Stuffed Acorn Squash

For my first time making and eating acorn squash I was really happy. This recipe used many of my favorite ingredients like quinoa, spinach, and feta. Not only does it look pretty, it's also pretty healthy. As with stuffed peppers, you can really add anything you want to this. I also found out that acorn squashes last for a few weeks after purchase so I bought 2 and am already trying to decide what I want to do with our 2nd one.

Ingredients
1 Acorn squash
1Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 red chili peppers, finely diced (remove seeds if you want it less spicy)
1/2-1 cup portabella mushrooms, chopped ( I used what I had in my fridge which was about 3/4 cup)
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Juice of 1/2 lemon
salt
pepper

Directions
1.Pre-heat oven to 375
2. Cut acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds
3. Sprinkle each half with salt and pepper and add 1/2 tbsp butter to each
4. Roast for approximately 45 mins or until fork tender
5.While squash is roasting, cook the quinoa in the vegetable broth according to package directions
6. Saute the onions, mushrooms, garlic, and red chili peppers in the olive oil for about 8 mins or until nice and soft and then add the lemon juice
7.Turn the heat down and add the cooked quinoa then the spinach and stir until it begins to wilt
8. Add in the parsley and feta (save some for topping if you want)
9.Season with salt and pepper if desired
10. Add a few spoonfuls of mixture to each half of the roasted squash and top with parsley and feta
*You will probably have leftovers of the filling, but it is yummy by itself as leftovers.



Recipe source: just barely adapted from wearenotmartha.com

Butternut Squash Pizza

With the abundance of pretty fall squashes available right now, I promised myself I would try and make at least a few dishes with them.  To be honest, I've never really made much with butternut squash (besides a soup I made last fall) or any of the other varieties in season. However, I decided to try and cook with them, whether the dishes turned out or not. The first dish I made was a butternut squash pizza. I have been using a super easy homemade pizza dough recipe I found on a blog called Oven Love, and I have used it several times now. You can throw it together in just a little more time than it takes to call your local pizza shop. We will order the occasional take out (we live in the boonies and the pizza places won't deliver to us..crazy!) but I've been making some pretty good homemade pizza if I do say so myself. It may not be the fanciest or even the most amazing pizza dough/crust I've ever had, but it's simple, it's tastes good, and I know the ingredients that are in it. I got a bit annoyed that my pizza stuck to the peel and messed up my almost perfect circle but I have since found that using parchment paper works wonders. I made 2 different pizzas on Monday (this butternut squash pizza is from a few weeks ago) and used parchment paper instead of cornmeal and flour and it was so easy to slide it onto the pizza stone. Plus, I didn't have to clean the peel!  Anyways, I was skeptical of this pizza at first, but after one bite it is definitely a keeper. I tweaked the original recipe a bit and spread roasted and smashed garlic onto the dough first, and also carmelized my onions in balsamic vinegar instead of roasting. But feel free to make your own revisions if you like. There are endless possibilties when it comes to homemade pizza.

Ingredients
1/2 white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 medium to large butternut squash-peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 head of garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Asiago or Parmesan cheese
homemade pizza dough-click here for recipe (you can use premade/storebought if you want, but trust me-homemade is so much better)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Combine squash with the rosemary, about 2 Tbsp of olive oil, and a little salt and pepper in a baking or roasting dish
3.Chop the top off the garlic head, place in a small square of aluminum foil, drizzle with a little olive oil, and close up tightly. Place on a seperate baking sheet or right on your oven rack.
3.Bake squash and garlic for about 20 mins or both the squash and the garlic are tender.

4. While squash and garlic are cooking, heat a pan with a little olive oil and add the onions.  Cook for about 5 mins and then add about a tbsp or so of balsamic vinegar. Continue cooking until the onions are nice and soft.
5. Once garlic is cool enough to touch, squeeze out all the cloves and smash up with a fork.
6.Roll out your pizza dough on your pizza peel (unfortunately, my pizza stuck to my peel since I didn't know to use parchment paper when I made this. Cornmeal is supposed to work, but it didn't do the trick for me.)
7. Spread the garlic onto the dough

8. Top with the sliced squash and onions and sprinkle with however much cheese you want.
9.Bake for about 30 mins or until crust is lightly browned and cheese is melted.



