BEWARE OF ASPARTAME!!

http://rhondagessner.wordpress.com/2013/09/02/a-killer-in-your-fridge-sweet-poison-a-must-read/

Please read this - 

if you drink diet sodas

Red Beans and Rice

Sometimes at the end of the day you just 

don't like to cook a full fledged meal and

yet you need something healthy that 

will get you thru the night - 

RED BEANS AND RICE

I have a rice cooker I LOVE IT

 just throw your rice in that 

sautee up a bit of onions and garlic in  a bit of olive oil

throw in the red beans when the onions are clear

then when the rice is done mix together with the 

Red Bean Mixture - 

Sprinkle on you favorite salsa or sauce 

a bit of cheese and you have dinner or lunch ;-)

Spagetti Squash Lasagne

My love hate relationship with cooking 

I LOVE to cook 

I hate the clean up 

But the end results are very worth it!! 

We have another winner!

 Happy Hubby = Happy Wife  

1 good sized Spagetti squash baked till tender

Let cool, deseed and string

The scrape the innards till the look like Spagetti noodles ... Place in

Large bowl 

Sauté onions, garlic, peppers till tender, also place in the large bowl 

Add your own organic Spagetti squash or your favorite jar of.... 

Mix well 

Laurier with your favorite cheeses for lasagne  after top layer of cheese is on sprinkle with fresh cilantro & fennel 

then bake at 350 till melted and hot or refrigerate till you are ready to bake 

Soooooo good and good for you!

According to my hubby this is also on the 

"Keep it list" 

Enjoy!!! 

On cold dreary days I tend to drink to much

Coffee that is... 

I found this at the recommendation of a lady at Oryana 

It's WONDERFUL!!

Broccoli Fennel Black Bean Lettuce Wraps

Saute onions in a pan with a bit of olive oil

add

 Broccoli Slaw mix - 

I love the brand our Natural Foods Store Carries

Taylor Farms Organic Broccoli Slaw

then add a bit of fennel seeds

a sprinkling of 

Braggs Healthy Vinaigrette

a 1/4 cup of fresh chopped Cilantro

1 can of Black Beans

a bit of your favorite salsa 

and a splash of Cholula

just before you place in romaine leaf

add a bit of feta if you please - 

ANOTHER HIT

Hubby LOVED THEM!!

Down 5 - 20 to go

So a couple weeks ago Bruce mentioned that we should 

go back on the Forks over Knives way of eating - 

So we did - 

Whole foods

No processed sugar

Lots of Veggies

Fruits

and GOOD FOR YOU FOOD

We cut way back on store bought/restaurant meat

Not only do we feel better

LOTS more energy but ...

go to your cupboard pick up that 5 lb bag of sugar see its pretty heavy

now put it down on your counter... 

Yep thats me 5 lbs lighter 

its working its working 

the menopausal weight gain thing is NO JOKE I didn't change

the way I was eating no more no less and within a year 35 lbs magically appeared

I was appalled

and I was worried that I was not going to lose weight ever again 

BUT 

this is WORKING

I will update you on my progress regarding this on Nov.1

NOTE 

this is NON processed foods so that means 

no powdery shake mixes

no working out till your body is in agony

just hiking and walking 

see recipes and things thruout this blog - 

YES I cheat now and then like this morning

I had a nibble of Bruces pumpkin donut

I LOVE THEM and its 

THAT TIME OF YEAR ;-)

It's that time of year!

Fall Trip n Things

No recipe inspirations as we have been traveling

We left on Sept 17th and drove straight thru to Georgia

Great to spend time with our little family there

Bruces parents joined us for a few days too 

We headed home on the 27th - 

Stayed at Bruces brothers in Ohio 

then home to 

our BEAUTIFUL 

FALL beginnings -  

Its going to be a pretty one

COME ON UP!

Apple Spice Muffins

So wonderful and it makes the whole house 

SMELL LIKE FALL

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prep the muffin tins. I suggest using muffin papers (baking cups), otherwise you can grease it.

Dry Ingredients:

1/2 cup of coconut flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon medium grind sea salt (if you use fine, use 1/4 teaspoon)
For the 3 items below I just used 3 teaspoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice instead - 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

In a medium size bowl combine the dry ingredient and briskly whisk until all lumps are removed.

Add:

1/3 cup of coconut oil
1/4 cup of honey

Melt together on the stove top, just until melted (don’t get it hot, otherwise it could cook your eggs prematurely).

And:

3 eggs, lightly whisked.

Whisk until everything is well combined, and then add:

3/4 cup of shredded apples (wash, and core the apples, and then shred, peel and all)*see note above*

Divide between ten muffin tins, and bake for about 25 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the middle of the muffin.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and take out of the muffin tins and serve!

