I knew joining a CSA would be a good way to get me over the hump with some of the more intimidating veggies and in the first week it already is!

I made a huge salad with greens I would have never bought, tried kohlrabi for the first time and now I am cooking with rainbow chard. Scratch that… WE are cooking with chard. That’s right "WE!" Last night’s dinner was a collaboration between Little Guy and I. We were home alone for dinner and decided to play. :)

The result was a healthy vegetarian pasta dish that both him and I LOVED! Let me show you how we made it… And I do mean SHOW you.. I went picture happy again. ;)

• 6 oz of cooked whole wheat pasta (we used bionaturae Organic Whole Wheat Chiocciole)
• 2 tsp olive oil (10g)
• 1 small sweet onion chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 lb Rainbow Swiss Chard washed
• 15oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1-2 pinches of salt
• 1/2 tsp drid basil (plus more to taste) and/or fresh basil leaves
• 1 15oz can of great northern beans drained and rinsed
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Put on a pot of boiling water and cook the pasta according to the package.

Wash the chard. It’s so pretty, isn’t it?

Chop it up a bit and seperate the steps from the leaves. We are going to cook them at different times since the stalks will take longer.

Heat the 2 tsp of oil in the pan over medium high heat. And yes that is 2 tsp, can you see it? Coats the pan nicely without drowning everything in oil.

Add the onion and the garlic. I love having a helper!

Add the chard stalks.

The pan may start to get dry as the onion and garlic cook. That’s ok. Add the can of diced tomaotes.

I plucked some baby basil leaves from my garden if don’t have any, no worries we’ll be adding dried in a bit. :) Add a pinch of salt

Add the leaves of the chard and…

…stir until they start to wilt. (I had SUCH a great helper!)

Add the beans.

At this point we tasted it and thought it needed some more basil. We added 1/2 tsp and another pinch of salt.

Add the cooked and drained pasta and…

… again stir to coat.

It should look like this…

As soon as all ingredients are well mixed, serve! We liked it with a little Parmesan cheese. Honestly, I was shocked at how good it was AND that Little guy ate a whole serving! Don’t tell the husband, but dude… we eat MUCH better without him. ;)

So when I saw this box of Quaker Quick Barley at the grocery store I thought I’d give it a try. I picked it up with some fresh cilantro, something I also rarely buy. I know fresh herbs are the way to go but I rarely buy them. I’ve have grown my own but not yet this season. I’m trying though!

Anyway, I decided on a side dish and I made something like my Super Quick Fried Rice. Surprisingly BOTH husband and child liked, no, LOVED the result. The husband said he liked it better then rice and the little guy didn’t even know what it was. I believe his exact quote was, "YAY! I love that rice." I just let him go with his bad self and he ate dinner with no complaints. :)

I have to admit the cilantro made all the difference. The flavor was amazing in this!

Here’s what I did.

• 1 cup (144) uncooked quick barley (I used this from Quaker )
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 sweet onion chopped
• 2 carrots diced small
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• About an inch of ginger root
• 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped

Cook the barley according to the package with 2 cups of water.

In a large skillet heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and garlic. Cook until the onion starts to soften and get slightly transparent.

Add in the cooked barley. Add the soy sauce and grate the ginger root on top (I keep mine in the freezer and grate it frozen. It’s a sinch. Click here to see a video where I talk about it)

Add in the cilantro. Stir to merge all the flavors and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

I served mine as a side dish but you could easily turn this into a meal by adding a protein and/or more veggies. Here’s the nutritional info splitting it into 4 side dish servings.

I’m going to write up how I made them this evening but I may change a few things next time. Not quite sure what yet, this is one of those ‘wing it, use what you got on hand’ type of meal ideas. :)

• 1 large head of cabbage
• 2 cups of cooked brown rice (I just used one of these
• 1 lb (16oz) extra lean ground turkey, raw
• 6 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 of a large sweet onion diced
• 1 small zucchini diced
• 1-2 cups baby spinach chopped
• 2 stalks of celery diced
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp dried parsley separated
• 2 tsp dried basil separated
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 can of condensed tomato soup
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• Kosher Salt & Pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the core out of the cabbage and cook for 5 minutes. This will help loosen the leaves. After 5 minutes run under cold water.

