Easy Crock Pot Bone-in Pork Roast

March 12th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Dinner Time - (2 Comments)

Today’s greens were just the same-old same-old roasted Brussels sprouts (paired with roasted sweet potatoes, my winter vegetable obsession).  What I really want to tell you about is this shredded pork roast we’ve been enjoying.

Crockport Pork Roast with Brussels sprouts and sweet potato

It’s super easy – but more importantly, it’s super good.

I didn’t really learn to cook until after I was a vegetarian.  In fact, becoming a vegetarian is The Reason I learned how to cook. If we’re not eating meat, WHAT THE HECK ARE WE GONNA EAT?!

So until recently, the only meat I’d ever cooked as an adult in my own kitchen was chicken patties and pot stickers.  OK, maybe I made a meatloaf once or twice, and I do remember making lots of boneless, skinless chicken breasts too.  Needless to say, we use to eat very, very differently than we do now.

But me?  Cooking a pork roast?  Really?  Yes, really!  A few months ago I had some awesome homemade pulled pork and I realized I wanted to make something similar myself.  After looking at a number pork recipes (some that were very complicated!) I finally found a method that is simple, works well for me and is totally delicious too.

I’ve been making this with bone-in pork loin, for the same reasons I make chicken soup with bone broth. The vitamins and minerals found in (quality) animal bones are believed to be good for our own bones, joints and ligaments too.

Bone In Pork Crockpot Pork Roast Sauce

Crock Pot Bone-in Pork Roast

print this recipe

serves 3 – 4

1 – 2 lbs bone-in pork loin
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 c water
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp olive oil
cumin powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
2 bay leaves

Combine sauce ingredients, put pork loin in crock pot and pour sauce over meat and add bay leaves. Put lid on crock pot and cook on high for about 4 hours.  That’s it!

Bone in Pork Roast in Crock Pot

I’ve been using a meat thermometer to check meat to be sure it’s done – the internal temperature of pork loin should reach 145 degrees according to the USDA.

When the meat is done, use a fork to “rake” the pork into strands and then pour the sauce from the crock pot over the meat before serving.

Bone in Pork Roast Cooked Crockpot Pork Roast

As a born-again omnivore (should I be baptized with gravy?) this is my new favorite meat dish, Ava and Kaz enjoy this as well.  This would make a great sandwich – but it’s plenty good with a heaping side of roasted vegetables too.  The slow cooker makes it so easy, even a newbie meat eater can do it!


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


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Green Today, Green Tomorrow

March 11th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Fitness - (4 Comments)

Greens To Go. Thank you Daylight Savings Time for NOT SAVING ME ANY TIME AT ALL.

Green Smoothie to Go

OK, that’s not true. I had plenty of time for breakfast this morning, I just ran out of time. This is why God invented Travel Mugs. For people like me who continue to underestimate how long it will take to get all of the children out the door on time.

Today’s green goodness was a blend of orange juice, spinach, cottage cheese, broccoli and frozen strawberries.  Much like this smoothie, except without the banana – only because I forgot it, not because I’m holding a grudge against bananas or anything.

There was more greenery consumed at lunch today – some delightful salad leftovers that we scored from a family dinner party last night.

I ate my salad while I cooked some eggs for Lunch Part II and Kaz ate a banana.

Lunch with Kaz

Wait. That’s not the most flattering picture. I think Kaz is the one with a grudge against bananas.  Let’s try that again.

I ate my salad while I cooked some eggs for Lunch Part II and Kaz ate a banana.

Try Again

That’s not much better.  Nevermind.

I ate my salad while I cooked some eggs for Lunch Part II and Kaz ate a banana in peace without being stalked by The Mamarazzi.

Salad Over Easy Eggs on Toast

I didn’t make this salad so it had all sorts of fun things I never put in salad – garbanzo beans, dried cranberries, sliced almonds.  You down with OPS?  YEAH YOU KNOW ME!

(Other Peoples Salads.)  Did you get that joke?  Nevermind.

A few weeks ago I promised to write about running on Monday’s, but I missed last Monday because I was too busy writing about avocado smoothies, Brussels sprouts and kale. I feel like The Greener March Challenge relates to running anyway because that’s how this whole thing began. Eating greens, easier running, writing about greens every day –> so really, it’s sort of like I’m writing about running every day.  This is what I call logic.

Halfway Through Half Marathon Training

The Flower City Half Marathon is now less than six weeks away!  This also means that I’m six weeks in to the 12 week half marathon training program I’ve been following.

