Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Lately, I've had a craving for a creamy soup. Rather than going out and "splurging" I decided to create my own, and I know exactly what's in it.

This creamy broccoli cheese soup is reminiscent of the soup served at Panera Bread. The soup they serve is 6 PointsPlus for 1-cup; 9 PointsPlus for the 1 1/2 cup serving size bowl. This soup makes me just as happy, and it's only 3 PointsPlus for 1-cup; 5 PointsPlus for 2-cups.

I'm not a fan of fat free cheeses, but if you decide to swap the reduced fat shredded cheddar for fat free, your bowl of delicious soup is only 2 PointsPlus. If you're doing Simply Filling or Simple Start, you'll still only need to account for 1 Indulgence PointsPlus.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

3 cups low sodium vegetable broth (I used Trader Joe's)
1 cup fat free half and half
16oz frozen organic broccoli
2 carrots, grated (or 1 cup carrot shreds)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 Tbls corn starch
2 Tbls water
1 cup shredded 2% sharp cheddar cheese


1. In a large microwave safe bowl, place the grated carrots and top with the frozen broccoli. Microwave on high for 4-5 minutes, until broccoli is thawed and carrots are soft.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, addd the broccoli and carrots and pulse until finely chopped.

3. Transfer chopped broccoli and carrots to a large saucepan. Stir in the vegetable broth, half and half, minced garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.

4. While waiting for the soup to boil, mix cornstarch with water to make a slurry. Once soup comes to a boil, stir in slurry, and cook over high heat until thick.

5. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheese.

6. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!


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6 servings | 3 Weight Watchers PointsPlus

Sloppy Taco Joes

This week has been a crazier week than usual. I find that when my schedule is packed, eating well is the first thing that goes out the window. I was determined to keep it simple, yet make sure I was following my Weight Watchers Simple Start plan. I feel better and more in control of myself, my emotions, and my hunger if I just take an extra five minutes to plan out my meals.

Here's something I whipped up before I went into work. Who doesn't like a 3-ingredient recipe? That's all it takes to make these Sloppy Taco Joes. It took all of about 15 minutes to cook and divide into containers. It made 4 meals, and instead of the bread, I served it with a 1/2 cup of quinoa and a piece of fruit. It was a quick and easy lunch.

If you're doing Weight Watchers, this is a Simple Start meal or 4 PointsPlus for just the Sloppy Taco Joe mixture.

Easy Lunch: Kashi Roasted Vegetable Pizza Fixed Up

I really, really wanted pizza.

I wanted greasy pizza.

But, I'm keeping my goal in mind, and I don't like how I feel after eating greasy pizza - mentally or physically. I'm trying to get back to basics here. If I can't eat in freedom (meaning, if I can't eat it without over-doing it or hating myself for eating it), then I don't eat it. Sometimes I can eat greasy pizza in freedom; sometimes I can't. Right now, as I crawl my way to my goal, I can't. BUT, I can eat a healthier version in freedom.

Here's how I do it...

Kashi Roasted Vegetable Pizza, fixed up. One serving, not fixed, is 1/3rd of the pizza for 6 Weight Watchers Points Plus. It makes a great base for additional toppings.

To this particular pizza, I added 1/2 cup wilted spinach (pop two big handfuls of baby spinach in a bowl and microwave for one minute to wilt), 2/3 cup Weight Watchers Mexican Blend Cheese, and 16 (Margherita) turkey pepperoni slices, a sprinkle of dried oregano, and a dash of red pepper flakes. Pop it in a preheated 425 degree oven for 12 minutes or so, and cut into thirds when it's done. Each third is 8 Weight Watchers Points Plus. I pack the other two servings up and enjoy them for lunch/dinner later in the week.

It's pretty satisfying and hits my craving without guilt!

Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies

One of my favorite fall treats is the two ingredient cake.

Have you heard about it?

It's sometimes called the "Weight Watchers Cake." You simply mix one box of cake mix with one 15oz can of pumpkin puree. That's it. No other ingredients. You'll be tempted add some liquids because the mixture is quite thick, but resist the urge. It bakes into a dense cake.

I like to bake it in muffin tins, and recently decided - since it's so thick - to see what would happen if I used my cookie scoop to portion the batter out onto a cookie sheet. It bakes up into sweet pumpkin spice cake-like cookies.

Then I had a jar of marshmallow fluff in the cupboard and somehow a knife found its way to the jar and it schmeared some marshmallow fluff onto a cookie.

