Take A Load Off.....

A load of carbs off your daily diet that is.  I've really been watching my carbs & sugars the past month and trying to be better about substituting while cooking.  And you know how you feel weighted down after a huge pasta meal?  Yeah, you won't feel that way with a plate of veggie noodles that's for sure.

Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer 

 Which led me to purchase this handy, dandy machine.....may I present the Spiralizer! There are lots of different models & types out there but I read reviews diligently and this one seemed to suit me best. I liked the different blades, ease of use and easy clean up.  You can use it for fruits AND veggies...so mix it up and try new things I say :)

Which led to me getting it, washing it & putting it right to use because I was super excited! 

(it doesn't take much folks, trust me)

I decided to use zucchini & yellow squash to make spaghetti noodles first. I snapped in the right blade, cut the ends off of my veggies and spiraled away...its pretty fun to twirl that handle. Reminded me of the Play-Doh Hair Salon I had as a kid hahaha!  The spiralizer has suction cups on each leg to keep it in place while you are twirling away...don't get too excited now..hehehe. AND keep the skins on for extra source of fiber too (after you've washed them all really well).

And I ended up with a blow of these yummy veggie noodles.  I used 1 each of the zucchini & yellow squash to make enough for two servings (my veggies were med sized).

Cook or Raw?

Now you can eat them raw if you like or to soften them a bit you can cook them up quickly.

I put a TBS of Olive Oil in my pan along with 2 diced cloves of garlic and sauteed them for about 2-3 minutes.  Easy peasy.  (I also drained them on paper towels because I wanted less oil on them)

Don't have a Spiralizer or don't want to buy one? 

 Use a julienne slicer or peeler and make long, thin strips instead...it may take a bit longer but results will be similar.

I also had some homemade marinara meat sauce simmering and ready on the stove.  Mine has onions, mushrooms & ground turkey in it...yummmm!

And direct from a Healthy Eating Website here is the low-down on zucchini spaghetti:

Each medium zucchini provides 33 calories, 6.1 grams of total carbohydrates and 2.0 grams of fiber, which works out to only 4.1 grams of net carbs.

A typical plate of spaghetti can easily provides 100 to 150 grams of carbohydrate, and that is before you even consider the garlic bread and soft drink that might go with it. Most low-carb diet plans recommend limiting your daily carb intake to fewer than 100 grams a day.

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How is that for a comparison huh?  I think this girl will be sticking to her veggie noodles and feel much better after enjoying it too!

And all these pics were with my iPhone..sorry..I didn't realize that BOTH my 

camera's batteries were dead until I of course needed them lol!

And that turned into a yummilicious dinner...I swear it was so good I could've eaten 2 bowls.  The veggie noodles were softer and took on the flavor of the sauce...you'd never know if you weren't told what they were.  Definitely a winner!  I served it up with a field greens salad & balsamic dressing..nummers.

I will be using this Spiralizer a lot me thinks!

I also pinned quite a few recipes using a Spiralizer on my LOSE WEIGHT RECIPES board on Pinterest if you are interested.
Oh and there is a blog dedicated to only Spiralizer recipes..check it out too!

Healthy Helpers....

HELP ME, HELP YOU.....

I'm on week 8 of my healthy living, exercising and eating and I'm down 15 lbs...whoot whoot!  Slow & steady and I'm feeling so much stronger.  I've increased the time of my workouts and the pace...but still doing cardio/weights 6 times a week and yoga 7 days a week.  I can see muscles in my arms and I'm soooo LOVING that...these arms can hold a plank and do push-ups for a long time now.  Remember meal plans for each week are linked under the HEALTHY LIVING tab at top of my blog (I have to add in last week & this week's...I promise to have it done this week lol).

I thought I'd share a couple of my "helpers" that I've found enable me to put in the best workout I can and some videos/workouts I'm loving right now.

