June Challenge Update

Can you believe it is almost the end of June?! Wow, did this month go by quickly! I was hoping I would be able to detail more about my June Challenge on the blog and achieve some of the things I wanted to get done in terms of Green Kitchen Home Improvements, but here's a summary so far.

Before - In the months prior to this "challenge," I ordered take out or went out to eat probably 2-3 times a week, not including the times I picked a coffee up from a local shop. (I use the term "challenge" loosely here for several reasons. Is the ability to not order take out really that significant of a lifestyle practice? No!)

Results - This entire month, I've brought my lunch to work each day. While I didn't make a near perfect record, nor did I achieve some of the green kitchen improvements I wanted to this month (they are still in the works). I'm continuing with no take-out rule. "21 Days Makes a Habit" seems to be my motto/motivation. I ate out five times during this month - Rib Fest, Lisa's Celebratory Return to the USA, Father's Day, Gino's with my dad, and that one time in the midst of apartment hunting when I desperately needed a Starbucks-Pick-Me-Up. 

Technology Asset - With the Pepperplate App (and online site), you can automatically import recipes from your favorite websites and blogs (no need to manually enter them). You can also format your meal planner and make shopping lists based off of your favorite websites. I love the fact that it is compatible on all three of my devices - computer, tablet, and phone. You can use all of the features on whatever device you use, but I use certain devices for specific things - computer (finding recipes, organizing shopping lists, and meal planning), mobile (for when I'm actually shopping), and tablet (for the cooking).

Meal Planning - Everyone has different ways how they plan meals, I don't think I've figured it out completely, but I definitely have something that is much more efficient than anything that I did before this challenge. Towards the end of the week (Thursday or Friday), I will plan the meals for the rest of the week starting with Saturday (afternoon or dinner depending on where we are with food). Lunch is typically leftovers, but I will rotate and store them properly so it doesn't seem redundant. Breakfast changes from week to week, but there isn't too much variation within the week. Each week I tried to make one meal that I could prepare on Sunday and freeze (casseroles, soups, baked things) and one grain/vegetable salad that I could use for lunches and sides.

Grocery Shopping - Each week, we spent about $60-90 on groceries. A ate out for lunch Monday thru Friday (not fighting on that too much), but that $60-90 included breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the weekend, plus all dinners, my lunches, and breakfasts during the week. It included meat, which is probably the most expensive thing. If we were vegetarians, that average could easily be dropped in half. I mixed up grocery shopping between farmer's markets, Jewel, and Whole Foods. I had bought $60 worth of grains - quinoa, rice, and gluten-free cereal in bulk around mid-May. We used all of those grains (still a bit left over).

Conclusions & Next Steps - Since I'm preparing everything that I've been making, I feel extremely healthy lately (other factors might also impact that feeling), but I've felt overall very healthy, which I haven't in a very long time. With the reduction of trash, setting up the compost pile, the overall good feeling, and the savings. I'm continuing this tradition on. My goal for July is to make the entire month without any exceptions, but I will be building on my June challenge with a new one for July.

Moving, Part 1

We're moving! Not the blog, but me (Lindsay) as an actual person. Two years of living in my garden apt. and four years living in either Lakeview or Lincoln Park, it is time for a change. Unfortunately, when I told my landlord that I wouldn't be renewing again, I did not know that the rental market in Chicago was as cut throat as it is. A and I made appointments to see at least 3-4 places, and they were rented before we could even see them! Luckily, we found a great place in Wicker Park/Bucktown, and we are very excited for the move. Here's some photos from the listing.

There's a couple things about moving and being sustainable. Hopefully, this is a place we will be at for a while (because who likes moving?!? and LOOK HOW BIG IT IS!)

• Actual Moving: Boxes, movers, how many trips back and forth? Cleaning? So many decisions. 
• Furniture: After we applied for the place and signed the lease, we realized how big the new space is compared to our current place. Plus, my brother and his fiancee are taking the futon (THANK YOU!) So, I will definitely be trying to figure out how to furnish this new place - using current items, recycled items, and things I make on my own. 
• Amenities of the New Place: Central Air, Washer/Dryer in Unit, and a Dishwasher....I haven't had the four of these things for four years. What to use? What not to use...these are the bigger questions that I'm trying to rationalized. Do I get a stationary bike that generates energy with us? Window solar panels?  
• The Garden Apt. - Everyone asks me, "Will you still call the blog  The Garden Apt.?" Yes! 

The SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge

The SNAP Challenge gives participants a view of the struggle to obtain adequate food that is faced by millions of low-income Americans. For one week, participants take the challenge to live on about $4 per day worth of food – the average food stamp benefit. On June 17, I participated in the SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge to shop for food choices on a limited budget, learn how difficult it is to avoid hunger, and afford nutrition foods and stay healthy.

To make my dollars stretch, I created my own concoction for dinner: Cajun Shrimp and Green Bean Sauté. I was able to stay within my budget, while feeding three others. Hence, if I did not have a garden (which really stretched my dollars) and could only feed myself, I would have had difficulty preparing recipes just for one. You could eat the same dinner four nights of the week, and if you like a little kick to your meals, you will be more than willing to eat leftovers!

Cajun Shrimp and Green Bean Sauté (4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups green beans, trimmed ($.42)
• 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil, divided ($.35)
• 1 medium onion, chopped ($.33)
• 2 tsp salt-free Cajun spice (or Southwest) ($.04)
• ½ lb medium cooked shrimp ($2.50)
• ½ cup rainbow chard, finely chopped (from my garden - $.05 for seed) (try chopped parsley if you do not have rainbow chard inexpensively available)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste ($.01)
• 1 cup brown rice, cooked ($.66)

Total Cost of recipe/4 servings:  $1.11

Directions:

1. Heat 1 ½ tsp olive oil in a medium skillet. Add green beans with 1/8 cup water. Sauté until tender-crisp, about 4-6 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and Cajun seasoning, stirring constantly until onions soften (about 3 minutes). Add shrimp.

3. Add rainbow chard. Stir occasionally until heated through, about 2 minutes.

4. Place beans over cooked brown rice. Top beans with shrimp mixture and freshly ground pepper.

Another blogging break...

(source)

In between the mixes of apartment hunting, father's day, and new technology that has come into my garden apt., I've fallen terribly behind on blogging this week. The #junechallenge is going very well. And, we've found an apartment and signed a lease - more to come on this next week. Anyways, I'll be back on Monday - Lindsay

Rainbow Chard & Steak Salad

If you haven’t guessed already, I have a mild obsession with salad concoctions. After all, I eat one almost every day. After shooting another cooking video at the VA for grilled vegetables and the proper portion size of grilled lean meat, I realized these foods would be the perfect addition to a salad.

Lately, my rainbow chard has been the “gift-that-just-keeps-giving”, so I made a combination that will likely kick your taste buds into full gear.  Rainbow chard loaded with Vitamins A and C and fiber.  Bring this one into work, and you’ll be vying for the lunch hour!

Rainbow Chard & Steak Salad (serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 red pepper, halved and sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 large bunch rainbow chard (or any lettuce green)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp salt-free garlic-herb seasoning (or any salt-free seasoning)
• 1 lb lean steak
• 1 large bunch rainbow chard (or any lettuce green), chopped
• ¼ cup feta cheese
• Fresh ground pepper
• Olive oil and balsamic vinegar (optional)

Directions:

1. Start grill and allow to heat thoroughly.
2. Place broccoli, cauliflower, red pepper, and onion on a sheet of heavy-duty foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with 1 ½ tsp of salt-free seasoning. Close foil packet tightly, and cook on pre-heated grill.
3. Season steaks with remaining 1 ½ tsp of salt-free seasoning. Cook on pre-heated grill.
4. When vegetables are bright in color, but soft, remove from grill. Remove steaks from grill once fully cooked. Allow vegetables and steaks to cool.
5. Cut steaks into 1 in pieces or 2 inch slices.
6. Meanwhile, chop rainbow chard and place in a large bowl.
7. Add vegetables and steak to rainbow chard. Sprinkle with feta cheese and freshly ground pepper. Serve with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, if desired.

My Garden

Every month for about a week, I get, what I call, "super-organized" and "super-prepared," and I become a textbook busy-body. It's the strangest PMS symptom, but I swear it is a symptom that I've had since college. This past Saturday was a perfect example. On the agenda, I planned to go to the farmer's market and work on the coffee table and bedroom dresser. What I ended up doing was going to the farmer's market, stopping through Old Town Art Fair, completing painting the dresser, making three pillows, cooking meals for the week, and planting my summer garden.

truly a garden apt.

Initially, I thought that with moving at the beginning of August, and not knowing anything about the place I was moving, a gardening this year would not be an option. However, my little green thumb came out on Saturday.

Very excited about my lime tree this year. 

My garden consists of several different planters of tomatos, peppers, herbs, and one strawberry plant. Last year with the drought, despite daily watering and nurturing, my plants were not as luscious as I desired. Here's hoping to this year.