For the last four weeks I’ve been able to get out and run three days a week. A couple of normal three to four mile runs during the week, one longer run on the weekend when it’s easier to get away for an hour or so – usually on Sunday.  My last three long runs have been 7, 8 and 7 miles.  This weekend I’ll be pushing forward to 9 miles.  (gulp.)

This is how any distance race training program I’ve ever used usually works – you slowly build on to your long run distance week by week, and there’s a cut back week every two weeks before bumping it up again and making the “leap” to the new, further distance.

Up until three weeks ago, I hadn’t run much farther than 5 or 6 miles since the Steamtown Marathon in October 2011.  My first 7 miler went well, but I was left feeling pretty tired by end of the day.  The 8 miles I ran the following week felt easier than the 7 miles the week before.  Yesterday’s 7 mile run went well in all respects – the 60 degree weather was a nice change of pace too.  (Pun intended.)

Today I’m appreciating the way that longer distances get easier with time and practice.  This is true of any distance you’re working on, so newer runners take heart!  Whether you’re working on running 2, 3 or 26.2 miles, it really does get easier with time – especially when you’re eating your green vegetables, so hop to it!


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


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Gimme Green Juice

March 10th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Vegetable Lovin' - (3 Comments)

We’re 10 days into The Greener March Challenge. ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?! Greens today came in the form of green juice that I made and drank 45 minutes before I left for a run.

We’ve had the Breville Juice Fountain Plus for about three and a half years now. I still love this little appliance, even with the addition of the Vitamix to our kitchen appliance family last year.

Breville Juicer

It’s sort of like children I suppose. I don’t love my food processor or juicer any less now that we have a Vitamix. I have room in my heart (and my appliance cupboard) for all of them.

This a great juicer for our purposes. We go through phases with juicing – much like green smoothies. I juice for a while and then it falls to the wayside for a bit, going weeks or sometimes even a couple months without hauling the juicer onto the counter. I would say there is definitely less juicing in the colder months than there is in the warmer summer months.

I’ve experimented with a lot of different fruit and vegetable juice combos in the past, but today’s green juice was my favorite green juice concoction of all time. Green Lemonade a la Natalia Rose from the Raw Food Detox Diet.

Ingredients to make green lemonadoe for two fresh green juice loving adults – a head of romaine, one cucumber, two apples, two lemons and a hunk of ginger root.

Green Juice Ingredients

At the last minute I decided to throw in a bunch of red kale too, to work through my slightly overambitious stock pile of greens I’ve got going in the fridge right now.

Lady Moon Organic Red Kale Lady Moon Organic Red Kale

It’s definitely the apple, lemon and ginger that turn ordinary green vegetable water into an amazing, delicious juicy treat. The cucumber adds a lot of volume and gives it a distinct, refreshing taste as well.

If this looks scary – trust me, it’s not.

Green Juice for Two

Green smoothies or green juice? You might as well ask me to choose between wine and chocolate. I LOVE THEM BOTH.

Last year at this time my friend Lisa wrote a couple of great posts on the pros, cons and differences between smoothies and fresh juice that is worth checking out if you’re curious to know more. You can’t go wrong with either, they are both great for your health! But there are differences you might like to consider too. (Cost, ease, etc.)

Have you seen Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead? I haven’t, but I know this film has left many people intrigued at the idea of juicing. I might have to watch this documentary before The Greener March Challenge is over.

Are you a green juice drinker? Do you make juice at home or have you ever ordered fresh juice from a juice bar or restaurant? Does the idea of vegetable juice make you want to turn and run in the opposite direction?


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


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Secret (Spinach and Carrot) Brownies

March 9th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Short or Sweet - (13 Comments)

Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld was one of the first books I read when I was beginning to learn more about cooking and nutrition.  (The Family Nutrition Book by Dr. William Sears was another one if you’re just getting started.)

I remember looking at her recipe for brownies with spinach and wondering if you truly couldn’t tell there was vegetables in them.  This was about a year before I discovered green smoothies and did not yet understand the invisibility powers of spinach when prepared the right way.

I’ve long since returned Deceptively Delicious to the library, but I’ve thought about those spinach brownies more than once.  I’ve done Black Bean Brownies after all, I’ve already gone ’round the crazy brownie bend – might as well make the brownie spinach leap too.

The Greener March Challenge is here and I think it’s about time we move beyond salad, green smoothies and sauteed kale.  Why aren’t we putting leafy greens into some chocolatey, baked goodness?

