How Does Your Garden Grow Tuesdays

This could quite possibly be my favorite day of the week! Last week I started my weekly "How Does Your Garden Grow Tuesdays". If you have a garden or are growing your own veggies/fruits/herbs be sure to link up a new or old post to share!

I've said it before, but growing your own doesn't mean you need lots of land. You could live in an apartment and still grow healthy food as long as you have a window or patio! Every week I will try to give my advice on things I have wondered myself about growing plants! You'll see what's in my garden from start to in my belly!

Look who made their first appearance in my garden! My spinach! 

I was sooo excited, especially since it has only been a week and this is the first plant I have actually grown starting from a seed!

 hello, you are going to be so delicious with some strawberries and pecans one day. it is meant to be <3

 thank you rainy weekend for making sure they popped up! all three rows!

I also ran to Home Depot last weekend and bought two more strawberry plants and another cantaloupe plant. I couldn't resist! I have had 3 strawberries so far from my first pot!

How do I pick my strawberries? Where should I break the stem? Should I wash them before I store them in the fridge?

• I read you should grasp the stem just above the berry between the forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion.
• Don't wash your strawberries until right before eating, or they are more likely to spoil.
• Strawberries do not continue to ripen after picking, so make sure they are really ready before you pick!

After how many days will I be able to harvest my spinach?

• After 40-50 days you can pick your spinach!
• Make sure to start picking leaves on the outside of the plant. Leaving the inner leaves to continue to grow and produce new spinach!
•  It is best to eat the spinach the same day after picking. Soak in cold water. If you want to store, only keep it in there for 3-4 days. The longer you leave it, the more nutrients are lost.

Want to grow spinach but live in an apartment? You're in luck!

• One of the best things about spinach is that it doesn’t have to grow fruit so it doesn’t need a large container to live in. It loves the cool weather and will appreciate not being out in the hot summer days!

It's your turn! Show everyone what is growing in your garden and link up! I'd love to see what you planted this season! 



BTW, have you entered my TheraPearl giveaway yet? You have until Thursday night so leave a comment for every entry and you could win!

Weekend To-Do List!

Hello Rainy Weekend! I won't let you get me down!

Actually, I am a little thankful for the rain because it has convinced the spinach seeds I planted on Tuesday to sprout out of the ground this morning! This calls for a celebration so of course I am headed to Home Depot today to see what other kinds of messes I can get myself into!

Thursday I went running with my girl Stacey at the B&A trail and she must have thought we had a 5k scheduled for next weekend {warrior dash} because she whipped my booty! The thing I love best about running with her is we both motivate one another to go the extra mile, we let each other run at their own pace {running with CL I've improved my mile time} and we have a blast getting together and talking {huffing and puffing} that I don't have to update my iPod as often.

If you want to semi-die this weekend you can copy-cat our routine below!

1 mile brisk walk to warm up {how far the trail is from the parking lot}
.5 mile run
lounges
.5 mile run
4 sets of 25 sit ups (regular, left side, right side, lower abs)
.5 mile run
3 sets of 10 push ups
Repeat steps 2-6
Brisk walk back while stretching to cool off

So all in all it is about 6 miles walk/run/toning. Not bad for a Thursday after work workout sesh.

Afterwards I had to try out the TheraPearl products Terri sent me to review on my blog! I was sore, and dirty from the sit ups and push ups {the grocery store check out lady even asked me if I fell on the way in}.

If you have never heard of TheraPearl before it is amazing and I highly suggest it to all athletes out there because it really helped my sore leg muscles after running. Don't run? Spas nationwide carry this product too! Want to hear some cool facts?

1. It's doctor-designed (she actually practices out of Columbia, MD and just designed the product for her own practice before it went to retail)
2. Their "Pearl Technology" is based on the concept of frozen peas... so they mold wayyyy better than a gel pack and aren't messy like a bag of actual ice
3. They can be microwaved or frozen {I microwaved mine}
4. Non-toxic, re-usable

See the steam inside of the bag? Felt so good!! I definitely recommend and it stayed warm for an hour after only microwaving it for 40 seconds. I hate when ice packs loose their temps quickly! I wanna relax!

Check back Monday because I may or may not be giving away some free products!! {hint, i totally am} I asked my boss to give a sports pack to her Husband to review over the weekend to get a guys perspective!

CL has been getting pretty serious about his workouts and eating habits again since it's "beach season" so last night instead of our usual burrito bowl we settled on a salad from chipotle. No carbs late at night I am told! That's okay with me as long as I can eat this every single night. ;-)

 

 

Yup, that's CLs body building mag and my weights for when I do ToneItUp or Jillian Michaels. Next weekend is going to be crazy! Wine festival, sister's graduation, CL's grandmother's 60th birthday night out, warrior dash and couples massages to end it on a high note.

