Butternut Squash Delight

Squash is a wonderful winter vegetable that is abundant this time of year. Not only is it delicious, but it has high-fiber, low calories, and essential nutrients!
One of the biggest problems I know we all have is...okay I bought it..what do I do next?  Let me take you through a tasty, easy, and quick way to incorporate squash into your diet.  You can buy one from the grocery store and cut it into chunks (with your husbands chain saw)...
OR

 Buy pre-chopped organic squash (mine is from Costco
which you can find in the refrigerated produce section.)

Pour the squash onto a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.
Add salt, pepper and cumin.
You could be finished here and put it in the oven.

Or.... you can keep adding by sprinkling chopped red onions into the mix:

And you can even add some finely chopped apples! (Really a delicious touch)

Next, place the tray in the oven at 350º Fahrenheit.
 (I used 300º on convection) for around 45 minutes.

  

It really depends on how you like it.
 If you take it out after 45 minutes... it will be great and look like this:

Or....you can leave it in a little longer and the oil carmelizes with all the other ingredients making it taste very sweet.

What? The next day roasted vegetable salad!  Delicious!

Squash is a powerhouse health food that can help build your immune system during the long winter months... And with this easy way of cooking it, you can enjoy it throughout the holidays with no stress.  

One cup of Butternut squash Roasted in 1 tbsp Olive Oil = 122 calories

By the way - Cumin is said to decrease allergy symptoms and reduce heartburn, improve digestion and is a good source of iron, magnesium and calcium... 

( p.h.d. jonny boden- 150 healthiest foods on earth).

Figs, Figs, Figs!

A few years ago, after remodeling my house and yard, I realized that instead of planting more ornamental trees I wanted fruit trees.  I looked around at my friend's yards and fell in love with the large, beautifully shaped leaves on the majestic fig tree. I decided to plant a fig tree of my

own in a special spot in my yard.  Whenever I see the tree it always makes me smile.  Since it takes a few years for trees to start yielding fruit, last year was actually the first year that I started to see prolific progress in the production of fruit from my new favorite tree.  I gave most of the figs away... saying that I didn’t really like figs and mostly just appreciated the tree for its beauty– I hate to admit that we wasted a lot of them in the past…  However, this year has been a different story – with focusing on eating healthier and enjoying things from the earth, and the fact that my daughter gave me a food dryer for my birthday, I decided to dry my apples and figs – WOW!!!!  They tasted soooooooooooo good – I keep drying and drying... and my children and friends keep eating.  Then my daughter told me about how nutritious figs are… and now I am trying to find a spot for another tree!!!  LOL! 

It makes me so happy to have the tree – thank you to my daughter for giving me such a thoughtful gift for my birthday (the dehydrator that is now in use 24/7)  and to my brainiac daughter for discovering for us the health benefits of eating figs…

Here are just a few:

Calcium Rich- Figs are an excellent source of calcium, which supports bone health and growth, and diminishes one's chances of developing osteoporosis. According to the book 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, "a mere six figs give you 82 mg of calcium and 34mg of magnesium…which is more than three times the amount in a glass of orange juice."

Excellent Potassium Content- Potassium not only helps to lower high blood pressure, but it can blunt the effects of sodium intake. According to 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, “people who eat potassium- rich foods like figs, have lower rates of heart disease and stroke.”

Fiber High-  According to 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,  “Research from Harvard University has shown that men with the highest dietary fiber intake had a 40% reduction in heart attacks compared to men eating the least fiber.”  The PHD Jonny Bowden continues, stating: “High- fiber diets have also been shown to be associated with better blood sugar control and with much better weight control.”

Good Source of Iron-  According to livestrong.com,  “A 1/2-cup serving of dried figs contains 1.5 mg of iron. Iron is an essential mineral needed to help transport oxygen in your blood. Without enough iron in your diet, delivery of oxygen to your cells decreases, causing you to feel tired and weak and more susceptible to infection.”

While I have been dehydrating my figs and just eating them by the handful, you can find dried figs at your local grocery store.  The images below show the before and after of the dehydration process:

I love this way of eating figs!  If you have any fig recipes that you love, send me an email at shannon@shannonmymom.com!  I would love to see and try new ways to eat these wholesome fruits.

