Luv What You Do

Balancing a Busy Life with a Healthy Lifestyle

Meal Planning with Tony’s and the Grill May 13, 2013

Filed under: Dinner,Life — Luv What You Do @ 8:27 pm
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It’s the BOY’s first real day off all semester and so no surprise he headed straight for the grill!

This afternoon, he made us a healthy lunch!  After which we drove off to check out the latest new grocery store in town.  We are so spoiled with a newish Whole Foods, the brand new Mariano’s, and now a Tony’s!

 

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I’ve heard only great things about this store which is located throughout the Chicago area, and we now have one of our own.

 

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Their produce is extensive and well priced.  The BOY found himself lost in the meat aisle and the seafood had my mouth watering.  Speaking of watering mouths, this expansive pastry counter was filled with rich, colorful, and decadent sweets.

 

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It didn’t take the BOY long to pick out a few of the 79 cent treats for dessert tonight.

 

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We left will a full cart for a more than fair price!  The BOY went straight to the back yard to prepare tonight’s pulled pork in his smoker.  I got comfortable in the sun with a new lighter book by one of my favorite chick lit authors.

 

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It was a successful start to the week, and meal planning is a cinch now that the BOY is doing most of the work on the grill!  Although sadly tonight, his smoker yielded smoked pork instead of pulled pork.  I had an easy substitute frozen veggie burger, but I could tell the BOY was disappointed at he at his smoked pork sandwich.  Next time, I will go back to this crockpot pulled pork recipe which was incredible!

 

This Week in Meal Planning…

Monday: Smoked Pork (made by the BOY) Veggie Burger

Tuesday: Stirfry at my parents

Wednesday: Grilled Seafood (that we picked up at Tony’s)

Thursday: Dinner out

Friday: TBD

 

 

Have you ever been to Tony’s?

What is your favorite grocery store?

 

Weird Week Ahead May 6, 2013

Filed under: Life,Lunch,Races — Luv What You Do @ 1:54 pm
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Good Afternoon!

 

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It’s been an odd start to the week as I have to go in to work for a few hours this afternoon/evening.  Then tomorrow, I have the morning off before spending my afternoon as a teaching assistant.  After a few weekends of work/travel, I was looking forward to getting back into my meal planning groove.  However, between my schedule change, the BOY’s late night finals, and a sushi date with my girl friends on Thursday, there’s not much planning to do.

 

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I did finally make it to the grocery store this morning in order to restock our house with food…specifically fresh fruits and veggies!  We were in a sad state as evidenced above by the lone garlic.

 

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With the start of May, I am excited to detox my diet.  I mentioned this in my May goals, but didn’t have the energy to elaborate.  My plan is to return to a cleaner way of eating that includes no processed foods and tons of fresh produce.  I know that spring weather, farmer’s markets, and the BOY’s love of BBQing make this a much easier task.  I also know that I have exciting races and a fun trip abroad (details coming soon) planned where I will want to look and feel my best.  Now, that’s what I call motivation!

 

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I kicked off the week with a colorful salad with tuna.  I picked up some fish for dinner tomorrow night and decided on simple and easy to prep turkey tacos for dinner on Wednesday.  That’s about as far as I got with this week’s meal plans.  I know the BOY is excited to work through his last few finals so that he can get back to the grill and his new smoker.

 

This morning I treated my tired body to a much needed day off.  After yesterday’s PR, it deserved some rest, but I am looking forward to getting back into my tri training groove later in the week.  My official race results from yesterday were posted, and I was spot on with my own self timing…

30-34 Female Jennifer 1:49:46.54 Streamwood, IL

 

What’s fun is that I placed 11/40 in my age and division and 205/850 in the entire race!  Combined with a PR, I am proud of my early season effort! 

 

Quick question for ya’ll before I head off to work…I am looking for some healthy and easy to prepare ideas for lunch…maybe even salads that can be made ahead.

 

Any suggestions?  Please post your links!!

 

Who’s Jenna? March 18, 2013

Filed under: Breakfast,Exercise,Lunch — Luv What You Do @ 3:42 pm
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And why do I hate her so much?

 

After eating more carbs this weekend than I had in the previous 2 months combined (not a complaint, just a fact), it was necessary to start Monday morning off well!

 

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I made a batch of Friday Morning Pancakes for breakfast.  But instead of eating them with a pint, I had myself a mug of Chai tea.

 

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Then sat down to check out what CrossFit had in store for me this morning.  Apparently the answer was Jenna?!

