Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Peas, Broccoli, Spinach + Butternut Squash
While some of our meals are elaborate and require lots of preparation, lots of them are quick and easy – tonight’s sure was.
We based dinner around Frozen Wild Mushroom Ravioli by Rising Moon. We’ve had many of their raviolis and they are ALL delicious!! The butternut squash is my favorite (go figure
) I buy it at EarthFare, but I bet you could find it at Whole Foods or other “healthy” grocery stores.
We added in veggies that we had on hand: frozen peas, leftover broccoli, baby spinach, and butternut squash (baked last weekend and saved in a tupperware). Topped it all with asiago cheese and dots of Smart Balance. Dinner was on the table in 15 minutes –
I had Yogi Licorice Tea to drink, which I’m giving it’s own shout out to because it’s naturally sweet from the licorice and tastes great plain. I like licorice OK, but I’m not crazy about it. I wouldn’t say this tea had a big black licorice flavor, so if you don’t like it you still might like this. I can’t wait to try some of the teas you all recommended yesterday!
We took it easy and ate in the living room while watching a Good Eats on mushrooms – how appropriate! Dinner kcal were about 460 –
FAQs
We’re working on expanding the FAQs by topic to include such things as what to eat before working out and exercise advice. I’m going to include other readers’ responses since some of you are quite knowledgeable! I’ll add to these as I can and will keep the regular blog comments going as normal. But it will be nice to grow a collection of good Q and A’s.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow we’re switching things up a bit – I’m going to study from 5:30-7:30 and then we’re going to run when the sun rises. Since I don’t have to be on campus until 11:30 to eat lunch, I’ll study some more after our run. It’s so nice to have a quasi-flexible schedule these days – it was my dream when I was working full time. If there’s anything I want out of a career as an R.D., it’s flexibility. I hope to start a business one day and work part time jobs and/or blog/freelance write too. Of course we have to pay our bills, so I’m sure it’ll take a while to be able to be flexible by choice, but it’s a long-term goal of mine.
See you in the AM!
VOL Katie says
Those ravioli look so good! I might have to take a special trip out to Earthfare to get some! Perfect for nights when I have lots of studying to do! Thanks for the idea!
Jo says
The ravoli website is impossible to read the nutritional info for. Do you mind telling us what your box said-like how many ravoli pouches per calorie, fat and carb. Thanks and great idea!
Kath says
Jo,
I think it was 12 ravioli per person for 250 kcal each. Here it is on Calorie-Count.com:
http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/116863.html
Kath
bev says
My husband doesn’t care for mushrooms but I love them. It is so nice to know I can fix it in that short of time. I will look at whole foods or traders joe’s on my next visit. Good meal for me to take to work. Thanks again 🙂
Ruby Red Vegan says
Your dinner looks absolutely delicious! I checked out the pasta website and now I really want to try the butternut squash ravioli – thanks for the great meal idea!! 🙂
Jen says
Hey Kath!
I noticed you switched from PB to almond butter (at least for now) at the suggestion of a reader and also noticed that you liked the chocolate chips (from the trail mix) in your oatmeal.
I, like you, LOVE my oatmeal and have a suggestion that is a BIT indulgent.
Every year on my birthday my family always “surprises” me with my official B-DAY BREAKFAST:
oatmeal with banana and mashed up cherries.
But instead of PB, I have a spoon full of NUTELLA!!!
It’s yummy and nutty, but strictly a B-DAY breakfast. I thought if you ever wanted to have oatmeal on a special occasion NUTELLA would be a good way to add some pizzaz!
Ana says
i have been doing something similar to Jen, but i use Peanut Butter Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter. it is even better than nutella! i am not the biggest chocolate fan, but this stuff is great! the peanut butter is definitely the foremost taste, and is not over-ridden by the chocolate, which ads a fantastic background taste! mine melts into the oatmeal and it is complete heaven! the best part is it is only 170 cal/2tbsp!! that’s less than regular pb! it’s also organic and comes in the cutest container! ^_^ they also have White Chocolate (180) and Cinnamon Raisin (160)-which i am trying next! here’s a link:
http://www.ilovepeanutbutter.com/detail_17010006__4.html
carol says
Kath and Husband,
I am new to this blog, and I’ve been reading through the comments to get a good sense of you and your viewers. I want to thank you for being so informative and committed. I also appreciate how diplomatic you are. Because you are so interactive with your viewers, misunderstandings don’t get blown out of proportion. I used to visit the eatlikeme blog daily, but stopped visiting because there were so many disagreements and never any resolutions. I also never posted because frankly, I was scared. Thank you for being so engaged!
