Blog? What Blog? I've been cooking my heart out over here...

So it's day...what? 21 of the locavore challenge so we're in the home stretch here. Just 9 more days to go, and guess what? It's not that bad. Granted earlier today I was having a bit of a crisis in the grocery store, but in all honesty it was completely my own fault--I should know better than to go to the store hungry. It's bad enough any time because I just start grabbing junk I don't really need, since I couldn't do that today...well...yea, it wasn't fun.

Other then that minor meltdown, I've actually been doing great! I supper happy that I've been getting yogurt for breakfast, which has become my go-to breakfast during the week. I've actually been thinking less and less about the things I haven't been able to eat. I haven't had chocolate or pasta or bread in what seems like forever and I'm actually not letting it get to me because I'm having way too much fun exploring new foods.

The first week was definitely the most difficult--I really didn't have any kind of plan and I was just winging it, which normally works out for me, but I did feel overwhelmed at the time. I've been way more creative with what I've been cooking lately and if for nothing else, getting out of my cooking funk has most definitely made this whole experience worth it.

I still don't have a plan and I am most definitely still flying by the seat of my pants, but I'm having a damn good time doing it!

Side note: June 21 is National Peaches and Cream day, so I celebrated with boozy peaches and cream custard. Check out the recipe on Crumby--it was magnificent.

Anyway, here are some highlights of what I've been eating lately:

Day 21, Dinner: Tomato sauce with creole and heirloom tomatoes, bell pepper, eggplant, garlic and alligator sausage served over a bed of grated patty pan squash.

Verdict: WINNER! Tasty and totally let me imagine I was eating pasta instead. It was yummy and I will definitely be making it again before the month is out.
 

Day 20, Dinner: herbed chicken breast, feta tomato salad, cheesy potatoes with asiago and cheddar cheese.

Verdict: WINNER! The tomatoes were SUPERB. A dash of salt, vinegar and tossed with some feta and mmmmm. I was loving it.  

Day 16, Dinner: Sweet potato medallions with eggplant, pecans, bell pepper, and vache sante cheese. 


Verdict: WINNER! Veggie and delicious. I picked up the cheese at St. James Cheese Company and it's a little pricey (somewhere in the $22/lb range) but it really complimented this dish perfectly. I threw it on there on a whim and I'm so glad I did because it totally made the dish!

Day 16, post workout snack: yummy cantaloupe.
 

Day 16, Lunch: crab meat, pecans and cherry tomatoes with feta tomato dressing over mixed greens.

Verdict: Great quick meal on the go. I had quite a few of these for lunch last week. Tasty and easy to pack while I'm running out the house in the morning.

Day13,  Dinner: zucchini and patty pan squash fritters with roasted tomatoes, sauteed shiitake and asiago cheese.

Verdict: DING DING DING, WINNER! I've been struggling to figure out what the heck to do with all that patty pan squash I keep getting in the Hollygrove box. I had been thinking about fritters for a while and when Judy Walker mentioned it on her post in the forums, I figured it was about time to get on it. The roasted tomatoes and sauteed mushrooms totally made it work as a full meal. I can't wait to make it again. I put some asiago in the fritters too and it hit the spot.

Day 13, lunch: mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, crab meat, feta tomato dressing.

 Day 12, snack/dinner: watermelon cucumber salad. 


Verdict: One of my favorite super easy summer salads. A few dashes of vinegar, a few drops of oil, salt really makes the watermelon shine. Great light dinner after stuffing my face with crawfish for lunch.

 Day 12, lunch: crawfish, I love you. :)

Day 12, breakfast: yummy omelet with mushrooms, tomato, onion, bell pepper, asiago cheese.