(Because that sounds completely ridiculous, maybe?)

The time to try spinach brownies is now!  And let me tell you, you’re probably not gonna believe this one until you try it yourself.

Spinach Brownies

You should know up front that there are two secrets to making spinach brownies work.

Secret #1

Serve these cold. (The spinach taste disappears after they’ve cooled completely.)

Secret #2

Make them when no one is around.  (Your children might refuse to make these brownies disappear if they see the green puree you’re going to put into the batter.)

I modified the original Deceptively Delicious Brownie recipe slightly and used one whole egg in place of two egg whites.  I also exchanged “trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread” with real butter.  Here’s my final take on a greener (but not at all green) brownie.

Secret (Spinach and Carrot) Brownies

Print this recipe!

1/2 c sugar
1/4 c butter, softened
3 oz bakers or semi-sweet chocolate, melted (about a half cup of chocolate chips)
1 cup of steamed and pureed spinach and carrots
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c flour
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and chop two large carrots and steam until soft. Steam two handfuls of baby spinach.

Steamed Carrots and Spinach for Brownies

Move vegetables to blender and blend until smooth, adding a little water if necessary.

Do you see now why you wait to make these when no one is around?

Carrot and Spinach Puree for Brownies

Cream together butter and sugar, stir in melted chocolate, vegetable puree, vanilla and egg. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt) and add to vegetable batter a little at a time, beating together until smooth.

If your kids or finicky husband/boyfriend/wife/girlfriend/roommate suddenly show up in your kitchen, this is when you start whistling and acting perfectly normal.

Just regular brownie batter everybody!  Nothing to see here!

Spinach Brownie Batter

And even though they might taste a little spinach-y when they are still warm, the good news is they do NOT smell like spinach or carrots when they are baking.  The brownie smell wafting from your oven will not give your secret away – they smell like regular old no-vegetables-added brownies.  Phew.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.  When they’re completely cool, they’re ready to be cut up and served.

Perfectly Normal (Spinach) Brownies

Do you see any spinach?  Do you see any carrots?

Secret Spinach Brownies

Me neither!

And you can’t taste spinach or carrots either.  Really.  Not at all.  I could hardly believe it.  In fact, these are so good you might be tempted to throw spinach in the air like confetti – although that sort of celebrating might raise some suspicions, so perhaps wait on letting the spinach rain down until you’re alone again.

Oh guuuuuurls! Who wants a brownie?

16 Brownies

They hadn’t even had lunch yet when I offered up this treat. That should have been Clue #1 that something was up with these brownies.

Both girls finished their spinach and carrot laced chocolate squares and thoroughly enjoyed them without suspecting a thing.  (And believe me, they are quite often suspicious.)  They were shocked when I showed them the pictures of what went into them.  Zak (who has been clued in on the vegetable smuggling) liked them too.

I cut these brownies into 16 pieces, making them 106 calories per serving.  If you cut them into 9 pieces, they clock in at 188 calories each.

More nutritional info here (click to enlarge) based on portion size.

Nutritional Info Spinach Brownies 16 servings Nutritional Info Spinach Brownies 9 servings

Can you eat these brownies every day in place of eating a salad?  NO.

Was this the only green vegetable I ended up eating today? Sadly (but not really that sad) YES.

Spinach in brownies.  Try them.  You’ll like them.  I promise.


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


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A Greener Birthday

March 8th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Vegetable Lovin' - (10 Comments)

My biggest gal turned 9 years old today. NINE! I guess that means I must have been 16 when she was born because I can’t possibly be a day over 25 myself.

(What?)

Ava’s birthday breakfast request was bagels, and so bagels it was.  After Deep Nutrition, bagels became more of a treat around here – this is why it was a birthday request. Bagels have been missed!

Some greens still managed to elbow their way into the birthday breakfast line up – a spinach and mushroom omelet with half a French Toast bagel (awesome!) and cream cheese.

Spinach and Mushroom Omelet

I saved the other half of my bagel to eat with a little almond butter and half a banana about an hour before my Give Birth Day present to myself –

Give Birth Day Run

a beautifully sunny and (relatively) warm afternoon run. I ran yesterday and don’t typically run two days in a row, but with the sun shining, Zak off from work for the day and a napping baby – I took advantage of the opportunity to spend 4.5 miles **nostalgia alert!** reflecting on 9 years motherhood and the amazing young person that Ava has become.

