In an effort to add more vegetables to my family's diet I turned to the culinary genius at ... Pintrest (of course!). While trolling through yummy recipe after the other I came across on for Mac and Cheese geared towards Toddlers made with Sweet Potato. What a brilliant idea! This will be a great way to add an extra dose of veg to one of Darin's (my 3 year old) favorite meals. Now truth be told I did not follow the recipe to the exact letter mainly because I did not have any Sweet Potatoes in the house but I did have Cauliflower.
*Here are the health benefits of Cauliflower:
While cauliflower is not a well-studied cruciferous vegetable from a
health standpoint, you will find several dozen studies linking
cauliflower-containing diets to cancer prevention, particularly with
respect to the following types of cancer: bladder cancer, breast cancer,
colon cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer. This connection
between cauliflower and cancer prevention should not be surprising,
since cauliflower provides special nutrient support for three body
systems that are closely connected with cancer development as well as
cancer prevention. These three systems are (1) the body's detox system,
(2) its antioxidant system, and (3) its inflammatory/anti-inflammatory
system. Chronic imbalances in any of these three systems can increase
risk of cancer, and when imbalances in all three systems occur
simultaneously, the risk of cancer increases significantly.*
First, I boiled 1/2 box of pasta and 1/2 a head of Cauliflower together in the same pot. Once the Cauliflower was fork tender, I tossed the florets and a few spoons of the pasta water in my handy Baby Bullet mixer and pureed it into a smooth apple sauce consistency. Next, I drained the pasta once it was "al dente" and set aside. In the same pot I started to make my roux, by adding equal parts on flour and butter (about 1 table spoon each) once the flour and butter combined to make a blonde paste (this is almost instant) then slowly added the Cauliflower puree to the pot, constantly but gently stirring the ingredients together until well blended and the Cauliflower puree is even thicker. If you find the sauce is too thick you can added a splash of milk to thin it out. I let the sauce marry for a few minutes then added in the cheese. For this particular dish I used a Mexican shredded blend but feel free to you whatever you have on hand. I used about 2 cups of cheese and slowly added it to the pot stirring to combine and make sure the sauce is smooth. Once the cheese is all melted in the sauce, fold in your cooked pasta. When all the pasta is coated in the delicious yummy sauce, it's time to serve.
Now since this was mainly for my little one I didn't really season it, however, we adults like comfort food too, so before you add the cheese you can add salt, pepper and a dash of fresh grated nutmeg for added flavor. This recipe took me about 25-30 mins to make even with the blending and sauce prep. I find it so much easier to use one pot for this dish, plus less clean up.
To make this even more healthier you can use reduced fat cheese and 2% milk to thin your sauce. You can add green peas, either fresh or froze (thaw before use), even carrots or chopped broccoli florets. It can even be made sinful, instead of using butter for your roux fry up some chopped bacon, remove the cooked bits and leave the grease in the pan, add your flour to create the roux and snag up all that good smoky flavor from the bacon. Once the roux is a blonde paste add your cauliflower and proceed with the recipe. When ready to serve sprinkle some of the bacon and a little finely chopped Parsley on top. Three words for any of these versions: Happy, Happy, Happy!
Enjoy!!
*Source: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=13
As a busy Mompreneur, quick and easy meals are a blessing right next to the pizza delivery man. My take on beef stir fry was influenced by a trip to Costco. They have great items and even though it maybe more than enough for a small family, there is no loss in dividing and freezing their meats and produce for dinner combos for later in the week or month. I digress though, I purchased some gorgeous bell peppers in a beautiful array of red, yellow, and orange. This instantly made me think of a stir fry with the flavors of charred onions and spicy ginger to awaken the pallet. To make it, I used the following (note these are things I had on hand in my fridge and pantry)
- 1.5 pounds of beef sirloin cut into strips
- 1/2 a large white onion dice
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 6 green onions chopped in to 1 inch pieces
- 1 inch piece of ginger root finely grated\
- 2 grated carrots
- 3 bell peppers (any color you like)
- 2 table spoons of Teriyaki sauce + a little more to taste as needed during cooking
- 2 table spoons of Olive oil
- 2 table spoons of Vegetable Oil (or Corn, canola, whatever you have at home is fine)
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
Once you have prepped your meat, marinate it in the Teriyaki sauce, set aside.
