Wellness & Candied Carrots

What you put in your body is your fuel, and in order to "run right," you need to feed it properly. My goal is for my boys to understand how important it is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables for a balanced diet. When I serve a fruit or veggie they don't particularly care for, we talk about the benefits of it, and they'll always eat 3-4 bites for me. They're very good eaters so I know I'm getting my message across. :) I believe what you feed your body helps maintain good health and helps fend off illnesses, too. Whole foods = healthy bodies. Makes sense to me!

I'm also making healthier food choices because I registered for my second AVON Walk for Breast Cancer walk. Last July, I walked 39.3 miles in San Francisco, and this Sept., I'll walk 39.3 miles in Santa Barbara. I'll raise a minimum of $1800 to participate but I hope to raise much more. Here's a link to my fundraising page. I hope you believe in my cause and will donate towards my walk. A donation does not need to be a large amount. Every bit helps and it all adds up. I thank you in advance! I'm walking for Deanna (1970-2010), my Mom (Survivor) and every woman in my life as we all deserve to be cancer-free.

I must say how happy I am that I signed up for CSA baskets again. I stopped getting baskets a few years ago because I was the only one eating the veggies. It was challenging for me to eat everything by myself so some of it would spoil and go to waste. Now that my boys are older and eating more, we're eating all the veggies and even my Hubby is taking a small nibble here and there. YAY!

This week in my bountiful basket, I received the following: navel oranges, blood oranges, apples, pears, meyer lemon, chard, red leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, tatsoi, kale, broccoli, beets, onion, carrots, celery, curly parsley, potatoes, beets and an avocado. Yum, right? As soon as I got home, I washed all the veggies and prepped them before putting them away. Yes, cleaning, washing, drying, and putting all the veggies away was tedious but definitely time well spent. Prepping everything takes up less valuable fridge space and having veggies prepped makes them easily accessible and at the ready for munching. :) Now when I want a salad, all I have to do is chop up a few lettuce leaves and throw in the extras to make a nice salad. Talk about EASY! And because the carrots and celery are washed, cut and saved in tupperware-type containers, we grab 'em and munch on 'em anytime we please. I'm telling you, prepping your veggies like this WILL make sure you eat them up. Also, something my Mom shared with me a while back is to wash the lettuce leaves, dry them, stack them on a paper towel (2 squares long) then roll them up and place in a ziploc bag. The paper towel keeps the lettuce fresh and will last up to 2 wks when saved like this.

I had beautiful organic carrots leftover from my first basket and more carrots from this week so I baked them. I knew we'd eat them up faster if they were sweetened and baked. Maybe this isn't a unique side dish but it was new for us. What's not to like about a little sugar and butter? These were delicious!

These are simple and VERY tasty!

Candied Carrots

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• carrots (6-8 regular sized carrots)
• 1 tbs butter
• 1/2 tbs brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Wash, peel and cut carrots into quarters/sticks.
2. Place carrots in foil pouch on baking sheet.
3. Add butter and sugar, close up pouch and bake for 20-30 mins.
4. ENJOY!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

This post is dedicated to my Hubby's cousin, Deanna, who battled breast cancer when she was 6 mos pregnant. She had a mastectomy and three rounds of chemo in Dec. '08 WHILE pregnant and gave birth to a healthy boy in Mar. '09. Amazing!

In June '09, I participated in the AVON Walk for Breast Cancer walk in San Francisco. I raised $2,100 and walked 39.3 miles (Day 1= 26.2 miles and Day 2= 13.1 miles) for my Mom, Deanna and everyone else that has been affected by this horrible disease. It was truly startling to see thousands of people in pink. There are way too many people affected by breast cancer. :( Please remember to get your annual check-ups and take time to do your monthly self exams. I registered to walk this Sept. in Santa Barbara. If you could drop by my fundraising page and make a small donation, I would GREATLY appreciate it. 

