I BELIEVE IN BROCCOLI AND BROWNIES
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 I grow a backyard garden and my tomatoes are plentiful, so I’m constantly finding ways to use fresh tomatoes. My go to uses for tomatoes are Bacon and Tomato Sandwiches, Caprese Salad, and Tomatoes and Cottage Cheese. But every once in a while I venture out and that is how this BB & T (Bacon, Basil, and Tomato) pasta Salad came to be.
Start off by cooking up 8 ounces of bowtie pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking dice 2 medium tomatoes and put in the bottom of the serving bowl. Add 2 Tbs chopped fresh basil.  .Having grown up in the 1970’s watching “Chia Pet” advertisements, I was a skeptic when it came to Chia pudding. Why would someone eat a seed that was designed to put green grass hair on a ceramic animal? But then I tried some Chia Pudding and it was good. And for a pudding it is pretty nutrient dense providing fiber from the seeds, calcium from the milk, and little added sugar. Making Chia Pudding is simple. For the base you only need milk, chia seeds, vanilla, and sugar. With that base you can add cocoa or berries or nut butter to make any flavor you like.
Eggs are such a simple food that I think they are often overlooked as the nutrition powerhouses they actually are. Eggs are packed with protein, have a multitude of vitamins and minerals, are low in calories, and are budget friendly.  You probably know that eggs are a super source of protein. One large egg has about 6 grams of protein. The protein is found in the egg white, but most of the nutrients are housed in the delicious, yellow yolk. Some of the nutrients in eggs such as vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin D, and iron are well known, but you may not be as familiar with the nutrients choline, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
 When I was a kid shopping for yogurt was easy, you just had to choose the flavor you liked. Now there is Greek, Australian, Icelandic, traditional, whole milk, low-fat, fruit on the bottom, sheep milk, cow’s milk, – wow! The choices are endless. So, what is yogurt? Yogurt is a food made by fermenting milk with bacteria called yogurt cultures. The bacteria produce lactic acid, which gives yogurt its distinctive tart flavor. Different yogurt brands use different bacteria to create the brand’s unique flavor profile.
Smoothies are great for breakfast, snacks, or a light dinner. Just toss some fruit, yogurt, and spices into a blender and in 90 seconds you are ready to eat. Use the amounts in this basic mix, then unleash your imagination to create various flavors. Adjust the liquid to get the consistency you like. Add ice or frozen fruits for a slushy smoothie. Basic Smoothie Recipe ½ cup yogurt ½ cup fruit or veggie (fresh or frozen) ½ cup liquid (milk, juice) Add ins (oats, peanut butter) Spices (cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg) Sweetener (honey, sugar, molasses) Ice if desired Blend all ingredients on high speed for about 90 seconds  Strawberry Banana Smoothie Here are a dozen flavor combinations to try. Don’t be afraid to be adventurous with flavors. If a combo doesn’t work, try something different next time.
Do you love the taste of chocolate peanut butter cups, but not the added sugar, fat, and calories? Then this chocolate, peanut butter oatmeal is just for you.  Each person in the US throws out about $400 worth of food a year. For a family of four that’s $1,600 right into the trash. Repurposing leftovers is an easy way to reduce wasted food. Ham fried rice is a delicious use of leftover rice. Start by dicing up about 1 cup of veggies – I like carrots, onions, and something green. This time I had some leftover peppers to use, but I love peas in this dish. Feel free to add other veggies. This is a great way to use veggies before they go bad. Mushrooms would be yummy or canned baby corn would had some fun crunch.
We’ve all been there – it’s dinner time, we want something warm and hearty, but just can’t muster the energy to make something. So, we swing by the local pizza shop to grab dinner. A pizza kit can be almost as fast, but the best part is you can don’t have to leave the house. Just pull the pizza kit out of your freezer and you’ll have a delicious, warm, dinner.   Corn, tomatoes, peppers are all end of summer vegetables. So, you may be asking “how can you make an end of summer salad in the dead of winter?” The answer – freezing and no, I don’t mean the freezing temperatures of January and February. I mean freezing foods at the peak of ripeness in summer. Here are my bags of peppers diced, cut into strips, and even halved ready for the freezer.
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