Perfectly Imperfect Produce: Box #2

Perfectly Imperfect Produce: Box #2

I love Thursdays because a new box of surprise produce comes to my door!  I then get to meal plan and be creative for recipes for the coming week!  Here is what I did with this week's box...

What's in the box? 

Green grapes

Watermelon 

Squash

Eggplant

Tomatoes 

Lemon 

Carrots

Avocado 

Oranges

Honeycrisp Apples 

Onion 

Peaches

Carrots, Tomatoes, Onion, & Watermelon:  Butter Chicken with Watermelon for Dessert

This week on the menu I made one of my favorites: Indian food!  This Butter Chicken was made in the Crockpot and was SO easy.  I paired it with brown rice and toasted wheat pitas.  While the traditional bread to eat with Indian food is naan, I usually use pitas.  They are cheaper and taste yummy at home.  The best part is dipping the pita in the warm sauce - the perfect bite.

To make the Butter Chicken more hearty, I added russet potatoes and carrots in with the chicken mixture.  This made the meal last a couple more days and was an easy way to sneak in a vegetable or two.  I also tweaked the recipe by adding the two fresh tomatoes from the produce box.  This really added to the flavor.

Because Indian food can be kind of heavy, my husband and I enjoyed the watermelon for dessert.  This mini watermelon was so sweet and juicy.  It was seriously one of the best watermelons I have ever had.  We ate half the watermelon after our first dinner of Butter Chicken and enjoyed the other half the next day.  It was quite the refreshing treat!

Butter Chicken Recipe (Untweaked): https://tasty.co/recipe/slow-cooker-butter-chicken

Avocado, Carrots, & Lemon:  Very Homemade Sushi: Custom California Roll

I have been on a sushi kick lately.  Seriously, I can not get enough.  So when I saw the avocado, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to try making sushi at home.  With a quick trip to Whole Foods, I had everything I needed to make a customized California Roll.  While the rolls might not look perfect, sushi-making made for a great date night and now we have the supplies to make many many more sushi rolls.  My favorite combination was crab stick, avocado, and carrot with a lot of wasabi while my husband also liked adding bell pepper and a splash of lemon juice to the center of his rolls.  If you are looking for a fun date night or just a cheaper way to eat sushi, I would highly recommend making homemade sushi - super fun!

Squash & Eggplant: Chicken Orzo with Vegetables

My husband loves orzo, so when I needed to use the eggplant and squash, I decided to make a chicken orzo with vegetables.  I cut up the squash and eggplant into bite-sized pieces and threw them in a pan with some butter, salt, and pepper.  I also added a chopped red bell pepper and just let the veggies cook. Once the veggies were almost done, I added cooked orzo, rotisserie chicken, and a ton of spinach and let everything combine.  I served it with a splash of lemon juice and a handful of parmesan cheese and dinner was done.  This meal was an easy and quick way to eat a variety of vegetables!

Peaches:  Waffles with Peaches 

The peaches this week were paired with whole wheat waffles and a lot of maple syrup.  My husband and I like to make a big batch of waffles and then freeze the rest.  Then throughout the week, we pop a waffle in the toaster for an easy breakfast/snack.  The peaches were a great addition this week to the waffles!

Apples, Oranges, & Grapes: Snacking Fruit

The grapes in this box were good ones!  We ate them so fast.  And we absolutely love Honeycrisp apples!  The apples, oranges, and grapes were great snacks for the week!




I had a lot of fun this week figuring out recipes that use the produce!  Now we have a lot of leftovers that should last us a while!  What would you have done with the produce?  Let me know your ideas!