Today's Bountiful Basket! 4/14/12

 

Conventional basket:

 Fruit:                                        Veggies:

   1 Pinepple                                   2 zucchinis

   15 apples                                    4 yellow squash

   5 oranges                                    2 lettuce

   4 bananas                                    8 tomatoes

   3 lemons                                      1 bag of brussel sprouts

   7 kiwis                                         4 onions

   4 pears

I already know what I am doing with all those apples....  Quick and Easy Apple Pie !!

I also decided to pick up another Veggie lover's pack, which was Asian themed this time:

 

Bak Choy

Napa Cabbage

onions

ginger

garlic

green onions

snap peas

waterchestnuts

celery

fresh basil

So my ideas for this is a veggie stir fry, which I kinda just throw stuff together, no real recipe to follow.

And one of the ladies that I met there told me she loves doing ramen with it, so i will have to go pick up some asian noodles and try to make my own ramen! Cant wait for that! I WILL post a blog on it.

I also bought a 5# bag of red potatoes for $1.25, a thing of strawberries for $2, and a huge bag of various tortillas for $12. They had a ton of other stuff for sale, but I spent enough!

Thank you Bountiful Baskets !!!!

Bountiful Baskets 4/7/12

ok, so I decided I should start doing a blog when I get my Bountiful Basket so everyone can see how wonderful doing this every week (or almost every week...) can be.

The basket I got this past Saturday had the following:

4 - Sweet Potatoes
1 -  Green Leaf Lettuce (not iceburg)
1 bundle - Asparagus
2 bundles? - Broccoli
2 - zucchini
1 bag of brussel sprouts (gave away!)
1 small bag - green apples
 5 - oranges
1 - pineapple (which my parents took and made a pineapple upsidedown cake with)
6 - bananas
3 - grapefruit


Each basket is different, although they always try and have some sort of lettuce in there, which is fine by me. The place I pick up my basket from is also a produce company, so a lot of times they have lots of produce for sale that you can buy there, and its super cheap. Ill probably never buy produce from a store again unless there is something I absolutely need and didn't get in my basket. Bountiful Baskets also offers a special themed veggie lover's pack, which this week is Asian themed, and gives you more for around $8.50 for the bag. They also offer large bags of granola, and whole wheat bread (5 loaves) and sometimes other specials. When you sign up you get emails every week with what is available. How much? $15.00 just for the basket. Well, its $16.50 after a handling fee, but come on! Only catch is, you have to buy between Noon on Monday to a certain time on Tuesday, then pick up your basket on Saturday. They offer many locations, and are always looking for volunteers, so I volunteer almost every Saturday unless I have something else going on.

So I used most of the asparagus already, and gave half to my parents. I also used part of a zucchini.

Tonight I am making sweet potato fried and breaded chicken strips for dinner. Hope the fries come out well, since I am not huge on sweet potatoes.

Check out Bountiful Baskets and learn more. Its a great program, I am so glad I was told about it!

Lisa Z

Tangy Citrus Chicken in the Smart Steamer

Tupperware used: Smart Steamer (Which is on sale btw....)

A blurb about the Smart Steamer before I get to the recipe:

Tupperware® SmartSteamer
“Hot & Steamy”
• Fail-safe, easy to use
• Breakthrough innovation in microwave-steaming
technology.
• Steams everything from vegetables, to tofu and fish.
• Eat healthy, tasty food.
• Save money on energy versus traditional stove steaming.
• Sustainable for the environment (saves energy and lasts a lifetime).
Cover - Two tabs allow for safe handling of the cover after steaming. Specific & unique design shields the food from microwaves, for authentic steam cooking.
Colander - Designed specifically for stack-steaming, in
particular delicate and soft foods.
Steamer Base - Base is perforated to allow steaming process.
Specific & unique design shields the food from microwaves,
for authentic steam cooking. Ideal for steaming any type of food.
Water Tray - Two handles allow for safe handling after steaming.
Minimum filling line indicates the exact amount of water to pour
in the Water Tray before steaming (1 ¾-cup/ 400 mL).

