nutritious – Page 6 – Mommy Hiker

[Food Series] A Summer Picnic at The Hollywood Bowl

Posted on August 8, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

The Hollywood Bowl is a beloved LA landmark whose cultural and musical history has been delicately woven into the very fabric of our lives for over a decade. It will be featured in an upcoming MommyHiker.com article, but today I wanted to showcase a few quick, easy and nutritious summer picnic ideas, perfect for mad-dashing out to a concert or just to the neighborhood park!

Caprese
1 Heirloom Tomato
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
Fresh Basil
Red Onion
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Thinly slice the tomatoes, mozzarella and red onions then lay them on a plate, alternating tomato, mozzarella, basil leaf. Once you have used up all of the sliced ingredients, sprinkle red onions on top, lightly salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar!

Roasted Broccoli & Fennel
2 heads of Broccoli
1 Fennel Bulb
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Cut the heads of broccoli into florets and slice the fennel. Toss everything lightly in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Fruit Salad
2 Large Apples
1 small container of Blueberries
3 Persian Cucumbers
1/4 pound of Grapes

Core and slice 2 apples. Remove grapes from stem. Peel and chop cucumbers. Toss everything into a bowl and serve!

[Food Series] Crimini Mushroom and Mint Stuffed Zucchini

Posted on July 25, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

I would say that 95% of the meals I prepare daily for our family are in-the-moment compositions. I am generally not one to set weekly menus, we just buy what looks great and I get to have fun exercising my improvisational skills. I concocted this recipe by mingling 3 different ideas; drawing on my memory of making Turkish Dolma, seeing the hundreds of Zucchini Boat pics on Pinterest (Ha!) and using the fresh ingredients that were already in my fridge, writing down measurements for you guys as I went along! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Crimini Mushroom and Mint Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients
4 medium size zucchinis
1 large clove of garlic
1 cup of crimini mushrooms
2 green onions
1 medium size tomato
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

Scoop out the seeds and inner pulp of the zucchini, leaving the sides and ends intact. Give a rough chop to all of the veggies (except the tomato) and herbs, toss them together (including the innards of the zucchini) with the spices in a mixing bowl, then throw everything into the food processor for about a minute while slowly adding the olive oil. Carefully scoop the mixture into the zucchini shells and top with thinly sliced tomato. Place stuffed zucchinis into a baking dish filled with 1/4 inch of water, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Voila! A healthy and yummy light summer dinner!

[Food Series] Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls

Posted on July 11, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

I’ve been itching to try my hand at Shrimp Spring Rolls for months now and I finally motivated myself to do it! Why did I wait so long?? It’s the perfect delicious and nutritious summer finger food and SO fast and easy to prepare! I can tell you it has already become a new family favorite!

Fresh Shrimp Spring Roll

Ingredients

1 package of Rice Paper Wrappers

1 cucumber

1 carrot

1 bunch of Radish

1 bunch of cilantro

1 bunch of thai basil

1/2 pound of cooked Shrimp

1 tablespoon freshly-grated Ginger

1 teaspoon of Sesame Oil

1 teaspoon of Rice Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Julienne all of the veggies, thinly slice the radish and cut your shrimp in half length-wise, then toss everything in the rice vinegar, freshly-grated ginger, salt and pepper. To prepare the Rice Paper Wrappers simply soak them in water for about a minute until they become pliable. Place a small handful of the mixture in the center of the rice paper (I double up the rice paper per roll so they are a bit more sturdy in the hand), fold in the two sides at the ends, then roll up and devour! SO easy, SO yummy, SO healthy! Enjoy!

Side Note: The great thing about Spring Rolls is that the rice paper wrapper can be a conduit for anything you want to stuff it with, so feel free to get creative! Experiment with different herbs, veggies and proteins and I can’t wait to hear how yours turn out!

And One Little Reminder: We will be on vacation next week, totally unplugged, camping and hiking, exploring and discovering in Sequoia National Park, but we’ll be back Monday, July 22nd excited to tell you all about our trip!!