Heaven.

Yes, the cookie is a bit thick to be considered a whoopie pie, but it works for me!

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Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies 

Cake

1 box of spice cake mix

15oz can of pumpkin puree

Filling Ingredients

1 cup shortening

1 jar (7.4 oz) marshmallow fluff

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the cake mix and pumpkin until thoroughly combined. Do not add any extra ingredients - batter will be very thick.

Use a cookie scoop and drop batter onto cookie sheet.

Bake 15 minutes or until done (a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean).

Remove and cool.

In the bowl of a mixer, combine all filling ingredients and mix until the filling is light and fluffy.

Once the cookies are cool, sandwich a heaping spoonful of filling in between two cakes.


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Makes 15 whoopie pies  |   10 Weight Watchers PointsPlus 

Pumpkin Spice Rice Pudding

Know what my sweet downfall is?

Creamy. Anything creamy.

I love puddings and cheesecakes and desserts made out of whipped cream. Remember Dirt? Did your mom ever make it for you? My mom made it on special occasions. It's ground Oreos, chocolate pudding, and Cool Whip mixed together with gummy worms hidden inside. I could eat a whole bowl of it.

We never had rice pudding growing up. Not sure why...probably because we didn't eat rice too often and when we did, we'd eat it all up. I had my bestie over for dinner the other night and made rice to go along with a dish. There was plenty left over and I didn't feel like eating it "as is." I hunted through the fridge and found a leftover can of pumpkin puree, and figured...let's go for it. Pumpkin Rice Pudding was born. It's a warm, comforting, autumn dessert. You could also eat it for breakfast - not like I did that or anything.

Quick note to my friends doing Weight Watchers: I made this recipe with 1 PointsPlus homemade coconut milk. I ran other milks through the recipe builder including skim, 1%, 2%, and unsweetened almond milk, and the PointsPlus values did not change. If half of a cup doesn't sound like enough to you, try bulking it up by stirring in a diced pear - so good!

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Pumpkin Rice Pudding

2 1/2 cups cooked rice
3 cups unsweetened coconut milk (like this)
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
2/3 cup agave (maple syrup or honey will work, too)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 Tlbs vanilla extract
1 Tbls cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice

In a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, place the pumpkin. Slowly whisk in the coconut milk and agave. Add spices, rice, dried cranberries, and stir. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice has soaked up most of the liquid, around 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

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Makes 12, 1/2 cup servings   |   4 Weight Watchers PointsPlus 

...or... 

Makes 6, 1 cup servings   |   7 Weight Watchers PointsPlus

Shockingly Good Pumpkin Chili

Seriously. Yes. There's pumpkin in this chili recipe. Why "shockingly good?" Because...who actually expects pumpkin in chili to be good, right?

This is exactly what my family considers "weird" cooking, so I made it and took it into work. They were a little leery about pumpkin in the chili, but it got nothing but big thumbs up. The pumpkin is very subtle and makes the chili very creamy. Plus, it's a nice nutrient boost. It's very hearty, meaty, and filling, and a 1-cup serving is only 4 Weight Watchers PointsPlus. I was ravenous at lunch, so I ate two cups for 9 PointsPlus and it totally hit the spot.

The chipotle peppers in adobo sauce add a nice, smokey heat. If you've never tried them before, try 'em for this recipe. Just package the rest of the peppers and sauce up in a sandwich baggy and freeze for your next recipe...or for when you make this again.

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Shockingly Good Pumpkin Chili

2lbs of lean ground beef (93/7)
1 large onion, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
1 zucchini, diced
8oz sliced baby Bella mushrooms
14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
15oz can tomato sauce
15oz canned pumpkin
1 cup water or broth
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, plus one heaping tsp of sauce
2 Tbls chili powder
1 Tbls unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbls cumin
1 Tbls coriander
2 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cook the ground beef in a large skillet on the stove until it's cooked through. Drain and transfer to a big slow cooker.

Add in remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Alternatively, mix in a big pot and cook over medium heat on the stove for a couple of hours.

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11 servings | 4 Weight Watchers PointsPlus per serving

Asian Peanut Penne

Branching out this morning and deciding to try something different for lunch!

I picked up a box of gluten free brown rice pasta. I haven't had too much success with gluten free pastas. It seems like the noodles turn to mush fast. I discovered cooking them one minute below the instructions on the box seems to be curing that issue.


