Butternut Squash with Multi-grain Orzo

So, I am shopping at the grocery store looking for something new to make my family (I love introducing new foods)  So, I drive my cart by the produce isle, looking, and I see a butternut squash. I think for a sec, have I really not made butternut squash for my family? Nope, sure haven't.

The hubs (and sometimes the kids) and I have been doing the "Insanity" workout for about three weeks now. We have finally gotten to where we are doing it earlier in the day, (opposed to late at night before bed, after dinner...yeah, not the best idea, but hey we were dedicated!) One of the hardest parts of this program is they want you to eat like 5-6 times a day (small meals) to help your metabolism (which seemed non-existent for me for so long!) Funny enough, I forget to eat half the time or am so busy, it has been a task figuring it in my schedule to "eat".

So, we got done with our workout yesterday, the fam took off to softball practice, and I grabbed the butternut squash  I bought the other day and got to work. See, for me at least, once I work out that hard, I just want something light to eat. I have made sauteed butternut squash before, but wasn't sure how my family would respond to it. They are open to trying new things, as since they were little my rule was they always had to try something, if they didn't like it, they didn't have to eat it, BUT you never knew unless you tried it!

Sauteed Butternut Squash with Multi-grain Orzo

One large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
Olive oil (maybe about 2 TBSP)
Thyme (about 1/2 TBSP)
Rosemary (about 1/2 TBSP)
Minced Garlic ( 2+ TBSP)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Hormel Real bacon pieces (totally add to your own taste!)


Pour olive oil in saute pan with cubes of squash, and toss to coat. Cook over med-high heat and add spices/herbs, stirring occasionally until tender. If you choose to include, add bacon pieces the last 5 minutes. The squash was our main dish so I decided to add a little of the bacon pieces to kick it up a little. I love keeping the bacon pieces on hand, they have 50% less fat than regular bacon, and are super easy to throw into a dish if you need to kick it up a notch.

OK, I promise I will try to get better with my recipes, but this is hard, most of the time when cooking I don't measure. (not like with baking, that's usually very precise) It's all about throwing different spices and herbs together, tasting, adding more, tasting again, and adding whatever else is necessary for your flavor palate.
So above is what I put in this dish, just not 100% sure on the exact amounts, so I estimated, but again, just make it to your taste.

To make the meal complete I made Orzo, which is a variety of pasta shaped like grains of barley or rice and paired that with some brussel sprouts, and voila! I will say, my kids liked it too!

My first Quinceanera cake!

This was one cake that I was very nervous about, and was so relieved to be done. It was ALOT of cake, and ALOT of detail! I made the goblet with rice crispy treat and modeling chocolate. (which is now a new favorite of mine!!) If you make it right, it is awesome to use!! (needless to say my first batch, not so good!)
One thing though, I made a lot of the details with brown fondant, but the modeling chocolate was white, so when I went to paint the goblet it was a much brighter gold than the fondant details. I had initially worried about that, but thought it would be fine once painted, but apparently the Gold gloss did not cover it enough.
 I added a little brown color to the gold and it deepened the gold color. So, needless to say, next time I will just make dark modeling chocolate!

Now, a couple days after I had someone else come to me for a Quinceanera cake, but they want a fountain in it! Imagine that!

Conversation heart cupcakes :0)

Check out these cute cupcakes for someone special! I cut out little fondant hearts and wrote different messages on them with my food writer markers. A cute little "treat for your sweet" or anyone special!

Vegetable fried Quinoa

 I wrote earlier about Quinoa the other day, so for lunch yesterday I decided to make my own Vegetable Fried Quinoa.

I started cooking my quinoa according to directions, and while it was cooking I chopped up some carrot, onion, garlic, and green pepper. (totally wish I had some mushrooms!) I threw them on the grill and sauteed them for a bit. Towards the end I added some spinach leaves.

Once the quinoa is cooked  I add it to the vegetable mixture on the grill.

I beat on egg, and one egg white together and then poured it over top the quinoa mixture and using a large spatula, I fold and turn the mixture together until eggs are fully incorporated and cooked. I sprinkled some worcestershire sauce, a little salt and pepper, and Voila.....Vegetable fried Quinoa!

Now that was an awesome and delicious filling lunch, even my husband liked it! (and he isn't quite into anything whole grain, or that has a hint of healthy to it!)

Whats for breakfast....

So I'm hungry this morning, and I am craving something...oat-y, and slightly sweet. I found a granny smith apple and cored it.

I grabbed about a scant half cup of old fashioned oats. Oh, and by the way, old fashioned oats are a whole grain food that are high in fiber, which of course is great for you daily diet, and has been linked to a reduced risk diabetes, heart disease, and so on. So anyway you can incorporate them into your normal eating habits, get them in! 

I added 1 Tsp  of dark brown sugar  and 1 TBSP Agave Nectar (known for its low glycemic index) and mix them together.

I then put the apple in a large muffin liner, and stuffed it with the oat mixture, and let the excess drop around the apple,







Now, I suggest wrapping it up lightly in foil to give it somewhat of a steam effect. Pop it in the oven about 350 for 20-30 minutes depending on how soft you like your apple.

