I’ve mentioned before that we recently joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Long story short, we pay in advance for a box of freshly picked, local produce.
Why? Is it cheaper? Is it all organic?
Well…because our family NEEDS to get to eating more veggies…and just healthier in general. Don’t get me wrong, we eat okay for the most part. And I even cook a veggie with dinner every night. It’s just that…well…it’s pretty much the same 6 or 7 veggies over and over and over again.
I swore I’d branch out and put different produce in my cart at the grocery store…but when it came right down to it, I didn’t. I just reached for the familiar broccoli or asparagus or Henry’s all time favorite food in the whole universe: artichokes. (Seriously. The kid begs for artichokes. For his birthday dinner he asked for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and artichokes.)
The bad part of being in a CSA is that you get what you get. Beyond an email a couple of days before, you don’t know what you’ll be getting…and at least in this case, you don’t get to pick what comes in your box. So…for a relative veggie newbie like me, it’s kinda terrifying.
Thank you Google, You Tube, and All Recipes. I would never be able to do a CSA without you.
BUT…it forces me to try new foods and recipes because I don’t want food I paid for to go bad. So I’m stuck with it. Which…is actually a good thing. Because I’ve proven I won’t branch out on my own accord.
Check this thing out.
That’s my almost six year old…holding up a head of Napa Chinese Cabbage.
Thanks to the internets I found out that it’s the stuff you use in those yummy Chinese chicken salads. I’d have never known.
Those little potatoes? Fingerling potatoes. The deep purple and red skin on them? Goes all the way through…not just the skin the way a red potato is. They are DELICIOUS.
A secret? I HATE carrots. Gaaaaag. Cannot. So gross.
Carrots freshly picked and not transported across who knows how many miles? SWEETNESS. I could eat bowls of them at a time.
Trust me, no one is more surprised than I am by this discovery.
And then there are the leeks.
I thought these purple things were leeks. They are not. They are purple scallions. Which is a really fancy way of saying little purple onions.
Honestly, I feel kinda dumb every time I get a new box…there always seems to be at least a couple of things I don’t even recognize!
Oops. I mean, at 32 years old, I’m kinda embarrassed.
Last night, I made Potato Leek Soup.
Y’all….it was GOOD. Like, maybe one of my favorite soups in all the land (next to Pasta e Fagioli of course).
Except that I didn’t even know what part of a leek you were supposed to even eat and I full on had to watch a YouTube video just to see what you actually ate and how to cut it.
THIS IS HOW NOT A VEGETABLE PERSON I AM. It’s not good.
But I’m liking this new adventure. It’s good for my family and my cooking skills. Venturing out.
In fact, I just bought one of these
Turns out that March is National Nutrition Month and Excedrin Migraine asked if I would work with them again as a brand ambassador. Obvs I said yes.
How does this all tie together?
As my hormones start doing that crazy dance post pregnancy and as Owen gets bigger and nurses less, my migraines are slowly beginning to eek their way back into my life. I’ve only had a couple so far, but I don’t think it will be long before I’m back at the old game.
There are lots of foods that can trigger migraines. Things like alcohol citrus fruits, nuts and stuff with MSG. Even chocolate and coffee! You poor, poor souls. I can’t imagine.
I’ve found that watermelon flavored candy gives me a migraine. Not actual, delicious fresh watermelon…just say, watermelon Jolly Ranchers and stuff. Sends me into a tailspin almost immediately. Weird, right?
In the meantime, it also turns out that emerging science suggests that foods rich in magnesium (like kale and broccoli) can support healthy brain function. Our CSA box always has kale. Maybe that will help keep my head in check in the coming months?
If you struggle with migraines (and I’m so so so sorry if you do…they are the WORST!), you can start to figure out what your triggers are by using the My Migraine Triggers app developed by the makers of Excedrin. It’s pretty cool and I have a feeling it’s going to be coming in mighty handy pretty soon.
In light of National Nutrition Month, and a healthier noggin, Excedrin Migraine gave me the opportunity to give away TWO gift baskets with the following items:
- The Veggie-Peel – This fruit and vegetable peeler features a patented, built-in chamber that retains peels during use. Scraps are held in the chamber, eliminating messy peelings and clogged sinks.
