Memoirs of a Virginia Belle

Spring Adventures

2012-03-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung here in Winchester. It has crept through the Valley in the form of lolling sunny mornings, smooth hyacinth filled breezes, and the buds of dazzling jeweled tulips in bright yellows and royal purples. The longer days have made room for lazy walks, cool morning hikes, and premature gardening. My beds have come together nicely, and my produce is sure to be bountiful this year.

In honor of the Lord’s delightful weather, I thought I’d do a piece on my adventures of late. This year my beds will include more broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, string beans, sweet peas, lots of strawberries, Brussel sprouts, fresh oregano, thyme, apple mint, parsley; and hopefully some peppers and lavender. The strawberries quadrupled this year and took the better part of a morning to prune. Other beds were easier to clean out and hold mostly herbs and spices. However, I’ve set one aside for cabbage for the next two weeks just to be sure the weather holds out one.

Last Saturday I went on a hike along with some friends that was held by the women’s ministry of our church. We drove a short distance to Front Royal and hiked a stint on the Appalachian Trail.

What fun we had!

The trees were just waking from their short winter slumber, their branches reaching out with dustings of buds and flowers. The trail was alive with mosses, new sprouts, tracks from critters, and the graceful if fleeting site of deer through the brush.

Our hike leader was fabulous, Miss Kathy pointed out lots of cool facts on the ecosystem surrounding us, the different uses of some of the trees (one was a spice tree that was used in the colonial era for apple and spice cakes as well as teas). We also ran across wild raspberry bushes and strawberry patches making their spring debut. Upon further inspection of the trail, we found wild onions and parsley. Altogether, the hike was exhilarating and very refreshing after being cooped up indoors for so long.

For more pictures from my hike check out my events pages and for more of my garden check out the garden page.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Virginia Belle

Clean College Cuisine

2012-03-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, I’ve been bad, I’ve been absent, unavailable, indisposed, MIA, not attending my blogging duties. Call it what you will. I’m sorry! I’ll make more of an effort for you guys. I promise! Thanks for staying loyal.

Now that I’ve gotten this off of my chest, let me tell you what I’ve been tinkering with of late.

Eating healthy is a topic that has become an important concept in my home. To make a long story short I was battling with an unseen and ugly health crisis that left me uncomfortable, tired, and feeling like there was no way out. I still struggle with this problem, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.

Firstly, I found that my diet plays an important role in how I feel every day. Eating a healthy, high fiber low-carb diet, with lots of fruits and veggies has made a huge impact in my life (doesn’t mean I don’t cheat every once and a while though).

Adding exercise and a boost of vitamins to my routine have made a difference too.

The added bonus was the compliments I received for my weight loss as well my newfound love affair with food. Controlling what I put in my body led to curiosity and experimentation; when things started tasting good I was ecstatic;

“I can eat right and it’s YUMMY”!

I’ve had friends ask me for suggestions on how to eat smart on a college friendly budget. It got me thinking. Though I don’t live in a dorm room I do frequently run into the trouble of finding quick, easy lunches and snacks to put together so I can opt out of the drive-thru window. Not only did it aide me in my health quest it also put extra cash in my pocket. I noticed that I had been spending more money on eating out then I would have if I’d been eating in. Thus, weekly trips to the grocery store ensued to stock up on what I needed.

Below is a list of items I buy on a regular basis.

*Tip: When buy fruits and veggies make sure you know whether they are in season as it affects both taste and price. Oranges and pears for example are fall/winter fruits and the prices drop dramatically during this time. Berries and melons are spring/summer fruits (that taste a whole lot better from a local market). Peaches and grapes usually do as well. Broccoli, artichokes, beans, snap peas, and tomatoes are spring/summer fare that are delicious from local farmers! Zucchini, yellow squash, and corn are usually best around late summer/ early fall.

Consider stocking your dorm with quick and easy (healthy!) snacks:

· Fruit such as apples, oranges, bananas, peaches, pears, grapes, strawberries, berries, plumes

· Fresh veggies like celery, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, cauliflower (pick up a bottle of Ranch and have a little fun with it)

· An assortment of nuts (I prefer walnuts myself, almonds are great too)

· Keep lemon slices around for water

· Cheese (be wary of this though, I wouldn’t buy cheese sticks but instead look for block cheese that hasn’t been so processed)

· Low fat yogurt ( I love nuts and raisins or even fresh berries in mine)

· Raisins

· Fat free popcorn

AND LASTLY: keep it all pre-prepared and ready to go in small, reusable Tupperware containers. By keeping things pre-prepared in tubs, you are more likely to grab for it when you open the fridge.

Other entries I’ve posted have some great tips for fresh foods prepared fast and healthy (see Cabbage Craze and Tongue Tingling Salsa).

