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Cold Sweet Potato Salad- An alternative turkey day side

Looking for an alternative to the traditional thanksgiving sides? Try this cold sweet potato salad that was included in today's boxed lunch>

3 Diced Sweet Potatoes Boiled and Chilled (Needs a bit of bite, not mushy for a mashed dish)
3 Tablespoons Local Honey
1/2 Cup Almond (Walnuts or Pecans will work too)

1 Tablespoon Dijon
1 Teaspoon Coriander
1 Teaspoon Tumeric
1 Cup Dried Cranberries

Fold honey into potatoes first then the dry ingredients. Serve cold or warm for more cozy flavor. Enjoy

Not yo mamacita's quesadilla- sirloin, blue cheese, sautéed tatsoi greens from rocky glade farm csa and havarti

Obstacle vs Opportunity

Victor Kiam, CEO of Remington, once said "Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage." I came across this quotation at a very necessary point in my processing this weekend and it is fueling my fire!

I have been filled with excitement and anxiety as I prepared a menu proposal for an upcoming possible perpetual catering event. The excitement is the opporunity to take the Nutrisha concept and of course the business to another level. The anxiety? Well, the initial consultation with the client produced a certain concern of what you may consider an Ethical Dilemna. The consumers have wanted healthy, natural, local but had that and now want Americana meat and three, maybe not so much the healthy anymore...
I stewed and simmered on whether I should even send a proposal, should I even offer my services if I am going to be shot down because Nutrisha provides nutrient dense meal service. And should I modify my presentation to simply fit the client's request? And then, as the process progressed it brought me back to the foundation of Nutrisha. When an organization has its' founder, it's genesis, it's primal development there is a mission. One or a group of persons have a vision and the mission is a compass by which all decisions are based. As a sole proprietor my soundboards are friends and family but no one that knows the picture of Nutrisha as it grows organically as I do.
The emotional component of presenting yourself, your art your work for others to reject had to be set aside. Nutrisha is not an "In your face healthy" food service, it is as a friend said- "that middle of the road food, not the unhealthy extreme but not the radical healthy extreme either". So, after completing my menu draft and could picture the flavor combinations and ways to hide healthy in every day American food I found great contentment.
In Restore, a counseling ministry of the YMCA, they have a theory about small group therapy organizations such as theirs. It may not be for the people who already know the endpoint of their journey and maybe it isn't for the people who have not entered the precontemplation phase of balance but it's for those that are looking to put their toe in the sand.

Try the shallow end of the beach before jumping into the ocean instead of standing in the sand  and believing it just won't be that fun. That is Nutrisha, sure I make energy efficient snacks for my marathon training friends but what I strive for is to provide a nutrient dense product that you didn't even know you wanted. For those not ready for the deep sea swimming, I hide the healthy. For those who already own scuba gear, I provide that fuel as well.

Who knew you could hide just about any vegetable in a grilled cheese sandwich? :)

This proposal, and if given the commission, this perpetual meal service is a great opportunity to integrate nutrient dense food into everyday American homes. So, the challenge is to look at this as an opportunity or an obstacle, I choose OPPORTUNITY! Maybe the successful entrepreneurship will follow...

Oh Gourd! Spaghetti Squash is a hit!

This morning has a true feeling of a Tennessee Fall. Thick dew covers everything, a light mist hangs in the trees and a cool 55 degrees fills the air. I welcome every new season as it is a true renewal and this morning felt very much that way. In my observation the Harvest Moon ushered in this fall feeling on Saturday and I feel it is here for awhile.

A nutrition mission...

The current standard for teaching the community "healthy living" is based on a less than effective messages such as "eat less play more". Does anyone else but me observe this tactic to be incredibly shame-based? In my educated opinion and experience, food should be celebrated not restricted! 

Nutrisha is stepping out of the box of standard nutrition community education and standard food service by giving the community a source of nourishment and nutrition education that strives to encourage a healthy relationship with food. 

Won't you join me!?

A veggie pasta sauce without the sauce....

Everyone in the house eats pasta, especially "Mac & Cheese" but the mystery powder included in the box is less than nutrient rich. One of my favorite ways to hide veggies in food is in pasta, especially with a thick sauce so it all sticks together.
In this recipe the starchy water with butter and a low moisture high flavor cheese create your sauce. No need for mystery ingredients in a box!

