It's quick. It's super easy. It epitomizes Fall. And it's SO very delish! It's (*dundundun*) Butternut Squash Pasta! It is a recipe most definitely worth trying, so I'm going to share it here. I've adapted this particular recipe from http://thefrontierkitchen.com/ just to liven the flavors up a bit. Because lively food is what I'm all about. :)
Butternut Squash Pasta Amazingness:
Serves 4
~1 lb. pasta, preferably whole wheat (whole wheat penne worked GREAT for this!)
~2 cups roasted butternut squash (cut squash in half, place cut-side up on baking sheet. Drizzle w/ EVOO and sprinkle w/ salt and pepper. Roast in 350F oven for like 45-60min., until knife easily inserts into the flesh.)
~1 pint heavy cream (yes, you are required to use cream. Trust me, it's for your own good.)
~1/2 c. (or more!) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (and I like to throw in a few Tbsps of whatever other cheese I might have on hand, such as Cheddar or Jack. Makes things a little creamier and, of course, cheesier!)
~4 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
~1-2 cloves minced garlic
~sea salt and black pepper to taste
In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine squash, cream, Parm/cheese, garlic, and 2 Tbsp. of the basil. Blend until creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain cooked pasta. Toss butternut squash sauce with pasta. Heat through. Garnish with remaining basil. Extra delish if you throw some grilled chicken and extra cheese on top!
SO easy, as you can see! Makes a great big batch, is SUPER hearty, and totally makes eating squash the best experience you'll ever have. Next time I make this, I might have to get a little rediculous and serve the butternut squash sauce over spaghetti squash. Look out!
I'm always on the look-out for quick and yummy Fall recipes. Feel free to share!
*~If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. —J. R. R. Tolkien~*
Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
This summer has been a time of much self-evaluation and home-life evaluation for me. I haven't known what to blog about, because I haven't come to any "conclusions" or points I felt were worth sharing. Basically, God has been bringing many small challenges to the forefront of my life lately, and I haven't really known how to best respond, cope, or even interpret these challenges. My faith feels strange to me and distant. My calling feels unclear and unrealistic. My resources seem few and fleeting. My patience feels spent and unattainable. Besides being completely humbled and broken by my weaknesses, I've felt my spirit lifted by some amount of focus. My focus has centered around (big shocker) intentionality. It is about what I can control in my life right now in a healthy, Christ-centered way. So, to better expand the ministry Cam and I strive to exhibit through our life together, I began developing an arsenal. An arsenal of "good eats" for various occasions so as to reduce pre-planning in a pinch, reduce stress, and allow for personal interaction rather than hurried kitchen time with friends and family.
I feel more controlled, at ease, and capable of spontaneity with my army of deliciousness in place. When a family's in need of a meal, without hesitation I have a few good, portable, hearty ideas. When an unexpected guest pops in, I can offer a nutritious, down-home spread. When life gets ahead of us, I work late, or dinner is simply forgotten, I can reach for a homemade freezer meal instead of eating out. I wish I could be more adventuresome with food all the time. I wish I could spend hours each day and hundreds of dollars trying new techniques and recipes. But since circumstances don't allow for such indulgence, I've instead enjoyed the process of whittling down my masses of recipes into the most practical, tactical, cost-effective infantry I can muster:
Meals for Others~
Beef BBQ
Sausage and Cream Sauce
Baked Ziti
In-A-Pinch Foods~
Spaghetti of any kind
Bfast for dinner - eggs w/ veggies and toast
Rice and beans
Stir-fry w/ shrimp
Freezer Foods~
Carnitas meat
Pizza Rolls
Pancakes/Waffles/Muffins
Chili
Soups
Burritos
Some of the meals from the above catagories also work
This simple redoing of my food mentality hasn't fixed any of my immediate "problems," but it has gone a long way remove some stress from my life. It's just one baby step. I'm a little further in my journey. So, little by little, one travels far.
