Big 100!

This is my 100th post! I had hoped that I would have something really fun planned for the big 100, but basically all you are going to get is a recap of my weekend so far. Sorry! To make it more celebratory, I'll just put in more exclamation points than usual. :)

CSA Photo Shoot!
As I mentioned before, we got our CSA box on Friday. You can tell it's fall - the box seemed more full than usual! Check out the haul:

Cantaloupe, romaine lettuce, beets, swiss chard, fingerling potatoes, one giant heirloom tomato, red peppers, apples, and pears. I can't believe we get all of this for only $25!

And in case you can't tell how gigantic that tomato is:

B thought it was a grapefruit when we opened the box!

And yes, I am wearing a Silly Band on my wrist. If you don't know what Silly Bandz are, you probably don't work with kids! They are a BIG DEAL!

[Source]

My particular Silly Band was a gift from a student who gave it to me because it is in the shape of a penguin and I have penguin things all over my classroom. If I've learned anything in three years of teaching, it's that when a student gives you a gift, you need to use it! Otherwise, they get their feelings hurt. :(

Cookies!
Yesterday afternoon, while B was at a Physics teacher training, I whipped up a batch of Apricot Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are exquisite.

I made just a few modifications:

• 1 cup all purpose flour + 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 3/4 cups oats instead of 2
• reduced butter to 1 1/2 cups
• accidentally used baking powder instead of soda (no ill effects though)

I  had a few after dinner yesterday, then one with my coffee this morning, and maybe another one today after lunch. B originally turned his nose up at the dried apricot, but has definitely changed his tune. I really recommend waiting until they are cool to taste-test though. The dried apricot doesn't have the best flavor when it is hot out of the oven.

The recipe makes a lot of cookies (but I like to make them small-ish), so after baking up two dozen, I still had quite a bit of dough left. So, I made balls of dough, put them on parchment, and froze them...

...then tossed the frozen dough into a ziplock bag and put it back in the freezer. Now it's super easy to have cookies during the week without making a huge batch!

One of my favorite kitchen shortcuts!

Running!
B and I did what felt like a super slow four mile run this morning. In truth, I kept a 8:40min/mi pace throughout, but my legs felt like lead. My knee is still giving me some grief and it is incredibly frustrating. Right around the time my breathing settles down and my body feels ready to really tackle the miles, my knee gives up. I'm currently dealing with some health insurance issues (I signed up for insurance with my school district, but then realized that I would have better coverage if I used B's insurance, so now we are trying to make the swap but of course there is a ton of paperwork involved), but as soon as we get it figured out, I'm heading to the doctor.

Leftovers!
After our run this morning, I parked myself on the couch with leftovers for lunch:

Mexican Veggie Soup (no longer very soupy though!), and Veggie Chickpea Curry (and maybe a cookie or two). Now I'm icing my knee, watching Buffy reruns, and grading papers.

It looks like it might rain today!!

Friday Socks

Hooray for Friday! We're officially at the end of the second week of school. My students are solving analogies and drawing plot maps. It's still HOT and B and I are eating a lot of leftovers. I'm excited for the 3-day weekend!

Friday Socks by drywell

During the summer, lunch is a meal that maybe happens, maybe doesn't happen, maybe happens at 3pm, etc. I eat when I'm hungry and I eat whatever happens to be around. I do a lot of breakfast for lunch in the summer time and I do a lot of "grazing" all through the day.

During the school year, though, lunch is a big deal but it takes me a while to get into the swing of things. For the past 3 years, I have lost ~5 pounds in the first month of school and have had to take naps every afternoon simply because I forget to pack enough food for lunch. Not healthy! This year, I'm trying to be better right from the start. My teaching (and quality of life in general) really suffers when I'm not properly fueled.

This is my lunch box. Isn't it cute? It's actually almost too small for all the food I pack, but fortunately it's stretchy. Brian has a matching one in solid green. We are nerdy.

Here is a typical packed lunch for Mrs. Ellis:

Grapes for midmorning snacking,

Carrots and hummus for late morning snacking,

Leftovers (or a huge salad with a hardboiled egg) for lunch. Today I had leftover salsa verde enchiladas, based loosely off of Caitlin's recipe,

Nuts and dried fruit (almonds/figs!) for whenever I need a little snack,

Fruit for my drive home. Today, a slightly wrinkly peach. Usually, an apple. This might be the most important part of my packed lunch. If I don't eat something on my commute home (it's long and very traffic-y), I devour everything in sight upon arrival!

