Category Archives: In Season

Warm Dandelion & Sweet Potato Salad

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It seems my 9-month old puts everything in his mouth lately. As we wrapped up his appointment recently, the physician assistant handed me a Poison Control magnet for our fridge. She must know him! In response, I told her how my daughter had nibbled on an oleander leaf at a similar age, when we were living in Tucson. After a hysterical run to the ER, we ended up calling Poison Control, which we clearly should have done first. Despite oleander’s deadly reputation the one’s grown in Tucson are apparently more benign.

The physician assistant in turn told me the only time she had to call poison control, for her now grown children, was because of Bill Nye. After watching the Science Guy explain that dandelion greens are in fact edible, her son munched on a few that had been recently sprayed with weed killer by his father. Hmm… delicious. I didn’t ask, but was curious as to whether the consequence was to not use weed killer’s in the future? My hunch is that the child was told to never do it again as Bill Nye was clearly being blamed for the Poison Control call.

At our home, we are not necessarily enthusiastic lawn owners. I certainly love to picnic and watch my children play on the patch of grass that is still recovering from years of neglect from the previous owners. However, watering, weeding and tending that big outdoor carpet is not as joyful as gardening flowers and fresh vegetables for me. Especially, since we live in an area that has drought restrictions, but also bans rain water harvesting. I won’t dive into my frustrations with this paradox today.

Also, in our yard, dandelions have been mostly choked out by the gnarlier, deep rooted thistle weed, which we pulled and yanked out of the ground throughout the whole  summer. A tedious job, that we made more joyful in short bursts of time on cozy blankets with hot cups of coffee on dewy mornings before the sun made the task unbearable. We had piles and piles of thistle, morning glories and other culprits. I would have been so happy to have turned them into dinner! But, my pregnant and subsequently postpartum body was too exhausted to go beyond dumping them in the trash.

Now, I hope that I am not the first to point out the edible nature of dandelions to you. But, if I am… welcome to a beautiful blossoming world of scavenging. I hope I do not need to tell you to make sure no one has sprayed them with weed killer, but please do take care! If you are like me and have less dandelions than other pesky plants, you can also purchase long beautiful leaves of dandelions from green markets, health food stores and farmer’s markets, too.

So preparing the infamous weed is another task that requires a bit of attention. It is a strong, bitter, nutrient packed leaf of goodness. All those bitter leaves are so often, so good for you it seems! Especially for salads, if I am starting with bitterness, the best course of action is to add a serious dose of sweetness.

For me, an earthy orange-glazed sweet potato cooked until warm and tossed with bitter dandelion greens turns a salad into comfort food. A bit of your favorite strong cheese such as a crumble of feta or strips of manchego would be a perfect addition for any cheese lovers. Remember, before you run off and dip your leaves in sugar, the goal is to balance your dish. Start with the recipe below and then share your discoveries of the dandelion possibilities below in the comments!

Warm Dandelion & Sweet Potato Salad

1½ pound sweet potato
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 inch piece ginger, peel and finely mince
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¼ cup water
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon maple syrup, optional
1 bunch dandelion greens, washed well
salt and pepper, to taste

Scrub the sweet potatoes and peel if desired.

Cut down the middle and lay flat. Slice on a diagonal in 1/4 inch thick pieces. This will create an angled half moon shape as seen in the photo.

Warm a splash of the olive oil over medium heat in a medium sized skillet. Spread the sweet potatoes out evenly spacing to avoid overlap. Sear on one side for about 4-6 minutes until golden, flip and sear on the other side.

Add the minced garlic and ginger. Pour in half of the orange juice and all of the water & salt. Bring up to a simmer. Once the juice is reduced down the sweet potatoes should be cooked through. If you would like them to be a bit more tender, simply add more water and continue to simmer until they are your desired tenderness.

Remove the sweet potatoes and add the remaining orange juice, dijon mustard, maple syrup if using, and the remaining olive oil to the hot pan. Whisk to combine and bring up to a slight simmer. As soon as it is hot, it is ready.

Tear the clean dandelion leaves in pieces into a large bowl. Add the sliced sweet potatoes and drizzle on the warm dressing. Toss to combine.

Finish with a dash of salt and black pepper, to taste. Crumble on your favorite strong cheese for an extra element of flavor and protein boost.

 

Super Bowl Food!

