Move over pasta....here comes spaghetti squash!

Was your New Year's Resolution to eat more vegetables?  Cut down on carbs?  If yes, here's your answer, spaghetti squash.  One cup of spaghetti squash contains 10 grams of carbs compared to 43 grams of carbs in spaghetti pasta.  Spaghetti squash is packed with lots of nutrients and is low in calories - one cup is only 42 calories compared to 220 calories in regular spaghetti pasta.  I haven't even mentioned the sauce.....add the sauce and you have a meal that is bursting with vitamins, nutrients, healthy fats, and fiber!  

My sister in law, Kelly, is a master in the kitchen when it comes to squash!  Below is her recipe for spaghetti squash, it's so delicious you will be making it at least once a week....we do.  

1 large yellow or white onion, roughly chopped

1/4- 1/2 cup olive oil  (trust me- it won't taste greasy if you are generous with the olive oil)

2 cups carrots, roughly chopped

2 cups celery, roughly chopped

28 oz can of tomatoes, whole peeled (no basil, no seasoning, no salt) - if you can find a glass jar of whole peeled tomatoes, so much better- you can also use fresh tomatoes here 

salt and pepper to taste

1 - 3 pound spaghetti squash

Saute the onion over medium heat in the olive oil for 10 minutes, until golden and soft.  Add the carrots and celery, continue sauteing for another 10 minutes, until the carrots and celery start to soften. Add the tomatoes, cook for another 5 - 10 minutes.  At this point, either use an upright blender or hand immersion blender to puree the sauce.  I put the hand blender directly in the sauce, which makes quick work of pureeing.  Add salt- I use at least 1 tsp - and pepper to taste.  This sauce freezes well.  Serve over pasta or spaghetti squash.

To cook the spaghetti squash- rinse briefly under running water to remove any dirt, then cut the squash lengthwise in half.  Scrape out the seeds and other guts - you can save the seeds for another use.  Place one of the halves of squash, cut side down, in a glass or ceramic dish that can fit in the microwave, put  enough water in the dish to come up 1/4 inch. Massage olive oil on all sides of squash before cooking.  Microwave for 12 minutes or put in oven on 400 for 45 minutes or until soft.  Check the squash - touch it with a pot holder- if it is not soft to the touch, then cook for another 3-4 minutes.  Continue cooking until soft.  Once it's cooked, flip it over and let it cool a bit.  Using a pot holder to hold the squash, take a fork and scrape out the flesh- it comes apart into nice strings.  Scrape out all the way to the rind.  Use it just as you would spaghetti pasta, top the hot spaghetti squash with this tasty sauce and enjoy!

Cleanse anyone?  Please join me in a city wide cleanse, Cleanse ATX....even if you don't live in Austin, you can still take part in this 10 day cleanse from March 20-31.  Here is the info....www.cleanseatx.com  I will be participating in the juice and raw foods cleanse....I know myself and there's no way I could go 10 days on just juice....and it's only $35, but goes up if you want extra support and or food.  I will be posting my journey on my blog and would love to include other's cleanse journeys as well. 

I love this blog and get excited when I see a new post in my inbox!  
Bird and Bravery    From the Bird and Bravery blog.....
Check out this new e-shop, Via Montebello. Created by a chic American mother of two who just returned to the U.S. after living in Italy for a few years, Via Montebello showcases the impeccable style of Italian easy-living and makes it accessible all in one spot. Can't you just almost transport yourself there by poking around this gorgeous site?

The Power Pancake

You've heard breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  These Power Pancakes will give your kiddos a great start to the day and keep them full until the lunch bell rings.  This easy recipe starts with a box/bag of pancake mix and some sneaky ingredients. Power Pancakes are full of protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins and antioxidants.  This recipe can be made on the weekend and then freeze the extra pancakes for a quick school day breakfast.


Start with any package/box of pancake mix....I used Pamela's gluten free baking and pancake mix.   I followed the directions on the bag but added several additional ingredients to make it more nutritious.  