WAG Gloves 

I got these gloves after several recommendations from yoga instructors and I must admit they weren't cheap but they were worth every dang penny.  I have funky joints especially in my hands and wrists and sometimes I simply couldn't hold a pose because my wrists were in so much pain.  Well these babies have a gel insert in them that keep your wrists from overextending themselves and makes holding the poses a bit easier...they don't decrease the amount of strength you can get..they simply help your wrists FEEL better.  So if you have any issue like me, they are worth the investment.  And they can be used for any workout...I don't just use them for yoga but for pilates and any floor/core work.  (they also help with grip issues if you are sweaty or on a slippery surface)

ToeSox

There are ALL kinds of yoga socks and wraps out there...just research what works best for you.  I alternated between the wraps and socks but figured I'd START with the socks and see how they do.  I got them for grip reasons, not to hold in my ankles or anything.  I slide even on my Gaiam yoga mat so thought these would help a bit.  They are only $16 and come in all different colors and styles (and full-toe versions too).  The Nike studio wraps are here if you want to compare.

Lifefactory Glass Bottle

I have a weird quirk...I have a few actually but we'll only talk about one today LOL!  I hate drining out of anything plastic..HATE IT!  If its the only choice then I will deal with it but I prefer glass.  (hate that crinkling noise & I know those bottles are made with all kinds of chemicals..yucky)  My family knows that I will only drink out of our glass glasses and my older water bottles were stainless steel which isn't terrible but I don't like it much either.  So a few months ago I saw these in one of my exercise magazines and knew I had to order it.  I drink A LOT of water these days and I love that this is a glass bottle and you can use a straw, I just pour it in my mouth lol..I keep it filled up all day with ice-cold water.  They come in different colors and what not...but I really do love it.

Empower Fingertip Grip Medicine Ball with DVD 
 I also am really liking adding a medicine ball routine to my workout 1-2 times a week along with the kettle bell.  The medicine ball really works your core out and is great lo-impact exercise to get you in shape fast. This ball comes with a DVD and I went with the 6lbs (they have 4 & 8 lbs as well).  You can find lots of other medicine ball workouts on Youtube and Amazon to mix it up.  I like to use different videos regularly so I don't get bored and my body doesn't get complacent...its a win/win!

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YouTube has some amazing workout videos...and they're FREE..nothing better than that.  Make sure you read the reviews on the videos and make sure that they are getting fairly good feed back.  You don't want to watch a video where the wrong form is used or they do something that isn't safe for your body.  

Right now I'm loving the short 15-30 minute yoga videos put out by Meera Hoffman and Erica on youtube...both are certified yoga instructors. They have great, lean bodies..nice voices..and good explanations of all the moves and range from beginner to intermediate.  I do 30 minutes of stretch & energizing yoga in the morning and another 30-45 minutes of calorie burning yoga in the afternoons. Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown is on youtube too and its a workout.  But just enter yoga, beginner yoga, 30 minute yoga and go through the videos.  Everyone likes different versions, voices and techniques so you have to find one you really like.

Like I said before I was never a yoga lover...but at this moment in my life its exactly what I needed. I cannot express how much better I feel after I do yoga...my body feels stretched, relaxed and out of pain and my mind is lighter and freer.  The hubs asked me the other day if I was going to turn into a yogi because everytime he's around I say "I gotta go do some more yoga" hahaha!  I'm committed to it now and if I miss a workout I feel slightly out of sorts. So no matter what I get in at least 30 mins of yoga and 30 mins of cardio/weights six times a week whenever I can.


Do you have any exercising helpers to share??

Healthy Eats!

Well its Week 6 and I've got my Meal Plan below for you!  

You can find them all by clicking on the HEALTHY LIVING tab at top of blog or on my sidebar.  And most of the recipes are on my Pinterest board HERE too!

Shrimp Tostados by Skinny Taste

I've stumbled upon a blog that I've fallen in love with...I MEAN I LOVE IT! 

It's called "skinnytaste.com" and she has the best recipes for those looking for healthy alternatives to their meals.  I've used mostly her recipes for this week's Meal Plan as well....so many yuumy choices.  And the food photography is outta this world...I can only aspire to take some luscious photos of food!

So I'm looking forward to trying out some new recipes and flavors over the coming months.  There are so many filling and yummy recipes that are good for you if you look hard enough and are willing to try.  These Turkey Picadillo Stuffed Plantains above are on the plan for this week...they sound delicious and nothing I've ever made before but I'm sure willing to give it a go.