*~Well, sometimes my life
Just don't make sense at all
When the mountains look so big
And my faith just seems so small
I feel more controlled, at ease, and capable of spontaneity with my army of deliciousness in place. When a family's in need of a meal, without hesitation I have a few good, portable, hearty ideas. When an unexpected guest pops in, I can offer a nutritious, down-home spread. When life gets ahead of us, I work late, or dinner is simply forgotten, I can reach for a homemade freezer meal instead of eating out. I wish I could be more adventuresome with food all the time. I wish I could spend hours each day and hundreds of dollars trying new techniques and recipes. But since circumstances don't allow for such indulgence, I've instead enjoyed the process of whittling down my masses of recipes into the most practical, tactical, cost-effective infantry I can muster:
Meals for Others~
Beef BBQ
Sausage and Cream Sauce
Baked Ziti
In-A-Pinch Foods~
Spaghetti of any kind
Bfast for dinner - eggs w/ veggies and toast
Rice and beans
Stir-fry w/ shrimp
Freezer Foods~
Carnitas meat
Pizza Rolls
Pancakes/Waffles/Muffins
Chili
Soups
Burritos
Some of the meals from the above catagories also work
This simple redoing of my food mentality hasn't fixed any of my immediate "problems," but it has gone a long way remove some stress from my life. It's just one baby step. I'm a little further in my journey. So, little by little, one travels far.
*~Well, sometimes my life
Just don't make sense at all
When the mountains look so big
And my faith just seems so small
So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace
And I wake up in the night and feel the dark
It's so hot inside my soul
I swear there must be blisters on my heart
Surrender don't come natural to me
I'd rather fight You for something
I don't really want
Than to take what You give that I need
And I've beat my head against so many walls
Now I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees
And this Salvation Army band
Is playing this hymn
And Your grace rings out so deep
It makes my resistance seem so thin
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace*~
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
A Nod to Them
One area of homemaking I eagerly embrace is that of cooking, grocery shopping, and overall "fooding." But with my love of all things culinary comes some convictions. To sum up: as a part of honoring Christ in all I do, I must work to make my food choices with Christ in mind. Thus I embrace frugality, nutrition, and balance in consumption (i.e. not overeating!) as part of my pursuit of Holiness.
So, Cam and I have been investigating new and healthier food choices together, specifically Clean Eating (visit cleaneatingclub.com!). Basically, I was lazy in college and opted for convenience over true nutrition far too many times. I would say I was raised to eat healthfully -- we often tried to by organic and limited "junk" food more than most people I know. But our eating habits were far from perfect nonetheless. In lieu of my love for frugality, health, and green living in general, after getting married I began to form some more appropriate dietary habits with the help of Hubs. Here's just a smidgen of some of our recent food endeavors and adaptations. Maybe some of them will spark a change for the better in your nutrition and walk with Christ as it relates to the care of your body.
1) Sprouts: We have become avid sprouters. What can I say? We can't get enough of those alfalfa beans, mung beans, garbanzos, and so many more! I bought a basic sprouting kit my mom also owns, grabbed a bunch of sprouts from our local Healthy Grocer, and from there have incorporated sprouts into almost anything I can! We particularly like sprouts on our salads and in our sandwiches (can I just talk about my oh-so-indulgent grilled cheese/sprout creation?!). Lately, I've been "frying" sprouts up with anything I might have on hand to make many a side dish for our dinners. (Tonight, for example, was sprouts, onion, and fresh mushrooms with garlic and a few other spices sauteed in a bit of EVOO/Smart Balance. BIG hit next to our Spaghetti Squash with Pesto!)
2) Bread: Tortillas, muffins, dough, and loaves included. For our anniversary, I got the breadmaker I wanted. And it's been in use ever since! I find that in making my own bread products as much as possible, I am able to save us money and control the level of nutrition of each loaf/tortilla/muffin/etc. We adore homemade bread, and a breadmaker couldn't make the process any easier. I always add to the dough to increase nutrition -- currently I'm into wheat germ and flax seeds. I'm also seriously considering grinding my own whole grain flours in the future. There's just something about feeling like you can sustain yourself with homemaking skills, no matter how "outdated" they may seem.
3) Raw milk: I know there are many skeptics, but I'm here to present facts and opinions, not cause a disturbance. That being said, I sure do love my raw milk! Surprisingly, I can find it a few places here on the West Shore. Also, it can be found in Lancaster County and I'm sure elsewhere if some searching is done. The laws surrounding the packaging and distributing of raw milk are quite strict, so it is becoming harder and harder to find. And it can be a little expensive. I am lucky, though, because a local gift store sells such milk, and when they get a new shipment in, their "older" milk that's left from the previous shipment (though not yet expired, mind you) goes "on sale" for half price. Can't beat that! Nothing beats the flavor and nutrition of raw, unpasturized, unhomogenized cow's milk. I won't go into extreme detail here, but basically raw milk is a whole food, great for digestion, and loaded with vitamins, minerals and protein. If you're interested in exploring further, here's a great weblink: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/index.html.
