HAPPY (almost) NEW YEAR!!!
Can you believe another year has passed? I hope your 2013 was positive, even in the hard things. I’ve heard a lot of my friends talk about how difficult 2013 has been, and I’ve witnessed many of their hardships.
Personally, we went through unemployment, near-homelessness, and many, many uncertain circumstances, but more than anything, this year I saw the Love of God poured out through the hands of many men and women. We saw EVERY need met. There is NOT.ONE.THING that we have lacked this year, and for that, I am very grateful.
Now that we have a new mission, I need you to help us share it! At the beginning of every year, people purpose to become more, to be better, to eat better, to LIVE!
Our Produce co-op is one VERY easy way that you and your loved ones can make a positive, lasting, healthful change!
Thank you to the many who have shared information about our co-op! We could not do this without the participation of many – sharing, eating, living!
Please let us know how we can help – and if this has blessed your life – please share the opportunity of what we are doing!
Many Blessings to you this year!
**Carla
Hello Everyone!
Today was a better market day than we’ve had in a little while. The prices were still high, but I think we did well! Here’s what we got in our bins today:
Veggies
Asparagus – 1 lb
Beets – 4-5 small
Broccoli – 1-2 crowns
Celery – 1 bunch
Cucumbers – 1-2 depending on size
Kale – 1 bunch
Cremini Mushrooms – 8oz package
Red Onions – 2
Green Peppers – 2
Yellow Peppers – 1-2
Yukon Gold Potatoes – 3.5 pounds
Zucchini – 3
Baby Carroteenies (Snack Bags) – 6
Romaine Lettuce – 1 large bunch or 3 small heads
Fruit
Bananas – 5
Lemons – 4
Pears – 4
Red Plums – 7-8
Pluots – 5-6
Figs – 1 pint
I’ve made a simple, varied clean-eating type meal plan that will use all of this up, and then some. I still have carrots, Limes, sweet potato, and onions left from the last couple of co-ops. All bolded items are from your bin. You can see from this list that you don’t really have to buy much else to feed you and your family! If you have a large family, two bins would feed you completely!
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack |
| 1 | Banana/Fig/ Protein Smoothie (I’ll add Kale, too) | Salad w/beans/sunflower seeds(Romaine, Peppers, Shredded Beets, Cucumbers, carrots, onion) with Lemon Dressing | Steamed Broccoli (with Chicken and sweet potatoes) | fruit |
| 2 | Pears/Oatmeal/Nuts | Celery/Peanut Butter or cream cheese, raisins | Asparagus (Pork tenderloin, left over broccoli or green beans, rice (make double)) | |
| 3 | Red Plums/ cottage Cheese | Salad w/chicken(Romaine, Peppers, Shredded Beets, Cucumbers, carrots, onion) with Citrus Dressing
|
Garlicky Kale & Mushroom saute, (with baked Chicken and leftover rice) | |
| 4 | Pluots/Eggs | Figs/Cheese/Bread | Zucchini halved, roasted (meatloaf, mashed Yukon potatoes) | |
| 5 | Banana/Fig/ Protein Smoothie (I’ll add Kale, too) | Fruit Salad, Tuna pasta salad | Breakfast for dinner(eggs, Fried Potatoes, bacon, fruit)
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| 6 | Pears/Oatmeal/Nuts | Chicken Vegetable Soup made with sauted Celery, Carrots, Onions, left over chicken, and other veggies, chicken stock | Pepper/Cucumber Salad with Turkey Sausage/Pasta | |
| 7 | Pluots/Eggs | Cheese/Crackers Fruit | Left overs/pizza |
Enjoy!
To your health!
Carla 🙂
Hello Everyone!