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The Broncos and the Seahawks!?

I didn’t see that coming. I lived in Washington for the first 21 years of my life and the Seahawks were not exactly the team to watch in my house. Admittedly, we are more of a college bowl family. Which is complicated by the fact that most of us attended rival schools: University of Washington (my alma mater), Washington State University (my brother & mom attended), Stanford (my dad), UCLA (brother-in-law), and Berkley (my Opa & Godfather).

With about five+ years of living in Colorado, getting into Bronco fever is certainly easy with all of the orange & blue love around here lately. My nephew announced he was uncertain who to support now as he has family in both states. Since more of my family is from Washington, I gave him permission to root for the Seahawks, if so desired. Continue reading

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When my younger sister and I lived down the street from each other in San Luis Obispo, her and her roommates had figured out a successful way to share all of the food in the house. A feat, that I am not sure I ever managed until living with my husband.

The best part was they all loved big fabulous salads. I would come over for a mid-week brunch of sorts. My favorite days would involve a post-yoga mimosa (it is about balance, right?!) and then containers of chopped or shredded veggies, cooked beans, toasted nuts or seeds, cheese (of course!) and a dressing would come out on to the countertops. Moments later we were each happily munching on salads.

Here are a few of my favorite strategies for my own salad bars at home in the winter months:

  1. Of course, keep with the season. This time of year, florets such as cauliflower and broccoli are perfect to break and crumble into bite size pieces.
  2. Shred up roots: carrots, beets (in lots of colors!), parsnips, salad turnips, radishes, and sweet potatoes (our favorite!)
  3. Thinly slice fennel or onions for extra flavor.
  4. Pomegranate seeds store nicely as well
  5. For apples, it is best to slice these just prior to serving. If you want to keep apples from browning spritz them with a bit of lemon-water.
  6. Avocados are easy enough to find this time of year. Slice them to order just as you would apples.
  7. Grapefruits and oranges of many colors are easy to peel and cut just before tossing the salad, but they can also be cut in advance easily.
  8. Nuts: sliced almonds, crumbled walnuts, cashews, pecans, macadamia or even hazelnuts
  9. Seeds: toasted pumpkin & sunflower, chia, cooked quinoa, sesames, or ground flax
  10. Beans: Soak & Sprout or Cook- chickpea/garbanzo, lentils, black, red, white, kidney beans and more
  11. Pair the salad with shreds of dark leafy greens such as kale, collards, or chard OR you can also find easy pre-washed baby greens. Lately, we have been eating a lot of baby kale.

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Here is my quick & easy Vinaigrette that will serve 2-3 people.

1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar (balsamic, apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar, etc.)
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a big salad bowl, whisk together the honey, dijon and vinegar. Once evenly combined, slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking wildly. The idea is to emulsify the oil in with the base to create an almost creamy consistency.

Season with salt and pepper. Add your own salad ingredients as desired.

Every once in a while I feel a bit more dressing is needed. At that point, I will just splash the salad with the vinegar and then drizzle on a nice glug of olive oil. A bit more salt and pepper may be needed too.

What are your favorite ways to get salad on the dinner table quickly?

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

Warming up, not Detoxing down

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The highs of the holiday season, whether the stress was positive or negative, leaves most of us with a bit of a let down. Or maybe in my case it is really just a sugar crash after I realize my Christmas Cookie tin is empty.

As we commit to a renewed year of health, success or whatever your heart desires, I find this post-holiday time is a bit like climbing a mountain after dancing your way into a deep valley. While the holidays are a whirlwind of fun, I sometimes wish I was starting the trek up to all of my higher goals with the person who I was back in September.

Alas, here I am, my body a little more tired and my mind a bit more relaxed, but dare I say slightly unmotivated. With the enthusiasm of resolutions around me, I enjoy picking up on the excitement. Although, as in last year’s case, I gave myself a bit of grace, let go of my usual intensity and instead simply survived until I surrendered.

I didn’t mention food in that previous post, but it certainly, as always, was a big factor in what did and did not happen in my life. When I consider the meal plans I am sharing in January, I think about how many of you will wonder where the smoothies and juicing recipes are that will help throw you into all of your diet resolutions.

Let me share something I have learned from my dear friend Naturopathic Doctor Kaycie Rosen Grigel. January, despite its post-holiday gluttony, is a terrible time to detox.

