Even as someone who enjoys exercise, on the days I don’t start with a workout I sometimes let it hang over me. I know I’m always happy when I’m there, but it’s just the thought of going that’s dreadful. But I’ve noticed that if I few the gym not as a place to go and sweat hard but as a place where I can go to mentally relax and read a magazine, then it’s much more appealing. Today with beautiful weather and lots of time, I put myself in the mindset of looking forward to my workout and the bike ride to and from, and what do you know, I left 30 minutes earlier than I had planed to go because I was looking forward to getting outside and taking a break. Sometimes a simple change in perspective is all it takes.
Once home I scrubbed the master bath from top to bottom. I LOVE my new Mrs. Meyers cleaner !! It works really, really well. I think the Basil scent is absolutely amazing, but I have the Lemon Verbena one right now in their concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner.
But before I started cleaning, I put a halved acorn squash in the oven. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with it but I figured I should get it cooking. The result was quite interesting:
Once I got downstairs I realized I had some turnips and carrots to use so I chopped those up and added them to the roasting pan. I just let everything cook until tender at 400*. I have no idea how long that was – 30-40 minutes? (One acorn squash half and some veggies are already on my plate!)
I also decided to add in the rest of my garbanzo beans and some wheatberries .
And cheese! (Four cheese mexican blend from TJs)
I have to admit that this could have used more forethought in the flavor dept. I went back and added a little brown sugar to have with the stuffing base once the cheese was gone. I was just too hungry and lazy to come up with anything to toss it all with. Hummus would have been good. I thought about cottage cheese as well as adobo chilies but decided against both. But the possibilities for flavors are endless.
Plus a slice of bread "crackers." Since we have so much bread I make myself eat it (which isn’t hard at all!!) but I also like to eat my grain sides in bite-sized pieces like crackers, so cutting it up like this is the perfect solution.
We have to go pick up the CSA again because there was major confusion yesterday and the husband left it there thinking it was our partner’s week. Ugggg. I HATE going down there. If we do this next year (and we haven’t decided yet) we will definitely do the home delivery, which was only $2 more per box. I think it’s worth it not to have to pick up at inconvenient times.
The husband is home and it’s his "weekend" today and tomorrow!! He worked for 12 days in a row, so he’s really excited to have a break, although he says that since he gets afternoons and mornings off frequently that the hours/shifts aren’t as bad as working in corporate America.
Guest Lunch Blogger
Another fabulous sweet potato lunch from one of our favorite readers: VeggieGirl !!
Since I follow a high-raw diet, I consume mostly raw foods with a portion of cooked foods. To be more specific, I consume about 80-90% raw foods (10-20% cooked foods) during the warmer months, which decreases to about 70% raw (30% cooked) during the colder months (**this is true/what works for me – not all high-raw foodists follow the same percentages; and a high-raw diet may not be for everyone).
With autumn weather in full-swing here, and temperatures beginning to drop somewhat rapidly, my body is starting to crave more warmer foods/meals than I did just last month (when the weather was still "summer-like"). So, I created a dish that packs a lot of warmth, spice, flavor, and nutrition – a dish that I (rather lamely) refer to as my B-S-Cubed Dish.
What on earth does "B-S-Cubed" stand for, you may be wondering? Well, it stands for each ingredient that is present in the dish (I know, I’m so clever): black beans, a sweet potato (the first "s"), sauteed spinach (the second "s"), and salsa (the third "s," hence the "cubed" part of the title; and it is the extra hot & spicy kind of salsa – just how I like it). This dish is sensational – period.
I think we ALL could live on sweet potatoes alone in the colder months 🙂
Hope the sun is shining where you are!
caitlin says
veggie girl’s treats are always amazing!
magpie says
Both your and VeggieGirl’s lunches look fantastic! I love these fall meals 🙂
And your cleaner sounds great – I like cleaners with cool scents.
Bobby and I actually canceled our CSA membership halfway through this year – it was just too much hassle. So don’t feel bad if you don’t do it again! I’ve compensated by shopping at the farmers’ market every week instead – I love picking out my own veggies.
Kelly L. says
5 K help!
So, here is the scoop… I am signing up to do my first 5k. The thing is, I’m not a huge runner. I think the most milage I ever do is about 2.5 miles. I don’t think I’ll have a problem going 3.1 on race day especially with the cooler weather and andreneline. I do have some basic questions for anyone that can help. Please don’t laugh as I am a novice.
1) What do you wear during a 5k on a late in November day? In HOuston? It will probably be in 40’s or 50’s. They provide t-shirts in advance. Are you supposed to wear those?
2) What do I eat before the race? SHould I eat light?
3) How sould I prepare in the weeks leading up to the race?
Thanks! I am not running to be fast. Frankly, if I have to walk that’s fine too. I don’t want any intense training. This is just for fun. 🙂
Miss Tiffie says
OMG!!! what an amazing lunch!!! i wanna steal your cheese off :] I LOOOVE acorn squash!!!! hehe and i love how you turn ur bread into crackers!!! that bread looks so good and chewy :] eee is that a nut/grain i see there?! i need to go home and bake some bread now… or stop by a local bakery asap!
