Homegrown Goodness

Have you ever considered taking some seeds, a little dirt, water, and lots of love to grow your own lettuce?  Lettuce is a great winter crop throughout the South and the West.  It also has to be one of the simplest things to grow, too!  Once you plant your seeds, and the leaves begin to grow you can simply cut off the ones you want and leave the rest to grow.  I cut them at the base and leave the root in the ground, and wait for next week when I have a new batch!!  They definitely grow fast and produce a lot.  Growing lettuce yourself not only saves you money, it also alleviates part of the concerns with foodborne illness (see previous post). Here's my batch from tonight...

Top 10 Riskiest Foods--You might be surprised!

The Center for the Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) came out with a list of the top 10 foods that can possibly lead to foodborne illness.  The list:

1. Lettuce/Leafy Greens
2. Eggs
3. Tuna
4. Oysters
5. Potatoes
6. Cheese
7. Icecream
8. Tomatoes
9. Sprouts
10. Berries

Channel 6 Local News in San Diego interviewed me about my thoughts on the list above, check out my video:
http://www.sandiego6.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=697937@xetv.dayport.com

Take away messages from Edible Nutrition:

• Wash your hands
• Wash your food
• Don't cross contaminate
• Keep foods at the right temperatures
• If you doubt the food is fresh, dump it
• If you are pregnant, sick, a child, or elderly your immune system may be compromised and some of the above foods need to avoided all together (sprouts, raw seafood, cheese are just a couple)

Don't fear your food instead arm yourself with the knowledge on how to keep your food safe!

Blogger Awards!

According to the rules of the award, I must provide GGB readers the answers to the below 35 questions. I also must THANK my award giver (one more time now–THANKS Corinne!) AND grant 6 of my FAVORITE BLOGGERS this award. Then, give them the heads-up that they have been nominated by yours truly. And, out of pure blogger goodness, my nominees must follow suit! Oh yea … I must answer all questions in ONE WORD … Here I go …
1. Where is your cell phone? Pocket

2. Your hair? Straight

3. Your mother? Retired

4. Your father? Professor

5. Your favorite food? Pizza

6. Your dream last night? Venture

7. Your favorite drink? Espresso

8. Your dream/goal? Author

9. What room are you in? Livingroom

10. Your hobby? Crafting

11. Your fear? Widow

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home

13. Where were you last night? House

14. Something that you aren’t? Angry

15. Muffins? Zucchini

16. Wish list item? Venture

17. Where did you grow up? Texas

18. Last thing you did? Blog

19. What are you wearing? Cycling

20. Your TV? Unused

21. Your pets? Spoiled

22. Friends? Incredible

23. Your life? Exciting

24. Your mood? Sassy

25. Missing someone? Yes

26. Vehicle? CRV

27. Something you’re not wearing? Frown

28. Your favorite store? REI

29. Your favorite color? Orange

30. When was the last time you laughed? Today

31. Last time you cried? Weeks

32. Your best friend? Solid

33. One place that I go to over and over? Texas

34. One person who emails me regularly? Katie

35. Favorite place to eat? Texas

NOW MY NOMINEES!!!
My favorite foodie and Dallas-based dietitian Robin Plotkin
My #1 dietitian fun buddy and fiber guru Katie Clark
The nutrition & etiquette queen, Shelly Marie at CollegeLifestyles
Sports Nutrition expert and friend Mitzi Dulan at NutritionExpert
A fabulous resource for sound advice on diabetes by dietitian Nicole at ProducePrincess
The Meal Makeover Moms rock the web at MealMakeover

Alright ladies–hop to it! And, enjoy spreading the blogger fun!

I hope all of you take a peak at my favorite bloggers sites and look to them for healthy nutrition tips & fabulous recipes!! Happy Healthifying!

Let the Celebrating Begin!

Wickedly Delicious Yogurt & Cottage Cheese Treats

Dinner plans tonight are at 7pm and it's only 5pm and I am starved....what to do...what to snack on? Generally my tip for a healthy snack revolves around eating some type of vegetable. Upon opening my fridge I realized that I just bought some of Rachel's Cucumber Dill Cottage Cheese. Yum! This struck my fancy, because unlike many I prefer cottage cheese on the savory side versus the sweet. Finally, a product that meets my cravings! (Note, sweet flavors exist, too) So, I chopped up one of my favorite Persian cukes and tossed it with the flavored cottage cheese. Delightfuly satisfying! Thank you Rachel's Dairy for creating this delectable treat! And this is no trick! www.Rachelsdairy.com

Brussels Sprouts are Back

I grew up with such a strong sense of disgust for this vegetable it is amazing that I have such an affinity for it now. The trick for me was learning how to prepare it--without mutilating it! I am also amazed that the Brussels Sprout is making a come back. Just this past week during my travels to Denver I ate at Rioja Restaurant--a shi shi tapas restaurant and they had an appetizer dish just like the one I prepared today. Although, I opted for ham over pancetta--so it really doesn't sound that fancy. This week at Trader Joe's I purchased a bag of Brussels Sprouts, rosemary ham, onions, and baby mushrooms--all an inspiration to my quick lunch today. I hope you give this dish a try, too! It can be served as a side, a main dish, or as an appetizer served with crispy bread. Don't pass up the Brussels Sprouts next time!
Brussels and Back in 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1/8 onion, sliced thin
6 baby mushrooms, sliced or quartered
8 Brussels sprouts, remove base (stem) and thinly slice like cabbage
2 oz rosemary ham
black pepper, to taste
Directions:
In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add onions and mushrooms and cook over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts and ham, sauté for another 3-5 minutes. Top with cracked black pepper and serve. Truly that simple!

Break Out the Chili Beans!

The fall just doesn't seem fall-like without a pot of chili brewing in the Crock Pot. For my first weekend home in the past 6 weekends I have decided to whip up my favorite pot of chili and break in the fall with style. My recipe comes to you without any bells nor whistles, but I always get raves about it. The nice thing about the recipe is that you can embelish a bit where you like, or where your pantry takes you.
So cheers to you and yours (as I kick up my Tony Lamas, drink an ice cold Sierra Nevada, and savor my cornbread and chili). Let me know what you think! I'll just sit back and listen to a little Texas Country Music (REK, RRB, or Bingham) and enjoy the rest of my night!
Wendy's Chili
Ingredients:
1 lb. extra lean ground beef or turkey breast
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large can tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can pinto beans (drained)
1 (14.5 oz) can kidney beans (drained)
1-3 Tbsp. chili powder (I grind my own pasilla chili peppers for this)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cracked pepper
Optionals: Green onions, cheddar cheese, sour cream, Fritos, cilantro, or chopped jalapeños
Directions:
In a skillet brown your meat, onions, and garlic together. Add spices. Place in Crock Pot and pour tomatoes and beans on top. Stir and cook for 6-8 hours. Truly this is always best on day 2, but I love the way it makes my house smell and my stomach grumble! Enjoy! I did!!

PS--New camera!!!