Zucchini mmmmuffins

I try and try to bake but things just never seem to come together. I can cook up a storm and enjoy the creativity it brings - a pinch of this and a pinch of that and you have something new and amazing. With baking it just seems like so many rules...kind of like how I feel about golf. Why would I want to spend my free time "playing" a game that takes forever and has so many spoken and unspoken rules of engagement? Baking feels that way for me sometimes - if you don't follow the recipe exactly as it says you'll likely find yourself yelling "four" somewhere down the line.

My mom can bake up a storm. Cinnamon roles, cake, apple pie, you name it. (She plays golf too). She has always told me to use the right ingredients and to follow the recipe - if it says whole milk you can't substitute fat free, if it calls for cake flour just any old flour won't do. I finally decided to actually listen to her advice last week about baking as I attempted to make some zucchini banana muffins. Low and behold it worked! We had moist, heavy, flavorful, healthy muffins all week long.

It's not lost on me the lesson I should likely pull from this...yes, listen to your mom, that's obvious. But maybe playing within the rules is simpler and even less stressful sometimes than you realize. There is beauty in precision and practice and rules are sometimes there for a reason. Maybe I'll take up golf next.

This weeks Co-Op includes romaine lettuce, Roma tomatoes, celery, zucchini, spinach, mint, Russian kale, Asian pears, oranges, Fuji apples, reed avocados.

I'm throwing in some breakfasts, lunch ideas and juices this week for a change of pace...

Sunday
Zucchini Banana Flax Seed Muffins

Uses: Zucchini

Monday
Lunch or with dinner
Kale Salad From Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Everyday Cookbook

Tuesday
Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup
1qt chicken broth
1 cup tomato salsa
1/4 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
1 1/2 cups pulled chicken
3 cups cooked brown rice
2 diced Roma tomatoes
1 avocado
1/4 cup sour cream

Mix together the chicken, broth, tomatoes, salsa and rice and top with cheese, avocado, and sour cream into individual bowls.
Serve with warmed tortillas.

Uses; tomatoes, avocados

Wednesday
Leftovers and Juice
Jay Kordich's Super Energy Tonic
Juice the following in a juicer or blender
2 kale leaves
1/4 cup parsley
2 ribs celery
1/2 cucumber
1 apple
1/2 lime juice

Uses; Celery, kale

Thursday
Breakfast or lunch Burritos and Mint tea
Warm tortillas

Saute egg whites, black beans, spinach, tomatoes, and veggie sausage in a skillet. Spoon into tortillas and top with cheese.

Boil water in a teapot or pan. While water boils chop up mint. Add tea of your choice and chopped mint and let steep. This can be made with other herbs too - red raspberry leaf and lemon balm are my favorite. You can also make this without the tea and steep the herbs alone.
Strain and drink!

Uses; Mint

Friday
I make this spinach smoothie several times a week. A good friend shared it with me and I thought it sounded awful...until I tried it!
Handful of spinach and a handful of ice. Cup of vanilla soy milk or almond milk. Tablespoon of peanut butter and a tablespoon of honey. You can also add flax seed or wheat germ for an extra boost. Blend in a blender...yummy.

Uses; Spinach