Recipe source: adapted from: Allrecipes.com

Almond Crusted Mahi with Sundried Tomato Sauce

This meal is really just something I came up with last week when I didn't feel like making anything with chicken or anything really heavy. I just used a bunch of stuff I had on hand that I thought might go good together. The measurements below are guestimates since I didn't really measure anything out exactly. However, I did get the sundried tomato sauce recipe from Dr. Oz's website and I really liked it. You can serve the fish over couscous, brown rice, or quinoa. I served mine over coucous which is really easy to make. I buy a brand called Near East that has no artificial ingredients and takes less then five minutes to cook.

Ingredients
2 Mahi Filets
1/2 cup to 1 cup crushed almonds (I put our leftover sliced almonds in a ziplock bag and crushed them with a rolling pin)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
salt, pepper, garlic powder-to taste

Sundried Tomato Sauce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (not the ones packed in oil)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1.Pre-heat oven to 350
2.Prepare a bowl with the flour (add in the salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste), a bowl with the egg (can add a little water if you want), and a bowl with the crushed almonds
3.Dip each Mahi Mahi filet into the flour mixture, then the egg, then the almonds
4.Place the filets in a baking dish and bake for about  25-30 mins or until fish is cooked through.

Sundried tomato sauce
1.Add the tomato and garlic to a food processor, then add the rest of the ingredients.
2.Pulse until it comes together, then add in a little bit of water about a tablespoon at a time.The amount of water added will depend on how thick or thin you want the sauce.



Recipe source: Harper's Original
Sundried Tomato Sauce:adapted from The Dr. Oz Show

Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie

There are a few people in my life who have a gluten intolerance which means they can't eat or have to cut back on things like breads, pasta, or anything containing the wheat protein (gluten can even hide in things like everyday condiments we use and many other products). I definitely have respect for them because I know it would be hard for me to make such a drastic change in the way I eat.

Rice is a staple for many people on a gluten free diet and it's something I actually eat a lot of. I try and incorporate brown rice when I can. White rice tastes better but brown rice is healthier for you.  When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I literally can't even remember the last time I had chicken pot pie. And I thought a gluten free version would be something I could share. I really loved the flavors in this dish. It was a little more runny then I would have liked, but overall it was suprisingly good. I nixed the peas since that's one of my absolute least favorite foods, and added a little more carrots and celery than the recipe stated. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 pound sliced portabello mushrooms (about 1/2 the 8 oz container you get at the grocery store)
1 teaspoon dried thyme, divided (you can use fresh thyme as well just use about 2 1/2 tsps)
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1/2 white or yellow onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup gluten free all-purpose flour (or brown rice flour)
1 1/2 cups low-sodium gluten-free chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 9 inch pie dish.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink.

3.Add mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme, carrots, celery, onions, salt and pepper and cook until for about 7 or 8 minutes.

4. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

5.Add broth and milk, stir well and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until very thick, about 10 minutes.

6. While mixture is cooking, combine the rice, cheese, paprika, remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

7. Transfer the chicken mixture to the pie pan.
8.Sprinkle the rice mixture evenly over the top of the chicken mixture and then place the pie pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips.

9. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the rice is nice and cripsy.

Recipe Source:  Adapted from WholeFoods

Meatless Meals Recap

We successfully made it through lent without eating meat. I enjoyed thinking of different things to eat and we made some pretty good meals. We also ate out a couple times and although it was tempting to get a chicken or burger dish, we got some yummy vegetarian dishes instead.  I made a list of all the different dinners we ate and wanted to it share with eveyone.  Maybe it will give you a couple ideas for your own vegetarian dishes.

