Farmers Market and Unexpected Leg Day

Good day! I have had a pretty busy day between going to the flea and farmer's market, hitting the gym, cleaning, and prepping food. I have been on a kick for trying new things, so I took some time while my chicken breast was baking in the oven to try some boiled artichokes and also some roasted cauliflower. More on that later!

I woke up this morning and made my breakfast. I wanted something savory vs. sweet this morning because I was not feeling the greatest. I made an altered version of my vanilla flax pancakes so they were more savory, then paired it with chicken and some Brags liquid amino acids. It was filling and what I had been wanting. I always want pancakes on the weekends because I don't have to rush doing them.

After I ate, my boy finally woke up. I prepared some snackage and drink for the little trip because I knew we were going to work out right afterwords. I made some amazing Cherry Vanilla Water, which was only 5 cherries pitted and torn apart, drops of SweetLeaf's Vanilla Creme liquid stevia, water, and ice. That is it! I let it sit for a little before drinking and stirred it a good bit to really infuse the water. And one of the best parts, cherries at the bottom when you finish it! :D

Infusing water with fruit is so much fun and it makes water so much more enjoyable. I drink so much more water now that I have this vanilla creme stevia. I can't wait to try some of the other flavors SweetLeaf offers.

I came back from the flea and farmers market with a pretty nice produce haul. I also wanted to pick up some artichokes from the store since they didn't have any at the market, so here is what I came home with:

 

Lots of delicious fresh foods, guys! This is what you should be looking to bring home from the store or the market: Fresh, delcious, healthy foods.

I started off cooking by prepping my baked chicken breast for the week, chopping up some of the veggies I bought, making my lunch and snacks for tomorrow, and then the fun began!

I had researched how to make steamed artichokes and really wanted to give it a try, so I bought two from the store. I started off by putting a pot together with about an inch and a half of water, a fresh bay leaf, two cloves of garlic, and 1/2 a lemon (squeeze juice into the water, then throw the lemon in). Cover the mixture and allow to come to a boil. Once boiling, add in the artichokes.

 

Prepare the artichokes by tripping the ends of the leaves where there are points. Also, trim the stem a bit, but not too much. Put the artichokes into the water once it boils, reduce to low/simmer and cover. I steamed mine for about 25-30 minutes.

To eat, you rip off the leaves and eat the part where the leaves were attached. You also scrape and eat the artichoke heart at the end. I ate mine with the ends dipped in sriracha. They were delicious and I am so glad I got to try them!