Joyce Middleton's Blog, page 12

Produce in Season – September

Have you noticed how often produce that we know is out-of-season locally is being sold in our grocery stores? That’s because they are shipped in from other countries where they are fresh. Unfortunately, you will be paying more for these items than what is sold fresh locally. Here’s a general list of produce that is in-season in the US in September. If something is not available in your grocery store, it may not be available in September in your area {Read More}

Brownies to Impress

Yesterday, I went to a lady’s luncheon that was great fun. We were told to bring a lunch or dessert item and to wear a dress or pants. It made for a wonderful afternoon of people watching as the ladies arrived in their most colorful dresses, skirts, and pant outfits; sky-high heels, the latest hairstyles, and of course – the new bag. The buffet tables were stacked with tea sandwiches, wraps, filled croissants, wonderful salads with dark leafy greens, potato {Read More}

ENTER to WIN Sweepstakes for Budget Meal Planning

Enter today for your chance to win 12 months FREE Seasonal Produce Meal Planning Expires at midnight August 31, 2013 How do you eat healthier and not blow up your food budget? That was the issue I was facing this year. My goal was to eliminate costly supplements and replace them with the natural vitamins and minerals we can get from food. It’s been working for me and I know it can work for you. Instead of waiting to get {Read More}

Herbed Eggs and Cream

I love breakfast, in fact, I love it so much I can eat it any time of the day. I think I create more dishes using eggs than anything else just for myself. When you have eggs, you can have a meal – no recipe needed. When creating a meal with what you have in the pantry, you need to think of your eggs as the base. Seriously, open the fridge or pantry and really look for what you have {Read More}

Unhealthy Ice Cream

We all think of ice cream as the “all American” dessert. Historically, ice cream using milk as a main ingredient goes back to China around 200 B.C. and to the Arabs who increased the amount of milk used sometime around the 10th century. The first recipes for ice cream can be found in England and America from the 18th century. Ice cream is primarily made with dairy products and a sweetener, making it the perfect “cook what you have” dessert {Read More}

Roasted Mushrooms with Garlic

Years ago, one of my favorite recipes was sauteed mushrooms. I say “years ago” because raising a family got in the way of making such a “decadent” dish. Actually, I remember making it when entertaining, so it wasn’t a dish that was on my regular weekly menu. Now my favorite way to cook mushrooms is to roast them. Not only is it way easier, but I like the fact that the mushrooms cook more firm than when sauteing them and {Read More}

Smoothie Recipes with a Super Protein

Something was missing from my smoothies this year and it kept niggling at me in the back of my consciousness. The other day it struck me – spinach! For some reason, I haven’t been eating much spinach this spring and summer and I don’t know why. I guess I was concentrating on other healthy food sources, such as coconut oil, hemp oil, magnesium, roasting vegetables, etc. It’s as if I suddenly woke up one day at the market after being {Read More}

Blanching Vegetables

I find it convenient to purchase a lot of fresh vegetables at one time when I’m shopping locally. This means I don’t have to go again as frequently as I would if I just purchased enough for one recipe or for the week. Of course, this also means my fresh vegetables are not going to last as long. Blanching vegetables is the way to solve this problem, in fact, frozen vegetables purchased at the grocery store are blanched before freezing. {Read More}

Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic and Herbs

Suddenly I had a craving for roasted vegetables this week, so I’ve been busy in the kitchen. This week the roma tomatoes were large, deep red, and were priced just right. I purchased four pounds along with fresh garlic and herbs with the intention of slow roasting them all in the oven. Four pounds sounds like a lot, but if you want to make enough to save for later, go for the four pounds. You can use any fresh tomatoes {Read More}

Roasted Cabbage Slices

What do you do when you have half a head of cabbage left over? Well, make a salad or slice it up and roast it, of course! This is what I did the other day when I just wanted something simple and meatless. I had a lot of things to do around the house and didn’t want to spend time cooking over a hot stove. Instead, I went through all my herbs and spices and decided to roast the cabbage {Read More}