DID YOU KNOW…

• Turnips are a root vegetable
• Plenty of antioxidants, vitamins & minerals – Great source of Vitamin C
• Great source of Fiber
• Available year-round & always affordable
• and my favorite – Turnips are LOW CARB, and when you roast them… I promise they taste like a starchy potato.

Turnips are delicious raw, but simple to roast too!

my favorite way to enjoy turnips – oven roasted!

OVEN ROASTED TURNIPS
yields 4 servings

• 5 medium size turnips, peeled & diced 3/4″ thick (larger or smaller dice will change cooking time)
• 2 T olive oil
• salt & pepper, to taste

Toss together all ingredients & arrange turnips in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Roast at 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.  Turnips are ready when they start to brown.

You can view the Indy Style segment here online.  I’ll be back on Indy Style in June to talk about my experience at BlogHer Food & share another one of my favorite produce recipes

Add turnips to your grocery list this week!  Let me know what you think… it’s not that people dislike turnips – it’s that most consumers have never tried turnips!  Don’t be so sheltered.

xoxo Produce Mom

Don’t let that fancy-schmanzcy pronunciation & presentation fool ya… Niçoise is EASY!

NICOISE SALAD
serves 12

• 2 bags tender green or chopped romaine salad mix
• 1lb green beans, trimmed & blanched (I love the haricot verts/baby French beans – no trimming necessary!)
• 2lbs baby red potatoes, boiled & quartered
• 8oz pitted Kalamata Olives
• 6 hardboiled eggs, quartered
• 4 large tomatoes, sliced
• 18oz tuna (I use the StarKist Roasted Garlic Tuna)
• Capers, to taste
• 1 small red onion, diced (optional)
• Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
To blanch green beans:  Bring salted water to a rolling boil.  Rinse beans under cold running water & trim if necessary.  Add Green Beans to boiling water; cook for approximately 3 minutes.  Drain well & shock beans in an ice bath to stop the cooking process/complete the blanch.  Set aside. *this step can be done in advance – store blanched green beans in a ziploc bag in your fridge overnight*

To boil potatoes: Wash potatoes under cold running water & slice into 1″ wedges or cubes.  Put in a stock pot & fill will cold water.  Bring water to a rolling boil, reduce heat to medium & cook for approximately 12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.  Drain well & return potatoes to pot.  Allow to cool to room temperature in pot. *this step can be done in advance – store boiled potatoes in a ziploc bag in your fridge overnight. do not seal in baggie until potatoes are at room temperature*

To hard boil eggs: ahhh… this is like meatloaf – everyone has “the perfect method” yet everyone’s recipe seems to be slightly different.  Put eggs in water & turn the heat on high.  As soon as the water starts to boil, start the clock – let ‘em boil for exactly 6 minutes.  When the timer is up, remove the eggs from the heat, drain them & shock them in an ice bath or run them under cold water until they are at room temperature.  Your result is a perfectly cooked yolk & a shell/membrane that is easy to peel. *this step can be done in advance – store peeled eggs in a ziploc bag overnight*

Now…. to assemble salad:  Toss greens with vinaigrette, season with salt & pepper.  Arrange dressed greens in a base layer on a large serving platter or bowl.  Arrange toppings in sections on top of mixed greens – drizzle vinaigrette over salad & sprinkle with capers and red onion (optional).  ENJOY!

BASIC LEMON VINAIGRETTE

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice – for a time & budget saver, check out Volcano Lemon Juice
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves de-stemmed & minced
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.  Store in refrigerator overnight in airtight container.  Serve at room temperature.

National Salad Month Celebrations…  To Be Continued.

xoxo Produce Mom

The news story focused on the ability of stretching your dollars by purchasing seasonal produce.  Agriculture has evolved to the point where many fresh fruits & veggies are available year-round.  Produce distributors like Indy Fruit are shopping the world everyday to make sure retailers are stocked with a wide variety, regardless of the season or time of year.  We buy “summer” fruits, such as peaches, from Chile during the winter months.  And “winter” fruits like oranges are sourced during the summer months from South Africa.  Every country is farming – either for sustainability or trade – and it’s really fascinating when you think about the geography & global business that is represented in your produce department.