 

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All I can say is that this was the HARDEST WORKOUT EVER (and I didn’t even do the Px weight).  I don’t even know the last time that I did a dead lift, and I was worried that I would hurt my back.  But we did a lot of practice and warm up without any weight before practicing with weight.  In the end, I decided to go with 85 pounds.  The Manmakers were an entirely different story.  I didn’t feel anything like a man, just like a baby who wanted to cry.

 

Source

 

A Manmaker starts in the pushup position holding onto two dumbbells. 

One rep goes as follows…

Push Up

Left Row

Push Up

Right Row

Push Up

Squat

Clean

Press Overhead

Repeat!

 

14 reps took up the majority of my time and I used 20 pound weights.  I definitely didn’t get my chest down to the ground on every push up and my heart was beating out of my chest.  Somehow I finished just shy of the 20 minute max in 18:30.  It was brutal!  And I was super sweaty when I was done!

 

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Not too sweaty to make a quick stop by Target to pick up some colorful socks for the Shamrock Shuffle next month.  Then, I swung back home to pick up the BOY for lunch and errands…our typical Monday activities!

 

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We went to Jason’s Deli for soups, sandwiches, and salads.

And of course, the free ice cream!

 

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We had some major shopping to do at Costco, and our car was packed by the time we pulled back into the driveway.

 

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After a cold and icy morning, we were both thrilled to be back home in our warm house!

And I needed to rest my exhausted body on the couch while I caught up on Grey’s Anatomy!

 

Hooray for Winter Running! February 16, 2013

Filed under: Bread,Running — Luv What You Do @ 4:25 pm
Tags: , , , , , ,

To begin I must admit that we still have NO food in our house.  Not one trip to the grocery store this week!  I was lucky that we had a chili Valentine’s Day party at work with leftovers on Friday for lunch.  So before I even had water boiling for tea this morning, I was making a grocery list.  I have been itching to get outdoors and run all week.  Mostly because the weather has been a little warmer than usual, and I have seen the sun shining from inside my office.  So despite the 20 degree announcement on my cell phone this morning, I layered up for an outdoor run.

 

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Trail shoes and all!

 

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The sun was shining this morning, but failed to show up when I exited the front door.  I ran the long way through the neighborhood towards the forest preserve path.  It was definitely colder than I would have liked but tolerable.

 

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The path was quiet and peaceful!  I ran a little under 5 miles at a slow and steady pace with a few walking breaks over the icy concrete.

 

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I had to laugh that the only time I almost fell was when I slipped while walking, not running.  The benefit of all of my layers is that I had room to stash my phone to snap a few pictures.  Between the cold and my bulky shoes, I felt much slower than my recent speed intervals around the track, but I was happy for the longer run.

 

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Recently, my runs have been much shorter (30-35 minutes) due to some changes in my work schedule.  I was feeling much better about this after reading an article in Women’s Running Magazine last night about speed training.  New research is supporting that shorter runs can burn calories and improve your fitness just as well as longer runs when you increase your intensity.  One of the treadmill workouts, which surprised me, suggested sprinting for 8 seconds, followed by a 12 second recovery.  That is one that I have never heard of, but looking forward to trying.

 

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I have been doing most of my winter running along the track alternating between 90/90 second intervals, 60/120 second intervals, and tempo runs in preparation for a few middle distance runs I am signed up for this spring.  I am hoping to add in a spring half marathon, which will hopefully motivate me out of the house again for longer, cold weekend runs.  Post run, I have been refueling with multiple variations of the Green Smoothie.

 

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After this morning’s run, I drove out to Whole Foods to meet my Mom for lunch.  We both LOVE collecting our favorites from the hot bar and salad bar and sharing them tapas style with a big bottle of water.  She had to spend the rest of her Saturday working, so I got to wander the aisles of Whole Foods tasting samples and scooping up groceries.  Then moved on to Costco to do the same thing.

 

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I walked in the door with my arms full.  The BOY was involved with the Indiana v Perdue game…no surprise there.  After unloading my groceries, I baked up an amazing smelling cornbread for a get together with friends tomorrow.  I typically make more of a sweet cornbread, so this easy recipe from Paula Deen was a nice change of pace.

 

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I caught the second half of the basketball game while sipping some warm tea that we picked up in Sarasota.  I now have the perfect amount of time for a quick afternoon nap before the BOY and I head out for dinner tonight.

 

What kind of winter running have you been doing?

What is your favorite interval training workout?

