Nutrition Bites #2 and Spaghetti Squash

Nutrition Bites #2

Try making the recipe below with a lean protein source such as lean ground beef or ground turkey breast. This will help make a balanced meal which is Sara B Principle #2 - Balanced Meals. I teach my clients what balance looks like throughout the day so they are best fueled and feel great!

Fall is definitely the season for squash. Not only does it taste better right now but it's good for the budget too.

Because of this I try to take advantages of all varieties including the spaghetti squash!

I'm guessing a lot of you have never tried this kind before because we are unfamiliar with how to prepare it. It's not the sweet flavored ones that only require a little honey or brown sugar.

so how do you prepare....easy...just like spaghetti!

Instructions:

First split the squash into two halves longways. cook upside down in pan with about 1/2 inch of water. bake at about 400 for 45ish minutes. You know the squash is done when you can flake the strings off the inside with a fork.

Serve with pasta sauce and enjoy!

you will have to excuse my absence from the rest of the week...my sister gets married Saturday!

Congrats Kelli...soon to be Mrs. Brown!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good...

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Vegetable Hash

Tonight's dinner consisted of any vegetables I could get my hands on! I have to give compliments to my Uncle Jim because all the veggies and my giant gourd came from his farm in Oto, Iowa.

Vegetable Hash

Ingredients:
from Clean Eating Magazine with of course a Sara touch

3/4 lb small new potatoes, left unpeeled, halved (not really sure how many 3/4lbs is...so I used about 4 cups sliced in half)

1 small acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

3 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

olive oil cooking spray

4 tsp olive oil, divided

1/4 onion minced or 2 shallots

2 cups broccoli, shredded

1/2 C green pepper, red, yellow...whatever you have

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425F. In bowl, lightly toss potatoes and squash with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Place on baking sheet misted with cooking spray. Drizzle 2 tsp olive oil over veggies and gently toss. Bake for 25 minutes or till potatoes are tender. Stir every 10 minutes.

Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. saute onions, broccoli, and bell peppers for 1 minute. Add potato-squash mixture and cook for 5 minutes or until heated.

I served it over eggs to add some protein to the meal.

J topped his with some of these colorful, sweet and hot peppers...all from Uncle Jim.

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good...

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Pumpkin Day!

It's literally snowing leaves at our house! Check out the skylights in our kitchen...plastered with big, colorful, wet leaves.

So because we live in and amongst trees, we don't have any neighbors to enjoy my festive front porch display...so I thought I would post in on here :)

the giant gourd and little gourds are compliments of my Uncle Jim! I had a baby pumpkin but the chipmunks took off with it!

look at all those leaves!

Today I carved the big pumpkin on our porch and roasted it's seeds.

Roasted pumpkin seeds are sooo yummy and nutritious. The health benefits are plentiful due to their content of vitamins and minerals including magnesium and zinc.

I enjoy the seeds as a satisfying snack throughout the day or a nice accent to a salad.

oh and did I mention they are a breeze to make!?

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

After removing seeds from pumpkin, place in bowl filled with water. Remove all slimy pumpkin guts.

Spray pan and seeds with olive oil or cooking spray. sprinkle with sea salt. bake at 325F for 25 minutes, stirring every 10. Enjoy!

I also made the oh-so-good mix of peanuts and candy corn for J to take hunting this weekend

and of course another batch of the panel approved Pumpkin Cran Muffins...so good!

to come...veggie hash and spaghetti squash

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Italy Honeymoon #2 More food...more sights

Positano

picnic lunch on the beach...whole wheat crackers, mozzarella, pesto, apple slices and of course...wine
Rome

some famous dessert called Trafuto...it costs a pretty penny, but man is it chocolaty!

these drinking fountains are everywhere....good, cold, refreshing water...try not to look at the mossy growth and rusty structure

Florence

writing in my journal about all my fabulous experiences in Italy

best cheesecake and bread pudding at a restaurant called 4 Leoni

Wine Country - Tuscany

BEAUTIFUL countryside! almost as pretty as Iowa's :)

we met Iris at the bar the night before and she offered us a private wine tour at the winery she works at...sweeet!

grapes fermenting

we had several picnics to help stick to our budget...pesto, fresh mozzarella, salami
Sienna

biggest calzone EVER
Cinque Terre

we had gelato everyday...sometimes twice :)

we went hiking and about 4 miles in lived this Italian who made his own wine...that's his house...

talk about ocean front property!

J's lunch...not mine

Venice

fish market...check out the sword on that fish

uh..nasty

you don't see this in the freezer aisle at you local Hy-Vee

peppers.....or flowers

J trying to decide if he should have more wine or espresso..so tough to decide

drinking wine on the ferry ride to Venice...even cheap wine was good wine

see Italy Honeymoon #1 to view our experiences in Amalfi Coast!

Until next time...

look good, do good, feel good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Sara B's Nutrition Bites #1 and Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

I am making a new addition to my blog today!
In conjunction with my healthified recipes, I will be giving short and sweet Nutrition Bites based off my Sara B Principles to a healthy lifestyle!
This should be a nice side to the delectable dishes!

Principle #5 Clean Eating=Less is Best
of course, with food, the closer to nature = the less ingredients = more nutritious.
for example oatmeal...only ingredient OATS! Eggs..Eggs! Apples...Apples!
However, in those time where you do buy packaged foods...cereal, bread, pasta sauce, granola bars... here are
4 Ingredients to limit or avoid in packaged foods
1. Hydrogenated Oils aka TRANS FATS...never ever should you eat something with this in it...NEVER!
2. High Fructose Corn Syrup aka HFCS...avoid! Don't believe those snazzy commercials "but it's corn"...right
3. Bleached or enriched flour aka it's a white starch...even if on the front of the package it say "wheat" it's manufactures sneaky way of tricking the consumer...instead the first ingredient must say whole wheat or whole grain.
4. Sugar...this can be tough to do with soo many products having sugar. At least make sure it's not in the first 5 ingredients. When cooking try to use honey or agave nectar in replacement of sugar...they are a more nutrient dense foods meaning they offer vitamins and minerals!


Phew...that was a lot to digest ;)


RECIPE TIME!


Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients:
1 C brown rice (I used Uncle Ben's 90 second rice...brown and wild rice flavor..good spices)
1 medium head green cabbage
1 lb extra lean ground beef or turkey breast
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 ripe Roma tomatoes, seeded, cored and diced
1 tsp rosemary ...you could use dried oregano for a different flavor
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 C whole wheat bread crumbs
2 large egg whites
Instructions:
Cook rice according to directions.
Fill large pot with water and bring to a boil. Pour water over cabbage head in colander. This will help loosen the leaves. (May need to actually soak it as I had a hard time removing them)
Remove 8-9 leaves and set aside. Chop the rest of the cabbage up for a stir fry, soup...
In large skillet, saute meat until no longer pink. Add onions and cook till no longer translucent. Add tomatoes, spice, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Saute for 2 minutes.
remove from heat. In large bowl mix rice, bread crumbs, and egg white together. Then add meat mixture together.
Stuff cabbage!

Demo from Clean Eating Mag
Place 1/2 cup of mixture in cabbage. Fold edges in and roll. Secure with toothpick.
Bake at 375F for about 45 minutes

I had a bit of trouble removing my leaves so I made open faced rolls :) tasted just as good!

This is what they should look like..compliments of Clean Eating Magazine

Although mine were not as pretty...they tasted amazing...this recipe is a keeper according to my taste panel of one...Jeremy!

soon to come...more Italy food pics and Veggie Hash

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/