Asian Peanut Penne

...Mix...
2 cups cooked, cooled penne (4oz dry)
2 cups broccoli slaw mix (with red cabbage and shredded carrots)
4 scallions sliced diagonal

...In a separate bowl whisk...
1 1/2 Tbls natural peanut butter
1 1/2 Tbls Tamari (soy sauce)
1 1/2 Tbls sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbls lime juice
2 Tbls water
1 tsp agave
1 small clove garlic, minced

Stir all together and enjoy! Makes four 1-cup servings - 5 Weight Watchers Points Plus per serving.

Pineapple Pepper Chicken | 8 WW P+

As my kid bro would say, "Just call me butter, 'cause I'm on a roll!"

Seriously, I'm hitting some cooking home runs here with my experiments. I'm working on recipes that are simple to make, freeze well, and tastes as good reheated as it did coming out of the pan. If you have any recipes like this, feel free to share! I've been spending too much money on the pre-made frozen meals. Purchasing the organic, gluten free, dairy free meals - which run an extra $2-$3 over the "standard" frozen meals - is delightfully convenient, but really puts a dent in the budget. I'm mystified how a frozen meal, which uses fresh ingredients, no weird unrecognizable preservatives, could cost so much more. I'm not the only one who thinks that's backwards, right? I appreciate the convenience though, so I'm glad it's there for when I need it. But... I need to really kick my laziness in the backside and just start making my own meals again. Sigh.

This recipe got a thumbs up from my dad. In case you don't know, my family thinks I make "weird food," so to have an endorsement from my day... that's big stuff.

Quick recipe notes: if you don't like quinoa, you could use cooked rice, cous cous, or another grain - whatever floats your boat. Not keen on frozen peppers and frozen pineapple? Use fresh by all means. Frozen is what I had on hand. Want to make this completely gluten free? Use Tamari or coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce.


Pineapple Pepper Chicken 
Serves 4 | 8 Weight Watchers Points+ per serving (1 cup of Pepper Pineapple Chicken over 1/2 cup of prepared quinoa)

2 tsp coconut oil
1lb uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into bite sized pieces
16oz frozen red, green, yellow pepper strips (like Trader Joe's Melange a Trois)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 1/2 cups frozen pineapple bits (like Trader Joe's Frozen Pineapple Tidbits)
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 scallions, thinly sliced


Sauce
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 lime, zest and juice of
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbls water


Heat coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium/high heat. Add chicken and cook until almost cooked through, approximately 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook another 3-4 minutes or until you start to smell the onions cooking. Turn the heat up to high and add the frozen peppers and pineapple tidbits. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the frozen items thaw and the liquid evaporates.

While the chicken, peppers, and pineapple cook, combine all the sauce ingredients from chicken broth to the soy sauce in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Add cornstarch mixture to the rest of the sauce ingredients. Pour over the chicken mixture and stir until thickened and the sauce forms.

Spoon 1 cup of Pepper Pineapple Chicken over 1/2 cup of prepared quinoa. Top with some scallions, and enjoy!

Easy Slow Cooker Beef & Tomato Macaroni Soup

I have been in a total food rut lately. Looking back over my grocery bills, I can see that at least one meal each day has consisted of a pre-packaged frozen meal. While they've been organic, healthy meals like Amy's Kitchen and Evol, to do them every single day really puts a dent in the budget. So, I've been kicking myself in the rear and trying to get myself back in the habit of making actual meals again. Cooking for one is hard, but I'm making sure I have plenty of containers on hand so I can take the leftovers and create my own frozen meals. This recipe saved me massive dollars in the pre-packaged food department - even using all organic ingredients.

BTW - I made this and took it in for my coworkers to try. It got total rave reviews. It's one of the finest soups I've ever made!

Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup
5 Weight Watchers Points+ for a 1 cup serving

8 cups beef broth, divided
1lb ground beef (I used 85/15)
28oz diced tomatoes in tomato juice
6oz tomato paste
1 cup frozen chopped onions (or one large onion, chopped)
10oz sliced mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 cup uncooked macaroni noodles

Directions
Place all ingredients in large slow cooker, except for 1 cup of beef broth and the uncooked macaroni noodles. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, stir in uncooked macaroni noodles and reserved beef broth. Stir, cover, and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

* No need to cook the beef ahead of time - it cooks in the soup

* Make it gluten free by using gluten free beef broth and gluten free macaroni noodles, like Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta. 