My boys will eat this very quickly and you can stir in any leftover cooked meat to add protein.

The next farm on the local farm tour... stay tuned!

If you enjoyed Nutrisha food this weekend or Tuesday I would like to introduce you to the small farm in Columbia that provided a large portion of the produce: Hazelwoods Produce is one of the vendors at the Marshall County Farmers Market each Friday from 6am-12pm.

 

 

I visit each Friday and will be buying in bulk as we grow Nutrisha's mobile farmers market to connect small farms like the Hazelwoods to you- therefore reducing waste and providing nutrient density through local produce delivery.

 

 

The Buff "Chick" Dip is headed to Florida for vacation.

Chicago style Italian beef, chopped kale and spinach, mozz and a drizzle of vodka sauce.

The first boxed lunch run!

Nutrisha was on the road today delivering fresh boxed lunches. What a treat to offer farm fresh produce with nutrient rich flavorful recipes to folks at work.



So, I left the nice camera at home and was not able to get a great photo of the final product but here is a last minute look at the lunches delivered today. Would love your feedback.

Slow roasted pork loin and farm fresh organic green peppers from Delvin Farm CSA in Sazon Tropical and lime juice. The pork is thin sliced and packed in the tortilla with spring mix greens, organic tomatoes and fresh spicy guac. Mixed spring greens and mozz bring balance and nutrients to this flavor packed wrap.
What's more? Fresh organic watermelon from Devlin Farm CSA alongside Apple & Brie tarts made fresh this morning.

Delivered for $10 to the first folks that responded to the ad. What a deal! So glad they enjoyed it and glad I could provide the service. This is my joy!

Eagleville Country Horse Show: The food!

Nutrisha Caters: Eagleville Country Horse Show

This event, Nutrisha's first event of this scale, exemplified the Nutrisha concept. The week leading up to the day of the event I was in contact with known and unknown local food sources. Utilizing local food, supporting small farmers and using the freshest food possible is one of the main objectives of the Nutrisha concept. From the nutrition standpoint and culinary arts using the farm fresh local produce provides more nutrient efficiency and better flavor respectively. The food offerings were created with as much local in season produce as possible and provided a fresh concession option for participants and spectators. In the spirit of local economy and community the Eagleville Country Horse Show is an annual event that supports the Community Center which provides a free or low cost venue for activities in the small town.

Nutrisha Caters: Eagleville Country Horse Show

Five years ago this weekend I attended my first horse show on the arm of my tattooed Marine friend who later became my husband. It was this event that I first witnessed a five year old ride his pony over an obstacle course and still have the phone photos of my now ten year old brother in law. I have grown into and with this family and they have broadened and deepened my knowledge of not only the horse world but farming, Norwegian life and how to be a Marine wife.

The Horse Show was so fun, I'm ready for another event!!!

Maybe, just maybe... Nutrisha has a chance to set up a booth for free (which is a BIG BIG DEAL for my new small business venture) at the upcoming Mud Run Nashville, TN.
This event raises money for breast cancer and unlike 5k events is FUN and Messy! Just what I have been looking for! I will be running in the Mud Run with "Saving Second Base" and hopefully setting up a booth with Nutrisha goodies.
If you want to run with our team go ahead and register with us, will be so fun!

Nashville Go Girl Mud Run

 

Farm fresh berries for horse show concessions

Another trip to Bee Sweet Berry Farms, this time to secure supplies for a catering event...

Tuesday morning I called the fine folks at Bee Sweet Berry Farm in Lewisburg TN to find out if I would be able to use fresh berries. Good news! Raspberries were ready to be picked! Since I had met Ron on my previous trip to the berry farm I was pleased to be able to talk to and later meet Judi. When I first started this endeavor I imagined a scenario just like this: "Good morning, this is Trish from Nutrisha. I will be catering a horse show this weekend and would like to use some of your berries if you have any available". We chatted about the dark clouds forming in the area and how the rain makes the berries too fragile to pick and we would reconnect the next morning.

Florida Food Tour: The Perfect Cup- Matlacha, FL

Did you know that the tiny fishing community of Matlacha, FL ( pronounced Mat-La-Shay) has it's very own coffee roaster? Okay, if you have never been to or even heard of Matlacha then Florida tourism is doing exactly what it intends, keeping you in Orlando and Destin. If you are familiar with this island rich with art and grouper then you know the REAL Florida, the Florida I was fortunate to call a second home to Tennessee.

