Stuffed Acorn Squash (and a soap box)

I was just pondering "Health Food." Since it keeps you healthy, it's a good term. However, maybe we should call it "Real Food" or "Pure Food." I guess sometimes it's just "Lightly Processed Food" as opposed to the conventional "Highly Processed Food."

With how many dishes I have to clean in order to eat my "Real Food," I totally understand people eating out or purchasing lightly to highly processed foods. Really, though, if you're going to go to the trouble of cooking, buy Pure, Organic, Health Food. It really does nurture your body, your family, and your Earth.

I made this the other day. It took a long time to prepare and the clean-up was a pain, but the food was pure and delicious.

Recipe:

1 acorn squash, sliced in half

1 1/2 cups Quinoa

1 T olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 package of Tempeh, crumbled (or ground turkey if you prefer)

5 mushrooms, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

1-2 cups of broccoli heads, but to bite size pieces

1 T dried Sage

1 T dried Thyme

1 T garlic

salt to taste

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup dried cranberries

4 oz feta, crumbled or chopped

First, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place both sides of acorn squash face down in baking dish with about 1/4 inch of water. Tent with tin foil and bake for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a med-sized pot cook the Quinoa in 3 cups of boiling water for about 15-20 min.

Then in a large skillet, heat oil over med-high heat. Add onions and cook for about 6 min, stirring occasionally. Then stir in Tempeh and mushrooms and cook for about 5 min. Then add the carrots, broccoli, sage, thyme, garlic and salt, stirring occasionally for about 2 min. You can add about 1/4 cup of water and place a lid on the pot to steam the broccoli for a few min if your veggies don't look over cooked.

Remove from heat and stir in walnuts, cranberries, feta, and Quinoa. Set aside.

Remove squash from the oven and turn over, testing the flesh with a fork to see if there almost completely cooked. When your squash is nearing completion of being cooked, stuff some of your mixture in the squash cavity. Then place the rest of the mixture in a separate baking dish. Bake both stuffed squash and mixture for about 15 min. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Whoa, I cannot believe how delicious and time consuming this dish was. But we're still enjoying the hearty left-overs.

My Thoughts on Health

Healthy, organic, balanced meals are imperative to health. Loving, kind relationships are imperative to health. Self-care, conscious thought, manifestation of dreams, self-expression, growth, learning, integrity, accountability, breath, awareness, and much, much more are all components of a person's health.

As a mental health professional, I see health as much more than the absence of illness, being fit, or feeling happy. When a person is truly healthy, that person can ebb and flow with the demands of life, be aware of his/her actions, and integrate the continual changing state of mind, body, spirit.

In this blog, I touch on various aspects of health: Food, relationship with food, awareness of thought, living with intention, and nurturing all aspects of life. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I love sharing it.

Think before you eat

Eckart Tolle has this wonderful suggestion in one of his books: Before you go for the carton of ice-cream in the freezer, take a few breaths. Even if you still choose to eat the whole carton of ice-cream, at least there were a few moments of consciousness between the impulse and the behavior.

I've taken this advice a few steps further, and whenever I notice that it's getting time to eat, I take a few breaths. By putting a few moments of consciousness between my hunger and my eating, my relationship with food becomes more nourishing and satisfying. Instead of scarfing down whatever is fast and tasty (i.e. processed), I feel a sense of calm when I make my decisiouns about food. Sometimes I discover that I'm not really hungry or that I'm actually thirsty or that I'm just a bit tired or grumpy or stretched to thin, etc. And sometimes, I notice that I really don't know what I want at all. That one often stumps me, so I walk away from the kitchen and regroup.

For those of you who don't live on the west coast, like myself, you may also be relishing in the beauty of the farmer's market (there not year-round here, Californians, so please don't take them for granted). Right now, when I open my fridge, I see an abundance of fresh, local produce that makes me giddy and overwhelemed with options. My current plan is to juice all of my carrots, cook up my green beans with some fresh dill (compliments of my neighbor's prolific garden), and perhaps make some zucchini bread with all of the various summer squash we have.

What a joy to be able to cook, nourish your body with the healthiest ingredients, and reap the benefits for years to come. It really is the best "health care plan" out there.

ZUCCHINI BREAD
this recipe makes 2 loaves

3 cups fresh zucchini, grated and placed in a colander to drain
1 cup raisins (optional)
3 1/2 cups whole spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
4 eggs, lightlt beaten
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare loaf pans by rubbing oil all the way aroundd and placing parchment paper at the bottom.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, poweder, and spices. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, maple syrup, and oil. Then gradually alternat adding the dry ingredients and the zucchini into the large bowl. Once everything is incoorporated, mix in the walnuts and rasins.

Pour batter into pans and cook on the middle rack for about 60 min. To check to see if they're done, put a long skewer in the center of the loaf and see if it comes out dry. If so, it's done, if it's still wet and gooey, put it back in and keep a close eye on it.

Let cool for 15 min before enjoying!