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- 6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
- 1 1/2 pounds butternut, cut into 1-inch dice
- Natural cooking spray or olive oil, for drizzling
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper
- A little freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 pound macaroni
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 round tablespoons flour
- 3 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- A few dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- 3 cups extra-sharp cheddar, divided
- 2 cups Vita-Spelt white flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) Earth Balance, melted and cooled
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 flax seed “eggs” (2 TBSP +6 TBSP warm water)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup Sunspire vegan peanut butter chips
- 3/4 cup walnut bits
Roasted Butternut and Carrot Mac ‘n’ Cheese + Winner
October 2nd, 2012
October is here and it is the end of the Whole Grains month. Thanks to everyone who participated in the Vita-Spelt goodie package giveaway the last 4 weeks. I cannot express how delicious their products are so remember, if you did not win go to Nature’s Legacy and fill your cart with goodies.
This week Terri Cole won the goodie package. Please check your email and send me your info. Thanks!
On to a delicious recipe. I cannot believe the amount of cooking I have been able to do the last couple of days. I remember when I was pregnant last that I just was not able to be inspired or I was going through food aversions.
Even though I found out yesterday we are having ANOTHER girl (yay!), the symptoms have not been the same, which comes to show you that one can never predict what one is going to have. Ryan’s grandmother thought I was having a boy. 🙂
Anyway, I find that I get inspired to cook when the hubby is out on his longest day. I should be eating leftovers and not doing so much work but then I figure I have so much time and I see a recipe with ingredients that I already have and I am a lost cause.
What makes this recipe quick and delicious? The roasted veggies. I already roast veggies for Julianne and her mealtimes so this was an easy task. It is the spices in the recipe that bring this dish together. Thanks to Rachel Ray.
Add a big green salad and this meal is complete. We still have some and can go for several meals. We have even added chili on top! Definitely some comfort food going on here.
Roasted Carrot and Squash Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Roasted Carrot and Squash Mac ‘n’ Cheese
by Noelle Kelly /slightly adapted from Rachel Ray’s recipe
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Keywords: bake boil roast side entree lunch vegetarian vegetarian recipes on recipage butternut squash pasta carrot cheese winter fall
Ingredients (8 servings)
Instructions
Place racks in upper and lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
Arrange carrots and butternut on separate baking sheets and lightly coat in oil. Season the carrots with cumin, turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper. Season squash with salt, pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Roast carrots and squash until tender, switching the trays in the oven once, until golden at edges, about 25 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta. Add salt and under-cook pasta by a minute or two — it will continue to cook in the oven.
Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook a minute or two. Add shallots and garlic; season with mustard, salt and pepper and stir for a minute or two. Add Worcestershire then whisk in milk, bring sauce to a bubble then thicken to coat spoon.
Place half the roasted squash and carrots into food processor with vegetable stock and purée. Whisk purée into milk sauce.
Stir 2 1/2 cups of cheese into sauce; combine with pasta and half the remaining carrots and squash. Transfer to a casserole dish and top with the rest of the roast carrots and squash and cheese.
Brown casserole in the hot oven or cool it and store for a make-ahead meal. If storing, bring the casserole to room temperature before baking at 375ºF until brown and bubbly.
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Zevia Soda Review + GIVEAWAY
October 1st, 2012
I have been a fan of Zevia for quite a while now. I did not grow up drinking pop but when I got to high school and college, I became addicted to pop. Well, thanks to high fructose syrup that will do it for you. It is artificial and not healthy.
I am not a big fan of stevia even though I have people tell me that stevia tastes different depending on the company that makes it so I am still on a quest to find the perfect stevia extract for sugar substitutes. In the meantime though, stevia is my favorite in Zevia and even in some other products out there.
Zevia’s goal is to produce pop that is made from a mixture of erythritol and stevia making it a ZERO calorie pop with no artificial sweeteners.
What is Stevia? It is derived from a plant and all-natural. Check out Zevia’s explanation HERE. It also curbs sugar cravings and regulates sugar levels. How great is that?
