Foodie Friday: PUMPKIN!

There are self-professed pumpkin-lovers all over blogworld and facebook. And there are sooo many delicious pumpkin recipes on Pinterest that I don't even know where to begin!!

So, today's Foodie Friday had to be the pumpkin.

Did you know???

Pumpkin is a source of: vitamin A, vitamin-C, vitamin-E, beta-carotenes, potassium, and dietary fiber. 

Fun fact: Pumpkin helps prevent hardening of the arteries, which can lead to strokes and/or heart attack. (So maybe that cancels out the butter in our pumpkin desserts?!?)

Pumpkin Seeds are a source of: protein, minerals, lots of vitamins, dietary fiber, and and mono-unsaturated fatty acids which are good for heart health. 

Health facts found here. And here.


Ok, so I knew I was a lover of all things pumpkin, but I never really thought of pumpkin as healthy!


Here are the......

 Go get some pumpkin puree and try one for yourself!


(As always, at the bottom of the post, you can link up your own pumpkin recipes!)


1. Pumpkin Breakfasts

Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes

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  Pumpkin Spice Protein Pancakes- Gluten-Free
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Griddle Cakes
  
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Oatmeal
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Cream Cheese
  

  
  

  
  

  Baked Pumpkin Maple Doughnuts

  

  
  

  
  

  (Low-fat) Pumpkin Yogurt

  

  
  

  
  

  2. Pumpkin Entrees

  
  

  
  Pumpkin Hummus
  
  
  Pumpkin Chili
  
  
  Pumpkin Soup
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  3. Pumpkin Desserts/Snacks
  
  
  My favorite Pumpkin recipe is the classic, simple-yet-delicious, Libby's Pumpkin Pie.
  
  
  
  
  
  Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
  
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Nutella Bread/Muffins
  
  
  

  
  

  Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter
  
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Butter
  
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Fluff Dip
  
  
  
  
  
  Sweet and Salty Pumpkin Seeds
  
  
  
  
  
  Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread
  
  
  
  
  Jack-o-Lantern Tarts
  
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
  
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing
  
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Rolls
  
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Mousse
  
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
  
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
  
  
  
  
  
  4. Pumpkin Drinks
  
  
  Pumpkin Spice Latte
  
  
  
  
  
  (healthier) Pumpkin Spice Latte
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes
  

  
  
  More Pumpkin Links!
  
  
  Step-by-Step Guide to making your own Pumpkin Puree- from Pioneer Woman
  
  
  Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipes
  
  
  

Let’s get (a) physical, physical

One requirement for David’s visa is having a physical done by a specific doctor. I, being the silly person that I am, thought it would be a quick process- we would go to the doctor’s office, he would complete everything there, and a few hours later we would be back at our apartment. Silly me for thinking than anything associated with the visa would be quick, easy, or simple! HA! After seeing the doctor, we had to go to one clinic to get his blood drawn, then somewhere else for x-rays, then to have some copies made, then back the doctor’s office, to said clinics to pick up the results, and back to the doctor’s office. At one point I almost had a migraine.

But thank God for a sweet blessing in the middle of all that….. we found a Subway that was surprisingly similar to Subways in the US (I guess I had never really noticed that before). This Subway had Italian BMT subs (one of my favs) that were surprisingly similar to the ones in the US. For part of the day, I stayed at Subway because my knee was starting to hurt (my Mom says I sound like an old man talking about my bad knee and heartburn, oh well). But it was like a breath of fresh air for me. In the middle of a hot, hectic day, I had the chance to sit in a nice Subway with nice AC, listen to music in English, and write in my journal/ sketch/chill. I never thought I’d be doing that in a Subway in the middle of VZ. haha!

I thank God that He is still good and faithful, even when I am so unfaithful and ornery.

And, the good news is that we got it all done! That’s one major thing marked off the to-do list! Next (and last) step we have to complete before traveling...the interview!

Monday morning inspiration

I usually need some inspiration to get going on Monday mornings. 


But even though the snooze button seems even more tempting on Monday mornings, I am trying to be consistent in waking up extra early. I started this venture about 2 weeks ago.  At first it was easier because the motivation was fresh. But friends, I must admit.. I have been slipping. Going to bed a little bit later...hitting snooze a time or two...


And so,  I'm needing some inspiration to stick with it.

This morning, I found this quote on Simplify101 facebook's page-


"The easiest new habits to create are the ones you're most passionate about. Create a list of complelling benefits for your new habit."

pinned here

So, as crazy as it sounds, here's my list of "compelling benefits of waking up early"...


-As my body gets used to this new habit, I will be able to rest better at night...which is a good thing for me and those around me. :)
- Being able to spend time in the Word before the busy day and to-do list starts (this one is still a struggle)
- And the biggest benefit by far is definitely, still, PRODUCTIVITY!!





But one good thing about Monday? It is a new fresh start. No matter what happened last week, good or bad, Monday is a clean slate for a new week.

Happy Monday everyone!

