1 butternut squash, seeded and peeled
1 1/2 small apples, cored (so that you eliminate the seeds and the arsenic in them)
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 inch piece of cinnamon
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoonful sea salt
pinch of chipotle chili pepper
Place all ingredients except 1/2 of an apple into Vitamix Blender. Start on variable 1 and turn up to 10 then switch to high. Blend for 8 minutes then turn down to variable 1. Carefully remove the center of the lid. Watch for the steam and don't burn yourself! It will be HOT! Drop the other 1/2 of the apple in there to coarsely chop. Turn off blender. You're soup is done!
Variations: If you don't want it that spicy, don't put the chipotle pepper in! Also if you would prefer a smooth creamy soup, you can put all the apples in at once. The reason for adding the apple at the end is to give it a little bit of texture. (I prefer it smooth myself).
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Vitamix Smoothie: Pomegranate, Orange, Raspberry
1/2 pomegranate
1 peeled orange
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup coconut milk
Place all ingredients in blender. Start Vitamix on variable 1 and increase to 10 then flip to high. Blend approximately 30 seconds. At this point, if it's not cold enough, add a couple cubes of ice and blend or serve over ice. You could also use frozen raspberries and not have to add the ice at the end. Enjoy!
Non-paleo adult only alteration: Add about 1/4 cup of light rum, vodka, or tequila before blending.
1 peeled orange
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup coconut milk
Place all ingredients in blender. Start Vitamix on variable 1 and increase to 10 then flip to high. Blend approximately 30 seconds. At this point, if it's not cold enough, add a couple cubes of ice and blend or serve over ice. You could also use frozen raspberries and not have to add the ice at the end. Enjoy!
Non-paleo adult only alteration: Add about 1/4 cup of light rum, vodka, or tequila before blending.
Things I love: My Vitamix Blender
About a year ago, I went to the Philadelphia home show. I usually go every year. Most of the time it's just something to do and get ideas. Well, last year, they had a demonstration on the Vitamix Blender. I fell in love and bought one!
I must admit, the price was a bit of sticker shock but the 7 year warranty on it and the fact that the blades move so fast that they can boil water (or cook soup) sold me! I'm eating paleo so it comes in very handy. I had an Osterizer before but I hated the fact that it didn't crush ice and that the seal leaked if it wasn't tightened enough or if the ring got old. The Vitamix doesn't have a removable bottom blade assembly and it's easy to clean, you put some water in it and a couple drops of dishwashing liquid, put it back on the base, blend on high for about 20 seconds and then rinse it out. You're done!
The only downfall of the blender that I've found is that it is too tall to fit under the cabinet on the counter. I have to leave it separated when I store it. Actually, Vitamix fixed that with their newest version and they have the 64oz container that fits under the upper cabinets now on the counter. Oh if I had just waited a year! LOL!
So anyway, I'll be giving you some recipes every now and then for the Vitamix. Keep in mind that you can adapt them to any blender but you may have to cook the ingredients first if it's a soup or that if it's something that uses ice or whole foods that you may end up with chunks of ice or things not quite blended!
Did I mention how much I love my Vitamix?!?!?!
I must admit, the price was a bit of sticker shock but the 7 year warranty on it and the fact that the blades move so fast that they can boil water (or cook soup) sold me! I'm eating paleo so it comes in very handy. I had an Osterizer before but I hated the fact that it didn't crush ice and that the seal leaked if it wasn't tightened enough or if the ring got old. The Vitamix doesn't have a removable bottom blade assembly and it's easy to clean, you put some water in it and a couple drops of dishwashing liquid, put it back on the base, blend on high for about 20 seconds and then rinse it out. You're done!
The only downfall of the blender that I've found is that it is too tall to fit under the cabinet on the counter. I have to leave it separated when I store it. Actually, Vitamix fixed that with their newest version and they have the 64oz container that fits under the upper cabinets now on the counter. Oh if I had just waited a year! LOL!
So anyway, I'll be giving you some recipes every now and then for the Vitamix. Keep in mind that you can adapt them to any blender but you may have to cook the ingredients first if it's a soup or that if it's something that uses ice or whole foods that you may end up with chunks of ice or things not quite blended!
Did I mention how much I love my Vitamix?!?!?!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Healthy Eats: Paleo Acorn Squash
So I adapted the recipe to make it Paleo. This is non-dairy, gluten-free too.
