July 25, 2011 {Meal Plan}

Ingredients & Inspiration:

• It's still really hot. We are planning lots of low-cooking time dishes.
• Alex's birthday is Tuesday!
• Fresh peppers (nardello and pepperoncini), green beans, violet jasper tomatoes, and herbs in the garden.

Menu:

Monday - green bean pad thai

Tuesday - Alex's wishes - maybe sushi out?

Wednesday - BLTs with homemade bread, bacon, and aoili, and fruit salad

Thursday - Grilled fish, bok choi, and sweet potatoes

Friday - Pork belly roast (in preparation for a Pork Board giveaway!), beets, cornichons, new potato salad

Saturday - Rachel teaching pizza class in the morning, hosting 'It Couldn't Be...' dinner for Foodbuzz

Sunday - Birthday seafood boil for Alex and Rachel's sister Megan - crawfish, lobster, clams, potatoes, corn

Spring Before Summer June 13 {Locavore Meal Plan}

The heat had me down last week and then *poof* a front passed through on Saturday, transforming the weather into lovely low 70s during the day and 60s at night. This is my kind of weather, perfect for outdoor living and cooking!

Ingredients and Inspiration

• Produce ready to pick: garlic scapes, lettuces, chard, herbs, raspberries, strawberries
• In the fridge: local asparagus, spinach, lamb, pork
• Cool weather means we can cook and enjoy hot foods
• I really want to can something this week; I'm hoping for cherries at a farmer's market.

Meal Plan

Monday - left overs or sandwiches after a day trip to the Wilds

Tuesday - homemade chorizo mulitas and salad

Wednesday - homemade lamb sausages over barley risotto

Thursday - pasta with asparagus and garlic scape pesto

Friday - dinner with friends

Saturday - empanadas

Sunday - Father's Day dinner with both sides of the family. The menfolk have requested burgers. I'll serve them with homemade buns, backyard salad, and deviled eggs.

What are you eating this week?

PS. If you weren't at the Ohio Blogging Association event on Sunday, you missed out. Elena of Elena Photographers led a thorough session on basic DSLR blog photography including hands on practice for me and Tiffany. I learned so much and am now confident enough to shoot in Manual mode!

Read the write up on her blog featuring my mug because I volunteered to be a model.

Note to self: next time you go to a photography lesson, prepare to be photographed.

A Locavore's View of MyPlate

Article first published as Where's the Local and Seasonal in MyPlate? on Technorati. First Lady Michelle Obama made news last week when she introduced the USDA's new nutrition representation, MyPlate. The color-coded memory devise shows a plate half full of fruits and vegetables. Grains are recommended to fill slightly larger than a quarter of the plate with small portions of protein and dairy.

The visual representation has been hailed as a vast improvement to the previous pyramid scheme. Vegetarians are praising that the word meat has been updated to protein, recognizing that protein can be found in many foods. Dietitians are pleased that the 'eat sparingly' category that once included sugar and fats has been removed entirely. Choosing whole grains and drinking water regularly is clearly suggested in the USDA's written explanations.

But one ideal is completely missing from the MyPlate USDA information: local and seasonal. No mention is made of where to purchase meal ingredients, yet sourcing has a great impact on individual and environmental health.

Locally-sourced produce is picked at the peak of ripeness, containing the most nutrients and best taste possible. When a peach travels from South America to Ohio, for instance, fuel cost is high whereas buying locally saves considerable environmental resources.

Seasonal availability is another important consideration in making healthy food choices. Eating only what is in season makes families choose a wide variety of produce, a top recommendation of dietitians. Fortunately in most states, local dairy and meat is in season year round.

Contrary to popular belief, shopping the local farmer's market is actually more affordable than buying at a grocery store. Buying locally returns money to the local economy in greater percentages than choosing national chains.

The evidence is clear that eating locally and seasonally is best for personal, environmental, and economic health. Perhaps the next iteration of MyPlate will include preference for local food sources.

Added to Simple Lives Thursday, 47th Edition.

Memorial Day May 30, 2011 {Meal Plan}

Ingredients and Inspiration:

• We have an abundance of vegetables in the fridge
• Our strawberries are finally ripening and we hope to go pick from a local farm this week
• No classes or special events after Monday

Meal Plan:

Monday - Homemade sausage demo at a friend's house for a cookout; we also brought fennel apple slaw.