 

A Case of the Mondays January 14, 2013

Filed under: Life — Luv What You Do @ 4:50 pm
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The BOY starts school tomorrow, but before he dives back into the books, we had a fun morning adventure in Evanston.  Every time we go to Evanston, we talk about how we wish we lived here (and hopefully one day we will).  I didn’t take tons of pictures today but we did stop at a few of our favorite places.

 

Tapas Barcelona

 

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Argo Tea

 

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And the used bookstore and Barnes and Noble!

 

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I had a gift card for Barnes and Noble and of course, I can never say no to some new cookbooks.  Luckily, the BOY and I just got a new bookshelf that is currently empty!  I had planned all day to go to a yoga class this afternoon, but I seem to have crashed.  I blame the antibiotic, and since I took my last one this morning, I plan on being back in full energetic swing this week!  So while the BOY headed off to the library to read 40 pages for his first day of class, I watched Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal while folding over a week’s worth of laundry.  Not the exciting Monday or blog post I had hoped for.  But with these new cookbooks, I will have some more exciting and healthy recipes to share SOON!

 

So instead, I will leave you with a few more pictures of our beautiful cookies from yesterday!

 

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Have a great week!

 

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A Cold Front December 23, 2012

Filed under: Life,Travel — Luv What You Do @ 8:16 am
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Along with most of the country, the cold front has arrived in Florida.  Yes, the Floridians have busted out their winter’s best sweaters, socks, and jackets.  When I was little and we used to come down here every winter break, rain or shine, my brother and I would be swimming in the pool.  As an adult, I am not so brave!  Instead, my morning exercise consists of a walk with my Aunt and Dad in long sleeves. 

 

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I’ve been trying to get myself into a senior yoga class, but I have been met with some resistance.  I fully understand that I will be sitting in a chair throughout the class and love the idea.  When I explained to some friends my plans for winter break, they immediately referred to the book turned movie In Her Shoes where Cameron Diaz hides out at her grandma’s retirement community.  Yes, my trip is something like that EXCEPT that everyone I know in Florida is super active and exciting.

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With the onset of ‘cold-ish’ weather these past 2 days, I have been keeping myself busy…

 

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Reading by the pool

 

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Covered by a towel as needed

 

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Luckily, the sun is warm and welcoming, so it is easy to spend time outdoors.  Yesterday afternoon, however, we explored the local indoor Flee Market.

 

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Strolling along the stalls of jewelry, clothing, and Florida trinkets and making our way through the fruit and vegetable market.

 

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We took a quick break to snag a New York style Nosh.

 

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And a pickle on a stick to go.

 

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This afternoon, we worked our way to the clubhouse for happy hour.

 

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It’s 5:00 somewhere…Chicago to be exact!  Then went out for an amazing Italian dinner.  Tomorrow, the weather is supposed to get back up in the 70’s (Hooray!) so I can hit up the pool one last time before heading home!  But, I will be back indoors at some point tomorrow because I am eager to get my hands on this pile of recipes from my aunt and my grandma.  I’m hoping to scan as many as possible into the computer for upcoming baking projects.

 

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Sounds like another busy day…because it is!  I have a lot to fit in since tomorrow is my last day in Florida.  It’s amazing how much family fun you can pack into just a few days. 

 

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How are you keeping busy this cold front?

 

Gift Giving Guide-The Baker/Cook December 16, 2012

Filed under: Holidays — Luv What You Do @ 8:32 am
Tags:

My alternative title for this post was ‘My Favorite Things’, but since I don’t own everything in this list, I didn’t think it was fully appropriate.  With holiday shopping on everyone’s mind, here are some great suggestions for the bakers or cooks in your lives…

 

Silpat Cookie Sheet Liner

I don’t think I could bake without them

 

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Cookies for Kids Cancer Spatula

Support a good cause with this adorable addition to your kitchen

 

 

 

KitchenAide Beater Blade

I have heard nothing but great things about this fancy beater for the KitchenAid mixer.  The pink one is on my wish list!

 

 

A Unique Cutting Board

There is something so stunning about these boards at Jayson Home

 

Leather Strap Cutting Boards

 

Cookbooks or Magazine Subscriptions

Cooking Light and Clean Eating are 2 of my favorites

 

 

Pots and Pans

Sur La Table has some pretty amazing deals

 

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A High Powered Blender

You can’t make smoothies without one

 

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A Fancy Knife

We want some real knifes SO BADLY!