1. Eggplant Lasagna
2. Black Bean Burgers
3. Asian Veggie Stir Fry (we made this meal twice)
4. Baked Potato and Salad
5. Pasta with Guacamole Sauce
6. Papa Johns Veggie Pizza
7. Potato Soup (no bacon) and house salad from Chili's
8. Veggie Panini with Fries
9. Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
10. Pan Seared Salmon with veggies
11. Spicy Cilantro shrimp tacos w/ coleslaw and coconut rice
12. White Cheddar Macaroni w/ spinach
13. Bean burritoes (with homemade tortillas)
14. Homemade Tuna Salad Sandwich w/ chips
15. Homemade pizza
16. Spinach and feta stuffed potatoes
17. Penne Pasta w/ balsamic vinaigrette
18. Spinach and feta & tomato basil pizza (storebought)
19. Black Beans and Rice w/ sauteed vegetables
20. Homemade clam chowder and salad
21. Mediterranean quinoa salad
22. Baked Pesto Squash, skillet potatoes, salad
23. Avacado egg rolls
24. Penne pasta with Arugula pesto
25. Potato Cheddar Soup
26. Rajas con crema and rice
27. Enchiladas w/ refried beans, onions, and mushrooms
28. Vegetable quesadillas from Amigos Restaurant
29. Jamaican Red Bean Stew
30. Tomato soup with cheese tortellini
31. Breaded flounder fillets and baked potato
32. Sushi from Fresh Market
33. Mushroom and Asiago Paninis w/ fruit
34. Homemade Calzones
35. Lobster and Shrimp tacos/ enchilads from Big River
36. Asian Veggie Stir fry
37. Coconut Crusted flounder with sweet potato fries
38. Baked Southwest Tilapia and rice
39 & 40. Leftovers

Baked Pesto Squash

My husband won an iPad from his work a few weeks ago and I've been checking out all kinds of apps. I actually don't even own a smartphone so this has been kinda fun for me! Anyways, I downloaded the Wholefoods app for some good recipe ideas and I love it. You can customize it really easily and it has all kinds of healthy dishes. I did a search for squash since we had some we needed to use and found my inspiration for this. The original recipe used Parmesan cheese and had a tomato sauce with it, but I tweaked it a little and used Mozarella cheese and just did without the sauce since I didn't have any sundried tomatoes. I am a huge pesto lover so I really liked these! I can't wait to start growing our own squash in a few weeks!

Ingredients

1-2 medium yellow squash (can use zucchini as well)

1/2 cup of panko
1/2 cup of homemade or storebought basil pesto
handful of Mozarella cheese for topping
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.Pre-heat oven to 425
2.Prepare a bowl with the pesto and a bowl with the panko (add salt and pepper if desired)
3.Cut squash into 1/2 inch slices
4.Dip squash slices into pesto then into panko

5.Place on baking sheet and top with shredded Mozarella
6.Bake for 20-30 mins or until cheese is melted

These can be served hot or at room temperature. 



Recipe source: adapted from Wholefoods

Eggplant Lasagna

The idea for this literally came to me one night while sitting on the couch. I had been thinking about what I could make with eggplant besides eggplant parmesan.  I'd never really made much else with it. So, I thought about doing a lasagna but using the eggplant as the noodles. We tend to eat a lot of carbs so I thought this would be a different take on traditional lasagna. My husband liked this so much that he took it for lunch 2 days in a row and raved about it for a few days. Normally when we make a lasagna or casserole dish, we end up with one or 2 pieces left since it's just the two of us.  I really hate wasting food though since it's basically just wasting money and there are people who aren't as lucky as we are to have the opportunity to have a good meal. So we try and do the best we can with our leftovers. Anyways, if you have never used eggplant before or are trying to think of something new to do with it, I would give this a try. I know I'm biased because I made it, but it's really really good. I was pretty proud of myself for coming up with it!

Ingredients
1 medium eggplant
1 small zuchinni
1 16 oz container of lowfat cottage cheese (Daisy Brand if your grocery store has it)
2 Tbsp of pesto (homemade or store bought)
1 1/2 cups of lowfat mozzarella cheese
pepper
salt
3 eggs, beaten with a little water added
3/4 cup of all purpose flour
1-1 1/2 cups of Italian style panko (I wouldn't recommend using regular bread crumbs)
homemade or storebough tomato sauce

Directions
1. Cut the ends off the eggplant and then peel off the skin using a potato/vegetable peeler.
2. Cut in half widthwise and then cut into about 1/2 think slices  (they won't all be the exact same size-but you can trim them to be more consistent)
3. Prepare a bowl of flour, a bowl with the eggs, and a bowl with the panko. Dip the eggplant slices in that order then place all the eggplant slices onto a baking sheet.

4. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or until the panko starts to turn golden brown and eggplant is crispy
5. While eggplant is baking, mix together the pesto, cottage cheese, and a little salt and pepper.
6. Spoon a little tomato sauce into bottom of 8x8 baking dish
7. Lay approximately 6 slices of eggplant in the bottom (they probably won't line up exactly and there may be a few gaps, but that's ok)
8. Cover the eggplant slices with the cottage cheese mixture. 
9.Top with grated zuchinni, then sprinkle on some mozzarella.

10. Top mixture with 6 more eggplant slices
11. Pour about 1-1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce over top (just eyeball it-don't use too much sauce)
12. Top with more mozarella cheese
13. Spray a piece of foil with non stick cooking spray, cover the lasagna and bake for about 40 minutes.

I didnt have enough eggplant pieces to make multiple layers and they wouldn't have fit in the pan anyways since the eggplant pieces are thicker than noodles. However, I did have just a few pieces left that I used to top the lasagna with which gave it a bit more texture.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

We're still going strong with our vegetarian meals during lent. I originally had planned to make something with eggplant tonight, but when I cut into the eggplant I bought only a few days ago, it was all yucky. Boo. I was going to make these black bean burgers later this week, but oh well. At least I had everything to make them tonight!

The first time I suggested these to the hubby, I think his exact words were "that's disgusting." But I made them anyways.  He was a big skeptic but wound up actually really liking them.  I felt like I had made a huge acomplishment!  It definitely doesn't replace a real hamburger, but it's yummy and it's good for you. This is another one of those recipes that I don't have the original source for. I googled it but couldn't find the exact one I have. I have a typed up recipe in my book and don't know where it came from. But I did put my own spin on it anways so technically it could be my own recipe:)


Ingredients
2 cans of reduced sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1 egg
3/4 cup of panko style breadcrumbs (don't use regular breadcrumbs)
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/4 tsp of pepper
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
1 Tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp of chopped green onions
4 slices of pepperjack cheese

Directions
Take about half of the beans and place in a food processor for a few seconds or until it forms into a paste.  Scoop out into large bowl and add in the whole beans.  Mix together and mash up a little more with a fork or potato masher.

(Looks gross but trust me the end result is good!)

Add in egg and panko and mix until combined. Add in rest of spices and herbs.  Using hands, make 4 seperate burger patties about 1/2 inch thick. Place in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes. 

Pre-heat oven to 350 and pre-heat a skillet (I used cast iron). Cook burgers in skillet for about 6-7 minutes per side or until a slight crust starts to form on the outside.

Top with slices of pepperjack cheese and transfer to oven for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and burgers are heated through.  Serve on a whole wheat bun with onions, tomato, and avacado slices.

Crockpot Lentil Soup

I love making homemade soups. And I especially loved this one because I chopped everything the night before and then just threw it all together in a crockpot and it was ready when I got home from work. We usually try and do a few vegetarian recipes a week too, so this was a good option. Plus, we've had a bag of lentils sitting in the pantry for a few weeks and I wanted to do something with them. Not to mention that my husband is a triathlete and he's seen a lot of recipes in his magazines that use lentils. So I figured this healthy soup was right up his alley! I searched online and found a few recipes I thought sounded good and then combined everything into my own version.

2 cups lentils
½ onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
4 cups of Reduced Sodium Vegetable Broth
2 ½ cups of water
1 tsp of dried thyme
1 tsp of dried oregano
2 gloves of garlic, minced
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
2 tsbp of balsamic vinegar
½ tsp of pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper

Soak lentils in water at least 2 hours or overnight. Add all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for about 10 hours. Top with reduced fat sour cream if desired.

Recipe source: Harper's Original

Vegetable Lasagna

I've made this dish multiple times and it always turns out really good. The best part of this is that you don't have to pre-cook the noodles. They cook right in the sauce. It might seem complicated but it's really easy and quick to put together. If you are a lasagna lover like me and want some variety, I highly recommend this.

Ingredients:
9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
29 ounces of Alfredo Sauce (about 3/12 cups or a little less than 2 jars)
1/4 cup of skim milk
10 oz of frozen chopped spinach
1 pint (16 oz) of low fat cottage cheese (ricotta cheese if fine too, but I like using cottage cheese here-less fat. Buy the Daisy brand if your grocery store has it because there are just a few simple ingredients and no preservatives)
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces shredded carrots
8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
1/2 Tbsp of dried parsley, plus more for topping if desired
1/4 tsp of pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 and coat pan with cooking spray (recipe I adapted this from said to use a 10x15 but I only had 9x13 and that worked fine). Place spinach in medium microwavable safe bowl and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Mix in ricotta and egg.