I can hear you frantically wondering what I am talking about as you look at advertisements, posts and pins for all of the get-your-body-back diets that promise to help you drink & shrink into pre-holiday figures.

Now, it is not that I am against a good detox. Dr. Grigel has actually helped me with a detox that was an incredible experience and I honestly cannot wait to do it again. (I will even go so far as to say: stay tuned!) The reason to avoid a detox this time of year is actually more reflective of the rhythms of the season.

Even when I lived in mostly sunny & hot Tucson, January and February made me want to curl up, snuggle with a buddy and fill my body with warming, comforting foods. Although, please do not take me for an indoor only soul as I love to ski, snowshoe, read near a fire after sunset and dance outdoors whenever possible, too.

Regardless of my activities, only occasionally do I crave a cold, sweet (or even subtly sweet) liquid during the winter.
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I completely respect that a smoothie or fresh juice may be all you want to drink right now and I imagine if you crave them you know exactly what to throw in your blender or juicer. But, I implore you to step outside (as I so often ask my daughter to do on days when she refuses a jacket) and consider your natural place in this world. A chilly participant who needs to refuel for a season of staying inside cozy or playing outside while breathing in the crisp air.

Maybe this new year skipping the detox trend in January and opting for foods that truly refuel will give you the body and spirit you desire for 2014.

Of course, I also want to feel refreshed and rejuvenated after the gluttonous holiday season and my best strategies are with steamy vegetable packed soups, bone-broths and cups of my favorite herbal infusions and teas.

Lilly’s Table meal plans this month are full of plant focused warm-inspiring real food. A beloved recipe that can be made vegan or chicken broth based is the nourishing Hearty Miso Soup. One slurp and your body will be thankful.

I did sneak in a smoothie for this week’s meal plan as I didn’t want to disappoint- since ’tis the smoothie season, but it is a simple Banana Nut Smoothie which is protein packed with any nut butter of your choice. Perfect for those days (chilly or not) when you are craving ice cream! I am clearly still having a few post-Holiday sugar cravings. 😉

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May you find comfort in everything nature has in store for you this month.

In delicious health,

Chef Lilly

Rescue your Resolutions with Meal Planning!

Peach Bellini

Oh, New Years resolutions.

It certainly is the hottest love-hate topic of the past couple of weeks and just in case you are considering slipping off the wagon, I want to offer a hand. I know the years I have loved and (mostly) fulfilled my resolutions was because I had the support I needed to get me through.

I am here to offer that support. Oh yes, you may be surprised at how many different resolutions meal planning will rescue from the fate of being forgotten. I found a list of the most common resolutions and I am excited to make my case.

Let’s start with an easy one… 

1. Want to lose weight and get fit? 

Simply arm yourself with a meal plan, good quality ingredients and seasonal recipes. This will keep you from making poor choices when you are hungry, cranky and staring at a fridge that has no answers. After you have saved all of that time with Lilly’s Table meal planning, you will have more time to work out and get fit!

Yay, get in shape girl or guy or erhhh… next resolution, please.

2. Want to learn something new? 

While the recipes in Lilly’s Table are simple and straight forward, I can guarantee you will learn new recipes, flavors and insights every week.

3. Spend more time with family?

Dinner time is an ideal time to gather with your family. When you come together around a home cooked meal that daily occasion is even brighter and healthier for everyone. But, getting to the table is a challenge, if you are not prepared. So, get on board and start meal planning.

4. Get out of debt and save money? 

Skip spending money at restaurants by eating at home. Stop eating processed foods (which totally cost more!) and cook simple, unprocessed food from scratch. The $3 per week meal plans from Lilly’s Table are less than the cost of beverages for just a couple of people dining out, just one day per week.
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Yes. You will save money. Eat at home cooked at home = saving money.

5. Be less stressed?

Signing up for Lilly’s Table means you are committed to meal planning, which will give you more time (less stress!) and by eating more balanced real foods you will feel better physically (also, less stress!)

6. Quit Smoking? 

Darn it! You got me on this one. While I am totally tempted to argue you will enjoy food more because smoking messes with your taste buds and that alone should be incentive, I will do something better! Sign up for Sharon Muir’s Quit Smoking Today program and you will successful meet your goal. After you quit smoking through her program, let me know and I may just have a special Lilly’s Table membership waiting for you, too!

