Organic Surfer Girl

I definitely enjoy certain foods now that I used to shy away from. I either A. thought it was too healthy, b. thought it was gross or c. I just plain old didn't know how to cook it. As I've embarked on this clean eating lifestyle, everything has changed. My taste palates have changed, my idea of what's healthy and tasty has changed and my confidence in the kitchen has grown. I eat and cook foods now that I never would have done a few years ago. I wouldn't have thought twice about buying Pillsbury cookies or having frozen dinners in my house as quick meal. Now, I much rather put in the work and have fresh homemade food. It's tastier, healthier and I can control what goes in my mouth. I can't go back to my old eating habits, even if I tried. Knowing what I know about where my food comes from has been the biggest game changer for me. It has helped bring me to this point in my life where I can honestly say I am the happiest I've ever...

The first time I made this meal was for Christmas dinner. I needed a vegetarian dish for my aunt. It ended up being a hit with everyone at the table. My 92 year old grandma took seconds and then said "if no one else is having anymore, I'll just take the rest home." That is definitely how you know it was a hit. The only thing that I wish I had more of, was the vegetables. So when I made it tonight, I doubled the vegetables and it came out perfect! What I love about this recipe is that it truly showcases winter root vegetables. Until I changed my diet, I always ate the vegetables I liked at anytime of the year. Now I focus on eating seasonally and local. This is exactly why I like this recipe. I also like this recipe because it's a vegetarian dish. I've significantly reduced my meat consumption. This dish fills you up without wanting more or missing anything. I won't keep you waiting any longer, here is the adapted recipe from Vegetar...

The fall is here!! I love the fall, I love all things pumpkin and apple, such as apple cider and pumpkin muffins. Around this time last year, I had just started my journey on clean eating. This time around, I'm starting my journey of gluten free clean eating. Over the past few months, I have discovered that I have a gluten sensitivity. This explains the headaches, the breakouts, etc. I feel SO much better when I'm gluten free. It's a bit easier going gluten free when you already make so many things from scratch. However, I am also discovering that simple ingredients contain wheat, like soy sauce. (That explains why I bloat up like a pufferfish after I have sushi) I am also discovering that a lot of gluten free items and/or recipes contain ingredients that are not included in my clean eating lifestyle. That makes things a bit more difficult. So off I go to revamp my cooking methods, mostly the baking. I am in the process of testing out gluten free baking flour (I...

If you don't have the Deliciously Organic cookbook by Carrie Vitt, I highly recommend it. Many of my new favorite recipes including this one has come from that cookbook. She also has a website, www.deliciously organic.net She often will post recipes and tips on her website. Carrie also has meal plans for a variety of diets if you would like to order one. (You do have to pay but I've read a lot of great reviews that would make it worth it.) A few weeks ago, after I was feeling better from my first cluster headache episode, I wanted to cook badly. I had my chicken out from the freezer. We had also gotten multiple bunches of carrots in our CSA. I wanted the carrots to be a great side dish. I'm not a big fan of roasted carrots or constantly eating raw carrots. I wanted to play around with the ingredient. I went to my kitchen "bibles". (please let me know if you want me to do a review of the several cookbooks that I LOVE cooking out of. I'll do a post...

Wondering what to do with all that summer squash in your garden? Tired of grilling vegetables the same old boring way? Here's a quick recipe to incorporate the squash in your everyday dinner. It's also a good way to get squash into your children's tummies without them noticing that there's vegetables in their pasta! The reason I say this is because this recipe is actually from my mother's kitchen. She made it frequently while I was growing up and I loved it. I still do. So channeling my mother, I made her spaghetti and squash recipe last weekend. It was a perfect way to incorporate all the squash I got from that week's CSA. Spaghetti and Squash 1 onion diced olive oil 7 summer squash, peeled and quartered. (Mom uses green squash, I used yellow in this picture, it doesn't make a difference) 1 can of tomato sauce (or just crushed tomatoes) Parmesan cheese to taste salt to taste pepper to taste 1 lb thin spaghetti (100% whole wheat) cooked 3 tablespoo...