Tis the season for pumpkin everything! However, before you pick up that can of pumpkin puree, maybe it’s the year to make your own! I know that the canned stuff may seem simpler, but making your own is not hard. Plus you get way more bang for your buck and it tastes WAY better! So how do you do it?
Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients: 1 Pie Pumpkin (That’s it!)
Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stab the pumpkin 7-8 times with a sharp knife all over the surface of the skin. Place the whole pumpkin on a glass dish in the oven and let cook for an hour. Once cooked, cut in half and let cool. Once cooled, remove seeds (reserve for roasting), and scoop flesh into a bowl. Puree using an immersion blender, food processor, or basic blender. Store in a mason jar until ready to use. Pumpkin puree also freezes and thaws well for later use.
Amazing Pumpkin Bars
Once you have that delicious homemade pumpkin puree, I always make these delicious pumpkin bars. The thing about this recipe is that it only seems to work with the real homemade stuff; canned pumpkin does not result in nearly the same delicious flavor and texture.
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup of coconut flour (available at most health food stores)
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 8 Eggs
- 2 cups Fresh Pureed Pumpkin
- 2/3 cup of Honey (raw) or Maple Syrup (Grade B) -or a combination of the two
- ½ cup Coconut Oil, melted
- 1 cups Chocolate Chips
Directions: Mix together coconut flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Add eggs, pumpkin, honey/maple syrup, and melted coconut oil and mix until well blended (I use my immersion blender for this). Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a 9x13 greased baking dish. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until cooked through. Cool, serve, enjoy! This is a crowd favorite but also freezes well and can be made into muffins instead of bars (just lessen cooking time to 15-20 minutes).
*Adapted from this recipe: http://elanaspantry.com/paleo-pumpkin-bars/
Author: Joelle Kurczodyna, NTP
This fall, soups and chili have been staples for us. They are a great way to sneak in tons of extra veggies and are a super nourishing, comfort food that everyone loves. Plus they make great leftovers! This recipe is especially convenient because if using grass fed beef, you can just throw it right into the crock pot thawed or frozen and it cooks beautifully. The vegetables and spices are very flexible in this recipe. Mushrooms, squash, or sweet potatoes are great additions. If you like it spicy, add more spices or jalapeno. If you are serving a crowd or want more leftovers, doubling this recipe is the way to go!
Beef and Veggie Crockpot Chili
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 pound grass fed ground beef
1-15 oz can of tomato sauce
1-15 oz can of diced tomatoes
1-2 Green Peppers, chopped
1-2 Onions, Chopped
1-2 diced, zucchini
4 Carrots
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa
½ tsp Oregano
½ tsp Cinnamon
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Directions
Mix beef, tomatoes, tomato sauce, veggies, and spices in crock pot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4. Top with optional cheese and avocado.
Author: Joelle Kurczodyna, NTP
Need more motivation to begin eating real food and get healthy? This is what one of the participants from the last class had to say about her experience!
With Restart, I have lost almost 13 pounds. I really don't miss all the sugary foods that I was eating. I can't believe how much I enjoy eating my salads and veggies. I took away from this program, how important it is to forgive yourself if you do eat something, not on the program. Eat it, enjoy it and move on. I am motivated to stick with this way of eating since the program.Yes, Bacon is allowed on RESTART! Eating Real Food can taste so good and we will give you some great tips and recipes!
This 5 week program to RESTART® your health begins this Monday from 7-8:30.
What is The RESTART® Program?
RESTART® is a 5-week program with a 3-week sugar detox built into it. Part nutritional class, part sugar detox, and part support group, it is a powerful and empowering combination for success!
Are You Ready?
Just like this recent RESTART® participant, you too will experience the side effects of the The RESTART® Program, which include (but are not limited to):
- Weight loss
- Better sleep
- More energy
- Boosted Immunity
- Reduced cravings for sugar and starchy carbs
- Mental clarity, calmness and even temperament
- Reduced PMS and menopausal symptoms
- An appreciation for the taste of REAL FOOD!
Click HERE to learn more or sign up!
"I never thought I could do this, but with all the information and support, it went by really fast and I feel great! You have changed my life and I thank you for that!"
"Since I did The RESTART® Program I'm off of two medications; one for asthma and the other for acid reflux. I can't tell you how excited I am about this!"
These are just a few things people are saying about the RESTART® Program.
What is The RESTART® Program?
RESTART® is a 5-week program with a 3-week sugar detox built into it. Part nutritional class, part sugar detox, and part support group, it is a powerful and empowering combination for success!
Are You Ready?
Side effects of the The RESTART® Program may include (but are not limited to):
- Weight loss
- Better sleep
- More energy
- Boosted Immunity
- Reduced cravings for sugar and starchy carbs
- Mental clarity, calmness and even temperament
- Reduced PMS and menopausal symptoms
- An appreciation for the taste of REAL FOOD!
You will also learn:
- How to prepare mentally, physically, and emotionally to make successful changes to your diet.
- How Digestion is supposed to work and simple ways to enhance yours.
- What sugar really does in your body, the stages of dysglycemia (Hypoglycemia, Hyperglycemia, Insulin Resistance, Type 2 Diabetes), and effective ways to reduce your risk of these conditions.
- The truth about FATS and why healthy fats are essential for healthy Blood Sugar Regulation, as well as your general good health. You will learn which fats to eat, which fats to avoid, and why!
- How to move forward from the sugar detox and re-introduce foods in a healthful way back into your daily diet.
The next 5-week class begins Monday, October 26th from 7-8:30! Click HERE to learn more and sign up. Want to take RESTART® but can't do Monday nights? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. today as more class times are pending.
It is finally starting to feel like fall and with it comes some of my favorite foods! This is the only time of the year when beautiful orange winter squashes and sweet potatoes are in abundance. We got our first round of sweet potatoes in our crop share basket this week so I wanted to try doing something different with them. I love how versatile sweet potatoes. Some of our favorite ways to eat them are mashed, as fries, cubed, hash browned, and baked. However, I wanted to try something that would be more filling as an entree instead of just a side dish. That's how these fiesta stuff sweet potatoes were born. Maybe you can tell from the Italian Stuffed Pepper recipe, but a common meal at our house are stuffing whatever vegetable is in season with whatever meat you have and it is always surprisingly delicious. Besides sweet potatoes and peppers, zucchini, acorn squash, and butternut squash are some of our favorite things to eat this way.
On to the recipe. This is very easy to prep ahead and reheat and depending on the type of meat and spices you use can be adapted to your family's style.
Fiesta Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Yield: 8 - 1/2 sweet potato portions
Serves: 4-8
Ingredients:
- 4 large sweet potatoes
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 diced onion
- Spinach or other green
- Seasonings to taste (for a Mexican flair, I used chili powder, garlic, and little cumin)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Avocado and cilantro (as a topping)
What to do:
Bake sweet potatoes at 400 for 1 hr. While potatoes are cooking, brown ground beef and add onion once beef is almost cooked through. Add in desired spices and greens until the greens are cooked down and the taste is to your liking. Once the sweet potatoes are done, slice in half length wise and using a fork push the flesh of the sweet potato down as much as you can. Scoop a healthy amount of the beef mixture onto the sweet potato. Return to oven (or reheat later) at 350 for 10 minutes. Top with avocado and cilantro when serving.