In this week’s bag:

• arugula
• breakfast radishes
• field greens
• red delicious apples
• rapini
• braising mix

Gosh was I excited when I saw all those greens; just what the body craved! I had a few extra moments in between shifts last night so I whipped up a super simple, super quick meal for the beau and I: marinated and “grilled” portobello mushrooms with braising greens and farro.

First things first, get your mushrooms marinating. I used the dressing that I put on my salads throughout the week: a little squirt of sriracha, a little pour of balsamic vinegar, a little scoop of dijon mustard, a dash of EVOO and plenty of fresh black pepper. Whisk and pour over those puppies, I mean mushrooms.

Start the water for the farro- I prefer to use the quick 10 minute farro from Trader Joe’s- just pour it in, boil for 10-12 minutes and drain like you would pasta. Bam.

Saute the braising greens in a little EVOO, garlic and crushed red pepper. I used that whole bag above and it wilted down to two small servings; perfect for dinner.

I “grilled” our mushrooms on the George Foreman- only took like 5-6 minutes and the clean up was easy. While the mushrooms were cooking, I heated the leftover marinade on the stove at a low temperature to thicken it up a little- I later poured this over the mushrooms once on the plate.

Pile high and dig in! Can’t get any easier than that.

Today is a gorgeous day and I hit the Farmer’s Market early for all the freshest picks. I got a baguette from Mrs. London’s, sweet dill pickles from Puckers Gourmet, coconut tea from Wellington’s and thai chili mafaldine from Flour City Pasta. The plan for the rest of the day is to open the windows in the apartment, freshen things up and cook, cook, cook! On the menu:

• carrot soup with a tahini sauce and crunchy chick peas
• bomb diggity dip (for a graduation party tomorrow)
• peanut butter and pickle sandwich with maple syrup on toasted baguette
• an arugula pesto
• and a “spring roll” cold rice noodle salad with a peanut dressing

I’ll share plenty of photographs and recipes if they come out as keepers. Stay happy, healthy and active my friends!

Every year when I run this race I find myself complaining about it’s size and yet, I still sign up the following year… because it is a great tradition with co-workers! This year there were more restrictions and detours, not allowing runners to access the Concourse and even the street from stairwells we had previously been able to use. And because of these restrictions, even though there were less runners, it was definitely more hectic at the start. The photograph below was where I was standing when the race started…

We had to wait for all the runners and walkers to go by, travel down the stairs to the street, walk to the start and then frantically dodge the walkers until we could comfortably run, which didn’t happen until about a mile and a half up the hill and in the park.

This year I struggled more than usual, from what I think was due to the bass at the start. I recently found out that if a bass is strong enough, it will change the rhythm of my heart. Because we were still up top, right in front of the music, this became an issue. It seemed as if my body was struggling to adjust my heart rate once we got going, either that or it was just a bad running day for me. I was thankful for my co-worker of whom I was running with; she kept me going to the finish. We shaved off a minute from last year and have plans for next year to help us avoid the large crowds.

I would just like to shout out two of the many volunteers who made this run happen, Kim and her husband who I quickly saw handing out water at the finish. We were thrilled to get our shirts in a size small (we always get there too late) and to have a banana to lift our spirits. Run we will- another year in the books.

Reading: I’m ten chapters into The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman and I’m hooked! Yesterday instead of working out on lunch, I decided to snuggle up on a comfy cushion and read for the hour. It was an easy decision to make because of the gloomy weather. So far its about a lightkeeper who lives on an island, alone with his wife and they just found a baby that washed up to shore… without give much away, I’m predicting that they keep it and later on the story will unfold… and I can’t wait to find out how! This was a spontaneous choice at the library and I’m happy that so far, so good.

Watching: I actually haven’t watched anything online via Hulu or Netflix in over two weeks that’s how busy I’ve been.

Loving: my Flower Scout CSA! The bouquet above is the one that I picked up last night from Colie and I chose this particular one because of the pale ranunculus; the color is so delicate. The lilacs smell ah-mazing and I love the mixture of textures. I’m also loving “Step” by Vampire Weekend, and can’t wait to hear the entire album; the beau bought it today. Hello new dance party music.

Wondering: has Jessica Garrity ever been confronted by the drunk in a wheelchair at a stop light? I would pay to see that reaction/response. WWJGD?

