Stuffed Acorn Squash

I am such a fan of squash and am always looking for new recipes for it! I eat some kind of squash at least once a week. I stumbled upon this recipe when looking for low calorie meals last night and it sounds super yum! Stuffed acorn squash sounds like it is going to be my new fave dish.

Ingredients

1 medium organic acorn squash, halved  and seeded
1/2 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon organic extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon sea-salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground organic pepper, divided
1/4 cup chopped organic onion
1 clove organic garlic, minced
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoons organic tomato paste
4 cups chopped organic  chard leaves (about 1/2 large bunch chard)
3/4 cup canned organic white beans, rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives
3 tablespoons coarse dry organic whole-wheat breadcrumbs (see Note)
3 tablespoons grated organic Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1.Cut a small slice off the bottom of each squash half so it rests flat. Brush the insides with 1/2 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place in 8×8 inch dish.  Preheat oven at 450 degrees. 

2. Bake squash until fork tender about 20-30 minutes.

3. .Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring, until starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Add garlic; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

5. Stir in water, tomato paste and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

6. Stir in chard, cover and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

7.Stir in white beans and olives; cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat.

8.Once squash is done baking position rack in center of oven; preheat broiler.

9.Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan and the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a bowl.

10.Fill each squash half with about 1 cup of the chard mixture. Place in a baking pan or on a baking sheet.

11. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.

12.Broil in the center of the oven until the breadcrumbs are browned, 1 to 2 minutes.

Homeopathic Weight Loss Formula

As a part of my New Years resolution I of course said I need to get into better shape. I have started my diet and work out routine but I decided to see if there was anything out there to help give me a jump start. I used
Botanic Choice for all of my vitamins so I started to look there first. Weight Loss pills make me nervous and I never know what is really in them.
Botanic Choicelisted all of the ingredients and what they were used for. I always appreciate the breakdown of words and ingredients when I am putting something in my body. It gives you a sense of secuirty. I also like how
Homeopathic Weight Loss Formula also says best if used in conjunction with exercise and a low calorie diet. No myths about magical pills that will just get rid of the weight for you, you must make an effort.
I have been using them for about a month now and so far in conjunction with my diet they seem to be working. I have lost weight and already fit into at least one pair of pants that were too small for me just a few months ago. I am going to keep on with this routine and hopefully before summer I will be back in better shape for all of the new bathing suits I must have!

Use Web Code BEAUTY & get 30% off any order, PLUS Free Vitamins for Hair & Vitamin C Cream ($30.98 value). Expires 2/28/2011

Look and feel your best as you lose unwanted pounds. This safe, effective natural weight loss supplement is made from essential herbs providing your body with energy to help you achieve your goal.

INGREDIENTS:

•Betula alba – Common name: white birch. Encourages digestion and has diuretic properties.
•Cimicifuga racemosa – Common name: black cohosh, black snakeroot. Native to New England, this ingredient is frequently used for female hormonal issues.
•Crataegus oxycantha – Common name: hawthorn, white thorn, may thorn. This agent offers diuretic properties. Practitioners of homeopathy use the whole berry dried or crushed.
•Equisetum hyemale – Common name: horsetail, scouring rush. Most closely related to the fern family, equisetum hyemale offers cleansing.
•Rhamnus frangula – Common name: buckthorn, alder buckthorn. The bark is used for its digestive cleansing ability.
•Solidago virgaurea – Common name: goldenrod. Cleanses.
•Adonis vernalis – Common name: pheasants’ eye. Named after the unfortunate Adonis, of Greek mythology, from whose blood this plant sprouted. It promotes digestion.
•Apocynum androsaemifolium – Common name: spreading dogbane, bitter-root. From North America, this active aids digestion.
•Chelidonium majus – Common name: greater celandine, calandine. Found by old buildings and walls or forming hedges, this ingredient was used as a drug in the Middle Ages. Today, herbalists use it for digestive cleansing.
•Lycopodium clavatum – Common name: clubmoss, running pine, veg. sulfur. The part used is the spores of new plants. Has diuretic properties.
•Scilla maritima – Common name: squill. This plant originates from the sands of the Mediterranean. It energizes.