Tips for keeping perishables fresh longer are to rinse them in cold water and dry. Then wrap in a paper towel (for some reason Viva works best) and place back in the green baggie you purchased it with, place in the veggie drawer of the fridge.

Another great tip I learned from my mama is a useful one and pretty self-explanatory. Celery is mainly made up of water, so if it begins to age place it in a glass of water in the fridge and, ‘viola!’ instant freshness!

Let me know what some of your favorite fresh fast foods are, I’d love to hear!

Virginia Belle

Ultimate Breakfast Shake

2012-03-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

The Ultimate Breakfast

College kids, on the runners, workout freaks, health nuts, or just plain gimme me something new-ers; UNITE!

I am an avid fan of vitamins. And healthy eating. You may notice my blog is associated with recipes for baking: cookies, muffins, cupcakes, and breads (to come) but come on, let’s get real here. If I (or anyone) ate this way, everyday, I’d LOOK like a muffin. Or a Cupcake. Or even a fat piece of cake, dripping out of the sides. This can’t be tolerated!

Health is IMPORTANT.

It’s becoming a bit of a movement here in the good ol’ US-of-A.

In another post, I’ll address why vitamins are important to me. And reveal the ONLY thing I will take. Yes, I will only trust one company with my vitamin consumption (ADVOCARE!). For good reason, there’s just too many of them (vitamin supplements) out there. And they have some leeway (in the FDA) with what they can add to their supplements. (SCARY)

Thanks to a good friend of mine (whose blog I’ll link to this post) I came across a tasty recipe for mornings. *Advocare buddies, I know you’re going to cringe here, so I’ll mention that you SHOULDN’T indulge in this treat if you are on the 24-Day Challenge or trying to lose weight. And, at Advocare we really try and only mix water with shakes; it’ll mess up the balance within the shakes if you add milk.

So here’s my recipe (taken from the skeleton of Jake's:)

Ultimate Breakfast:

1 packet ADOVCARE MUSCLE GAIN (vanilla for this one)

1 ½ cup milk (please don’t cringe too much guys- I’ll be trying it with water next time and let you know how it goes)

2 tbsp olive oil

½ cup oatmeal

¼ cup nuts (walnuts or almonds only!)

½ tbsp milled flax seed (good for your digestive tract)

½ cup blue berries

Zest of ¼ lemon

½ cup of ice

Add the muscle gain, nuts, and oatmeal to your blender. Pulse to grate the oatmeal and nuts down till the mix becomes smooth. Add milk and olive oil. Pulse again, then add blue berries, ice, and lemon zest. Pulse again and enjoy!

This is just super for springtime; the berries and lemon complement each other so well!

Let me know what you think, and feel free to post recipes of your own favorite shakes too.

Thanks,

Virginia Belle

Cabbage Craze

2012-01-27T18:23:00.000-08:00


One of my favorite veggies is by far the cheapest and can be added to just about any meal…Almost.

Behold the under appreciated super veggie: cabbage! By now, your nose must be wrinkling and you might possibly be thinking ‘but that smell’! Like artichokes, cabbage has a less than desirable rap. It’s bitter raw, smelly cooked, and leaves traces of its malodorous journey through both the kitchen and the digestive tract. My hope is that by the end of this post your feelings towards this mean green cancer- fighting machine will forever be altered.

Cabbage is an interesting little guy. It is perhaps one of the cheapest veggies in the super market (a small head cost me less than 30 cents) and usually lasts me around 2-3 weeks if properly stored. Work your weekly meal plans around this guy and watch your wallets bulge and waistband sag! Nutritionally, cabbage contains an assortment of vitamins and minerals: vitamins A, C, K, Folate, Choline, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorous, and fiber; all the while only containing an astonishing 19 calories per cup! Rumor has it, cabbage also takes more calories to digest then it is worth (meaning it actually causes you to burn calories). Cabbage is a great substitute for a regular, boring salad and leaves you feeling full rather than wanting more. Certain properties in cabbage are known to assist in fighting cancers (such as breast and lung). To store it properly wash head of cabbage thoroughly after purchase, dry with a paper towel, and wrap in a clean dry paper towel before placing it back into its original plastic produce aisle bag. Store it in the refrigerator preferably in the veggie drawer.

My wonderful mother was puttering in the kitchen one afternoon and decided to throw a few healthy ingredients together for a quick pico de gallo (a Mexican salad if you will). The outcome was a delicious, nutritious blend of tomatoes, green chilies, and chopped cabbage that can be added to chicken, ground beef, or any taco filling you desire, in less than 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

· Taco filling of your choice (chicken, beef, sausage, fish)

· 1 can Rotel with green chilies

· 1-2 cups chopped shredded cabbage

· 1 medium jalapeno

· Fresh chopped cilantro

· Dash of cracked black pepper

· Dash of lemon juice/zest

Directions:

· Chop and shred 1-2 cups of cabbage as well as 1half of the jalapeno. Place both in a reusable container.

