Bountiful Baskets

I have done a CSA before. I definitely liked it, but you have to pay upfront for like 12 weeks and it is expensive. Bountiful baskets is something we have here in Arizona (and some other south west states), where you order and pick up a basket of fruit and veggies. You can do it every week, or every other, or once and never do it again; what ever you choose. I did it for the very first time last week and it was amazing! Loved it. It is only $15 and I got so much stuff. This week I payed $25 for the organic basket, plus $7.50 for an italian pack. I just picked it up this morning and am excited to eat everything.

Here is a picture of the Italian pack, I thought it would just be herbs and such but it is that plus more! You can also order bread, and sometimes there are bulk orders of fruit or even cookies.

They try to get local whenever possible, but I think to them, that means California. That is one thing better about a CSA is that you are supporting a local, independent farm.

Recipes I am hopefully going to make this week are:

Rosemary Bread

Rosemary Chicken

Grilled Eggplant

Roasted Zucchini with thyme

Parsley Pesto

Green beans w/almonds and thyme

Spaghetti

Some sort of apple dessert

Some sort of nectarine dessert

Does anyone else have suggestions on how to use thyme, rosemary, and parsley?

Sweet Tea

Seeing as it is 77°F outside right now. I made this wonderful yumminess:



Sweet tea with fresh mint leaves. I decided mint leaves crushed by my fingers is my new favorite smell of all time.

Updated to add: Okay, it was actually 86°F on Saturday and it is supposed to be 90 effing °F today. But then it will be back to the mid 70's by the end of the week.

Low Carb

I remember in 2002 I tried the Atkins diet for a few days. Sure I liked eating a lot of meat but I love carbohydrates and sugar. Which really became apparent to me last week when my doctor told me I have high glucose levels (or maybe it was insulin). The normal is between 2 and 25 and mine was at 24. Yikes! There is no way I want diabetes. I don't eat unhealthy really. I make most of my meals and try to eat a balanced diet. But I am eating too many carbs and sugars. Carbs actually turn into sugar and are very bad for people with diabetes and high glucose levels. I was looking around online for a good menu plan and found this one. Which I don't think will work for me because the normal meal they have has about 65 grams of carbs and my doctor wants me to only eat 35 grams at each meal and then 15 for snacks. But that is doable I think. Looking at that menu I can totally see cutting out the toast for breakfast (there is already oatmeal), maybe the crackers or one of the pieces of bread on the sandwich at lunch, and the roll at dinner.

I also found a great menu on the Food Network website. But that one doesn't show the grams of carbs per meal so I am not sure.

Also my doctor recommended taking a teaspoon of ground flaxseed about ten minutes before eating each meal. This really helps regulate your blood sugar, makes you feel fuller so you will eat less, and also has a lot of fiber so you will poop better. We are so poor right now though that I haven't gotten to Whole Foods to get it. But I will go shopping this Sunday and buy it and start on this diet. I have already started cutting out sugar and carbs, but I really want to have a menu planned out an not deviate from it. Wish me luck!