I made a chocolate avocado smoothie for a post-run/pre-dinner snack – one small avocado, a generous pour of almond milk, a handful of spinach and a tablespoon of cocoa powder. I ended up adding a teaspoon or so of maple syrup to sweeten it up a bit (instead of a banana like I used in the avocado smoothies earlier this week).

Chocolate Avocado Post Run Smoothie

This was so think and creamy it was more like drinking a glass of chocolate pudding than a smoothie. (Please note: this is not a complaint.)

Just a short, green update today. Week 1 of The Greener March Challenge is now complete!  Have you increased your green consumption this week? I would say that I’ve definitely eaten more greens than usual this week.  I believe my renewed taste for green smoothies is largely to thank for that fact.

How did your week go? Have you noticed a difference in the way you feel? I’d love to hear how this week went for you if you’d like to share how your Greener March is going so far!


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


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It’s Easy Being Green

March 7th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Lunch - (1 Comments)

I am smack dab in the middle of a string of crazy days here.

Not hard days, just very full days.  This morning started out with a 4 mile run, then it was a few hours at home to get some work done around here before taking the girls to an afternoon class while Kaz and I ran a bunch of errands.  Then it was off to pick up Zak at work and head to dinner with family for some birthday celebrations.   I think it’s the hauling around of kids that ups the intensity of a full day by about 300%.  Now we’re home again and I’m about to post a picture of lunch before then diving head first into bed.

(Not a bed of greens.  A real bed.)

Lunch was served on a bed of greens today though!  Leftover grilled salmon over some mixed greens with shredded carrot and the last of the Gorgonzola cheese.  Doesn’t that sound fancy?  Good thing you didn’t see me carrying this around 30 minutes before it was time to leave, shoveling it in while gathering up all the stuff we needed take with us, cramming the diaper bag full of who-knows-what and saying “have you brushed your hair yet?” a half dozen times, surely spraying some chewed up flecks of green along the way.

Like I said.  Fancy.

And as I mentioned already too, we had dinner plans tonight. Without knowing what I’d be in the mood for by the time a menu was placed in front of me, I made sure to get my greens in early. I wasn’t in a green smoothie kind of mood today, so greens at lunch it was.

This came together quickly thanks to pre-prepped greens, spinach, kale and arugula.  The mix of greens was tossed in a little olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper, Gorgonzola crumbled on top, half a carrot shredded (the other half eaten whole while I finished putting it all together) cold salmon plopped into the middle of it all and VOILA!  Lunch and greens. Done and done.

Making sure to get some leafy green in at lunch was done with The Greener March Challenge in mind, but I’ll also say that this is something I would probably do anyway out of habit.  If I know we’ve got dinner plans or are going to a party or a pot luck, I do try to incorporate a good dose of vegetables (green or otherwise) into any meals I eat earlier in the day, just to be sure I do get them in.

Thanks to having the majority of this meal in the fridge and ready to go, all I needed to do was assemble the ingredients and go.  This made for a fairly quick and easy lunch – and a quick and easy lunch was exactly what I needed today.


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


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Almost-But-Not-Quite Raspberry Cheesecake Smoothie

March 6th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (Comments Off on Almost-But-Not-Quite Raspberry Cheesecake Smoothie)

I am on a green smoothie kick. This Greener March Challenge has gone straight to my head.  And straight to my blender.  And then straight to my stomach.  I haven’t made green smoothies in ages, and now I can’t seem to stop.

None of my the avocados from my most recent haul are ripe yet, otherwise I would have made an avocado smoothie again.  I still wanted a smoothie for breakfast today though, so I tried to come up with something different this morning – hopefully just as good as that avocado smoothie.

How about cottage cheese and some raspberries with a banana – we could make something reminiscent of raspberry cheesecake?  Let’s give it a whirl.

Raspberry Cheesecake Smoothie Ingredients

When I looked at the bucket of spinach on my counter for the fifth or sixth morning in a row, it reminded me to remind us all about the importance of rotating our greens.

If I might quote myself from that post about Swiss chard and rotating your greens:

Victoria Boutenko explains in Green Smoothie Revolution that the leaves of plants contain trace alkaloids.  Alkaloids can be poisonous in large quantities.  In small, normal quantities, alkaloids are no big deal.  In fact, alkaloids are part of what makes greens so awesome because they can do great things for your immune system.

But if you eat, juice or blend a lot of greens day after day and use the same greens for weeks on end?  The alkaloid of that particular green can build up in your body and can lead to symptoms of poisoning.

