Hello Lovelies! Last night Jennifer left a comment on Facebook, letting me know she checks the blog every day to see if I have posted. She said it was her way to see if I was doing ok. This really struck me. It never even occurred that someone would be looking out for me and seeing how I was doing on this blog, especially since we have never met. That is why I love blogging though. You make great friends from all over the world. Thank you Jennifer for lighting that fire under my bum. My post inspiration has returned and all of your comments with yesterdays post has encouraged me and inspired me as well.
Yesterday was pick up day for Bountiful Baskets. If you don't know what Bountiful Baskets is, you can find out about it here. I received a bunch of goodies this week. Some I use often and others (like the jicama) I will be experimenting with this week for the first time. Since the baskets tend to be similar, depending on where you live, I thought I would share some of my ideas for using this week's produce. If you have recipes, tips, tricks, or ideas, then please leave them in the comments. Especially for that Jicama. I need all the help I can get with that one. I've never tried it before, but hear it is delicious.
So this week I received:
celery
cauliflower
asparagus x2
spaghetti squash
jicama x2
4 Chile peppers (I hear these ones are mild)
3 grapefruits (I gave these to my sisinlaw)
4 tangerines
3 apple pears
5 apples
8 pears
A lot of the fruit will be used for snacking this week. I know those pears and tangerines will not last long in this house. Some certain red heads will be gobbling them up quick.
I have already tried this asparagus with balsamic butter sauce a few times. It is so delicious! I will definitely be making it again this week as a side dish.
For the cauliflower I want to try garlic mashed cauliflower "potatoes". They are suppose to be absolutely delicious. I am going to try this recipe here from Nom Nom Paleo.
The kale will go into a soup. I usually do a veggie soup and throw that stuff in. My hubby loves it! We love our leafy greens!
I haven't decided on the celery or chile peppers yet...maybe in a casserole (celery) or something. Enchiladas sound yummy this week too or stuffed peppers.
What are you guys and gals doing with all your Bountiful Baskets goodies this week? Share your tips, tricks, and ideas below. I can't wait to hear how you are eating healthy and making your fruits and veggies work for you :)
XO Danielle
Jicama raw is wonderful! It is great in salads, too.
ReplyDeleteI, too, check your blog daily, making sure you and your family are okay. :-)
I think I will be trying it raw first. I can't wait!
DeleteCalifornia Pizza Kitchen has an amazing white corn guacamole that has jicama in it. The ingredients are: Diced avocado, sweet white corn, black beans, jicama, bell pepper, cilantro and serrano peppers. It's so good and you can totally make it yourself so easy.
ReplyDeleteYum! I love anything with cilantro!
DeleteMiss your posts as well-hope to see more!
ReplyDeleteme too! Thanks for the encouragement. I really appreciate it!
DeleteI have heard of jicama, but don't know of any recipes for it either....I'm curious:)
ReplyDeleteI wanted to let you know that your family and you are in our prayers. It is tough when you lose a little one. In 2002, we lost our little miracle Jacob through a still birth after encountering an already difficult pregnancy (all 5 of my pregnancies were high risk and resulted in 2 healthy boys and 2 healthy girls, my youngest three were born after we lost Jacob). At the time, I was lost and angry, but later learned that God has a reason and a purpose which at that time I did not understand...but even 12 years later we do know now and have conveyed that with Jacob's siblings. I told them I know that there is a God because they are here and that God knew that it wasn't time for us to have Jacob (he knows better than we do, and it's hard to understand at all) join our family. My hope is that one day I will see him in heaven:) I hope these words provide some comfort to you during this tough time.
They do and I am so sorry for your lost. God definitely has a plan for each and everyone of us. He does nothing by chance and has a reason for everything. I know you will see you're little one again.
DeleteI have had jicama sliced into stocks and dipped in ranch dressing, like you would with carrots or celery. Easy and delicious!
ReplyDeleteI also check back daily. This is my favorite blog!! Praying for you and your family
Thank you so much for your sweet words. They are making my day! Jicama and dressing sounds delish!
DeleteRaw jicama is so sweet and delicious! You can slice it into stalks and serve with ranch or greek yogurt for your kids, we love it that way.
ReplyDeleteyes please! That sounds awesome!
