Sweet & Savory Stuffed Acorn Squash

I'm sharing this recipe because I LOVED it and may never be able to make it again...

Before I met Adam, squash was a staple in Emily's and my apartment. We would make this sauteed vegetable delight, which we lovingly refereed to as Mess, almost weekly. It went a little something like this; go to Target, pick up every yummy vegetable you saw (onion, zucchini, squash, garlic, peppers), go home and start chopping until you never wanted to chop again, throw it all in the monster pan, cook until it was all tender and delicious, add whatever seasoning you felt like, and enjoy your masterpiece.

We loved Mess.

We ate Mess whenever another dinner idea evaded us.

It. Was. Life.

Enter my "I can eat anything and in ginormous proportions" husband (boyfriend at the time). Turns out the only thing that reacts badly to his steel plated stomach is...ANY SORT OF SQUASH.

Let's take a moment to mourn the loss of our beloved Mess. Rest in peace zucchini, yellow squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash...we will remember you fondly.

Fast forward four and a half years, and someone thought it might be a good idea to give squash another go! So, with the permission of my darning husband, I brought squash back into the kitchen.

I adapted the idea from the kitchn's Sara's Italian Sweet and Savory Squash Bowls. You can find the recipe here. For the most part I followed right along with the ingredient list, but I did make a few tweaks to fit my sugar free diet.

Tweaks for Sweet & Savory Stuffed Acorn Squash

1. I found that the recipe cook time was far less than was needed for the squash. In the end, I microwaved the squash for almost twice the time: between 16-20 minutes. If I tried this again, I would go ahead and roast the squash in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour. 
2. While Sara said the bread crumbs were an absolute must, I threw them out completely. Give it a shot if you'd like, but it didn't seem quite on track with sugar free standards. 
3. The recipe calls for two cups of spinach, but I added almost three. I loved how the wilted spinach played off the spice of the sausage and the sweetness of the squash. 
4. Totally unnecessary, but delicious...when the squash was soft and ready to be stuffed, I spread a little butter over the flesh. I remember my mom doing it when I was younger, and habits die hard. 

In the end, we both thought this meal was yummy and a total repeat taste-wise.

However, Adam's stomach had a different opinion. Bummer! Maybe I'll try again in another four years... 

Even though it won't be a repeat in my kitchen, give it a shot in yours! And please, don't forget to invite me over so we can share in the joy of squash together. Sorry, Adam! 

:-)

Little Things, Pretty Things

It is the little things in life. While we have all heard it a million times, lately I'm starting to really get it. The world is busy and daunting most days, but with a yummy cup of coffee, a kiss on the cheek from my husband, or snuggles from Peeps, those worries cease for a moment and good spirits replace the anxiety.

Take this morning for instance; regular Saturday morning with nothing on my radar until after the hubs woke up (he didn't get back from work until about 6:30AM). There is always cleaning, painting, and home repairs to work on, but...

I laid in bed contemplating my next move. Should I stay cuddled up in here for a while, or get up and start my day? The curtains in our bedroom were drawn, and without the light, the prospect of crawling out of bed seemed daunting. Sadly, Mother Nature had other plans that forced at least a small hiatus from my cocoon of warm blankets and soft pillows.

Which is when I saw the SUN! Streaming through the front window was the glorious, amazing, beautiful sun! Had I not emerged from the darkness that was our room, I would have missed out on the perfect morning.

Morning walk - Do I really live in the city limits?

See, it really is the little things. That moment of sunlight on my face energized me to the point cheek hurting smiles. After a long walk (with a rockin' book on "tape") and a mug of freshly brewed coffee, I gave myself an at home pedicure (pretty things!), went to the hardware store to pick up paint for the hallway trim, and basically rocked my solitary morning.

Peeps wanted to help with the pedi.

I wonder what the Mr. is going to think of my peppy mood when he wakes? Hopefully the sun is infectious!

ps. I finally rocked the handstand! It may never happen again, and it may not have been a very long handstand, but I was pretty pleased. #20MOVEment, baby!

The Power of Friends

There has been quite a bit of stress at the Fitz household lately. Between potentially expensive foundation issues on our house, Adam switching shifts at work, and fighting with the mechanic over getting our second car fixed, my "stay strong and carry on" attitude had gradually started to chip away. No part of me wanted to admit aloud that it was getting to me, but...it really was...

Which is why I am so thankful that my best friend only lives 25 minutes away.

Last weekend was the Healthy Hearts, Healthy Minds 5K in Chariton, Iowa. Until her recent retirement semi-retirement, my mom had been the director of mental health services at the Lucas County Health Center. Thus, she organized a 5K on homecoming weekend each year. Even though she is no longer in charge, my family stays involved. In years past, it has always been my duty to stand on a corner and direct/cheer on the participants.