4) Local produce/Gardening: This past spring we set up a "deck garden" based on Mel Bartholomew's principle of square foot gardening (check it out: http://www.squarefootgardening.com). While it probably didn't pay off terribly this year, over the years the money we put into building our garden will be worth it for the fresh produce at our fingertips -- organic and sustainable and hot off the vine/stalk/bush. Similarly, our local farmer's market provides us with a plethora of local-grown/produced foods year-round. I prefer to support local merchants as a part of green AND healthy living. It's overall closer to my homegrown standards, cheaper for us, and sustainable in the long-run. Plus, who doesn't love a farmer's market for Pete's sake! :-D
5) Smoothies: OK, this one's just for me -- Cam runs far from smoothies in general. I've been making them since I first tasted one (yes, I asked for [and received!] a blender of my own for Christmas when I was 14...I'm a wee bit obsessed perhaps). I love to load mine with fruits of any and all types (frozen, fresh, whatevs!) and some juice/milk/yogurt/liquid. Usually I throw in some flax seeds and wheat germ as well. Sometimes a little dab of honey is necessary for sweetness sake. Hearty, fabulous, nutritious, yummy!
6) Organics: From produce to meat, we try to buy organic as much as possible. I also count our wild venison (courtesy of Hubs and his hunting skills), and our free-range, whole organic chickens we buy locally from an Amish farmer. Oh, this isn't to say that we don't give into the occasional Oreo or box of Mac & Cheese or Burger King run, but I don't like to give into the non-nutritious temptations out there, and I'm trying to develop the will-power to avoid unnecessary, unhealthy binging. Besides, I usually don't feel so hot after eating unhealthily. We choose organics when possible in order to support those who manufacture/grown/raise organics. Also, we really hate the idea of ingesting pesticides and chemicals unnecessarily. Further, organic foods are in general more nutritious and flavorful. God created foods a certain way for a reason. I try not to mess with that as much as possible.
7) Beans: Yeah, I realize the "stigma" behind the bean, and I certainly didn't always embrace beans as a valid food (it's a texture thing), but with the cost of them so low and the nutritional value so high, I've now jumped on the wagon and use beans at least weekly in our meals if possible. Not only does this eliminate some of our use of meat, it also boosts our fiber intake considerably. So all-in-all, irreplaceable in a healthy, nutrient-rich, cancer-fighting diet.
8) Tea: I love tea. And I've become a tea snob. I'm hooked on a local shop's loose-leaf teas. I'll have no other in my house! (Ok ok, not quite...but almost! ;-)) Check out onegoodwoman.com! Green and white tea in particular have a large amount of antioxidants, but all teas are beneficial (when not loaded with sugar, of course ;-)). I consume so much tea, I just had to throw it in here as part of my list.
There you have it: the latest in my foodie endeavors as I try to balance the beauty of food with frugality and good stewardship. Hopefully I'll be able to add more to my repertoire over time. I've been looking into the use of Kefir, sprouting (and grinding) grains, expanding my knowledge of vegetarian cooking, and conforming more fully to the ways of clean eating. Any help in my journey of health is greatly appreciated!
*~The greatest delight the fields and woods minister is the suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable. I am not alone and unacknowledged. They nod to me and I to them. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~*
So, Cam and I have been investigating new and healthier food choices together, specifically Clean Eating (visit cleaneatingclub.com!). Basically, I was lazy in college and opted for convenience over true nutrition far too many times. I would say I was raised to eat healthfully -- we often tried to by organic and limited "junk" food more than most people I know. But our eating habits were far from perfect nonetheless. In lieu of my love for frugality, health, and green living in general, after getting married I began to form some more appropriate dietary habits with the help of Hubs. Here's just a smidgen of some of our recent food endeavors and adaptations. Maybe some of them will spark a change for the better in your nutrition and walk with Christ as it relates to the care of your body.
1) Sprouts: We have become avid sprouters. What can I say? We can't get enough of those alfalfa beans, mung beans, garbanzos, and so many more! I bought a basic sprouting kit my mom also owns, grabbed a bunch of sprouts from our local Healthy Grocer, and from there have incorporated sprouts into almost anything I can! We particularly like sprouts on our salads and in our sandwiches (can I just talk about my oh-so-indulgent grilled cheese/sprout creation?!). Lately, I've been "frying" sprouts up with anything I might have on hand to make many a side dish for our dinners. (Tonight, for example, was sprouts, onion, and fresh mushrooms with garlic and a few other spices sauteed in a bit of EVOO/Smart Balance. BIG hit next to our Spaghetti Squash with Pesto!)
