Smart Food

Last week, I went blueberry picking for the first time. I decided to try a new farm, which ended up essentially being a retired couples’ backyard. They had a TON of blueberry bushes, though!

At first, I thought I needed to pick the darkest blueberries, like you see in the stores. But through some encouraged tasting, I found that the light blue/almost lavender berries were the sweetest and best-tasting blueberries I’ve ever had! Pink or green though = too early!

I came home with just over 7 pounds of blueberries for a mere $15 (!!), and set to work preserving most of them. Of course, I saved some for fresh eating!

I made up 2 1/2 pints of blueberry butter. Be warned, though the recipe says 6-12 hours in the crock pot, mine was going for almost 26 hours! Check the temperature periodically to make sure it isn’t getting into the DANGER ZONE** (40-140*F).

Smart Fitness

I wasn’t feeling the long bike ride this morning, so I decided to do a bunch of mini workouts!

• 2 mile bike ride
• 25 minutes of yoga
• 10 minutes of Pilates
• Upper body weights

To help with my knee problems, I decided to adopt a more precise training plan. For the next few weeks, I plan to take a long bike ride every other day, with short rides on the ‘off days.’ After that, I’ll move to 2-on/1-off and keep working my way up so that I can bike for all 7 days of our honeymoon! Hopefully this will help.

Smart Life

Okay, so I didn’t quite get all of my miles in last week, but I did get the rest of our planting done! Check back tomorrow for my tips on planting!

Don’t forget, tonight is the last evening to use the 10% off coupon for my Summer Tea Bundle! Just enter SavvyTea at checkout.

**From: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/poison.html

Smart Food

Yesterday, I went to the co-op to get ingredients for a Thai curry. Silly me, I forgot that the only local, grass-fed beef you can get there is frozen, and it wouldn’t be defrosted in time for dinner! So instead, I decided to try my hand at a frittata. The taste was spot-on, but it was a little thinner than I think a frittata should be. I’d make it again, but either in a smaller pan or with more eggs!

Zucchini Herb Frittata

1 T. canola oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 zucchini, diced

1 c. chopped fresh herbs of your choice (I used basil, sage, and cilantro)

5 eggs

1 T. milk

1/4 c. shredded cheddar (optional)

Whisk the eggs and milk in a large bowl until light and fluffy.

In a cast-iron pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and zucchini and saute until soft.

Add the herbs and stir for 1 minute. Pour the eggs into the pan. Cover and decrease the heat to low, letting it cook until the eggs have set, about 6-9 minutes.

Remove the lid and add the cheese, if desired. Slice and serve!

SAVVY TIP: When you add the eggs, pour them all around the edges of the pan. If you pour them directly into the middle, the thickness and cooking won’t be even!

Savvy Recipe Sightings!

Zucchini Banana Bread and here

Quinoa Balls

Smart Fitness

I got in a quick 4.5 mile ride around the neighborhood this morning. Nice, flat and fast–and no IT band pain!

Smart Life

After our long blog chat on Saturday, I am brimming with ideas of ways to improve Savvy Eats! Check out the new Savvy Spotting page, the updated Recipes page, and the new “Featured Recipe” section in the sidebar!

And as promised, my weekly goals update. Changes are in green!

1.  Plant ‘cool season’ crops (kale, Swiss chard, etc)

2. Bike 70 miles total (40.5 down already!)

3. Finish our wedding thank you notes! 75% done!

4. Go blueberry picking and make preserves. Went today…pictures tomorrow!

5. Write 2 freelance articles

6. Weed garden.

7. Strength train 3x. (1 done!)

What are your goals for this week?

Don’t forget to use your coupon for my Summer Tea Bundle while you still can! Enter SavvyTea at checkout for 10% off.

Smart Food

We had a HUGE influx of zucchini from the garden last week. For some reason, zucchini production seems to have slowed down to a near-halt since then… boo! I need to do some research on why that is/how to fix it…any ideas?

Anyways, there are only so many times I can eat zucchini bread and sauteed zucchini. So I decided to do something a little different last night!

However, I was also craving my Thai Peanut Stir Fry. So I made a sauce very similar to the stir fry to use on the zucchini, combining the best of both worlds.

