So I just returned from a whirlwind trip to a city not exactly known for its haute cuisine. I will let the city itself remain anonymous, but tell you that my unofficial motto for this city is: “If we can catch it, we’ll fry it and slap it between two pieces of bread.”
I swear this is true: not one green vegetable was offered, or indeed, in sight, on the trip. The best meal I had on this trip was the grab-and-go salad I got in a layover city airport to eat on the plane on the way home. I ate every bite of it and licked the bowl.
I returned home feeling in need of a week of nothing but bitter greens and lean proteins to scrub out my insides. Fortunately, I’m not that much of a glutton for punishment, but I do want to eat a lot of stuff that will make me feel more like myself.
I got home in time to go to my local farmer’s market, which is a wonderland of fresh, crisp and delicious fruits and vegetables. I went a little crazy, as is evidenced by the featured photo of my purchases. And that doesn’t include the strawberries, sumo tangerines, kumquats, mango and pears that I bought:
At the time I bought all that amazing produce, it just felt right–for me as well as for Mr. Stone Soup Cook, who had also been subjected to the dearth of fresh, palatable food. But did I overbuy? Well, we’re going to find out.
This week, I’m featuring an abundant farmer’s market haul. My challenge is: can I use up this wonderful produce in a reasonable way, making delicious, healthy meals and not wasting the abundance by having to throw it away at the end of the week. Challenge accepted!
The proteins I have selected for this week are: A 4 lb chicken, 1 lb of very fresh salmon (center cut), 1 lb flat-iron steak, 1 lb sushi-grade tuna. I’ll buy the salmon and the tuna the day I am going to use it (or a day before, but not more). Fish should be used within about a day of purchasing it, and I try never to freeze it.
I’ll feature healthier carbs prepared with healthy fats and even a dessert or two using fresh produce and wholesome grains.
You’ll see a couple of essays on products I swear by and I’ll get this party started with my favorite, super easy recipe for roast chicken that we’ll use to create a couple of other meals during the week. In order to fulfill this challenge properly, I will be including breakfasts most days and some lunches (although lunches are frequently just leftovers).
Saturday: Brunch: Baked potato and veggie scramble, sausage; Dinner: Roast chicken, glazed carrots, Sumo and fennel salad, pear cobbler
Sunday: Brunch: Asparagus eggs, roast potatoes; Dinner: Chicken stew, salad, Pan Cookie
Monday: Breakfast: yogurt, granola and berry parfait, Lunch: leftover chicken stew; Dinner: Seared salmon, asparagus, quinoa
Tuesday: Breakfast: Overnight oats and berries; Lunch: Dinner: Pesto pasta with chicken and asparagus, artichokes
Wednesday:Breakfast: yogurt, granola and fruit parfait; Lunch: Leftover pesto pasta; Dinner: Salad Nicoise w/cumin scented beet salad
Thursday: Breakfast: yogurt, granola and fruit parfait; Lunch: Salad w/lettuce, fennel, asparagus, leftover beet salad, leftover chicken; Flat iron steak, salad, roast potatoes
Friday: Breakfast: Spinach-asparagus-egg casserole, roast potatoes, sausage; Lunch: Hummus plate w/asparagus, fennel-sumo salad; Stuffed chicken breast, celery root, cabbage and red cabbage salad, asparagus, pesto pasta
Fast-forward a week–so how’d I do? I’ll have a complete report next week, but I did pretty well! It was a fun challenge to use up all that gorgeous produce! I did, however, have an EPIC failure: the cumin-scented beet salad was…dreadful. Hence, I did not bother to include a recipe for it. More on that later!
For now,
Peace, love and good food,
Keri
