FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Distraction

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One of the most difficult aspects of cleansing, for me at least, is boredom.  So much of a day is spent talking about food, shopping for food, preparing food, writing about food, that when you take meals out of the equation, well… you’ve got a whole lotta time to spare.

So rather than spending seven days writing about veggies and boring you and me alike, I went on a picture taking stroll.

I intended on making my way to the downtown farmer’s market.  I went on their website, checked their Twitter status, read and re-read “Fridays 10am-2pm, October-May”, determined that 1pm on a December Friday fit that matrix, only to find that there was no farmer’s market going on when I arrived.

I suppose it’s better that I wasn’t tempted with yummy street food.  Disappointment was minimal.

Happy New Year’s Eve!!!

Detox

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I recognize that most people wait until after the new year to get back into the swing of real life, but I just couldn’t wait.  I’ve been off of work since the 23rd and after seven days of acting like a college kid, I’m done.  I was getting lazier by the second, changing out of one pair of pajamas only to jump into another.  It was a problem, this laziness.

I went to Rollin’ Oats last night and stocked up on everything and anything that looked blend-able.  Yup, in pajamas.  Pajamas that I graciously disguised as yoga gear.

Let’s just be thankful that I made it out of the house.

FoodFash Jump Start Smoothie

yield: 32 ounces

2 kale stalks, de-stemmed

1/4 papaya, seeds removed

1/2 lemon, seeds removed

1-2 inches of ginger, skinned and sliced

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup of pure aloe vera juice

1 cup of water

1 cup of ice

I blended the aloe vera, honey, ginger, and lemon (with peels) first to make sure they were completely pulverized before adding the remaining ingredients.  The lemon was definitely potent, but it completely masked any signs of papaya – which is a good thing because I find papaya to be… SO gross.  This smoothie wasn’t delicious by any means, it was merely OK, but with the following health highlights there’s no complaining going on here!

Kale – Contains over 45 flavonoids.  Studies show that flavonoids that have anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer properties.

Papaya – Contains papain, which is an enzyme that helps digest proteins.  They are also a rich source of vitamin C, flavonoids, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, magnesium, and fiber.

Lemon – Contains flavonoids that have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties.

Ginger – Has numerous therapeutic properties including antioxidant effects, an ability to inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds, and direct anti-inflammatory effects.

Raw Honey – Contains phytonutrients that have been shown to posssess cancer-preventing and anti-tumor properties.

Aloe Vera Juice – Aids with digestion.

Source: WHFoods.com

Monstah Lobstah

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Earlier today, Val and I had a conversation that went something like this:

Val:  What do you think about coming over to my place and walking to Monstah Lobstah and getting crab legs for dinner?

Me:  I think that’s the best idea you’ve ever had.

We headed over to Monstah Lobstah on a mission.  We ordered a bucket of beers and a pound of crab legs each.  About halfway through, we both had the same fear that we were still going to be hungry when all the crab leg cracking was over.  We ordered hush puppies and onion rings and filled our bellies with bread-y goodness.

Val and I are both huge Crab Shack fans, but are totally on the Monstah Lobstah train after tonight.  Not only is it much closer, but it’s cheaper, the sides (especially the hush puppies) are amazing, and did I mention it’s closer?  We’re totally coming back next week for all-you-can-eat crab leg night!

Do crab legs fill you up?  Or do you find that you have to order sides in order to complete the meal?

Merry Christmas!

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Making pies for family holidays has been my thing since I was old enough to reach the stove.  I loved staying up all night with my grandma, measuring, rolling, stirring, sneaking bites of pie dough here and there.  As I got older, not much changed.  I still love using mid-century cookbooks covered with spills and the occasional burn.  I still love my grandma catching me eating dough and acting surprised, as if she hasn’t told me I shouldn’t be eating raw dough since the late 80s.  And we still make five pies: two pumpkin, one lemon meringue , one custard, one mystery.

Mystery pies from previous years?  Pecan, chocolate, apple, coconut cream, cherry.  Mystery pie for this year?  Strawberry rhubarb!

Strawberry rhubarb pie has been on my radar for quite some time now, but for some reason, I’ve always been intimidated by lattice pie crust.  It mayyyybe took 10 minutes.  I love/hate when that happens!

When I took the last pie out of the oven and looked at the clock, I couldn’t believe it had been 6-1/2 hours since I sifted the first cup of flour.  Does 6-1/2 hours of baking mean I deserve 6-1/2 slices of pie after dinner?!  I sure hope so!

Wishing you and your family a super merry Christmas!