Living Well In Yalobusha County

June Is Fresh Fruit, Vegetable Month

By Pamela Redwine

June is fresh fruit and vegetable month.  It is the best time to celebrate fruits and vegetables because grocery stores, farmer’s markets and road-side produce stands are filling up with an abundance of seasonal favorites like tomatoes, melons, strawberries, lettuce and squash.  And now you have a great reason to have some fun in your kitchen!  Summer is around the corner. There is no better way to ramp up your health than to eat more and more items with fruits and veggies.

Instead of starting your shopping near the entrance of the grocery store, make a beeline to the  produce section and shop there first.

Follow these three easy steps to have great dinners NOW!

Pick A Pasta: Pick 3 veggies you can turn into a smashing pasta dish; tomatoes, squash, broccoli. Use them for a wonderful pasta dish then for a few other side dishes. Now you don’t have to worry about what else to serve during the week.

Roast or grill:  What can you grill?  Corn, onions, tomatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, pineapple, oranges…the sky is the limit here!  When you get them home you can broil or grill or roast your veggies a few different nights – this makes kitchen time very easy.

Salad:  Find some fun items to shred into your salads: Cabbage, radishes, peppers and carrots. And find delicious salad toppers; lemons, fresh herbs and orange juice. Pick the greenest greens, too.

See, now half your cart is filled with produce. Don’t forget a few fruits for dessert and snacks. Now all you need are a few greens and lean protein items and you are on your way. You can skip all of the processed food aisles and freezer so you leave behind the salt, sugar and fat that you didn’t need anyway.

 
(Article Source: adapted from Communicating Food for Health, May 2010)

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Recipe of the week

Boiled Artichoke

Ingredients

• 1 artichoke

• 1 lemon

• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

• 1 tsp minced garlic

Directions

1.  Cut the artichoke in half and scoop out the fuzzy center.

2.  Place the two halves in boiling water. Turn them while cooking and cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes.

3. Make a sauce with the lemon juice, mayonnaise, and minced garlic and serve that on the side. Each artichoke serves 2 people.

Recipe Source: Communicating Food for Health, May 2010