Market bowls: The Midwestern Buddha bowl

For those of you who know me, know that I thrive during farmers market season! Every weekend (that I am in town), you will find me at the St. Paul's market with my straw bag. Anyone who has joined me at the farmers market knows that my first stop is the Golden's bagel stand for an egg & cheese bagel sandwich and cold press coffee (basic, I know). After I am fed and caffeinated, I must do a lap around the market, survey the stands, and take inventory of the options before committing. After my initial lap, I be sure to swing by Bar 5 meats to pick up eggs, meat (always some philly cheese brats) and a dog bone (best $5 spent). Pro tip: Bar 5 offers a punch card - once you fill it up, you get a choice of 1 lb ground beef, ground pork or breakfast sausage. I then head to for some organic microgreens (great on top of eggs, salads and duh, the market bowl) and whatever produce I feel like working with for the week.

Ok, as you can tell I am in a committed relationship with the farmers market. A weekly meal around the Lukas household is a Market bowl - a meal that I coined based on my winter specialty buddha bowls, but with Midwestern farmers market finds (clever, I know). Market (and buddha) bowls are incredibly easy, versatile, cheap, nutritious and often carry leftovers into the week.

Base: Start with a grain! I usually prefer a sprouted brown rice, but quinoa or farro would also work well.

Protein: I have become a big fan of the brats provided at the farmers market (see note above about Bar 5's Philly Cheese brats). I feel like vendors take pride in the flavor of brats or hot dogs they create, so you can really switch up the flavor every week. Some flavors that we have tried include bloody mary, cherry jalapeno, and blueberry wild rice. You can also do chicken, shredded beef or pork, steak or a couple soft boiled eggs - I just highly recommend brats because what is more Midwestern than a brat cooked via stove top in beer and finished on the grill?

Veggies: Use whatever you have in the fridge or whatever they happen to have out at the market. My favorites include eggplant, green beans, peppers, carrots, red onion, garlic and/or garlic scapes, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes (sweet or regular) radishes, microgreens, sweet corn, cabbage, beets - the possibilities are seriously endless and evolve with the season. I regularly roast a large pan of vegetables on Sundays - lately, it has been for these bowls, but roasted veggies are also good for scrambled eggs throughout the week, reheating as a side for another meal or even on its own. I prefer to roast vegetables at a higher heat of 425 - not only does it cut down the cooking time (hello, hanger), but also gives the vegetables a nice crisp. I highly recommend using avocado oil because it does not denature like olive oil at a higher temp. Drizzle with your favorite oil, seasonings and pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Be sure to check the tenderness of the root vegetables, like the potatoes and carrots, as they can take a little longer. Pro tip: use a combination of raw and roasted vegetables to add different flavors and textures.

Toppings: Anything! I tend to slather avocado on everything, so that is my go to. Sometimes, I will get fancy and make an avocado crema. Another favorite is hummus or plain greek yogurt, but literally the possibilities are endless, and if you ask Mr. Lukas, ketchup or BBQ is also acceptable.

Ingredients: brown rice, brats, roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, red onion, pepper and topped with micro greens and garlic scapes. 

Ingredients: brown rice, arugula, brats, roasted potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, red onion and topped with radishes, garlic scapes and avocado.

Ingredients: brown rice, brats, roasted carrots, eggplant, green beans, potatoes and topped with red onions, micro greens, peppers and avocado crema (obviously, feeling fancy here)

Ingredients: brown rice, brats, roasted carrots, potatoes, peppers, eggplant and topped with sweet corn and avocado.  Also, please notice here, that I am NOT a professional food photographer. Chances are I am trying to get a semi-decent shot before I eat my arm off. 

Here is an example of what I call the 'assembly line'. Mr. Lukas and I can go through and choose which ingredients we want and how much - Market bowls are totally customizable, which makes them great for family gatherings or with kids (I am assuming this because as you can see in the bottom left corner of this photo is the furry foot of our child).