That being said, due to transportation costs alone it’s going to be less expensive for a consumer in the United States to purchase a peach that was grown in South Carolina versus a peach that was grown in Chile, or a mango that is grown in Mexico versus one that is grown in Thailand.  Factor in seasonality & it’s really a no brainer – seasonal produce will always cost the consumer less money.  The deep discounts and ad prices that are promoted in your grocery store’s weekly circular typically reflect “seasonal” produce.

Seasonality is a way for produce industry professionals & consumers to identify the time of year when crops have the highest yields.  Produce classified as “in season” is just a classic example of economics and supply & demand.  The supply of seasonal produce is usually abundant so therefore farmers are selling the crop at a lower price to stay competitive.  That savings travels down the supply chain – every stage of the supply chain operates with the sales goal to ALWAYS sell out… we sell it or smell it in the produce industry!  The high volumes of seasonal produce put us produce sales reps in a pressure cooker.  We have truckloads upon truckloads of watermelons to sell leading in to 4th of July weekend.  Farmers are hustling their abundant crop & offering quantity buy specials to distributors like us.  We commit to quantity by the truckload & then we turn around & offer pallet or bin specials to the retailers.  Then YOU read that whole watermelons are less than $3 in your store’s 4th of July ad & before we all know it… watermelon is an Independence Day icon.

Shop the ads & buy only what you need to make your money go further in the produce department, but know that apples are always a smarter purchase than apple jacks.

You can read about my segment with Fox 59 & view the news story here online.  The segment’s other contributor, Beth from IN Good Cents, is a published author who is a true voice of authority when it comes to couponing & budget grocery shopping.  And of course many thanks to Fox 59 News & Jenny Anchondo for their interest in The Produce Mom

Savor the Season!
xoxo Produce Mom

Salads are a great way to boost your veggie intake & in my opinion… the perfect addition or main course to any meal.  It’s hard for us busy moms to make dinner – much less whip up a gourmet side salad.  Thank goodness for the convenience salad lines from trusted industry vendors like Dole & Earthbound Farm!  I swear I would NEVER eat lettuce if it weren’t for those pre-washed/bagged salads.  Don’t worry about washing your bagged salads.  They are pre-washed & classified as a convenience item for a reason.  Add ingredients to these convenience blends to make fancy salads more realistic in your busy life.  I honestly cannot tell you the last time I purchased a bulk lettuce item.  The bagged salads have expanded where you can get everything from baby romaine to butter lettuce to arugula all cleaned, trimmed & ready-to-eat.

SO – I’ll be sharing my favorite salad recipes all month long… this BLT Salad is always a hit (probably because bacon + anything = amazing) and the recipe is compliments of my dear friend, Chef Concetta.  The salad is so simple.  Carve out time to actually make the gorgonzola dressing from scratch – it’s a star!  Enjoy!

BLT SALAD with GORGONZOLA DRESSING

• 1 Small Red Onion, diced
• 3 Medium Tomatoes, diced
• 8 thick slices of bacon, cooked crispy & chopped
• 1 bag Dole Butter Bliss OR 4 heads of bibb lettuce, cleaned & chopped
• Gorgonzola Dressing (recipe follows)

In a large bowl, toss together all ingredients.  Plate salads & season with Salt & Pepper.

GORGONZOLA DRESSING

• 1 clove peeled/chopped garlic
• 6oz Gorgonzola cheese
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor except for the fresh herbs.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into a bowl & stir in the fresh herbs.  Store in an airtight container & refrigerate.

TPM tip – I love baking my bacon!  It always cooks up crispy & flat!  Simply line a baking sheet with aluminum foil & spray liberally with non-stick spray.  Arrange bacon slices in a single layer on sprayed/lined baking sheet.  Cook at 375 degrees for +/-15 minutes, cooking time will vary based on the thickness of your bacon!  Keep an eye on it.  Use kitchen sheers to cut your crispy bacon; I think it’s easier than using a knife & chopping.  While bacon is in the oven… make the Gorgonzola dressing!  It’s amazing & takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.