* Fresh is always better, but you can use 2 Tbls dried basil in place of fresh basil.

Refreshing Watermelon Drink

Just about every afternoon, around 3PM, my parents hop in the car and head to the nearest Starbucks for their "afternoon drink." So when they left today, I decided to make one of my own.

It's slightly sweet from the watermelon, bright from the mint, and refreshing from the coconut water. I'd take this any day over a coffee drink. Make sure to serve in a big jar with a straw, and sip away!


Refreshing Watermelon Drink

2 big handfuls of frozen watermelon cubes, divided
2 or 3 mint leaves
1 cup coconut water
2 cups water

Place one big handful of watermelon chunks in a big jar or glass. They'll be like delicious ice cubes. Put everything else in the blender and blend until pulverized. Pour over frozen watermelon chunks in jar and enjoy!

I Eat Dirt

Dirt is pretty much the world's easiest dessert at only 5 ingredients. Shoot, you could buy pre-made chocolate pudding and knock it down to 4 ingredients.

My mom's yearbook class is having their big bake sale today, and this is the big request. We package them into individual servings and sell for $1 each. They're always the first to go. It's something about the way they look, combined with the unmistakable taste of chocolate pudding, Cool Whip, and crushed Oreos. So simple, familiar, and good. If you've never tried it, just do it once for your kids...or yourself!


DIRT

2 cups cold milk
1 pkg (4 serving size) Jello Instant Pudding, chocolate flavor
8oz container Cool Whip, thawed
1 pkg Oreo Cookies
1 pkg gummy worms

1. Dump Oreo Cookies into the food processor and pulse until finely ground, resembling sand or...dirt. Alternatively, you can place the cookies in a Ziploc bag and beat the tar out of them.

2. Pour the milk into a large bowl. Add the chocolate instant pudding, and whisk to mix the pudding for two minutes or until thickened. Let chocolate pudding stand 5 minutes to turn into pudding consistency. When thickened, add in half of the crushed cookies until evenly distributed. Fold in the thawed Cool Whip.

3. I like to make three layers of dirt and cookies. Drop a spoonful of pudding in mixture into the bottom of a cup (an ice cream scoop makes this part easy), add a thin layer of cookie crumbs. Drop in a gummy worm. Drop another spoonful of pudding mixture on top and finish with a layer of cookie crumbs. Top with another gummy worm.


*Note: we double this recipe and package them in clear, 8oz party cups. We get 12 servings out of the double recipe using this method. You could go with a smaller cup and increase your servings. We also cut the gummy worms in half to make them more manageable.

Yes. Bacon Cherry Pie. Yes.

Today is Jack's (my co-worker) birthday.

His birthday present request?

A bacon cherry pie, what else? And so I made it for him. Initially, I was a little worried...I didn't want to eat pools of bacon grease. This pie needs to be eaten warm so the bacon grease is melted.

Honestly...straight up...this was awesome. Tasted like an amazing Saturday morning breakfast.


Bacon Cherry Pie

5 cups cherries
2/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
10 pieces bacon
2 Tbls cinnamon sugar
Double pie crust


Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix cherries, sugar, and cornstarch together. Let sit for 20 minutes.

Line pie plate with a pie crust.

Give cherry mixture a final stir and dump into pie crust.

Make a lattice with 9-10 pieces of bacon.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes.

Lower oven temperature to 350 and bake one hour.

Uncover and bake another 15 min to crisp bacon.

Let pie rest but serve while still warm.

Baked Eggs in Salsa

The directions really should read, "Dump salsa in a dish, crack eggs over top, season, pop in oven, set the timer, sit down and watch 'Gone With the Wind' marathon, try not to burn yourself pulling it out of the oven or the roof of your mouth when you don't let it cool because you're too busy laughing at the scene where Scarlett makes the dress out of the drapes and all you can think about is the Carol Burnet comedy sketch."

'Cause that's kind of how it happened.

But it was still good and wickedly simple to make on a Saturday morning.

Pumpkin Pecan Granola

How could I have forgotten to share this recipe?

Last year I made this pumpkin pecan granola by the truck load. This year, not so much since this isn't apart of my raw foods lifestyle. But last year? Ummmm.... I stuffed pre-portioned baggies in my purse to take with me to work. I handed them out at my Weight Watchers meetings like I was the Great Granola Pusher. Practically every weekend I was making a batch. Yet I never shared the recipe with you.

