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This beautiful sister right here touched my spirit and inspired my soul! DeAnna's food journey, no, her life journey alone is so faithful and filling, it's no wonder we stood in her store and talked for almost an hour yesterday! She's constantly looking for ways improve her already prized jewel, Simply Produce on Roosevelt Hwy in College Park, Georgia. Her suppliers consist of local gardeners and farmers right here in our own metro area- now you can't get more local than that!! It was a beautiful site seeing such a diverse group of customers walking through her door to fuel their bodies with nature's produce by way of SP! (There was a line waiting for the doors to open!!) Her knowledge and expertise about farming fresh fruits and vegetables is stellar. And no need to worry if you don't see what you need on her shelves- she SPECIAL ORDERS for your desired need!! The customer service is phenomenal! And EVERYONE knows that AC thrives off of GREAT customer service, given and received. So I already knew when I walked up and she greeted me as 'Queen', this was the place for me!! Beautiful people, phenomenal heart and passion for the love of feeding the soul, and awesome fresh local produce conveniently available right here in our community, 'Simply Produce' is AC Art of Food’s new spot for always local, always fresh produce. 

Now let me get off here and make my list for next Saturday!!!! *GO SEE DEANNA at Simply Produce- it'll do your body good!!! 

Simply Produce LLC
3375 Roosevelt Highway, Suite F
College Park, GA  30349
(404) 941.9185

Hours:
Tue-Fri      9am-7pm
Satuday    10am- 5pm

*Closed Sunday & Monday*

Make it a Great Tasting Day!

Ok, so I'm new at this whole video starring and posting racket, so bear with me, lol!  However, having my daughter in the second video 'The Logi Crunch!' helped calm my nerves a bit!  But like anything to be done successfully and victoriously, practice makes it happen!  So there's more where these came from!

This particular tofu recipe has been in my family for some years now and used to be consumed by us almost every week.  But too much of anything is not good, so we stretched out our soy bean fav to around once a month.  And still, when it's on the menu it's always a crowd pleaser for fingers big and small.  Using the cornstarch instead of a flour breading allows for maximum crispness and crunch without that overpowering 'bready' consistency flour or corn meal tends to give.  This also allows for the lighter airy texture.  What I love most about this recipe is that even though it's 'quick fried' it's not as bad on the waistline.  Also as a kid I adored tofu in its various preparations and it makes my heart smile to see my kids, even the finickiest of them- my daughter Logan, enjoying them just as much.

So please enjoy these 'vlogs' below, and be sure to comment and let me know if there are other recipes you'd like me to test in AC Art of Food's Test Kitchen Sunday!

Enjoy, and make it a Great Tasting Day!

Once again in the Price household a culinary division took place.  This past Sunday was a war of tacos...of the casserole style!  While the rest of my family noshes on homemade tacos, burritos, and fajitas made with ground turkey, I find myself searching for different, great tasting plant based options, always.  Now, this is fine for me and I feel as if my influence is rubbing off on the rest of my clan too.  In fact, I catch my boys from time to time 'sneak-tasting' in my pot or pan of delicious veggienism (yep, made that up), because it is just that, DELICIOUS!  

On my usual Saturday morning grocery shop this past weekend, I made sure to pick up a package of plant protein meatless crumbles for my  Mexican casserole.  However, when it came time to prepare the veggie version on Sunday, I desired an actual vegetable symphony and not that of the purchased processed crumbles.  Always having mushrooms and zucchini on hand (veggie-staple-must-haves), I decided to create an actual authentic Vegetable Taco Pie!  

Check out the recipe below.  Now if your house is anything like mine, an easy swap of ground turkey works for the meat eaters we know and love- look out for their version next!