I hope that I have almost convinced you to get out to the farmers market this weekend and every weekend through the fall! I am always looking for market buddies (Mr. Lukas doesn't always enjoy my wandering), so let me know if you need a buddy.

XOXO,
Dee

.:green(ish) thumb:.

i finally got my garden put together last night! i felt like it has been a long time coming, but i have been waiting to make sure the weather was going to cooperate.

even though we joined a veggie CSA, i have (slowly) fallen in love with gardening. last year, i had a small, easy garden filled with zucchini, tomatoes and peppers. it was pretty awesome to be able to cook with the zucchini that i actually grew or fill my salad with tomatoes i had just picked. remembering that feeling, i had been half-heartedly trying to plan what to harvest this year. here's the deal, i want it to be easy, but i also want it be worthwhile and fill it with things that we eat on a regular basis.

alas, here is the set up that i created last night:.

 

 

as i mentioned before, my planning was half-hearted - with the weather we have been having in MN, i feel like everything related to being outside is half-hearted.....

 

anyway, i drug drew to Menards to help me create on a plan on a whim. the only thing i knew was that i wanted to plant mostly starter plants since it was late in the season. i ended up doing 12 pepper plants, 6 brussel sprouts, 2 strawberries and planted some seeds for spinach and cucumbers. yes, i do realize they are planted close together, but i was trying to maxmize the space that i had. i also think this image appears smaller in this picture than in real life. fingers crossed they don't suffocate each other.

 

i wanted to do a quick how-to plant a garden - dummy edition. me, being the dummy gardener and learning things as i go, researching them later....it worked last year and i sure hope it will work this year.

 

1. preparing the soil - you can get really scientific with this, but i don't have time for that and my brain is still burnt out from college physics. so, with a hand rake (yes, hand, i did not want to spend money on a full sized one), i 'tilled' the soil. it was pretty packed down from the LOOONG winter and has a lot of weeds and remnants from last year's garden, so i turned over the soil and tried to get as many stick and leaves out of the way as possible. there were SEVERAL worms and centipedes which are good for the soil, bad for my anxiety - i tried to avoid them. also, i have been battling with this wildfire-like ivy that likes to wrap around my vegetables and suffocates them, so i tried my hardest to dig up the roots which were deep and stronger than i thought a plant could be - i would have skipped my pull-ups at the gym had i known the battle i was in for. anyway, once the soil was turned over and loosened up, i added a layer of "seed starting" soil - i used this last year just to give the natural soil an extra boost and it seemed to work well (i also had 1/2 bag left over from last year, another reason why it was perfect). i also tried to level out the soil as much as possible - it would be a nightmare to plant an entire side of your garden and realize 3/4 of your soil is piled up on the other half.

 

2. planning - again, who really plans? i looked to see how much space and sun each plant needed (these are printed on the little plastic sticks that label the plant). lucky for me, all of them needed full sun - sarcasm, my front spot is about the only 'full' sun place. oh well, it should do. i laid out the starter plants before i dug holes to make sure i gave them as much space as my little city-garden allowed.

 

3. planting - make holes big enough to COVER the roots of the starter plants and fill in around it. it is a good idea to 'firm' up the soil around the plant, by pressing the soil down. seeds are slightly different - on the package it will say how deep they need to be, typically around 1/2 - 1 inch. i just dig a little trench that depth, spread out the seeds and cover them.

 

4. WATER!!! one thing that i noticed last year was that my plants were almost always thirsty especially if it is really sunny or hot. try to water every other day or every day...although with the predicted forecast around here i probably won't need to water until August...

 

5. weeding - weeding is also important to make sure your plants get enough room and nutrients. i try to pick weeds a couple times a week. be careful of weeds that wrap around your plants, they will suffocate them! take the time to unravel the weed from your precious plant. also, try to pull out the weed's entire root, it will prevent the weed from coming back right away.