2) Bread: Tortillas, muffins, dough, and loaves included. For our anniversary, I got the breadmaker I wanted. And it's been in use ever since! I find that in making my own bread products as much as possible, I am able to save us money and control the level of nutrition of each loaf/tortilla/muffin/etc. We adore homemade bread, and a breadmaker couldn't make the process any easier. I always add to the dough to increase nutrition -- currently I'm into wheat germ and flax seeds. I'm also seriously considering grinding my own whole grain flours in the future. There's just something about feeling like you can sustain yourself with homemaking skills, no matter how "outdated" they may seem.
3) Raw milk: I know there are many skeptics, but I'm here to present facts and opinions, not cause a disturbance. That being said, I sure do love my raw milk! Surprisingly, I can find it a few places here on the West Shore. Also, it can be found in Lancaster County and I'm sure elsewhere if some searching is done. The laws surrounding the packaging and distributing of raw milk are quite strict, so it is becoming harder and harder to find. And it can be a little expensive. I am lucky, though, because a local gift store sells such milk, and when they get a new shipment in, their "older" milk that's left from the previous shipment (though not yet expired, mind you) goes "on sale" for half price. Can't beat that! Nothing beats the flavor and nutrition of raw, unpasturized, unhomogenized cow's milk. I won't go into extreme detail here, but basically raw milk is a whole food, great for digestion, and loaded with vitamins, minerals and protein. If you're interested in exploring further, here's a great weblink: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/index.html.
4) Local produce/Gardening: This past spring we set up a "deck garden" based on Mel Bartholomew's principle of square foot gardening (check it out: http://www.squarefootgardening.com). While it probably didn't pay off terribly this year, over the years the money we put into building our garden will be worth it for the fresh produce at our fingertips -- organic and sustainable and hot off the vine/stalk/bush. Similarly, our local farmer's market provides us with a plethora of local-grown/produced foods year-round. I prefer to support local merchants as a part of green AND healthy living. It's overall closer to my homegrown standards, cheaper for us, and sustainable in the long-run. Plus, who doesn't love a farmer's market for Pete's sake! :-D
5) Smoothies: OK, this one's just for me -- Cam runs far from smoothies in general. I've been making them since I first tasted one (yes, I asked for [and received!] a blender of my own for Christmas when I was 14...I'm a wee bit obsessed perhaps). I love to load mine with fruits of any and all types (frozen, fresh, whatevs!) and some juice/milk/yogurt/liquid. Usually I throw in some flax seeds and wheat germ as well. Sometimes a little dab of honey is necessary for sweetness sake. Hearty, fabulous, nutritious, yummy!
6) Organics: From produce to meat, we try to buy organic as much as possible. I also count our wild venison (courtesy of Hubs and his hunting skills), and our free-range, whole organic chickens we buy locally from an Amish farmer. Oh, this isn't to say that we don't give into the occasional Oreo or box of Mac & Cheese or Burger King run, but I don't like to give into the non-nutritious temptations out there, and I'm trying to develop the will-power to avoid unnecessary, unhealthy binging. Besides, I usually don't feel so hot after eating unhealthily. We choose organics when possible in order to support those who manufacture/grown/raise organics. Also, we really hate the idea of ingesting pesticides and chemicals unnecessarily. Further, organic foods are in general more nutritious and flavorful. God created foods a certain way for a reason. I try not to mess with that as much as possible.
7) Beans: Yeah, I realize the "stigma" behind the bean, and I certainly didn't always embrace beans as a valid food (it's a texture thing), but with the cost of them so low and the nutritional value so high, I've now jumped on the wagon and use beans at least weekly in our meals if possible. Not only does this eliminate some of our use of meat, it also boosts our fiber intake considerably. So all-in-all, irreplaceable in a healthy, nutrient-rich, cancer-fighting diet.
8) Tea: I love tea. And I've become a tea snob. I'm hooked on a local shop's loose-leaf teas. I'll have no other in my house! (Ok ok, not quite...but almost! ;-)) Check out onegoodwoman.com! Green and white tea in particular have a large amount of antioxidants, but all teas are beneficial (when not loaded with sugar, of course ;-)). I consume so much tea, I just had to throw it in here as part of my list.
There you have it: the latest in my foodie endeavors as I try to balance the beauty of food with frugality and good stewardship. Hopefully I'll be able to add more to my repertoire over time. I've been looking into the use of Kefir, sprouting (and grinding) grains, expanding my knowledge of vegetarian cooking, and conforming more fully to the ways of clean eating. Any help in my journey of health is greatly appreciated!
*~The greatest delight the fields and woods minister is the suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable. I am not alone and unacknowledged. They nod to me and I to them. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~*
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