- Harold Import Company Avo Saver – Avo Saver is easy to use and will reduce a cut avocado’s exposure to air, greatly slowing the destructive oxidization process.
- Dressing Emulsifier – Mix up and store salad dressings. It’s very easy to use; simply remove the top of the Emulstir, fill with oil, vinegar and herb replace lid and squeeze the handle to blend.
- Two Tier Microwave Steamer Food Cooker – This microwave steamer retains more vitamins & nutrients than other means of cooking vegetables, perfect for healthy cooking. It allows you to cook/steam two dishes at once, fits in most microwave ovens and is dishwasher safe.
**Congrats to D Money and Jen M.!!!! You won a gift basket of kitchen gear!!!! Yay!
I am a paid Excedrin ® Migraine blog ambassador. Along with compensation, three giveaways were provided by Novartis Consumer Health, Inc., the makers of Excedrin® Migraine; my journey for a migraine-free experience is my own.
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I’m trying to make more home made breads, and my husband and I are putting more time into building our non-profit called Family Garden Initiative. It’s a project to get nutritious food via above ground veggie gardens to low income families.
Mari´s last blog post ..Inst-Friday and a Fundraiser
I’ve been buying organic fruits and veggies. Once our snow melts (if it ever does!) I’ll be buying as much food as I can from our local farmers market. My biologist parents were really good about keeping antibiotics/pesticides/preservatives out of our diet. I’m trying to make an effort to do that for my family as well.
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I got my garden going again this year. I have tomatoes and lettuces sugar snap peas and several different kinds of peppers. I also planted some garlic and an onion. But I plan to start planting all my onion ends so I wont have to buy them anymore. My husband and I are trying to eat healthy. We are both over weight. So the garden serves 2 purposes. Veggies and it helps my mental health.
Amber´s last blog post ..Normal
I feel your pain with migraines. I suffer from them too.. :(
Our family is eating healthier by cutting down on all the junk and adding some good fruits and veggies to our diet.. Amazing what a little change will do!
I’ve been transitioning my family into a “cleaner eating” lifestyle. We now make it a priority to buy more fresh and less frozen foods. We are skipping the “nuke something” type dinners and trying out new and exciting recipes. I’ve discovered that I L-O-V-E avocados and try to incorporate them into everything. Within the last few months, I’ve also started blogging about our lifestyle change, in an effort to keep me accountable.
Daphne´s last blog post ..How about some randomness?
I loved this post, and have been thinking of joining a CSA! My hubs and I are on day 24 of a Whole 30 – eliminating all sugar, grains, legumes, dairy and processed foods from our diet. We both feel amazing! Thanks for the chance to win :)
looks yummy! I should see if there’s a food box in my community – doctors encouraged a full fruit/veggie and protien diet to help with my hormons to get me feeling better — seems like a cool way to try new vegetables!
Bailey´s last blog post ..Black & White Sunday
I love farm boxes! We’ve experienced some weird stuff that way and when in doubt, just throw that thing in ye olde juicer … I also have a policy at farmer’s markets to buy whatever I’ve never seen before and was pleasantly delighted the first time I ate cherimoya. Recently I took my entire family off all grains, starches, dairy and sugar for health reasons and have seen some insanely amazing benefits from it. My husband gets migraines from stress, lack of sleep and staring at a computer screen too long but as long as I can get him in bed with some Tylenol and a benadryl (too prevent the throwing up, works like a charm) he can usually sleep it off just fine.
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I buy organic when I see it at th regular store! I know thats small but it is a start! I think I would enjoy a CSA box, but be clueless about what to do with it!
Bobbie´s last blog post ..Monday Day book
We Love fingerling potatoes : ) That basket you show is what we get all summer long from our organic farming friends nearby. It’s awesome. And yes, many months we thought we had turnips which turned out to NOT be turnips but some veggie I never heard of that we learned to get creative with, lol
Kerry @ Made For Real´s last blog post ..Tuesday Prayers
We’ve been trying to eat different veggies, too. My SD will only eat raw carrots, corn on the cob (not frozen corn!) and broccoli. That’s it. I’m so sick of those! I’d love to do a CSA box, but I don’t think I’d be able to handle it right now.
