Okra Corn Cakes - total time 30 minutes

One of the fun things that comes along with having a CSA share is the random fruits and vegetables you get. The first year we got kohlrabi... we got tons of kohlrabi. I had never heard of it before. It kind of looked like a turnip, but didn't look like a root because of the leaves. And the only real recipe available on the internets was roasted kohlrabi... so we had that often.

Now that our bin is customizable (which happened the second year), we no longer get kohlrabi... but we certainly glad we tried it!

This year's new vegetable is okra. I have seen it before and have heard it is great in stews and fried. But summer is no time for stews and I'm not going to fry it either. I have also seen it growing in the community garden and the flowers on okra plants are beautiful! So it was time to try this elusive veggie.

What better way to try this southern favorite than in a way that is completely southern... in cornbread! The okra adds some color, a little different texture, and some crunch to your normal corn cake. On the first time trying okra we landed on a winning recipe... yippee!

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Fajita Campfire Packets - total time 40 minutes

You know that perfect spot in a campfire to roast marshmallows? Right by the red embers not too close to the flame. It gets the marshmallow gooey and lightly toasted without catching them on fire. Well, that same spot is the perfect place to cook your dinner too! Just wrap the ingredients in heavy foil, spray with cooking spray, carefully put the foil packet in that perfect spot, and enjoy some perfectly cooked dinner in about 30 minutes.

I made this dinner while we were camping last weekend. As soon as I got everything on the campfire to cook, the sky opened up and it started to pour. We took cover in our Jeep and checked every single weather app on our phones... possible tornadoes. Eek! Thankfully the storm passed by pretty quickly. There were a lot of puddles and the ground was muddy, but the campfire was still hanging in there (thanks to good tree cover)... but only by a little bit. The rain made the whole fire those perfect red embers for cooking. Surprisingly everything cooked just right and as the sun came out, we were chowing down on some delicious camp food. :)

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Loaded Shredded Chicken Nachos - total time 20 minutes

So before I started reading about nutrition and really learned how to cook, occasionally I would just make some nachos for dinner which involved some chips, lots of cheese, and a little bit of salsa. It was quick, of course. Only about one minute in the microwave. But had no nutritional value what-so-ever.

After reading a couple books about digestion and the ways what you eat can cause certain annoying symptoms, most of which you might blame genetics on like unclear skin, stuffy nose, or trouble concentrating... I realized that there was more to food than just tasting good. Food is really about nourishing your body because it takes a lot just to keep our heart pumping, lungs inhaling, and brain thinking. I started to make a conscious effort to make sure vegetables always had a spot on my plate for both lunch and dinner. I started to cut back on meats and gluten. I tried to limit how much dairy I ate, but I just couldn't give up cheese. It is little steps that make the difference. Going to the extreme will leave you hungry and feeling deprived. Being too strict makes it nearly impossible to enjoy a meal out with a friend. With most things, a happy medium is best.

It's been several years since those old microwaved nachos days, but sometimes you just want what you want. I follow a couple bloggers that plan out their meals as well and one of them posted that they were making nachos for dinner one night. I've been thinking about whether nachos are really dinner food ever since. I decided to make my version of loaded nachos and it was quite filling and loaded with veggies (and cheese!). This makes a great quick meal that you eat with your hands. Perfect for a casual weekend dinner or to have with a couple drinks tailgating.

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