vegetables – Designing Goldilocks

So I started a veggie box subscription to a local farm. The subscription is weekly and guarantees I’ll always have fresh vegetables. My order is filled automatically. All I need to do is pick it up at the farm.

I’m on week 5. The boxes have included carrots, beets, turnips, radishes, green onions, and lettuce mixes. Because the farmer chooses vegetables that look best that week, it’s always a surprise when I open the box.

But we are a household of 2. And John isn’t the biggest fan of vegetables. Even if I cooked every night, I still would have leftover vegetables.

Enter the smoothie.

I hate throwing food away, even before the pandemic. So anytime I can use up all the ingredients in my refrigerator, especially in a healthy way, I go for it.

Smoothies are perfect for that. And all I need is a blender, and a little imagination. It helps that I also keep frozen fruits on hand.

Here are 3 recent creations:

Beet It: Beets, frozen mango, frozen pineapple, frozen strawberries, honey and water.

Trinity: Carrots, celery, apple, a dash of ground ginger and water.

Lawnmower Clippings (John named this one): Lettuce, frozen mango, frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple, honey and water.

How do you use leftover vegetables? I’m open to ideas.

A veggie box subscription guarantees fresh vegetables for salads, side dishes and smoothies.
Photo by Cindy Hernandez

Covid19, aka the coronavirus, has all of us scrambling to stock our pantries and medicine cabinets with items to take us well into the coming weeks at worst or months at best.

But even the most-prepared among us can use a tip or two on how to stretch those items.

Here are 9 ration tips that do just that:

Stretch a buck. Peanut butter and bread yield numerous calorie-dense meals.

Travel case. Leftover travel-size hand sanitizer, hotel soaps, fever reducer and facial tissue can get you out of a bind.

First Aid kit. Most are filled with bandages, ointments and gauze. Tailor the kit to suit your household needs by adding disinfecting wipes, fever reducer and other essentials.

Strategize. Part A = Save hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and masks for when encountering the public.

Strategize. Part B = Use other household products for everyday cleaning.

Citrus trees. Share your oranges or seek out those who have orange trees to help prevent scurvy.

Eat perishable foods first. But stock up on fruits and vegetables when available to stay healthy.

Games, puzzles, cards. Eat only when you’re hungry. Occupy your time with Jenga, Scrabble or Solitaire.

Conserve bottled water. Replace your refrigerator water filter regularly and save bottled water for emergencies.

Tag: vegetables

Farm-fresh smoothies

Ration tips by Goldilocks