We are cutting out processed food and get 2 organic bountiful baskets http://www.bountifulbaskets.org every two weeks! I’ve also switched from white sugar to honey, agave nectar or dates to sweeten in recipes! We go through lots of dishes, sometimes 2 per day but it’s worth it! I stopped getting headaches and I have a lot more energy. I don’t feel groggy at night! It’s still a process but we are working hard on it!
I’ve recently joined crossfit to workout more. And because i’m working so hard in the gym, I have naturally started to eat better so I don’t un-do all the hard work I’ve put in. I’ve cut out most processed foods and other “bad” carbs (breads, pasta, chips, cookies) and it actually hasn’t been that bad or limiting. I’ve also discovered a love of roasted brussel sprouts in the process!!
When my son started solids, I wanted to make my own baby food after reading all the preservatives and junk that they put into packaged baby food! It’s really inspired my husband and myself to really read labels and eat more whole foods vs. processed!
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I have started to really watch what I eat. Those new tools would make it a lot of fun to try new things in the kitchen. Thanks!
we had a friend give us a juicer this past weekend. we started juicing yesterday morning. i’m hoping it’ll help us to feel better overall. and since we’re only using it for breakfast at the moment, it’ll help us make wiser choices throughout the day…
becca @ sewLOVED´s last blog post ..and then, there was that one time…
Oh all my fingers are crossed that I win this one (thanks for the giveaway!) my family SO needs to eat better. I am currently 30 weeks pregnant and struggling to keep veggies front of mind rather then chips and cookies. mmmm…cookies :) I also need help figuring out how to serve veggies, keep them fresh, etc. so this giveaway is PERFECT! Otherwise…my hubs is not a fan of me trying to purchase more gadgets but I just KNOW i would use these :)
We LOVE our CSA, we have had one for 5 years now. Unfortunately, this year our farmer has decided to sell his farm (too much work at his age he says). That napa cabbage makes amazing kimchi, if you like spicy fermented foods that is :-) Otherwise, I would use it to make stir-fry.
As far as the headaches go, I removed dairy from my diet (mainly my beloved cheese) and the headaches disappeared.
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So fun, I want to start doing CSA too!
I have started walking in the evening and eating less bread and sugar! I am starting to notice a difference in how I feel big time! I am not worrying about other stuff I eat just less sugar overall and less bread.
I too suffer from migraines – yuck! Have you considered trying Imitrex? Its not over the counter so its for the bad ones and it works amazingly well!
Have a great day!
xoTiffany
tiffany day´s last blog post ..Celebration Give-A-Way
Holy Cabbage! I am going to see if they have one of those co-ops here on the east coast. I’ve been trying to eat healthier but incorporating smoothies into our diet (giving us more calcium and fruits). I love it and they are so simple, (plain vanilla yogurt, milk and whatever fruit (even fruit cups!) I have around the house.
We are part of a small CSA too and I’ve learned so much about different veggies – it’s amazing. I still can’t get my almost 5 year old to try too many new things, but I won’t give up! He recently decided he likes cauliflower, so maybe it’s a win. We also watch alot of cooking shows with him and that’s seemed to help broaden his horizons a bit :)
I think this pregnancy I’ve been craving fruit and salad, so I’ve been doing pretty good on the health spectrum – lets hope that sticks once the kid is out!
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I so wish we had a CSA offered near us. Small town and all that. If there was I’d be all over that in a heartbeat. I’m so jealous of all your fresh from the earth veggies!
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We’ve started trying to eat more veggies as well! I tend to get in a rut with which ones I buy, though. Maybe for my April shopping I will branch out!
I need to exercise more and eat less junk.
Just joined our CSA for the 2nd year. Sadly we don’t start getting produce till May due to Midwest weather. But I did learn how to cook some new things last summer i.e. swiss chard! I’d never even eaten that before.
I’m scared to sign up for a CSA again. We did one last summer, and a couple weeks after the first box came I got pregnant, was puking all summer and had to give almost every last box away! Disaster! But, I just had a baby, so now I’m exercising more and trying to get my core strength back. I’m afraid it’s left for good, though.