 

 

 

A Mandoline Slicer

Imagine how good your meals will look with evenly chopped veggies

 

 

 

Prep and Serving Bowls

The holiday ones are super cute

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Dish Towels

Wrap one around a bottle of wine for the perfect hostess gift

 

 

 

A Unique (or Homemade) Olive Oil

 

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Fancy Champagne Glasses from JaysonHome.com

Everyone needs something to sip on while preparing dinner : )

Platinum Etched Champagne Glasses

 

 

What’s on your holiday wish list?

 

 

 

 

Looking for more ideas?

Here is last year’s Kitchen Gadget Gift List!

 

3 Bags Full December 8, 2012

Filed under: Dinner,Holidays,Life,Smoothies — Luv What You Do @ 8:39 pm
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I came out of hibernation today.  It seems that my hibernation was a little premature being that it reached 45 degrees outside.  I also had a lot of worthwhile places to be.

 

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After a filling breakfast of eggs and toast, I hit the trail for a ~4 mile run.  The air was damp but the weather was warm.  I kept having to remind myself that it was December 8th!  There is nothing more refreshing after a run than a Green Smoothie…

 

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Especially this time of year when greens are replaced with holiday sweets!

 

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This morning’s blend included:

Kale

1 cup almond milk

1 banana

1/4 cup oats

Frozen mango (whatever was left in the bag)

Ice cubes

 

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I’m still getting used to how powerful my new blender is.  It’s incredible how quickly everything comes together.  My old blender had to be 8 years old which is pretty ancient in terms of kitchen gadgets.  I grabbed my smoothie, and the BOY and I headed out the door for our biannual dentist visit.  It was a happy visit for both!  Look Mom…no cavities!

 

On the way back we stopped for lunch.

 

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It was the first meal the BOY and I have had together in a few days, so it was nice to sit and catch up for bit before heading our separate ways.  The BOY was off to the library (1 final down, 3 more to go), and I was back here for a facial.

 

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This was a HUGE treat and I walked out almost 2 hours later literally glowing!  Clean teeth…clean skin…what a day!  I swung by Whole Foods and then Target before making my way back home to return to hibernation.

 

Can you guess what I am doing this weekend?

 

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And No, the BOY and I didn’t break up…ha ha!

 

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I stocked up on sugar, chocolate, more sugar, butter, and flour for Sunday’s Bake-a-thon which I am SUPER excited for!

1 Trip to Target = 3 Full Bags of baking goodness!

 

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I walked in the door, unpacked my goodies and gave the BOY the hand off to get started on dinner.  I picked up the food and he was in charge of cooking it.

 

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My jobs…pouring the wine!

 

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And making this simple seasonal dessert.

 

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Dinner was ready (yummy shrimp fajitas!), and the BOY and I sat down to watch the DVRed Indiana Basketball game.

 

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There’s definitely something nice about fast forwarding through the commercials and getting to replay all of the acrobatic dunks.  After a busy day, it feels great to be back home in hibernation mode with the BOY.  But I can’t stay up too late because I have a busy day of baking with my Mom ahead of me.

 

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Happy Hanukkah!

 

Meal Planning {Again} November 19, 2012

Filed under: Life,Vegetables — Luv What You Do @ 9:21 am
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Saturday after my run, I dragged the BOY to the grocery store before lunch.  The main reason was I needed to pick up my allergy prescriptions, but I also wanted some input on this mini week’s meals.

 

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Our thought pattern went something like this…

 

Saturday Night: Chicken Parm

 

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Sunday Night: Chili (most likely a similar recipe to this one)

With leftovers for week day lunches

 

Monday Day: Root Vegetable Tagine

For lunches and to freeze

 

Monday Night: Dinner at the RAM with my family

My aunt is coming in town for Thanksgiving…Hooray!

 

Tuesday Night: Pork Tenderloin (super easy for one of my busier work days)

 

Wednesday Night: Dinner downtown for my brother’s birthday

 

Thursday: Thanksgiving Shenanigans*

 

*I have fondly named this Thanksgiving since it is going to be a few full days of food, drink, and family.  My mom is working on the meal plan.  I am in charge of sweet potato pie, and I picked up a new red wine to have with dinner.  And let’s not forgot all of these cookies…I can’t wait for the holiday and of course a 5 day weekend!

 

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Are you already thinking about you Thanksgiving menu?

 

 

Because I’m sure you’d like more out of this post then just my meals for the week, here by request, is the ‘recipe’ for Butternut Squash Fries…

 

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Start by cutting a butternut squash into evenly sized sticks.  As always with butternut, this is harder than you’d think.  Try pealing the squash first to make it easier to cut.

 

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Place on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt, rolling the squash around so that they are all fully covered.