· Drain 1 can Rotel keeping about 1/3 of the liquid. Pour both tomatoes and liquid into container with cabbage.

· Place lid on container and shake. Refrigerate up to 1 week.

Tip:

My favorite things to add to this are black beans, meat, and a pinch of cheese.

Another great way to enjoy cabbage is cut into wedges over the grill. This is a summer time favorite at La Casa de Nance and is served nicely alongside other vegetables like zucchini or even a good steak. Last summer my mother and I visited her parents in Phoenix. One night before leaving we had a summer time feast of fresh artichokes, raw zucchini slices, grilled cabbage, tomato salad, and fresh squeezed lemonade. It was the best vegetarian buffet I’ve ever had!

What you’ll need:

· 1 head cabbage

· Olive oil

· Cracked black pepper

· Garlic powder

· Aluminum foil

Just:

· Chop cabbage into wedges

· Drizzle with olive oil

· Add a dash of cracked pepper and garlic

· Fold in aluminum foil and grill for roughly 10 minutes.

Enjoy with any BBQ plunder!

Virginia Belle

P.S. What is your favorite way to eat cabbage?

Gardening Update

2012-01-19T15:25:00.000-08:00

Head over to the gardening page
to check out my most recent updates!

Quick and Easy Candy Cookies

2012-01-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

What comes to mind for most at the thought of Christmas cookies might be the tangy sweetness of sugar cookies; decorated in bright reds and greens and cut into seasonal shapes. Or the nutty indulgence of peanut butter cookies neatly crisscrossed and kissed by a milk chocolate Hershey. Our kitchen is usually filled with a vast array of cookies; snicker doodle, peanut butter, sugar, M&M, chocolate chip, and any other cookie one might venture to produce.

The men in my life: my father, my brother, and my wonderful boyfriend very much enjoy the chocolate inspired treats. Thus, M&M, chocolate chip, and peanut butter were first on my list of goodies this year. M&M and chocolate chip cookies are fairly simple to whip up, the recipe being the same for both. My family has no secret here: we use the classic back of the bag M&M recipe or the Toll House recipe for both sets of cookies. This year I did mix it up a bit however, by request of my boyfriend who is a chocolate fiend. Inspired by our trip to the grocery store to shop for baking supplies he asked that I add both milk chocolate and white chocolate chips to the cookies.

Now, the back of the bag Toll House recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips, so you can imagine how inspired I felt when the idea to use milk chocolate chips instead hit me. Of course, my loving boyfriend, who would not know what to do with a stick of butter if it hit him upside the head, would suggest such a marvelous feat. Thus, abashed I picked up both the milk chocolate and the white chocolate chips.

The result was a creamy sweet cookie that held its own against my Grandma’s classics. Though her cookies will forever hold a special place in my heart, I have to admit that my boyfriend’s idea was a genius one. Pictures will be forthcoming.

This time I used the Hershey Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe:

Prep time: 25 Minutes
Skill level: Beginner

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract *(Note: I always use a little more vanilla about 2-3 teaspoons)
2 eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

· Heat oven to 350

· Stir together flour, baking soda, salt. Beat together butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy.

· Add eggs and beat well.

· Stir in both types of chocolate chips, or M&Ms

· Using a spoon drop a bit in rows onto greased cookie sheets

· Bake 8-10 minutes until cookies begin to get golden brown on the edges

Enjoy!

Update:

2012-01-10T08:36:00.000-08:00

I have updated my events page. Take a peak at some of what fall in Virginia has to offer and let me know what you think!
Thanks,
Virginia Belle

Simply Artichokes

2012-01-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

Artichokes have a naturally intimidating factor: most people regard them as ugly. Others claim they stink when cooked. And then there are those awful stickers at the end of the leaves. What most people don't realize is that this vegetable is super nutritious! It has the highest amount of fiber out of any vegetable, out weighing broccoli with a stupendous 10.3 grams of fiber per serving! Besides being chalk full of fiber these wicked little guys are also packed with vitamins and minerals including:Potassium (about 400mg), Magnesium, Vitamin C, and Protein!
If the smell doesn't scare you off then you will soon realize that there is an artichoke lover in us all, it's just a matter of preparation and what you decide to pair it with. For some, depending on your palate, an artichoke is an acquired taste. But don't worry, I have preparation and pairing tips for both the daring and the hesitant!
Prep:

Wash your artichokes thoroughly allowing the water to reach in between the leaves. After drying you can start by pulling off the outer-most leaves until you reach about one-third a way up the vegetable. Next, place the artichoke on a cutting board and cut off 3/4 of the stem. Both the leaves and stem can be thrown away. Placing your hand on the bottom of the artichoke to keep it steady cut off the top portion of the veggie- only 1/4 of the actual artichoke! This prevents you from being poked by a sticker during your meal. Now place it in a steamer for about 45 minutes. * Note: an artichoke can be steams, boiled, or baked depending on what you enjoy best. Cooking times may vary.
Artichokes pair beautifully with several ingredients:
lemons
butter
garlic
salt
Before placing your artichoke in the steamer slather it with garlic seasoning, salt, lemon juice, and butter- don't be scared to be generous: the more there is the better the taste! Next place some butter (about a half stick) in a sauce pan and add a little of each of the the latter ingredients. Butter makes for a great dipping sauce for the leaves of the artichoke.
A perfect pair with your veggie dinner would be garlic, oregano, thyme buttered and baked bread topped with yummy Parmesan cheese.
Another great sauce with your dish would be a light marinara sauce. This sauce is wonderful for the less seasoned artichoke veteran. It allows for the magnificent texture of the artichoke to come through all the while balancing harmoniously with the rich and buttery flavor that is natural to this vegetable.
And remember, the extravagance of this dish is even more tempting when you consider the abundance of nutritious value included.

Next Few Posts

2011-12-23T19:26:00.000-08:00

The next few posts on my blog will contain numerous family recipes that have been passed down for generations. These recipes contain wonderful memories of laughter, flour, and too much food coloring. I hope they will fill your home with the same love as they have mine.

Bounties of the Virginia Trails

2011-12-19T07:11:00.000-08:00

My Momma thought it was slightly amusing and very contradictory that my first post on my southern blog was about salsa. So this one's for you Momma! And I assure you all that the majority of my posts will consist of all things southern from now on.
In this day and age it can be hard to remember to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures of the outdoors. What comes to mind for some at the mention of Virginia might be Capitol Hill, men in suits, and metro rides. However, many a Virginian enjoy the simple pleasures of quite country living. Whether it be the peace of an evening spent on the back porch enjoying a cool glass of iced tea or the rewarding benefits of reaping the harvest in which they sowed (a quaint garden or a large farm). Most Virginians will tell you it is the simple things in life that bring joy to the heart.
I'd like to share one of the most pleasurable activities associated with living in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hiking is a sport I have recently come across in my search of a more 'simple' lifestyle. The day to day encounters with computers, cell phones, and whatchamacallits tend to leave most people feeling dried up. Packing a bag, throwing on some sunscreen, and leaving all the tedious electrical devices at home gives me a tremendous sense of relief- "no grandma I wasn't ignoring your phone calls, I was in the mountains all day".

Perhaps one of my favorite haunts is White Oak Canyon trail. A daunting eight mile adventure that I have yet to complete; chalk full of water falls and swimming holes that pour right out of the Shenandoah Mountains. The water is clean and cold-a relief from the strain of an upward hike. This trail has a spectacular waterfall that is a natural slide- you will come across plenty of frequent hikers who enjoy the thrill of sliding down the slick rocks into the limpid waters.
The whole of the trail holds treasures to bedazzle the eyes from steep moss covered rocks to old fallen oaks and tiny critters inching along unaffected by the intrusion of humanity. A hike can remind you of just how uncomplicated life was meant to be and to remember to appreciate the little things in life.

More snapshots of my hikes can be found on the pictures page...

Tongue Tingling Salsa

2011-12-16T08:34:00.000-08:00

Now,

As a Southerner I enjoy rich foods such as fried chicken, bread pudding, Brussels sprouts, macaroni and cheese as well as plenty of others. However, as a former Southwestern I need my occasional fix of heat and spice. When the urge to have Mexican food hits I usually whip up a quick batch of salsa to enjoy while I'm cooking. This recipe is one that has been in my family for a while and is great for parties, lazy afternoons, or just a quick snack. Most think of chips and salsa as 'snack food' which isn't typically healthy. Homemade salsa however is packed with vitamins and nutrients. So go ahead! Indulge!

Ingredients:

3-4 ripe tomatoes

1-2 jalapenos (depending on spice preference)

1 red onion

1 clove of garlic

1 handful of fresh cilantro

1 handful of fresh parsley (not Italian)

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 small can of tomato sauce (if color is desired)

zest of lemon and lemon juice Directions:

Cut tomatoes and onion into quarters. Remove jalapenos seeds and dice the jalapenos. Remove the flaky garlic skin. Cut off roots and most of cilantro and parsley stems. Add lemon juice, zest, paste and tomato sauce to blender or food processor along with all other ingredients. Pulse ingredients to desired consistency (I prefer medium salsa with a bit of chunk to it). Place in covered contain and keep chilled in fridge. The longer it sits the spicier it gets! Usually best day after and will stay good for up to one week in fridge. Enjoy with chips or on other preferred foods.

Hope you enjoy,

Virginia Belle

The Finished Product