Zevia now has 15 flavors in different stores. Not all stores carry all flavors but check out the store locator to find one near you.
Thanks to Zevia, they sent me some samples of their NEWER flavors.
Who does not like Cola with their pizza or burger? I like it occasionally and this Caffeine Free Cola was really good. I made sure that this was refrigerated too. There is no gross aftertaste and it has plenty of bubbles for fun afterwards. 🙂
Did or does anyone drink Mountain Dew? The regular pop has lots of caffeine and is like toxic green fuel. I have to say I really liked this in high school and stopped drinking it in college. What was I thinking?
What about the Zevia copycat flavor? I have to say this was my least favorite flavor. It had a medicinal aftertaste and I could not finish it. It was interesting but maybe it was just me.
I am a big flavored drinks type of person. I like flavored coffees and pops so when I saw Cherry Cola and Lime Cola in my sample box I was excited!
These were SO delicious and my favorite. I have to say that these are MY new favorite flavors. The key to drinking these is drinking them straight from the can. They have to be chilled. I find that if I pour it over ice in a glass the bubbly drink is not as fizzy.
Dr. Pepper? Yes, my hubby likes the diet pop alot and he gave this a try and enjoyed it. Now he would not give up his diet pop but at least he gave this a try and thought the flavor was comparable. I agreed. Somehow I seemed to like the dark colas that Zevia has developed.
Grapefruit Citrus Zevia was very refreshing. It is nice with a hot sandwich at lunch. The citrus aspect is not overpowering and for a clear pop I really liked this.
Overall can you tell that I like Zevia? You can sign up for coupons HERE.
Zevia has been kind to offer one of my readers to win a FREE 6-pack coupon to try this ZERO CALORIE pop.
Anyone in the US and Canada can enter.
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KLUTCHclub Box Review
September 27th, 2012
I have an interesting review for you. I was recently given the opportunity to receive a KLUTCHclub box to review. This club allows one to subscribe to receive a monthly “themed” box filled with goodies from a variety of companies.
Each month, the subscriber pays $16-18 for $50-100 worth of products that are focused around health, fitness, nutrition, beverages, supplements, and skincare. These products might be some that the subscriber might not have heard of, even products that are high-end.
What did I get? For the month of August the theme was “Health-On-The-Go” On-the-go is my middle name nowadays so the contents of the box seemed very attractive when I first opened it.
As some may know, I am now 5 months pregnant and lots of things have changed in my life again. Since moving to a new location, working out at a local gym is pretty non-existent. The other thing is finding close natural health food stores that do not break the wallet.
I was glad to see that some of the items in the box were going to help with these current issues. In the box of several items to test and try immediately, like the vitamin supplements called BioPharma Supplements. Unfortunately since I am pregnant I am not taking any other supplements other than my prenatals, flax oil and safe supplements, so I could not tell you how these were.
The same thing goes for the aloe vera juice. Aloe vera juice can cause uterine contractions and even lower blood sugar levels so I decided not to risk it.
Side note: I had a chance to see what items I was receiving this month but it did not dawn on me that I would not be able to try or test some of them until I received the box. Blame it on pregnancy brain.
I did however enjoy the fact I got to try this new online program. Seeing that I have that issue of not going workout classes, they could come to me. I have viewed some and plan to use them. I can watch them from my TV and vary my exercises.
How about the edibles? I received Popcorners Corn Chips in Sea Salt. I am totally digging the corn chip flavor nowadays and I could not believe these were not fried. All air popped and gluten-free too.
GoNola in the Wild Blueberry flavor was also included. I like granola anytime. Pour it over yogurt or oatmeal and I am happy. The size you see in the picture is how the company supply’s this product. Even though they sell this product in some stores you can buy a package of 24 for $25.
I leave the last two items last because I liked them the BEST! Every time I go to a Japanese restaurant, I always order their seaweed salad. It is fresh and healthy and addictive.
