Do I have to eat this thing?!
I’m scared.
I stuffed this CSA fennel in the crisper with all my might and I am pretending like it’s not really there. I ate one of the green branches and it was scary. Hopefully incorporating it into a dish will make it come alive! Well, not literally ‘alive’ but you know…
Thank you all for your super insightful and honest comments on today’s Learning How To Dismiss Negative Thoughts post. I picked up a few more tips and tricks for my own positive-thinking holster!
The weather has just been so beautiful here this week. The humidity is low (finally!) and the sun is shining. It was about 21C, windy, and crisp. I actually had goose bumps at the start of my run today, but those didn’t last long!
The run:
- Distance: 6 miles
- Time: 52:02
- Avg Pace: 8:40
Mile splits:
- Mile 1: 9:02
- Mile 2: 8:54
- Mile 3: 8:42
- Mile 4: 8:51
- Mile 5: 8:17
- Mile 6: 8:06
It was a strong negative split. My last mile was run to ‘Magic’ by B.o.B. Very energizing way to finish when sprinting.
After my run I had a Green Monster and this is where it started going downhill…
I wanted to use up the rest of the Swiss chard to make room for last night’s CSA pick-up. The Chard Green Monster contained: 4 large chard leaves + stems, 1.25 cup almond milk, 1 large frozen banana, 1 tbsp chia seeds, ice.
It tasted fine, but after I drank it, my stomach felt SO nauseous and has felt that way all day long.
Chard, it looks like you won this battle! I do not want to see chard for a very long time. I was starting to be ok with it and now I am turned off by it all over again!
I managed to eat lunch even though I wasn’t really feeling well. I knew I needed a good lunch in me for post-run recovery. I had 1.5 cups chickpeas, Italian tomato sauce, hummus, tomato paste, Herbamare, and pepper.
It was delicious! I will definitely be doing this again.
I munched on these carrots sprinkled with Herbamare and ground black pepper:
(Eating the Carrot showgirl was a bit weird, not going to lie.)
Not sure what is on the agenda for dinner tonight, but probably leftover Healing Stew…looks like I could use a little healing tonight!
We used another gift card at Pier 1 Wednesday night.
I got this pillow on the left for $17:
We also picked up two more pillows, a basket, and some decorative flowers from another nearby store.
I wanted to get a clear square vase for the flowers, but I haven’t found one yet.
I brought an ivory throw out of the linen closet for the couch:
Basket under the coffee table! Makes everything look tidy.
It is ridiculous how many remotes we have!!!
I think I know how to use one of those remotes.
On a good day.
I also revamped this 2 year old picture frame tray, by adding some new pictures.
I feel like the family room is slowly coming together. Just need to add some prints on the walls, curtains, and score a couple tables and chair. Eric and I might go antique hunting this Sunday for some nice side/coffee tables or accent chairs.
This is still a major eyesore…
I think this area needs some kind of a tall corner unit…
Well I am off to work on some more market prep and then kick back and relax with Eric. Have a great night! =)
OMGosh!!! I thought I was the only one who gets sick from Swiss Chard!!! I make fresh juices every morning from our CSA basket and every time I add chard as my ‘greenery’, I am totally nauseous and sick the rest of the day. Wonder what’s in in that makes our bodies reject…..I want to love it but…..
Hey- just read that because chard is so high in potassium a quik shot of it (like in juice or Green Monster) could upset your stomach and make you nauseous! Guess I’ll stick to kale/spinach, etc!!!
I know that Target has some really great clear, square, skinny vases
If you want to just get your feet wet with fennel, it’s really good if you roast it in the over in parchment paper packets. I put some sliced fennel (the bulb, not the fronds), some sliced onions, some chopped green olives, some capers, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt/pepper onto a piece of parchment. Fold it up nice and tight and bake it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. I serve it over quinoa and it’s really tasty! Enjoy! Let me know if you try it! When you cook it, the flavor is MUCH milder and I really prefer it.
Hey Angela! This is my first time commenting but I’ve been catching up on your blog for the past month. It’s great! I’ve spread the word about your blog and delicious recipes to many family members and friends. Just wanted to give you an idea for the fennel. Vegan with a Vengeance has a great pizza recipe and includes fennel. It uses homemade vegan sausagecrumbles (tempeh), sliced fennel, sliced russet potato, sliced garlic, and homemade pizza sauce. You can choose to add vegan mozzarella if you want. It is one of the best pizza recipes I’ve tried!
Have a great day!