HOW IT WORKS
• The Steamer Base and the Cover have an inner shield not permeable to
microwaves, so the microwaves bounce back to be directed to the
water in the Water Tray.
• The water in the Water Tray turns to steam which goes through the
bottom of the Steamer Base.
• The steam then cooks the food placed in the Steamer Base and the
optional Colander.•
Microwaves do not come in contact with food in the SmartSteamer.

Now on to the recipe!

Citrus Sauce
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 green onion
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp capers (drained)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, peeled
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Now, I used dried basil cause I did not have any fresh basil, I used the parsley that I had in the fridge, no idea if it was this flat leaf parsley or not. I also didn't have capers, so I didn't use those either.

The instructions for this:

Place first seven ingredients in the base of your Chop N Prep Chef (which I don't have, need to get it..!) Replace cover, twist to seal, and pull cord 4 - 5 times to blend to a coarse puree. (I put mine in my kitchen ninja and let it do all the work!) Remove blade and transfer sauce to a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chop N. Prep Chef ~~ 

Chicken: 

1-3/4 cup water

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/3 pound of green beans

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

salt & pepper to taste

3 tbsp citrus sauce

Ok, so I didnt have green beans so I used asparagus, and I didnt have a red bell pepper so I used the sweet peppers that I got in my basket this past Saturday. 

Place water in water tray of Smart Steamer ( I apologize for the bad pictures)

Place chicken in base of Smart Steamer, season with salt and pepper, and brush with Citrus Sauce.

Place green beans (asparagus) and bell pepper (sweet peppers) in Colander Tray.

Put lid on, then place in microwave on high for 14 minutes or until chicken hits an internal temperature of 165 Deg F. Remove chicken to a serving platter, brush with more Citrus Sauce. Toss the vegetables with 1 tbsp of the Citrus Sauce and serve with chicken.

 Now, this recipe is for a 1200 watt microwave. I have a 900 watt microwave, so I had to cook my chicken a little bit longer.

The Smart Steamer will see many more uses... I promise!

Lisa Z

Upcoming Tupperware Sales 2/25 - 3/30

Tupperware Sales!

From Feb 25 through March 30th

Take a look at our Hostess program, what a great way to earn FREE Tupperware

Contact me for more details, I would love to spoil you as my hostess!

 

Now here is our AWESOME item that is on sale this month for a great price! Another great way to cook healthy wonderful tasting foods in your microwave!

If you come to a party, you get an exclusive offer as well! 

Only available if you attend a party

If you spend $50, you can get this set for only $13.50!          Or if you spend $100, you can get this set!

                               

 Now here are the sales that anyone who orders can get. Some great values in here!

 

Pork Chops in the microwave!

I made this recipe last night (2/12/2012)

Microwave Spiced Pork Chops - Yields 4 Servings
2” thick boneless loin, pork chops, trimmed of fat 1 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Seasoned Bread Crumbs:
1/3 c dried bread crumbs mixed w/ pinch of cayenne \
1 tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp ground cumin ¼ tsp oregano
¼ tsp salt

Rub pork chops with lime juice and coat with cilantro. In 1 ¾ Qt. Tupperwave Casserole, microwave butter and garlic for 1 ½ minutes or until it sizzles. Dip pork chops in garlic butter, then in seasoned breading. Place in center of pie plate. Sprinkle with remaining seasoned breading, drizzle on butter. Cover and microwave on medium high for 6 minutes. Turn over and rotate and microwave, for 6 minutes longer or until center is no longer pink. Breadcrumbs create moist topping.


Here was the recipe I tried, I got this from my Tupperware director's website, thank you Jamie!

It was super delicious! and I DID take pictures.. however... we formatted the SD card the pictures was on.. and now I dont have any.