Preheat on 400.  Use 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Ingredients:

• 1/2 tbsp coconut oil (canola will suffice)
• 1 medium sized zucchini, cleaned and diced
• 1 pint mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
• 1/2 onion diced
• 2 large 10-inch tortillas (corn or flour)
  
• 1 can vegetarian refried beans
• 1 can of diced tomatoes w/ green chilies
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup taco sauce
• 1 tbsp Abstract Spice
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin

The Process:

1. On medium/high heat, sauté oil, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini, Abstract Spice, cumin, and chili powder, until veggies are just tender- approximately 5 minutes.  Set aside
2. Combine cheeses in one bowl.  Set aside.
3. Cut tortillas in half, creating 4 halves.
4. Spread 1/4 layer taco sauce on the bottom of the pan
5. Layer 2 tortilla halves, arrange to cover bottom of pan.
6. Sprinkle a light layer of cheese
7. Layer vegetable layer on top of cheese covered tortillas.
8. Layer beans atop vegetable mixture
9. Layer 1/2 the cheese mix
10. Layer remaining tortilla halves
11. Spread remaining taco sauce atop the tortillas
12. Layer tomatoes and chilies
13. Layer remaining 1/2 of cheese
14. Add sliced green onions and olives (optional)
15. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is light golden and bubbly. 

Enjoy!

Like most busy individuals in the morning, I’m trying to do the most to get out of the house in addition to adding a healthy dose of substance to the mix, usually referred to as breakfast, to jump start me for the day.  Now over the weekend the hubby and kids pretty much shout for ‘PANCAKES’, and of course with all the standard bells and whistles: grits, eggs, maybe a turkey breakfast meat item, and fruit.  However, weekdays are a completely different monster allotting for the kids to grab a healthy breakfast at school, and for me, yep you guessed it, a smoothie.  Here is where I try to load up on as many veggies while perking it with my favorite fruits.  Well this morning I wasn’t quite in the ‘fruity mood’ and desired something a bit more rich and creamy…ideally something with chocolate and a nut butter.  Hmmm, but how do I get my veggies in to kick-start the day with a chocolate peanut butter smoothie, tastefully?  And is this really what I want to consume as my first meal of the day?  I can see the afternoon or evening for a treat, but as my breakfast? 


The answer is YES!  See, the magic veggie that will make this concept right with the world is spinach.  Now before you go sticking your tongue out and scoffing at a combo of peanut butter and this super leaf, remember that spinach is a pretty mild green, unlike its cousins the collard and kale.  Spinach is the more subtle and sweeter, if you will, leafy veggie of the bunch.  And when you think about it, you never taste the spinach in your fruit smoothie, right?  You taste the apple, mango, pineapple, strawberry, or banana that’s thrown in to make your fruit smoothie just that, fruity.  Now surely goodness and mercy, the rich flavors of peanut butter and cocoa could do the same…. right?  ABSOLUTELY!  I even ‘spiced’ up this smoothie a bit to include a dose of additional health beneficial roots from turmeric and ginger, which coincidentally makes for a delicious rich and cozy beverage for the Fall when served warm!  But these are completely optional- extremely tasty- but optional nonetheless ;-)
Check out the recipe below!
 
Ingredients:

• 1 cup chocolate plant based milk
• ¼ cup dry roasted peanuts
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 serving of vanilla plant based protein powder
• ½ cup ice
• 1 thumb sized root of ginger (optional)
• 1 thumb sized root of turmeric (optional)

Process:

1. Blend well and enjoy!

I've recently become a fan of podcasts, and one in particular that gives me life is 'The Read' with Kid Fury and Crissle.  During their sponsor credits they rave about the snacks from naturebox. What made the sponsor shout even more attractive was the '50% off your first order' offer when you use the specific code from the podcast...uh-uh-uh, you gotta go listen to their weekly hilariously opinionated, politically conscious, always woke, and current-events-ripping podcast to get that valuable piece of info😉.   

While listening one day at work, I pull up www.naturebox.com on my computer and am immediately  in love with the vast variety and taste combos of these healthy snacks!  So I peruse the site, selecting to my cart snacks that tickled my fancy the most, applied my discount code (thanks Kid Fury and Crissle!), enter my payment/shipping info, and less than a week later my huge brown box arrived!  I immediately rip open each pack nibbling here and there getting a sample of everything!  There was not one snack I did not like, but here are my top 5 in order with #1 being just that, my #1 tasty snackmazing pick!