I was super excited to try this Seaweed Salad On the Go. All I had to do was add water to the seaweed, let it expand for 5 minutes and then add the seasoning pack.All healthy ingredients with no MSG.
The last item I enjoyed was the Twistband. I quickly visited the site and learned that it was created by a mother who needed to hair pulled up and away from her babies. No scrunchies or uncomfortable twisties were needed but a stylish twist band that still was able to hold up the hair in a ponytail. I loved it and it was gentle on my cranium. Ha! Anything pulled too tightly on my head gives me headaches.
Go check them out.
There are several items I did not picture but are all mostly vouchers or coupon codes to try products. Yet again, this is totally my fault for not really looking at what I was getting. I received a voucher of $50 to go towards the purchase of Tieks, which are stylish, trendy, and and high-quality flats. After using the voucher the flats would still be $100 and that certainly is not in my budget even though they are SUPER cute, I would never shell that much money. If anyone is interested I can send you my voucher by mail. Let me know!
Even though these boxes have received great reviews from others, like Shape and Glamour, I have to say that I was not THAT impressed with this box. I liked all the edibles so that is a plus.
Do not get me wrong. I am going to be on the lookout for some other KLUTCHclub boxes in the upcoming months. If anything I totally would have gone for the KLUTCHclub box in May:
Check out KLUTCHclub on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Go to their website and peruse boxes for women and men in the up and coming months. They might be of interest to some of you. Order your first month HERE
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Spelt Choco-Peanut Butter Cookies + GIVEAWAY
September 25th, 2012
Guess what I did last night? I baked! I am starting to get a hold of this multi-tasking in the kitchen. While I am preparing dinner or waiting for it to cook, I work really fast with some sort of dessert.
This coming week marks the LAST week of Whole Grains Month. This does not mean you have to stop eating while grains now but it only stops emphasizing how great grains are in one’s life. Hopefully there have been plenty of recipe to inspire healthy eating.
I realized that all my recipes during this month’s weekly giveaway were all sweet recipes. I cannot help myself but then you can;t blame me right?
I DID make savory spelt recipes but I posted these before the giveaways started. Do you remember?
Here are the recipes:
Veggie Spelt Pasta Salad
Savory Zucchini Spelt Pancakes
I also made a Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread that was super delicious! I feel like I do my best at creating dessert recipe than anything else so then I concentrate on these.
This week I decided to use one of the newer recipes posted on Nature’s Legacy that was posted in August. There is nothing better than trying a recipe that is simply perfect like these Simply Perfect Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I used the author’s base recipe and veganized it and then I added some more mixin’s to it. What was the result? A delicious and even more simply perfect cookie. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is crazy good and the walnuts make a delicious depth.
Feel free to leave out the nuts for allergies. The cookies came out nicely golden and not dry at all. These were quick cookies to prepare and they went PERFECT with a cold glass of coconut milk. YUM
Do not forget to enter this next week’s giveaway if you did not win. See below and good luck!
Who won last week’s giveaway? CLAIRE, I will be emailing you! You won the goodies.
Spelt Choco-Peanut Butter Cookies
by Noelle Kelly / Torye Santucci
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients (2 dozen)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl whisk together spelt flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
Using a whisk, beat the melted butter and brown sugar until combined. It will turn into a caramel color(1-2 minutes). Mix in the vanilla and flax “eggs” until combined (about 30 seconds).
Using a spatula, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just smooth (about 45 seconds).
Mix in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and walnuts bits.
Using a small scoop portion out 12 cookie dough balls onto each baking sheet. Space dough balls 2 inches apart.
Bake until the edges are golden but the centers are still soft and puffy for 12 minutes). Repeat with the rest of the batter to make 2 dozen cookies.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer parchment paper and cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Quick Cuban Food for the Busy Mom
September 24th, 2012
Happy Monday! Did everyone enjoy their gorgeous weekend? Fall is definitely settling in especially since Saturday was the first day of fall. How timely!