Kirsten says
Hi Kath!
Rising Moon is in the town where I live, so not only is it delicious and easy, for me it’s local, which is even better. 🙂
Stash Tea (from Portland, OR) also has a really yummy licorice spice tea too. I love black licorice, so the spicier the better for me.
Karen says
Dinner looks great! I love all of the ways you get veggies into your daily meals.
goalie30 says
I made a dinner that reminded me of you, Kath, tonite; thought I’d share for the other bloggers:
in a pan add about 1 Tablespoon of butter (I used Country Crock Light) and 2-3 chopped garlic cloves, cook for about a minute or two. Then add 1 cup of white wine (or you could use low sodium chicken broth if you don’t like wine). Add two 14.5 oz cans of drained, diced tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Add one pound of shelled/devined shrimp. Cook for 4-5 minutes until pink. Then you can either add 5-6 ounces of fresh spinach, I actually added a whole box of frozen spinach (that I quickly microwaved and drained) if you want extra veggies, and cook another minute or two. I made rice pilaf but you could use noodles or even whole grain bread to serve the shrimp concoction over! My husband even ate it and LIKED it! We put some fresh parmesan on top too, it was quite good 🙂
Meg says
Hello 🙂
I know this has been asked many times and I swear I saw it on here once but I scoured the site and cant seem to find it anymore. Does anyone know the exact brand/model the heart monitor Kath uses at the gym? I remember her saying she really liked it. Kath or If anyone else knows too that would be fabulous. Thanks a lot!
CKMeg says
Hi Meg…I believe she uses a PolarF4…someone correct me if I’m wrong!
Anonymous says
Hi Kath (and other readers),
I’ve been reading your blog daily for some time and love it to pieces. What a great initiative!
I also lost over 30 pounds (stopped losing a year and a half ago) and have been maintaining the loss and a healthy weight since then.
However, for several reasons (including environmental concerns), I’ve recently been making the switch to a vegetarian diet.
I was wondering if you think this is a sustainable practice for someone looking to maintain weight loss. I know you’re not a trained RD yet, but what’s the prevailing opinion on vegetarianism (from what you know)?
Also, a lot of your meals are easily adaptable to vegetarian prep, but do you (or any readers) know of good cookbooks or online databases for vegetarians? I’m very much into cooking and don’t want to eat sprouts for the rest of my life.
Finally, any other veggie readers out there want to share their insights?
Thanks a lot!
Kath says
Jen,
The Nutella sounds delicious!!! However, to have that one special spoonful, I’d have to buy the whole jar! If you want to mail me a tbsp…. 🙂
Carol,
Thanks for your compliments!!
Meg,
CK Meg is right – Polar F4. Found at Target, Amazon, etc. You can get the info at my Amazon store on the right sidebar. I like this one fine, but there are fancier ones out there if you have money to spend. I hope to get a fancier one someday…
Anon,
I think the general R.D. opinion on vegetarianism is that it’s a perfectly healthy long-term diet as long as you are mindful that your intake is meeting the recommendations for someone of your stats and lifestyle and perhaps supplement with a multivitamin. Here’s a link to the Mayo Clinic’s page on vegetarianism.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/HQ01596
As for cookbooks, I am sure there are thousands out there! Perhaps you could search Amazon and sort by the highest rated?
Kath
VeggieGirl says
**Anonymous (comment #14):
I’m a vegan reader :0) I have MANY cookbook recommendations, recipes, and food/meal ideas posted on my blog (my name is a link, so it will direct you to my blog). If you have any questions about vegetarianism/veganism/how to transition and thrive as a “veggie,” don’t hesitate to ask!! :0)
**Kath:
The Rising Moon Organics brand of ravioli is fabulous – they’re vegan varieties are quite tasty; especially when loaded up with vegetables (I love your addition of the peas, broccoli, spinach, and butternut squash – heavenly combination!!)
Your sunrise run sounds lovely – have fun this morning!!
Jem says
Congratulations, Anonymous (comment #14), on your decision to lead a vegetarian lifestyle! Your body and our planet thank you! As VeggieGirl said, there are tons of resources available. Don’t give up!
Becky A. says
Kath,
I don’t know if you have World Market stores near you or not, but I saw a tiny(like maybe 2 servings?) jar of Nutella there! Check it out if you have one.
