Fresh young coconut is the most incredible thing I've ever tasted and only $1.50 each at the Pacific East Mall in Richmond

Get Out of Your Everyday Grocery Store!

When we lived in DC, we often shopped at Asian markets to find veggies, fish, and fruit that most Americans don’t usually eat. We were thrilled to find a glorious Pan-Asian market not far from Novato in Richmond.

Bok choy, pak choy and every choy is delicious stir fried with garlic and ginger!

If you love exotic fruits like lychee, young coconut, mango, bok choy, pak choy, choy sum, japanese eggplant, cherymoya, breadfruit, and horned melon, you can find all of these and more at the Pacific East Mall in Richmond at prices that would make Whole Foods blush!

Fresh lychee fruit for $2.50 for a huge bag!

Some of our clients aren’t so fond of fruit and veg. One way around this is to introduce a new variety every week to experiment and see what you enjoy. Shop at Middle Eastern, Asian, and Hispanic markets to get lower prices and a wide array of choices. Here we paid $0.39 each for avocados, $0.79 each for mangoes, $2.00 per pound for cherries, and $1.50 each for fresh young coconut.

Top Chef Oatmeal:

Cinnamon blueberry oatmeal with ginger essence

Get creative with everyday foods. This week I made blueberry cinnamon steel-cut oatmeal with ginger essence. Allowing the blueberries to cook and release their sweet juices into the oatmeal means I don’t need to add sweetener–the cinnamon and blueberries and ginger are plenty sweet. I can’t wait to try mango and fresh mint, strawberry and fresh basil, raspberry and lemon zest, fresh fig and lavender–endless exotic combinations!

Rosemary pineapple oatmeal

I also made pineapple rosemary oatmeal by steeping fresh rosemary into the oatmeal as it cooks with some frozen pineapple. I finished it with a swirl of coconut milk for an exotic naturally sweet breakfast.

Grow Your Own!

It took us three days to eat all of this fresh organic grown in our garden salad!

Another great way to appreciate your food is to grow your own. We started a garden this year and planted zucchini, spaghetti squash, bell peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, banana peppers, leeks, onions, garlic, and mixed lettuces.

We already have TONS of zucchini!

Every morning we rush out back to water the garden and we are fascinated with mother nature’s magic.

Onion and garlic greens pair beautifully with eggs, salads, and stir fry!