Today was a better market day than we’ve had in a little while. The prices were still high, but I think we did well! Here’s what we got in our bins today:
Veggies
Florida Avocado – 3
Broccoli Crowns – 1 large/2 small
Celery -1 bunch
Romaine Lettuce – 1 lrg head
Cucumbers – 2 med-large
Red & Yellow Peppers – 3
Red Onions – 2
Butternut Squash – 1
Yellow Squash – 4-5
Zucchini – 2-3
Plum Tomatoes – 7
Fruits
Black Apricots – 6
Bananas – 7
Mango – 2-3
Pluots – 4
Peaches – 2 large
Black Plums – 6
Red Plums – 6
I’ve made a simple, varied clean-eating type meal plan that will use all of this up, and then some. I still have carrots, Limes, sweet potato, and onions left from the last couple of co-ops. All bolded items are from your bin. You can see from this list that you don’t really have to buy much else to feed you and your family! If you have a large family, two bins would feed you completely!
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack |
| 1 | Banana/Mango/ Protein Smoothie (I’ll add spinach, too) | Salad w/beans/sunflower seeds
(Romaine, Peppers, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, carrots, onion) with Avocado Dressing (Avocado, olive oil, onion, garlic, lime juice, pepper, and cilantro in blender) |
Steamed Broccoli (with Chicken and sweet potatoes) | fruit |
| 2 | Black Apricots/Oatmeal/Nuts | Celery/Peanut Butter or cream cheese, raisins | Butternut Squash (Pork tenderloin, left over broccoli or green beans, rice (make double)) | |
| 3 | Plums/ cottage Cheese | Salad w/chicken
(Romaine, Peppers, Tomatoes, Cucumbers) |
Yellow Squash/onion/pepper saute, (with baked Chicken and leftover rice) | |
| 4 | Pluots/Eggs | Guacamole (Avocado, red onion, lime juice) Corn chips, Black Bean/Corn/Tomato salad | Zucchini halved, roasted (meatloaf, mashed potatoes) | |
| 5 | Banana/Mango/ Protein Smoothie (I’ll add spinach, too) | Fruit Salad, Tuna pasta salad | Breakfast for dinner
(eggs, pumpkin pancakes, bacon, fruit) |
|
| 6 | Black Apricots/Oatmeal/Nuts | Chicken Vegetable Soup made with sauted Celery, Carrots, Onions, left over chicken, and other veggies, chicken stock | Tomato/Cucumber Salad with Turkey Sausage/Pasta | |
| 7 | Pluots/Eggs | Cheese/Crackers, Fruit | Left overs/pizza |
Well – I hope this helps! If you follow this, you can know that we’re eating together in Spirit! 🙂
Many Blessings!
To Your Health,
Carla
Welcome to all of our new Co-op Members! I am so glad that you have joined us in our money-saving, and Health-building adventure!
This week was our first South Tampa/ Temple Terrace co-op, and boy was it a GREAT Market day! The deals were better than normal, making for a sweet first bin of veggies. Look at what we were able to get – all for $30.00 per person:
This equals one or two weeks of really good eats!
Here are the bin contents:
16 Veggies: Romaine Lettuce, Carrots, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Yellow Peppers, Radishes, sweet white onions, Corn, Green Beans, Broccoli, Zucchini, Yellow squash, Small Eggplant, Sliced Mushrooms, Sweet Potatoes, and Red potatoes.
8 Fruits: Apples, Pears, Strawberries, White Peaches, Pineapple, oranges, lemons and Limes!
I am truly enjoying having this food so readily available. We are feeling better, and eating better! We simply add in healthy proteins and fats, a few carbs here and there and we are all set. My kids love it because I keep it simple, and they are slowly making the “change-over” to healthier eating.
Join us, if you haven’t already! JOIN HERE
To your health!
Carla Horning
It was a perfect day for Co-op May 29, 2013! Perfect cloud cover for our veggies, but not too much rain directly on us!
Here are a few pictures of our co-op:
We had a great Haul today! Here’s What we received:
- Romaine Hearts
- Bagged Spinach
- White Sweet Onions – super large!
- Orange and Yellow Bell Peppers – 3
- Broccoli – 2-3
- Carrots – 1 lb
- Celery – 1
- Corn
- Green Beans
- Sliced Mushrooms
- Radishes
- Apples
- Cherries
- Lemons
- Limes
- Peaches
- Apricots
On the Extras table (choose 2):
- Beets with Greens
- Dandelion Greens
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Peppers
- Cucumbers (English)
- Lemons/Limes
- Onions
- Carrots
It was a GREAT day! There is still room to join – tell all your friends!