After baking, open it up.....grab a fork.....









                                                           
And dig in!!!







It really is a yummy treat, but next time I will probably use a Gala apple, or honey crisp. The Granny smith apple was a little too tart for me with this particular mixture. But try it out, play with flavors, add some cinnamon or nutmeg. I love playing with my food, ya never know what you might come up with!

SUPERFOOD.....Quinoa!!!

So like 3-4000 years ago the Incas realized this seed, called "Quinoa" was fit for human consumption, and was considered "the gold of the Incas"  because they believed it increased the stamina of their warriors. This is something I love to eat, and incorporate into mine and my family's diet as creatively as I can. (I even substituted in Gumbo for the rice, and it was soooo good!)

I am going to give you at least 7 good reasons you need to add this superfood to your diet.

1~ it contains twice as much fiber as most other grains (so many reasons why that is a good thing-weight loss, helps reduce risk of heart disease,  lowers cholesterol, and so on, google it, you will find more!)
2~Very rich in protein, (complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids)
3~Contains Iron (another great thing your body needs, google that one too)
4~Contains Lysine (helps with tissue growth and repair)
5~Rich in magnesium 
6~high in Riboflavin
7~high in manganese

PLUS Quinoa taste great! 

Check out this recipe I got from Eatingwell.com

Toasted Quinoa Salad with Scallops & Snow Peas

From: EatingWell

This scallop-studded quinoa salad gets an exciting texture from crunchy snow peas, red bell pepper and scallions. Feel free to substitute shrimp or thin slices of chicken for the scallops.

Servings: 6 servings, about 1 cup each

Prep: 50 mins

Total: 50 mins

INGREDIENTS

12 ounces  dry sea scallops, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, or dry bay scallops (see Note)

4 teaspoons  reduced-sodium tamari, or soy sauce, divided

4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons  canola oil, divided

1 1/2 cups  quinoa, rinsed well (see Tip)

2 teaspoons  grated or minced garlic

3 cups  water

1 teaspoon  salt

1 cup  trimmed and diagonally sliced snow peas, (1/2 inch thick)

1/3 cup  rice vinegar

1 teaspoon  toasted sesame oil

1 cup  thinly sliced scallions

1/3 cup  finely diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup  finely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Toss scallops with 2 teaspoons tamari (or soy sauce) in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Place a large, high-sided skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil andquinoa. Cook, stirring constantly, until the quinoa begins to color, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add water and salt and bring to a boil. Stir once, cover and cook over medium heat until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. (Do not stir.) Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in snow peas, cover and let stand for 5 minutes more.

3. Meanwhile, whisk 3 tablespoons canola oil, the remaining 2 teaspoons tamari (or soy sauce), vinegar and sesame oil in a large bowl. Add the quinoa and snow peas, scallions and bell pepper; toss to combine.

4. Remove the scallops from the marinade and pat dry. Heat a large skillet over medium-high until hot enough to evaporate a drop of water upon contact. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons canola oil and cook the scallops, turning once, until golden and just firm, about 2 minutes total. Gently stir the scallops into the quinoa salad. Serve garnished with cilantro, if desired.

Tips:
Note: Be sure to buy "dry" scallops, which are scallops that have not been treated with sodium tripolyphosphate, or STP. Scallops that have been treated with STP ("wet" scallops) have been subjected to a chemical bath and are mushy, less flavorful and won't brown properly.

Tip: Quinoa is a delicately flavored, protein-rich grain. Rinsing removes any residue of saponin, quinoa's natural, bitter protective covering. Find it in natural-foods stores and the natural-foods sections of many supermarkets.

NUTRITION FACTS

Calories 326, Total Fat 15 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat 8 g, Cholesterol 19 mg, Sodium 713 mg, Carbohydrate 32 g, Fiber 4 g, Protein 16 g, Potassium 511 mg. Daily Values: Vitamin C 35%, Iron 15%. Exchanges: Starch 2,Lean Meat 1,Fat 2.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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© Copyright 2013 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

you forgot the yeast?!....now what?!

Ok, so, I'm making King cake (which is a really big deal down here around this time) and I make the rich, smooth dough, and put it in the bowl to rise. I check it almost and hour later, and it hasn't budged, and I think, well, it is pretty cold in here, maybe I should put it in the proofer. I put it in the proofer and come back almost another hour later, and look at it, and yep, again, nothing! I start analyzing what I did when I was putting it together, and came to the realization I left out the yeast. Augh! So, this dough is sitting there, I don't want to waste it, and I think, hmmmm,....cookies???
I weighed out pieces about 2 oz each, and rolled each one out really thin. I sprinkled cinnamon/sugar mix all over the dough and rolled it up and twisted it up into a round shape like a regular king cake, and then just smashed it really flat. I sprinkled them with a little more cinnamon sugar and popped them in the oven. Instantly out of the oven I topped them with my King Cake glaze, sprinkled on purple, green, and yellow sugars, and voila! King cake cookies!!! Taste good, smell good, look good, and all done by accident :0)