Botanic Choice’s Homeopathic Formula’s are made from ultra-high quality, all-natural ingredients that help your body help itself. Each remedy is safe and effective. Product components are officially monographed in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States. Best when used in conjunction with a reduced calorie and exercise plan.

1. Replace carbohydrates from sugar and refined grains with “good carbs” from fruits and vegetables. Orang-hued foods were found to be the most effective substitutes. Being that fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, they keep you full longer, high levels of antioxidants like vitamin C and beta-carotene fend off the fat. You can get a good amount of beta-carotene from carrots, cantaloupe, squash and peaches.

2.About 25 percent of your daily calories should come from protein, but you should choose lean sources like poultry, fish, low-fat yogurt, and fat-free milk to keep your calories down. Protein helps to you boost your energy, aiding in calorie burning.

3.
Selenium can lower rates of abdominal obesity. Several foods contain selenium, so it’s difficult to know if you’re getting the recommended 55mcg per day. The best sources are nuts, whole grains, poultry and seafood. Foods rich in vitamin E, like nuts and seeds, will increase the effectiveness of selenium in the body. Natural Raw Organic Cashews

4.    Several studies suggest that alcohol is fine in small amounts, protects against weight gain. Data reviewed have suggested one 4-ounce glass of wine as the best bet. While one glass has great health benefits, having more is just going to add inches to your waistline.

5.

Eating good fats like monounsaturated and omega-3s make it easier to stay slim, these fats are found in fish, nuts, olive oil, & avocados examples of bad fats, like saturated and trans are found in butter, shortening, pre-packaged cakes and cookies.

Stony Brook University Medical Center presents “Food, Inc.” Dietician Suzette Smookler returns with more great FREE nutritional information. She will show the documentary “Food, Inc.” and open the floor for questions and discussion.

This is a great way for parents to get FREE Nutrition Knowledge!!!

We hope you can join us on Feb 9th at 7:00pm at City on a Hill Community Church (Connected to Middle Island Caring for Kids). Please RSVP to church office at 631-924-8617 if you plan on attending.

Thank you!
See More
Food, INC.
Time:7:00PM Tuesday, February 9th
Location:615 Middle Country Rd, Middle Island, NY 11953

The medium-chain saturated fats in Coconut Oil are an important part of a healthy, balanced diet and daily skin care. Sunfood Nutrition’s Coconut Oil is made from certified organic coconuts grown in the Philippines. Coconut Oil/Butter consists over 90% raw saturated fats. They are a rare and important building block of every cell in the human body. Unlike long-chain saturated animal fats ,which have been attributed to creating poor health, Coconut Oil contains healthy, healing, medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs support the immune system, the thyroid gland, nervous system, skin, and provide energy. The MCTs in Coconut Oil help increase metabolism promoting weight loss. MCTs are also known to have antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-fungal properties. For this reason, Coconut Oil/Butter is one of the best dietary fat sources for an individual to ingest.

A Place of Our Own

Keeping your children and family healthy isn’t always so easy with all of our busy schedules. Going that extra mile to not serve all healthy meals all the time and keep everyone active isn’t always at the forefront of our schedules but the more our families know about healthy living can help us all make the right choices. If your children learn healthy habits young it is much easier to keep those habits through adult hood. Being healthy and staying healthy is much easier than it used to be. Health is something everyone seems to be interested in so why not cement the healthy living cycle by keeping everyone in the house in the know?

Product Description:
A Place of Our Own: Health and Nutrition DVD’s host Debi Gutierrez holds interesting discussions about health and nutrition with parents, caregivers and child care experts. The topics discussed are exercise, proper eating habits, avoiding obesity, sleep, diabetes, asthma and much more. A PLACE OF OUR OWN also includes 9 exciting activities you can do at home with your children to help them get them interested in health and nutrition. The earlier children learn about nutrition the easier it is for them to make the right choices for healthy living as they get older.