Think Inside the Box
Posted on June 19, 2014 at 6:00 am
By Kim Harshberger
Last fall, I made some sweeping changes to my family’s diet. With a husband who has a family history of diabetes and arthritis, growing kids, and me constantly feeling crummy, I decided to look deeply at the one thing we do every single day: eat.
I wouldn’t say that we ate particularly poorly up to this point. But we did eat out quite a bit. And we did eat quite a few convenience foods, and lots and lots of carbs. And… maybe our diet wasn’t as well rounded as I thought it was.
I suppose this is something that has always been simmering in my brain. So, I began to read. I started with blogs, like 100 Days of Real Food, and My Whole Food Life.
Blogs led to books, which I devoured. And working at a library made that really easy. I first read Rich Food, Poor Food. Where I learned more about micro-nutrients, phytic acid, and all things organic. That led to Wheat Belly, Nourishing Traditions, Salt, Sugar, Fat, Eat Fat, Lose Fat, In Defense of Food, and Good Calories, Bad Calories.
I consumed them all in a matter of weeks. Each book provided me with an ah-ha moment. Here are the main philosophies I adopted (over time) and try to adhere to whenever possible:
- Eat LOTS more vegetables.
- Reduce carbohydrates, mainly wheat.
- Reduce processed food.
- Eat organic.
- Eat local.
- Cook from scratch.
In order to up the quantity of vegetables my family consumed, I looked into various outlets to receive high quality organic (or safe) vegetables on a regular basis. After exploring the organic vegetable section of local grocery stores, and looking into CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), I finally settled on paying for a box of fruits and vegetables, delivered weekly, right to my door.
Doing this has not only added a more consistent supply of fruits and vegetables to our household, it has also introduced us to a wider variety of produce than if I were picking it out at the store. Several vegetables I’ve received had never crossed my plate before, including: leeks, daikon, celery root, chard, and beets. I now look forward to each box and the variety within. Although, I don’t think I will ever look forward to hacking apart a gnarly celery root.
I have also learned to plan my meals and eating around what I have, instead of always running to the store for things that I want, thus widening my repertoire of standard recipes. I now have several go-to recipes in my box, based on some of the common (or less common) vegetables I receive.
For example, I make an adaptation of this Chicken a’la King from Living Nutrition, because it uses up leeks, peppers, and mushrooms. I also make this Cuban Picadillo recipe from Skinny Taste, with the tomatoes, cilantro, and onions I have received. Both are recipes I likely never would have tried if it hadn’t been for my garden boxes.
Today, I am going to share my summertime specialty with you: homemade coleslaw; using purple and green cabbage, carrots and apples from my most recent boxes. This is a family favorite and gets my kids to consume mass quantities of leafy greens. The dressing is slightly sweet. I add lots of celery seed because that contributes the main flavor, but if it seems like a lot to you feel free to dial it back to taste.
Tri-Color Coleslaw
Makes: 8 servings
Serving Size: about 1 cup
Approximate Time: 20-30 minutes
Ingredients
Dressing:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/8-1/4 cup of sugar (to taste)
½ -teaspoon sea salt
1-teaspoon celery seed
½-teaspoon dill
Salad:
6 cups loosely packed shredded green leafy vegetables (Use any combination of green cabbage, purple cabbage, broccoli stems, and/or bok choy)
2 cups loosely packed shredded carrots
1 apple chopped into bite size pieces
Optional Additions:
Dried cranberries
Sunflower Seeds
Preparation
To prepare dressing:
Combine all dressing ingredients in a mason jar or measuring cup and whisk until smooth. You can store this dressing in the fridge for several days or add immediately to your shredded vegetables.
To prepare salad:
Shred the vegetables with food processor, mandolin, or by hand. Transfer to bowl and toss with dressing to coat.
Tips:
It really tastes best if the flavors are allowed to combine for at least an hour. The salt will also bring some of the water out of the cabbage making it a little saucier. Stir a couple times and serve it cold next to something hot of the grill.
There you have it. Summer on a plate!
