Butternut Squash and Barley Risotto

I pretty much had the whole day off yesterday and got really inspired to cook again! I spent sometime blogging and got some great ideas. Then I went straight to the kitchen and put myself to work!

I was so excited because my boyfriend Ryan came over for dinner and I haven't really had the chance to cook for him before. And he liked it! He even had seconds, so I know he actually liked it! He's trying to eat all healthy now too so I have even more incentive to start cooking again!

Risotto is a traditional Italian dish made from rice. It's creamy and generally made with lots of parmesan cheese which makes it difficult to make vegan. However, with the consistency of squash I would say this dish came out relatively similar to a traditional risotto.

The other really exciting thing about this cooking adventure was that I finally used my new Misto! It's an oil sprayer that you fill up with whatever oil you like, which is so great because you put all kinds of healthy oils like flaxseed or grapeseed! I put grapeseed in mine since I was going to be using it to line pans for cooking most of time. Grapeseed is an excellent oil for maintaining nutrients under high heat.

Recipe
grapeseed oil
small butternut squash
1 sweet onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
half a lemon
10 or so fresh sage leaves
3/4 C barley

Peel, seed and cube the butternut squash. Dice the onion. Spray an oven dish with grapeseed oil or you can toss the veggies in a little drizzle. Layer butternut squash and onion in the dish. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top, add garlic and finely diced sage. Mix all around and bake for about an hour at 350 degrees. Keep checking the squash by piercing a knife, you want the squash very done.Cook the barley as directed. Generally, you'll want to start with doubling the amount of water to barley, so in this recipe use 1 1/2 C water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. I added about another C of water and kept letting it simmer for another 15 minutes probably, for this recipe you'll want it well cooked. Once the butternut squash is done, using a fork mash it well and then fold into the pan with steaming hot barley and mix together thoroughly.

Enjoy,
<3 Dani

Healthy Snacks

By special request I have decided to write a post on healthy snacks. Some people are big snackers and some just aren't. I myself am not a huge snacker but I have experience in this area because Bianca is a major snacker. If you're trying to eat healthier and you know you're a snacker than it's very important to have healthy stuff around to grab when the munchies come along!

Here's some ideas:

-dried fruit

-trail mix

-Larabar's, fruit and nut bars that are mostly raw

-almond butter with celery or carrots or apple slices or banana

-hummus with veggies slices (cucumber, celery, carrots, snap peas, etc.)

-popcorn, preferably with olive oil and NOT butter (I know Trader Joe's makes a pre-popped bag), toppings like nutritional yeast or cinnamon are great on popcorn for a little flavor

-rice cakes (brown rice preferably), topped with hummus or almond butter and fruit preserves (made without sugar), a great alternative for fruit preserves is to buy frozen berries and leave them in the fridge, they defrost and becomes all mushy, it's a bit messy but completely natural

-tortilla chips and salsa

-crackers, WHOLE GRAIN, meaning no enriched or white flour, preferably gluten free

Alright, if you keep these things handy you'll certainly be good to go anytime you get hungry before your next meal! Snack away!

Blessings,
<3 Dani

Raw "Oatmeal" made with Oat Groats

I finally had some time this morning to use my VitaMix, which I had gotten for Christmas and hadn't even opened yet! I know so sad. But to my surprise it was a much smaller VitaMix than I had ever seen. At first I was disappointed but then I realized you know what, there's no reason that I need that big of blender anyways. It actually works out so much better for storage! So thanks Mom and Dad!

It's been a little warmer here in Santa Barbara so I've been increasing my raw foods. It really is so much easier to eat raw when it's warm, I just can't do it as much with the cold weather. But I will say I think I am getting ahead of myself here becuase I have been rather cold myself lately. Either way, I'm venturing into raw grains for breakfast. I made this raw oatmeal from soaked oat groats and it was delicious!!! Omigosh, the "oatmeal" was really gooey and reminded me of cake batter! Try this! Unfortunately, you will need a VitaMix blender to grind those tough oat groats into the right consistency.

You'll need to buy raw oat groats and then soak them in filtered water for at least 12 hours. I simply placed a few handfuls in a glass bowl, filled the bowl with water, covered with a paper towel and let sit in the cupboard. After 12 hours, drain and rinse well. Sometimes oat groats can acquire a bitter taste, this is where the rinsing helps. Place in your VitaMix with some water and blend on low variable, adding water to get the right consistency. Which there really is no right or wrong it's more like what you would prefer. I added about a cup of water to mine because I wanted it to be pourable yet thick.

