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.