In another bowl, combine alfredo sauce with milk and whisk together. Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce to cover bottom of pan (I used a little more since my pan was bigger). Place 3 uncooked noodles into pan on top of the sauce. Spread about half of the spinach mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle with half of the mushrooms and half of the carrots.

Place 3 more noodles on top of vegetables. Pour about 1 1/2 cups sauce over the noodles. Spread the remaining spinach mixture over the sauce, followed by layers of the remaining mushrooms and carrots. .Place 3 more noodles over the vegetables. Pour remaining sauce evenly on top. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.

Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil, spray side down. Bake for approximately 45 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover, and spoon some sauce over any exposed top noodles. Sprinkle with additional dried parsley. Tip: it will come out easier if you let it sit a few minutes before cutting.




Recipe source: adapted from Juanita Peek via allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-spinach-lasagna-with-white-sauce/detail.aspx

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

I've been wanting to make a dish with Quinoa for awhile. My boss brought a dish with it one day for work and let me try it. And it was so good.  We use rice in a lot of dishes so I thought this might give us a litltle variety.  It's got kind of a weird texture, but I like it. It's light and airy and doesn't seem to be as heavy as rice. It does cost a little more than rice (at least what I found) so it's probably not the best for serving a huge crowd, especially if you are on a tight budget. I'll probaby start using it a little more though. The kind I bought was organic and was wheat and gluten free. I think there are different varieties, just like rice, so maybe next time I'll try another one.  The recipe below makes quite a bit, but I like having leftovers for lunch at work.  If you are just cooking for yourself or maybe 2 or 3 people and don't plan on eating leftovers I would definitely half it.

Ingredients
2 cups organic less sodium chicken broth

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 large cooked chicken breasts - cut into bite size pieces

1/2 large red onion, diced

1 medium green bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 Tbps of dried parsley

2 Tbps of green onions

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 tsp of black pepper

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Bring the chicken broth and garlic to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the garlic clove and scrape the quinoa into a large bowl.

Gently mix rest of ingredients except liquids into quinoa. Drizzle with the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Stir until evenly mixed. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.



Recipe source: slightly adapted from allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mediterranean-quinoa-salad/detail.aspx

Homemade Fish and Chips

This definitely beats any restaurant or fast food version.  Mahi mahi filets, homemade chips using our mandolin (no, not the instrument), and even homemade tarter sauce.  So good!  My hubby made this one night for us. I helped a little, but it was mainly him.  I'm so glad I married someone who shares my love of food and cooking!  The fish was pan seared in olive oil not fried, so this dish is healthier than a restaurant version. Even the chips were fried in just a little oil and have less salt than most chips.  And I love the fact that he used "Wickles" in the tarter sauce instead of relish since we didn't have any. He's so creative. If you've never tried "Wickles" you should. They don't call them Wickedly Delicious Pickles for nothing.

Ingredients

Fish
2 Mahi Mahi filets (fresh or frozen)
black pepper, salt, and paprika for seasoning
2 Tbps of olive oil

Chips
2 small russet potatoes
vegetable oil for frying
seasoned salt

Tarter Sauce
1/3 cup of mayonaise
1 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of fresh parsley
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
3 or 4 wickles finely chopped
1 green onion, chopped


Directions
For fish, heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Lighlty season fish with salt and pepper and just a small dusting of paprika. Cook for a few minutes on both sides until cooked through. Depending on thickness of filet it takes just a few minutes per side.

For chips, wash potatoes and cut into very thin pieces using mandolin slicer (be careful, this is really sharp!). They should be about 1/8 inch or thin enough to be almost transparent.  Fill pot with about 1/2 inch of oil and pre-heat over medium heat.  Place slices into hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pot, and fry for a few minutes until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel covered plate. Sprinkle seasoned salt on top to taste.

 Yes, this is a mandolin and should not be confused with the tiny guitar.

(This might actually be a little too thick, but still turned out pretty good!)

