Easy Roasted Veggies

"Planning ahead" might just be the answer to most of life's problems as a mom of 4.  Yet, somehow I always feel like I'm just playing "catch up".  Meal planning isn't my forte, but I'm attempting to create some habits that will pay off.  

One of my favorite go-to's for getting veggies in our meals is roasting two huge pans after I make a big produce run.  Sprouts has awesome deals on produce and if you shop on Wednesdays, you get the deals for both last week and the current week!  

So, before even putting any produce in the fridge, I do a quick sink wash with my homemade fruit and veggie wash.  Then I just chop up everything that's going to be roasted so it doesn't even get to the veggie drawer (and get long forgotten because I don't feel like cooking veggies later). Each time I roast vegetables, it's always a little different, depending on what I have on hand.  Today it was red, green, and yellow peppers, yellow squash (on sale for 50 cents/lb!), baby carrots, yellow onion, and red potatoes.  

Since I had a package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix just waiting to be used, I decided to throw that into the mix as well, but usually I just add olive oil, salt/pepper, and balsamic vinegar.  

Today's Roasted Vegetable Recipe:

6 Bell Peppers (I used 2 of each - green, yellow, red)

4 handfuls of baby carrots

2 yellow squash

6 red potatoes

1 onion

2 pkgs Lipton onion soup mix

Olive Oil to coat veggies

Balsamic vinegar - a drizzle over each pan

Garlic salt (optional)

Chop all vegetables into bite size pieces.  Divide veggies onto two large baking sheets.  Sprinkle 1 package soup mix over each pan. Then drizzle enough olive oil plus a little balsamic vinegar to coat veggies.  Gently mix thoroughly with clean hands.  (you may also choose to add veggies to a ziplock bag or bowl to mix, but I wanted to have one less dish to wash)

Roast at 450 degrees for 25-30min.

Eat and enjoy for dinner, but then SAVE all the rest for LEFTOVERS during the week.  Great for bringing in a container for lunch as well!  You can add them to salads, pastas, or any meat dish.  

The only hard part is getting my kids to eat them!  

Easy Fruit and Veggie wash

I love eating my fruits and veggies, but my least favorite part is doing all the grocery shopping and then having to wash all the produce.  For a long time I just rinsed my produce with water, thinking it was "clean enough". Then, for more peace of mind (since we can't always afford organic) I started buying ready made veggie wash from the store.  Once my first bottle ran out, I figured I'd just make my own.  

Here's a simple recipe that helps get rid of some of the wax on the produce as well as dirt and bugs.  The vinegar even helps preserve the food! 

Large bowl or sink of cold water, enough to mostly cover produce

1/4 C Distilled White Vinegar

2 Tbsp salt

Just fill the sink or a large bowl with water, add the vinegar and salt and swish around.  Add the fruit and vegetables and soak for 25-30 min. Then rinse with fresh water. 

I usually do mine in the sink because I'll throw everything in while I'm unloading the rest of my groceries from the store.  That way you know that when you take a nice apple or celery stalk out of the fridge to eat, it will be clean!  

Buon Appetito!

Apple - Nectarine Fruit Leathers

This year, we finally got a huge crop of Nectarines on our tree out back. They are delicious! And with some surplus, we decided to try to make a yummy snack - fruit leathers or fruit roll ups. I was mostly interested in an easy process since I decided to do this on the fly (as usual). I looked up a few resources for tips and ultimately did the following:

1. Removed pits, sliced nectarines (left skin on) - about 4 cups worth
2. Added nectarines, 1 jar of applesauce, and 2 Tbspn lemon juice to the blender and blended until smooth
3. Traced circles/cut out parchment paper to fit correctly on the humidifier trays
4. Poured fruit mixture onto trays and spread out with spatula
5. Plugged in dehydrator and waited a few hours...

And here's the final result. Yummy! We had a few trays get a little drier than I preferred, but it was a great trial run. Now, just cut and eat - or don't cut and just eat a giant fruit donut roll!