Weekly Produce Prep and Easy Veggie Salads

We all try to eat more vegetables.  But how easy has it been for you to eat them at home?   For me, not so much.  I realized it takes a little work to get them ready to grab on the go or when searching for a light snack.  If veggies aren't easily available, I find myself leaning towards not so healthy options.

However, I'm proud to say that I haven't bought as much junk food over the past couple of years. And also I try to limit our processed foods to items such as canned beans, tomatoes, condiments and a few others. But for the most part, we eat freshly prepared meals daily.  The meals I try to make consist of a protein with a fresh or frozen vegetable side or maybe just a vegetarian meal once or twice a week.

Anyway, I've been more diligent about purchasing more produce during my weekly grocery shopping.  The issue I came across was that I didn't have (make) time to cut up or prep any for snacking or lunch.  I decided to just pick a day to cut and portion out veggies for the week.  I guess normal people would probably do all the work the day they actually buy the groceries.  Meh.  I'll try but grocery day is usually the day I plan to accomplish a million other things on my to do list.

I recently discovered Sprouts and how many awesome deals they have.  Now I mainly get my produce there.  Wednesdays are awesome because you can get last week's ad prices AND the new week ad prices.  That's great to know so I can compare veggie prices and get everything in one trip.

It seriously only took me about a half hour to get everything washed, cut, portioned, packed. AND I also thought it would be a good idea to make quick lunches such as Caprese salad and pickled cucumber salad while I was at it.  I feel pretty good about myself right now.  Let's see if I can continue this each week.

*I had more veggies and forgot to take photos of those and the salads. Boo.  I took a photo before I used some of the prepped veggies for dinner.  I had cut carrots into sticks for snacking and just diced them up for a dish for dinner.

CAPRESE SALAD

4 oz mozzarella, balls or cubed
1 medium tomato, sliced
Fresh basil leaves (*I had 4 little leaves. You can use more to your liking but that's all my little in-home herb garden had at the moment)
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Balsamic reduction (1/2 c balsamic vinegar boiled in small saucepan until reduced to half. Takes about 10 minutes.)

While balsamic vinegar is reducing, prep mozzarella and tomatoes and place in a small bowl.  Thinly slice basil and add to salad.  Add a small pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle a little olive oil.  Taste and add more seasonings as desired.  If serving right away, drizzle a little balsamic reduction on top.  I would keep reduction in small container separate from salad if serving for lunch or snack the next day.

*Balsamic reduction will make more than you need for this one dish. It takes just a small drizzle to add flavor.  It keeps forever so store it in a tightly covered container to use later.  Drizzle on steaks, salads, brie and more.

PICKLED CUCUMBER SALAD

1 large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced then halved
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste

Whisk rice vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Taste and add more seasonings to your liking.  Add red pepper flakes for a kick.

It's been a long time

Hello friends!  Are you still out there?  I know it's been over a year since I've posted. I apologize for slacking. As we all experience, life is busy at times and you have to make sacrifices.  Alright, to be honest, it was partly that but MOSTLY I haven't been inspired to blog or even read blogs. Meh. Laziness. It happens.

I am getting back in the mood for food.  Maybe it's the cold front moving in giving me energy to get busy in the kitchen, as if my favorite season of fall is here.  Hmmm I'm trying not to get too excited because you never know when the heat will hit again out of nowhere just to remind you that this is Texas.

I have made an effort to participate more often in tasting events and contributing to a local food blog (Dallas Food Nerd) that allows various foodies to share their experiences.  It's foodie fun at it's tastiest!  We write reviews on restaurants, products and cookbooks. I have one posted that I'll share next and a couple more in progress. Be sure to stay tuned for more updates regarding that.

I've continued to cook and I've learned a few new things in the process. I can finally cook steaks to the correct temperature (medium), just the way my husband and I like them.  I have successfully made various breads and some more than once such as: French bread, ciabatta bread, rosemary and kalamata loaves and baguettes.  I just realized I didn't take photos of the breads.  Weird. I've also made more spices from scratch versus buying them.  Jamaican jerk seasoning and taco seasoning will be used more often now that I know how to throw them together and store.

There's always time to take pics of food just not enough time to share recipes and details about it. However, if you see any that you're interested in making let me know and I'd be happy to share recipes with you. I thought it would be great to share a few delicious photos of  I've made over the past year. Some are my own and others are recipes I found and I'm sure I can track down on Pinterest or favorite blogs.  Let me know.

Some of these photos are making me salivate all over again.  I've made some pretty tasty stuff over the time I've been away from you.  I'm sorry I wasn't around to share the love.  I'll try to make it up to you.

Coconut Lime Shrimp & Zucchini Tartines

Blue Cheese Steak Pear Salad

Balsamic Steak Rolls

Tator Tot Casserole

Crispy Pork Belly

Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup

Nicoise Salad

Duck Confit & Shaved Sautéed Brussel Sprouts

Frozen Strawberry Margarita Pie

Chocolate Pie with Pretzel Crust

Cold Strawberry Soup

Cherry Holiday Cheer

Apple Spice Doughnut 

Artichoke Au Gratin Salad

For those of you who cook or hell if you just love food, you should definitely subscribe to the Food Network Magazine. Your family, friends and taste buds will appreciate it! There are so many recipes and pretty pictures along with coupons and interesting tidbits about food. My first issue was for August/September and I found this simple recipe inside by Sandra Lee (Semi-Homemade) and it is an appetizer. I made it for a light dinner and it was perfect!

4 tbsp plain or seasoned breadcrumbs
1-12oz jar or can of artichoke bottoms, drained and patted dry
1 1/2 tsp grated parmesan cheese
1/4 lb soft sheep's milk cheese or brie, rind removed, sliced
1 c mixed salad greens
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
Extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9-inch square baking dish with olive oil and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs. Place the artichokes cup-side up on the breadcrumbs and brush or drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs and the parmesan.

Bake for 15 minutes; remove from the oven and preheat the broiler. Divide the sheep's milk cheese or brie among the artichokes; sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs. Broil until cheese starts to bubble and the topping browns, 3-4 minutes. Toss the salad greens with the balsamic vinaigrette, pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Serve the artichokes on top of the greens.