So anywho I hope you hop on over to that blog and have fun perusing all the fabulous recipes and pictures.

Gettin' Healthy...

My Meal Plan for this week is below....I've pinned all the recipes onto my Pinterest Board "Lose Weight Recipes" in case you want to access any of them.  

Last week I stuck to the menu plan that I wrote up HERE except on Friday night when I went out for crab legs but I kept to my 600 calorie dinner plan thanks to the Lose It app.  Its been very eye opening to keep track of every single calorie that I put in my mouth.  So far I've had NO cravings, kept to the plan and feel good (minus my core muscles being REALLY sore lol).  I'm exercising 6 days a week with combined cardio, circuit training, weights and yoga on different days and getting my 10,000 steps in with my FitBit.

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BTW....the mustard-maple glazed chicken recipe from last week was TOP NOTCH!
Really, really yummy and I cooked a whole pack of chicken tenderloins so I had the leftovers shredded in wraps for lunches. Mmmmm...making more this week too! Great flavor & low fat!

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SOME SUZ TIPS:

Just thought I'd share a few things that I do regularly and a few things I've added to my daily list to get healthy.

DVD WORKOUTS: If you are a member of Amazon Prime then you can take advantage of Prime Instant Video if you haven't already.  There are 100's of workout videos you can stream for FREE...yup for FREE instead of buying the DVDs. They range from Jillian Michaels, to yoga, to aerobics and dance...so if you are like me and like to mix it up to prevent boredom, this is an awesome thing.  I've been streaming different yoga videos right thru my SmartTV but you can also just stream them on your laptop, ipad or phone if you want.  The Jillian Michaels Power Yoga will kick your butt...3 different levels and you will sweat like a pig LOL. I'm mixing it in with regular stretching yoga a few times a week.

**TIP--Jillian Michaels Shred for Beginners is only $3.99 to stream online. I chose to do that for 10 days because I'm coming off of surgeries and illness and can't just jump into her regular DVDs like I have in the past. This one is great for anyone that has been ill, recovering physically or just getting started.  You only need a set of light hand weights to get started. And for under $4 you can access it whenever you want...cheaper than buying the DVD.

My fave DVDs when I want to get in shape are by Jillian Michaels but I've added some Tracy Anderson workouts in too. I'm using the Abcentric Metamorphosis series by her because I tend to add weight to my middle...she has others for other body types too.  Her beginning video is good to start with and EASE you into it all.  For her videos you need ankle & wrist weights.  I try to get in 45-60 mins of mixed exercise 6 days a week...with 1 rest day.

PUT ON WORKOUT CLOTHES as soon as you get up....that is if you have nowhere to be. I don't wear my workout clothes to run errands, not my style but it may be your's and that's ok. But I know if I put on my workout clothes it helps a lot...I don't have to run upstairs to get dressed and make excuses about why I don't have time.  If I can't find 35-45 mins a day to workout even if I break it up into 2 workouts that day....then I have to re-evaluate how I'm managing my time.  So I aim to do 45 mins of workout a day and then a 30 min walk every night at a brisk pace.  So far so good....

VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS:  These are things I take every day whether I'm seriously working out or not.  I have a weeklong pill case that I fill up each Sunday and take them during the day..makes it easy on me to just flip it open and take what I need each day.
What Do I Take:
-Prenatal Vitamins instead of Multi-Vitamin (my dr recommended I use these for a year & NOT because I'm pregnant...no no no...lol)
-Vit D
-B-12
-Slow-Fe Iron (slow release)
-Vit C with rose hips
-Flaxseed Oil
-DHA Omega 3 Complex
-Calcium w/ Magnesium

WEIGHT LOSS APPS - If you have an iPad/Tablet or Smartphone take advantage of the free apps out there.  I reviewed a lot before I settled on two...I'm using Lose It to track my foods/calories/exercise and set goals and I ended up buying the premium part of the app for $39 for the year to sync with my FitBit.  It helps calculate how many calories a day I can have...you can barscan foods, enter restaurant foods, etc...then you can enter how much exercise you did that day.  I like to see exactly where I am and what I need to do.  You can also enter competitions like "lose 3 lbs by Columbus Day".  If I stay on track I am supposed to (haha we hope) reach my weight goal by Christmas...lawdy...the holidays are sooo hard though...gotta keep it straight LOL!  MyFitnessPal I'm using mostly for exercise...it syncs with the FitBit...sets goals for you and more.