We had a beautiful Sunday going to church and learning more about our church family and getting to know more about our Creator, God Almighty. There is something about a gorgeous day and knowing that your life is secured.
We had a busy Sunday. We were invited over to a couple’s home for lunch then Ryan had a convocation at his university. Meanwhile Julianne and I walked around the West Chester downtown. People were eating outside at almost every restaurant. We saw lots of dogs and people kept gawking and saying hello to Julianne. She is SUCH a people person. She looks at everyone in the eye and give them a toothy smile. It is the most precious thing!
I was kind of nervous with the fact she had only had one 30-min nap. I tried keeping her in the stroller but she just wanted to see the action. I tried holding her and keeping her in the Ergo carrier but she would not have it. I have to say that she is very much like her mother. Despite being tired, I know I can keep myself awake so I can make the most of every moment. I am not surprised that my child is the same way. I see other parents walking their babies, all asleep in their strollers but mine forces herself to stay awake. Oh well.
We got home at around 4:30pm and well we ALL wanted to take naps. I was afraid of keeping Julianne up another 2 hours even though she had been in the BEST mood all day. I figured she needed a nap even if her bedtime was a little later than usual. I fed her and put her down. I rested realizing I could not nap but I stretched out and relaxed.
One hour went by, then two hours, three hours, and then four. I then realized perhaps Julianne would not be getting up. I felt nervous because I thought she would get us in the middle of the night thinking it was early morning and it would make for a crazy start to our week. Guess what though? Julianne fell asleep from 4:30pm to 6am this morning! I was shocked but seeing her happy face made me realize she really needed that sleep. Poor baby. She looks like she grew a half inch too.
So what did I do with all my free time yesterday evening? I watched a bit of the Emmy’s red carpet, did my bible study for my women’s study group next week, and I decided to make Cuban food.
I know some people know I have had a hankering for Cuban food the last few weeks. The closest restaurant is 45 minutes away so I knew that was not going to happen. I had been looking near and far for plantains to make my own fried platanos or platains but I could not find them ANYWHERE! I was getting very frustrated. On Saturday, while we were driving around West Chester, we found a Mexican grocery store. We stopped and I stocked up on goodies I knew I have not been able to find.
What else did I find? Plantains!!!! Yes, I get happy seeing bananas. What can I say?
Last night then I worked on frying one of the five plantains. I cooked up some white rice and I prepared black beans. It all took me about 30 minutes. how about that for some quick Cuban food?
Here is what I did. The plantains have to be VERY ripe and almost black to prepare and fry. I sliced them up, heated the vegetable oil and fried for 10 minutes.
They then were placed on a plate for the oil to soak into paper.
During that time I prepared the rice which cooked for 30 minutes.
After the fried plantains were cooked I drained the hot oil in another pan and heated some olive oil. I chopped up some onions, peppers, garlic and fried it in the pan. I added one can of black beans and added spices, like one bay leaf, cumin, oregano, tomato paste, a little vinegar and some broth.
The bean mixture simmered for 15 minutes and then I added a 1 1/2 of cooked white rice and cooked for another 5 minutes and turned off the heat. The rice soaked it the rest of the broth and flavors.
I decided not to just make rice and beans but instead I decided to make a another popular Cuban dish called Moros y Cristianos or Black Beans and Rice dish.
My craving or hankering was finally satisfied. The beauty of the this dish is that you have leftovers for the rest of the week. I have at least 2 lunches prepared and ready for me to eat. The only thing I need to do is fry some more plantains, or sweet bananas. I only had ONE ripe banana so I was somewhat sad to share them with my husband. Hahahahaha
Ryan is not a black bean eater but he came home for dinner last night and asked if I left him some plantains. Of course and some black beans too! He ate it all. How nice right?
The recipes are all found through a fabulous site called Three Guys From Miami.
How to make Fried Sweet Plantains and Moros y Cristianos (Black Beans and White Rice Dish)
Don’t forget, today is the LAST day to enter the VitaSpelt Whole Grains Giveaway Goodie Package.
