Roasted Kobocha Squash

Ok, I'll be honest. When I first heard about roasting Kobocha squash, the first thing that popped into my mind was that fizzy Kombucha drink which I am NOT a fan of. Since the names are similar, I assumed they were derived from the same plant. WRONG! The Kobocha squash is nothing like the sour, fizzy drink. LOL. We all make mistakes :) I saw a post on another blog where the gal seemed to make kobocha squash almost daily! She ate even prepared it for breakfast and ate it with a a variety of tasty toppings!  This of course, prompted my interest. After seeing them around Jimbos for a few weeks, I decided to give them a shot. WOW! They are amazing! Nothing like I thought. They are nutty, sweet, and a little like sweet potatoes. These tasty little treasures are packed with bete-carotene, iron, B vitamins, and more!! And, even better - it's low in calories!!! Only about 40 kcals per cup! So I scoured the internet for recipes and found a very simple and very tasty one from Nom-Nom Paleo! Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium kabocha squash
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 F, rinse the squash under running water, and dry it.

Cut squash in half. It might be easier to cut off the top and bottom in order to expose the flesh. From there, it is easier to cut in half.

Next, clean out the seeds and stringy bit.

Slice up each of the halves (like cantaloupes)

Toss in a bowl with some melted coconut oil, salt and pepper.

Arrange on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.

Remove from oven and ENJOY!!!

The original recipe is from Nom-Nom Paleo and can be found at http://nomnompaleo.com/post/11136213353/roasted-kabocha-squash

Weekly Meal Plan March 11

So now that all of the crazy studying is over, I have free time again and can put more attention to my blog. In the next few weeks, I’d like to experiment with some different ingredients and recipes. This week I picked up a kabocha squash from Jimbos. I’m not sure yet on how to cook it, but once I find an appetizing recipe, I’ll be sure to post. J Also, I ordered some ‘creamed coconut’ which is supposed to resemble a cross between coconut butter and coconut milk (I think). I’m going to try to incorporate some recipes using it next week. Apparently, you can add it to just about anything to make it creamy AND you can also use it for PALEO baking e.g. brownies, cookies, etc. More to come on that one….I also plan to start experimenting making my own protein bars. I currently buy protein bars from Quest Nutrition (natural line only). They taste great and have 160 calories and 20 grams of protein! They are great in a pinch. Only drawback is they’re about $2 a bar L I hope to be able to come up with a comparable homemade version for a fraction of the cost! *fingers crossed* It’s so nice to be able to have a healthy, tasty ‘go-to’ snack. More to come…

Here is the weekly meal plan for this week. I have two more weeks of Spanish on Wednesdays. After that, I’ll start to have a meal planned for each night. Enjoy!

Weekly Menu

Monday: Scrumptious Slow Cooker Chicken with broccoli

Tuesday: Grilled mahi-mahi, kale, and roasted kabocha Squash

Wednesday:- *class* Urban Plates!

Thurs: Spaghetti Squash with veggies and meat sauce

Friday: Mahi-mahi fish tacos with beans & roasted corn

Top 12 Fruits and Vegetables to buy Organic

Do to high concentrations of pesticides, herbicides, and other harmful chemicals commonly used on conventional food, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) provides an annual list of the top foods that you should ALWAYS buy organic. Please find the details from the most recent findings. You can find the EWG's complete report on their website: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/

Weekly Meal Plan Feb 24th

Another weekend has flown by, and it's time to get ready for the work week. I decided to try to change things up a bit this week to get a little more variety. I will be posting recipes separately this week. Enjoy!!!

Sunday:
French Chicken in a Pot (sounds fancy, but super easy and tasty)! served with baked acorn squash and sauteed swiss chard. I will post the recipe shortly!

Monday - Stacked Chicken Enchiladas with beans and corn.

Tuesday - Meatloaf patties served with roasted carrots, mushrooms, and onions; and steamed green beans. I add shredded zucchini and carrots, a little balsamic vinegar, and some Parmesan to the patties to get a little extra veggies in :)

Wednesday: Class night. Urban Plates!

Thursday: Coconut & Almond Crusted Mahi-Mahi, served with sauteed kale & onions, and butternut squash soup. I use shredded coconut and almond meal for the crust and an egg wash to make it all stick together. You can bake or pan fry in coconut oil :)

Friday: Curried Red Lentils & Chickpeas. This recipe is pretty simple and loaded with flavor! I will post this recipe shortly!!

Saturday: Leftovers!

Weekly Meal Plan February 19th

Another week has flown by. Last weeks meals got a little hectic, and we ended up skipping the short ribs and having protein shakes instead. So, needless to say, they are back on the menu for this week :)  here it goes....

Sunday: Korean short ribs

Monday: Spaghetti squash with meat and veggie sauce

Tuesday: White bean chili with chicken

Wednesday: leftovers or urban plates (class night for both of us)

Thursday: Salmon crusted with potato chips; sauteed kale and onions
* recipe at end of post

Friday: chicken street tacos with beans and fire roasted corn

Saturday: sweet potato, broccoli, and black bean mash.

Salmon with potato chip crust

Ingredients:
2 pieces of wild salmon
1 cup of sea salt and vinegar potato chips
Dijon mustard

Directions:
Place salmon on a broiling pan skin side down and broil for approximately 6 to 7 mins or to your desired "doneness".