DeleteBelow is a yummy recipe using Jicama. It is a Pampered Chef recipe, so it will reference different tools, but you can use whatever you have on hand :) I have found that having a good serrated peeler really helps when peeling a jicama or anything with a thicker, tougher peel (mango, kiwi, etc...). You can also, make this into a large naco plate and use chips on a platter in place of the taco shells. Hope you enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThe Pampered Chef ®
Cool & Crunchy Chicken Tacos
Recipe
12 hard yellow corn taco shells
1 small head romaine lettuce (about 2 cups/500 mL shredded)
1-2 limes, divided
1/2 cup (125 mL) mayonnaise
2 tsp (10 mL) ground cumin
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cayenne pepper (optional)
3 cups (750 mL) diced grilled chicken breasts
1/2 small jicama
1 small mango
1/2 cup (125 mL) loosely packed fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1 avocado, peeled and sliced (optional)
Prepare taco shells according to package directions; set aside. Shred lettuce using Santoku Knife. Zest limes using Microplane® Adjustable Grater to measure 1 tsp (5 mL). Juice limes to measure 3 tbsp (45 mL). Place zest, 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the juice, mayonnaise, cumin and cayenne pepper, if desired, in Stainless (4-qt./4-L) Mixing Bowl; mix well. Spoon about 1/3 cup (75 mL) of the sauce into resealable plastic bag; twist to secure and set aside. Add chicken to remaining sauce; mix well using Classic Scraper.
Peel jicama and mango using Serrated Peeler. Slice jicama using Ultimate Mandoline fitted with v-shaped blade. Slice jicama and mango into 1/4-in. (6-mm) strips. Chop cilantro. Combine jicama, mango, cilantro, salt and remaining juice in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well.
Place lettuce into taco shells. Top evenly with chicken mixture, jicama mixture and avocado, if desired. Trim corner of sauce-filled bag; drizzle over tacos.
Yield: 6 servings
Nutrients per serving: (2 tacos): Calories 370, Total Fat 21 g, Saturated Fat 3.5 g, Cholesterol 55 mg, Carbohydrate 24 g, Protein 22 g, Sodium 350 mg, Fiber 3 g
sounds awesome! I love anything with cilantro. Its my favorite!
DeleteWe call it Mexican fruit salad, we use jicama, mango and pineapple, cut lengthwise, with a little cayenne pepper (not spicy, just brings out flavor). No juice is necessary, because you get so much from the mangoes and pineapples. we usually make a huge bowl of it and it gets snacked on throughout the day, and I take containers of it to work too! It's a great, fresh, springy snack!
ReplyDeletethis sounds amazing! I love all these recipes you guys and gals are sharing!
DeleteI have eaten Jicama and it is always raw, it is crispy and very fresh. It can be diced and eaten alone with a little lemon, salt and chili powder or you can add to salads green or fruit It is very refreshing.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing!
DeleteMy friend made this and her family loved it http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/jicama_salad/
ReplyDeleteI have just been eating mine raw with other fresh veggies as a snack or in a salad.
I too check everyday to see how you are doing.
That recipes looks so good!
DeleteCelery can be cut up and frozen - nice to use in soups and chili. Cauliflower can be used to make wraps (youtube and pinterest have tons of links). Supercook is great for looking up recipes by name or ingredient. Glad you and your family are doing well.
ReplyDeleteI totally forget about cutting up celery. I have a bunch in my fridge. Thanks so much for the reminder! You rock!
DeleteI have never had cooked Jicama. I can wait to see how that goes. We eat it with lime and chili powder or in a fruit salad, with mangos, orange slices and water melon, and we top our bowl of fruit salad with fresh lime juice and a sprinkle of chili powder
ReplyDeleteyum!
DeleteHi Danielle. I'm just wondering if anyone knows of an organization like Bountiful Blessings on the east coast? I live in South Carolina and have been trying to find an affordable produce coop in my area. Just thought I'd ask, in case you had any east coast readers who might know. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCheck it out there may be one close to you or you may have to be the one to start one in your area.
Deletehttp://bountifulbaskets.org/
Raw jicama is the best! It's a mandatory item on veggie platters at family parties, shredded it can be used in slaws, salads and anything that uses lettuce. We like it in 1 inch chunks in stew (think turnip but better), roasted as a side dish, mashed with a bit of shredded cheese on top... The uses are endless! The only thing we DON'T like? Peeling the things... ;-)
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of putting it in a slaw!
DeleteI love, love, love Bountiful Baskets! Once I got a ton of poblano peppers and stuffed them with a mixture of cream cheese, bacon, cheese and some other things, and baked them on stoneware in the oven. They were so good! I love to make fruit salads. Jicama is great to eat on it's own, really crunchy. Bacon wrapped asparagus, baked in the oven.
ReplyDeleteYou had me at cream cheese :) LOL. I just ordered a box of asparagus for next week. I need to get some bacon to cook with it. That sounds so good!
Delete