Looking forward to: the Corporate Challenge tonight! This is the biggest race that I participate in each year and the only reason why I put up with all those people (like 10,ooo people) is because it’s a little work tradition that I’ve got going on with a co-worker. We don’t aim to PR, we just like to get out there to run 3.5 miles with our community. This will be my first race since the Boston Marathon and I can’t wait to feel the energy of the crowd. Can’t slow this gal down.

Thinking about: the new work I’ll be starting next week. Tomorrow is my last shift at the frozen yogurt shop so that I’d have more time to commit to… drum roll please… Troy Cloth and Paper! This is hopefully going to be what the beau and his business partner need to propel them forward and free up some of their time from work that I’d be so much more efficient doing. This is officially phase one of bringing me on full-time, slowly but surely.

Eating: This is horrible but I haven’t had any of my veggies from last week’s share… we’ve been eating out almost every meal. Yes, I did have two salads this week and yes, I did eat all of the apples but I did also have a lot of cookie butter and brown rice noodles. Which leads into the next topic…

Planning: a cooking spree this weekend! Those portabella mushrooms are screaming my name, as is a soup, cold farro salad and possibly a cold lentil salad. The Placid Baker recently had a cold lentil salad that was sweet with cranberries, red onions and parsley- so good that I’m going to try and recreate it. With all this eating out, I’m craving a simple home cooked meal. All of my meals have been healthy choices  except for the french fries at 1am- yes, those aren’t healthy but necessary with a crazy schedule sometimes.

Monday was spent in the Catskills hiking with Paula, to celebrate her birthday, and boys and girls did we get lucky with the weather! It was the most perfect Spring day, filled with warm sunshine and blue skies- I swear I must of been a plant in a past life because I still feel like a little photosynthesis happens each sunny day. It gives me the pep in my step that I sometimes need when the mountains get tough. Real tough.

Back to the hike… we were first thinking about doing the Slide, Cornell and Witenberg loop however, our minds were made up that that wasn’t happening when we saw we’d be walking the last 2+ miles uphill on a road. No fun and nothing exciting. So then we decided that we’d hike in to each mountain, then simply turn around. Hiking three mountains but claiming five peaks (with the out and back). Off we went.

We took the Curtis-Omsbee Monument path to Slide Mountain because Paula had read that there were better views despite the slightly longer trail- totally worth it! The trees were just beginning to bud and in sections we could see for miles. The trail was easy on the body (not a lot of rocks) and we both enjoyed all of the sprouting flowers along the way. Before we knew it, we were at the peak! It looked like there had once been a fire tower up there with the giant concrete block we passed.

We barely took a break and headed over to Cornell Mountain… and that’s when Slide Mountain got serious. There were numerous sections that we had to climb down that made us pause and think, “okay, how am I going to do this?” Being someone who is afraid of heights, I was shaking like a leaf on the two wooden ladders and on this rock shown, I had to take a couple of breathers to prevent myself from breaking down into tears. Gotta do one thing a day that scares you, right?

Before we knew it, we were heading back upwards to Cornell, and pushed through to find two gentlemen enjoying the peak with their toes in the sun, trail mix and a cigar. The one older guy seemed super in shape and experienced, but I guess 35 years of hiking will do that to ya! It made me think, I want to be 60 and bragging about seeing the country on foot over the past 35 years! After a few minutes of catching up, we left them to enjoy and moved forward. I was full of energy thanks to a PB&J earlier on the trail but it didn’t prepare me for what we then stumbled upon: Cornell’s Crack.

No joke, a twenty foot crack in some pretty huge rocks, with no foot or hand holds to scramble down using. I’m not a rock climber nor do I want to become one. This crack scared the crap out of me. We both thought outloud that yes, we could hurl ourselves down and continue forward, but could we make it back up? No effing way!

After assessing a second option (but way more dangerous) and actually sitting down to see if we could do this, we both decided it wasn’t going to happen. That day at least. Yes we could have hurled ourselves over and done the loop, but mentally, it wasn’t in the books. Once I prepare myself for a specific trip, I tend to stick to it; that’s just the planner in me. So, back we went.

Not going to lie, heading back up Slide Mountain got brutal. By this hour, the sun was high, I was a little warm and tired, and now I had to climb up the steepest section of the day. I actually enjoyed the section that made up scramble, it not only challenged me mentally, but slowed our pace. We were greeted by a gentleman at the peak who snapped our photograph and onward we went. We took the shorter trail back and I must say, I didn’t prefer it. The trail was a little steeper than the one we took out and was very rocky- which makes your body ache a little more after a full day of hiking. It was a short trail however and before I knew it, we were back to the car.