Combine the brown rice, ground turkey, garlic, onion, zucchini, spinach, celery, 1 tbsp parsley and 1 tsp basil until well mixed.

Carefully separate a leaf from the cabbage head.

Place about 1/2 cup of the turkey/rice mixture in the middle.

Fold the sides in like a burrito.

Roll.

Place in a deep baking dish.

Repeat until you run our of filling or cabbage leaves. You should get about 12. I actually ran out of leaves and used the rest of the filling in a pepper I had in the fridge. :)

Once the baking dish is filled with "piggies" mix the tomato soup, diced tomatoes, and the rest of the dried spices with a bit of water to thin it. Pour over the piggies, cover and bake for an hour in a preheated 350 degree oven. You may want to baste now and then to help keep everything moist.

Serve with the tomato soup mixture drizzled on top and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.

Here’s the approximate nutritional info for how I made them above.

Here’s the story. Yesterday after an insane morning run I knew I was gonna be hungry and I knew the husband was gonna want to order in or go out (not only is it what he does BUT it was also the first college football Saturday of the season.) So to ward him if I just started cooking. I didn’t have much on hand, I haven’t gone shopping and I’ve been trying to use stock up for the move but I remembered a can of salmon I bought a few weeks back and I knew I had an aging pepper and some onion in the fridge. So why not!

At first the husband kind of snubbed the idea and then I made him a salmon cake sandwich. Initially I got the "it’s ok." BUT when he was done he said it was really good! I was quite shocked! The child wanted no part. I swear, fish is the hardest thing to get into that kid.

Now I will say this, idea may need a better binder then one slice of a bread. The flavor was perfect but they just held together so you have to be gentle. Next time I’m thinking I’ll crush some whole grain rtiz instead of using the bread. Either way I thought I’d share the idea.

• 1 (14.75 ounce) can salmon, drained and broken up
• 1 slice of bread, ripped apart into small pieces, crumbled
• 1/2 small sweet onion, minced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• about 1/4 of a bell pepper minced
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon tabasco (or more)
• Kosher salt & ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese.
• non stick cooking spray, preferably olive oil

In a large bowl, gently mix together the salmon, bread, onion, garlic, bell pepper, egg, egg white, dill, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco and a pinch of salt and pepper. I used the scoop technique. Scooping my hand under the tossing in the bowl rather then a meatball squishing method. Know what I mean?

In another small bowl mix the flour and parmesan cheese with a bit of salt and pepper.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Form a small patty about 1/2 inch think. Dust with the flour mixture and plop into skillet. Repeat for 3 more patties and cook each about 3-4 minutes a side. They should be nicely browned. Now, I made my first too big. Go on the smaller end, they will hold together better and you want to get 8 total, for 2 a serving.

Once the first batch is done remove any bits from the pan and re-spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Eat straight up with your favorite veggie as a side OR put it on a whole wheat bun for a salmon cake sandwich. I used a whole wheat potato roll, a bed of baby spinach and (don’t laugh) a squirt of ketchup. :)

You’d think, considering I started and run a site called GreenLiteBites I’d seek solace in healthy wholesome food but no. This week I’ve eaten out at least 3 times, ate almost an entire bag of Dorritos and my "handful" of M&M’s were more like cups. So yesterday in the middle of my disaster zone…

…I decided to find comfort NOT in the quick, mindless, junk food munch but in the satisfaction of preparing a healthy meal from scratch. Amazingly the processes of scouring my empty fridge and pantries for what I had on hand and finding a creative way to put it all together was much more of a stress release for me.

I can’t promise many new ideas in the coming weeks but I will try to use my current situation to challenge myself. If I don’t, I see a lot fast food in my future and although the husband would be ecstatic I want to treat my and the kid’s (the toddler recently celebrated is 4th birthday) bodies a just little better then that.