7. What else?

There are certainly many more variations on the resolution theme and in my experience saving time will help with ALL of them. So, you are in luck! Because…

Meal planning saves you time cooking dinner!
Lilly’s Table saves you time meal planning!

Tada! And now that you are thoroughly convinced that your life will be forever improved and your New Year’s resolutions will be a breeze, let me sweeten the deal by offering you a discount!

Jump in with both feet for an entire year of service for only $60! Yup, I said it… half off for a very limited time. So, do not hesitate! Let me just break that down, that is less than $1.50 per meal plan.

Make all of your New Years resolutions finally come true with Lilly’s Table!

With joy,

Lilly
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Juliette holding her baby brother, Zed.

One year ago, I was sitting, uncomfortably pregnant in a casino parking garage, with our sleeping daughter in her carseat as my husband went to see if there was any room in the inn. I attempted to distract myself from the chilly weather by staring blankly at a New Year’s resolution to do list.

Prior to that day we had celebrated Christmas in Tahoe with my whole big family and it was joy-packed. But, leaving that vacation left me a bit lost.

In years past, I felt so excited about all of the possibilities the New Year grants and yet 2013 seemed too confusing and overwhelming to make any plans.

Beyond knowing we were welcoming a child in the summer, we were waiting to find out about my husband’s long list of job applications. After flying out for an interview in Colorado, we were anticipating hearing if he had beat out hundreds of others applying for the fellowship.

Packing up my house, leaving an incredible community of like-minded friends & food lovers and attempting to run Lilly’s Table in between, left me somewhat sad and defeated.

There were possibilities to look forward to, but I was too distracted by my sadness & confusion to truly dive into the happiness.

As I stared at the New Year to-do list, I wrote down how much I hated resolutions and feeling smug I vowed to simply ‘survive’ the year.

Yes. I allowed my full drama queen to come out.

But, that notion of ‘just survive’ stuck with me this past year better than any other resolution I have ever set. For better or worse, I struggled to grow past it.

Thankfully, life had magic in store for me.

That move to Colorado did happen. And we were welcomed with wide-open loving arms of friends who we dearly missed. Then, we found ourselves in a confusing housing market. This lead to a decision to buy our first home, with the help of a small investment I made years ago and my gracious parents. This was something we figured wouldn’t happen for many more years and we are overwhelmed with gratitude.

Next, we welcomed our son Zedekiah. This was a highlight for sure.

His birth was as uncomplicated and beautiful as one could hope for. He arrived hours after I picked my Mom up from the airport. We brought him home to meet both grandmothers when he was nearly five hours old.

As an additional blessing, he was born in the exact room and tub as his sister despite the fact that we had moved away from Colorado and had an incredible two year adventure elsewhere.

I remember the moments before he was about to join our world, I felt intense contractions that brought up flashes of the past nine months before my eyes like a nauseating movie spinning around my head. And with his arrival, all of that frustration seemed to melt as I looked at his sweetness and love.

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Just try avoiding happiness with this guy around.

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While my to do list  and busy-ness surrounding the needs of a young baby has increased, his happiness is contagious and I am left grateful.

More joys have happened, too. My daughter started pre-school and we watched her confidence and independence blossom. My husband received that exciting fellowship and is enjoying his work. My mother-in-law has joined us and as I type she is reading stories to my children, which not only gives them special grandma love, but her help allows me to write this and to work on a job I adore: Lilly’s Table.

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Picnic on our new front lawn. Everyday moments bringing bliss to each of us.

My list of gratitudes through the big and not-so-big moments this year ended up being fairly endless despite my efforts to simply survive. Not everything was shiny & peachy, but the presence of those challenges made the bright spots more dazzling.

As this year closes, another “s” word keeps popping up in my mind: SURRENDER. And it is a word that feels so delicious and empowering. Especially, when I consider surrendering to joy and diving as deeply into that as my soul allows.

I write all of this for those who may be hesitating about what the year could bring. Especially, if this is a time when setting goals seems a recipe for failure as life has other plans for you.

If you are tempted to live your life simply surviving, if you only feel defenseless against your circumstances, I send you love and peace. And above all empathy. I also encourage you to surrender: To joy. To love. To everything that leaves you grateful.

