Clean & Green

Trying to figure out how to use the veggies in the garden and I came up with... potato salad collard wraps! I never realized how yummy a simple oil and vinegar potato salad is, as I am not a fan of mayo.
Featured from the garden: banana and jalapeno peppers, parsley, collards, green onion, microgreens, and eggs.

Market day tomorrow! Come say hi and check out my microgreens!
7:30-11:30 on Third Street South
I'll also have fresh garden herbs, collard greens, and cherry tomatoes for the earliest risers.
🌱

Pea shoots taste amazing on anything! Loving them on my coconut curry.

Starting a new flock for a new year.

I've started a small microgreens production selling at a local farmer's market. If you are local to Naples and want to check it out come to Third Street South 7:30-11:30 tomorrow!

I'll have pea shoots, sunflower shoots, a kale/broccoli mix, red radish microgreens, and purple kohlrabi. I sell out of certain varieties so come early 😃

Microgreens are a nutrient powerhouse and since my greens are harvested within 24 hours of sale they are super fresh. Eating a serving of microgreens is like taking a daily multivitamin!

My little gardener 💚

These pink beauties are amaranth microgreens. Not only are they incredibly rich in nutrients, their fuchsia colored stem looks awesome with almost any dish. I love them on fish tacos, scallops, seared tuna, veggie and grain bowls, and sushi.
If you make green smoothies, you may notice that blending greens with the red and blue hues of berries makes a brownish color. Amaranth microgreens, on the other hand, are an awesome opportunity to blend with berries. I do add a little honey to smoothies with amaranth greens because their earthy flavor needs to be balanced with some extra sweetness.

Experimenting with different salad mix combinations from the garden.

Almost all of my clients who choose the full meal prep option end up losing 1-2 pounds a week. If you're looking to lose 10-20 pounds in the next 10 weeks this could be a great option for you. It includes a weekly nutrition session over the phone, and 10 meals prepared each week and delivered to your door for $170.

The kids were really interested in my green smoothie this morning. And their little growing bodies need as much nutrition as they can get. Did you know one serving of kohlrabi microgreens covers 100% of your vitamin c needs for the day!?

What's in it: orange juice, kohlrabi microgreens, and banana. That's it!

Purple kohlrabi, my favorite microgreen right now 😋 That beautiful purple color means it contains an antioxidant called anthocyanin. Anthocyanins are linked with lowering inflammation, reducing cancer and diabetes risk, promoting longevity, and improved cognitive function as we age.

Of course these microgreens are loaded with a lot more than just that. Vitamin C, potassium, iron, manganese, calcium, fiber, and even some plant based protein to name a few.

Tastes great with eggs in the morning, on avocado toast, blended into a green smoothie, or added to a hummus wrap.

Time to get creative with okra! I'm getting great harvests every week and running out of ideas to prepare them. I've tried stir frying, roasting, adding to curries, breading and frying. The next thing to attempt is stuffed okra.

Our globalized food system doesn't encourage seasonal eating. In fact, a lot of us are not even aware of what foods are seasonal to our geographic area anymore. Eating seasonal and local not only means higher quality, more nutritious food for you, but it's much more sustainable for the environment.

Home harvested arugula and radish microgreens! Did you know fresh greens degrade in nutrients rather quickly? It's best to consume them soon after harvest. So growing your own or buying local means you will get the most out of greens. Other produce like winter squashes, and certain root vegetables like sweet potatoes or turnips don't degrade as quickly, so they are better suited for storage.

My first 100% homegrown meal. Eggs from my backyard chickens, pea shoots from my microgreens nursery, and sweet potatoes from the garden. I'm pretty excited for Florida growing season to really get started in the next couple months!

Want to get healthier but don't know where to start? Try adding more vegetables to the meals you eat regularly. Maybe what you eat often right now is pizza, burgers, sandwiches, or quesadillas? While these meals may normally be characterized as "unhealthy foods" you can substitute certain ingredients for veggies or just cut back on portions and add a ton of veggies.
This black bean quesadilla has chopped tomatoes and peppers, mashed avocado and onion, as well as radish microgreens on top.