We get our CSA box today! As usual, I peeked at the list. I was disappointed to be getting broccoli again...

Healthy Food Blogger Confession Time: 

I don't like broccoli. 

It's not that I dislike the taste of broccoli especially, it's just not the first thing I grab at the grocery store. In fact, I basically never grab it at the grocery store, even though I know it's a majorly nutrient dense food. We got two bunches of broccoli in our last CSA box and they sat in the crisper until last night, when I peeked at the list for this week and realized, "Crap, I'm getting more broccoli! I have to eat what we have!"

I decided to roast it after seeing this recipe, promising the best broccoli of my life.

[source]

That won't be terribly difficult, I thought. A little pessimistic, I know.

So I chopped and tossed and roasted and, dare I say it, I'm actually looking forward to more broccoli this week. It might be the first thing I devour from our delivery. This was seriously good broccoli.

What is one veggie (or any food, really) that you know is good for you, but you never eat?
I used to refuse to eat spinach. I'm almost ashamed to say that now!

Greeeeeens!

That's what I think every other Thursday night, as I anticipate the arrival of our CSA box on Friday morning.

I always try not to peek at the Farm Fresh to You website, so I'll be surprised when the box arrives, but I was the kid who tore the house apart looking for presents the week before Christmas, so I'll let you take a guess at how well that works out for me (tomorrow's box looks good).

**Remember, Farm Fresh to You delivers to a TON of locations in Northern California! If you're interested in getting a delivery (totally customizable, get it every week, every other week, once a month, etc) sign up here, use coupon code 6164 to get $$ off your first box, and mention Megan Ellis.**

Despite my sheer exhaustion, I managed to drag my butt outside for a run when I got home from work this afternoon. I only had 3 miles scheduled (which I have been putting off since Tuesday) and I told myself that if I couldn't manage to run 3 measly miles, I should be ashamed of myself. I'm not going to lie, sometimes I have to guilt myself into a workout. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm too lazy to pull out the iPod, so here are some rough run stats:

• Total Distance: 3mi
• Total Time: ~26min
• Average Pace: 8:55min/mi

Also, I'm happy to report that I'm blogging from the couch on my beautiful new Macbook. That I got for free. For my job. Teaching 11-year-olds. Being a teacher totally rocks.

More Greens!

No, not another Green Monster.... yet!

After taking Brian to the airpot (he is spending the next five days with a friend from college in Illinois. They are going caving, camping, and kayaking!), I came home to find this beauty sitting on our front porch:

 

Oh yeah, our first CSA box from Farm Fresh to You! I have been eagerly awaiting its arrival all week!

Inside I found all these goodies:

According to the newsletter, we received: 1lb Red Flame grapes, 1 seasonal melon, 1lb yellow nectarines, 1.5lbs mixed squash, 1 bunch of Nantes carrots, .5lbs Gypsy peppers, 1lb tomatoes, 1 bunch of celery, and 1 bunch of basil.

We will be receiving a box like this every 2 weeks from FFTY. It's costing us $25 a box and I am super excited to start experimenting with more fresh produce! 

If you live in the SF Bay Area and are interesting in trying a CSA, FFTY has a refer-a-friend program where you can get $5 your first delivery and I will get a free delivery! Use promo code 6164 and mention Megan Ellis.

SUPER EXCITING EDIT!: Farm Fresh to You delivers all the way up in the Sacramento area too! Go crazy, NorCal friends!

The other fun green news I have concerns my lunch yesterday. I drove to Walnut Creek to visit my sorority sister, bridesmaid, and awesome friend Lindy.

At my wedding last summer!

She took me to lunch at Tomatina and I had a piadine.

Basically, a piadini is a big, warm flatbread right out of the woodfire oven topped with a salad. When you get it, you fold it in half and eat it like a big taco! I had the Caprese piadine (Romaine hearts, fresh mozzarella, oven-dried tomatoes, pesto, balsamic vinaigrette, and parmesan) on a wheat flatbread. 

Wowowow! I am going to have to learn how to make these ASAP! The combo of the warm bread with the cool salad was to die for. I could eat one of these every single day! It looks like there are lots of recipes out there, so I'll start experimenting soon!

Two questions for you today:
1. Do you participate in a CSA? How often do you get your box?
2. Have you ever had piadine? Do you make your own?