Bountiful Baskets: Round 2, Week 2

It's that time again!  I picked up our basket this morning, thankfully this time with my husband's help because it was a whopper this time.  Here is what we got:

2 bunches of swiss chard
1 head of celery
3 mangoes
4 tangelos
5 apples
3 vine tomatoes
1 cantaloupe
bananas
1 head cauliflower
1 bunch of broccoli
1 bunch asparagus
1 bunch cilantro

PLUS we ordered 2 add-ons this week:

5 loaves of ciabatta bread

and the Italian Pack which included:

1 pkg white button mushrooms
1 pkg baby bella mushrooms
2 white onions
1 red onion
1 head of garlic
basil, oregano, and rosemary
flat leaf parsley

Still working on the menu for the week, but here is what I have so far:

Today or Tomorrow: Pesto Pizza.  Husband is making it, and its really good.
Monday: Mahi Mahi with Raspberry Mango Salsa (probably with rice and some veggie on the side)
Tuesday: considering making manicotti with the swiss chard
Wednesday: probably spaghetti with leftover spaghetti sauce I have in the freezer
Thursday: Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Friday: Homemade Gnocci

So stick with me this week to see what I can do with what we got.  Try it along with me!

Bountiful Baskets: Let's Try this again...

I admit it.  I fell off the wagon with my Bountiful Baskets weekly menu project.  I have been ordering baskets this whole time, but the blogging part has kind of fallen behind.  I am recommitting myself to do better and to make sure I use everything we get.  My husband and I sat down today and decided what we are going to have for dinner each night this week, and planned most of it around what we got in our basket today, so here we go again: I am starting over from scratch and sharing my menu and then recipes of the things I make from what I got in the basket.  I will be probably spreading out the recipes over 2 weeks, but I promise I will be giving you all ideas of how to use up the different things you got.

But before we go there, I must first tell you what was in this magical basket this week.  We got a lot of stuff this time around!  Here is what we got:

1 pineapple
3 ataulfo mangoes
6 beefsteak tomatoes
6 oranges
6 apples
bananas
1 acorn squash
4 large turnips
1 bunch of spinach
1 yellow squash
1 bag of green beans
1 bag of baby yukon gold potatoes

PLUS the add-ons which were

5 loaves of sourdough bread ($10.00 extra)

and the Asian Pack ($7.50 extra) which consisted of:
1 head bok choy
1 head napa cabbage
1 bag of snow peas
basil
2 heads of garlic
and 1 bunch of scallions/green onions

Here is the plan for the week so far:

Today: Pizza made from tomatoes and basil and some fresh mozzarella cheese we bought today
Tomorrow, we're eating at my mom's house.
Monday: Chinese Sesame Beef with Bok Choy and rice
Tuesday: Stuffed Acorn Squash
Wednesday: Baked Salmon with Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes
Thursday: either leftovers or Tacos
Friday: Crock Pot Chicken Curry and Rice

Follow along with me in the next week to find recipes you can use to use up that basket.  I'll probably be using the turnips next week, and I will also include a recipe for a couple of desserts and probably a recipe for a mango and orange smoothie, so I can use that too.

Hope you'll join the fun!

Bountiful Baskets, Week 3

This would be a picture of the majority of what I got in my Bountiful Basket this week.  There is other stuff, but it's already in the fridge.  But still, are you convinced it's a good deal yet?  All of this plus more was only $15!  You need to sign up for this!!

So here is the lowdown of what I got:

4 Braeburn apples
5 Concorde pears
6 large tomatoes
a bunch of bananas
about 6 oranges
6 tangerines
some red potatoes
1 honeydew melon
2 bunches of radishes
2 big yellow onions
a head of green leaf lettuce
2 green bell peppers
1 head of celery

I'll be working on the recipes, but most of them will be part of my Thanksgiving spread.  So far I know I will be making these recipes:

Orange Cranberry Sauce
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Apple Pie

I'll keep you posted on the rest!

Bountiful Basket, Week 2 Menu

Alright, it took me a bit to figure this out, but I think I have it mostly ready to go.  Mostly this week is side dishes, but I will figure out a main dish to go with each veggie side.  Here goes nothing!

Monday: Sauteed Collard Greens with bacon, garlic, and onion.  Probably do fried chicken with that...or maybe ham.

Tuesday: Brussels Sprouts and Potato Hash.  Uses bacon and onion, too.  Not sure what the meat will be. Might be eggs instead of meat.

Wednesday: Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Italian Sausage--will use the majority of my Italian Pack, if not all.

Thursday: Roasted Chicken with mashed potatoes and green bean casserole (recipe to be determined, but it will not involve cream of mushroom soup!)  Probably some roasted cauliflower too.