 

 

and you have a garden! easy peasy - i am probably making avid gardeners cringe, but i will be honest, i don't have the time or desire to spend weeks planning and researching gardening. sorry, not sorry.

 

last night, i also took my gardening indoors. i have always wanted a plant inside for decoration and oxygen benefits, but we have 2 furry toddlers to worry about, so i bought a big turquoise antique clay pot that (hopefully) they can't tip over and a plant that seemed durable enough to handle a few nibbles. again, i bought it based off its looks and researched it later. this here, friends, is a coleus plant widely known for its colorful leaves and a low maintenance plant which can thrive in the most basic environment.

 

here is my indoor creation (note: the furry toddler hanging out on the couch already eyeing it):.

 

 

 

i am excited for this to grow in height and volume with hopes that it will fill a particular corner of our house....

 

this post may be boring to many of you if you are not into gardening, but if you want to give it a shot, it's a cheap hobby to take on. last night i bought the big turquoise pot, 2 - 6 packs of peppers, 1 - 6 pack of brussel sprouts, bag of cucumber seeds, bag of spinach seeds, 2 strawberry plants, another pot for garlic (more on that later), a bag of potting mix and a new pair of gardening gloves for $38.  i didn't even have a coupon - that's less than what i spend per week on vegetables! and seriously, it is pretty darn cool to see these things grow over time.

 

i am hoping that i will have a lush garden to show you in a few weeks....

 

always striving for more,

dee b. 

 



.: juicing addict :.

if you follow me on any type of social media (Twitter: @sweetdeesnuts or Instagram @lifeonthedeelist), you've seen me blasting pictures of my new juicer and all the fun i have been having with it! i am SO excited to finally have a juicer - i literally have been doing research for the past year and a half on juicers. i originally boughta  $100 JuiceMan from Target a couple years ago, but immediately returned it because i was overwhelmed by how much produce it required to just get a cup of juice! i couldn't afford the time or the money at the time for a juicer. well, i'm now another year further out of college and further into my career and decided that i wanted to give it another shot. plus, being a wellness coordinator, i should probably continue to work on my wellness, right?

after talking with a few of my 'juicing expert' friends and a few nutrition professionals, i knew that i wanted to get a Breville, but there are SO many makes and models, it was overwhelming. i researched the capabilites and reviews of every Breville model that i heard of. i wanted to give you guys an overview of what i found, in case you are looking for a juicer!

Breville JE98XL - this is going to be the most basic juicer. if you have ever seen 'fat, sick and nearly dead' this is the juicer he uses. if you haven't seen it, you should. this is a great start for people who are tip-toeing around the possibility of starting to juice. it's fairly inexpensive and easy to find - Best Buy happens to sell this one for $149. this will juice your most basic produce - this apples, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers. it is dual speed for both hard and soft produce.

Breville JE510XL - this is a step up from the basic juicer - it has 5 speeds to adjust depending on which produce you are trying to juice. this also has a Nutri disc which easily separates the pulp and the juice. some people may find this desirable while others prefer to have some pulp - completely personal preferences. this juicer runs about $199 at Macy's.

Breville 800JEXL - this is going to be another step up, yet. it runs about $299 from Macy's or Williams Sonoma. this one is also a dual speed, but will juice more efficiently than the JE98XL - it will give you about 30% more juice! the opening to this juicer is extra wide which cuts down on all the chopping and preparing of the produce - i have found that this is a huge plus for obvious reasons!

now i get to talk about the juicer that i bought - my plan was to get the JE510XL or 800JEXL, but i was also hoping for a store associate to shed some light on which one would best fit my lifestyle. the guy at Williams Sonoma, not only loved his job, but was very educated when it came to juicers right down to the sound differences of them....