Now don’t freak out and suddenly stop eating salads because you’re afraid you’re going to get poisoned!  I eat greens every day and have lived to tell this heroic tale.

Just let this alkaloid factoid be a good reason to try out new greens!  Greens you might not have otherwise tried/have forced on you because you signed up for CSA boot camp/grown in your garden because you spit on your Swiss chard seeds and they just happened to grow.

So if you’re really digging the spinach in your smoothies right now, that’s cool.  It’s probably not a bad idea to try out some different varieties of greens once in a while too.

I bought a container of pre-washed baby kale when I stocked up on greens today, but it was spinach in my blender this morning.

Blender Parfait

Spinach and a banana with a cup or so of frozen raspberries, a big scoop of cottage cheese and a pour of unsweetened vanilla almond milk to make green smoothies for two.

Not Raspberry Cheesecake Smoothies

I really, really wanted this to taste like cheesecake, but “cheesecake” would be a bit of a stretch.  OK, a big stretch.  A Green Kind-of-Cheesy Raspberry Smoothie is probably the most accurate title.

It was still good and plenty drinkable, but it was not cheesecake.  It needs something else before we can call it a Raspberry Cheesecake Smoothie…  (Like sugar and cream cheese?)  Or maybe it’s because spinach does not belong in cheesecake.  Neither does kale for that matter.

Whatever the case, it was breakfast.  It was good.  It was green.  My work here is done.


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


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Smoothie Math Fail

March 5th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (5 Comments)

Have you ever made something really, really good – but then just plain forgot to ever make it again?

Maybe it’s because it’s too painful to remember. Our brain knows that we will feel so sad we don’t have that delicious food item in front of us at this very moment, it protects us from the pain and won’t allow us to relive it. Not even a little memory jog so you can make it again. It’s like PTSD, except from food. I’ve got Post Traumatic Smoothie Disorder.

You know, I bet they’ll make a movie about my Food Psychology theories one day. We’ll call it Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Plate. The role of me will be played by Kate Winslet, and I’ll be fabulous. I can’t wait.

Anyway. I both made and blogged about an avocado smoothie last winter, but I completely forgot about it until I started thinking more about green smoothies. Or maybe my memory was triggered by my abundance of avocados. Who knows. I can’t remember. I’ll never let go, Jack.

ANYWAY. Avocado smoothie. This is what you need.

Avocado Smoothie Ingredients

Plus some milk.

That’s half an avocado, half a banana, a handful of spinach and as much milk as you need to reach the consistency you desire.

Avocado Smoothie

I COMPLETELY forgot how awesome this smoothie combo is. COMPLETELY! It’s like someone used that flashy gadget from Men in Black on me and erased my memory that I ever made, drank and blogged this green pureed beverage.

Maybe Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones will be in my movie too.  And aliens.  This is going to be one awesome movie.

The good news is that I seemed to have made a complete recovery from my smoothie memory disorder because I made an avocado smoothie yesterday, and I even remembered to make it again today. In fact, I made TWO today!

One for me, one for him.

Avocado Smoothies for Two

Zak, not Kaz this time. But speaking of Zak, this was the animated gif I originally made to go along with this post:

When I showed it to him he said,

Z: really? that’s all that’s in there?

Me: and some milk

Z: So your equation is wrong then!

Me: Don’t be such a math nerd.  I can’t believe I shared my smoothie with you.

Actually, I didn’t say that last part. I just thought that line up now. I hate that.

This morning’s version was for two people, but I only used half an avocado because that’s all I had left. I used an entire banana to add volume for two servings. Based on my smoothie from yesterday I can tell you that a 1:1 ratio of avocado to banana is much better than 1:2 avocado:banana ratio. Are you following my smoothie math here? I guess I can’t blame you. Allow me to break it down:

Half an avocado and half a banana is good.

Or one avocado and one banana is fine too.

But half an avocado and one whole banana? Too much. It was still good, but the banana flavor was more noticeable today. I liked the 1:1 ratio better. Just a small amount of banana is all you need to sweeten it perfectly without overpowering the avocado-ey goodness of it.

The Greener March Challenge marches on! That’s what I’ve got for you today, now just don’t forget it.


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


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March Fourth Into Shrubbery

March 4th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Vegetable Lovin' - (4 Comments)

The Greener March Challenge, Day 4!

Today’s green round up started with an avocado (and spinach) smoothie that was so awesome I was forced to share.

