Black and Blue

Although I was black and blue last weekend (as the result of a few too many tubing excursions), this weekend, I am a different kind of black and blue–black and blue from berry-munching! My sister, dad, and I all headed out to Petals from the Past for an afternoon of berry-picking. Here are a few pictures from our harvesting adventures:

Lea in the blackberry field

these berries are HUGE

caught sampling...

onto the blueberry bushes!

seen elsewhere around Petals from the Past...

Let’s face it: I just really like plants, both non-edible and edible.

More plant love below:

Friday

The power unexpectedly went out on Friday night (hence my delayed post on Saturday morning). The tragedy of being bereft of electricity is not the absence of television, nor the overwhelming darkness–no, the tragedy is being deprived of my nightly smoothie!! I made a makeshift, “de-constructed” shake with the usual components, just unblended. I apologize for the ugly picture–I had to use the flash due to the lack of lighting…

deconstructed shake: chocolate HempShake with soymilk, ice, & PB2; banana

Saturday

With power happily restored, I made a tasty breakfast pita pocket the next morning. My basil plants are a little out of control right now, so be prepared to see mucho basil in the future.

Pesto Pita: Rachel's Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Cottage Cheese with fresh basil & tomato; mixed fruit with chopped hazelnuts

I guess this is “lunch,” although I did not consume it until about 4:30 PM. I didn’t go hungry though–I was too busy snacking on berries all afternoon:) I used a combination of Cedar‘s Veggie and Garlic Lover’s hummuses (hummii?) for the sandwich.

raw almond butter

hummus-cheese sandwich with lettuce & cukes; salad with salsa; apple & raw almond butter

By the time I got hungry again, it was pretty late, so I made something quick and simple…scrambled tofu. I really like these coconut milk yogurts, but I wish they weren’t so pricey.

blueberry coconut milk yogurt

fun factoid

scrambled tofu with red onion & spinach; Rudi's wheat bagel; blueberry coconut milk yogurt with FRESH blueberries

It’s baa-ack. Yep, last summer’s mango-vanilla spice obsession has returned.

peach-mango smoothie with vanilla spice hemp, soymilk, & Acai Apple granola

Sunday

I needed something quick before church this morning. Can’t go wrong with seriously fresh blackberries.

cottage cheese with flax & fresh blackberries; cinnamon-raisin Ezekiel toast

This soup was inspired by a recipe in my new Eat Clean Diet Cookbook. True to recipe rebel form, I made a few tweaks to suit my taste. The pumpkin seed butter was an amazing addition! Thanks again to VeggieGirl for sending it to me.

Creamy Pumpkin Tofu Soup with pumpkin seed butter; greens; Ak Maks; grapes

The flavors of summer continued this evening with my dad’s fresh gazpacho. I could have dived head first into this bowl–it was the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, and refreshing. Two thumbs up, Daddy! My sisters both thought it was too spicy–they’re just a bunch of pansies;)  For the “sour cream” I simply mixed 2% Fage with garlic powder, lemon juice, and a little extra parsley from the garden.

Daddy's Gazpacho with 2% Fage "sour cream;" whole wheat pitettes; fruit salad; rest of the Fage with wheat germ

glorious cilantro-jalapeno action

Well, I need to review a bit more for my chem test tomorrow. Be back soon!

Filed under: Meals

18 Responses to “Black and Blue”

1. Danica, on June 15th, 2009 at 12:30 am Said:

   Berry picking – How fun! I need to try the coconut milk yogurts, I haven’t tried them yet. I LOVED the ice creams so I am sure it’s the same, right?! LOL.

   I have a new addiction to AkMak Crackers now….picked up another box today at TJ’s since I finished off my last 3 yesterday. I cannot go without now Tomorrow I am trying them out with laughing cow and maybe preserves like you suggested – yum!

2. Learning To Relove :), on June 15th, 2009 at 1:23 am Said:

   look at all those scrumtpious eats and esp those berries that look amazing! The flowers were beautiful too! glad you had such a wonderful day

3. rediscoveringlauren, on June 15th, 2009 at 3:55 am Said:

   everything looks delicious

4. VeggieGirl, on June 15th, 2009 at 5:14 am Said:

   You sneaky berry sampler, you!! Haha glad you got to go berry-picking after all

   “Hummii” = hilarious.

   No problem!! Keep enjoying the pumpkin seed butter and other goodies.

   Good luck with your test!!

5. Anna, on June 15th, 2009 at 7:39 am Said:

   I LOVE berry picking! We’re all about the blueberry picking in August up here in MA… it’s my favorite time of year.
   Mmmm scrambled tofu.

6. Julie, on June 15th, 2009 at 7:45 am Said:

   how fun!!! that berry picking looks great

7. Christina, on June 15th, 2009 at 8:40 am Said:

   Berry picking looks like so much fun – there’s nothing like just-picked fruit!

   Good luck on your test

8. Shelby, on June 15th, 2009 at 9:37 am Said:

   Berry Picking sounds like so much fun! I’ve never been but now I must go!

9. april, on June 15th, 2009 at 9:43 am Said:

   fresh berries are the best!!

10. ksgoodeats, on June 15th, 2009 at 10:00 am Said:

    Picking your own berries is so much fun – they taste SO much better too! Love the flowers, especially the blue one

    Humii – hah! I’ve never had gazpacho but it sounds right up my alley! Chem test?! GOOD LUCK!!

11. A, on June 15th, 2009 at 10:30 am Said:

    Wow…. awesome berry excursion! I’m totally jealous!!!!!
    -A

12. EFG, on June 15th, 2009 at 11:04 am Said:

    I’ve been looking for a good (spicy) gazpacho recipe. Do you think your Dad would be willing to share the recipe? Maybe in a guest post?

13. Maria, on June 15th, 2009 at 12:48 pm Said:

    Haha, yeah you do love plants, but they are beautiful and delicious. Love that deconstructed shake–you still have to have it even if the power is out . The pesto pita is a fabulous creation. A must try. Haha on humii! Yeah, I was contemplating on whether or not to buy coconut milk yogurt because it’s $2.49 for measly container .

14. janetha, on June 15th, 2009 at 4:40 pm Said:

    thanks for the PP tips! i bought cucumber dill, sun dried tomato & red pepper rachel’s. i have never tried them, i am stoked! i didn’t get the fruity varieties b/c i dont love fruit in my CC.

    those berries are so gorgeous! so are the flowers. and that tiny jar of nut butter is so adorable.

15. Anne K., on June 15th, 2009 at 8:32 pm Said:

    How fun! I love going berry picking. It’s so rewarding, too Now I really want to go, haha! I think blueberry season here is in July?

16. Marianne, on June 16th, 2009 at 3:16 pm Said:

    Berry picking a so much fun. We used to always go and pick wild berries in the park – wild blueberries, huckleberries, and blackberries. I think the huckleberries were my fave!

    I wish we had that coconut milk yogurt sold here, but if it’s pricey, then maybe it’s a good thing we don’t.

17. An Emotional Reunion « Broccoli Hut, on August 2nd, 2009 at 9:12 pm Said:

    [...] dad made a big batch of his gazpacho again…and I had several bowls, again. Gazpacho topped with Fage & fresh herbs; melon; oat bran [...]

18. Impeccable Timing « Broccoli Hut, on October 4th, 2009 at 10:14 pm Said:

    [...] need for comfort food continued throughout the day, so I whipped up a batch of soup for lunch. This pumpkin-tofu soup was very similar to the one I prepared last summer, but I didn’t have my Eat Clean cookbook, [...]

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