While salmon is broiling, crush about 1 cup of the potato chips as finely as you can.  I usually just pit the chips in a bowl, cover with a napkin, and smash away.

When salmon is done, pull out of oven. Smear enough Dijon mustard on top of fish to cover. This will act as a glue to hold the chip crumbs

Next, layer the chip crumbs on the fish over the mustard. Pat down to make sure they stick. You can add as much or as little as you'd like. I like the salty flavor so I put a nice thick layer.

Put the fish back under the broiler for 2-3 mins or until the crust is golden brown.
*** Be sure to keep the fish far enough away from the broiler so that the oil from the chips does not catch fire. I have done this! I usually adjust the oven racks to allow for plenty of clearance between the fish and the flame :)

Once the desired brown ring is reached, remove from the oven and serve  :)

Weekly Meal Plan - Feb 11 2013

This week will be a little hectic at our house. Therefore, I will be relying on my trusty Crock pot to help us get through it :) The best thing about the Crock pot is you can make extra food without the extra effort. I like to take advantage and make enough for at least 1-2 extra meals. I have included the two Crock pot recipes at the end of this post.

Eet smakelijk!

Monday: Grilled Red Snapper served with sauteed bak choy & onions, and left over mashed butternut squash.

Tuesday: Celebrating out 62 months anniversary! Dining out :)

Wednesday: Crock pot Chicken with rainbow carrots, parsnips, and broccoli.

Thursday: Crock pot Korean short ribs with sweet potatoes and kale

Friday: Spaghetti squash with butternut squash sauce, veggies, and ground beef.


Slow Cooker Chicken recipe by Everyday Paelo
http://everydaypaleo.com/scrumptious-slow-cooker-chicken/

2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

3 parsnips

3 carrots

4 celery stalks

1 red onion

10-12 whole garlic cloves

¼ cup coconut oil

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon rubbed sage

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Cut the parsnips, carrots, celery, and onion into large chunks making sure that the carrots and parsnips are cut roughly the same size for even cooking.  Place the chicken in the crockpot and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.  On top of the chicken layer the onions and whole garlic cloves followed by the parsnips, carrots, and celery. In a glass measuring cup mix together the chicken broth, coconut oil, thyme and sage (it helps to melt the coconut oil first in the microwave).  Pour this mixture evenly over the chicken and veggies and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 7.

Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs recipe by Food Renegade

http://www.foodrenegade.com/slow-cooker-korean-short-ribs/

The Players:

• 6 lbs. TWR grass-fed beef short ribs (bone-in) 
• 1 Asian pear
• 6 garlic cloves
• 4 green onions
• 1 in. cube of ginger
• 1 c. homemade or store-bought beef stock 
• ¾ c. naturally-fermented soy sauce 
• 1 tbsp. raw honey 
• salt, pepper, and cilantro to taste

The Equipment:

• Blender 
• Slow-Cooker

The How-To:

Salt & pepper ribs generously, place on a lined baking sheet bone side up, and oven broil for 4-6 minutes on each side. Place short ribs in the slow cooker. Chop the pear, green onions, ginger and garlic, then purée together with soy sauce and honey. Pour this mixture over the ribs, making sure to set aside a cup for later. Top the pot with beef stock, cover the lid, and cook low and slow for 8-10 hrs.

Serving Suggestion: When you’re ready to eat, place the ribs on a serving platter and top with remaining cup of sauce and cilantro to taste. Will feed 4-6 people.

The Sizzle:
By substituting coconut aminos for soy sauce, this meal easily becomes Paleo diet-friendly. Paleo enthusiasts advocate that because 95% of human existence has followed the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, we should continue to eat unprocessed foods to achieve optimal health.

Recipe - Banana Ice Cream

As luck would have it, I generally get a sweet tooth the moment I go on a diet. :) I've searched all over the internet for healthier ways to satisfy the sweet cravings, and I finally came across this recipe for banana 'ice cream'.  The recipe is super easy. You can also kick it up a notch by adding a little chocolate protein powder. I prefer MRM's Chocolate Whey. If you need a little more sweetness, you can add a little honey or agave.

Enjoy!!!

Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients

2 frozen medium bananas
About a ½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond(or any kind of milk you choose)

Directions

Pop bananas into a blender or food processor and blend until the bananas have a smooth and creamy consistency (just like ice-cream).  Depending on how powerful your blender or processor is, your bananas may clunk around a bit at the beginning BUT just give them a minute.  Once they start to break down they turn into this lovely, creamy treat.

If you want… you can skip the milk addition all together, but I like to add a little in.  I usually start with about a quarter cup and then blend.  If you want it a little thinner add a little more milk, if not… skip it!

Top with whatever you’ve got on hand or nothing at all and enjoy!

Maks 2 servings.

Nutritional Analysis

Calories: 115; Total Fat: 2.1g; Saturated Fat: 0.2g; Trans Fat 0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 3mg; Carbohydrate: 27g; Dietary Fiber: 4; Sugars: 14.4; Protein: 3.2g

* adding a scoop of chocolate protein powder will add approximately 45 calories and 10 grams of protein to each serving.