Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe

I recently learned of the deliciousness of a vegetable called butternut squash. You may have heard of it before.

Butternut squash currently holds the #1 position on my list of favorite vegetables. Wait a sec... I don't have a list of favorite vegetables! I will make one quick.

Meg's Favorite Veggies

#5 Green Beans
#4 Sweet Potatoes
#3 Brussel Sprouts
#2 Roasted Cauliflower
#1 BUTTERNUT SQUASH!!!

So here is the recipe that started it all, my friends. The recipe that caused my affair with butternut squash.

**Note: I am not big on measurements in my recipes. Normally it's just use as much or as little of each ingredient that you would like!**


Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe


Ingredients:

1 medium sized butternut squash
1-2 tbsp Wegman's Basting Oil
dried cranberries or sliced apple
sliced red onion
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450.

2. Cut up your squash into cubes. Be sure to microwave it for 5 minutes before attempting to cut it. I found out the hard way that butternut squash is a BITCH to cut up. And if this recipe weren't so dang good, I would not have attempted to cut one up again. So trust me, microwave the thing first!

3. In a bowl, toss the squash, basting oil, dried cranberries (or apple), and slices of red onion. Salt and pepper to taste. (Everything is "to taste" in my recipes!!!)

4. Spread everything onto a baking pan. (Spray the pan first!) Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until it looks done.

5. Enjoy!!!!!

What is your favorite way to prepare butternut squash?

Strawberry Shortcake

You all know I have a sweet tooth! I love ice cream, cake, cookies, chocolate, and all that junk. I'm not afraid to indulge, either. I have dessert every night.

My desserts used to look like this:

I ate as if it was going to be my last dessert EVER! (Because usually I vowed that it would be.)

But now I have come to the conclusion that there is no reason to stuff myself as if I will never get to eat dessert again. Because I WILL eat it again. I'm an adult, I can have dessert whenever I want. (What a concept!) There never needs to be a free-for-all... as if at some point the opportunity to have dessert is going to go away.

Nowadays, dessert looks more like this:

Still yummy, but not CRAZY!

For some reason I haven't been in the mood for ice cream as much as I used to be. Never fear, I have a new favorite yummy dessert!

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!!!

Now, my favorite strawberry shortcake is the kind my mom made when we were growing up. She would make it with Jiffy Baking Mix. Then we'd pour sugar, milk, and strawberries all over it. It was so good.

I just started making my own version a few days ago. I use prepackaged angel food cake from Weis. Each little cake is only 70 calories and 16g of carbohydrates. I cut the cake up, pour 4 oz of milk on top, and finish it off with some sliced up strawberries.

It is DIVINE! It really satisfies my sweet tooth and it's a lot healthier than the ice cream cone pictured above! I'm sure I'll start craving ice cream again, but for now, I'm going to ride the strawberry shortcake train for as long as it lets me stay onboard!

When I looked at the nutrition label on the back of the angel food cake, I couldn't believe how low calorie and how low in carbs angel food cake is! I had to find out why! Was it a misprint? So I went to Google to get some answers!

Unfortunately all I could find was this article, which pretty much stated that since angel food cake is made with only egg whites (no yolks) and no butter, it is fat free. It's also pretty light, so a piece may look big to the eye, but since it's not as dense as other cakes, you're getting less calories.

Works for me!


What is your favorite strawberry shortcake recipe? 

8 Things I am loving RIGHT NOW!

 

1. Mason Jars. They are popping up everywhere, and I'm jumping on the band wagon! A few weeks ago, we went to our friend's house and they served dessert in cute little mason jars. Then we went to a dinner party and guests were drinking mojitos out of them. How cute! My cranberry-vodka-lime drinks are even tastier when I drink them out of a mason jar!

2. The Producers at York Little Theater. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you have the chance, go see The Producers this weekend! You have two more chances- tonight and tomorrow afternoon. Click here to order your tickets online! The show got an excellent review!

3. Magherita Turkey Pepperoni. A couple slices of these + few cheese cubes + some wheat thins = a yummy little plate of protein-y goodness. Lots of sodium, too. Yummmmmmm... salt!

Margherita

4. The Jiffy Lube on the Carlisle Pike. I have been taking my car here to get an oil change for awhile now. They are not only really quick (I didn't even read 1/2 a Good Housekeeping magazine and they were done!) but they are so personable and polite. You can't beat awesome customer service. Weis Markets could learn a lesson from Jiffy Lube!

Jiffy Lube

5. This recipe for "lettuce free" Greek Salad. (I don't do the parsley and onions, and I use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.) This is such a yummy way to get in enough servings of vegetables for the day. I mix in sweet potatoes and grilled chicken breast and eat it as a post strength training meal.

6. My friend Emily's Blog: House in the Heights. I love her home, and I love that she and her husband do all their projects themselves. I wish I was as creative and motivated as her and did projects in my home to update it. Alas, I am not, so I will have to live vicariously through Emily's adventures!

7. This video of kids reacting to the controversial cheerios commercial. When I watch this, I have so much hope for where our country is headed. (My favorite kid is the one in the green!)

8. My new toys! Every gal has got to have a stability ball and a kettle bell! I pretty much know what to do with the stability ball, but I'm still looking for fun things to do with the kettle bell besides swinging it. So if you have any ideas, let me know!

What are you loving RIGHT NOW?

Previous Things I'm Loving Posts

8 Things I'm Loving RIGHT NOW! 7-5-13

Zucchini Fries!