Veggie Enchilada

Cook a head of time 

Rice and quinoa

once they are done 

mix in green chilles

black beans

cilantro and seasonings of your choice

add in sauteed zucchini and onions

dip the shells in the enchilada sauce of your choice 

or make your own there are LOTS of good recipes out there

then fill with the above mixture and grated cheese 

roll place flap side down in baking dish

sprinkle on more cheese

bake at 350 for 30 mins or until hot all the way thru

ENJOY

All things garden makes for some healthy fun creative meals

I LOVE to COOK especially during the season of FRESH

I create all kinds of dishes 

and they are received quite well 

by all that get to try them!

 Zucchini Planks Italiano

Thin sliced long ways zucchini

your favorite spaghetti sauce 

and a sprinkling of real parmesan cheese

bake at 350 approx. 25-30 mins. 

Lasagna with out the noodles - 

Lot of 

cut up

Summer Squash
Zucchini

onion

celery

garlic

and your favorite italian seasonings 

sautee til veggies are tender

then I made a batch of 

red wine sauce 

with 

a splash of red wine

fresh cherry tomatoes

fresh basil 

fresh garlic 

ran it thru the blender then 

threw it in the pan till it was mixed thruout

then I layered the veggies in a baking dish

with a layer of the following cheese blend

raw milk cheddar grated

feta

parmesan

just like you would lasagna

baked at 350 for 40 mins

it was a hit - 

ENJOY - 

BE CREATIVE 

when  you cook

thats what makes it fun!!

I am reading the books and WE are watching the series - Outlander!

We are watching them with our friend/neighbors 

we get together and cook from the recipes 

from the books recipe site;

http://outlanderkitchen.com/recipe-index/

Tonight we are having a couple variations of the recipes

Beef Roast and Mrs. Bugs Buttermilk Biscuits

Season of Garden Goodness

A couple years ago Bruce and I started eating

mostly veggies - plant based foods we felt great

after feeling not so great the last while 

and reading so many posts about people feeling

so good after eating this way...

we are trying it again - starting today!

Red Beans andVeggies with Hot Sauce and Feta

Zucchini Planks

Little Secrets that really work

I know this because I have tried and prove them for my self - 

Many of you know I suffer from Fibromyalgia and Costochondritis
pain meds do not work for me so I have learned thru
healthy eating, lifestyle changes and exercise that
I can manage my pain and function quite well

 1. Celery is a wonder food -  I suffer from chronic heartburn if I eat a couple sticks of
     celery every day before during or after means - no more heartburn!!

2.  Consuming too much sugar causes me to wake up with excruciating lower back pain
     in the night -  cut back on sugar very little lower back pain in the night!! Plus you will
     lose weight and bloat

3. My friend told me that taking Turmeric has helped her manage her aches and pains -
     so I started taking it - day 3 and my aches and pains are not gone completely but they
     are less - even with the cool damp weather - it also helps with water retention and
     the weight that magically appears during menopause

4. Letting go... lately I have had to convince myself it's okay to separate ones self from people
    who drag us down - people who live for constant drama and "poor me" attitudes -
    Its also okay for me to post what I want on "MY" blogs -  after all they are mine -
    if you don't like what I post here or on my other blogs you don't have to follow me - you
    don't have to come here and "see"
    I was unfriended last week by someone for the second time
    since we became "friends" I have NO IDEA why - and I have decided that it doesn't really
    matter if it takes that much effort to be someones friend its time to "Let Go"!!

Amber Necklace Dangers

  http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2013/10/11/amber-teething-necklaces-pose-choking-hazard/

                            

“The risk is two-fold — strangulation and choking,” said Dr. Natasha Burgert, a pediatrician in Kansas City, Mo., who has blogged about the dangers of amber necklaces. “And that’s not only for these teething necklaces. In general practice, the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t recommend that infants wear any jewelry.”

Cheap easy fake

Basil Balsamic Chicken

Delish Summer Dish

 

Caprese Pasta Salad

Classic Caprese flavors in pasta salad form.

YIELD: 6 servings

 

PREP TIME: 20 minutes

 

COOK TIME: 9 minutes {for the pasta}

 

TOTAL TIME: 30-35 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups dried Orecchiette Pasta, cooked as directed on the package

1 pint Grape Tomatoes, quartered

1 container Fresh Mozzarella Pearls {or 1 ball fresh mozzarella, cubed small}

1 cup Fresh Basil, sliced into ribbons

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

FOR THE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE:

2 Cloves of Fresh Garlic, squeezed through a garlic press

1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl squeeze two cloves of garlic through a garlic press. Pour in balsamic vinegar and whisk. Continue to whisk while slowly, pouring in the three tablespoons of olive oil in steady stream.

Cook orecchiette pasta according to package directions. Drain and then rinse with cold water. Add the cold pasta to a bowl along with the quartered tomatoes, fresh mozzarella pearls and basil ribbons.

Season with kosher salt and black pepper and drizzle with desired amount of the balsamic vinaigrette. Taste and adjust seasonings to your taste preference before serving!