Tuesday, August 19, 2008

HYC Update: Growing Garden

Since my last HYC update, the scale definitely moved a bit in a GOOD direction :) However, I did go out for a celebratory dinner last night that included some mixed drinks and tiramasu. It was well deserved, and I'll be heading to the gym in the next 30 minutes to do my C25K running for today.

I really do hope that you guys are getting your fill of the great fresh veggies and fruits that are available at farmer's markets and maybe in your own backyard! I had a tomato plant on my patio at the beginning of the summer, but it has since been adopted by one of my friends. I was gone for most of July (it was supposed to be three weeks, and then it ended up becoming a five week absence) so my friend was going to just babysit my plant at her house. She ended up replanting it and since it's become so big, I told her just to keep it and give me some of its fruits. Well... this is what I got last week:


A huge butternut squash (any ideas on what to do with it???), zucchini, cucumbers, fresh onions, tomatoes, and green plums. Her daughter had stopped at a friend's house whose father owns a farm (got that? it's like six degrees of gardening) and brought all this stuff back for her mom to share with whoever wanted it. That's my share.

Since I'm first generation American (my family emigrated from Italy in the 1960s), there are a lot of dishes and salads that I was able to experience outside of normal American cuisine. One of these includes my favorite summer salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, and various spices. The day that I got all this home, I *had* to make this salad. And I did. And it was delish. A nice fiber-y dinner.



Definitely take advantage of this summer's great foods. Before you know it, it'll be winter and we'll be wishing for fresh tomatoes from the vine, and not the ones that you find in the grocery.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the fresh fruits & veggies! Can't help you with the squash, but the summer salad looks delish! Congrats on the loss!

Cammy@TippyToeDiet said...

My dad keeps a big bowl of the same salad in the fridge all summer. LOL He snacks on it all day long.

Can't help with the squash, as I don't eat many cooked veggies.

Congrats on the good scale. I'm glad it behaved this week!

Anonymous said...

I cant help either (and could use a lesson or FIVE in the kitchen) and CANT HELP in that Im a child.

about 12.

Immediately thought phallic symbol.

(I told you!)

:)

Miz.

Anonymous said...

Roasted Butternut Goodness

(1) cube the squash (1 inch), (2) lightly toss in flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper,(3) drizzle with olive oil, and (4) roast in a 400 degree oven. The natural sugars in the squash caramelize and make a crust with the flour and spices. Its really good! I never remember how long to roast it, I just check to see when its good and crispy on top.

E

RooBabs said...

Your salad looks tasty. Just last night the Hubs brought home some veggies and herbs from the garden of his co-worker. I'm kind of excited.

The squash recipe sounds delish, and I know there are lots of other great recipes out there. I've heard of making soup with them, but maybe that's not such a great summer idea (unless it can be a chilled soup, hmmm).