In this past year, I dove a bit deeper into the work of Brene Brown an incredible shame researcher who I have followed for the past several years. I want to close with her inspiring quote about twinkle lights:

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Juliette & Xerxes putting up the twinkle lights

I think the beauty of twinkle lights is the perfect metaphor for joy.

Joy is not a constant. It comes to us in moments- often ordinary moments.

Sometimes we miss out on the bursts of joy because we’re too busy chasing down the extraordinary moments. Other times we’re so afraid of the dark that we don’t dare let ourselves enjoy the light.

A joyful life is not a floodlight of joy. That would eventually become unbearable.

I believe a joyful life is made up of joyful moments gracefully strung together by trust, gratitude and inspiration.                                   -Brene Brown

What about this past year has filled you with gratitude? What were the joys? Let us celebrate 2013 together as we bid this year farewell.

With love,

Chef Lilly

Day 50: Sugar Free Challenge and Peaches n’ Cream

photo-140For this 50th day of blogging, I am most excited to tell you about the Sugar Challenge my family and I have taken on for the last three weeks. Here I posted about the first day of the challenge, but I have yet to tell you why and what we are doing.

This past year, I have had an internal debate about whether I am addicted to sugar or not. Stress, pregnancy, and some health frustrations all pointed in the direction of my needing to eliminate sugar, but deep inside my inner brat screamed “I wanna COOKIE!”

I noticed I wasn’t alone in demanding sugar treats. Most of us in the family, spent the evenings looking for a sweet way to end the day: a bit of chocolate, ice cream, the occasional cookie. At the start of the day, drizzling on honey or maple syrup, whipping up scones, buying pastries or pouring a bowl of sweet granola was common around here. Nut Butter & Jam sandwiches were also quite popular- anytime of day.

Starting with asking Lulu and Xerxes, we agreed we could do it! We would give up sugar. But, adding merely three years old Juliette to the mix was a bit more of a question. The more I considered the possibility the more I realized how much we relied on sugar to get all of us including her, through the day. “Get in the car and we can go get ice cream.” “Please be quiet and you can have this cookie”. UGH! What if we didn’t have sugar to even offer her? At the very least we would have to figure something else out. Right?!

So, I had a chit-chat with Juliette a few days before we started the challenge and we discussed what contained sugar, what did not and why we needed a break. I still wondered the best strategy for those times when she is offered candy. Man, people love giving kids candy! And I am totally not talking about strange creepy men pulling over in vans. Rather, I am talking about her dance teacher or the super cute nice guys at the liquor store who are so charmed by her patience as I search through Argentine wines. Considering the teeny-tiny lollipop they all love giving her, I was fine discussing with her that they do have sugar in them, but still letting her have them since it was a gift from a nice person. The last thing I need to do is give her some crazy disfunction where sugar becomes the forbidden fruit that she has to devour in hysteria. Growing up in a semi-hippie style, I have seen this happen and it ain’t pretty. A casual lollipop sends the message that this is a real rarity and not a daily treat. And most importantly, Mama doesn’t eat them or give them to her. Only nice random *trusted* people do. UGH. Oh- the challenges of raising children… in this sugar obsessed family society we live in.

Overall, we all seem to be doing well with the challenge. If anything, Juliette’s 1-2 times per week lollipop may put her in the category of cheating less than the adults who, I swear, are even more exposed to sugar outside the home. I just found out about how Lulu  (aka Sharon, my fabulous Mother-in-Law) cheated a bit with a bite of brownie as she wrote in her blog. Of course, she says nice things about me, so I forgive. And Xerxes also seems to bump into the challenge more frequently than Juliette and I do. Although, I did eat a few dried apricots recently at a friend’s house. They were damn good. I can’t wait to get back to eating those.

The other challenge of the challenge was finding a challenge that we could actually swallow. (Challenging sentence, eh? Oh, this is out of control. I’ll stop.)

There was one big and popular sugar challenge that has a slight Palio twist to it, but they appeared to allow a few non-sugar sweeteners such as Xylitol and Stevia. I don’t eat those really normally, we are more into honey & maple syrup as sweeteners, but my focus for this challenge was to really say good-bye to sweetness for awhile, including the arguably natural ones.