ENJOY!
xoxo Produce Mom

I have a plethora of uses for banana peels.  Today I’m going to show you the step-by-step for my very favorite… Polishing shoes!

Maybe you’re like me… I love the look of a fresh polished shoe, but I’ve never really polished my shoes the traditional way.  I don’t know how to do it & it’s so messy I don’t really care to learn.  BUT, I don’t need to learn because I polish my shoes regularly with banana peels!  Yes.  Banana Peels.

The 1 constant in my life is my morning banana.  I eat one everyday, usually around 9am.  Banana peels are abundant in my life & I’ve become pretty resourceful with how to use them.  Spend 8 years working in produce sales, and you’ll pick up a lot of fun tips from the produce aficionados you talk to & do business with on a daily basis.  And thanks to this website I can showcase all these produce fun facts & tips…. from polishing shoes & furniture to removing splinters and keeping acne at bay – banana peels have power!  Subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss any of these exciting tips & now let’s kick off this series with my favorite way to use banana peels: to polish shoes.

BANANA PEEL SHOE POLISH

Rub the inside of the banana peel over the surface needing to be polished.

Using a soft, lint-free cloth, buff shoes in a circular motion

Nice & Shiny. Mama’s ready to Rock & Roll.

It’s easy & works like a charm.  Plus, you deserve shiny shoes.

xoxo Produce Mom

Every little boy has a favorite super hero.  My oldest son absolutely LOVES Spiderman, so I got creative one day in the kitchen & made a themed fruit tray for my lil’ webslinger!  Needless to say, it has become a quick favorite & fairly popular on my pinterest page, as well.

Here’s your step-by-step – it’s easy!

SPIDEY FRUIT TRAY

• 2 – 5lbs strawberries, depending on the size of your tray
• 6oz blueberries
• 6oz blackberries
• 1 large banana

Look Out! Here Comes the Spiderman!

1. Wash berries in cold running water, allow to dry.
2. Arrange strawberries in a single layer on round serving platter
3. Slice banana in half to create eyes
4. Outline eyes with blackberries
5. Place a whole strawberry top side down in between eyes to create the nose
6. Scatter blueberries to create a web pattern on the face

Enjoy!

xoxo Produce Mom

My first segment was all about Kale Chips.  I love Kale Chips & you can find a classic recipe here on my website.  But, as I said on the show… convenience is ESSENTIAL when it comes to eating fresh fruits & veggies.  Although it is not overly complicated to clean/trim/prep your produce, it does take time & time is one thing that none of us seem to have.  Lack of prep time is unfortunately the #1 reason why fresh produce spoils in my household.   The hosts of Indy Style agreed.  So – I recommend the Earthbound Farm Mixed Baby Kales to make kale chips with ease.

Baby Kales from Earthbound Farm are the key to EASY kale chips!

With a cleaned & trimmed baby kale, kale chips really are as easy as 1-2-3!

• 1 box Earthbound Farm mixed baby kale
• 2 T olive oil
• 3/4 cup nutritional yeast

1. Toss all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl
2. Create a single layer on a baking sheet
3. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes.

Nutritional Yeast is the secret ingredient to well-seasoned kale chips! Nutritional Yeast flakes are readily available in the health/natural foods section of your grocery store.

Segment #1 rocked!  “Kale is pretty much the new bacon.”

Segment #2 also rocked… we focused more on simple ways to get kids more interested in fruits & veggies.  One of my most popular “pins” on pinterest is the Sesame Street Themed Party Trays.  So I showed viewers how very simple it is to create themed fruit & veggie trays.  I emphasized the fact that kids will eat produce if it is made readily available.  Next time you host children at your home, consider serving fruits or veggies with an exciting presentation.  Watch with pride as they get excited about healthy food!  Let’s make fresh produce something kids WANT to eat!!!

Andi smiles as I turn a platter of strawberries into Elmo.