My apologies.

Reasons why I loved this so much last year? It tasted like fall. It was crunchy and clustery - the way I like my granola. It had pecans in it, and I love pecans. It wasn't oily. It was low in fat and high in nutrition. It had pumpkin in it. It had pumpkin in it. And it had pumpkin in it.

I suggest getting some snack size baggies and pre-portioning the granola out otherwise you'll keep reaching for more and more and not realize that you've had too many servings. I took the oatmeal containers, wrapped them in pretty wrapping paper, and then store the baggies in there. Try sprinkling 1/4 cup (half portion) of the granola over some vanilla yogurt mixed with canned pumpkin and some cinnamon. YUM!

Pumpkin Pecan Granola
Recipe adapted from The Pastry Affair

3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tsps pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup pecans
1 cup puffed wheat
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Add the oats, pecans, and puffed wheat, and stir until everything is coated and you have a moist mixture.

Spread the granola mixture on to the parchment lined baking sheet. I like to leave small clusters of the mix. Those are my favorite parts of granola.

Bake for 20 minutes and stir the granola around. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Cool completely on the pan. Scatter the dried cranberries and raisins on top of the granola, toss, and then store the cooled granola in an air tight container.


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Servings 14 | Serving Size: 2 oz (or a scant 1/2 cup)
Calories: 165 | Fat: 4.1 | Carbs: 30 | Fiber: 3 | Protein: 3

{4 WW Points+}

5 Ingredient Pesto Pasta Bake

Last year, Hurricane Irene took a toll on our neighborhood. Many old trees fell, including two that cut off both entrances to our street when they fell. Thankfully, no one was injured and all houses were left in tact. We were without power long enough that we had to empty out the fridge and standing freezer. It hurt to throw all that food away, but since that time, we used that as a lesson to greatly reduce how much food we purchase and keep in the house.

When the reality sunk in that Hurricane Sandy would be hitting us, and hitting us harder than Irene, we went into all out preparation mode. Since we have an electric stove, we have to be creative in how we heat food, should the power go out.

We filled the propane tank for our grill. After Hurricane Irene, that was our main source for making anything heated. It was comical to watch my dad heat water and coffee beans in a cast iron pot to make his coffee. This time, we also purchased several containers of sterno to go along with chafing dishes that we already have. Sterno lasts hours and gets food HOT.

Which brings us to a lesson learned: make coffee ahead of time so all we have to do is reheat it in a chafing dish or pot.

We also boiled pasta ahead of time, so it just needed to be stirred into canned/jarred spaghetti sauce that was being heated.

Since I'm avoiding gluten and dairy, I purchased packages of dried, sprouted quinoa and lentils that can be reconstituted in water, and boxed almond milk (which tastes WAY different from real almond milk) to make chia seed pudding.

We also made sure we had plenty of "room temperature" fruits and veggies on hand.

Now that Hurricane Sandy has blown through and is on her way out, we have some food to eat. Namely pasta. This is an easy dish I put together to take to work. I used linguini noodles, since that's what we pre-boiled, but you can use any cooked pasta shape you want. I grabbed two big handfuls of cooked noodles to use in this, somewhere around 3-4 cups. You could also turn this into a heartier meal by including some cooked sausage, chicken, or ground beef. This is a great "leftover" meal that doesn't taste like you've repurposed leftovers.


5 Ingredient Pesto Pasta Bake
1 can of 98% fat free cream of _______ condensed soup (celery, mushroom, or chicken)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomato pesto (or any pesto you like)
1/2 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
1 clove of garlic, minced
3-4 cups cooked pasta (I used linguini)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or any melty cheese blend)
1 tsp dried basil

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine condensed soup, pesto, milk, and garlic. Once thoroughly combined, stir in the pasta.

Spread the pasta mixture into a casserole dish, top with shredded cheese, sprinkle on dried basil, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Pull foil off and bake for another 10 minutes to brown the cheese.

Let rest for 5 minutes, cut, and serve!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

You need to have an adventure-seeking, iron will to make this.

Why?

Because peeling a pumpkin isn't for weenies.

If you've never tried peeling a pumpkin, you really should try it. Frankly, I think everyone should try it at some point in their life. The satisfaction one receives after peeling a pumpkin is akin to the feeling of finishing every single item on the to do list: accomplishment, pride, and then the general feeling of wanting to wear a sign that says, "I AM AWESOME. RAWR."