MOTIVATIONAL MESSAGES - Every now and again I will try and share my Motivational Print-Outs I'm hanging around the house.  Sometimes its that one message, that one mantra or saying that helps you stay on course or get motivated.  I'm a big believer in the power of WORDS. My first ones are HERE if you want to use them too.  The quote above is my most FAVORITE of them all...so I ordered myself this workout top to remind myself every step of the way.


SMOOTHIES - I'm a big fan of smoothies but I try to keep them to only 1-2 a week.  Make sure that what you put in them is the purest and freshest you can get if you can.  I add some organic protein powder in mine and use Greek Yogurt as a base.  I stick to mostly fruit but I will add a scoop of organic peanut butter every now and again.

SNACKS - One of my favorite snacks is frozen white grapes in snack baggies with yogurt chips.  I make the yogurt chips myself....put your favorite yogurt (Greek for me) in a baggie with corner snipped off or Pastry Bag and squeeze small circles onto a baking pan lined with wax paper.  Then pop into freezer until frozen and add to your snack bags.  Makes a cool and healthy snack.

I also like peanut butter on bananas, Lara bars, a single string cheese, and cucumber & onion salad with balsamic vinegar helps cure a salty tooth.  If I'm craving potato chips (which are a downfall for me) I will go ahead and have 3-4...I take them out of the bag, count them and put the bag back. Usually just that small taste of chips is enough for me to be fine. I don't believe in NONE at all...I'd rather have a wee taste then think about it all day and be miserable. I don't operate well that way. And a small slice of angel cake has only 60 calories and 0.22% of fat in it,  so if you need something light & sweet, this is a good way to go.  I've cut most of the sugar from my diet but I still have a bit because I wasn't interested in going full out this time...but I try to keep it to just a couple times of week.

WATER - I drink a glass of water with lemon BEFORE every meal and snack, then drink more water during my meal. It fills you up so you don't overeat or want to grab more snacks.  I use a half of lemon in my water all day...I can't drink it all in one glass so instead I add a bit to every glass I drink.

Secrets of Lemon added to your water you may not know:
-Vit C boosts your immune system
-Aids digestion
-Helps flush toxins out of your system, stimulates your liver
-Antioxidants help keep breath fresh & skin clear
-Helps remove uric acid from your joints & helps with inflammation
-Helps fight hunger pangs

BRUSH YOUR TEETH - if you really, really have a craving & feel yourself caving...go brush your teeth with the mintiest of toothpastes.  Nothing tastes good with a fresh toothpaste mouth..guaranteed. Use this as needed ;)

TAKE A WALK-- I will take my dogs on a nice walk, come back and drink some water and usually whatever I wanted to eat isn't on my mind any more...gotta do what it takes and I have a really BAD sweet tooth sometimes. Although I haven't really found myself craving very much lately so that's a good thing!

And NEVER go in the grocery store hungry....never fix dinner when you're starving either...bad bad bad stuff happens LOL!

Have a good tip to share?  Let me know, because I'm all ears!!

Take It Alllll Off.....

I know...I've heard it many times...you look fine, you don't need to lose weight, why would you think that, you are being silly.  While I appreciate the kind sentiments, I know myself that something has to be done..and soon.  I have to lose 24 lbs and I need to get my health straight and I need to bring down my cholesterol levels (which are higher than they should be) without meds.

It may not be easy to see in pics on Facebook but I've gained a lot of weight since surgery and treatments..the meds I was on didn't help me any either.  And I've been stressed and upset and eating poorly. And because I haven't been well I've not been very active either.  When you are in constant pain and exhausted it kinda puts a hamper on exercising.  So I have to get myself together...I'm 40 and I feel like CRAP!  I don't want to feel like crap anymore, I want to have energy again and I'm sick of not fitting into my pants too...that'll make you real mad every morning.