So this weekend I am preparing! Today I have to...
1. Get a dress for the 60th birthday bash and wine festival, as well as a birthday present
2. Work out
3. Stop by home-depot {I'm obsessed with growing veggies I think!}
4. Grocery Shopping
5. Clean the house
6. Get ready for a night out with college friends!

What are your plans for the weekend??

How Does Your Garden Grow Tuesdays

Introducing: How Does Your Garden Grow Tuesdays!! 

Every Spring I have such a fun time planning what new fruits/veggies/herbs I want to grow this season so I decided to start HDYGG Tuesdays! What better way to watch your garden grow and get tips on growing your own garden then reading and seeing it weekly!

I grew up with both sides of my family growing their own gardens. Picking my own strawberries from local farms and running through my grandfather's corn field. I've been asking questions from my family and today finally starting this years garden!

Think you can't grow your own veggies/fruits/herbs because you live in an apartment? Think again! I'll tell you which plants you can grow on your balcony or window sill.

What's in my garden so far this year???

cantaloupe

strawberries

roma tomatoes

yellow bell peppers

basil

cilantro

baby spinach

I'd love to see and hear what you guys are planting this year so link up every Tuesday to give the readers tips and an update on how your garden grows!

Tip #1: Growing spinach or lettuce?? Buy seeds! You will be able to see your salad mixes pop up in about 2-3 weeks! Nothing says organic like making your salad from what's growing in your own garden!

Tip #2: Have an apartment? Buy herbs and pot them. Cilantro and mint love to be in spring weather so they do especially well indoors on your window sill in the hot summer months! Make mojitos all summer long with your mint!

Tip #3: Cantaloupe and strawberries grow vines. Strawberries can be potted, but let the vines hang off the ends! For cantaloupe vines running on the ground, keep fruit from direct contact with soil to prevent rot and protect fruit from pests. Place ripening fruit on mulch, upturned coffee cans, or flower pots. 

Blueberry Lemonade Cake

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day weekend! Mine flew by since it was jam packed with lots of family events. But first, I need to share this moist blueberry lemonade cake recipe. It is a light dessert for the summer that is extra lemon-y and delicious! I made two of these this weekend for my and CL's mom. It was a crowd favorite and I got the recipe from a girl at work... there were ZERO leftovers!

Blueberry Lemonade Cake with a Lemon Glaze

1 package of moist lemon cake mix

4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup fresh/frozen blueberries (I used frozen)

2 large or 3 small lemons

1 package of sugar free lemon jello

1 cup boiling water

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Combine the cake mix, eggs and vegetable oil in a large bowl and mix until combined. Add your package of sugar free lemon jello and boiling water together and mix until dissolved. Add to your cake batter and mix for 3-5 minutes until smooth and all is incorporated. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your bundt pan (important) with cooking spray and dust with flour (also important). Add in cake batter and top with blueberries, bake for 50-55 minutes. Combine juice of lemons and powdered sugar. Remove baked cake from oven and poke the top with a fork, drizzle over the glaze and let sit. Remove from the mold once the glaze has sank in and serve (chilled is best).

I filled the center of my mom's cake with fresh strawberries and served with brunch. It was so good and I was impressed with how easy this cake was to make! Definitely one of my go-to cakes for the summer!

Speaking of brunch! I made a whole spread for my mom, sister, CL and myself. 

 

strawberries and banana fruit salad

mexican potato fritatta

blueberry muffins

bacon and hash browns

Alyssa, being the wonder woman she is, sent me a link of healthy brunch ideas on my facebook page and I chose the Mexican fritatta sans the cheese (lactose free). You can see the recipe here. I think mine looks a lot better than the fitness magazine photo!

CL and I hand painted flower pots and filled them with herbs and veggies for our moms.

oregano, stevia and roma tomatoes!

CL's mom gets to pick a special outing each year for Mother's Day and this year she chose the adventure challenge at the Terrapin Adventures. It was so much fun and I have the weak arms, bruises and confidence from facing my fears to prove it!

If you want to view some of our videos and hear the most awkward screams (me) you can check it out at the Chic Meets Healthy youtube page!

I had a fabulous Sunday hanging out with my mom and grandmother! It's nice to have days to celebrate the amazing and strong women in our lives! I'm so thankful to have so many that influence me on a day to day basis.

What plants are you growing? My mom bought me two strawberry plants yesterday (yes, on Mother's Day) and I have basil and cilantro! I need another tomato plant but I'm afraid it will take over like last year.

that was one tomato plant!!