Paleo Acorn Squash
1 acorn squasholive oil
2 tablespoons of Coconut Manna or Coconut oil
1 tablespoon of Raw Honey
1 teaspoon of orange peel (or 1 tablespoon of fresh orange zest)
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg)
1/4 teaspoon chipolte powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 325. Cut acorn squash into quarters and remove seeds. Brush inside of squash with olive oil and place on a pan cut side down (forming 2 halves). Bake 45 minutes.
About 5 minutes before it's done, melt coconut manna/oil and raw honey together in a small pan on the stove (if you have one with a pour spout, like one to melt butter in, it helps). Mix in all the rest of the ingredients when melted, constantly stirring and remove from heat once melted. DO NOT BOIL!
Remove acorn squash from oven and flip over. You can do one of 2 things now. You can either scoop out the squash into a bowl, coarsely mash it up then mix the coconut mixture in with it. Or you can drizzle the coconut oil on the top of each piece of squash and place them back in the oven for about 10-15 minutes before serving. The latter makes for a great presentation, the former is good if you want to serve it to a family with children.
I've got to admit, I can't say I hate acorn squash anymore since I was already trying to figure out when I could make this recipe again. It was also so easy to make. I absolutely loved it!
Nutrition Facts: Serves 4
Amount per serving (without walnuts): Calories: 140; Fat: 8g; Carbohydrates: 17.2g; Fiber: 1.7g; Protein: 1.4g
Monday, August 6, 2012
Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor
Saturday we stayed local and explored Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor Maine. We woke up and had breakfast at the hotel around 9:30 then headed out.
First up was gas. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find "super". Even the super we've been finding is 91. Many of the stations also have signs up that say regular only. Finally after finding gas in a little station that had 91 Super, we headed out to Acadia National Park. We did Park Loop Road and stopped for some pictures. At the top was Cadallac Mountain (which is the first location in the US to see the rising sun (not that we were there that early!)).
After the loop, we came back into Bar Harbor, found some parking and explored. It was a beautiful town and (of course) I had lobster for lunch. We did a little shopping and then split up and did our own thing.
Pipes stayed in town to explore while RockIt!, Spurs and I went back to Acadia National Park and rode through another part. We went up and saw Thunder Cove which is where the water rushes into a split in the rocks and makes a loud thundering noise as it crashes. It was awesome! I tried to take video of it but the thunder noise doesn't come through on the video very well. Anyway, it was about another 20 miles worth of exploring thought the park and it was a great ride!
When we got back to the hotel, we ate at a restaurant called "Maine-ly Meats" which was kind of like a BBQ place. I had a burger that was huge and just char grilled enough for perfect flavor. After dinner, most of the girls went to play miniature golf. I decided I was just going to go back to the hotel and relax and try to get to bed early since our KSU for Sunday was 7:30.
First up was gas. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find "super". Even the super we've been finding is 91. Many of the stations also have signs up that say regular only. Finally after finding gas in a little station that had 91 Super, we headed out to Acadia National Park. We did Park Loop Road and stopped for some pictures. At the top was Cadallac Mountain (which is the first location in the US to see the rising sun (not that we were there that early!)).
After the loop, we came back into Bar Harbor, found some parking and explored. It was a beautiful town and (of course) I had lobster for lunch. We did a little shopping and then split up and did our own thing.
Pipes stayed in town to explore while RockIt!, Spurs and I went back to Acadia National Park and rode through another part. We went up and saw Thunder Cove which is where the water rushes into a split in the rocks and makes a loud thundering noise as it crashes. It was awesome! I tried to take video of it but the thunder noise doesn't come through on the video very well. Anyway, it was about another 20 miles worth of exploring thought the park and it was a great ride!
When we got back to the hotel, we ate at a restaurant called "Maine-ly Meats" which was kind of like a BBQ place. I had a burger that was huge and just char grilled enough for perfect flavor. After dinner, most of the girls went to play miniature golf. I decided I was just going to go back to the hotel and relax and try to get to bed early since our KSU for Sunday was 7:30.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Lobsterfest 2012 Rockland, Maine
After getting in late the night before, we started off in the morning around 10:30 for a nice scenic tour up route 1 out of Portland towards Rockland for Lobsterfest. The ride was beautiful but very hot! You'd think Maine would be cooler but it has been in the mid-90's both days!
