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Dietitian Carly Roop, RD, shares with us her idea of a beautiful spring wedding . Carly is a registered dietitian at the Joan Karnell Cancer Center (JKCC). She provides nutrition education and support to patients while addressing nutrition-related side effects from chemotherapy and radiation. Dietitians at JKCC provide educational nutrition programs that are open to patients as well as the community.


In the past 5 years, gardening has become downright trendy. Did you know that there are 456 community gardens and over 1,000 flower gardens alive in Philadelphia? If you love to use fresh vegetables and herbs in your summer dishes but hate paying a lot of money for a bunch of mint when you only need a few springs for your mojito then gardening might be the spring activity for you.

Better Homes and Gardens’ website offers great gardening tips and suggestions for getting your hands dirty. They suggest starting with a robust herb such as mint. Mint contains phenolic compounds that have strong antioxidant activities. However, many will warn that mint likes to spread so unless you are looking to cover your lawn in mint, a container may be a good home for this friendly plant.

Vegetables such as leafy greens, kale, and chard add texture to garden beds and roughage to your diet, as well as cancer-fighting phytochemicals. The smallest edible species of alliums, chives, better known as the minced green that accompanies sour cream on your baked potato, grow well in this part of the US. Chives may also serve as great garden guards, planting chives along the borders of flowerbeds may help to keep pests like Japanese Beetles away.

Container gardening allows for more variety by separating plants that may require different soil or light needs, it also minimizes weeds and the time spent on your hands and knees. Perhaps, getting gin the garden is next on your to do list but you just haven’t made it out for the supplies, why not start after dinner. The blackthumbgardener.com provides directions for growing your kitchen scraps, which minimizes waste and saves you money.

If you are looking for a little more support in the garden the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society hosts a variety of programs all over the Philadelphia area. This recipe certainly motivates me to find a sunny spot and grab a packet of seeds.

Green Goddess Guacamole

Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen
Yield: Serves 2 Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 avocados--halved, pitted and diced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• Finely grated zest and juice of ½ medium lime
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
• Tortilla chips

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the avocados, parsley, basil, chives, tarragon, Greek yogurt, lime zest and juice, shallot and salt. Use a spatula or fork to mix, breaking down the avocado pieces until a chunky dip forms.
2. Serve with tortilla chips.