Crescent City Farmer's Market

For the past three weeks, I've made a point to go to the Crescent City Farmer's Market every Saturday and buy my veggies for the week. I love going there for so many reasons. There is usually a band playing, everyone is relaxed and happy to be there, there is a large selection of veggies, and the veggies themselves are gorgeous. There are other offerings besides veggies of course- like baked goods, fresh juice, cheese, flowers, potted plants, meat, eggs, seafood, milk, jams, and coffee. This time when I came home to put away my food for the week, I remembered to take pictures so I could blog about my haul!
Ironically enough, I've definitely been getting my 5 veggies a day without really trying lately because I don't want anything to go to waste. I've also been eating a lot of meatless meals (basically out of laziness- eggs and beans are so fast!) which has freed up room in my belly for more veggies.
So without further ado, here is my haul for the week!

First, I got some fresh farm eggs! I love the two little blue eggs that came in this dozen. (I totally ate them first!)

Up next is pattypan squash, sweet potatoes (I top them with chili for lunch), blueberries, and green beans. Some of the blueberries were used the next day in a mixed greens salad topped with blueberries, chopped hazelnuts, and goat cheese.
Rye bread! I get this for my darling fiance because he loves dark German bread. Also, Mr. Mueller, the little old German man who sells the bread is an absolute treat. The first time I bought the bread he suggested that I pair it with butter and tomatoes and maybe a little bit of onion. He then advised me not to kiss my fiance after eating onions!
You can read all about his breads on his website. I normally don't care for dark bread, but I think that this loaf is really amazing- so flavorful!
Beets! You can't tell, but the beets are longer than my forearm. I'll probably be having beets and beat greens (which are totally edible, in case you didn't know) with walnuts and goat cheese over some amaranth tomorrow for dinner.
Kale- my favorite. I eat a bunch of kale every week. I also bought some shrimp that I didn't take a picture of because I didn't want to take them out of their bag. I had them for dinner on Sunday, grilled on kebabs (along with some tomato chunks) and topped with pineapple salsa, along with the aforementioned salad. And finally, I picked up a couple tamales for lunch. One is cheese and jalapeno and one is tomato, black bean, and corn. So yummy!

Confessions

So I failed to eat at least 5 servings of vegetables three times last week. (And once, already, this week.) So what have we learned? Mainly that I suck at eating veggies during the weekend. The only time I slipped up during the week, I actually ate 4 servings of vegetables, so at least I was close. My weekend servings (I messed up last Sunday, this past Saturday, and this Sunday) were a lot lower (think 2). I do eat vegetables at dinner, but I am 100% more likely to eat a sandwich or an egg and call it lunch on the weekend. I don't really plan ahead for my meal on the weekend and I also am prone to eating a big meal out, then eating like a bird the rest of the weekend because I am full. I also tend to shop on Sundays so by Saturday, even if I *should* down a green monster to make up my veggies- I'm often out of spinach. Never fear, the challenge is still on, and I am still maintaining my spreadsheet. However, I need to have a plan in place to get my veggies on the weekends! I'll let you know when I think of something! :)
The good news is that fitness wise, last week outstanding! I worked out a total of 5 times- 2 days of weight lifting, 1 day on the treadmill (at 15% incline and 4 Km/hr pace- try it, you'll like it!) and 2 runs!!!! It feels so good to be active again!
My runs were great, especially my 4 mile run on Sunday. I was feeling kind of anxious about it since I had a pretty hard time on my runs last week, but I told myself to just get out there and run around the park. It didn't matter how long it took or if I needed to walk- all I had to do was go outside, enjoy the weather, run to the park, run the loop around the park, and come home. Ultimately, I didn't walk at all, and even though I didn't push myself, my pace was 9:20- not bad! The best part was that I had a great time. I literally had a smile on my face for the entire run! It was wonderful and gave me a lot of much needed confidence. The Crescent City Classic is on April 3, and I do feel like I'll be ready in time. (Also, a note to people who want to run this race- tickets are $25 until March 15- after that, they are $30.)
This weekend was very nice all around. Of course, the gorgeous weather put me in a wonderful mood! On Friday, I ran errands after work, then ran 3 miles. That evening, we went to a friend's house for dinner. I brought this Kale Slaw (with buttermilk blue cheese dressing and walnuts) that was a big hit. (Now I just need to decide what to do with the leftover buttermilk I have- cornbread, perhaps?)
On Saturday, I had brunch at the Ruby Slipper with some of my sorority sisters (we're active in our local alumni club), went to the mall for a watch battery (and ended up buying a shirt for myself, and one for my darling fiance), got my hair cut and colored, and took my darling fiance to Squeal to have some yummy BBQ for dinner.
On Sunday, I spent most of the day cleaning our house (aka up to my neck in pet hair), but I did manage to get groceries and go for the 4 mile run I wrote about above. I also went to my friend Ashley's house to watch the Oscar's. I left before most of the awards were given out though because I was tired and I really only care about the fashion. :)

Six!

Briefly, I wanted to say that I ate 6 servings of veggies today, but only one of fruit. I really haven't had much of an appetite, so I didn't snack at all today. But I had a BIG salad for dinner. I measured it out (a serving of veggies is generally half a cup) and it was 4 servings! In all fairness, I barely made it to the bottom of the bowl because it was a ton of food. My salad had the afore mentioned mache, along with frisee and radicchio, plus shredded carrots, tomato, corn, and garbanzo beans. I topped it with a simple salad dressing (2 T olive oil, 2 T brown rice vinegar, 1/2 tsp mustard powder and salt and pepper to taste) and some slices of turkey sausage. It was definitely tasty (and very much like the salads I love in Switzerland), but in the future I'm going to try not to eat 4 servings of veggies at once. Volume-wise, it is difficult.
My darling fiance is using my resolution as an excuse to push the spirulina powder that he swears is good for me. I think it smells vaguely like a fish tank, but will occasionally add it to a smoothie, especially a green monster, which is green anyway, and masks the taste. However, I may take him up on it, at least every now and then. There are claims on the net that it counts for up to 10 servings of veggies, but if I eat it, I will count it as 1 serving.