To your health!
Carla Horning
Another Great day of Co-op!! I just never get tired of experiencing fresh food!
The pictures above are of our extras table, and everyone got to choose two types of veggies to take home with them in their bins!
You see the bins in this picture?
They don’t look as full as they normally do, but there is a reason! 🙂 For the Summer, we’ll put anything that might be affected by the heat on a separate table, and keep it all together to try to maintain a “cool spot”.
We’ll post signs that let you know what to take!
Here is what we enjoyed in our bins this week:
Romaine Lettuce (Large heads or Hearts – your choice)
Kale – 1 bunch
Carrots – 1 lb
Pickling Cucumbers – 4
Small ORGANIC Red onions – 4
Round Tomatoes – 4
Sliced Mushrooms – approx 8 oz
Asparagus – 1 pound (bunch)
Green Pepper – 1 Large
Sweet Potatoes – 2.5 pounds
Green Beans – 2.5 pounds
Apples – 5
Oranges – 3
Pineapples – 1
Apricots – 4
Nectarines – Ugly again, but SWEET! – 6
Cantaloupe – 1
Extras – choose any two of the following:
2 Apples
2 Oranges
2 Nectarines
2 Cucumbers
1 head of Garlic (Not in your bin)
1 – Half a small Watermelon (only 4 available)
1 bag Green Beans
1 – Green Pepper
2 – Sweet Potatoes
2 – Red Onions
1 – 1 Lb Carrots
1 – Kale
1 – Lettuce
2 – Tomatoes
It’s going to be a great summer! Please let all your friends know about the co-op so we can all get healthy together!
Blessings to You!!
Carla with Carlita’s Bowl!
Oh – How I LOVE to see all these bins lined up and full of healthy, fresh produce! I envision all of my people eating well, and feeling better physically and mentally as they take charge of their own health!
Here is today’s lineup:
Romaine Lettuce (2 Hearts)
1 lb. Carrots
2 Avocados (soft & ready-to-go!)
3 Broccoli Crowns
1 Head Cauliflower (large)
4 Large Ears Bi-Color Corn
2 Cucumbers
8 Oz. Sliced Mushrooms
8 Oz. Mini-Sweet Peppers
4 Vine-Ripe Tomatoes
Green & Golden Zucchini (2 to 3 depending on the size)
3 lbs. Sweet Potatoes
5 Cameo Apples
3 Lemons
1 Pineapple
5 Peaches (Yes, they are UGLY PEACHES; but, they taste GREAT – grow with us, people!)
5 Pears
1 Bunch of Bananas
Extras (we chose 3):
Kale Salad (not in your bin)
Spring Mix (not in your bin)
Carrots
Garlic (not in your bin)
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Pineapple
Sweet Peppers
Bananas
Corn
Shredded Carrots (not in your bin)
Peaches
Apples
Lemons
Avocados
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Overall , it was a great day, and I got to meet a lot of new people – that’s my favorite part!
See you again soon!
Carla
Here is what I am planning this week. I don’t have any amazing recipes, most will be done on the “fly” since we are SUPER busy this week! I know you are, too, so I wanted to show you how a busy mom really can make healthy food for her family!
I will chop and prep as much as I can tomorrow to make the rest of the week easier.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack | |
| 1 | Pineapple/Spinach Smoothie | Salad (Romaine, Mushrooms, peppers, Tomatoes, Carrots, Cucumbers) | Broccoli/Peppers/Mushrooms (with Chicken and sweet potatoes) | Left over fruit | |
| 2 | Pears/Oatmeal | Salad (Spring Mix, peppers, Tomatoes, Carrots, Cucumbers) | Cauliflower, Red potatoes(with Meatloaf) | Cucumbers | |
| 3 | Pineapple/Yogurt or cottage Cheese | Kale Salad | Corn, (with baked Chicken) | Carrots | |
| 4 | Bananas /Eggs | Wrap with chicken, avocado, spring Mix, Tomatoes | Zucchini/Yellow Squash combo grilled with Steak | Raw Broccoli | |
| 5 | Peaches /Oatmeal | Juice: Kale, Lemon, Cucumber, Carrots, Celery | Carrots Slaw, Broccoli (with Pork) | Fruit | |
| 6 | Pineapple Spinach smoothie | Broccoli, pepper, onion Salad | Tomato/Cucumber Salad with Turkey Sausage/Pasta | ||
| 7 | Apples/Oatmeal |
So there you have it!!! We’ll be eatin’ goooood this week!
Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions you might have, ok?
Blessings to you!!
Carla
People ask me this question all the time. When they hear about the co-op, they ask if we really do eat all those veggies every week, and when I say “yes”, they ask me how?
So….I thought I’d share!
Here is what we will probably eat this week. As you can see, all of our fruit and “salad” veggies are eaten raw, with little prep. The “dinner” veggies are simply chopped up, usually with a little added onion/garlic and sauteed very quickly so as not to lose the nutrients. All of these foods are vibrant, and good tasting, and very kid-friendly. I often prep and cook many veggies at once to save time!
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack | |
| 1 | Cantaloupe/Eggs | Salad (Romaine, Radishes, peppers, Tomatoes, Carrots, Cucumbers) | Asparagus/Peppers (with Fish and Rice) | Left over fruit | |
| 2 | Strawberries/Oatmeal | Salad (Romaine, Radishes, peppers, Tomatoes, Carrots, Cucumbers) | Cauliflower, Red potatoes(with Meatloaf) | Cucumbers | |
| 3 | Pineapple/Yogurt or cottage Cheese | Salad (Romaine, Radishes, peppers, Tomatoes, Carrots, Cucumbers) | Green Beans/Peppers, Red Potatoes(with baked Chicken) | Carrots | |
| 4 | Bananas /Eggs | Zucchini/Yellow Squash combo (with Spaghetti) | |||
| 5 | Oranges /Oatmeal | Glazed Carrots (with Chicken and Pasta) | |||
| 6 | Strawberries/Eggs | ||||
| 7 | Apples/Oatmeal |
You can see that this week we actually run out of food, and since we also juice, and drink smoothies- we could almost use two bins per week! Because we do the co-op every week, I often have a little holdover of veggies like onions, potatoes, hard squashes, and green beans, so on the weeks I fall a little short, I usually have a little something on hand.
I consistently buy baby Spinach, cucumbers, celery, juicing carrots and apples in addition to the co-op because that’s what our family always needs more of.
If you chose to eat what you get in your bin (rather than going to store and buying what you are “hungry for”:)), you can see by the above example that you would need only to buy your protein, carbs, extra lunch items – and you’d be set! So – $30.00 for your co-op veggies, plus approx $65.00 in proteins, carbs and extras feeds our family of four VERY well for the week.
You could still afford to have your “pizza” night !
It also bears mentioning that you’d eat far less calories following this method of eating, you are taking in a higher level of nutrients every single day, and getting a lot of variety in your diet.
This is a win-win situation! I hope this inspires you to make the changes you’ve been wanting to make, and that you see that you really can do it!!!
If you are not sure how to cook any of these veggies, check out my Pinterest page “Carlita’s Bowl” and click on the board for the veggie you want to learn about!
Join the co-op by emailing me at chorning@tampabay.rr.com!
Blessings to you!
Carla Horning
Yay! Here’s what in our Bins today:
Asparagus
Carrots
Cauliflower
Cucumbers
Green Beans
Romaine Lettuce
Red Potatoes
Mini sweet peppers
Yellow Squash
Zucchini
Grape tomatoes
Radishes
Apples
Bananas
Strawberries
Cantaloupe
Oranges
Pineapple
Extras/Trade Table (you’ll choose 3):
Carrots – 1 lb
Cauliflower – 1 head
Cucumbers – 2
Green beans – 1 bag
Yellow Squash – 2
Zucchini – 2
Radishes – 5
Apples – 2
Bananas – 2
Oranges – 2
1 Pineapple
Hooray!!!
See you soon!
Carlita's Bowl 