You can add favorite veggies to your pizzas, like mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli, or artichokes. Substitute a side salad for fries with your burger. Chips with your sandwich can be replaced by raw veggies and hummus. The options are endless, so get creative!

People can be so attracted to the extremes of fad diets, but you have to find something that works long term and keeps you happy. It's those little choices over time that make a difference.

Harvesting black eyed peas! They are loving this hot Florida summer and are definitely drought resistant.
Beans are nitrogen fixers, so they will leave the soil rich in nitrogen for fall crops. I planted maybe 20 seeds and now I have hundreds of pods drying up!

What is a superfood crop that can be grown 365 days a year in any climate? Microgreens! I love growing these indoors under grow lights. I can have fresh greens on hand at all times. Nutrients degrade quickly after harvest for certain vegetables, such as microgreens. This is a great one to consume quickly after cutting.

Ground cherry, probably one of my favorite wild Florida edibles. It has a burst of flavor that tastes like a combination of orange and cherry.

Green smoothies are such an easy way to get dark leafy greens!
What's in it-- kale, banana, avocado, lime, strawberry, & almond milk.

Time saving meal prep tip --
If you don't like eating the same thing all week, you can prepare a few different foods at the beginning of the week and eat a different version of it each day. This tofu, raw veggies, and peanut sauce wrap on Monday became a rice stir fry topped with avocado by Thursday. Yummy!

This peanut sauce was Soo good! What's in it -- peanut butter, coconut milk, grated raw ginger, crushed garlic clove, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive oil, black pepper, and salt. Just whisk together until desired consistency.

These ladies are 3 months old now, and we have been really enjoying having backyard chickens! They do a great job at eating bugs, taking care of food scraps, prepping garden beds, and providing manure. We have a few more months before we start seeing eggs.

As rainy season is starting in Florida I'm planting heat loving crops like sweet potatoes, black eyed peas, okra, Everglades tomatoes, Seminole pumpkin, and hot peppers. This little homesteading journey is coming together. As long as I see every failure as a learning experience 😂

It's mango season in South Florida! So much abundance. Ask around and maybe you have a generous friend or neighbor like mine willing to give!

I see hundreds of mangoes rotting and going to waste all over and yet grocery stores get shipments of mangoes from around the world daily. I'm not sure what the solution to our globalized food system is. But awareness and connected communities can help shift us in the right direction!

Cilantro Lime Hummus

An interesting twist on a Mediterranean favorite!

What's in it- chick peas, tahini, lime, cilantro, garlic, salt, and fresh jalepeños.

You could even blend in some avocadoes if you're looking for a higher protein, lower fat alternative to guacamole.

Want to get in on this!?

This is a meal prep I did for a client. It's based on the caloric plan I recommended for her. If you need a little extra push to get yourself on a healthy meal plan I can do the groceries and cooking too.
Eat like a nutritionist and let me do the hard work for you! Contact me if I interested ❤️

What's on the menu?

Salmon with a kale quinoa salad and agave lime vinaigrette. Yum!

There are so many different versions of minestrone soup. It's fun to get creative and try new combinations. This is a great meal to make when you are running low on fresh produce, because you can swap out many of the ingredients and rely on canned goods if necessary. I also love minestrone because it uses plant-based protein! Beans are a low fat, high fiber protein source that's kinder to the environment than meats and other animal products.

This soup has kidney beans, elbow pasta, and for vegetables I used onions, carrots, tomatoes, celery, poblano pepper, bell pepper, and fresh parsley. Seasoned with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce. When I make soups I don't typically use any stock. I just add the chopped vegetables to the pot with a little oil, cook them down until lightly browned, and add water. I find this is simple, easy, and more flavorful and fresh tasting.

Other veggies you can add or substitute are green beans, peas, squash, zucchini, leafy greens like spinach and kale, rosemary, basil, and garlic. Navy beans are a good substitute for kidney beans, and of course you can use any pasta, really. Fusilli, shells, and bowties work great.

One of the simplest but most effective nutrition tips is to make half your plate vegetables and/or fruits, a quarter of the plate starches, and the final quarter of the plate protein. Look at your meals in the past few days and compare it to these plate proportions. How does it look?