Beadie says
I have been meaning to try the meyers products, I currently use Method or 7th Generations
Marianne says
That’s a good looking squash dish! You really can’t go wrong with any dish topped in cheese.
amy says
The acorn squash looks awesome! Ive been reading this blog for awhile, and I need to tell you that you have some of the most interesting meals I”ve seen. I would never think to put some of the stuff together that you do, but it always looks amazing and makes me want to go out and grocery shop! 🙂
Hil says
Thank you, Veggie Girl! That looks amazing!
Aartee says
The acorn squash combo looks interesting…..I didn’t think there was anyone else that loved hummus sandwiches as much as me!
Lauren says
Very creative lunch–that looks delicious!
Allison K says
It’s Sunny…but like 50 degrees!
Cat says
I thought I’d be more sad that summer is over, but between winter squash and sweet potatoes I am sooo loving autumn right now!!
By the way… I don’t know if you or anyone out there is in the market for a new cookbook, but I just got Mark Bittman’s “How To Cook Everything” and “How To Cook Everything Vegetarian” and they are fantastic. Lots of good basic recipes and ideas on how to spice them up.
michelle says
Hi Kath,
My goodness your lunch looks so delicious!!! A nice cool weather lunch!!
Veggie girl, you too!! Wonderful!!
Erin says
I love Mrs. Meyers too! She makes me feel like such a lady. 🙂 My trademark is Gardenia. The house always smells like flowers after I wipe down the kitchen at night.
I like the bread crackers idea!
WHAT A GREAT POST FROM VEGGIE GIRL! I am fascinated by raw food diets. MORE PLEASE!
bobbi says
I love these guest lunch post’s so cute! And that lunch wow, amazing as always!
Katelyn says
Your squash looks so good! I have one sitting on my counter right now, just waiting to be roasted with some jerk seasoning…
I started a new job today, and I knew I would be on my feet for hours, and made a point of eating a large bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter, honey, sunflower and flax seeds…it was SO GOOD, and I didn’t even feel that hungry around my lunch break! I probably wouldn’t have added mix-ins to my oatmeal if I wasn’t reading your blog, thanks!
Jen says
Hey Kath!
What do you think of the new Weight Watchers frozen treats. I really like their bars . . . they’re low-cal and taste pretty good. As a dessert fiend, they seemed like the perfect solution for eating dessert w/o all the calories. I know they’re not all natural =( but do you think they’re “OKAY”????
here’s the web page:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/shop/categoryshowcase.aspx?pageid=1056551&navid=moreww
Could u copy and paste . . . i can’t figure out 2 hyperlink it on a mac computer. Yes i am technologically challenged 😉
Thanks!
Jen says
oh stupid me . . . upon submitting the comment it automatically hyperlinks itself . . . once again i am technologically challenged AND NOT ASHAMED 2 ADMIT IT!!! 😀
sarah says
i used to have ‘perspective is everything’ typed on the background of my cell phone — it’s really SO true.
ps: i got my blogHer up and running! yay!
Rose says
Your lunch is so well photographed – great colors and presentation!
And great choice on the guest blogger – Veggie Girl knows her stuff!
Jen says
Looks like a fabulous lunch to me! Kudos to your choice of guest blogger!!
Crystal says
The post’s title reminded me of the movie Ratatouille, and then I thought, oh wow how fitting for a food blog!
VeggieGirl says
“Sometimes a simple change in perspective is all it takes.”
You said it best!!
LOOOOVE acorn squash. Oh my.
Aww, thanks to everyone about the guest lunch post; and HUUUUGE thanks to Kath for giving me the opportunity to contribute! 🙂
Kath says
Kelly L.,
The best way to prepare for a 5K is to do a practice run. You should try to change as little as possible from your regular runs to your race day. Wear running shorts you run in daily; use the same ponytail holder; have the same breakfast (or not!). My favorite pre-run energy boost is always toast with banana and peanut butter. Dried fruit is also good for me, but since everyone’s stomach is different, you need to just play around with it on your training runs. I would make sure you eat a little more the night before and have something carb-heavy 2-4 hours before so you can be sure your muscles have optimal glycogen stored going into the race. Google “Couch to 5K” for some more tips – I know that’s a good training plan. Hope that helps.
amy ,
Thanks 🙂
Jen ,
Honestly, I wouldn’t eat those bars, but that’s me. I found the ingredient list for one and didn’t see any major red flags, but they aren’t that natural, as you pointed out and the ingredient list wasn’t that glamorous:
Milk Fat and Nonfat Milk, Sugar, Polydextrose, Flavor Base (Water, Sugar, Coffee, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Caramel Color, Potassium Sorbate as Preservative, Sulfites), Cellulose Gel, Mono & Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Carrageenan, Maltodextrin, Polysorbate 80, Vitamin A Palmitate.
But if you enjoy them, I’d say they’re OK to buy every now and then.
Kath
Kelly L. says
Thanks Kath!
Beth says
Delicious-looking food! I like your idea about changing your perspective towards exercise – I may use it! Although I’m not sure it would work when it comes to getting out of my warm bed in the morning when it is still dark outside!! I really struggle with that.
haya says
kelly – don’t wear the shirt they give you to the race! it’s like wearing the band’s tshirt to their concert. you just don’t want to be that guy!
Cat says
So not true! I just ran a 10k and there were sooo many people wearing the free shirt. I do that sometimes simply because I don’t want to ruin any of my shirts with the safety pins.
runjess says
I’m loving the guest posts. Good idea!