Peeling a pumpkin also drastically improves one's prayer life. Here's how my prayer went, "God, please don't let me cut myself, please, please, please, oh, please don't let me cut myself."

Peeling a pumpkin also increases one's gratitude quotient. I became grateful for the muscles in my forearm, grateful for band-aids in case I needed them, grateful for whomever invented the canned form of pumpkin...

If, at this point, you've decided to make this smoothie, you are clearly Type A and more than likely an aggressive first born or middle child. I would be the Type A, first born daughter, and middle child combination. And I would peel a pumpkin again because of the satisfaction it gives me. Call me crazy.

Honestly, this smoothie IS delicious. When I took my first sip, I thought, "Starbucks... you can't touch this."

Make sure you're using an organic pie pumpkin, since those pumpkins are made for eating. You don't want to use the ginormous ones you use to carve. Muscle up and peel that bad boy, and if you have a food processor, shred it up. Otherwise, consider yourself a true champion when you grate the pumpkin by hand. I am not a true champion. I busted out that food processor.

My little pumpkin gave me 4 cups of grated pumpkin. I bagged them up in 1 cup portions. Some I've used to make more smoothies; the rest I've frozen to pull out later to incorporate into a bread or cake instead of using shredded carrots.

Questions you might have about this recipe...

Can I use canned pumpkin? I'm sure you can, but I haven't tried it so I don't know how it works. Let me know if you try it!

Homemade coconut milk. You've got to be kidding me. Can I use something else? Sure! It's what I had on hand, so use your milk preference - dairy, almond, pecan, hempseed, etc.

Cashew butter? Can't I use something else? Sure. I'd go with almond butter or a mild tasting nut butter. You don't want a peanut butter pumpkin pie smoothie. Or maybe you do. But if you don't, you could leave it out altogether. I'm including it for good fat and satiety since I'm having it for breakfast.

I don't have dates. What else can I use? Use whatever sweetener you'd like. I just like dates since they are a naturally sweet fruit. Try using 1 Tbls of a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup.

Any idea on what to use in place of pumpkin pie spice? Yup! Click here for recipe to make your own.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

1 cup shredded pumpkin
1 ripe banana
1 cup homemade coconut milk
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp cloves
1 date
1 Tbls cashew butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Blend all the ingredients until smooth. Drink it up!

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

I'm starting to get into a food rut, so I started looking through some of my old recipes for inspiration.

How could I forget about this Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette?

It's simple to make and delicious drizzled on a salad, over some sliced pears, or anything really. It lands more on the sweet side, so feel free to cut back on the maple if you like your dressing more acidic. I'm sure agave or honey would be fine swaps if you can't do maple. If you do the maple, make sure you are using the real stuff and not the chemical laden pancake "maple" syrups.


Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tlbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbls maple syrup (the real stuff)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
pinch black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together. Will keep for five days in the fridge.

10 Beet Recipes For Inspiration

I don't know the first thing about beets.

I'll straight up admit it.

We never had them growing up, and the only time I've encountered them has been at good old Baltimore restaurants where they use the spiced kind used as a garnish on the side of the plate, tucked next to the fresh orange slice. Even then, I smelled them, but I didn't eat it.

I've been eyeing them at the farmer's market, so I decided to be adventurous and slip a bunch into my recycled bag. I was pleasantly surprised when I took a bite of my first raw beet. It was sweet with a starchy taste...almost like a sugary potato. And the color...the color is so fantastic! So rich, so red, so vibrant.

This morning I tricked my father into letting me make him breakfast. I fixed him two eggs over easy; three slices of uncured nitrate-free hickory smoked bacon; a slice of whole wheat bread; and side of beet greens (yes - you can eat the green tops!) sauteed in bacon drippings, onions, and garlic. I used this recipe as inspiration. You can't go wrong by cooking something in bacon drippings. Great googly moogly. They were GOOD.

So now I'm on the hunt for beet recipes. I've found some really delicious looking and creative ones, and I thought I'd share them with you. A few of the recipes break my rules right now (no red meat, gluten, grains, dairy, caffeine, sugar), but they may work for you or serve as a springboard for your own creative ideas.

If you are a beet eater, what's your favorite way to prepare/eat beets?