I saw square glass vases in a variety of sizes at Kitchen Stuff Plus last night, so you could check that out next time you’re in Toronto (or if there’s one closer to you).
I LOVE that pillow from Pier 1!
Haha, I felt exactly the same way you do when I first got fennel in my CSA. All I had heard about fennel was that it tasted like licorice, and I hate licorice, so I had no idea what to do. I read that roasting it made it taste less like licorice, so I started with roasted fennel and portobello stromboli, and roasted fennel vegan quiche, and liked both! Now I’m used to it enough to eat it raw in a salad – it’s really good with orange!!! I’ve also used fennel fronds in place of dill in chickpea “tuna” salad. Get crazy with the fennel, you just might like it!
Regarding the chard incident, I’ve made green juices with chard and had no problems. I can’t do beet juice though, as it made me upchuck once, so I guess to each their own!
My living room is brown with green accents too! I love the pillows :D
Maybe you should consider a Harmony remote if you see one on sale. They are really coming down in price, are super duper easy to program (hook it up to the computer and it does all the work for you) and then it’s brainless to use. My mom can even use one! We got one more than three years ago and it’s still kicking plus we get to put AWAY all but one little remote. No more clutter!
Fennel & Chard are great! Here is how I use them… you may like it. Here goes..
WIth Fennel- discard the stems and dice up the bulb raw and toss into salads- they work well with dates, mixed greens and a mustard-y dressing. You can also add the little hairy fronds that hang off the stems if you like. Another option is to slice the bulb into 1 inch thick pieces and braise with garlic, earth balance, evoo & madeira wine.
With Chard.. de-stem and slice the leaves ribbon thin. Take some olive oil and minced garlic in a skillet and saute, adding the chard. Add a bit of wine- red or white, a veggie bouillon cube and let it reduce. Then sprinkle with Italian breadcrumbs and a touch of nutmeg.
Enjoy!! (I hope)
That is a totally cute way to keep all of the remotes together! We need one of those!
I hear roasted fennel is good. Doesn’t roasting work well for everything, anyway?
I love your living room! I desperately need to do some decorating in my house. Chris and I have been in it for two years now and we haven’t made it feel like home yet. Any tips would be great!
Angela, fennel is really good on the BBQ! Cut the bulb in half or quarters, season, spray with cooking spray/coat in oil, and BBQ away. I also love it in stir-fries (instead of celery). I’ve never seen one with so much… foliage before! Love, love, love your facial expression in that picture! Please post about how you end up cooking it. :-)
I LOVE fennel! A few suggestions: slice it, toss with olive oil, salt & pepper and roast it in the oven for about 15 minutes or so at 350F, or until tender. This is one of my favorite ways to eat fennel in the winter.
Or, my recent fave: use a mandolin and shave the fennel really (really) thin. Segment 1 orange, and add it to the fennel. Add in juice from half a lemon, add extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss. It’s crunchy and slightly sweet and refreshing. Think alternative to coleslaw. I want to eat it right now!
As for the fronds, I normally don’t use them, but I think you can probably use them as a substitution for dill, or really any herb, in a recipe. Perhaps chop up the fronds and toss it with some grape tomatoes and olive oil?
Hi there! I am also decorating! I just finished re-painting my living room and entrance to my house yesterday. I also sold my couches and tables on craig’s list this week! I am so excited for a new look and new furniture! I am heading to IKEA in a bit to scope out the goodS!!
This is what I made today from my market chard and was delish!
I sauteed chard (leaves only,no stem)with olive oil and a bit of garlic for a long time till soft along with a bit of maple syrup,sriracha sauce and tamari sauce(more maple syrup and srirach than tamari,but all to taste…). I added in mushrooms and kidney beans and sauteed away.
Then pured mixture over some brown rice (and I sprinkled a bit of goats cheese feta on top ,but don’t have to!)
This was so yummy and honestly you wouldn’t know if the greens were chard,kale or spinach (I have done this with each of these and always yum! They key is to get the right balnce of sweet maple syrup to spicy sriracha sauce to get the ultimate taste,and to make sure greens thoroughly cooked and soft).
Hope you will try ;) PS Often I will add some pieces of broccoli in too…..
I was really frightened of the fennel in my CSA box as well but I made this recipe: http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/749/Roast-Fennel-and-Tomato-Soup/. If you’re willing to brave making a hot soup in the summer, this one was delicious and roasting the fennel really mellowed out the flavour. I added some wild rice to each serving to bulk it up and garnished it with a few of the fronds, which I have also been chopping up and adding to my salads. :)