I know, there is nothing better than REAL french fries. My favorites are beer battered fries from Duke's or sweet potato fries from Gullifty's. And while fries are fun to eat from time to time, if I ate them whenever I wanted them I would have quite a few more pounds on me... and not pounds of muscle! So since you can't out train a bad diet, I am always looking for healthier versions of junk food.

I've had a "thing" for zucchinis this summer and have been trying out a couple different ways to use them in recipes. A few days ago, I found several recipes online for zucchini fries. They range from very healthy versions to semi healthy versions- like this recipe by Paula Deen.

So I took the healthiest recipe I could find (not Paula's!) and tried to make it even healthier. But it still had to taste good.

And here it is for you!

Meg's Zucchini Fries

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchinis
salt, pepper, garlic, & Italian seasoning
Parmesan cheese
1 egg white
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. bread crumbs (can be already seasoned)

Directions:

1. Quarter 2 medium zucchinis. If they're still pretty big, or you like your fries small, you can cut them into eighths. (That's what I did!) Then slice them in half so they're "fry sized".

2. Put your bread crumbs in a bowl. If they're not already seasoned, season with salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian seasoning to taste.

3. Whisk the egg white and milk in another bowl. Coat each slice of zucchini with this mixture.

4. Lay out the zucchini on a greased baking pan.

5. Use a spoon to sprinkle the bread crumbs over your zucchini slices. You don't have to use all of the crumbs if it is too much for you. Then, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and any additional seasonings. I really like to overdo it on the pepper and garlic! And the salt. Who am I kidding?

 6. Oh yeah! Don't forget to preheat your oven to 425 like I did! I'm such a dummy!

7. Bake for 30 minutes, longer if you like your fries a little burnt like I do!

VOILA!!! AS YOU CAN SEE, I ENJOY MY ZUCCHINI FRIES SLIGHTLY BURNT AND DIPPED IN WARM MARINARA SAUCE WITH A GLASS OF WINE! 

ADD A CHICKEN BREAST AND THAT'S A DAMN GOOD DINNER!

Shake shake, shake shake-ah shake it!

I love protein shakes. They're yummy. There are 2 ways I normally make them:

1. 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder, 1/4 cup greek yogurt, & whatever kind of fruit I want to add.

2. 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder, 1/4 cup greek yogurt, & 2 tbsp pudding mix (butterscotch and banana cream are the best!)

Protein shakes are a great way to get some extra protein (especially when I get sick of chicken breasts!), they satisfy my sweet tooth, and they're refreshing on a hot summer day.

I thought it would be cool to try having a protein shake at night instead of ice cream. Guess what happened? I ended up having ice cream, too. That plan back fired!

Normally, I drink them right after a workout and they are very satisfying! 


What are your favorite protein shake recipes?

Zucchini Thingers & A cool post about Aldi

I saw a recipe for these on Facebook a week or two ago. I forget what they were called. I just call them Zucchini Thingers because I'm not very creative at the moment! I changed them up a little bit and pretty much make them the same way I make my husband cheesey bread- but instead of the bread, I use Zucchini. What a great way to get your daily dose of veggies!

And with 3 medium sized zucchinis costing only $1.19 at Aldi, it's cheap, too!

(Check out this blog post about Aldi if you are curious about the store... 

or even if you already love it like I do!)

Zucchini Thingers

zucchini
sliced tomatoes
garlic/salt/pepper/Italian seasoning
shredded cheese (whatever kind you prefer)


1. Preheat oven - 350.

2. Slice the zucchini into 1/2 inch - 1 inch thick strips and lay them on a baking sheet.

3. Sprinkle with garlic, place sliced tomatoes on top, then coat with cheese.

4. Add salt, pepper, and/or Italian seasoning to taste.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Just keep an eye on them!

Voila! As you can see, I like to add extra garlic and salt to mine!

Peanut Butter No Bake Energy Bites

Where is summer!?

It hasn't felt like summer yet, and this morning's thunderstorms aren't helping! Now granted it's only my third day off, and my days have been jam packed with piano lessons, doctors appoints, and now today, a four and a half hour technology training at work. But I am ready for some WARM weather! Bring it on!

I was going to do my backyard/back porch circuits this am, but I don't think that's going to work now. I don't use much equipment- just a mat, jump rope, a set of 8lb dumbbells and 10lb dumbbells. METAL dumbbells. Lightening + metal dumbbells...!? I think spinning intervals may be a better idea for today!

No Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bites

I've seen several recipes online for these and I always wanted to try them. The recipe below is a combination of several that I found.

They were originally called “Protein Bites” but I am calling them Energy Bites because there is some carb and sugar action involved. I could see myself eating these during or after a run. But so far I have been grabbing one or two whenever I'm craving peanut butter.

Yum!

No Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bites

½ cup peanut butter

¼ cup vanilla protein powder

¼ cup honey

5 tbsp oats

2 tbsp chia seeds

¼ tsp vanilla

Melt the peanut butter for about 30 seconds. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and stir. Roll into small balls- I got 23 out of this batch. Place in a container and refrigerate. Voila!

**After making these, I realized you could easily use more oats to beef it up.

**You could probably add more protein powder too because I couldn't even taste it!

**The chia seeds could be skipped if desired. The only reason I even had chia seeds is because someone gave them to me.

**You could also add chocolate morsels, nuts or dried fruit!

The nutrition info is based off of the exact measurements of my recipe!

Serving Size = 1 bite

Calories = 62

Carbs = 6g

Protein = 3g

Fat = 3g

If you make these, let me know what you think. Or if you want to try them, come on over! I have a bunch left! Although they might not last very long...