So this post is to hold me accountable in a way.  I'm not good at dieting or limiting myself so I'm not calling it that or doing that diet mindset...its a GET HEALTHY plan and STAY HEALTHY plan.  I'm allowing myself 2 cheat foods a week in moderation..for me I need them and it adds motivation to get to something good for me each week too. May not work for you but it works for me.  I'm incorporating paleo foods, weight watcher recipes and trying to get rid of all the sugar and processed stuff.  I got lazy this summer with so much going on and it was easy to just grab the "crap" and go...but no more of that stuff. 

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So starting today I'm mapping out each week's meal plans and putting recipes on my Pinterest board.  I am also adding a link in case you want to check out the recipes I add each week...some are tried&true and some are new. I like healthy, good food with lots of flavor..so its just a matter of planning and making it happen. I can be lazy during the day and just not eat...not good for my kind of metabolism..and leads to me sometimes snacking too much late in the evenings. 

 LOSE WEIGHT RECIPES PINTEREST BOARD HERE

I also ordered a Fitbit One Wireless to track my movements...I'm very competitive so I'm hoping this keeps me moving regularly as it tracks me every day. I spent a  lot of time reading reviews of all four fitness bands and this one seemed to be what I needed...it clips on or you can slip it in your bra/pocket. I didn't want a band for myself so that's why I chose this one.  

I'm also using 2 apps to help keep myself organized and accountable for everything....both are free...Map My Fitness and Lose It (both work with the FitBit).

And to help with stress I'm going to be doing Beginner Yoga on YouTube and some Blogilates twice a week as well.  And the usual Jillian Michaels & Tracy Anderson DVDs too...my goal is to do a video 5x a week with regular walks added in.  I have to start out slow...24-35 min workouts because of my health and slowly build stamina. I can't jump right in hilly-nilly...so bare with me.

So at the end of every month I will add screen shots of my progress and what weight has been lost.

I will also share my meal plans if you are interested in trying some new recipes too.

So here I go....anyone going with me??? 

LOL!

Here's this week's meal plan if you want to see it (double click to make larger) and the recipes are on my Pinterest Board Link above.

Italiano!

I love me some Italian food and I married an Italian guy because of it too!

WAIT!!!!  

WHAT??

No I'm just kidding...my hubby IS half Italian but I didn't marry him because he was.  

The man can barely cook, I mean c'mon LOL!

But we all enjoy some good Italian food in our house that's for sure.

And its always best when made from scratch!

I thought I'd share my simple & quick Chicken Parmesan with Roasted Tomato Sauce

with you all today!  And pretty healthy as well (well minus the cheese lol) but other than that its fairly Paleo friendly too!

One of my favorite ways to cook up a good hearty tomato sauce is by roasting some tomatoes (I like to use a mix of cherry and larger tomatoes) with some garlic, salt & pepper, olive oil, balsamic, brown sugar and a bit of hot red peppers to give it a good kick.  

After they've roasted up, put them in a blender and puree into your sauce.

{recipes are below}

I like to buy the thinner chicken breasts for my Chicken Parmesan.  They cook up faster and you don't have to waste time beating them down...course if you need to expel some bad juju then go right ahead and bang those chicken breasts into thinner pieces LOL!  I cook mine up in a skillet with olive oil and fresh herbs when I can to get a head start on the cooking. Then I layer everything into my baking pan, top with sauce & cheese and store it in the fridge until I'm ready to cook it up for dinner.  Easy to make ahead and tastes soooo good!

Roasted Tomato Sauce

1 - 1.5 lbs of tomatoes 

1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinegar

1 TBS brown sugar

1/2 cup of Olive Oil

3-4 cloves of Garlic Smashed

A few snips of fresh Thyme, Basil & Parsley

(use dried herbs if you have no fresh on hand)

Salt & Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes for kick

Mix up all the ingredients in a small bowl except for the tomatoes.  Place tomatoes in a glass or stone pan (not metal) and drizzle mixture on top. Roast at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.  Once roasted pour the tomatoes and sauce into your blender and puree.  Add salt/pepper to taste as needed.