Red Velvet Beet Smoothie
(Gabby's Gluten Free)

Beet Hummus

(Simply Recipes)

French "Peasant" Beets
(Food52)

Chocolate Mousse Pie with a Secret Ingredient!
(Love Food Eat)

Beet and Goat Cheese Napoleons
(Fifteen Spatulas)

Beetroot Pesto

(The Whinery 2.0)

Heart Beet Rawvioli with Pesto Oil
(My New Roots)

10-Minute Beets with Chives, Shallots, and Garlic
(A Doctor's Kitchen)

Raw Beetroosh
(Green Kitchen Stories)

Grated Raw Beet Salad
(NY Times)

Last Leg Asparagus Salad

This was breakfast.

I don't know how it happened, but I some how ran out of fruit.

I mean, I know how it happened. I ate it. I watched myself eat it. And I even reminded myself that I needed to go to the store. But I think, deep down inside, I secretly hoped the Organic Fruit Fairy would magically visit over night and leave me a bounty of bananas, mangos, and strawberries on my counter.

Apparently the Organic Fruit Fairy doesn't exist. Or I've offended her. Or him. Organic fruit fairies can be boys too.

I started digging through what I had on hand and found some asparagus that was about two days away from being not awesome. Totally on its last leg. I paid $3 for that bunch, so I figured I'd better eat it up. Truthfully, I would have preferred to drizzle the asparagus spears with olive oil, sprinkle it with some kosher salt, and roast it at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or so. But I'm trying to do the raw food thing and not kill the nutrients by cooking it. But really...roasted...it's so delicious. Wrapped in some prosciutto and then roasted? Heavenly. And a little sprinkle of shaved parmesan cheese? Over the top. Ovvvver the top.

Back to reality. I also discovered some cauliflower as I was digging around. It was on its last leg as well. I'm really doing a good job of making my breakfast sound appealing, right? To be honest, I am proud of me because I chose to eat what was on hand instead of eating something not on the raw food plan. Waste not want not, isn't that the saying?

Some quick facts about asparagus (I'm not a genius - I just found this stuff on the web, which means it has to be true):

• Asparagus has 288 milligrams of potassium, 3 grams of fiber, up to 5 grams of protein, and only 40 calories per cup.
  
• Asparagus is high in folate, which helps reduce inflammation in the body and reduce the risk of heart disease.
  
• Asparagus is also ridiculously high in Vitamin K - almost 70% of the RDA is in one cup. Vitamin K keeps bones strong and helps in (healthy) blood clotting.
  

So this morning, I made what I call Last Leg Asparagus Salad, since most of the ingredients were on their last leg. Still pretty tasty. Don't skip zesting the lime. The zest really brightens the dish and makes it taste happy.

Last Leg Asparagus Salad

Salad
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces (approximately 2 cups)
2 Tbls finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped cauliflower
zest of lime


Dressing
1 Tbls olive oil
2 tsps lime juice
salt and pepper to taste


Directions
In a medium sized bowl, toss the salad ingredients together. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients together. Pour dressing over salad, toss, and serve.

Serves two.

Per serving: 3 Weight Watchers Points+

The Green Smoothie

"Blech," my mother said as she looked at me with her nose scrunched up. "Guess that's what you're having breakfast, hmmm?"

"Aaaaahhh," I said as I took a swig of my green smoothie. "It's so creamy and sweet. I can feel the vitamins and nutrients making the cells in my body spring to life!"

She rolled her eyes, grabbed her high fiber cereal topped with strawberries and left me to my mess.

I didn't used to be a smoothie girl, but since I've decided to make organic vegetables and fruits my primary source of food, I've jumped on the green smoothie bandwagon.

I like to use 2 cups of spinach as the base. Spinach is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, manganese, iron, zinc, and so much more. Occasionally I'll use a combination of spinach and kale or just kale, but I really prefer spinach because the kale can taste bitter. To me, the spinach has no flavor in the smoothie.

Once I've got my spinach set, I'll add half a banana or avocado to make it creamy; 1/2 cup of frozen fruit to make it cold; some water, coconut milk, or almond milk to thin it out; and then I might add in some flax seeds for additional omega 3's and fiber. I will sometimes add in a tablespoon of a nut butter to make it extra satiating if I know I'm not going to be able to eat lunch at my usual time.

I know it looks weird. It's so...so... green. But I promise - all you will taste is the fruit and their sweetness.

Do you have smoothies for breakfast? What do you typically put in your smoothie? I'm looking to try something new - non-dairy - and would love to hear your suggestions.