Christie says
Check out Sunland website, they have banana flavored PB I just ordered it and will let you all know how it is.. they have other varieties and even a Peanut butter diet section with graeat meal and snack ideas for peanut butter.
kelly says
Anonymous – You definitely can have a vegetarian lifestyle without sacreficing tastes. While I’m not vegetarian, I tend to gravitate toward meat-free meals out of preference. I personally really like the Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat cookbook but you can also find great recommendations on Amazon. I highly recommend checking a few of the higher rated ones out from the library and giving them a test drive at home. That’s how I figure out if a cookbook is really worth it and I will actually use it.
linds says
Ana-
That chocolate peanut butter looks so good- dark chocolate and nuts (any kind!) have to be one of the greastest combinations ever. Do you buy it online or is it sold in a store near you?
Jo2 says
For Anon who’s looking for vegetarian cookbooks: I second the vote for the Moosewood cookbooks…any of them. We have a couple of their books, and they’re fabulous. Sometimes they tend to be a little ingredient and labor-intensive, but the results are worthwhile.
The author (or the main one) is Mollie Katzen, who has some books of her own on the market, too. She also has a website with recipes and resources: http://www.molliekatzen.com/.
If you’re looking for something more basic, try Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” (he offers recipes from the simple to the complex) or “Betty Crocker’s Vegetarian Cooking.”
Happy cooking!
Phoebe says
Anonymous and Kelly — I agree, the Moosewood cookbooks are FANTASTIC as are all of Mollie Katzen’s cookbooks (she wrote the first 2 Moosewood cookbooks, the rest are by “Moosewood Collective”).
Also my favorite cookbook in the whole world, which is about Zen Buddhism style mindful eating, and also has wonderful food and funny Zen anecdotes, is “The Three Bowl Cookbook” by Tom Pappas and David Scott.
Christin says
I have to agree with Carol, Kath, your blog is fantastic! You send out a very positive message about food, and you have lots of passion for what you do…and your other readers are just as helpful and friendly! I was also reading eatlikeme, and I really feel that your blog excels in areas other blogs could use some work in…thanks for all that you do, and keep up the good work! 🙂
Katie H says
linds-
I am able to buy the dark chocolate peanut butter at my local Harris Teeter and at any specialty food store. You can also buy it from their website which was posted above. Here it is again:
http://www.ilovepeanutbutter.com/detail_17010006__4.html
It is absolutely delicious! I love to spread it on apple slices!
arimcg says
Ana, I love Peanut Butter & Company peanut butter. I haven’t tried the chocolate, but their Smooth Operator natural peanut butter is my all-time favorite. AND – they are based in NYC and have a little restaurant here that basically has a million kinds of peanut butter sandwiches. It’s like a dream come true.
AW says
i’m a big peanut butter fan as well, but isn’t it better for you just to use one that simply has only one ingredient: peanuts? that “I Love Peanut Butter” brand has evaporated cane juice, palm oil, etc.
Kath, what’s your take on that?
Justy2003 says
AW-
I think I agree with you on the one ingredient peanut butter: peanuts! That’s all that is in the peanut butter I use. Some of the others have added sugar (evaporated cane juice) as well as saturated fats (palm oil). I would say they’re still better than the regular PB’s (Jif, Skippy, etc.) that have the partially hydrogenated oils, but I absolutely love my one-ingredient PB with nothing added to it! Some of the others do sound yummy though…maybe for a special treat sometime!
arimcg says
AW, PB & Co.’s flavored peanut butters (like the chocolate that was mentioned) has the evaporated cane juice…I think it would be hard to make it chocolate without some form of sugar. But the regular old peanut butter, like Smooth Operator, the one I mentioned, is just peanuts and salt. I’ve never had the chocolate, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to eat that flavor every day or in place of regular peanut butter.
Karen L. says
I’d stick to peanuts (or almonds) only products if you are consuming on a regular basis.
Megan says
Just a warning about the Nutella, it has partially hydrogenated oils or trans fats in it!!! That the only reason I haven’t bought a jar (I hear it is super good) but this other chocolate peanut butter doesn’t have this so maybe its a better option?
Katie H says
I agree with everyone about the flavored peanut butters. My daily choice is Whole Foods’ all-natural peanut butter which is just peanuts and salt. I only use the dark chocolate peanut butter as a treat.
Kath says
Re. Peanut Butters,
I’m going to side with the all naturals. While the “fancy” PBs would be a fun treat, I don’t think i’d eat them on a regular basis. I have seen the Better n PB and the Cinnamon/chocolate kinds, but although the ingredients aren’t necessarily “bad” for you, I wouldn’t eat them regularly.
Just my opinion!
Kath
Michael Tavallaei says
delicious meal.