For tarter sauce, mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

Confession: I'm a bit of a health nut

If you know me, you know that I like to bake and decorate desserts (did you notice my cupcake pictures in the background?). And it might seem contradictory, but I have become a bit of a health nut over the years. Note I said a "bit" not a full blown freak. I bake things because it's fun, and I like making things look pretty (yay for christmas cookies this weekend!). When I make some kind of fancy dessert, Nathan and I don't devour every last piece like fat kids. I usually bring part of it to work or give it away to friends and family.  No, I'm not trying to make my friends or family fat either.  I believe most things are ok in moderation.  And you've got to have good self-control.

Ok, so on to my health nuttiness.  After my mom found out she had multiple sclerosis, one of her doctors told her to try and eat organic foods.  I hardly knew anything about organic food at the time.  But as my mom started buying the food and different books about health foods, I started doing my own research.  What I found on my own was really disturbing to me, hence why I try and eat as much organic and natural foods as I can. Our food today is so overly processed and has so many chemicals and additives that most of it can't really even be considered food.  Even if I can't afford all organic food (you can still buy some organic foods without going broke), I still use lots of produce and products with the least amount of ingredients.  We probably do spend a little more on groceries than most people I know, but to me it's worth it. I know I'm eating quality food.  And I know that just because it is natural or organic doesn't mean it's good for you either.  Sugar and fat is still sugar and fat no matter if it's organic or not.  You just have to be smart about your choices.  It's ok to indulge every once in awhile. If you didn't, life would be boring.

Below are some of the foods that I always buy natural or organic:

1. apples
2. peanut butter-nathan recently found out he is allergic to peanuts :(
3. bread
4. sour cream
5. coffee creamer
6. cheese
7. orange juice
8. chicken- I always get the ones that are fed a vegetarian diet and raise humanely-should say on the package. Many mass farms feed their chicken other chicken by-products. Yuck!
9. eggs- same as chicken-fed a vegetarian diet and raised cage free
10.ice-cream-go with Breyers! they put it on sale a lot too!

And below are just some of the ingredients you should steer clear of. Do a little research and you'll understand why:

1. Hydrogenated or partially hydrogentated oil
2. BHA or BHT
3. Red #40
4. Aspartame
5. High Fructose Corn Syrup
6. MSG
7. Sodium Nitrite
8. caramel color

I am definitely not a nutritionist, but after reading so many articles about the negative side affects of all the crap they add in our food, I'm glad I'm a bit of a health nut.  No, I'm not perfect and yes sometimes I do use things that have artificial ingredients, or use color in some of my icings, but I try to keep it to a minimum. I'll get off my soapbox for now, but wanted to share my thoughts on eating healthy :) And if you get a chance, the documentary "Food Inc." is pretty interesting. You can find clips of it on YouTube.

Restaurant Knockoff- Friday Pasta

It's definitely not Friday (although I really wish it was and it's only Monday), and it's definitely not what you think of when you hear pasta.  I had this dish awhile back when I went to lunch one Friday with some co-workers at a restaurant downtown called Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe. It. is. awesome.  And I must say our knockoff version is just as good if not better. The restaurant version has chicken and we've made it that way too, but if you want an easy vegetarian dish, just nix it. I don't remember ever having a salad with pasta mixed in it, but it really works. Even though it has a bunch of stuff on it, it's a pretty healthy dish.  And it's super easy, not to mention cheaper to make it at home. Leftovers for lunch at work the next day is always a plus too!

Ingredients

Mixed greens (we usually buy a box of organic mixed baby greens-sometimes more expensive, but they do put it on sale a lot and I like to eat organic)
Couple of tomatos-whatever kind you like on your salad
Onion-we've used more than one kind, but used red here
Feta Cheese
Balsamic Vinegarette (same recipe we used for the veggie paninis)
Basil (unfortunately we didn't have any this time, but it's really yummy on this!
Penne Pasta (we buy whole wheat-it's better for you!)

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions (just make enough for how ever many people you'll be serving)
2. Once pasta is done, drain and let cool for just a minute or two
3. Add pasta and couple of large handfuls of mixed greens to bowl and drizzle in balsamic dressing (don't over do it, or it will be soggy)
4. Toss lettuce and pasta until evenly covered

5. Divide evenly onto plates and top with rest of ingredients



Recipe source: Adapted from Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe's "Friday Pasta"