Florida Food Tour: Ceviche Downtown St. Pete

The dinner that almost wasn't and the service that was mediocre...

When I read restaurant recommendations for the downtown St. Petersburg area, everyone insisted on Ceviche. Ceviche is a Spanish tapas restaurant with three different dining experiences depending on your preference. We opted for the outdoor patio complete with wrought iron tables, chairs and umbrellas. It was 9:45pm when we finally got out to our dinner destination so there was concern that we might not even get to sample the acclaimed menu. Good news! They take their last tables in this side of the restaurant at 10 and we made it just in time. While the tapas we sampled were well constructed I was disappointed (again) with the standard of service and knowledge of local fish by the wait staff. The disappointment appeared again at dessert, but we will talk about that in a minute.

Florida Food Tour: Dinner at Fresco's Waterfront

Dinner at Fresco's Waterfront in downtown St. Petersburg. It was a celebratory dinner so we enjoyed sparkling wine with a Smoked Salmon Flatbread Pizza. This was a wonderful representation of intuitive eating as soon as it hit the table. First the rich scent of fresh basil and red onion. Although the toppings were a somewhat unevenly distributed the ingredients melded very well. Capers, tomatoes, spinach, pesto, red onion, green and parmesean on a cream cheese base. Imagine that lox combo on a bagel, in sushi or on a crostini in a first class flight and put it on a pizza crust! But better...

Pomegranate Coconut Spritzer!

What is better for a military wife/full time mom during a training and preparing for a move than getting help from a friend during the day and the grandmother taking the grandboys home for the night? Well, that would be the best spritzer I have ever created!

As a wife of the military we often undergo long term separations from our spouse. Add two little darlings under 3 and you often get a pressure cooker of frustration from the kids and the mom. So, in preparation for a quick upcoming move and need to prepare for dad's homecoming it's easy to take only 1 step forward in progress and get pushed back 3 steps by the little darlings.

Coconut Icee!!

I love coconut!

So much so that everytime I come out to the Creekstone to work in the Test Kitchen I stop by the local market and pick up coconut gelato. Today at Starbucks, ordered a (In true veteran barista style) a "Tall Whole Milk Coconut Misto". The Barista behind the counter replied, "That sounds really good!". I of course agreed.  Yes, the coconut syrup is not natural, but I had a babysitter for a couple hours and opted to indulge my coconut desire by way of Starbucks.

Panini Panini

Kids love grilled cheese, and so do I! What I love most about a grilled cheese (other than the butter and cheese) is the versatility. You can stuff just about anything into the center, given you have added adequate cheese to mold it all tog...ether. Today the boys had Gouda & Yellow Tomato panini and I enjoyed this colorful panini. Here is the how to. 

 Saute kale, sliced roma shaped or cherry tomatoes (whatever is in season) in butter. The liquid from the tomatoes helps to wilt the kale. Empty pan on a plate and butter pan for bread, I used herb & garlic white cheddar with turkey pepperoni. Cooked one side first to melt then the second with more cheese and the additional ingredients before 'closing'.

So good, so fresh, and full of colorful micronutrients! My key to nutrition? Just add more color. Whatever you are going to eat already will not be ruined by adding something scary like kale, spinach or chard. Here is the secret: Chop whatever you are attempting to add for the first time very tiny so that no one chooses to take the bite or not. If your "pump it up" extra ingredient is tiny in every bite then it will stay stealth in texture and flavor. Chances are it will spread out the salt and fat that is probably overtaking the dish anyway.

For example: If I came to your house to make dinner on the fly and all you had were a bag of frozen chinese ready to go meal such as sesame chicken and a a bag of frozen veggies, both of those items are going to be cooked. The amount of sauce in that ready to go meal in too heavy really for what is needed to flavor the meat and the body will love the boost of vitamins and flavor from the veggies. Not to mention the colon which will already be struggling a little with that chicken :)

 

Again, the point is not "Don't eat this, restrict that" it is all about enhancing flavor, color, texture, and nutrient density of food by just trying new things or the colorful foods you already have. Use what you got!