-Shannon

Easy Red Lentil Soup

One of our favorite recipes is from my good friend Byron Elton. It fits right in with the J.J. Virgin way of eating and is so delicious! Here's the recipe:

Serves 8

• 2 cups of red lentils, rinsed

• 8 cups of water or vegetable stock

• 1 large onion, diced

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

• 2 carrots, finely chopped

• 1 tsp each of ground cumin, turmeric & paprika

• Sea salt and pepper to taste

• Avocado and fresh lemon juice for garnish

Directions:

1. Wash lentils. Combine them with water or stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat

and simmer until lentils are tender. Seasonwith sea salt and pepper to taste. I like to use

four cups of water and four cups of vegetable stock.

2. Meanwhile, saute the onion, garlic, celery and carrots in the olive oil over a low heat until

transparent. Add the spices, stir thoroughly and add mixture to the lentils.

3. Add fresh lemon juice and avocado chunks just before serving.

4. Garnish with parsley, paprika and yogurt, if desired.

5. Say a blessing on the food and remember to credit Byron for the recipe

Thai Chickpea Curry with Coconut Rice

One of the goals for this page is to collect great recipes that fit in with out new way of eating. We found this recipe on the How Sweet It Is blog and made a few minor changes. It's great to know that things can be so delicious and nutritious! 

 YIELD: SERVES 2 TO 4

TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES

©2013 How Sweet It Is. Design by Purr

ingredients: 

coconut rice

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
1 1/2 cups light canned coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut water
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

chickpea curry

1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 leeks, cleaned, trimmed + sliced

1 red pepper, sliced (more if you like)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

2 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste

1/2 cup sugar snap peas, cut into thirds

14-ounces coconut milk

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

3 tablespoons freshly torn cilantro

Coconut Rice

Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat and add rice, coconut milk, coconut water and salt. Stir, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook for 15-18 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork, then stir in coconut oil 

Chickpea Curry

While the rice is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the coconut oil. Stire in the leeks, red peppers, salt and pepper and stir to toss. Cover and cook until the vegetables have slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic, ginger and curry paste and stir to coat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the peas and coconut milk Increase heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stire in the chickpeas and cilantro and cook for 5 minutes more. Taste and season additionally if desired.

Serve immediately with the coconut rice! 

Taken and adapted from How Sweet it Is Blog  http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/07/easy-chickpea-curry-with-coconut-rice/

A New Way of Eating...

I had a friend share with me this book during one of our morning walks.  It was during a usual conversation about how frustrated I was with my weight.  I have been struggling my whole life.  I have tried everything (more about that later).  However nothing seemed to work.  I was starting to believe that I had no willpower, and that I was destined to struggle and that I would never be able to understand my body.  So being the good friend she was she offered advice in a loving way – being a typical person I told her “no thank you”.  I was sure that I could do it.  I had heard everything.  I would figure it out and keep plugging along.  After a while I realized that there were times in my life when people had asked for advice and I feel like I had something that would help.  But alas, being human we all want to just try doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result, we don’t want to change anything (that my friends is the definition of insanity…)  So, I decided to read her book out of courtesy to her.  Well, hold on my friends… this book has become a life saver.  I was able to drop 15 lbs so far and I have more energy than is normal.  Some of my disorders about my relationship with food are slipping away… so here is the book.  I want to share it.  I want to tell everyone about it.  It makes so much sense, I have been slowly learning all of these things over the last few years or a lifetime but now here it is in a book- it makes it easy to do it makes it easy to pass on.  When you first read it you think wow – she is taking everything out of my diet..

However I feel exactly the opposite, I now feel like I have more options – by taking out the seven foods she list – she has opened up a whole new world.  On this blog right now, I want to share with you some practical ideas on how to integrate these things into your own life for you and for your family.  So far everyone that I have shared it with has had results like weight loss and feeling better.  I hope to share your story as well.  

This is a new blog but if you want more ideas I have a facebook group called “shannonmymom” and that is where we have been uploading ideas and recipes.  If you ask to join I will add you.  This has become a big family and community project.  I want you to be part of the revolution.

Here we go…
shannonmymom