This wasn’t my absolute favorite dish. I think this sauce does better when it isn’t cooked. But I would definitely make the filling and sauce as described, and just stir-fry the zucchini to add instead!

I only had 3 zucchini, so I served them on a bed of some of the remaining filling!

Peanut-Stuffed Zucchini

4 zucchini

2 c millet

4 c water

2/3 c chopped fresh basil

1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

2 c peanuts

3/4 c. soy sauce

2 T lemon juice

3 T honey

Preheat the oven to 400 *F. Over medium-high heat, cook the millet, basil and cilantro in the water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the water has been absorbed.

In the meantime, prep the zucchinis and make the squash!

To prep the zucchini: Cut off the ends of the squash and cut them in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out about 3/4 of the insides. Lay them zucchini cut-side up in an 8×10 pan lined with foil. Add the innards to the millet mixture.

To make the sauce: Grind the peanuts in a food processor. Add in the soy sauce, lemon juice and honey and whir in processor until well mixed.

When the millet is done, it is time to assemble everything! Spoon the millet mixture into the scooped out zucchini, mounding slightly. Pour the sauce over the zucchini. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 *F, or until the sauce gets bubbly.

Smart Fitness

I have a very fun weekend ahead of me. Tonight, we are headed to Heather’s for a Saturday blogger brunch. While we’re away, we’ll be exploring some more of New York by bike! We have 15 miles planned for Saturday near Heather’s, and 30-40 miles planned for Sunday somewhere on the way back. We’ll see where we end up!

Smart Life

I decided to choose two winners for my Savvy Scones giveaway! They are comment #5… Kristen and #12… Amy!

Kristen and Amy, send me your address and flavor of your choice! I’ve been making Cinnamon Anise, Coconut Chai, Butter Pecan, and Orange Currant, but could make another flavor of your suggestion as well!

What are your plans for the weekend?

I woke up this morning to find this in my Inbox:

Smart Food

The zucchini and cucumbers in my garden are coming up like weeds! And I mean that in the best way possible.

I can only eat so much roasted zucchini, so I decided to turn some into Zucchini Banana Bread yesterday. So moist and delicious! I used 1/2 c. sugar, and while I loved it, it may be too sweet for some. Reduce the amount to 1/4 or 1/3 c as desired!

Zucchini Banana Bread

1 3/4 c. shredded zucchini (3 small zucchinis)

2 medium, ripe bananas

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

Preheat oven to 350*F. Grate the zucchini. When they get too small to grate without scraping your hands, cut into small chunks and include in the mix!

In a stand mixer, blend all ingredients.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool and slice.

Smart Fitness

It finally cooled down outside, so we spent a lot of time in the sunshine this weekend.

On Saturday, we rode our bikes to run errands (for a total of 8 miles), then explored Buttermilk Falls. The falls are so gorgeous, and consist of 5 little falls joining together into one big one. We hiked 3/4 of a mile to the top so that we could see all of the little waterfalls, and had a lot of fun taking pictures!

I loved getting in some physical activity without doing a “traditional” workout! I call it our day of ‘non-workouts.’

On Sunday, we embarked on my longest ride yet for the year. We drove over to Owasco Lake, and biked all the way around it, for a total of 39.3 miles! Some of the roads were in rough shape, but the lake views totally made up for it.

Smart Life

How do you fit in physical activity in the form of ‘non-workouts’?

Smart Food

This weekend, I was able to make my first dinner using things from our garden. And man, was the Garlic Vegetable Couscous delicious! I picked some zucchini (yes, I realize I look like a dork in that picture ), spinach, sage and basil for this dish. Our cucumbers weren’t quite ready yet, so I used some from the Farmer’s Market instead.

You don’t have to use Garlic Gold for this recipe, but I really like the flavor the oil brings out. Plus, the nuggets add a fantastic finishing CRUNCH!

Garlic Vegetable Couscous

Inspired by a recipe from Hudson Valley Mediterranean

1 1/2 c. Israeli couscous

4 T. Garlic Gold Oil OR 4 T. olive oil and 4 cloves garlic, minced

2 zucchini, sliced

2 1/2 T. fresh basil, minced

1 T. fresh sage, minced

2 c. spinach

2 cucumbers, sliced

1 T. lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Garlic Gold Nuggets (optional)

In a large shallow pan, cook the couscous with 3 c. water over medium heat. When most of the water is absorbed, pour the couscous into a large bowl and stir in 1 T. of the oil.