Needless to say… things went really well during my Indy Style debut.  The producers even invited me back for an encore!  I’ll be LIVE again on Tuesday, May 14th!  Don’t forget to tune in!

Thank u so much to Indy Style for their support of The Produce Mom!  Now I get to stress about my outfit for May 14th… 

xoxo Produce Mom

DID YOU KNOW…

…Half of the food that’s produced in the world goes to waste, which in turn wastes the precious resources used to produce & ship it?

• YOU can help by ONLY buying the food you will use

…If we all used our own reusable shopping bag just ONCE a week, we’d keep 16 BILLION bags out of landfills?

• YOU can help by saying NO to paper & plastic

…that Earthbound Farm is leading the way in Greener Shopping options for consumers?

• Earthbound packages their salads in 100% post-consumer recycled clamshells, saving 2 million pounds of solid waste each year & 10,000 tons of CO2 emissions
• Earthbound is keeping over 19 million pounds of pesticides & fertilizers out of the environment by farming their fields organically
• Earthbound uses 99% post-consumer recycled paperboard for its shipping cartons & 100% post-consumer recycled paper in their business machine

You gotta check out Earthbound Farm’s “Guide to Greener Shopping” – it’s part of our Earth Month celebrations & they made it really simple for us consumers – “Follow the 4 Ps”

PLAN to Shop Smart – this means making a grocery list based off your meal plans & sticking to it.  In turn, you will eliminate the need to make multiple runs to the grocery store.  In a nutshell, a comprehensive grocery list & some simple meal planning reduces fuel, packaging AND food waste!  I recently did inventory on my pantry.  Took about 15 minutes.  I was able to scratch off about $40 worth of items from my grocery list… things I thought I didn’t have to prepare my family’s meals for the coming week.  So this P helps with a different type of “green” as well – it’s a cash saver!

Be PACKAGE Wise – I tried this simple modification during my last shopping trip.  I only purchased items that used packaging responsibly.  That means packaging that is REusable, REcyclable & REsealable.  Excessive packaging is annoying & totally out of style.  I hate when I open a packaging box to find my food inside another plastic bag that is about 1/4 the size of the box.  Total waste!  Plus take it a step further & think about how those large boxes take up more room on the delivery trucks – its much more than a waste of paperboard.  Cargo fleet could increase efficiencies and move more product in its routes if all food was packaged responsibly.  Finally, be wise with the packaging you buy.  Can you reuse it?  I did not use ziploc baggies this week in Mac’s lunch because I was resourceful with the packaging that I purchased during my weekend grocery trip.  Another great idea – my cousin saves cereal boxes & uses them for gift giving.  They are the perfect size for many gifts & it’s a nostalgic and unique way to “wrap” a gift.

Be Choosy About the PRODUCTS You Buy – Buy only what you will use!  A recent study found that American throw away 40% of the food they buy, or about $2300 annually per household.  WHAT?!???  We gotta stop this, my friends!  World food demand has never been higher & last time I checked – none of us had $2300 laying around that we just want to throw in the trash.  I throw away less food now that I’m juicing.  If I stray from my meal plans or cannot use my produce before it starts to show age, into the juicer or blender it goes!  Produce is the ultimate multi-tasking food.  You can do SO MUCH with fruits & veggies.  Eat em raw, boil them, bake them, steam them, grill them, oven roast them (insert Bubba Gump joke here), puree them, juice them, stir fry them, etc.  Buy foods that multi-task & you will have less waste.  Furthermore, you gotta buy foods that are full of nutrition – all natural & organics are great options!  If you cannot pronounce an ingredient, your body doesn’t need it.  The USDA Organic Seal is a great way to identify the foods that are free of synthetic pesticides, irradation & GMOs – you will find this seal on all Earthbound Farm products.

Just Say No to “PAPER or PLASTIC” – Pretty self explanatory.  An exorbitant amount of grocery sacks end up in landfills.  Do your part by utilizing reusable totes.  To celebrate Earth Month, Earthbound Farm is giving away free reusable grocery bags!  Visit their facebook page to enter & win!