Paula took me through Woodstock on the way home and I can’t wait to go back- it looks like a great little town. It was another successful day in the peaks to say the least! The two of us have much to look forward to:

• we are returning to the ADKs on the 20th to possibly hike Rocky Ridge
• we are hiking Memorial Weekend with a meet-up group to knock-out Gray, Skylight and Marcy!
• the first weekend in June we are volunteering to clean/maintain the trails in the ADKs- we have yet to plan what we’ll be hiking the following day
• and we have our first overnight trip planned during the July fourth holiday in New Hampshire: the 50 mile Sunapee Greenway trail!

…with of course the occasional “mountain Monday” thrown in. The high the mountains give me push me along through the week; and it only gets stronger the more I see and experience. Gosh, I’m in love with Mother Nature.

In this week’s bag:

• portobello mushrooms! 
• dirty parsnips
• dirty carrots
• golden delicious apples
• hydroponic lettuce
• fresh spinach fettuccine*

*Unfortunately this pasta is not vegan and I’m going to pass it along to someone who is non-vegan… my mom!

To say that I have been busy this past week would be an understatement; I’ve been swamped. Between work, my second job, personal issues with a previous landlord, a barfing cat and dirty dishes- I feel like I’ve done nothing but run in circles. And because of this, we’ve both been absent in the kitchen. My body is craving a good, home-cooked, green meal to perk up my spirits and these mushrooms are calling my name! I’ll most likely brush on a little coconut oil, grill ‘em up on the George Foreman, and enjoy over a salad.

Speaking of salad, our greens are big enough to eat! I harvested enough yesterday for lunch- fresh is always the best! Both the kale and broccoli are growing in size, and the nastoriums have sprouted and are about two inches tall. I can’t wait to add those to summer salads and baked goods.

The carrots will be cooked as my all time favorite carrot soup topped of course with a tahini sauce and crunchy chickpeas. The best thing about these dirty carrots? They last a long time in the fridge, meaning I can wait until things calm down before having to worry about using them up.

As things calm down I’ll also have more time to spend on here, sharing some stories and life happenings. I realize all I talk about these days is regarding food and hiking, but I can’t help it; they are the two things that keep me sane. Heres to happy weekend spent with our moms and mom-like people in our lives; be sure to give plenty kisses all around!

Last night the beau and I picked up our first Flower Scout CSA delivery- I was beyond thrilled! I peeked online and saw the deliveries from the previous day and I must say, I shouldn’t have! The day dragged on because I was anticipating my goods!

The bouquet was cute and lovely with a tulip, lily of the valley, and lilacs- my favorite. The smell brings me back to when I was a kid; my mom, sister and I would go and pick huge bouquets of lilacs to fill the house with. With the windows open and freshly washed sheets, there was seriously nothing better than that.

We also received a mini terrarium, a hand-written newsletter and a couple of Flower Scout buttons! You better believe that I’ll be sporting them everyday. That glass container is so special; I’m going to work hard not to kill that fern.

If you’re interested in joining this CSA, take a look around the Flower Scout site to get contact and pricing information. Colie offers two days of pick-ups, one in Albany and the other in Troy. Her living space is filled with seedlings- maybe next week she’ll let me get a few photographs to give you a look into the CSA process.

Be prepared for future flower posts and don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’m pretty happy with this local service.

In this week’s bag:

• arugula
• chives
• crimini mushrooms
• gourmet mix baby lettuce
• red, white and blue potatoes
• shallot
• golden delicious apples

Even though the chives don’t have roots attached, I’m going to still try growing some by using this method. It would be wonderful to be able to plant them on our porch if they do grow; if not, hopefully they’ll stay fresh longer.

The beau was pretty happy to see the heaping bag of arugula- that’s his favorite salad green! He said that it’s pretty good in pasta as well, so I’ll have to pick up a box this weekend. Nothing better than a simple bowl of pasta with greens, good olive oil, fresh black pepper and basil. And speaking of basil, I’ve moved the plant out on that back porch aka our little garden. Along with the salad greens and violas, I’ve planted broccoli and kale seedlings that seem to be doing well. The cat grass is taller than ever for kitty and may need a little trimming. The bird feeder is hung and the bumble bees are buzzing around our new hanging plants. I was only planning on buying one but the Sunny Susy just looked so darling with it’s orange climbing flowers, I couldn’t resist and can’t wait to see in what direction it grows.