1. Sriracha Cashews- OMfreakin'GGGG!! I can snack on these bad boys all day everyday! It's like a sharp spice kick mellowed with a mildly sweet component from the cashews, that's then rounded out with a tangy citris zip!  What's more, the spice kick helps to boost your metabolism! 
2. Dried Mangoes- just mangoes....dried.  Nothing else added to take away from this beautiful, delicious all by itself, God-given fruit!  Most places have these strips with added sugar unfortunately.  The crazy part is these taste just as sweet but without the unnecessary glycemic surge, and sugary residue on your fingers🤗.
3. Lemon Tea Biscuits- lemon shortbread, Lemon shortbread, LEMON SHORTBREAD FOLKS!! Such a divine simple cookie that's usually laddened with butter and a monstrous calorie load .  But not this time, and not with naturebox! These zesty bite-sized, buttery, crisp, refreshing nibbles allow you the pure joy of eating a handful, minus the guilt of a boatload of fat and calories.  Plus they pair perfectly with a steamy cup of peppermint tea.
4. Nom Noms (Dark Cocoa or Peanut butter)- either way these chewy nibbles make for a tasy, super easy and quick means to get a nutritiously satisfying snack in between meals. I've even enjoyed them as a light and simple breakfast along with a piece of fruit and a cup of tea or coffee.
5. Coffee Kettle Popcorn- who'd a thunk it? Mocha popcorn!  This 'cup of joe' inspired treat is the ideal mix of rich java and subtle sweet salty of kettle corn.  The perfect snack when you're hunting for something crisp and a little out of the ordinary delicious!

A naturally delicious way of snacking that's outside the box (ALL puns intended)!  I highly recommend this line of snacks that have a minimal listing of ingredients that I can easily identify and pronunce! I have also referred friends and family to this snackline, primarily to keep them away from my snack stash!!

I have my own line of healthy snacks that I make from scratch,  but when time gets away from me and life begins to happen, I reach for my naturebox snacks and I'm a happy camper!

👍5 out of 5 ACAOF Green Apples rating👍
🍏🍏🍏🍏🍏

But don't just take my word for it, go to www.naturebox.com for your discounted first order today!

Want a quick and delicious answer for 'What's for dinner tonight?'  Tell'em SAMMACHEZ!  Rather you refer to them as a panini or grilled cheese, typically anything grilled with cheese is going to taste AMAZING!  This evening I prepared a total of three (3) variations: Roasted turkey and colby, roasted turkey pizza, and tuna pesto.  Art is about creative interpretation, so feel free as  a bird to create, create, CREATE your own delicious interpreted combos!  

Grilled sandwich tips:

• Butter or mayonnaise both sides of the sandwich for golden crispy edges and added amazing flavor.
• When assembling the grilled sandwich, spread a layer of mayo onto the bread adding your cheese of choice immediately after, then your feature ingredients.  This will simultaneously create a creamier cheese experience while the cheese is melting.
• Make sure to have your cooking temperature set to med heat- the most important feature of a delicious grilled sandwich is proper cheese meltation (yep, made that one up...but you knew what I was talking about now didn't ya'!).  This temperature will ensure the perfect brown buttery edges of the bread while making sure the cheese has enough time and heat to melt to ooey-gooeyness.  
• Allow sandwich to rest for 5 minutes before cutting to control the cheese gooey ooze- coincidentally a delicious problem to have.

Grilled Sandwich ideas:

• Chilli and mild cheddar cheese
• Gruyere, feta, sauteed spinach, mushrooms, and onions
• Brie, monterrey jack,  and green apples
• PB & J (don't knock it 'till you try it, but make sure a tall glass of milk is close by!)
• Almond butter and banana
• Pepperoni/Salami, mozzarella, and marinara
• Meatloaf and pepper jack
• Sauteed eggplant, provolone,  and marinara
• Swiss, green apple, turkey ham
• Goat cheese, sweet red peppers, arugula, zucchini, mushroom
• Sliced fig, feta and honey
• Salmon, herbed goad cheese, red onion
• Tuna, pesto, swiss
• Colby, honey roasted turkey
• Breakfast sausage, onions, american cheese (yep, good ol' sausage patty melt)

Enjoy!
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