The ride was hot and long but well worth it for the views! We stopped a couple of times for gas and water (and just to get out of the sun mostly!) We finally got to Rockport around 2pm and easily found parking. I'm really glad we went on Friday instead of Sunday like we were planning on doing. It was busy but not overly crowded.
It's a town festival right on the ocean. We paid $8 to get in and then there were vendors, rides, live music, food, and (of course) lobster! We got 2 whole lobsters with a roll and corn on the cob for $19. It was then sweetest lobster I've ever eaten! I love Maine lobster and am ready to come back next year!
When we were stuffed with lobster and done looking at the vendors, we headed out to our hotel in Bar Habor. We got in just in time to have a quick dip in the pool before dinner. Then we had dinner at a place called The Log Cabin Restaurant. Instead of lobster again, I opted for maple bourbon plank fired scallops. They were yummy!
After another long day of riding, some of the girls went out to sit on the benches and have some smokes and they saw a MOOSE! All I had said is I hope I see a moose on the side of the road and since I don't SMOKE, I didn't get to see it! Oh well, maybe next time! They promised to call me if they see one again!
The ride was hot and long but well worth it for the views! We stopped a couple of times for gas and water (and just to get out of the sun mostly!) We finally got to Rockport around 2pm and easily found parking. I'm really glad we went on Friday instead of Sunday like we were planning on doing. It was busy but not overly crowded.
It's a town festival right on the ocean. We paid $8 to get in and then there were vendors, rides, live music, food, and (of course) lobster! We got 2 whole lobsters with a roll and corn on the cob for $19. It was then sweetest lobster I've ever eaten! I love Maine lobster and am ready to come back next year!
When we were stuffed with lobster and done looking at the vendors, we headed out to our hotel in Bar Habor. We got in just in time to have a quick dip in the pool before dinner. Then we had dinner at a place called The Log Cabin Restaurant. Instead of lobster again, I opted for maple bourbon plank fired scallops. They were yummy!
After another long day of riding, some of the girls went out to sit on the benches and have some smokes and they saw a MOOSE! All I had said is I hope I see a moose on the side of the road and since I don't SMOKE, I didn't get to see it! Oh well, maybe next time! They promised to call me if they see one again!
Friday, August 3, 2012
Plagued with mishaps...
Thursday we left on a trip to Maine for Lobsterfest. Spurs and I left her house at 7:15 and rolled through the rest stop at Jimmy Leeds Road and picked up 3 more girls (Slimm, RockIt!, and PP). At the next stop, we were picking up 3 more girls (Speedy, Pipes, and Corrine). We decided to take a 5 minute break and when Spurs went start her bike, it wouldn't start! She had left her keys at her house 50 miles back and without them, the security system wouldn't let the bike start! We hadn't realized this on the first pick up because she had never turned off her bike!
So Speedy and I went back to the house to grab the keys while the rest of the group hung out at the rest stop and had some breakfast. We made it down and back in about 90 minutes and were on the road again!
Travels went well for a while until Speedy and I heard a squealing noise on her bike. It was there and then went away. I asked if she wanted to pull over to check it out and she said no, since it had stopped. After a few miles, the noise came back and we all pulled off the road on 495 in Massachusetts. While we were letting the bike cool down and trying to figure out what the noise was, a very nice man name Michael stopped by to try to help us out. As it turns out, he's part of the Expendable Souls MC. He called some buddies and got us to the Harley Davidson dealership in Billerica. He went completely out of his way for us and we are forever grateful!
The dealership was great too! High Ocatne HD in Billerica, Mass. We got there around 6:15 and the mechanic just happened to still be there (even though he got off work at 6)! He was able to diagnose and fix the problem while we waited. The dealership was supposed to close at 7 but let us hang out and have the bike fixed even though we didn't get out of there until almost 7:30.
With only 100 miles to go, we gassed up and hauled it into Maine. The fog got so thick and we did hit a patch of rain but we made it there, put our stuff in the room and took the hotel shuttle downtown to have some dinner around 10pm. We wanted to eat at Dimillo's restaurant but we were a little too late so 6 of the 8 of us opted for J's Oyster Bar right next door.