I got the beautiful hanging baskets from Engelke Farm. If you remember, this is also the same farm where we picked out our pumpkins. Well, the greenhouses are filled with life and smell of Spring. Amanda and her brother were a big help helping me choose the right basket that would grow in the shade. It was an added bonus that the flowers were blue, pink and golden in color- did you know that honeybees recognize yellow and blue hues? They do and within five minutes, bumbles had found the new flowers. I like doing what I can for the bees. Back to the farm- I got a special tour of the pig pen and saw Rosanne again (the pig), along with the baby goats. Abby Cadabby was born last week! (I didn’t get a photograph of this little white goat- she was far too quick!) I loved watching them get a JOLT of energy, hop in the air, and peel out across the yard. Baby animals are the best ever.

Strawberries will be the first crop to be ready this season, most likely the first week of June. It was odd to see the farm “empty;” I’m use to seeing it all green and plentiful with food. I’ll be happy to return in June with my glass berry baskets to load up, snack on, and freeze them for the upcoming winter. I love fresh, local strawberries, but I think I like picking them better. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again I know, but I love spending time in the fields picking my produce. That small act reassures my conscious that I am eating the healthiest foods that are available to me. From farm to plate. If you get a chance this season, stop by and say hello to my farming friends. The baskets are a wonderful gift for all the mothers out there, or the back porches and window boxes in your lives/homes.

The Troy Farmer’s Market will be outside tomorrow on River Street- I LOVE when it’s on the street. Stop in and see me, I’ll be at the store organizing cards, folding tees and socializing with my community. Happy sunny weather my friends!

Do you ever cook a meal and think to yourself, “damn! I wish someone was here to enjoy this too?” Well, that happened to me this evening. The beau is out of town on business and I cooked dinner, just for me, for the first time in a real long time. And of course, the meal turned out to be ah-mazing.

Although the cauliflower was a little bland, the pesto made up for it. And with the marsala mushrooms on top, well, in true Jona-like fashion, I mixed everything together and gobbled it down. Chicken marsala use to be a meal I’d make for the kiddos all the time back in the day and I really haven’t made mushrooms like this in years; what a mistake! I fell back in love with these gravy, savory mushrooms tonight and can’t wait to test a tofu marsala recipe. Oh the possibilites are endless.

Here’s the recipe, adapted from this original recipe.

Mashed Cauliflower with Broccoli Rabe Pesto and Marsala Mushrooms and Gravy Serves 2

For the Pesto

• 1/2 to 1 bunch of broccoli rabe (I carefully removed all of the steps to reduce the bitterness) {FG}
• handful of fresh basil {windowsill}
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 1/2 cup roasted pistachios
• 1/2 cup vegan parmesan (walnuts, nutritional yeast, panko breadcrumbs)
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic {FG}

Blend everything in a food processor until smooth. I personally don’t like an oily pesto and prefer it on the thicker side, but add more oil to your liking. Set aside.

For the Mushrooms and Gravy 

• EVOO
• about three cups of sliced mushrooms (I like the pre-sliced package from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 small onion {FG}
• 1 cup veggie stock
• 1/2 cup red or marsala wine
• 2-4 cloves of garlic {FG}
• fresh black pepper
• about a tsp of dijon mustard
• splash of tamari
• sprinkle of red pepper flakes
• tsp of flour

*Bring a pot of water to boil for the cauliflower. Saute mushrooms, garlic and onions in the EVOO until the onions start to get translucent. Pour in a splash of red wine and let it reduce for a few moments. Add the flour and stir so that it’s all mixed in (no clumps). Add the mustard, tamari and half of the veggie stock and allow it to simmer and reduce. Once it thickens, add in the remaining stock, another splash of wine, fresh pepper and red pepper flakes and let it reduce once again.

For the Mashed Cauliflower

• 1 bag of frozen cauliflower (about 2 1/2 cups) {FG}
• a splash of coconut milk (or soy or almond)
• S&P

Boil cauliflower until soft and drain. Blend in a food processor until smooth with the other ingredients. Best to do this step last so that the cauliflower keeps it’s heat. *Next time I think I’m going to bake the cauliflower in the oven in EVOO and seasonings to give it more flavor.

To assemble: serve some mashed cauliflower, layer in a generous amount of pesto, a second small layer of cauliflower and top it off with mushrooms and gravy. Oh, and some fresh basil to garnish.

Not going to lie, I went back and served myself a lot more mushrooms because, well, they are my favorite and I can. No guilty eating when it’s all good.