anyway, he broke down all the juicers from the most basic to the mack daddy of juicers including a Hurom slow juicer (which is also another great choice, but he mentioned that his fellow co-workers returned the Hurom for a Breville). after talking with him and hearing his lovely and accurate sound effects, i decided on the Breville BJS600XL. it only has 1 speed, but it is a slow juicer, so it really gets the most of out of the produce. with that being said, it is extremely efficient - i can juice AND hand wash all of the pieces in about 25 minutes and that's been the first couple times i used it. i fell in love when i realized how much juice it sucked out of everything! it also leaves some pulp which is great not only for nutrients, but for the volume of your juice! apparently, my past experience with the JuiceMan traumatized me enough that i literally washed 2 cucumbers, a mango, 2 kiwis, 3 apples and a handful of carrots for my first round of juicing (see picture below). i think i was halfway through the batch when i realized that the jug was already full! to give you a better picture, when the jug is full it fills about 2 1/2 mason jars (the standard size, not the jumbo). most of the parts are dishwasher safe, but since i use my juicer almost everyday and don't run the dishwasher everyday, i have been handwashing the parts. super easy to do!

a couple other things worth noting, this juicer is fairly small - we don't have a lot of counter with all the kitchen appliances we have, but this juicer fits really nice next to our espresso machine and even underneath our cupboards! i love being able to leave it out on the counter all the time! this juicer also has the capabilties to turn flax seeds into oil or peanuts into peanut butter. i doubt i will rely on that often (i haven't gotten into flax seeds, yet and i'm allergic peanuts), but it's nice to know that it is an option.

anyway, i just gave you the VERY basics of all SOME Breville juicers - there are a ton more reviews and information on good ol' Google or even Amazon. check them out!

i am clearly already a huge fan of juicing - i am excited to start playing with recipes and see what it can do for my health. this week is really busy for me with hosting biometric screenings, but i feel comforted in knowing that i can bring some juice to get my nutrients and hold me over until i get the chance to eat.

always striving for more,

dee b.

.:eating well for cheap:.

i have always enjoyed cooking and watching Food Network. i could spend hours watching Paula Deen, Emeril Lagasse, and maybe Rachel Ray (if it's not early in the morning--too perky for me). i will admit, i am the person at the gym who has the TV turned to Food Network (but will act like i don't care if you change it while cringing inside).

let's face it, it's fun to watch them make the food, but running to print off the recipe (FYI: they can easily be located under the scheduled time of the TV show on foodnetwork.com), then to the grocery store and trying to re-enact it, with perfect hair, makeup and smile, isn't as easy as they make it look. plus, most of the recipes call for crazy ingredients or spices that have to be bought in bulk and will never be used before it goes bad. not good for the storage in the kitchen (or lack thereof) or for my budget!

while i do appreciate the time and effort these professionals take for each detail of these recipes, i am not that tedious nor do the MF or i really take note of all the spice differences which is why i take the recipes that i see online or on TV and make them simple, affordable and maybe a bit more healthy!

i can thank my father for showing me as a little girl, that you can essentially throw anything on to a skillet, combined with the right things and VOILA, a meal is served at a low cost and most likely with leftovers! while i may be a little more picky with my food than my father (read: a lot more picky), his concept makes sense whether you have odd ends that need to be used up or you went to the grocery without a list or plan (epic mistake for me).

while struggling with outgoing bills outweighing incoming paychecks, the first thing i had to cut down was my grocery bill! as all of you may know, eating healthy, clean and fresh is EXPENSIVE even without going organic! i was willing to compromise (read: forced) a little on the healthy and fresh side in order to stay within budget, so i created a few traditional inexpensive dishes with a healthy boost.