Friday: Just desserts... Persimmon Cookies, and maybe another kind of apple tart to use the fujis and leftover granny smiths from last time...maybe poached pears, too.  I think I might get hubby to make sourdough pancakes for dinner...

So that's our plan for the week.  I'll probably use the cherry tomatoes in a salad to go with the spaghetti.  Follow me this week to get the recipes for these creations, and see pictures too!

Happy Cooking!

Bountiful Basket, Week 2

Alright, here we are at Week 2 of our Bountiful Baskets experiment.  One of the many cool things about getting a Bountiful Basket is that you never know what you are going to get, and the only thing you know is that you will have to find some new recipes quick once you find out what's in there!  That is the experience I am having this weekend, and here is what I got:

5 lb sack of russet potatoes
about 8 persimmons
more Bartlett pears
fuji apples
Asian pears
cherry tomatoes
bananas
cauliflower
collard greens
green beans
Brussel sprouts
grapes

I also ordered the Italian Pack which included:

fresh basil, rosemary, thyme, and flat leaf parsley
zucchini
eggplant
1 big red onion
2 big yellow onions
garlic
mushrooms

and the 9 grain bread, which was 5 loaves of fresh multi-grain bread with no preservatives and all natural ingredients.

The Italian Pack and the Bread were both add-ons to the standard traditional basket.  So this week didnt add up to only 15, it was closer to 32.  ($7.50 for the Italian Pack, and $10 for the bread.)

So the challenges this week?  Well...you probably already guessed the persimmons, but also the collards, and the brussels sprouts, and possibly the Asian pears.  The rest should be alright and pretty easy to consume.  I'll be posting my recipes tomorrow, so stay tuned for the adventures!

Bountiful Basket Menu, Week One

Alright, so I have come up with a menu for the week.  I am using what I can out of the Bountiful Basket and also some of the things I planned to make last week but need to use up because things were crazy last week.  So here we go....

Monday: Roasted Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Parsnips

Tuesday: Swedish Meatballs with Red Potatoes and Lingonberry Preserves

Wednesday: Scones with tomatoes from the garden (might make Caprese salad to go with this)

Thursday: Shredded Beef Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Friday: Chicken and Dumplings

Saturday: Potato Leek Soup

So I will be posting the recipes I haven't already posted previously on here as we go through the week.  I think I will also use the apples and pears for some sort of crisp or tart.  I'll let you know.  :)

Happy Cooking!

Bountiful Basket, Week One

Okay, so this morning I got up at 7am with my hubby to go get my first Bountiful Basket and put it in the fridge.  yes, I sacrificed sleeping in on my Saturday for this basket....that's how much I was excited about it, and how much I am dedicated to this new blog experiment.  Yes, I went to bed again when I got home, and yes, I was cranky the rest of the day, but that's beside the point.  Anywho....here is the list of what we got.

1 head of romaine lettuce
1 bunch of spinach
1 bunch of broccoli
1 bag of grapes
2 pomegranates (the big ones)
about 8 small sweet potatoes
3 parsnips
6 granny smith apples
6 Bartlett pears
1 pineapple
4 beefsteak tomatoes on the vine
2 bunches of bananas

I am in the process of coming up with ways to use these ingredients in some creative way that I haven't already used on this blog.  I will keep you posted how that goes and update the blog when I have made something new.  If you have been following this blog, you will notice none of these ingredients are things I have not used before---I have used them each in some way or another.  So this week shouldn't be too much of a challenge to get some recipes for.  My mother in law already used half of the lettuce and half of the spinach, but we will be using the rest of everything else this week.

Happy Cooking!  Go to www.bountifulbaskets.org if you would like to sign up for a bountiful basket or head up a location in your area.  Trust me, you won't regret it.  Did I mention I got all of the stuff listed above for one low contribution rate of $15??  I did.  And there is at least $50 worth of fresh produce in that list.  And they try to keep it as local as possible.  So you get super fresh and ripe produce and you are also supporting your local economy!  Good deal, huh?  So go get started!  You can thank me later.

Bountiful Baskets

I just signed up to get my first Bountiful Basket last night, and I am so excited.  When I went to visit my cousin last weekend and saw everything she got in hers I was sold.  I had been thinking about it for a long time, but this time I actually decided to do it.

Because of this new adventure and the wealth of bi-weekly produce I will be getting, I am going to start a new series of recipes that will be inspired by the produce I receive in my box every other week.  I will be needing to find new recipes and new ways to use all kinds of fruits and vegetables, so I look forward to learning new things and trying new foods.

I hope you will follow me with my new adventure and try some new things too!  If you would like to sign up for a Bountiful Basket, check out their website at www.bountifulbaskets.org and check it out!!