True Love

‎"Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself-and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to-letting a person be what he really is."

- Jim Morrison

I tried

I tried really, really hard this weekend to like butternut squash.  I really did try.  But I just don't  :(

Spaghetti Squash with Chili

Spaghetti Squash with Chili
Slightly adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 spaghetti squash
8 ounces lean ground turkey  (93/7 % or 99/1%)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
14 ounce can Rotel (or equivalent), drained
15 ounce can corn, drained
8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste (if you don't have that's okay)
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed

If you have never cooke spaghetti squash before, it's really not bad I promise.  You can either bake or microwave it.  I choose to bake mine because it could bake as I was making the chili.
To bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds and middle (as you would a pumpkin).  Place the squash halves with the cut sides down and the rind side up on a baking sheet or in a baking dish.  Cook for ~30-45 minutes.  I set my timer for 30min and they were done.  Just poke with a fork to check.  Be careful when you turn them over because the trapped steam is what helps them cook.  Use a fork to softly scrap out the flesh, which comes out in string like strands.
To microwave: cut and clean in the same manner.  Place one half in a baking dish with ~1/4 cup water.  Cover and microwave for ~8-10 minutes.  Do the same for the second half.

For the chili:  In a medium saucepan cook ground turkey, onion, and garlic until meat is fully cooked and onion is tender.  Season with a little salt and pepper while cooking.  Drain off any fat.
Stir in Rotel, corn, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, and oregeno.  Simmer, unconvered, for 10 minutes or desired consistency.

Top spaghetti squash with chili.  Yum!  I liked it!  And I love being able to use spaghetti squash more in the fall and skip the pasta!

Product Review

Del Monte Fruit Naturals - Mixed Berries

Yuck!

I don't really like fruit cups, I'd much rather eat the real fruit.  And I'm not a big juice fan, all the calories and sugar with decreased vitamins/minerals and fiber.  But I had a BOGO free coupon for these fruit cups.  They are found in the refrigerated fruit/juice section and are in 100% juice...hence "natural"

I thought the mixed berries looked awesome because it is rare to find blackberries and blueberries in a fruit cup.  Plus these berries are more expensive and I can eat an entire package in one sitting!  Please remember this review is my personal opinion, and I just feel like sharing from an RD and personal point of view.

What's in these natural berries?  Blueberries, blackberries, reconstituted white grape juice, calcium lactate, natural flavor, ascorbic acid (to protect color), citric acid, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate (to preserve quality).   Why do my natural berries need natural flavors? Or natural things to preserve quality?

6 ounce cup, 100 calories.  Did you know you can have about 1.3 cups of blueberries or 1.5 cups of blackberries for ~100 calories?

Now for taste...yuck!  Do you see the color of my blackberry?  The flavor of the berries was extra sweet and kinda fake flavored, which I'm not really a fan of.

I was gonna check the price on these to compare w/ the real fruit but forgot.

Bottom line I hated this and couldn't even finish either cup (I tried with both cups).  Can't wait to buy me some fresh blueberries & blackberries!!

Love in my heart

"I will greet this day with love in my heart.  And how will I do this?  Henceforth will I look on all things with love and I will be born again.  I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars.  I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul.  I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge."

- Og Mandino

Tuscan Ribollita

Tuscan Ribollita

Recipe found on Shutterbean & slightly adapted

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 - 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
3 - 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained
1 1/2 cups chicken or  vegetable broth
1 sprig fresh rosemary (if you have, I actually didn't have this & sprinkled in some dried Italian herbs instead)

salt & pepper to taste
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped  (I had a really HUGE bunch of kale so just used about 2 cups tightly packed)

1 cup toasted bread crumbs
grated Parmesan 

Directions:
1. In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the garlic, onion, carrot, & celery ingredients in the olive oil for 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juices, along with the beans, broth & rosemary.  Salt and pepper a little.  Simmer, covered until the beans break apart, about an hour. (I did a pretty hard simmer to help the beans break apart)
3. Add the kale and cook for 5 to 7 mins more. Stir in the bread crumbs and serve sprinkled with cheese.

*I found the crucial thing about this recipe is the breakdown of some of the beans therefore making this not a soup.  My beans didn't fall apart very easily so I made sure to stir a lot and had to break up some beans & my whole tomatoes on my own.  I had a can of tomatoes larger than the recipe called for so I decreased the broth.  In the end my version had a little more liquid than the pictures on her blog so I added more breadcrumbs.  All in all it thickened up a little & although it didn't look quite like her pics it was still not a soup and was super filling, hearty, and flavorful.

*Lets talk health and flavor a little....I knew this recipe was right up my alley but might bore some others.  I was worried it might be a little bland since I left out the pancetta but I was amazing and excited and how super flavorful it was!!  I think I'd like to give an extra big thanks to my onions for breaking apart as well to make this dish scrumptious!  And talk about nutrition!!!  Vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, phytochemical, and fiber packed!!!  

LOVE THIS!

"Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel there is something special in them. Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger." 

- Christian D. Larsen