Then to make this into a well rounded breakfast bowl I added a spoonful of ground flaxseed, sliced bananas and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It has become my new favorite breakfast! I know I said that about my other breakfast too but once I make something new and exciting I just get so into it!
Thought I'd include this picture for a less glamorous yet more reasonable look into this breakfast. Once you mix all the wonderful toppings into the oatmeal it's a sticky delicious mess!

Hope you enjoy as much as me!
<3 Dani

Quinoa with Kiwi and Strawberries

I've been venturing into different breakfast bowls lately. This one is my new favorite. It feels like springtime because of the kiwi and strawberries so it gets me excited! And with this wonderful weather were having here in Santa Barbara it's perfect! I even ate it cold one morning. I love the warm weather.

Quinoa is such a hearty grain and is a great way to start your day. This meal could also make a great snack, you could easily make a bunch and leave it refrigerated for a couple days. I've been making a large batch of quinoa and then each morning mixing in the fruit. I like to prepare the quinoa with extra water so that it comes out more like a porridge, but that's just me. I use 1 C quinoa to about 3 C water, I know it's a lot but it comes out great that way for breakfast bowls! It's kind of thicker and mushy like oatmeal.

Recipe
quinoa
1 T ground flaxseed
2 Kiwi's
couple of strawberries
Place desired amount of quinoa in a bowl. Finely dice kiwi and strawberries. Add flaxseed then fruit and mix well. Enjoy!

It's so simple and so delicious! Two posts this week, I'm doing much better!! I have another breakfast bowl coming soon too so stay tuned :)

Blessings,
Dani

Dijon Kale Salad

Again, here we are and I haven't done a post all month. Failing already at one of my silly New Year's resolutions. But succeeding at some other one's, I've been running regularly since the new year!! And reading my Oswald Chambers devotions every morning, which are blowing my mind by the way.

So all to say, I finally have a couple recipes to share with you, one at a time of course :) This is just not the season for me to be posting often, I am working part time as a marketing specialist and the rest of the time I'm nannying. So please, hang on to my blog because there will be a time when I get to post, post and post all the time! Unfortunately, it's just not right now.

But I did manage to whip up this salad the other day while taking a break from my work. I even took some pictures to show the steps! Please try this and let me know what you think!

Kale Salad
head of kale
half a large tomato, diced
half an avocado
kalamata olives, sliced`
2 T diced red onion
half a lemon, squeezed
1 T dijon mustard
To begin, remove kale leaves from the stems and shred finely. Throw the kale in a bowl, add a dash of sea salt and then massage the leaves with your hand. They become tender this way and less bitter.
Throw in avocado, olives, onion, tomato, dijon mustard and the juice from the freshly squeezed lemon. Mix well in a bowl and let marinade in the fridge for about a half hour. You can eat the salad right away but with kale or other dark leafy greens it's nice to let the flavors marinade.
So simple and so delicious!! BTW: kale is the most nutrient dense food according to Whole Foods new ANDI score which rates food based on their micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities. So if you weren't motivated to make this salad before you certainly are now!

Blessings,
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New Year's

After a wonderful holiday and moving back down here to Santa Barbara, I'm finally getting to spend the afternoon doing what I love most...just being. Sitting at my desk here sipping peppermint tea, my latest obsession, I'm so aware of my abundant life found only in Christ. I have been given so much. So much.

Ryan and I are going to read Oswald Chamber's My Utmost for His Highest this year. Last night, we began the first day and even though Oswald keeps his daily devotions short there is so much! Ryan began sharing about how we have so much, so much to be thankful and it's so true. I am often a complainer, it's almost more of habit than anything else, and I hate it. I want God's perspective for my life, I can rejoice in all things. I want nothing to stand before God and I and the joy I have received from simply knowing Him. Not His blessings, or His gifts, or the experiences I gain from Him, no simply knowing Him is where I receive life.

I have thought of many New Year's resolutions, some silly some more serious. I'm actually really into New Year's resolutions, I think there really fun. Bianca tried last year to work on becoming more flexible. Her goal: to bend forward and be able to touch her head to her toes, with a flat back. I would say she accomplished this goal! This year I want to run a half-marathon. I want to learn Spanish. I would love to have more time to blog, to begin writing a book about Ryan and my story. But most of all above anything else I just want to become the woman that God has made me to be. Being satisfied and content where I am at, knowing God receives me right here and meets me exactly in this place but living with a deep hunger for truth that is endlessly satisfied.

What are your desires for this year? I think it's a valuable thing to spend time thinking about. With God as the motivation behind everything, knowing He will satisfy your every desire.

Love you all and Happy New Year,
Dani