So on to this idea! For some reason I have a gross of zucchini in the fridge. It’s actually the only fresh veggie in there. I also had ripening grape tomatoes, a small chink of onion and some REALLY old garlic. This is what I came up with…

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 tsp olive oil (4g)
• 1-2 slices of a sweet onion chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 carrot diced
• about 10 grape tomatoes halved
• 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa (42g)
• 1/2 cup of our fav broth (water would work but you many want to add bouillon for flavor)
• Dried parsley your fav dried spices (optional)

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh with a spoon or melon baller. Chop the flesh and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion starts to get transparent and garlic just starts to brown. Add the diced zucchini guts, carrots and tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes allowing the flavors to merge and the veggies to soften a bit.

Stir in the dry Quinoa. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the quinoa absorbs most of the liquid.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a small casserole dish with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle the zucchini with some kosher salt and your favorite spices (totally optional.) I used garlic powder, onion powder and a bit of chili powder.

By this time the quinoa should be about done. Scoop the mixture into the zucchini boats. You will have more then enough, just pile it in there. Top with a bit of dried parsley and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes allowing the zucchini to soften and the stuffing to dry out just a bit.

Enjoy!

Here’s the recipe!

• 1/2 sweet onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey (8oz)
• 1 bell pepper chopped
• 1 small-medium zucchini chopped
• kosher salt and pepper
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 package of Whole Wheat Pizza dough
• 4 oz fancy shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Brown with ground turkey with the onion and garlic. Add the chopped pepper and zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes while you prepare to work with the dough.

Sprinkle you counter or cutting board with a bit of whole wheat flour. Separate the dough into 4 equal parts.

Add the tomato sauce, basil and oregano to the skillet. Stir and lower heat to medium-low. Let it simmer while you prepare the dough again.

Roll out the dough into rectangles. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Lay one of the rectangles on the cookie sheet. Scoop about 2 ladlefuls of the turkey mixture in the middle. Top with 1 oz of cheese and fold over to create a long skinny stromboli. Place a few slits on the top.

Note: They will be hard to move so making them on the sheet with be a big help.

Once you make all four. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. Once finished let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.

EAT! :)

I love the beans texture with the small pasta shapes. Mom always used a type of Tubettini. I used elbows as the choices of whole grain shapes are pretty limited.

When I told the husband and toddler what I was making I got a face from both of them. I just rolled my eyes and made it anyway. To their surprise they both liked it! The toddler didn’t finish his plate but he hate enough to constitute a meal and husband devoured his bowl. Now.. when will they TRUST me? ;~)

• 2 tsp olive oil (8g)
• 5-6 cloves of garlic minced
• about 1/4 cup diced sweet onion
• 2 8oz cans of tomato sauce
• 1 can (~15oz) Northern Beans drained and rinsed
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• black pepper
• 12oz whole wheat elbow macaroni
• dried parsley and Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top

Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium to large saucepan (big enough to hold all the pasta.) Add the garlic and onion and cook until the garlic just starts to brown. Add the two cans of sauce, beans, dried herbs and pepper. Cook until bubbles start to form then lower to simmer.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and cook according to package. The sauce will simmer as you wait for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, about 20 minutes total.

When the pasta is finished drain and add to the sauce and beans. Shut off the heat and stir to coat all the pasta with the sauce. Scoop out, top with some parm cheese, parsley and eat!

What’s better yet? It’s a cinch to make! Here’s what I did.

• 4oz pomegranate juice
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp honey (21g)
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• kosher salt and ground pepper.
• 4 thick slices of Vidalia onion.
• 4 thin cut boneless pork loin chops

Whisk together the pomegranate juice, garlic, honey, tarragon, large pinch of salt and ground pepper to make the marinade. Now, if you don’t have tarragon you can use any herb (thyme or basil would be good) you like but the tarragon went really well with the pomegranate juice.

Layer the pork chops and onion slices vertically in a quart sized baggie. Pour the marinade over and seal removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Heat an outdoor grill. Cook the chops and Vidalia slices 3-4 minutes a side. Longer if you have thick chops. My onion actually took longer then the pork!

• 1 sweet onion chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic minced
• 20oz package of Hot Italian Turkey Sausage
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 3 large bell peppers chopped (I used 1 orange, 1 yellow and 1 green)
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
• 6 cups of your favorite broth (I used homemade stock I had in the freezer)
• 1 (6oz) can of tomato paste

Spray a large stock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Add the onion and garlic, cook over medium heat until the get a bit transparent.

Remove the casings from the sausage by simply slicing them longways. Add the sausage meat to the pot and break up while browning. Add the basil, oregano, thyme and parsley, stir.

Once the sausage is all brown add the peppers and tomatoes. Add the diced tomatoes, broth and paste. Stir bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Simmer about 20 minutes until peppers just soften.

Now this makes a huge batch. I’m getting about 6-8 serving with my crude measuring techniques. So I’ll play it save and so nutritional information for 7 servings.

Scroll below video for the recipe.

• Batch of Turkey Meatballs made small (at least 30)
• 10oz Whole Wheat Elbow Pasta uncooked
• 1/2 small sweet onion diced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 8oz can of tomato sauce
• 15oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2-1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp dried parsley

Prepare the Turkey Meatballs according to the recipe making them a smaller size. You should easily get about 30. Broil the meatballs for about 5 minutes to help them stay together.

Prepare the pasta according to the package.

In a large skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray over medium high heat, add the onion and garlic. Cook for a minute then add the broiled meatballs.

Stir in the can of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes with about 1/2 cup water (add more if it gets too thick.) Add the garlic powder, basil and parsley. Bring to a boil. Then lower to a simmer and cover. Simmer for at least 10 minutes even longer if you have the time. The meatballs will start to soak up the sauce a bit.

By this point your pasta should just about be done. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet. Stir to coat everything. Cover again until ready to serve.

Check out my other “Beef-a-Roni-ish” ideas…

• Rainbow Turk-a-Roni
• Simple Beef-A-Roni with Peas

Now I’m not going to claim I know anything about Moroccan food. I’m not even sure I could find Morocco on a map! All I know is the flavors of that recipe intrigued me. So I used what I had on hand and whipped this up in about 10 minutes. I’m not kidding, from pot to bowl in 10 and it was tasty! Different. But tasty all the same!

Toddler and husband wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. However, little man was quite obsessed with my oranges.

So at least I got that in is belly while preparing the dish. Hey… every little bit counts. :)

• 8oz extra lean ground beef
• 1 small sweet onion chopped
• 3 gloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp dried cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cans (15oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 orange peeled and chopped (keep any juices)
• 2oz Whole Wheat Couscous
  (56g)
• 1 can Butter Beans (Large Lima Beans) drained and rinsed

In a medium-large pot brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic. Add the cumin, oregano and cinnamon. Coat everything and let the flavors merge.

Add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes (with juices) into the pot. Bring to a boil while peeling and chopping the orange.

Add the orange pieces. Bring back to a boil.

Stir in the couscous. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the Butter Beans and stir. Cook for another 5 minutes until ready to serve.

The husband looked remotely interested because I told him we’d be having mashed potatoes. As long as there’s mashed potatoes, gravy and some kind of meat he’s happy. So I knew he’d like this and he did. The toddler did too! Although I skipped the mushrooms on his plate. Glad I did, he ate everything else. :)

• 4 boneless pork loin chops about 4 oz each
• 1/2 sweet onion diced
• 10 oz package of mushrooms sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or applesauce
• 1 cup of your favorite broth (chicken, beef, vegetable)
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• non-stick cooking spray
• Kosher Salt & Pepper

Lay the pork chops on a sheet of saran wrap. Top with another sheet and bang away! You want to thin the pork out to 1/4 -1/2 inch. Similar to the way we did it for the Naked Chicken Parm Idea (click to see pictures.)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick spray. Season both sides of the pork with a bit of a Kosher Salt and Pepper. Once the pan is hot add the chop. Don’t crowd the pan, do them in batches if you have to. Flip after 2-3 minutes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Remove the pork from the skillet and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium and spray the skillet with a bit more spray and add the onion. Stir and add the mushrooms and garlic. Let them cook down a bit, maybe a minute or two. Add the apple cider vinegar. Stir.

While the mushrooms are cooking, whisk the broth, worcestershire sauce and flour. Add to the pan, bring to a boil. Put the chops back in, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes until ready to serve.

As I said I served mine with my own creamy mash potatoes, which honestly was perfect but you could do noodles or even brown rice I suppose. So for the nutritional info I’ll stick with just the pork, you can add what you decide to pair it with.