This year... I got to participate myself! Ashlynn, Lincoln (in the stroller while hiding from the cold), and I walked, ran, and skipped 3.1 miles! Ok, so we skipped both literally and part of a block, but we eventually met up with Ash's sister and mother too.

Please take a moment to imagine four grown women skipping a 5K while a 2 year old cheers, "More! More!" and giggles. You're welcome for that amazing mental image.

Moving on! Getting a little #20MOVEment in was a perfect start to a pretty perfect day. The sun was shining and while I wont go into details of the whole day, here is a glimpse of my Saturday with Ashlynn: a tour of construction on the square, visit with Grandma, lunch with my parents, sitting on the couch and chatting about everything and nothing, making protein balls, and playing with my awesome nephew.

Twelve hours later, I arrived back home and gave the hubs a huge squeeze.  He smiled and asked if I had a good time. The only response I could give was, "It was exactly what I needed."

Here is to the power of best friends! Even when they have no idea what they are doing, they bring you back to equilibrium.


Up next weekend: Iowa City and the Hawks with the Miskas! I'm one lucky girl!

Cauliflower Pizza: My New Go To

Apparently I have been talking about and eating quite a bit of cauliflower lately. So much so that I have gotten the question, "Is there anything you can't make with cauliflower?!" on more than one occasion!

While I would never go so far as to add cauliflower to my banana ice cream, the Fitz Family Kitchen has been pumping out more than its fair share of this white cruciferous! Just so you can picture it for yourself, Adam and I try to do a weekly shop, and last week we picked up six heads of cauliflower...and some Gas-X.

Those six heads in our fridge are what inspired me to play around with cauliflower crust pizza.

Thanks to the hundreds of articles out there on "The Perfect Cauliflower Crust", I have finally figured the crust part out! This post from Detoxinista is awesome. In fact, it is the only one that finally made me feel like I was eating crust, not mush! It isn't exactly hand tossed Pizza Hut, but it certainly gets the job done. I wish I would have taken more pictures, but my hands were covered in gooey goat cheese and delicious garlic.  Guess we will have to settle for the final product picture.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Crust

• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 5 oz soft goat cheese
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 t oregano
• 1 t Italian Seasoning
• pinch of salt

1. Chop and rice the cauliflower in your food processor. In a large pot, bring about an inch of water to a boil. Add your riced cauliflower and boil for 4-5 minutes. 
2. Drain in a small hole colander. Here is the important part (a step I did not initially include in my cauliflower madness and seared my hands a bit), let the cauliflower cool a bit! It should still have some warmth, but should no longer be HOT. This took mine about 20 minutes, so I made my sauce (below) while I waited. 
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 
4. Once the cauliflower has cooled, place the "rice" in a thin cloth (cheesecloth, clean handkerchief, or whatever you have on hand) and squeeze the moisture out. There will be a ton! The more water you release, the better your crust will stick together, so squeeeeze like you've never squeezed before. 
5. Combine cauliflower with the remaining ingredients. The best way to do this is by getting hands on! Insure that all of the goat cheese is evenly dispersed. This crust feels nothing like normal crust. It will be sticky. 
6. Spread the crust on your prepared parchment paper. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. 
7. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. 
8. Remove, add all the yummy toppings you desire (including the sauce below!) and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Voila!

Sauce

• 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 medium jalapeno (seeds removed)
• 1T Italian seasoning 
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 1/3 of a yellow onion

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is achieved. How easy is that?

What should I try to make with my favorite vegetable next? 

World Food Fest: A Day In Pictures

A few weeks ago, the stars aligned and my husband had a Saturday off. While this does happen occasionally, this day was special because it was his third day off. Why is the third day off important? Well, it means he was able to change his sleeping patterns the previous days...so that on Saturday, he was a fully functioning, completely awake, partner in life. There were no moments of guilt for making he be awake when he normally wouldn't be. There were no glimpses of sand in his eyes.

So, why not take advantage of this fairy tale day by enjoying the World Food and Music Festival in downtown Des Monies? I couldn't think of one reason!

It truly was a perfect day, and to top it all off, the weather was perfect: bright sun, light breeze, and happy people everywhere.

It is days like this that remind me how amazing life really is.

First bite of the delicious food! #sugarfree went out the window today...

Even the river looked inviting.

We spent quite a bit of time laying on the green grass and taking it all in. 

Once our tummies were full, we took a stroll up and down the river.

The evening ended on the patio of The Riverwalk Hub. Gorgeous!
Plus Ailey an James came to visit!
The night was perfection!