I didn’t use the whole bunch of broccoli rabe because this was my first time cooking with these greens and I didn’t want it to be too bitter. I’m excited to use the rest later this week, possibly with an Asian flare. For those of you who participate in Field Goods and may have the broccoli rabe leftover because you didn’t know what to do with it- make this! This week we are getting crimini mushrooms, shallots, potatoes and chives; all of which would take this dish to a whole other level. Thursday night I will most likely be re-creating this dish for the beau; it’s that good.

Oh- and I have a TON of pesto leftover. Score! Hello simple pasta dish tomorrow night! I can’t wait for tomatoes to be in season.

Stay happy and healthy my friends!

p.s… we were SEEN at the Move fesitval. ha! yes, those were the happiest faces we could put on in that ice box room of, nothing.

We were venders at the MOVE festival in downtown Albany Saturday. After hours of sitting in the freezing cold and explaining our services, we decided to grab some food (aka the most delicious cajun french fries at Bombers) and take a stroll. I rarely buy flowers anymore from storefronts but something inside of me told me to walk in… and when I did, there stood a great childhood friend of mine of whom I haven’t seen in a long time. We caught up, I got some beautiful ruby ranunculus and exchanged numbers. I was so happy the whole way home that I listened to my intuition.

Sunday we finally got the opportunity to sleep, read our books and went for a run on the bike path before brunch. Can I just say that it was absolutely gorgeous out? Because it was! And can I also boast that the beau ran a mile pain free? Because he did! I set out for three and felt great to see the negative splits; this whole exercise thing is finally starting to become habit once again.

Our walk to brunch was warm and longer than usual because I stopped frequently to admire all of the blooms downtown. The tree above reminds me of cotton candy and I could sit underneath it all day. But I couldn’t, I had errands to run. Kitty cat is restocked with food and litter, the store will soon have new prints hung on the brightly colored walls, a mini grill was purchased for the porch along with a bird feeder and a second planter for our broccoli and kale seedlings. A birthday dinner to top off the night and the beau is now already passed out in bed; resting up for his trip into the city tomorrow.

Although it was a packed weekend and very little was actually accomplished around the apartment (laundry, cooking, planting), I’m pretty appreciative of the time spent together. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend outside or at least with the one(s) you love. Stay happy my friends.

In this week’s bag:

• broccoli rabe
• spinach
• mixed salad greens
• sweet potatoes
• onions
• mixed shoots (sunflower, buckwheat and radish)
• golden delicious apples

No definite plans for the veggies this week, however, I do have a meal pictured in my mind that sounds wonderful: baked polenta with roasted sweet potato disks topped with a saute of onion, mushrooms and spinach with a balsamic glaze. Can you see it? A vegan tower of power!

I’ve got a busy weekend planned and am once again thankful for all these veggies, more specifically the spring mix and shoots. It takes just a few moments to throw together a tasty salad that will not only satisfy my hunger, but pack in the nutrients.

When recently talking to my mom and co-workers about the idea of going vegetarian, I think the biggest misconception is that I eat tofu (or some fake meat product) at every meal- I don’t. I actually eat tofu only once or maybe twice a week. I eat tempeh only once or maybe twice a month. The majority of my protein comes from vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and legumes. Here are my favorite sources of protein:

• Those sprouts I grow in our kitchen = packed with protein! Thrown in a salad or on a sandwich with hummus or avocado, bam! instant source of yummy protein
• Those big green salads that I love for lunch with baby kale, spinach and chard = dark leafy greens = the best food you could consume!
• I snack on a handful of almonds or cashews each morning with a green tea and piece of fruit
• Ezekiel bread is sprouted and contains 4 grams in one slice! Topped with a nut butter or hummus as mentioned above with the sprouts, you are all set for the day

I should eat more quinoa and will work on incorporating that staple as more spring veggies become available. I try and make it a challenge to eat as close to the source or clean (and unprocessed) as possible. Other sources of protein that I eat rarely throughout the month: pasta, bagels and tortillas. Keep a food journal online that tracks your nutrients and you’d be surprised with how much protein each fruit or veggie contains.

And now that I’ve gotten into a rant about protein, I should state that I am not a professional. One should consult a doctor or more specifically a licensed nutritionist that can help you set nutritional standards. These foods listed above are foods that work for me- I feel healthy, my skin is glowing, my energy levels are high and my conscious feels good.  Stay happy and healthy and active, my friends!