I love this plate guideline because it really is so simple to comprehend, and probably more effective at improving your health than most fad diets. It's sustainable, not too restrictive, and it's a positive message rather than focusing on limitations.

So if you have diabetes, heart disease, want to lose weight, or just want to eat more healthful, give it a try! Follow it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snacks, and you will feel more balanced.

When vegetables and fruits are making up half you diet, you are not only consuming less calories and more nutrients, but this also has a very positive impact on your gut flora, which is so important for maintaining a healthy weight.

Microgreens are a nutrient powerhouse. Because they are harvested only 7-14 days after germination, all the nutrients are much more concentrated in comparison to the full grown, mature vegetable. Therefore, a little goes a long way!

Microgreens are easy to grow and quick to harvest. They are a great option if you want to grow something indoors during quarantine. It's difficult to consume enough fresh, raw vegetables when you are trying to lengthen the time between grocery store visits. So I've started growing microgreens to help with access to nutrient dense veggies!

I think a lot of people are unsure how to incorporate microgreens. You can add them to wraps, sandwiches, veggie burgers, Indian dishes, curries, and more. I like adding them to salads that are not mostly lettuce, such as this Asian carrot salad, or a tomato or cucumber salad for example.

Stay healthy, friends!

Have you ever tried surinam cherries? They grow wild all over central and southern Florida. They could be ripening in your yard or favorite walking route right now!

Best picked when they are a deep red and fall in your hand with the slightest touch. Orange red berries or berries that you need to tug from the branch are not ripe enough and will have a resinous flavor. The seed in the center needs to be removed or spit out.

Try matcha for your morning brew!
Matcha green tea powders are made from stone ground whole tea leaves. When you ingest the whole leaf, you're getting more nutrients. One cup of matcha may have as many antioxidants as 10 cups of regular green tea. It's rich in chlorophyll, giving it detoxifying properties.
There is a compound in matcha that has been shown to not only boost metabolism, but also block the growth of fat cells.
I'm sensitive to caffeine, and coffee tends to make me feel jittery. Matcha's combination of natural properties give me more sustained energy that doesn't have negative side effects.

I got this great tip from the zero waste community. If you're reaching the end of your nut butter jar, rather than cleaning it out, just fill it with overnight oats ingredients. It's a convenient way to use up that last bit of your nut butter. This is great for anyone who uses reusable containers to purchase nut butters from bulk foods grocers.
This particular jar has honey roasted peanut butter, rolled oats, chia seeds, almond milk, and a little maple syrup. Just stick it in the fridge overnight and you have a quick and easy breakfast ready for you next morning.

I love how excited kids get over eating healthy foods when they are connected to the growing process.
My husband and I just bought our first home and we chose a property with some acreage so I can pursue my dream of growing my own food.
When I was walking the property with my two boys yesterday we found that there is already a starfruit and papaya tree!

What is arguably one of the best things you can do to improve your diet?
Eat leafy green vegetables every day!
They are some of the most nutrient-dense foods. They are high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory. They are good for alkalizing your body and also linked with improving blood glucose levels. All this helps lower your risk for cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. They are low also low in calories and high in fiber, making them great for weight maintenance.

Did you know that some nutrients become more available when greens are cooked, while other degrade? That's why it's a great idea to incorporate both raw and cooked greens. Variety of preparation also makes them more interesting and easier to use in different meals.

There are tons to choose from. It's not just spinach and kale. There's bok choy, collards, swiss chard, watercress, parsley, basil, arugula, beet greens, mustard greens, tatsoi, and microgreens. The list is endless. Because each leafy vegetable has a different nutrient profile, the more variety, the better!

Try adding greens to your eggs in the morning, or have a green smoothie.
Greens taste great in soups, stir frys, pasta dishes, curries, or just eaten as a side with any meal.

How are your New Year's resolutions going? Contact me if you need help achieving your health-related goals for 2020! Talking to a nutritionist makes a big difference. A thorough nutrition assessment and tailored meal plans can be a lot more effective than a diet that isn't individualized to you.
New year, new you! It's a great time to re-evaluate. Make sure your health is a priority.