Power Pancake ingredients

 Power Pancake Recipe:
1 cup of Pamela's pancake mix (  follow the directions for measurement on bag of mix)
1 large egg  (follow direction on mix for number of eggs)
3/4 cup of hemp milk (instead of water use milk or dairy substitute)
1 TBSP of organic virgin coconut oil (or omit the oil)
1/2 can of pure pumpkin or small sweet potato 
1 TBSP of blackstrap molasses 
chia seeds  (with chia and flax, start off with small amount until you get used to it, so you might want to start off with a big pinch)
ground flax seeds 
ground cinnamon to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a high power blender or food processor or mix by hand, it will just take longer.  If mix is too dry add more milk or if too runny add more mix or pumpkin/sweet potato.  Pour 1/4 cup batter onto a pre-heated, lightly oiled griddle, flip once.  Serve immediately and enjoy!  If you're making these for weekday breakfast, double the recipe.  Let extra pancakes cool and then put in freezer.

A cute reindeer pancake mold from Williams - Sonoma

I prematurely flipped the reindeer pancake over and batter went all over the pan, so I had to go with plan B, but still a Christmas theme. 

Plan B...a snowman with cashew butter, blueberries, and raisins.

While your pancake is still hot add your favorite nut butter, it just melts on the pancake, and some local honey and enjoy!  Don't put anything on the pancakes you're going to freeze.

Original recipe as shown on the bag of pancake mix:

1 cup of Pamela's pancake mix

1 large egg

3/4 cup water

1  TBSP oil

Have a Happy Healthy Holiday!

If you're curious what nutrients are in those hidden ingredients, go to World's Healthiest Foods website http://www.whfoods.com  and type in the ingredient(s) in the revised recipe.

I am no expert, just a Mom who is passionate about learning more about the relationship between food and good health.

Tis the Season of Sugar.......

Tis the Season of Sugar……

This is my favorite time of year for so many reasons, but it’s also the season of excess sugar. 

Nancy Appleton, author of the book Suicide by Sugar, has compiled a list of 140 reasons why sugar is ruining your health.  Here are several that pertain to children: suppresses your immune system, causes hyperactivity, anxiety, inability to concentrate, crankiness, tooth decay, learning disorders, eczema, food allergies and asthma…..just to name a few.

Parents who would not give their children candy for breakfast may be unknowingly giving their children food with the sugar equivalent.  At least with candy you  know what you’re getting.  Any food company can slap the word(s) healthy and/or 100% natural on any packaging, but these words are meaningless.  The FDA and USDA don’t regulate these words on products so they can be used freely and meant to sell more products. 

Here is a look at popular breakfast/snack items that are loaded with sugar…..who knew?

Did you know that McDonald’s oatmeal (ok, oatmeal, you think healthy) has more sugar than a Snickers bar?  And it has 10 fewer calories than a McDonald’s cheeseburger!  Their Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfait has as much sugar as a Payday Bar.

After seeing Supersize Me, I am grossed out by McDonald's and their practices, so this doesn’t surprise me.

Highly recommend this movie. It will make your stomach turn!

Some Cliff Bars have more sugar than a Pop Tart…..

Healthy Valley Strawberry Cobbler Cereal Bars have as much sugar as a bowl of M&M’s.  

  =

You can see the list of energy “health” bars and their sugar equivalent at

 Calories, Carbs, Sugar, and Fat: 25 Energy Bars vs. 25 Candy Bars | Blisstree

A Strawberry NutriGrain bar has as much sugar as 5 packs of SweeTarts.

Frosted Mini Wheats with Skim Milk has as much sugar as 1 Nestle Crunch bar.

Banana Berry Jamba Juice has as much sugar as 4 Mounds bars. 

Blueberry Eggos with syrup has as much sugar as 2 Almond Joy bars.

Honey Smacks Cereal has as much sugar as a Dunkin Donut glazed donut.

Maple Brown Sugar Quaker Instant Oatmeal has the sugar equivalent of 

7 Pixy Sticks.

1 serving of Gatorade has as much sugar as 12 pieces of candy corn.

 

According to Dr. Sears, a well renown pediatrician, having complex carbohydrates and protein for breakfast gives our kids a good head start on the day.

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/family-nutrition/brain-foods/10-balanced-breakfasts

Next blog topic…..nutritious breakfast ideas that you can make in advance, making the morning routine a little easier. 

On a sugar side note…..I have had something called Candida, which thrives on any kind of sugar, natural or processed.  It can cause a wide variety of symptoms and make you feel horrible.   After completing my 2^nd food bases cleanse I feel like a new person.  My Candida is almost completely gone, no fibromyalgia symptoms and 95% of my perimenopause symptoms gone….yes, gone and it was done ALL naturally (no RX's) while eating tons of nutrient dense foods. I have finally kicked sugar to the curb!