In the same pan, heat 1 T oil over medium-high heat. If you aren’t using Garlic Gold, add the garlic cloves now and cook 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add the zucchini, basil and sage. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-9 minutes.

Add zucchini mixture to couscous. Stir in the spinach, cucumber, lemon juice, and remaining oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with Garlic Gold Nuggets.

Smart Fitness

As I mentioned yesterday, I got some new cycling gear that has been making a world of difference in my training!

Since I’m so short, my bike frame is too small for me to easily get a water bottle out to drink from during a ride. As a solution, I got a Camelbak last week!

[Source]

I got the Aurora 1.5 L (50 oz) pack, and it is so nice to be able to take a drink while in motion! Three cheers for hydration!

Smart Life

We are experiencing a serious HEAT WAVE here this week, and I’ve discovered some tips for BEATING THE HEAT when you don’t have AC.

• Keep the blinds closed during the day to keep the hot sun out.
• Open the windows in the evenings, and only keep them a crack open during the day. You’ll get some fresh air in, but keep much of the hot air out!
• In the evening, put fans in front of the windows to blow more cool air in. Move them away from the windows during the day to keep the air moving.
• Take a COLD shower.
• Wear light-colored and light clothing.
• Put a lipped cookie sheet full of ice in front of a fan. As the ice melts, the fan will blow cool air across the room! <– This is GENIUS, and I wish I thought of it before last night!

What are your tips for beating the heat?

Smart Food

Hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend! Dan had Monday off, so we had a nice, extended weekend together.

For our holiday dinner, I made us roasted corn on the cob, pulled pork sandwiches (meat from the Farmer’s Market!) and garlic vegetable couscous (recipe coming tomorrow!)

Instead of the traditional Fourth of July fruit pie for dessert, I decided to give it a chocolate twist with a graham cracker crust. This is super-rich, to the point that I couldn’t finish mine…which almost never happens! Don’t worry, I saved the rest of mine for the next day, and it was delicious!

Mini Chocolate Berry Pies

Adapted from this recipe

Makes 2 pies

3 oz. dark chocolate chunks

1/3 c. milk

2 T. plain Greek yogurt

1 T. butter

3/4 c. crushed graham cracker pieces

1 c. mixed berries (I used blueberries and cherries for a red-white-and-blue theme)

1 T. powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 325* F.

Melt the butter and stir into the graham cracker pieces. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of 2 ramekins.

In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate and milk over medium heat until the chocolate starts to melt. Remove from heat and mix until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir in the yogurt.

Pour the chocolate mixture over the graham cracker crusts. Bake for 15 minutes.

Allow to cool for 30 minutes, and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. You don’t have to refrigerate it, but it will taste much better! Top with berries and sugar.

Smart Fitness

I got some exciting new biking gear that is making SUCH a difference in my training. I don’t have any pictures yet, but stay tuned!

Smart Life

What was your 4th of July meal?

Smart Food

You may be wondering, ‘Why is Savvy Julie eating pesto on a graham cracker? Has she gone nuts?’

If this was traditional pesto, however, I would not be experiencing this delicious, refreshing taste as I eat said pesto + graham cracker. Why? Because it is dessert pesto, silly!

This all came about when I was talking to Dan about my dessert hummus. A slip of the tongue later, the words “dessert pesto” came out of my mouth instead. I laughed it off, but then started thinking… I might actually be onto something!

I was so busy dreaming up this pesto that I missed my turn on yesterday’s bike ride. But it was totally worth it.

Savvy Dessert Pesto

1/2 c. chopped fresh mint leaves

1/4 c. white chocolate chips

3 T. cashew pieces

1 tsp. honey

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 c. canola oil

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a food processor or blender until completely mixed. Add the oil, and blend. Serve and enjoy!

Let’s look at how this compares to regular pesto, shall we?

Traditional Pesto –> Dessert Pesto

Basil –> Mint

Garlic –> Chocolate

Pine Nuts –> Cashews

Cheese –> Cinnamon + Honey

Olive Oil –> Canola Oil

SO. ADDICTING. Looooove the cool minty aftertaste!

Smart Fitness

The winner of the Iron Girl giveaway is…Heather from Side of Sneakers!