BAM! (Emeril, anyone? anyone?)

frozen chicken breast (made stovetop, not ideal) glazed with buffalo sauce with steamed veggies on the side topped with (a little) butter and Parmesan cheese. i am a HUGE fan of steamed veggies because they are essentially effortless with the help of a steamer basket and it is a great way to get rid of veggies that may be getting old soon!

this happens to be brussel sprouts and asparagus (fresh) with broccoli and cauliflower (frozen).

not pictured: petite side of ranch. sorry, i'm not sorry. :)

bring Chipotle home to you! chances are, with a little effort put in to the cooking, this homemade option is going to be healthier than the chain version. this was the MF's idea, so i give him all the credit here. in this pile of goodness, there is cilantro whole grain rice (literally, minute whole grain rice with cut up cilantro), fajita veggies, black beans, tomatoes, salsa, chicken and steak (grilled), cheese, lettuce and yes, there is sour cream!

it may not have had the 'authentic Chipotle' taste, but it tasted fresh and awesome in it's own way!

 ok, this one is a little more complicated then the rest:.

Mexican Quinoa Salad

• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups black beans
• 1 cup corn, thawed
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 avocado, diced

in a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, tomato and red onion. in a blender or food processor, combine lime juice, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, honey or agave nectar and sea salt. process until mixture is smooth. toss with quinoa mixture.

this quinoa may be a little more intensive, but it tastes good served hot, cold, with chips or on it's own! you can't go wrong! tip:. make a large batch, it will last for about 5-7 days refrigerated--leave the perishable veggies out until you are ready to eat it (avocado, tomato).

i feel like this dish should have a cool name, but honestly, this picture is saved to my desktop as 'veggie pasta'. lame.

however, this pasta is far from lame! (shameful pitch)

let's face it, carbs are cheap, but throwing in some veggies can make it less carb-dense. i started buying whole grain or quinoa pasta to feel less bad about eating pasta 2 times a week to cut down on the grocery bill. for this particular meal, i steamed veggies: peppers, asparagus, zucchini, onions and mushrooms to put on top whole grain pasta with red vodka sauce. i try to stray away from white sauces and use more red sauces that are less cream based.

who doesn't love chili, for reals? this was thrown together last minute last night when the MF and i decided we felt like comfort food and here is how we did it:.
he browned the ground beef while i combined in a big pot:.
-1 big can tomato puree
-1 big can diced tomatoes
-1 big can corn
-6 red potatoes cubed
-1 can kidney beans
-carton of baby portabella mushrooms
-1/4 onion diced
-2 green peppers diced
-1 red pepper diced
-packet of Chili seasoning

we ate what happened to warm up in a 1/2 hour and put the rest in a crockpot overnight to let it finished simmering (the potatoes needed to finish cooking). you could literally change this recipe up any way that you want to and it would work well!

ok, so to be honest with you guys, i really do try hard to eat healthy most of the time, but i do have a sweet tooth!

behold, my dessert plate from a brunch on sunday.....

picture courtesy of the MF

yes, that is a chocolate dipped oreo, wafer and rice krispie and yes, there is a waffle underneath all that whipped cream....somewhere. 

is all about balance, right?

always striving for more,
dee b.

DETOX DAY 3:. the LAST day



happy humpday, friends! this humpday seems to be an extra special celebration because it is my LAST day of this darn detox! i may never want to see a fruit or vegetable again! ok, little dramatic, but seriously, it is hard to function on only fruits and veggies and NO PROTEIN! i am tired, a little shaky and i guess a little irritable (according to my mf....whatever). not quite sure if all of these are truly from this detox diet or a combo with lack of sleep and ZERO time to workout, blah! i can almost guarantee that if i did have time to workout, that it would be pointless because of my lack of energy. i have time for a short run before practice tonight, so i am curious to see how that goes...

here is a recap of day 2 (don't get too excited it is very similiar to day 1) :.

breakfast:.

banana, strawberries and blackberries

lunch:.

again, same thing. diced tomatoes, avocados and cucumbers over spinach. so good, yet getting so old!