 

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One of the reasons that this batch turned out so delectable is that I used fresh olive oil that the BOY’s parents brought us from Italy. 

 

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It’s amazing what a quality olive oil can do!

 

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Roast the fries turning once or twice until the edges start to crisp.

 

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Feel free to sample as you go.  I always do!

 

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You can serve these fries in your favorite dips, but I thought they were so amazing that I devoured them plain with a big bowl of hearty soup.

 

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Butternut Squash Fries

 

Ingredients

1 butternut squash cut into sticks

2 tsp olive oil

Sea salt to taste

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and non stick spray.

Place sliced squash onto baking sheet.  Drizzle with oil and sea salt coating everything evenly.

Place in oven for ~45 minutes, turning at least one time.

Serve warm.  Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in the microwave.

Enjoy!

 

Note: Try adding in sweet potatoes or parsnips for some variety!

If you don’t like chopping up squash, Whole Foods, Costco, and Trader Joe’s all have precut squash!

 

I Never Thought I’d add Pumpkin To… November 16, 2012

Filed under: Appetizers,Life — Luv What You Do @ 10:17 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

Do you ever wake up to this?

 

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Like jump out of bed with that awful feeling that you shouldn’t be sleeping…see the sun streaming in through the windows which confirms that you should indeed be awake and at work and you just know that it’s going to be a long day!

 

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Apparently we lost power at some point which turned off our clock (even though my alarm was still set for 6am) causing me to sleep in unexpectedly.  I raced downstairs to call my first patient feeling awful that I wouldn’t make my first appointment of the morning.  Waking up after 7:00am when your work day starts at 7:30 and you live 30 miles from work means that first appointment is not going to happen.  Needless to say, I didn’t get in this morning’s timed plank as I was too busy getting myself out the door.  I showered quickly, grabbed a bite, and ran to my car.  Only to realize that my car needed a few minutes to defrost.  I headed back indoors to enjoy a few more sips of tea and let the BOY try to tempt me into staying home.  I got to the office with plenty of time for kiddo number 2 and the day progressed as usual except I ended up staying late to make up for arriving late this morning.

 

After work, I swung by Trader Joe’s to pick up a few things.  Meal planning this week has gone really well, but I needed an avocado for leftover turkey tacos and some red meat for tacos for the BOY. 

 

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Almost $100 later, I had way more than a few things.

 

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Including one of my favorite seasonal teas!

 

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What can I say…That store is just dangerous!  Especially because I know the season stuff won’t last long.  I stocked up up precut sweet potatoes and squash with THIS RECIPE in mind.  Plus a pie crust for my Thanksgiving Day assignment.

 

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And…a Pumpkin Pie!

 

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Random…I know!  But apparently the BOY read an article today naming the Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pie the best store bought pie available, so he insisted that I pick one up during my next TJ’s visit.  Lucky for him, that was tonight!

 

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He heated up his pie for dessert and covered it with Reddi Whip.  I couldn’t resist a few bites myself, and man, that is a good pie!  It is super fresh and flavorful!  Which brings us to pumpkin and back to the title (and point) of this post.  It’s a bit of stretch but because it’s Friday, let’s just go with it…So what is the one thing that I would never think to add pumpkin to???

 

HUMMUS!

 

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But I’ve seen too many recipes combining chickpeas with my favorite fall squash to not give it a try!  The recipe calls for cayenne powder which I don’t have (but need to get) so I subbed in this Emeril’s Bayou Blast.

 

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Spicy pumpkin mixed into a hummus is a total fall appetizer winner!

 

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And with this recipe…the spicier the better!

 

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So add tons of spice and then dive straight in to this dip!

 

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It’s pretty surprising that I made it through this day, but I am happy to be snuggled into my comfy couch under a blanket and catching up on TV shows (I am becoming a huge fan of Elementary and Scandal is…well…scandalous!) with a glass of wine sharing this versatile recipe with you.  What else can I say, but…

Happy Friday!

 

Spicy Pumpkin Hummus

From Beanie Bumbles

 

Ingredients

1 15 oz can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp tahini

1-2 tsp cumin (the more the better!)

1/2 tsp cayenne (I used Bayou seasoning instead…the more the better!)

3/4 tsp salt

 

Directions

Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth.  This may take a few minutes.  Adjust seasoning to taste.      Make it spicy!  Refrigerate to let the flavors blend.  Eat with pita chips, crackers, veggies, or smothered onto a sandwich!

 

 

How Random was your Friday?

What unexpected recipes to you add Pumpkin to?

 

 
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