The eating local challenge is going well!  I am also getting away from eating progress sugar and eating 5 meals, small meals, a day to keep my metabolism in check so as not to get hungry and resort to some sweet treat that I will regret the next day, like a milkshake, cookie or cake that a sweet neighbor wants to give me.

For breakfast I have been eating eggs.  I made a baked egg thing that has about 3 servings.  It is just 4 eggs, some milk, cheese, broccoli, basil, tomatoes, onion and garlic.   While several of these ingredients are not local,  I had some of these ingredients from my last grocery run and needed to use them.   I have also been eating omelettes.  Three eggs beaten with salt, pepper and some herb… I have thyme, tarragon, parsley and basil growing on my back deck, feta cheese, baby tomatoes and pesto.   I made the pesto the other day from the basil on the deck and while that and the garlic are the only local ingredients it is still good because it is home made!!!  My pesto has basil, a little mint, toasted walnuts, pecorino cheese, garlic, lemon juice and a little olive oil.. salt and pepper too. I also like the pesto on hamburgers.  Yummy!!!

Fets, tomato and pesto omelette

I use a little bit of this honey in my coffee and tea. It has to be THE best honey I have ever consumed! It is fading away.... not to worry I have another jar in my pantry.

Prepping.

Eggplant slices getting ready for roasting... perfect for lunch on bread with pesto.

In my next post about eating local I hope to write about lunch and a good mid morning snack!!

Tomorrow is the official kickoff of Nashville’s, “Eat Local Challenge”.  Mary Crimmins, a local food advocate who started the Woodbine Farmers Market has set the challenge.   So yesterday I set out to my favorite farmers market, the West Nashville Farmers Market, over on Charlotte in the Sylvan Park neighborhood to stock up on some staples for the month and get veggies and proteins for the week.  My goal is to support my farmers, my community garden and to again get off processed sugars and stay off it.  I am going to try and post meals that I had for the day.  I can use 10% non local items which should account for avocados, lemons, olive and coconut oil, salt, pepper and other spices.

Here is what I bought this week:  (It looks like a lot but several things are freezable including the two loafs of locally made bread currently sliced and in my freezer.)

Veggies and Fruit:   bag of local field peas consisting of purple hull, lima and creamer from the Produce Place, lemons, an avacado and a red onion from the Produce Place.   I bought an eggplant, zuccini, 2 watermelons, 2 ears of corn, 2 pints of baby tomatoes, 3 heirloom tomatoes, 1 bunch of basil from the Delvins.    A squash, 2 heads of garlic, a cucumber and another bunch of basil from Foggy Bottom Farm.   From another local grower I bought 1 pint blueberries and 1 pint of blackberries.  (I will more than likely freeze half of these for next week.)

Meats and Cheese:  1 pound of ground beef and two fryer breasts from Westwind Farms,  a dozen eggs from Delvin Farms, goats milk feta from Noble Springs and some sheep’s milk feta from the Produce Place.  ***not sure where the sheep’s milk feta is from but I trust that while it may not be real local it is still good for me!****  and I bought my first pound of Primm Springs soysage to try… my friend Rosemary who makes  yummy lemonade and gazpacho that she and her family sell at the WNFM has bought this company.

Staples and Dry Goods:  two trays of fresh pasta from Alfresco Pasta, one angle hair and one wide egg noodle… this gives me 16 servings which should last about 2 months if I can control myself!!!,  1 pint of gazpacho from Rosemary, a bag of almond granola from Twin Forks and a jar of salsa from Ousley Ouch .

Wow that is alot!!  I am just like I was in my 20s shopping for clothing when I go to the farmers market!

Last night I sorta kicked of the eating local thing.  Last night was supper club and the theme was movie/book inspired.  In honor of Food, Inc. I made a watermelon salad featuring the cucumber, some of the tomatoes, half the red onion, some of the sheep’s milk feta…  the mint I got from my community garden and the marinade from my pantry items.  It was very good!  I used a quarter of one the melons.. a seedless sugarbaby… I shared half with my upstairs neighbor.

Here is the official recipe for Tomato and Watermelon Salad .  Thank you Steamy Kitchen!!!

I can not wait for my tomatoes to ripen in the community garden!!

An image I created for the Tomato Festival in East nashville... the first year's tomato harvest from the Old Hickory Village Community Garden

Tomorrow is the official start to the eating local challenge.  It is never too late to start!!

After going to a whole food diet and avoiding processed foods, sugar and cow’s milk dairy I was missing things like egg salad and chicken salad.    I had found a recipe for home made mayo made with 1/2 coconut oil and 1/2 olive oil.   I had also started reading and following Michael Pollan and have been enjoying reading his Food Rules book.  One of the rules is to the effect that if you want to eat junk food make it yourself.   I consider mayo a junk food so why not make this myself without any canola oil, sugar or preservatives.    

This recipe calls for expeller pressed coconut oil (I get mine from Tropical Traditions)  Tropical Traditions has alot of information about coconut oil.  Not all coconut is good so if you are going to use this please read the information and do not get your oil from WalMart.   They also carry alot of other food products that I have not tried as I really want to keep the majority of my food purchases to local resources.   

This recipe also calls for Olive Oil.  Again not all Olive Oils are created the same and they all have different flavors.  I had purchased some olive oil at Trader Joe’s that is fine but too rich for my taste.  I bought it because it was half the price of my regular EVOO of choice, Lucina Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  The second time I made this mayo I went back to Lucina.  You can purchase Lucina at The Turnip Truck in East Nashville, Publix also carries it.   

Other ingredients in the recipe are organic dijon mustard (I use the Annie’s brand), lemon, sea salt, white pepper and eggs (I use local farm, free range, grass fed eggs from a farm in Franklin).    The recipe is super easy to make and last about 10 days.   Now I can make fresh egg salad and chicken salad and feel good about what I am eating!    

Click here for the Coconut Oil Mayonnaise.   Be sure to follow the recipe exactly!!  The blending is very important. 

Yummy eggs from Mamushi Nature Farm. I get these from my local health food store, Orbit. They are also available at The Turnip Truck.

Melting the coconut oil. It's melting point is 76 degrees. I just boil water, take it off the burner, put some oil in a glass and put that glass in the water. In the summer the oil stays liquid.

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yummy ingredients... that is an organic lemon!

I add the EVOO to the 1/2 cup mark and then fill up to a cup with the coconut oil.

The finished product. I store mine in an airtight glass container.