After a seven-plus hour drive to our cabin, the last thing I want to do is cook an elaborate meal.  With a little planning, you can have a quick and healthy, Improvisational Gourmet meal:  Spaghetti!

At home, I make my own spaghettin sauce (or pack a jar of store-bought-just watch the label closely if you are counting your sodium).  My family likes meatballs in their sauce, so I mix up my Mystery Meatball Recipe and then freeze them in my vacuum sealer.  I make sure I pack the spaghetti, too — we like Angel Hair Whole Wheat.

On the road, look for farmers’ market stands to pick up your favorite fruits and veggies (or if traveling at a time other than summer, pack some frozen or canned fruits and veggies).

Remember “Spaghetti First” wnen you are needing a heathly meal at the end of your trip.

Asparagus on the Grill

Originally uploaded by improvisationalgourmet

When I think of asparagus, I think of the cold stringy, slimy, canned stuff that my mother tried to get us to eat. Well, asparagus has come of age and is certainly a lot tastier and appealing when prepared on the grill.

Simply cut or break off the bottom stems of each asparagus spear (you can do this all together). Then place in a bowl and drizzle a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) on it and add a dash of sea salt.

This picture was taken at the cabin so a little improvising was needed. First, I forgot to pack the EVOO, so I used Pam Cooking spray. No sea salt either so regular old table salt worked just fine.

You might also notice that it is cooked on a little portable tabletop gas grill.  Ahhhhh….Summer!

Technorati Tags: asparagus, grilling

Last night I visited the Scott Community Home Grown Iron Chef Competition at the Farmer’s Market at Trinity Terrace Park in Davenport.  If you have ever watched Iron Chef on the food network, there is nothing like seeing this competition live.  Unlike the TV version, the chefs in this competition do not know their secret ingredient until they are ready to start cooking it.  This is the third week of the competition.  The first week, the special ingredient was alligator, followed by rattlesnake, and finally turtle.  Where does one get these exotic meats?  Well, if you live in the Quad City area, you get them at Johnny’s Meat Market, of course!  Check out the meat stores in your area to see if they have a license to sell wild game.  Chances are there will be some meat market in your area that does.  All of these meats need to be inspected by the USFDA to keep them safe.

The competition was complete with some special samples prepared at the respective chef houses:  Tomato, basil, mozzarella sticks — which actually looked like a bouquet of flowers; a sinful chocolate cake…YUM!!

But nothing beats the smell of the competition:  Freshly grilled peppers, spicy sauces, interesting concoctions!  If you have a chance to check this out, there is one more event at 4:30pm on Monday, July 27th.  If you want more, for a $40 ticket, you can watch the winners of all four weeks in a final showdown at the new Waterfront Convention Center from 1-5pm on Sunday, August 2nd.

ABC Goodies

Originally uploaded by improvisationalgourmet

When I read about this combination, I thought is sounded interesting; but I probably would not have tried it if they hadn’t said it was simply wonderful. Well, it is! Just core and slice an apple (I love to use my Apple-Corer-Slicer-Peeler), mix with some fresh blueberries, and sprinkle with cinnamon. A-B-C you have a great side dish, snack, or dessert.

I even got my kids to eat the skin on the apple when I made this.  For something a little more festive, try a dollop of reduced-fat/fat free whipped topping.

If you are craving this “off season” and can only find frozen blueberries, that works, too.

Still doubting me?  Just cut up one apple and try it.  If you don’t like it, you can always use the rest of your blueberries for muffins or pancakes!

Technorati Tags: apple, blueberry, cinnamon, snack

“More Broccoli, Mom!”

How did I get her to decide that broccoli was her favorite?  Well, here is my strategy for all foods:

That’s what my little one said (she is a very picky eater at 5-years-old) .  Let me tell you that I was so excited, I almost tripped back to the table to get her some more!

• Keep serving them and putting them on their plate.  From Girl Scout Day Camp, we have the “three bite rule.”  That means you take three bites of something new to try it.  As you probably have guessed, these bites are pretty small some times!

• Role model.  Eat and enjoy new foods — especially the ones that are good for you!  Try new things yourself with the “three bite rule.”

• Get the family involved.  Our older daughter (8-years-old) decided she liked broccoli.

• Make it fun.  We have decided that broccoli is little trees.

• Pick the most flavor-friendly portions to serve — for broccoli, this is the flowerettes.

• Let them help in the preparation.

• Point out new dishes in magazine pictures or on TV to spark their interest — or at least let them know that other people eat these foods, too!

• When all else fails, serve it with something else they really like — with broccoli, cheese is a perfect match.  I have even made cheesy spaghetti with broccoli which is a favorite meatless dish for our family.