Recipe Makeover-Momma's Stuffing

This year we are doing a completely clean eating Thanksgiving dinner in our household and this includes our stuffing. There are a couple dishes in our household we can't go without, macaroni & cheese, green bean casserole, and MOMMA'S Stuffing! Thus I had to figure out how we could make these delicious dishes CLEAN! Check out this delicious recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 loaf Ezekiel or other sprouted grain bread, cut into 1 inch cubes

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 4 or more cups vegetable or chicken broth

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 cup chopped celery 

• 1/2 cup raisins

• 1 apple chopped

• 1 tbsp garlic powder 

• 1-2 tablespoons of poultry seasoning 

• any other herbs you like

• sea salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 
2. Place bread cubes onto a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Toast in oven until crispy. 
3. Saute apples, celery, and onion in 2 tbsp olive oil until soft. 
4. In bowl mix remaining ingredients. 
5. Place in greased casserole dish and bake covered for 30 min. Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 min. until crispy and golden on top. 

Enjoy with your family on Thanksgiving Day, we will be! The main change to this recipe for our family is the ezekiel bread instead of regular stuffing mix. ;)

Spaghetti Squash Bake

I made this healthfully updated version of baked spaghetti last night and it was AWESOME! If you haven't tried spaghetti squash before in a recipe as a substitute, you should. A lot of times I hear people say yuck, spaghetti squash, I can't eat that stuff, but they haven't tried it in a dish actually. I personally am a fan of it right out of the skin, but most aren't, so placing it in a recipe for instance instead of noodles is a great alternate for it. Last night I used it in place of the normal high calorie high carb noodles in my baked spaghetti. I have attached the recipe, give it a try and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 onion, minced
1 bell pepper, minced (I prefer red or yellow for the sweetness)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 spaghetti squash
4 cups of spaghetti sauce, your choice, the cleaner the better!
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Basil

*Mozzarella to top if you prefer

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Slice the spaghetti squash length wise and place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with herbs, and bake for 1 hour or until soft to fork.
3. Cook ground beef and drained of all excess fat, place to the side
4. Saute onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, in olive oil until soft. Once cooked, add the meat and sauce to pan, simmer until warmed through.
5. Remove spaghetti squash from oven once cooked through and using a fork shred the inners out from side to side, it should look like strings of squash, resembling pasta. 
6. You can either place the squash in a dish, top with sauce, and bake for a short time (for family style presentation) or serve up each bowl separately.

In my house we decided to serve each bowl separately, generously sauced, and some sprinkled mozzarella on top! Great served with a side salad!

Since I wouldn't be home until late yesterday evening, I precooked the squash and precut the veggies. This made my evening meal preparation fast and simple! With squash already cooked prep time was only about 15 min. Yummo!

Recipe Makeover-Pumpkin Bread!

I made this pumpkin bread last night and it was delicious. The best part is it is healthy and clean! It was husband and teenager approved, so I say it's a keeper! 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of oats (blended into a flour consistency)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup (this gives it a little extra sweetness and a great maple kick)
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Mix all ingredients 
3. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan
4. Bake approximately 40 minutes or until firm, and toothpick comes out clean.
5. Let cool, slice, and serve!

I would suggest storing in the fridge as it has a high moisture content, it is great toasted with a tsp of real butter and cinnamon! 

This is a great treat, with whole and natural ingredients, Enjoy! Comment and let me know if you try the recipe! 

I will be posting more recipe makeovers through the continuation of this week in preparation for Thanksgiving! 

You should also check out this great blog B-Fit4U http://b-fit4u.blogspot.com

She is continually putting up healthy recipes, today's recipe is Pumpkin Cheesecake-Revamped!

No Excuses!

I'm too tired...I'm don't feel good...I can't do it...etc.etc.etc. I myself have come up with about every excuse under the sun, but truly there are no excuses. Excuses that is, for getting up and moving! In the time it takes you to make the excuse, you could have begun your exercise/activity.

On Friday evening I was honor a man who is a perfect example of "no excuses"! His name is Bob Quick, he has coronary artery disease, has had 16 stents, and a pace maker. He did not use these health concerns as excuses by any means, instead he turned this situation around to be an example of how anyone can get physical! Get physical physical! ;) He and his son Conrad have biked from the West coast to the East coast, from California to Florida. He was told he would not be able to do it, due to his health history, and he has proven many to be wrong! Not only is he doing it and proving many wrong, but he is doing it for charity. An amazing man he is and I was honored to meet him and learn his story.
You can follow the continuation of his journey @ http://www.bobquicksjourney.com/

Pictured Left to Right: Bob Quick, myself, and my husband

This month make the commitment to get moving! After all, it is NO EXCUSES NOVEMBER! Take the first and one of the hardest steps, to make the commitment, and follow through. If you need suggestion of fun fall activities, feel free to contact me! 

Why?

Why do you want to lose weight or get healthier? Each individual has their own why behind why they truly want to lose weight. I myself have battled with being overweight my entire life. I couldn't truly begin the process of living a healthier life and losing the extra pounds until I really connected with my reasoning behind doing so, my "why". For me it was to live healthier and lose weight, I did not feel comfortable being overweight, I didn't feel like I was living life to the fullest potential possible. When I could not ride the rides in a theme park or fit into clothes in regular stores, I knew I was not fully enjoying my life. On a school trip, after waiting in line for almost an hour, I arrived at the ride to find out I could not fit into the seat, this was the moment that I knew I was going to make a change. Once I realized this, then all I had to do was figure out exactly what would work for me to reach my goals. What is your Why?