The popular challenge also said no fruit. I completely understand giving up juice and dried fruit as they have been processed and no longer contain the fiber or juice that aid in digesting them, but giving up fresh, nutrient packed whole fruit seemed silly to me. Especially for a toddler and nursing mother. Lulu and I found other challenges and decided to mix the best of all of them into our own challenge that we would do as a family for six weeks. We saw them ranging from 21 days to 8 weeks, which made 6 weeks seem rational.

Here are the basics:

No More: 
Sugar or processed syrups
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Okay, in moderation:
Whole Fruit
Alcohol
Frozen Fruit & berries

Fresh fruit has been getting us through the tough days when our inner voice whines for sweetness. For the photo above, we simply whipped cream with a splash of almond extract and piled it high with sliced Colorado peaches. Delight.

After writing this post, Juliette, Xerxes, and I went to a birthday party. The Mom, a dear friend makes beautiful healthy cuisine and knows how to splurge to make a gorgeous dessert. We couldn’t resist and had to eat the Lemon Cake. It was heavenly, because let’s face it, when sugar is given a dose of time and love it can be out of this world. It did taste incredibly sweet, but if I had to cheat, it would only be with something so lovely and divine. Today is exactly half way through. I am looking forward to getting back on track with the challenge. Honestly, today’s experience made me aware that maybe as a family we could collectively give up sugar within these walls, but still make cookies for a friend who needs cheering up or enjoy a treat that is given to celebrate a year of living!

We shall see where this challenge takes us. So far so good!

Cheers,

Lilly

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I want to share with you my love of sweet potatoes! Not only because they are popping up in the warmer parts of the country right now, but because they store quite well throughout the winter, are still easy to find this time of year and are powerhouses of flavor and nutrients that are needed during these colder months.

Often you will see sweet potatoes listed as yams. At grocery stores, if you see Garnet Yams or Jewel Yams know you are actually looking at a sweet potato. There is a fascinating history as to why they are often misnamed, but I will reserve that story for another day.

Sweet potatoes are joyfully diverse to play with in your kitchen. I serve them raw like carrot sticks, stir-fried or sauteed in thin pieces, shredded, or roasted. I also consider sweet potatoes my lazy meal, because after a quick scrub the whole vegetable, skin and all, can be tossed in the oven and roasted until soft as I did with these Lime Sweet Potatoes (photo above). After roasting, they are great plain or added to other dishes such as the Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchiladas or the Sweet Potato & Bean Shepherd’s Pie.IMG_8488

Of course, I frequently take a bit more effort by peeling and chopping the sweet potatoes into the Jamaican Sweet Potato Salad or the Creamed Coconut Sweet Potatoes.IMG_0714To select sweet potatoes…

The less banged up the better, but in most cases dark spots and scars can be cut or peeled off. Discard any soft or mushy sweet potatoes. This often starts at the pointy tips and is evidence of a soon to rot sweet potato.

One of the best features of sweet potatoes is they are nutrient packed and lower on the glycemic index then regular potatoes. Just check out Dr. Rosen’s blog about Sweet Potatoes for Blood Sugar for more information about their incredible health benefits.

The next time you need a nutritious, easy dinner you are only a sweet potato away.

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

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It is truly a crime that one of the most nutrient dense plants makes most of its appearances adorning slimy fish in grocery stores, fluffing up large chain restaurant salad bars and looking perky and pretty next to the saddest of dishes.

The deep, bitter flavor compliments sweet and creamy, salty and rich so nicely that it is time to let it shine. To start, if you have yet to experience Kale Chips it is time to jump on the bandwagon. They are delightfully crispy as they shatter into tiny morsels of salty goodness in your mouth.

Like most dark winter greens, kale can be roughly chopped and sauteed with any medley of flavors, oils, nuts, and dried fruit for a spectacular main dish, but it is also heavenly raw. The next time you have a bunch of kale, thinly slice it and massage in your favorite salad dressing which will make it even more pleasant to chew. Creamy Ginger Kale Salad and Coconut-Kale Salad are two of my favorites.

Whenever I make smoothies, kale will not stay safe in the vegetable drawer as I prefer it whipped in giving a grassy essence to an otherwise simple fruit smoothie.

Kale Smoothie

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To find out more about kale’s nutritious effects check out Dr. Kaycie Rosen’s blog on Kale and Hormone Balance.

Whether you are ready to try this hearty green, previously known as a garnish, or you already are sold on the idea that it is a super food I hope you plan to just eat a lot more kale.

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Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly