I finally did it....

I have realized that I am old. I have noticed that all of my shoes are scratched, worn and in need of replacement. My clothes haven't had any new additions in quite some time. My kitchen, however, well....in just the past 2 months I have purchased a slow cooker, a mandoline and as of yesterday a JUICER! I am finally on board with the 90's health craze! I came across a juicer at Tuesday Morning and thought about it for a week straight. I finally pulled the trigger and then beelined to HEB for a veggie and fruit shopping spree: cabbage, lettuce, spinach, kale, blueberries, grapes, apples and ginger.

So I have given in- I now can pass right through the clothing section of TJ Maxx and head directly to the kitchen accessories. I don't give the shoes a second thought. My priorities have shifted and although my outfits may have seen better days, maybe I will look better in them!

What is your favorite juicing combo? I am new, please school me.

probiotic drinks worthless? and a solution.

I went to a naturopath for the first time yesterday and had braced myself to be told to take probiotics in the form of the popular drinks that crowd the shelves of stores like Whole Foods. When the topic of probiotics came up, I cringed and asked, "You mean drinks like Kombucha?"  I squirmed with my head down, inching towards the edge of the chair.  Nightmares of chugging what's to me, a completely unpalatable flavor with an even more distasteful pricetag raced through my mind.

To my surprise and utter delight, she scoffed and said not to ever bother with those, and not because I don't need to take probiotics, but because the amount in drinks such as kombucha is so incredibly minimal, that they are essentially useless.  As for the cost?  You can get - maybe 8 million?  or something insane - times the amount of probiotics, which also happens to be the amount actually necessary to make a difference in your body, for a fraction of the cost of bottled "vinegar water."

I went home with  Pharmax HLC High Potency capsules. The suggested use is 1-2 per day, but she instructed I only take one, so the bottle will last me about 4 months -- a steal in price and quality. Kombuch-what?

a texsea to-do list

• learn to make yogurt in the crockpot. im tired of spending so much on fage, though i love it so!
• try making water kefir. i feel like i need to focus on getting probiotic foods in my diet.
• eat eggs over a a meaty potato skin. inspired by this restaurant brunch dish.
• make marinated chicken with cucumber mint salad. i love any recipe loaded with cumin.
• start eating savory green oats for breakfast. would trade that for the cranberry oats i just had!
• try sproated quinoa. i have a huge bag of quinoa i need to use.

also, sorry for the lapse in posting.  i've been on vacation and dealing with a family ummm...situation...but i'm back in seattle now and am finally feeling gross enough from a month-long alcohol and restaurant food BENDER to get back on track. 

working lunch

Working lunch- BAD!

Siggi's Skyr- GOOD!

I have been a busy, busy girl, but not too chaotic to discover my new snack (and sometimes lunch). The Orange and Ginger has brought me on board as a certified skyr lover!

At $2.69 for a teensy 6 ounces, it MAY lighten up your wallet a bit, but for only 120 calories and 10 grams of sugar, your tastebuds and pants will thank you for it!

apple radish slaw

To say I love this slaw is a disservice to the universe.  It's so delicious and perfect that I want to eat it every day (and I have been).  It's smart in that it's portable, gets better with age and is comprised of a whopping 5 ingredients–something I can stay on board with.

Ya'll might be tired of hearing about radishes, but this is my life!  Yes, radishes.  (At least until they disappear from the markets.)  At Georgetown's last weekend, I was meandering through the aisles doing my Expedia-esque price comparisons, when I stumbled upon the jackpot: tri-colored bunches of radishes that required practically two hands to hold as the radishes were erring on the size of small apples.  For a dollar.  Each. (I'm talkin' $1 per bunch, not radish.)  Naturally, I bought as many that would fit in my envirosax (three) and smugly smiled all the way back to Queen Anne.

Matchstick'd along with my long-time love, Pink Lady apples, green onion, a squeeze of an oversized lemon and a generous dousing of French oak barrel-aged apple cider vinegar, it's one of the best simple salads I've ever eaten.

It hardly requires a recipe, but for ballparking:
2 Pink Lady apples (You might prefer to peel the apple first, but I like the color so I leave it.)
3-4 XL radishes
3-4 green onions
1/2 large lemon
2-3 T barrel-aged apple cider vinegar

Using a mandoline, cut the apples and radishes into matchsticks. Squeeze the lemon half over to discourage browning. Add chopped green onion and vinegar. Stir to combine and chill before serving. Even better the next day.

alice's spinach and strawberry salad

source

I haven't had the luxury of making this salad at home yet, but considering it hasn't left my mind since having a taster at Alice Currah's (of Savory Sweet Life) demo last Thursday at the Queen Anne Farmers Market, it's a recipe that's beyond worthy of being shared here.

I know the pairing of strawberries and spinach is hardly new, but this dressing.  I die.  Eyeing the pool of leftover dressing at the bottom of the serving cup, I mentally gave thanks to the sample makers for choosing it over a plate before knocking it back and licking my lips clean. 

This would be such a great salad to take to a party.  Do people still have those?  (It's been a while.)

Alice's Spinach and Strawberry Salad
sourced directly from the QAFM blog

Spinach and Strawberry Salad
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 bunches of spinach, washed, dried, and torn in pieces
2 to 3 cups of strawberries, stemmed and sliced
OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup slivered almonds, crunchy chow mein noodles, or minced bacon pieces

Whisk together vinegar, oil, sugar, poppy seeds, paprika, and onion until sugar is dissolved. Place dressing in the refrigerator. To toast sesame seeds, place the seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat. Stir every 30 seconds until seeds start browning and popping. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss spinach, strawberries, sesame seeds, and dressing. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Alice says: “Make sure you prepare the poppy seed dressing before starting to give it time to settle and come together. And for parents out there whose kids hate salad, this may be the salad that wins them over. Enjoy!”

whole roasted tokyo turnips

Sorry radishes, but the greens on these tokyo turnips were good enough to eat!

whole roasted tokyo turnips @ the kitchn

Note: This made an extremely filling dinner.  Delicious but not conducive to leftovers, a couple of these were casualities of a single girl and diner's kitchen.