Monday Grocery List and Healthy Food Prep

At the beginning of the week, or whenever, and sometimes twice a week, I prep a few things. Lately, the following two have been on my favs list:

Julienned vegetables:

two very fresh zucchini
two very fresh yellow squash
five beautiful carrots
four big fresh white mushrooms, the stalks removed
a handful of very fresh cilantro

(Add all these items to your grocery list. Cilantro needs to be very fresh and I buy it twice a week so I always have a very fresh supply. I love the way it smells and tastes in food and how it makes my kitchen smell too.)

I usually buy most of my groceries at Kroger because it's my neighborhood grocery store and it's convenient and cheap. However, if the vegetables don't look irresistible, I go to Hiller's or Whole Food.

I eat an apple before I begin my prep.

Julienne the zucchini, squash, carrots and mushrooms (slice the mushrooms way thin and then along the long cut again so you have these little pin pieces). I like to julienne the zucchini, squash, and carrots as thin and as long as I can cut them. I have a mandolin, but I don't have the counter space to keep all my fancy tools out and I enjoy cutting them.

After all is julienned, they all go into a big plastic zip bag with a handful of fresh scissor-cut cilantro leaves on top.

I will use these throughout the week. For some dishes, I will heat up a pan very hot with non-stick spray and a small amount (1tsp to 1TBSP depending on the amount of veges) of soy free "Earth Balance" (that is wonderful to cook with and in the Kroger Health Food cold section). If I need more, I will add in 1 TBSP of Sunflower Oil. I hot quick-cook (throwing them into a hot pan and turning with a spatula often for a few minutes) just what I need. I often throw a bunch of the uncooked ones in afterwards and mix the two. It makes a great and yummy side-dish. Also, a handful in here and there in other dishes really makes them pop with flavor and vitamins.

Add to grocery list:

Soy Free Earth Balance (Health Food section - Krogers)
or Fresh (grass fed) Sweet or lightly salted butter
sunflower oil
parsnips
more nice carrots
package of nice slivered almonds
five assorted (why not try a few varieties!) fresh apples - great for hunger staving snacks!
3-5 fresh oranges (Along with apples, oranges can make a great "finish" to a meal!)
cinnamon
Organic Imagine Sweet Potato Soup (Health Food section - Krogers)
fresh ground pepper
fresh four pepper cracked pepper

Second Prep: Carrot - Parsnip Mix
(This is sort of a take-off on Tracy Anderson's recipe that was a sort of happy accident that turned out delicious! At least I think so!)

cut up two carrots and an equal amount of parsnips
add sprigs of scissor-cut cilantro

Stick it all in a food processor. (I have a "Magic Bullet" but I'll be damned if that thing can chop, so it's my trusty Cuisinart for me.) Pulse chop/mix/process it until it is sort of grainy. If you have to, add a few drops of water, but not more than you need. You want this gritty in texture, not baby food. Then add a touch or more (I like more!) of cinnamon. (All cinnamon is not the same. I have some fancy expensive stuff but it makes my head explode - so pure that it's sort of an irritant to me. So, for me, it's three or four shakes of my trusty household McCormic cinnamon.) I make about two cups and use it in lots of things throughout the week.

-bbffair