Chicken Parmesan

4-8 Chicken Breasts (thin cuts)

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Italian Seasoning

Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Mix in a small bowl Olive Oil and seasonings and dip chicken breasts in mixture.

Heat skillet and brown each side of chicken quickly, no more than 1-2 mins on each side.

Then place chicken breasts in a greased baking dish, pour roasted tomato sauce on top, and cover with shredded cheeses.  Cover with foil and cook at 400 degs for 15 mins, then remove foil and cook last 5 mins to melt cheeses well.

Bon Appetit!

Entering into the following Linky Parties:

AKA Designs / Weekend re-Treat


*****

WINNER of the Parking Tix
(sorry I'm behind on this)

Kim of "My Pink Tiara" 
has won a pack of my parking tickets LOL!
Email me at sjdean@smartneighborhood.net with your mailing address so I
can ship them out ASAP to you!

And if you would like your very own parking tickets...Amazon has them right here below!
Citation those idiots away I say ;)

A Lil' Bit of Everything!

Quick and Easy Side Dish

VEGGIE SAUTE

I'm always trying to figure out healthy & easy side dishes to serve with dinner that my family will eat.

This dish I make is something my mom used to throw together growing up and I've just tweaked it a bit.  The best thing about it is you can include whatever you want or like!

I call it Veggie Saute and its soooo good.  If you have leftovers of this, the 2nd day is even better after those flavors really marinate together...mmmm!  

This is great if you have a bunch of veggies laying around that you need to use up or only have a few of each...chop them up and add them to the mix.  That way the veggies don't go to waste!

Ingredients that I use:

*Remember you can add whatever veggies you choose

*any amount of veggies that you want, its up to you

-zucchini

-yellow squash

-onion

-tomatoes

-mushrooms

-any peppers you choose

-Olive Oil

-3-4 garlic cloves pressed/diced

-salt/pepper

-red pepper flakes

-shredded mozzarella

Add your Olive Oil to a saute pan and cook your garlic for a few mins.

Then add all your veggies (chopped) and seasonings...I love a kick so I add a good amount

of red pepper flakes.  

Cook over medium heat until veggies soften up to your liking, stirring well every few minutes.

If you are in a rush put a lid on the pan so the veggies cook down faster.

You can do this with fresh or store bought veggies....here's the secret though (shhhh ok)?  No matter whether you use fresh or store bought you cannot really tell because you are sauteing it down with flavorful seasonings.  So what's that mean?  

You can make this all year long and its super healthy for you and EASY!!!!

Ta Da!  Yum Yum...now here is the kicker...listen closely ok??

CHEESE

If you like cheese...sprinkle a bit of shredded mozzarella on the mixture while warm so it melts a bit and then serve.  YUMMO!  Course you don't have to use cheese, but it adds a special sumpin' to the mix!

Easy to make, cooks up quickly and its healthy!  Yum Yum!

Freshness Rules!

Let me count the ways that I LOVE fresh produce...fresh from the farmer's market is great...BUT fresh from MY garden is even better! The taste is 1000x better than what's bought at the stores that's for sure.  When we went to Maui a couple of years ago we were AMAZED at the different flavor bananas and pineapple had because they were off the tree fresh and soooo yummy!  I've always had a garden since I've been married, sometimes it was a container garden (when we lived in a condo) and sometimes it was a DEAD garden LOL due to lack of rain and us away on vacation.  But I've always tried to have a garden and shop at the farmer's markets during the summer as much as I can.

You could say my mom was farm-2-table-hippy-cool before it was "in style".  Growing up we had a HUGE garden and most of what we ate in the summer came from the garden.  My mom canned most things (pickles, corn, tomatoes, jams, etc) and made her own bread, yogurt...pretty much everything except meat/poultry/seafood.  Although we did live on an inlet of the Chesapeake Bay so fresh fish/crabs/oysters were...are...a way of life here thank goodness because seafood rules SUPREME in my book.  My mom still cooks like that...makes bread most days, is the most amazing baker in the whole wide world and has been going to the local Amish market for veggies & fruits since before I was born.  I was the girl in elementary school BEGGING my friends to bring me bags of Doritos or Oreos because I never got that in my lunchbox.  It was more likely to be pita sandwich with bean sprouts and something homemade like soup LOL.  I didn't appreciate it then but I DO appreciate it now...I never had all that processed junk entering my body at a young age.  And yeah I do keep some junk in my house nowadays but I'm careful most of the time about what I feed myself and my family.  But I learned if you totally forbid the junk your kids (and meself lol) will go searching it out more.  I just offer MORE healthy choices at meal times!