 

snack:.

an apple, carrots and peapods

dinner:.

i'm sorry that i'm not sorry that i steamed another big basket of veggies similar to day 1, you can judge all you want! :)

**confession time**

one of my awesome basketball parents brought me homemade caramels to practice last night. it literally made my day and was exactly what i needed for a pick-me-up from the cruddy day that i was having, but i politely put them in my bag and said 'i cannot wait to try them later' (which was true, but later meant thursday). her daughter kept insisting that i MUST try one ASAP. i was very disciplined and kept repeating, 'i am very excited to try one, but i am going to wait until after practice to try one' (of course, banking on that she would forget and i could move on with my tasteless detox). well, being the sweetheart that she is (seriously, she's one of my favorites), she took it upon herself to unwrap a caramel for me so she could be there when i tasted it for the 1st time! i could have felt quilty for breaking my detox diet, but i'll be honest, i didn't. i truly think i needed it get through practice and the rest of my day. plus, what kind of role model am i to explain to an 11 yr-old girl that her healthy-looking coach is on a detox DIET?  by the way, it was THE most delicious caramel i have ever tasted!

i forgot to add, i weighed myself yesterday morning and i lost ONE not worth it POUND! let's see if i get more surprising results in the next day....

always starving striving for more,

dee b.

.:act great, feel great, be your best:.

what's the best way you get your body back in equilibrium after thanksgiving?

before, it was the typical 'watch what i eat for a fews day' and exercise a little more to get back to pre-thanksgiving health, but this year i am trying something different.....a DETOX diet.

trying a detox has always been something i wanted to try, but never knew where to start! to be honest, i still don't know what i am doing, so i decided to make my own rules for it.

i am at day 2 of a 3-day detox and let me tell you, it's not easy, but it's not too hard either. maybe my rules are a little too lax?

here are my rules:.

>eating only fruits and veggies--cucumbers, avocados, tomatoes, spinach, snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, aparagus, carrots, bananas, blackberries, strawberries, apples....
>drink lots of lemon water and water in general--i've read that by adding lemon to water is great for creating an acidic pH balance within your body. the lower your body's pH level (read more acidic), the less likely you are to manifest illness, disease and cancers. now, this is what i've read from a few sources, i would like to research this theory a little more...
>no coffee, dairy, carbs, gluten, sugar (besides what is in the fruit)--i have adjusted to this by drinking lots of herbal and green tea which still does not suffice my caffeine headache, but it makes me feel like it's doing something.

i started out this detox diet by getting all of my produce from whole foods, if i'm detoxing, i better use organic, right? i am sure there are better "detoxing fruits and veggies" then the ones that i purchased, but like i said, this first time around, i'll create my own rules.

here's a recap of day 1:.

i did weigh myself before this adventure began....my starting weight was 141 lbs. i know as a female i am not suppose to be comfortable sharing this with the world, but whatever, i'm not a normal female and as long as i am healthy, the number on the scale doesn't matter to me.

breakfast:.
banana and a cup of strawberries and blackberries

lunch:.

this was a mixture of cut up cucumbers, avocados and tomatoes. SUPER good! i actually put it over spinach as the 'dressing', but i ate that before thinking about taking a picture of it. since i'm being honest here, i didn't get around to eating the carrots and snowpeas....

snack:.

an apple and banana

dinner:.

ok, i may have cheated here a little bit by steaming the veggies before i ate them, but to my defense i was very cold after watching my mf's soccer game and the thought of eating more cold veggies made me shiver.

anyway, my dinner consisted of a big basket of steamed veggies:. asparagus (yum!), snowpeas, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers (green and red) and maaaaybe a little bit of salt for taste. although i was drooling over my mf's streak and sweet potatoes, it was actually surprisingly filling and satisfying (and i may have stolen a few sweet potatoes slices).



anyway, reflecting on day 1, i can say that it was pretty easy, there were a few times when i really wanted to eat just 1 starburst, drink 1 cup of coffee to get rid of my headache or get pizza for dinner because i had ate so well all day. NO! it is 3 days, i can suck it up for 3 days...

this is currently my main goal and focus, i don't think i'd be able to accomplish it if it didn't have my full attention, so my list of goals will have to put on hold except for 2:. get an oil change and make spare keys for our house (both getting done before practice this evening).

always striving for more,

dee b.