The food was good (but wasn't Dimillo's). I got the Lobster dinner for $25 and the other girls got lobster rolls, claw cocktail, mac and cheese, and a fish sandwich. Afterwards, it had been a long day so we headed back to the rooms and crashed...
I know this sounds like a day where everything seemed to go wrong but so much more went right. In the morning, Corrine wasn't feeling well and the extra time helped her out so she felt a little better to ride. The extra miles that Speedy had put on the bike had made the wheel bearings wear at the exact point that Michael had gotten off of work and was able to help us and get us to the HD dealership. (and we met a really great guy from an MC up here). The mechanic's shift had ended 15 minutes before we had gotten there but he hadn't left yet. The stop made us NOT hit the downpouring rain and only got us a little wet. The past 2 times I've been in Portland we've eaten at Dimillo's but this time, we tried something new.
So anyway, besides being a little tired, I don't think anyone really minded the mishaps. I mean, hey, we learned that we can work through the mishaps and still make it to where we want to be (and still be friends at the end of the day)!
One last thing, I was riding drag and am so proud of my fellow WITW Jersey She Devils sisters! The formation we rode in was near perfect on the road. We did have a couple of cars squeeze in the middle but they all handled it beautifully! I'm so happy and proud to be a WITW JSD! I love you gals!
(Check back on this blog for pictures later! I need to use my computer to insert them in here.)
So Speedy and I went back to the house to grab the keys while the rest of the group hung out at the rest stop and had some breakfast. We made it down and back in about 90 minutes and were on the road again!
Travels went well for a while until Speedy and I heard a squealing noise on her bike. It was there and then went away. I asked if she wanted to pull over to check it out and she said no, since it had stopped. After a few miles, the noise came back and we all pulled off the road on 495 in Massachusetts. While we were letting the bike cool down and trying to figure out what the noise was, a very nice man name Michael stopped by to try to help us out. As it turns out, he's part of the Expendable Souls MC. He called some buddies and got us to the Harley Davidson dealership in Billerica. He went completely out of his way for us and we are forever grateful!
The dealership was great too! High Ocatne HD in Billerica, Mass. We got there around 6:15 and the mechanic just happened to still be there (even though he got off work at 6)! He was able to diagnose and fix the problem while we waited. The dealership was supposed to close at 7 but let us hang out and have the bike fixed even though we didn't get out of there until almost 7:30.
With only 100 miles to go, we gassed up and hauled it into Maine. The fog got so thick and we did hit a patch of rain but we made it there, put our stuff in the room and took the hotel shuttle downtown to have some dinner around 10pm. We wanted to eat at Dimillo's restaurant but we were a little too late so 6 of the 8 of us opted for J's Oyster Bar right next door.
The food was good (but wasn't Dimillo's). I got the Lobster dinner for $25 and the other girls got lobster rolls, claw cocktail, mac and cheese, and a fish sandwich. Afterwards, it had been a long day so we headed back to the rooms and crashed...
I know this sounds like a day where everything seemed to go wrong but so much more went right. In the morning, Corrine wasn't feeling well and the extra time helped her out so she felt a little better to ride. The extra miles that Speedy had put on the bike had made the wheel bearings wear at the exact point that Michael had gotten off of work and was able to help us and get us to the HD dealership. (and we met a really great guy from an MC up here). The mechanic's shift had ended 15 minutes before we had gotten there but he hadn't left yet. The stop made us NOT hit the downpouring rain and only got us a little wet. The past 2 times I've been in Portland we've eaten at Dimillo's but this time, we tried something new.
So anyway, besides being a little tired, I don't think anyone really minded the mishaps. I mean, hey, we learned that we can work through the mishaps and still make it to where we want to be (and still be friends at the end of the day)!
One last thing, I was riding drag and am so proud of my fellow WITW Jersey She Devils sisters! The formation we rode in was near perfect on the road. We did have a couple of cars squeeze in the middle but they all handled it beautifully! I'm so happy and proud to be a WITW JSD! I love you gals!
(Check back on this blog for pictures later! I need to use my computer to insert them in here.)
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Healthy Eating: Eliminating Sugar
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| Photo: photo-dictionary.com |
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| Photo: photo-dictionary.com |
It's hard as a single person (or even not a single person!), constantly on the go, to choose healthy grab and go foods. Just pick up any package in a store and look for the words sugar, dextrose, syrup, nectar, <place fruit type here> concentrate or many other "sugar" code words that are in the foods we eat. It's hard, so hard, in fact, that I figured the only way I could give it up was to do it for God.
