Happy Summer!

I'm getting a little obsessive about succulents lately.  I spent part of this morning daydreaming about them on Pinterest.  Really...am I the only one who REALLY wants a fountain or bird bath filled with succulents?  I even looked on craigslist, but didn't find any (translated, didn't find any for free or super cheap). So, I walked around the house til I found something on a much smaller scale that would work, then spent naptime digging up some goodies around the yard!  I love the result, it's going to go in my bedroom to make me happy in the mornings :).  I'm already on the search for containers I'm not really using I can put plants in and put around the house.  I want some more life in here.  Especially with the heat coming, I'd like a little of the outdoors I've learned to love to join me inside! Happy Summer!

In the garden

Every time I spend time in my little garden, I am amazed at how fast things have grown, the fruit they are producing, new seedlings. I'm totally geeking out over it!  Here are some shots from around the garden today!

 blueberries are starting to get ripe

a few inches long already!

I've had a couple of these, SO YUMMY!

 the butternut squash plants are popping up and growing, they have soft, fuzzy leaves

that one boysenberry wants to be in my belly!

transplanted some mint to give a friend starting a container garden

corn!

 

 

This is such a new experience for me, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I hope to learn more each season. What are you growing this summer? Anything yummy?

low calorie vegetarian meal- eggs and zucchini

It's only been the last couple of years that I learned to love zucchini. I'm pretty sure it was making and tasting baby food for my little one that got me hooked. Then came the fun part of summer when everyone's garden is overflowing with veggies they beg people to take home, that's when I learned you can even bake with the squash!  Well, one day, while making eggs with veggies (you know, onions, tomatos, pepper, etc) I threw in some zucchini and discovered it's pretty good with eggs!

Ingredients:

-3 medium eggs (mine are cage free and organic)
-1 small zucchini (support your local farmers!)
-3 corn tortillas (so, with all the gmo madness around, I am really wanting to find organic products I can use to make my own...keep an eye out for a post about that sometime this summer)
-1 clove of garlic
-spices (I used freshly ground pepper, a little sea salt, dried cilantro and chili powder)
-salsa, tapatio, tabasco (optional)


Simply chop up the garlic and zucchini, whisk with the eggs and spices, scramble in a pan (do this on a lower heat, you want the zucchini to have enough time to cook without burning the eggs) and serve with warm tortillas and your choice of salsa!

Total calories (not counting salsa): 355!  with salsa its more like 400.

 Still room for a little something sweet!  Of COURSE, I mean something healthy like yogurt...who likes chocolate anyway?  (tries to convince self)

Summer Goal

So, I have a goal picked out for this summer.  Part of my clean, monogamous hippie desire, is to learn to make my own sauces. I've got pasta sauce down, but I'd love to develop a recipe as close to the enchilada sauce I use, minus all the gmo crap.  So...once my favorite farmer is back at farmer's market, and they have their tomatillos out, I'm on it!  Hopefully I'll have a recipe to share this summer for sauce, AND for my yummy veggie enchiladas!

In the Garden

It's not quite May, and my summer garden is almost done.  It amazes me that some plants, like the tomatoes, can already have maturing fruit on them, and be six inches above their cages, while others are just poking through the ground. I'm really learning to love gardening, and knowing I'm growing edible, organic food is even better!  Here are some photographs of some of my plants. I think I've become a garden nerd :)

some pretties

my first boysenberry

yellow onions I'm hoping will be ready to eat soon, they are a winter onion, and I've been waiting patiently

butternut squash plants are starting to poke through

I see red!

I have more mint than I know what to do with

baby zucchini!

our tree is full of leaves after being bare all winter and now we have great shade for picnics!

 

basil, oregano, basil

 

 

 

I'm hoping my poor little cucumber plants won't all die, it's a sad state of affairs in the part of the garden. I'm pretty excited that everything else seems to be doing well for my first official summer garden, hoping I will learn a lot and eat a lot more :)

 

low calorie vegetarian meal/snack -- bell pepper tacos

So, this simple little dish could be great in a number of situations:

-you're on a low calorie diet
-you are expecting dinner to be a big one
-you aren't all that hungry
-you've got a special treat you want to eat after lunch and you want to save some room, tell me I'm not the only one who saves room for chocolate!

Well, this little recipe is for you :)

Ingredients:
-1 bell pepper (I prefer red, it has more nutrients and is sweeter, but green was all I had)
-3 corn tortillas
-a little olive oil
-seasonings (I used sea salt, crushed black pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, cilantro and red pepper flakers)
-smoked chipotle tabasco sauce 



Simply sautee your bell peppers (only a short amount of time, if you overcook them, they lose a big chunk of their nutrients (they are sooo good for you) they should still be a little firm and shouldn't be losing their color) in a little olive oil and your seasonings.  You could add other yummy things like onions.  Put on heated tortillas, and sprinkle with the tabasco sauce).

The best part of this little meal/snack? It's only 198 calories!  You're welcome :)

Teaching myself a little graphic design...I believe I found a new hobby :)