Tuesday - Date night featuring the beet cocktail at Rossi

Wednesday - Grilled fish, asparagus pasta salad

Thursday - Homemade palak paneer over brown rice

Friday - Dinner salads and stuffed mushrooms

Saturday - Camping (grilled hot dogs, salads, etc.)

Sunday - Family dinner

Meal Plan February 27, 2011

Welcome to the new meal plan where I identify some of the reasons behind our meal choices. Ingredients and Influences:

• time at home, almost no special events this week
• lasagna noodles in the pantry
• still more home canned tomatoes
• our chickens are producing more eggs
• my sister turns 29 on Wednesday. Happy birthday Sarah, we love you!

Monday - chickpea curry Tuesday - pad thai with eggs and green beans Wednesday - dinner out with Dad (we ended up hosting last week) Thursday - eggs in the hole for breakfast, roasted chicken and root vegetables Friday - spinach lasagna Saturday - fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green veg, homemade applesauce, birthday cake for Sarah! Sunday - dinner at Alex's parents

I'm playing with posting this on Sunday night or Monday. When do you do your weekly meal planning?

Meal Plan January 24, 2011

It is really hard to write this menu because I am suffering from acute tonsillitis that makes swallowing food and drink painful. Hopefully the antibiotics prescribed by my doctor will start working soon and allow me to enjoy this week's meals. Monday - spaghetti with homemade meatballs, salad

Tuesday - toad in the hole with homemade sausage, peas

Wednesday - cornbread crust veggie pot pie

Thursday - homemade pizza

Friday - fish, quinoa, green beans

Saturday - dinner with Ohio 4-H International County Coordinator Team

Sunday - hosting Alex's parents - french onion soup with swiss cheese croutons, cranberry sauce

Meal Plan: October 24, 2010

This post is part of Menu Plan Monday but I have to start with Sunday. Tonight, Alex made a wonderful paella with shrimp, mussels, and clams for his mother's birthday dinner.  Served with steamed brussel sprouts on the side, the shellfish-loving Baillieul family appreciated every bite.

Here's what we'll eat the rest of the week:

Monday - parent observation night for Lil's ballet followed by Mad Mex for dinner

Tuesday - baked Mahi, roasted homegrown sweet potatoes, and salad

Wednesday - dinner with my parents, last fruit CSA pickup (boo hoo!)

Thursday - adzuki beans and greens soup for extended family to nosh on before or after trick or treat

Friday - spaghetti and homemade meatballs with homegrown tomato sauce

Saturday - Halloween party at Lil's friend's house

Sunday - Alex's family dinner

I have fresh beets and pears to process this week.  I think I'll make some pickled beets for my grandmother and make most of the pears into brandied pears.  There are always more apples to dehydrate and make into sauce...

Meh Meal Plan October 4, 2010

I felt lousy all last week until I finally went to the minute clinic on Friday. Sinus infection. My third this year. Bad sinuses are in my genes and apparently it's my time to suffer. The first antibiotic I tried made my stomach ache so badly that I basically did nothing this weekend, not even sleeping well. Today I switched to a different antibiotic that isn't causing quite the side effects. I was able to do a bit of cooking today and mothered Lil while Alex worked. Hopefully the rest of the week will continue to improve.

We are participating in the Eat Local Challenge so I will put my best effort into eating locally this week, despite the sickies. Here's the mind addled plan:

Monday - roasted red pepper and local tomato soup with homemade bread crouton, baked homegrown potatoes

Tuesday - Jeni's Tour! Before the tour we'll have Charlie's apples, nuts and crackers for a snack. After, if we're still hungry, we'll munch on leftovers.

Wednesday - Crispy tacos with homemade chorizo (pork from Blues Creek Meats), cabbage, fresh salsa with last of home grown tomatoes and peppers, queso blanco, beans, rice

Thursday - brinner: backyard eggs, toast, homemade applesauce

Friday - maybe pick more Charlie's apples (I might be obsessed), shrimp with linguine and local kale

Saturday - My birthday!! There's a surprise going on midday and I'll decide on that day what I want for dinner.

Sunday - My birthday part two!! I'm demonstrating jam canning at Oakland nursery from 12 - 1 and then more birthday festivities.

Read more menus at Menu Plan Monday.