Prepare your veggies, dice onion, mince garlic, grate the ginger & carrots, cut up the green onions and slice the bell peppers. Now time to turn up the heat, heat a large skillet or if you have a wok or wok pan medium high heat. Add both sets of oils be sure to coat the pan, once hot add onions and let them start to cook then add salt to help them cook down till and become translucent. This next step is optional but I like when the onions have a char, so if you want to cook them till they have a little color feel free. Next add in the green onions, garlic, and ginger stirring often then add beef. Stir to cover in oil and seasonings and let brown. Be sure to stir the beef to brown on all sides. Taste and add more sauce or salt if needed. Lastly add carrots and peppers stir the pan, cover and reduce heat. Let cook till the peppers are tender and meat is fully cooked.
Note* When I cook I try to use what I have on hand so feel free to add other vegetables you like or even try a different protein such as chicken or pork maybe even cubed Tofu. I hope you give this recipe a try, and make it your own. Enjoy!
Why chocolate in soap?
It was a curious 2am thought that came to me after reading on the
web about chocolate soap. Why not make a chocolate infused soap that
looks like a dessert tart? Thus the birth of Decadence Chocolate Soap.
All of the dessert
soaps contain quality cocoa powder, and are scented with yummy
fragrances like Chocolate Brownie, Butterscotch Brulée, and
Chocolate Covered Cherries.
Decadence soaps are meticulously
created by hand, as a fine Chocolatier would create in a kitchen, yet these sweet treats are calorie free and a luxury for your skin.
I will not claim that these soaps will have the same skin softening affects as a “spa
type” chocolate skin care treatment, however infusing cocoa powder in
the high quality soap bases and having delicious dessert scents
accompany these adorable “tarts”, I'm certain that Decadence Chocolate Soap is a luxurious self indulgence you can use as pick me up whenever you need a “sweet treat”.
So, last night was the 86th Academy Awards and all the star were out. Some new, some vets and some legends in the biz. Ellen DeGeneres was the host and she kept it clean and light hearted. I think it was one of the best shows to date. While watching though there was an underline feeling of inspiration. The winners and the speeches all had that theme of "chase your dreams" "put in the work, and enjoy the rewards". Even those who did not receive awards seemed to be very humble and genuinely happy for those who did. Of course, this is speculation and base on the camera pan to those who did not grace the stage but still it's my point of view.
I love how Jarred Leto's acceptance speech paid homage to how hard his mother worked to provide for him and his brother and what an inspiration she was to them. 1 He described her as a high school dropout and single mom who “somehow managed to make a better life for herself and her children,” and encouraged them to “be creative and work hard and do something special.” This I believe set the tone of the night, that and the fact that a few stars were accompanied by their mothers as their "dates". Jarred won best supporting actor for the film "Dallas Buyers Club".
On to first time winner Lupita Nyong'o, she won for supporting actress in "12 Years a Slave". In her speech she said "It doesn’t escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else’s." Referring to the story of the character she portrayed in the movie. I think best inspiring quote of the night came from Steve McQueen the director (and Oscar winner) of "12 Years a Slave".. "Everyone deserves not just to survive, but to live."
Also, from the winners of best actress and best actor we hear again messages of inspiration. Cate Blanchett, while tipping a hat to each of her fellow nominees, pointed out that Dame Judi Dench (79) missed the awards due to filming a movie sequel, she mentioned how inspired she was by Judi to still be in the biz. Also, in her speech she mentioned that 2while there are still some people in the film
business "who are still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films
with women at the center are niche experiences. They are not. Audiences
want to see them, and in fact, they earn money." This is so true, in a day and age where there are limited female role models on the small screen we need stories and strong women to "represent" on the big screen.
Finally, last night my man Matthew McConaughey won for best actor. I already love how down to earth he is, however he left me wondering about his speech, he thanked himself for "being someone to chase" as part of the 3 things that keep him going. First one being "Something to look up to", second "Something to look froward to". Matthew is always chasing his future self (by 10 years) it's an ideal he will never reach which keeps the drive going. Let's break this down we all have role models, people we strive to be like. But how interesting would it be if we started to strive to be the person we think we will be in 10 years. Be our own inspiration, that takes a ton of self acceptance and confidence. That to me is inspiring!
Side note I love how he thanked his dearly departed Father... Big pot of Gumbo, lemon meringue pie, underwear and beer...
Inspiration is everywhere, in stories, nature, art, music, self, it's all around us. Become inspired and be an inspiration...
1: Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/oscars/jared-leto-thanks-mother-oscar-speech-article-1.1708435#ixzz2uus8Cibi
2: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/03/us-oscars-bestactress-idUSBREA2208320140303