Whew!  That’s a TON of great information.  What are YOU going to do to “Shop Greener?”  Earthbound Farm & I would love to hear some of your ideas in the comments below

CONTEST TIME!!!!!   Now to help entice you to practice the 4 Ps, Earthbound Farm has placed some “secret shoppers” at grocery stores across the United States.  These “secret shoppers” are scanning the carts going through the store to find shoppers who are using the 4Ps & shopping greener.  And… you guessed it… they are picking up the tab for the green carts they find!  You can find details about the Virtual Grocery Giveaway on Earthbound’s Facebook page.  Follow the Earthbound news feed on Facebook to find out where the secret shoppers are in action – some stores they are targeting include Meijer, Hy-Vee, Harris Teeter, and more!  Connect with the fun on twitter, too – utilize #EveryCartCounts & #EBFCartSearch for more info!

My Cart Counts.  So Does Yours!

#EveryCartCounts
xoxo Produce Mom

I’m encouraging each & every one of you to SHOP LIKE THE EARTH DEPENDS ON IT…. every cart at the grocery store counts!  Simple modifications are highly-effective & that’s where our focus will be for the next 2 weeks.

Start today.  Here are some simple steps I took this weekend while doing my shopping:

• Say NO to paper or plastic – bring your own totes to the grocery store
• Purchase items which use packaging responsibly – reuse & recycle the packaging once it becomes yours
• Create a list, stick to it, and make 1 big trip to the grocery store per week.
• Include foods on your list that multi-task – minimize your food waste by purchasing foods which can be used in a variety of ways
• Choose all-natural or organic foods

My cart counts.  So does yours.

Keep your eye on my website for all the ways we are celebrating the Earth – lots of fun contests and promotions with Earthbound Farm!

#EveryCartCounts,
xoxo Produce Mom

I had the unique opportunity to film a segment about Superfoods last week with Lauren Lowrey of WISH-TV, our local CBS news affiliate here in Indianapolis… it airs tomorrow morning during Ch 8 Daybreak as part of the station’s Gr8Health programming!  Set your DVRs

We were lucky to have help on the set from some of the Find Your Favorite Heroes who named a Superfood as their favorite fruit or veggie!  All the Find Your Favorite Heroes mean so much to me…. these celebrities & community-serving individuals joined my school foodservice campaign on a fairly short notice & without any form of reimbursement or royalty for their contribution.   They simply believe in the mission of The Produce Mom & the importance of childhood nutrition.  They are inspiring the students of Indianapolis Public Schools to make healthy choices & explore the abundant offerings of fresh produce… Every. Single. Day.

The Find Your Favorite Heroes represent the vast dreams & goals of our youth.  They have allowed me to tie specific produce commodities to their celebrity & market fruits and veggies directly to children.  Furthermore, each of these organizations/athletes is helping us with our efforts to expand Find Your Favorite to other urban school districts across the United States.  What they have done & continue to do as Find Your Favorite Heroes is remarkable.  Please visit the website and share their hero pages & videos on your facebook or pinterest page…  Join me in showing these amazing individuals how appreciative we are for their selfless dedication to childhood nutrition!

Here’s a preview of some of the Superfoods we are showcasing tomorrow morning on WISH-TV:

Kiwi – the MOST nutrient dense fruit…. one of the only fruits that contains Vitamin E.  Pick of Find Your Favorite Hero Graham Rahal

Broccoli – so many vitamins & minerals in Broccoli.  It’s a notable source of bone-strengthening calcium.  Pick of Find Your Favorite Hero Emily Dyson

Strawberries – an excellent source of Vitamin C & anthocyanins, a type of antioxidant.  Pick of Find Your Favorite Hero George Hill

Spinach – another obvious superfood… very nutrient dense & a lutein leader, a carotenoid that is essential for eye health.  Pick of Find Your Favorite Hero Coby Fleener.

Tune in to Daybreak tomorrow morning to learn more about Superfoods & how The Produce Mom is dedicated to inspiring kids to eat more fruits and vegetables!

What’s your favorite Superfood?
xoxo Produce Mom