04 Feb Inside the Fridge welcomes Greek food bloggers Kenton & Jane from Lemon and Olives

Kenton and Jane are the creators of Lemon and Olives, a Greek food blog dedicated to exploring Greek cuisine and culture. They document everything they learn and showcase nothing but deliciousness. They have collected hundreds of Greek recipes, some from Kenton’s family, some from their travels to Greece, and others from cookbooks. Lemon and Olives is their outlet to share them. Check them out and like them on Facebook!

Where do you shop for food?

Jane and I are fortunate to live across from two great stores – Ralph’s Fresh Fare and Trader Joe’s. Our Ralph’s fresh fare is gorgeous and inviting; where upon entering you immediately see an abundance of produce from local farmers. It’s at this store where we tend to get our yogurts, meats, produce, and fresh breads. The bakery is absolutely amazing and we’ve learned the times they put out fresh products.

Next to this store is a Trader Joe’s. It’s here where we will get things like almond milk, frozen fruits for shakes, Greek olive oil, and other one off items. Occasionally, we head to a nearby Mediterranean stores to get specific ingredients needed to make our Greek dishes.

Do you love food shopping or dread it?

Honestly, it is a love hate relationship.  There are times where everything we need for our food blog is at one store; however, there are times where multiple stores are needed to create the dish. It’s these occasions that can be a bit time consuming. Overall, we love our food shopping experiences, but planning ahead of time is key.

How often do you shop?

The Mediterranean lifestyle requires fresh produce, and with that we find ourselves at the store almost every day.  Granted our food blog keeps us busy shopping for items, but when you’re working with foods that are fresh and free of preservatives, you can’t let them sit around.

How many times a week do you eat out? (based on 21 meals/week)

We eat out about 1 to 2 times a week. Since we both work close by, we tend to meet for lunch once a week and make sure we go out to dinner once a week as well. We used to eat out a bit more often, but you quickly notice how much money you’re spending and how cost effective it can be to cook at home and or bring your lunch.

What is the most coveted food in the fridge right now for each member of the household? Why?

For Jane, it’s almond milk. We always have a protein shake after our workouts, and she loves using almond milk because she views the shakes as a sweet treat (we use fruit) and to her the almond milk makes it.

For me (Kenton), it’s Kalamata olives. I love these more than anything. They are extremely healthy, and I eat them all throughout the day. Add these little burgundy jewels in a bowl with a bit of olive oil and sea salt—Mmmm.

Do you believe in leftovers?

Yes! Cooking as much as we do, leftovers are part of the process. In fact, we cook more than necessary, so we will have extra for lunch the following day. This saves us time and money, especially during the busy workweek. 

What cooking utensil/piece of equipment/appliance do you live for?

Our KitchenAide mixer. We recently received this as a gift for Christmas and we’ve come to use it very often. Overall, it’s made a lot of our dishes a bit easer to make.

When you hear the word “homemade” what is the first thing that comes to mind?

For us, when we hear the word, “homemade,” we think of time, dedication, love, and passion that goes into creating a dish.  The smell of the fresh herbs, the kneading of the dough, those are things that can’t be bought only experienced.

What was the last meal you cooked from scratch?

A delicious and healthy shrimp dish, called shrimp saganaki. It’s shrimp marinated in wine, olive oil, and a few other ingredients, then baked and topped with feta. Amazing!

If one person could cook for you tonight, who would it be?

We’ve always been big fans of Gordon Ramsey (yes, we watch all his shows).  He’s been an inspiration for us. We know he’s big on using local fresh ingredients and he’s a very talent chef with years of experience. We’re confident that whatever he’d cook for dinner would be amazing.

What words of wisdom or advice do you have for other folks who are doing their best everyday to fill the fridge?

Shop smart. Think fresh. You can always put together a dish if you have an array of fresh ingredients (stick to the perimeter of your store). Also, a lot of people think cooking healthy is more experience, but if you plan ahead it doesn’t have to be.