 

 

Juggle, balance, maintain, sustain

Last week I received a beautiful, overflowing box of fresh organic produce from my CSA at Devlin Farms in College Grove.  Eggplant, tomatoes, garlic kale, potatoes, etc... I began planning in my head what would come of this treasure box as my 2 year old son calls it. Eggplant Parm! Of course, a good Italian girl always knows how to make that and jumps at the opportunity to do so with fresh ingredients. Flashback, in 4th grade we had an international fair of some sort at my school and I made Eggplant Parmesean for my country's dish, nerd, even then... :)
The next exciting idea I felt was Ratatouille! Of course! The previous week I was going to make a psuedo version since I did not have eggplant but lots of zucchini and squash but did not, not sure what happened... A new found respect for French cuisine since taking the class at the Viking University in Franklin last month, that and the 2 year old has watched the cartoon movie Ratatouille many times since renting it from the library. Side note: the movie never includes the making of the traditional French cuisine made from summer vegetables and thyme.
Flash forward to the last 96 (in the Marines, as I have become so accustom as a military wife, a 96 is basically your long weekend, time off or 96 hours...) and I feel the reality of well, reality. The 2 year old is in a power struggle with mom as he is missing dad during this long training period. The 1 year old has finally broken a tooth through the gums and is letting me know it through fits, diarrhea/diaper rash and midnight waking...
The reality of a full time mom and military wife with dreams of culinary nutrition? I am the captain of a ship I cannot turn and sometimes I have to ride the tide. Those beautiful eggplant, heirloom tomato, zucchini, squash, onion and garlic are sitting on the counter at the Creekstone Test Kitchen waiting for me. I hope they do not rot before I return this week as I intend to fulfill my culinary goal for the week.
Yes, the days will go on. Yes, the boys are beautiful and basically healthy. And Yes, I am a lucky gal and have wonderful support and resources. Yet, I don't mind humbly and frustratingly admit that this week in training I was overcome by the fatigue and gave in where I would rather have fight against.
We love, for what else do we have!? I love this life and the exciting journey I am taking and if I hit a few snags a long the way, so be it. That is life, that is real food, that is the point.

Food Paradigm Shift...

Paradigm shift. Systems change. However you label it, it can be daunting. We are so used to our NORMALITY however destructive it may be. I have been intimidated to take the big step to 'greenify' and naturalize my home and food, even with all I know about why it is the way to go. It was part of a new year objective and I am failing and succeeding all at the same time, such is the life in TRAINING. A wise man often tells me "Try = Fail, Just DO" and in a similar idea is the training versus trying that is taught in the Restore book Journey to Freedom. I humbly admit that I am in training on this Sage Endeavor as I have named it. Through my own successes and failures and culinary nutrition I hope to encourage and teach along the way- all through food!

The first Meat CSA share for the season!

CSA- Community Supported Agriculture is, in short, an investment up front in the local farmer of your choice and in return you as the consumer recieve both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards! Local Harvest is a good resource to find a CSA, Farmers Market or any other local goods in your area.

When I met my husband he at McDonalds three times a day, no, that is not an exaggeration. When you are a twenty-something studly Marine, you can do that I guess. The less gross part of that story is that he used to tell me he was a Carnivasaurus... loved meat. So, since I am often short on protein in the house, this CSA was insurance that I would be able to keep him fed in house and out of the drive thru.

For about $400 I bought a half share (both my produce CSA at Delvin Farms and the meat CSA offer a half or whole share) at Peaceful Pastures in Hickman, TN. Let's be honest, I picked this meat CSA because they were at the West Nashville Farmers Market when I signed up for the Delvin Farms CSA. A selling point being they were able to show us a bag of what a share looks like, that sold me. I also like that they make bath products (out of the fat), love the idea of Waste Not!

Fear NO Food!

Greetings friends and food seekers!

Welcome to the inaugural post of the official Nutrisha blog! As the title suggests today I am speaking to the subject of fear, specifically in food but personally in general.
I love food! I love the art that is found in the colors of fresh fruits and vegetables, the distinct texture color and viscosity of an hard boiled egg (although the yolk is something I will always give away- it is just something I have never enjoyed) and the endless combinations of possible creations!

Now the fear. Fear presents differently for everyone. Some fear weight gain, weight loss, cholesterol, sugar, that 4-letter word CARB... Some fear portions, eating in front of others or even shopping for groceries for fear of Cart Judgement. Yes, I can relate to similar fears. The over-analytical mind of a person neurotic enough to pursue the field of nutrition does not come by a science passion without a few ticks.