 I feel great and am telling everyone about the Love Life Method.  Please see my journey below…..it has been life changing for me!

http://lovelifemethod.blogspot.com/2011/11/ali-fights-candida-and-wins.html

A better peanut butter and jelly sandwich....

With peanuts being one of the most common food allergies and schools going peanut free, you might want to take this opportunity to experiment with other nuts.  What's really in your peanut butter anyway?  Shouldn't it just be nuts?

Take a look at the ingredients in Jiff Reduced Fat PB

JIF, PEANUT BUTTER, REDUCED FAT, CRUNCHY INGREDIENTS: Peanuts, Corn Syrup Solids, Sugar, and Soy Protein, Contains 2 Percent or Less of Fully Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Fully Hydrogenated Rapeseed Oil and Fully Hydrogenated Soybean Oil), Salt, Mono And Diglycerides, Molasses, Niacinamide, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Ferric Orthophosphate, and Copper Sulfate. Look for simple ingredients like nuts and salt....the more the better is not the case with nut butters. One of the easiest school lunch items is a nut butter and jelly sandwich. Three of our favorite peanut butter alternatives are walnut butter, almond butter, and cashew butter. With a little creativity you can make this easy sandwich a nutritional powerhouse. Most health food stores will have freshly ground nut butters in their bulk section.  I love shopping at my local co-op grocer, who always has raw and roasted, organic and conventional nut butters in bulk.  Bulk is a great way to try and sample different kinds of nut butters without having to buy a big jar.  Walnut butter is getting lots of attentions these days.  Walnuts are one of the most nutrient-dense food sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential omega-3 fatty acid. They are the only nut that contains a significant amount of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, 2.6 grams per ounce, almost 9 times more than the next closest nut!  You will pay for what you get,  I bought some walnut butter this weekend and it was $18.99 a pound…ouch! It’s a great nut butter to mix along with other nut butters if you want to buy just a small amount, but still get some of the wonderful nutrients. Almond butter can typically be tolerated by most people,  making it a beneficial substitute for peanut butter.  Almonds are rich in antioxidants and contain important vitamins and minerals including vitamin E, vitamin B2, magnesium and calcium. Almonds and almond butter help lower cholesterol, help with weight control, lower blood pressure, control blood sugar and are good for your heart.  Hold please, I am off to get a spoonful of almond butter. Cashew butter – there’s nothing creamier and more satiating than this rich nut butter.  Cashew butter is a great source of vegetarian protein. Cashew butter is also a source of most of the B vitamins, which are essential to red blood cell health and metabolism. Cashew butter is one of the good sources for anti-oxidants plus it also contains heart healthy fats which are the same found in olive oil.  My Mom turned me onto my new favorite nut butter, NuttZo. It's almost impossible to find after Dr. Oz recommended it on his show.  There are two varieties of nuts and seeds, one with peanuts and one without.  The NuttZo nut and seed butters range from $13.99-$16.99 a jar. Ingredients:  Raw Organic Cashews, Organic Almonds, Organic Brazil Nuts, Raw Organic Chia Seeds, Organic Flax Seeds, Organic Hazelnuts, Raw Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Sea Salt.  I love that my "hidden" ingredients are already in this nut butter.  This is one case where more ingredients are better. As for jelly, make sure FRUIT is listed as the first ingredient.  Lots of jellies, jams and marmalade have SUGAR as the first ingredient.  I like to buy raspberry or strawberry  jelly and mash fresh raspberries or strawberries into the jelly while spreading it on the bread.  Local honey is a jelly alternative.  We love Stroope Honey Farms Texas Brand Pure Raw Unfiltered Wildflower Honey from Pearland, Texas....it taste like maple syrup....yum!   Tips: Always refrigerate your nut butters after opening Avoid any nut butters with hydrogenated oils or anything you can't pronounce Nut butters are a great way to hide flax and chia seeds and if it's a crunchy nut butter I will even add local bee pollen. Nut butters are delicious mixed/melted in a hot bowl of oatmeal, added to pancake and waffle mix, and even spread on top of pancakes or on toast in the morning. Here are all the "hidden" ingredients that I used for a cashew butter and jelly sandwich and coconut yogurt. I am no expert, just a Mom who is passionate about learning more about the relationship between food and good health.