I garden without a lot of equipment. I don't have a shovel, so I use a spoon and a measuring cup. I love my garden gloves, because since I'm not wearing nail polish, dirt in my nails is very obvious. I also have a water bottle that I spray the plants morning and night. Also, the key to every successful garden is to replant in fresh soil. I cared for last year's soil, so that I was able to reuse it for this year. On the weekends, when I'm home. I take my houseplants outside (except my orchid) to get some intense sunlight. I think this is part of the reason my money tree has doubled in size.

Also, as you see I use the little markers that came with the plant. I love the ceramic ones you find in stores or even the popsicle stick ones. However, the idea of creating something that already exists for me seems kind of wasteful. I guess I would use those options if I was planting directly from seeds and consistently planted the same things year after year.

Do you garden in the city? What are you growing this summer?

DIY Living Room Upgrades: Coffee Table + Pillows

I've been longing to update certain aspects of my garden apt. for a few months, especially after A moved in. I've got a tendency for cohesion and with the abundance of tech gadgets and equipment that soon invaded my apt., everything seemed out of whack. At the same time, I had the furniture, it functioned for its purposes - sitting, resting feet, storage, etc. I didn't want to toss anything out, so I decided to paint, redesign it, or recover it.

Final Result

My two main projects included 1) painting the iKea Lack TV unit (used as a coffee table because surface area is essential for us) and then covering it with Chasing Paper wallpaper top and 2) creating new pillow cases for my pillows (brushed up on my sewing skills at The Needle Shop)

BEFORE: Look at how pathetic those pillows look. I made the mini-black one at my Needle Shop class

First, I painted the coffee table. Before I cut the wallpaper, I had to flatten out. Great use of my weights (about the biggest use i get out of them)

Measured the wall paper so that it would align correctly on the table. Used straight edge to cut paper as well.

Peeled the paper and placed on table. My recommendation is that this is a two person job to avoid any air bubbles.  

Everything placed back on the coffee table - Grandma's tick-tac-toe set, candle, plants, remote, books, and great blanket storage.

Window sill above couch. I've got a bunch of gifted decorative objects, old candle holders, etc. They were all different colors and with my left over paint. I decided to paint them white for uniformity. 

My three pillows, super stuffed. I kind of like my brown futon couch now with these pillows.

Final product.

Even though I will be moving in a few short months, the couch and coffee table will find its open in my new (garden) apt. With any left over fabric, paint, etc. I've got plans to use it for some other decorative projects, so that I use up what I purchased. Since my home diy projects all revolve around a similar color scheme, I can get more use out of them with other projects.

Greek Six Layer Dip

My garden is starting to grow rich greens, and the leaves of my zucchini plants are beginning to bud flowers which means growing season is in full bloom. The little buds made me think of this recipe which is from the kitchen of a co-dietitian and close friend. Everyone I know RAVES over this recipe. Share with your guests at your next garden party, grad party or week night treat. Salivate over the flavor blends in this fresh appetizer!

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 oz) white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp dill
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 dash salt
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1 small zucchini, shredded
• 2 oz feta cheese, crumbled
• ½ cup tomato, chopped
• 2 oz black or kalamata olives, sliced
• Blue corn chips

Directions:

1. In a blender or food processor, puree the first 9 ingredients (white beans through mustard).
2. Spread pureed mixture on the bottom of a medium – large serving platter.
3. Top pureed mixture with a layer of each: onion, zucchini, feta cheese, tomato, and olives.
4. Serve with blue corn chips.

Grilled Greek Chicken

The weather is warming, grills are heating up, and summer is nearly here. To celebrate, I wanted to create a healthy grilled recipe that will excite your guests and keep work in the kitchen at minimum. While your chicken is grilling, you can enjoy your cocktails and friends among the sunshine.

Grilled Greek Chicken (4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 cups fresh spinach, rinsed and chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• ½ cup reduced-fat feta cheese
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chopped spinach and red onion. Saute until spinach begins to wilt. Set aside.
2.  Meanwhile, butterfly chicken breasts and lay flat on a clean surface.
3. Divide spinach mixture and feta cheese among each chicken breast and place in center fold of chicken breast. 
4. Use butcher’s twine to fold chicken breasts and secure, knotting string ends together.  
5. Place panko bread crumbs on a plate. Roll chicken breasts in panko crumbs. Season breasts with freshly ground pepper.
6. Place chicken breasts on a hot grill. Grill until chicken juices run clear, turning as needed.