I'm Catholic and traditionally Catholics give up something for Lent. I decided I was going to give up refined sugar and anything else that would taste sweet to me (honey, molasses, agave nectar, you get the picture) and limit artificial sweeteners and anything that might have sugar in the ingredient list that didn't really taste sweet (like ketchup or crackers). The reason I decided to do this for Lent is because I wasn't giving it up for me, I was giving it up for GOD, and if you make a promise to God, you really should not try to break it! (Now please, you devout Catholics out there, I know this is something I've done between me and God and don't scold me for sharing with others!)
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| Photo: photo-dictionary.com |
Fat Tuesday, February 21 - Why, when we know what we're going to give up, do we indulge the day before? I had my pastries (and everyone else's pastries too!), and loved every bite! Then comes Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. No coffee (with artificial sweetener), no cereal (OMG look at the sugar content even for what I thought was healthy cereal!), no oatmeal (since I like brown sugar in it), no healthy meal replacement bar (it's loaded with sugar!)... panic is starting to set in... eggs... I can have eggs! Whew, good thing I had time before work to make some. Note to self: must plan meals better!
Giving up sugar isn't as easy as it sounds! Just at work, we've had 4 parties in 10 days! Someone leaving, someone getting recognition for a job well done, someone getting married, and someone having a baby. Every party had some type of pastry there to eat! About 4 days into my sugar fast, I could have fought a baby for his/her lollipop! The cravings were SO BAD! They started on the first day but slowly increased until it was almost unbearable! The only way for me to get through this was to remind myself that I gave it up for GOD not for ME! My mantra for the week was "Jesus gave you his life, you can give him your sugar." Miraculously on day 5, when I thought that I could just have something with Splenda or Nutrasweet in it, the cravings vanished. They didn't slow down, they just completely disappeared. Wow!
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| Photo: Starbucks.com |
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| Photo: sekweldinglighting.com |
So now it's been 10 days. I did have a sugar-free Starbucks drink with my sister and I had wine tasting with my best friend (but I skipped the chocolate that they recommended pairing with a couple of the wines and only went for the cheese, grapes, and a couple of crackers!) All in all, I've been doing a pretty good job!
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| Photo: salterhousewares.com |
So, today I decided I would weigh myself. The struggle went on in my head... Really, do you REALLY want to weigh yourself? Yes, I should to see if giving up sugar is helping my journey to a healthier weight and healthier eating. But do you REALLY, REALLY want to weigh yourself? Shouldn't you just wait until Lent is over? It's not going to do any good now. It's not going to change that you gave up sugar will it? Well, no... Then why not wait to weigh yourself. The struggle went on for a good 5 minutes I tell you!
I FINALLY broke down and decided to weigh myself. I stepped on the scale (a digital one) looked down, the stepped off. That can't be right! I did it again. Nope, still not right! I moved the scale to a different part of the floor (that part might not be level) and it said the same thing. 5 times I stepped on it with the same result. Lent has been going on for 10 days now (and is a total of 40 days). In those 10 days, I've lost 8 pounds. I did nothing but give up sugar.
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| Photo: betterworldbooks.com |
A couple of years ago, I got a CD-lecture series to listen to in the car on the way to and from work. It is called "Making the Shift" and is given by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. (I highly recommend this lecture to anyone who is looking to make a shift in their way of thinking or living. He's very inspirational!) In one part of this lecture series, he talks about giving up eating sugar. He says something to the effect that he decided to give up sugar one day and he did. He also said that people couldn't believe he could do it and "wasn't it hard?" His response was that you just do it and don't think about it. You then make your choices based on what you've decided. Listening to that part of the lecture I remembered thinking, "I could NEVER give up sugar! I don't know how he's done that!"
Maybe I have given up sugar this time. I have for at least the past 10 days! We'll see how this ends up in the end but this might have been the jump start I needed to get me going into the healthy eating world again! I'm feeling better, eating better, and have been in a better mood in general. I've had more energy and don't want to be the hermit I have been for the past couple of months. I want to take my dog for a walk and enjoy being outside and more active. If giving up sugar has made me feel this good, maybe I can give it up for good this time!
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