I joined Weight Watchers in October. So far I’ve lost just over 5% of my starting weight and I’m starting to eat a bit healthier. I too make a veggie with every dinner but it was one of only 4 things.
Since it is just me I haven’t joined a CSA but I do go to the Farmer’s Market once a week in the summer to get fresh stuff.
Tonya B´s last blog post ..be back soonish
I’ve cut out drinking any soda and already feel better!
I started the Nutrisystem D for diabetics and one of the things I’m supposed to do and started doing is add vegetables and fruit to my diet either as a side dish or snack. I didn’t do those on a regular basis and now I’m doing it more. I’m getting veggies and cutting them up (or the ones already cut up) and putting them in small bags so I can just grab a ready-to-eat bag. With fruit, I cut it up and put in a small container and then when I grab that, I’ll add yogurt or some topping. So nice and it’s yummy.
I’ve started planning meals and sticking to it! Using the Paprika app on my ipad has helped stick to this goal longer than I ever have before. (Two months so far….)
We’ve recently moved to Singapore to train as missionaries to come back to the United States. We don’t have complete control over what we eat, but we’ve stuck to a schedule of only having “sweets/sugary goodness” on Sundays… usually it’s bubble tea :) And we’re taking the stairs EVERYWHERE and not using the “lifts”. Love the gift basket!
Well, I joined a gym back in Jan, went all of 6 times, and then canceled my membership. So there’s that. I have tried buying more veggies and branch out of my comfort zone. I ended up letting my husband and kids eat the veggies while I ate mac n cheese. Though I did discover I actually do like tomatoes. Apparently my younger self was lying to me. But tomatoes are really fruits, so I’m not sure that counts.
I am intrigued to look into a CSA or something like that around here. I think I’ve heard them being called veggie co-ops or something.
Eating less premade “junk” food, and more freshly made with quality (sometimes) organic food.
I have done two things very recently. Making more time for me at the gym. Cardio while someone else is watching my kids, also gets reading homework done. Also cleaning more, you know to spread/share less bacteria. With kids it’s important, but I suck at it.
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More variety in fruts and veggies!
I’ve recently been diagnosed with diabetes and I’m fighting to change my eating habits. It is so hard. I love alone and my bad habits had become many. I’m going to look into fresh veggies here. I don’t know if they scale it down by size of family but it’s worth a try to eat better and slow the diabetes down as well. Thanks for your good ideas!!!
I am avoiding the prepackaged goodies. Such as, Little Debbie.
On the watermelon candy note, that is not weird if you are allergic to artificial food colors, for example Red No. 6.
this is good! you inspire me. i will have to check if there is something like that down here. i would be so afraid it would mostly get wasted. i don’t spend enough time preparing meals in the kitchen. i want the whole thing to take me 30 minutes or less, since it gets eaten in 7 minutes or less!
krystina´s last blog post ..while i was out…
Leeks are great. Enjoy your veggie box and yay for new and exciting veggies!
Migraines. Yucky pooey! Mine are triggered by smells, allergies and weather. Yay, me. LOL
Cheers,
Caryl
I definitely need to eat better…more veggies, etc. I’d love to get one of these boxes, but there is WAY too much food for just two of us! SO glad you are enjoying your veggie box though!
I make most of our food from scratch and try to buy the dirty dozen organic when I can but I have been taking a hard look at all the beauty products that we use. I am trying to make more and more of it homemade.
We’ve cut out as much wheat as possible (a la “Wheat Belly”, not a gluten issue), eat every 2-3 hours and more fish. My husband got into juicing a bit too, but is doing the shake thing now. It feels good to cut out so much pasta that we used to eat.
I’m thinking if you regularly make asparagus and artichokes you’re about a million miles ahead of me!
We pretty much have green beans, corn, or occasionally carrots around here. I did however recently discover how delicious avacados are. Nutty without the gag factor of peanut butter. Yum!
I’m a therapist and went to a training called “8 Dimensions of Wellness” yesterday. It was a really cool training incorporating all aspects of health into the lives of clients and staff. I’m committing to pack my lunch again regularly. It’s so bad for my health (and my wallet) to eat out 1-2 times per day.