Keep It Fun And Healthy

Hi Friends! Lately I’ve been going soup crazy. I just can’t get enough. The trees have finally started to change and the air is getting cool. Perfect time for a warm cozy bowl of soup. Who doesn’t love a good tomato soup and grilled cheese? The best part of this soup is the sharp cheddar. I really think it makes it! I started out by sautéing onions in olive oil in a large pot. ( you will use this same pot for the soup) Then I chopped up some basil. I love the way basil smells. mmm.. This tomato soup is so simple. Just add your tomatoes, veggie stock and seasonings. I used freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese. I’ve been hooked on sharp cheddar lately. After all of your ingredients are added you will then use your emersion blender to puree just a little. This step is up to you, you can puree until there are no clumps or leave a few clumps for texture. I like to leave a little chunkiness. I’m getting hungry just typing this up. This is a vegetarian meal but I promise, you...

The other day I was in the grocery store waiting for my meat at the deli and this lady came up to me and asked what that yellow thing that was in my buggy (Yes, I'm from the South and we call it a buggy). At first I had no idea what she was talking about and then realized she was pointing at the spaghetti squash! I preceded to tell her about spaghetti squash and she said she had never tried such thing. I couldn’t believe it and encouraged her to try it sometime. I love introducing new vegetables to interested people! I was buying the squash that I used to make this Mexican style spaghetti squash. I’m so excited to share it with you because I wasn’t real sure how it was going to turn out. It ended up being my favorite way to eat spaghetti squash. This squash is used in so many ways; as a side, as a healthy version of “pasta” and in casseroles. I guess you could call this a mix between healthy “pasta” and a casserole. I started out by scooping out all of the seeds. Just like ...

I have a hearty chili recipe for you today. Its supposed to get cool here tonight so I figured it would be a good time to make some chili. Soup, pumpkin spice lattes and Fall squash are all favorite Fall food items of mine. How about mixing up the chili and adding sausage instead of beef? I’m telling ya, it’s pretty good. I started out by chopping up a small onion and 3 garlic cloves. Brown your sausage and add your onion and garlic once the sausage is almost cooked all the way. Add the rest of your ingredients. I used my first jar of tomatoes that I canned this Summer! Simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Top it with cheddar and a dollop of Greek yogurt (or sour cream if you prefer) Chili with ground sausage 1 Lb  Ground Sausage 1 Small Onion, chopped 3 Garlic cloves, minced 2 Cup Corn 1 Can Black Beans 1 Can Kidney Beans 1 6oz can Tomato Paste 1 Can whole tomatoes 1 8oz can tomato sauce 1 Tbs Cumin 1 Tsp, Oregano 1/2 Tsp. Chili Power (Plus more if...

Happy Fall yall! I can’t believe Fall is here. I love this time of the year when the weather starts turning cooler (but not too cold) and the leaves start to change. I also LOVE the Fall fruits and vegetables. I got my first Acorn squash at co-op  this weekend! Today I have a fun Fall fruit item for ya. I know its been some time since I’ve posted. A lot has been going on in my neck of the woods. Kyle proposed 2 weeks ago and we’ve been planning planning planning! So far it’s been fun but there has already been some bumps in the road. I want to enjoy this time and not worry about the small stuff. I have to keep reminding myself that. Kyle and I have been together for 4 years so it’s been a long time coming for us. We couldn’t be happier about planning our wedding. Yes, Kyle has been helping too. He really does like to help pick out the details and have opinions about different things. I’m thankful that he wants to be involved in the process. Ok, so back to the food. The other wee...

I don’t know about you but I LOVE nut butters. I have never made my own because I didn’t realize out easy it was. I’m telling ya, everyone can make nut butter as long as you have a decent food processor and there's not turning back. I’ve had some left over vanilla beans from the vanilla I made a while back and wanted to use them, so I decided to use them in the almond butter. I made this about a week ago and it’s already half gone! It’s like a yummy creamy dessert. Once you try fresh pure nut butters you will never go back to store bought. Only 3 ingredients and no added oils! So here it goes: Start out by toasting your almonds until they start to smell yummy. Pour your almonds in the food processer and start to process. You will need to process for 8 to 10 minutes and stop several times to scrape down the sides, so be patient. Stage 1 Stage 2- Powder Stage 3-The natural oil starts to come out and its starts to ball up. Stage 4-Almost there, just a f...

Who likes Chinese food? I love it with all my heart, but I don’t like all the MSG they use in their meat. Why not make your own? I tried a new recipe this week and was very satisfied with the outcome. AND I wasn’t even hungry 2 hours later. Why is that? You could eat and eat at a Chinese restaurant and are hungry 2 hours later. Check out this tasty dish I made the chicken in the crock pot which I highly recommend because it cooked for 1/2 the day and the chicken was so tender and flavorful. This can also be done on the stove top. I started out by seasoning the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. I also chopped up 1/2 of an onion. Place your chicken in the crockpot once its seasoned. To make your sauce, mix together your onion, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, olive oil, garlic cloves, and red pepper flakes. Mix well. Pour your sauce over you chicken. Cook on low for 4 hours. After 4 hours remove your chicken and chop into cubes. Mix up a mixt...