Last month, Deanna started feeling a lot of bone pain. Tests showed the cancer had metastasized, and by Feb. 5th, she was sent home to spend her final days with her family. She was given a few days to three weeks. I was shocked to say the least and even more shocked by how quickly she deteriorated. She passed away on the 11th. :( Life is so unfair sometimes. I just don't get it.

Today was Deanna's service to celebrate her beautiful life. I am thankful I had an opportunity to have known such a wonderful woman and I am also thankful she is now pain-free. 

1970-2010

Deanna, 39 yrs young, mother of 3 with her miracle baby.

She was absolutely amazing, smiled often, stayed positive and was so courageous. 

Deanna you are missed and loved by many!

OXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

I baked Red Velvet Cupcakes today. Red Velvet = Love. Deanna enjoyed baking and I know she would've enjoyed these!

My kind of "Red Delicious." :)

Let's find a CURE!

A mild-flavored, moist cupcake with a hint of chocolate and sweet, buttercream frosting.

YUMMY! 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 c milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 c flour
• 2 tbs cornstarch
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbs cocoa powder
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/3 c canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tbs red food coloring

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Whisk milk and apple cider vinegar in measuring cup and set aside a few minutes to curdle. If you prefer eggs, skip the milk/vinegar mixture and use 2 eggs.
3. In stand mixer bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.
4. Slowly mix in sugar, oil and vanilla. Add milk/cider mixture. Mix well.
5. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 20-22 mins or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

Source: Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 tbs shortening
• 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbs milk (more or less for right consistency)

Directions:

1. Cream butter and shortening.
2. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until combined.
3. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes

Notes: If using Nucoa margarine instead of butter, you do not need the shortening.

Mashed "Potatoes"

When my chef friend, Kat, and I were training for the AVON Walk for Breast Cancer walk last year, she mentioned making mashed "potatoes" out of steamed cauliflower. Say what?! I LOVE mashed potatoes so I was excited to learn that pureed cauliflower could pass for mashed potatoes. She claimed that my family wouldn't be able to tell the difference between that and the real deal. She said it was that good. 

Well, I've put my family through the mashed "potatoes" test twice now. I made my first batch last month and thought it was pretty good. I got carried away and didn't measure the garlic powder which made it too spicy for the kids to eat. The second batch I made the other night was delish. I used real garlic cloves this time, minced them up and sauteed in butter before adding to the cauliflower. The second batch was super, duper yummy. BTW, my boys ate this up. They loved it! Don't let the cauliflower scare ya. This really IS good!

I think I prefer fake mashed "potatoes" over real mashed potatoes.

These mashies are very light and delicious.

I don't even like cauliflower but I can eat them when served up like mashed "potatoes."

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Try it!

Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes"

Ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower, medium size
• 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbs milk 
• 3 tbs unsalted butter (add more if you like buttery mashies)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 c shredded mozzarella (or jack) cheese
• chives, amount is up to you (mix in or reserve for garnish)

Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of water over high heat or get steamer pot ready.
2. Meanwhile, clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Boil for 6 minutes or until well done. I prefer to steam mine. Make sure they're cooked through so they're easier to puree. 
3. Melt 1 tbs butter in small saucepan and saute garlic about 1 minute.
4. Drain cauliflower well and pat it very dry. If steaming, cauliflower should be dry enough to put directly into food processor bowl. Do not let cool.
5. In food processor, puree hot cauliflower with sauteed garlic, milk, 2 tbs butter (or more) and salt and pepper to taste. Process until smooth.  
6. Put into serving bowl, carefully stir in shredded cheese and mix in chives or simply garnish with chives on top.

Notes: Breast Cancer information. I'm walking another 39.3 miles with AVON Walk for Breast Cancer this Sept. in Santa Barbara. I'm walking for all the women in my life. We all deserve a life without cancer! I hope for a CURE! If you'd like to make a small donation, it will help me get to my $1800 fundraising goal. Thank you very much in advance!


Source: Adapted from Kat, my chef friend. :)