The pork chops were perfect, moist, and had just a bit of spice to them. I sauteed some asparagus and made some stuffing to go with. I loved it, K loved it, and J didnt get to try it, although there was leftovers. I guess I will just have to take it to work... OH DARN!  =)

Random Microwave cooking

So, this was a few days ago, I apologize for not posting sooner...

This was a chicken I cooked in the microwave on Feb 7, 2012. Came out PERFECT after 30 minutes in the microwave.

Now.. I decided to experiment in the stack cooker, instead of following any recipe. I did base the sauce off of this recipe, which you should seriously make as well! it is SO GOOD.

Anyway...

I decided to do mushrooms and asparagus for the vegetables to serve with the chicken.

 I used my wonderful Tupperware quick chef to chop up the mushrooms into smaller chunks.

 I have a TON of asparagus.. about 3 weeks of Bountiful Baskets worth.. which have kept beautifully in my Medium Long Fridgesmart (from Tupperware of course!)  I chopped off the ends, then cut them in half.

I mixed lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper to put in with the pcs of chicken that I cut up. Off to the side (yes on the stove... ) I melted butter and added green onion to it to simmer right before the rest of this was finished.
 Now, this is the reason why this item is called the Stack Cooker.. You STACK it, and cook multiple foods at once.! I am missing a piece though....   I have the larger casserole section, which I could have put potatoes in...  I have the colander, which I put the veggies in, then I turned the lid upside down and put the cut up pcs of chicken in. 

Pop it in the microwave.. 

Now typical rule is 25 minutes for chicken breasts, I did realize after that since I cut mine up I probably didnt have to put it in as long. 

Now here is the pasta maker. I have made 3 things of pasta in here, and its come out perfect every time, so I thought I would try eggnoodles. Now, the pamphlet says that egg noodles are iffy, but I decided to try it anyway.

I popped this in without the lid right after the chicken and vegetables were done. It said 6 minutes.. didnt turn out.. so I tried it for another 6 minutes, and it was just BLEH! I ended up throwing it out! I did make instant mashed potatoes to take its place though.. LIFE SAVER

 

Now, here is the end result. I am sorry about the pictures, they were taken with my phone and the lighting is not great in my kitchen. (and yes, that IS a True Blood glass...)

So here is when I realized I didnt have to cook diced chicken as long.. it was a little dry, luckily the juice kept it from drying out too much, and the veggies were very well done, but very delicious too!

I mixed the butter and chives in with the lemon sauce from the chicken, cooked it a bit longer, then dumped it over the chicken, put the veggies and mashed potatoes on the side, and it was a hit! I will definitely be making this again. Anything I can get K to eat without having to hid the chicken first is a must make again dinner!

Oh, I also made this on Valentine's day... J had to work so he had to heat his up for leftovers, but he still enjoyed it!

Tonight.. I try PORK CHOPS in the microwave! woo!

Meal Planner Updates

So, thanks to this idea from pinterest... I decided to do this for my weekly meal planning so I don't have to waste paper or ink. Yay!

So went to Wal-mart, and at first couldn't find anything like the frame I needed. My grandma was digging around looking, and she finally found the exact one that was pictured on pinterest. It was $10, yay! I also got dry erase makers and the stuff that cleans off white boards.

 

I decided to go ahead and use what I already had for Kiera's scrapbook, since I didnt feel like having to go buy more paper just for this project.

Luckily, I had enough letters to spell out "Our Week" though I was out of "k" so I got creative (oh gee..) and used an R and cut off the top piece.

So not to bore anyone with details, I cut all the squares out from different papers, and wrote the days of the week on each one, then stuck them in the frames. The one on Pinterest starts on Sunday, but I start my weeks on Monday. It's just easier for me. 

 

J loves the idea, and he thinks I did a great job on it, though I might do a bit more on the frame itself. There are a few dings and chips in the frame that I would want to cover up, but other then that, I am pretty happy with the result. It was so easy! Now I just need to make sure I stick to the menu planning every week!