon is a traditional Irish meal that would be eaten at the beginning of the spring season. A feast was made on Imbolc, the first day of Spring, which would always include Colcannon. Colcannon has many different recipes, one substituting kale for cabbage and was served at Halloween. In the fall version of the dish, a ring would be hidden in the food to predict who would be married within the year.

There are some today that serve this dish as a celebration of St. Patricks Day, because it represents Ireland with its white and green color. I decided to create this dish simple because it was the most intriguing search result when I googled "cabbage and potato recipes". Added bonus: I could also use green onion, which has been a bit of a challenge in my CSA. Now if only I could find some new uses for radishes!

• 3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 2 cups chopped cabbage
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup green onion (regular onion could be used as well)

Cook the potatoes in a pot of boiling water. Remove cooked potatoes with a slatted spoon and set aside. Cook cabbage for 6 minutes in the boiling potato water. Meanwhile, saute the onions in the butter. Mash potatoes with a fork. Stir in onions and cabbage. Add milk, then salt and pepper to taste. Fluff with a fork.

I was pretty excited to make this meal, but it was actually kind of bland. Seasoning it with a little extra butter stirred in and some more salt and pepper which helped a bit. Sophia did not like it too much, but she did eat some without any arguments. The original recipe suggested topping this with some cheese. Maybe next time!

Green Tuna Pasta

I will preface this post by announcing that I have never, and I mean NEVER, been a fan of canned tuna in any form except with some mayo and spices and served as a sandwich or with some green peppers to dip. The idea of those tuna helpers or any sort of tuna casserole grossed me out. My mother and sister are even more opposed to tuna than I have ever been, so that is probably where I learned it. I don't think I will ever be able to cross over that warm canned tuna barrier, but this dish is delicious. It is a cold refreshing pasta dish that makes use of green onions, a vegetable that is very abundant in the spring and early summer.

Every week so far, green onions with my CSA. The first week, I didnt know what to do with them so I froze them. The second week, I gave my veggie partner the entire ration, because I still did not know what I should do with them. The third week, my portion of green veggies wilted before I could figure it out. Honestly, the only use I have ever had for green onions was soup. It has been super hot around here these days, so soup was not the best solution. Finally I decided to google some uses of green onion and came up with this simple sauce. There really are no exact measurements here. Go by taste. I used half a lb of pasta so you may want to double up what I have. Remember, I am only feeding me and my mini me. You can make the sauce while your pasta is cooking. This meal can be completed in just about 10 minutes. You gotta love a fresh summer meal that takes almost no time slaving in a hot kitchen.

Sauce:

Make while cooking pasta

•  a bunch of scallions/green onions, chopped
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 1/3 cup pasta water
• 1 tsp lemon rind
• juice from one lemon
• Olive or grapeseed oil

Heat a Tbsp of oil in a pan on medium heat. Add green onions and garlic to the pan and saute for 5 minutes. 
Put onions and garlic into a blender and add the pasta water and lemon. Process until smooth. Add more water or oil, if needed, to reach a desired consistency.

Pasta:

• 1/2 lb pasta
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 can tuna, drained

Cook pasta according to package directions. Be sure to reserve some cooking water for the green onion sauce. Rinse with cold water. Fold in tuna and tomatoes. Mix in sauce and sprinkle some fresh basil to the top.

As apprehensive as I am about canned tuna, I was kind of excited to try this, since I figured the green onion sauce would mix well with the flavor of the tuna. I was definitely not disappointed. Sophia, however, was a hard sell. She definitely does not like tomatoes, so we had to pick them out, and we are still working on seafood. She likes crab and she likes tuna in sandwiches sometimes, but she definitely does not like shrimp. As always, my policy is to serve her whatever I am eating, no matter how many times she disliked the ingredients in the past. You never know when she will decide to like something! Fortunately when I made this, Sophia had spent some time at my sisters and already had eaten. She was a little hungry, so she sat down with me to eat and gave it a chance. She pretty much pushed aside bits that she did not like and ate all the pasta. I can totally see myself making this again