 

 

So this is my garden currently...its 16 feet by 5.5 ft and it gets sunlight for most of the day which all my plants seem to love.  I love having raised beds and I use organic soil and compost fertilizer on it (I will have more on my DIY compost container, hee).  I don't use any pesticides or chemicals in my garden, no sirreeee!  I have a plastic wire fence surrounding the garden that hubby created with an easy opening for me to get inside to weed, plant and harvest.  We have lots of bunnies, groundhogs and deer that like to nibble so I gotta protect it as much as I can...not to mention 2 doggies that like to dig in it oy!  So in the top garden I have only tomato plants with a few pepper plants and cilantro (and marigolds surround it to keep away bad buggies & deer).  I plant a variety of heirloom, large tomato and cherry tomato plants...peppers are green and jalepeno.  Then in the lower garden I have zucchini, cucumbers, different gourmet lettuces, radishes, onions, peas, wax beans and green beans.   As I go thru the lettuce I plant new seedlings, it grows quick and ensures that I will have lettuce thru the summer!  I'd really like to add one more bed to the garden for things like cabbage, cauliflower and larger veggies...shhhh don't tell the hubby because he's my builder and I know he will GROAN LOL...but I will plan it for NEXT year!!
**our neighbor's sprinkler system sprays in my garden most evenings so it gets watered for free hahahaha...thanks neighbors, I shall share some veggies with them**

I totally plan to can some things this year...I grew up watching my mom and I figure I can do it too.  So I bought all the "stuff" I needed and I have plans to do pickles, tomatoes and some jams with fruit from local farms.  So when I do that I will keep you in the loop...I'm sure it will be a series of mishaps and successes!!

These were some of the lettuces I pulled from the garden the other night...its a mix of different lettuces.  Fresh lettuce is soooo good, sweet and I could just sit and eat it plain...but what fun would that be right?  LOL!

So I decided to make a lettuce (from my garden), tomato (from farmer's market), mozzerella (from local farm) and balsamic dressing salad.  OMGeee it was so good we were fighting over it LOL.  I served it with roast chicken, parmesan risotta and semolina bread.  Our farmers market has a bunch of local farms at it and they sell everything from farm made honey, mushrooms, veggies to cheeses, dairy and meats.  I have to CONTROL myself to not over buy LOL because I want it ALL!  And best part is we know EXACTLY where it comes from and how it was made/grown/raised...so much better that way.

So the balsamic dressing is a Suzanne Specialty...lol...I've tweaked different recipes over the years to come up with my own version.  I've put it below for you if you want to try it along with some variations...my measurements are as close as I can approximate because you know I don't measure when I cook!  Enjoy!

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EDITED:  Here are a few pics of my DIY fence LOL...its cheap, it works and it was easy to create...well easy for my hubby to make ;)  Its plastic fencing from Lowes that comes in a large roll and is pretty inexpensive.  Then he bought bamboo poles and cut them all to a uniform  size and used plastic ties to attach the fencing to the rods tightly (you could of course use any dowels or wood poles for it too, we just like bamboo and its light).  We just stick them in the soil around the garden.  For the opening/gate he created a permanent hole in the ground using a plastic screw anchor in a large size...so the rod goes in neatly in the ground and is easy to pull out and put back when I want to get in with just a bit of overlapping on the fence.  He also nailed fencing to the wooden fence alongside the garden because those buggars will crawl right through the pickets into my garden and eat a good meal LOL!  So that's the fencing we use, its easy to install and inexpensive and we can add to it if we make the garden bigger at some point!

LINK UPS:

(I have a few more links to put up but both blogger & my Mac aren't cooperating...arghhh...will try in the morn)

The Shabby Nest

I'm linking this up at A Bowl Full of Lemons Linky Party!