Avocado Green Smoothie

I eventually had to get out a bib and strap him into his seat because this “sharing” of my smoothie was getting out hand.

Sharing My Avocado Smoothie

(We’re going to revisit this smoothie more closely tomorrow because it deserves its very own post.)

Some red leaf and green leaf lettuce was seen on top of a turkey burger in the afternoon, plus the last of the roasted Brussels sprouts from yesterday, topped with a little a garlic powder.

Turkey Burger with Lettuce and Brussels Sprouts

And last but not least, kale made an appearance in a hearty vegetable soup that came together in about 20 minutes and was done in less than an hour.

Vegetable Soup with Kale

I hate to call this a “recipe” because I just dug around my crisper drawers and pantry for ingredients. I threw this together early in the day so dinner would already be made when we got home from our usual Monday afternoon activities.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

2 Tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil)
Half a yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
5 cremini mushrooms, chopped
1 large carrots, sliced
28 oz a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
28+ oz of water (I just transfer water in the now-empty tomato can!)
1/2 bunch of kale, rinsed and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
salt, pepper, dried oregano and dried basil to taste

Saute garlic, onion, mushrooms and carrots in oil until soft. Add tomatoes and water and bring to a boil.

Sauteeing Soup Vegetables Muir Glen Tomato

Reduce to a simmer, add spices and S&P followed by the kale and beans. Allow soup to simmer until carrots and kale are at desired tenderness – about 30 to 40 minutes.

You could add any myriad of vegetables and spices to a soup like this and have it turn out great. The most important take away here?

You can’t go wrong with kale in soup.

Chopped Kale

The end.

I must admit, I don’t think I usually eat quite so many greens in one day – I think I’m feeling like a bit of a leafy green overachiever thanks to this Greener March Challenge. But then again, this is how it goes. Some days there’s more, some days there’s less – ideally it all balances out over the course of a few days or the week.

Maybe you too are chanting “Greens! Greens! Greens!” right now and are going to town chowing down on the plant foods that are loaded with chlorophyll?

Meh. There are worse things we could be chanting and/or chowing. Let’s go Team Green! How’d you do today?


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


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Day Three of Green

March 3rd, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Short or Sweet - (5 Comments)

It’s the end of Day 3 in this Month of Eating More Green Stuff challenge! Here’s a look at the greenery that showed up around here today.

The first green vegetable was spotted shortly after my (8 mile!) morning run. My favorite halved and roasted little green heads,

Brussels Sprouts Day 3

with some left over beef chili topped with a little shredded cheese and a few roasted sweet potatoes too.

Brussels Sprouts and Chili with Sweet Potato and Cheese

There was some unpictured, unexciting steamed broccoli consumed before running some errands this afternoon (“running errands” is code for “a trip to Wegmans”) and after a simple dinner of eggs and Ezekiel toast, I sipped on this green smoothie while putting together this post.

Green Smoothie Tonight

Zak was making smoothies for the kids, so I jumped in after smoothies were made for everyone else and added cottage cheese and spinach to what was left in the blender.

Frozen peaches, blueberries, cranberries and orange juice mixed with cottage cheese and spinach?

Peach + blue + red + orange + green + white = a color reminiscent of pond scum.

Pond Scum Smoothie

But fear not my pond dwelling friends, this was delicious. Cottage cheese and orange juice are absolutely my latest and greatest smoothie must-haves. I never would have guessed that cottage cheese would work in a smoothie, but it does! It gives the smoothie a great protein boost and makes it nice and creamy too. Orange juice is easy to like, it’s just not something I’ve ever added to a smoothies on a regular basis. If you haven’t tried these items in a smoothie yet, get on it!

Last but not least, I just broke off a hunk of green chocolate. Mint totally count as something green, right?

Divine Mint Dark Chocolate

No.

Do you know the best thing about mint chocolate? I’m not the least bit tempted to smear almond butter on it like I so often do with regular dark chocolate.

How’s that for a calorie saving tip? Eat mint chocolate so you don’t add calories by painting it with almond butter! You’re welcome.

Alright, that’s my green vegetable summary for Day 3!

(If you’re just showing up to The Greener March party, it’s definitely not too late to join in the Eat Leafy Greens for the Month of March fun!)

I hope your day was as green (or greener!) as mine. Please inspire us with any and all green stuff you’ve been eating – changing it up and trying new things is a great way to stay motivated, I love to hear what green items you’re eating too!


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


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