Heather, please send me your mailing information, and I’ll get your prize right out to you!

Smart Life

I’m so excited that Dan has a 3-day weekend for the holiday. We don’t know yet how we are going to celebrate the 4th, but the extra time off will be nice!

What are your plans for July 4?

Smart Food

Tonight, we had our first salad straight out of the garden! We only had a little lettuce, but I supplemented it with some kale and spinach shoots and LOTS of pea sprouts. Okay, technically the peas were given to us by our neighbor, but they were grown in the same yard as our garden!

I topped it with a Basil Garlic Dressing.

Basil Garlic Salad Dressing

• 4 T minced fresh basil (I whirred mine in the food processor for a few seconds)
• 4 oz. red wine vinegar (1/2 c)
• 3 oz. Garlic Gold oil (just over 1/3 c)

Mix all ingredients together. That’s it! I’m loving this Garlic Gold oil... it adds such a great flavor to everything!

Thanks for the salad dressing bottle in our wedding gift, sister Marisa and Nick (her boyfriend)!

Smart Fitness

On Wednesday, I attended a webinar on nutrition and training tips for athletic events. The panel included:

• Judy Molnar (Race Director for Iron Girl)
• Troy Jacobson (coach for Iron Girl) and
• Mary Christ Andersen (Fitness Director for Fitness Magazine)

The conversation was great, and I was particularly interested in these two questions:

1. What is the best way to incorporate strength training when training for a cardio endurance events?

Troy suggested training in phases. When you aren’t in the thick of training for your big race, it is time to build up your strength and muscle!

When it comes time for your intense race training, try lifting 2x a week to maintain muscle mass. Yoga and Pilates is also resistance training that will help you keep your strength, and give you a good stretch as well!

2. When should you work through the pain and when should you give into it and rest?

The whole panel weighed in on this one. The most important thing, they said, is to know your body. It is okay to miss a workout or two if it will mean that you heal more quickly!

They suggested that you take care of injuries and impending injuries immediately. Ice it and take a few days off; if that doesn’t work, go see a doctor to get insight as to when you can start training again.

As a thank you, Iron Girl is sending me 2 fun gift baskets…one for me, and one for you! Keep an eye out for the giveaway next week!

Smart Life

Remember how I gave up running a few months ago? Lately, I have felt like going for a short run, and I have an awesome race opportunity (including a 5K) in the works. I can’t decide if it is a good idea for me to start running short distances again, though… thoughts?

I have recently discovered the joy of cooking and baking with tea… it isn’t just for drinking anymore!

A few months back, I made my Chai Tea Scones. I was all set to make some again today, but was suddenly struck with a craving for shortbread.

So instead, I broke in my new stand mixer with some shortbread cookies!

But first things first, isn’t my graduation gift to myself gorgeous?

That would be a KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer in Blue Willow.

I heard equally good reviews about both KitchenAid and Cuisinart mixers, and just as many people told me they loved their KitchenAid as they did their Cuisinart. I figured I couldn’t go wrong either way, and found a much better deal on KitchenAid. Plus, the pretty color didn’t hurt either!

The mixer handled the shortbread dough beautifully, and clean-up was a breeze. So far, so good!

These cookies are light, crisp and buttery…just like shortbread should be!

Blueberry Rooibos Shortbread

1/2 c. spelt flour

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/3 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. tea leaves or 2 tea bags (I used Blueberry Rooibos, but any tea should work!)

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter

Preheat oven to 350F. Crush the tea into a coarse powder.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or an electric hand mixer), blend the sugar, salt, vanilla, tea and butter until completely mixed.

Add the flour and mix until a soft dough is created. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and pat into a flat disk. Freeze for 10 minutes.

Roll the dough out onto a greased baking sheet, and freeze for an additional 10-15 minutes. Cut into rectangles. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until edges start to brown.

Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Prepare yourself a cup of tea in the meantime to enjoy with your shortbread!

These cookies are delicious, but aren’t quite the perfect texture and thickness yet…I’ll keep experimenting with them!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think a mid-morning shortbread with some tea will hit. the. spot.

Miss any of the previous Tea Week posts? Check them out here!

• Types of Tea
• Loose-Leaf v. Bagged Tea
• How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Tea
• Cold-Brewed Tea