Foodie Friday- CILANTRO

Happy Friday! And happy first day of fall! Ironically, today the featured food fits more in the summer category, but since there are still some fresh tomatoes and avocados around, now is a great time to enjoy….CILANTRO aka coriander.

pic found here

And now is also a good time if you have a cilantro plant growing outside (way to go Mom!) that will die soon due to frost. Sorry that sounded kind of morbid. haha

I am a big fan of cilantro. Love the fresh flavor.

Cilantro is used a lot here in VZ. In almost everything. Adobo and cilantro are like the salt and pepper of Venezuelan cuisine.

I knew cilantro was delicious, but had no idea it was healthy.

Healthy Facts- 

• Cilantro herb contains no cholesterol; but is rich in anti-oxidants and dietary fiber which help reduce LDL or "bad cholesterol" while increasing HDL or "good cholesterol" levels.
• Cilantro is a good source of numerous anti-oxidants, potassium, calcium, manganese, iron,  magnesium, folic-acid, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin-A, beta carotene, vitamin-C.
• It provides 6748 IU of vitamin-A per 100 g, about 225% of recommended daily intake.
• Cilantro is one of the richest herbal sources for vitamin K.

info from: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/cilantro.html

Who knew this little herb was so full of vitamins??

Some of my favorite cilantro recipes are...

• Traditional VZ Homemade chicken soup with fresh cilantro- To a boiling pot of water, add chicken (could be chopped up chicken breast or legs, thighs etc), chopped up veggies (carrots, celery, chives, cilantro, etc), and spices (salt, pepper, chicken bouillon cube, etc).  Let boil for about 30 minutes, then let simmer for up to an hour. Like other recipes that have cilantro, I add another ½ cup or so a few minutes before taking the soup off the heat to give it more of a cilantro flavor. (The cilantro added earlier loses most of it’s flavor). And if you are really a cilantro fan, you can add some on top of the dish as a garnish. Serve with lime wedges so peeps can squeeze some lime juice in their soup. Yum.  Serve with rice.
• In salad. Just chop it up in extra small pieces because if you eat a whole sprig of cilantro you may be getting more cilantro flavor than you bargained for.
• In omelettes. I like the combo of tomato/onion/cheese/cilantro in omelettes.
• In chili.
• Guacamole 
• Pollo guisado
• Salsa, Pico de Gallo, or almost any other Latin dish.

Now it’s your turn! If you have a cilantro recipe from your blog/website that you’d like to share, link up below!

Or if you have a favorite cilantro recipe online that’s from someone else’s site, you can post the link as a comment.

Last Friday, I blogged about oatmeal. Click here in case you missed it!

Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend!!

What will you do with your pumpkin?

This time last year we were in Lima, Peru. I was missing Fall of course, but I was extremely excited to find a grocery store that sold pumpkins. We used our pumpkin as a Fall decoration and then eventually chopped it up and cooked it to use the puree for a pumpkin pie. David did well for his first carving experience :)

How will you use your pumpkins this season? Purely decoration? or as a delicious ingredient? any Jack-o-lanterns?

Fall Bucket List 2011

You may not know about our next great adventure

If you are new around here, you may not know that since we got married (1 year and almost 9 months ago) we have made 2 international moves. And that doesn't include my move to South America. And that has made things kind of crazy.

You also may not know that my esposo is from Venezuela and due to many frustrating factors (that I'll not elaborate on for now), we got married in VZ and he has NEVER been to the US. gasp. I still cannot believe it.

You may not know that our next great adventure will be yet another move...but this time to the US. And that after receiving our good news, we now have more of an idea of WHEN we will be able to go. And I am so super pumped to FINALLY be able to say that we are going to the US (Lord-willing) next month.

You may not know we are SUPER EXCITED to be going to NC (although you probably know that by now). Fall in NC and holidays WITH David this time. Being with family and friends. And of course there's all my favorite American foods and a list of foods for David to try.

You may not know that we will be going to North Carolina, where we will live with my parents until we get settled. And we will also be participating in some serious job hunting upon our arrival. Unfortunately we are moving to the US when the job market isn't exactly blossoming.

You may not know that this next great adventure is not only exciting, but also a bit TERRIFYING. It's very easy to get overwhelmed/ on the verge of a panic attack knowing that we don't know exactly where we'll be living/working in the next year/s.

You may not know God's Word says things like:

"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; Wait for the lord!”

“I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”

“We humans keep brainstorming options and plans,
   but God's purpose prevails.”

Psalms 27:14(NIV), Jeremiah 29:11 (MSG), proverbs 19:21 (MSG) respectively 

You may not know that I often read these verses for encouragement, and then get overwhelmed again.

You may not know that instead of freaking out and letting worry ruin everything, I am striving to thank God for all He has done, and for all He is going to do, even though we aren't exactly sure WHAT that is.

These next few months are going to be very interesting my friends. And an adventure for sure.

Introducing....Foodie Friday!!

Introducing (drumroll please…….) my new Friday series….

Each Friday, I will feature a different (mostly) healthy ingredient.

Then, I will post some recipes with said ingredient. And then if YOU would like to share a recipe that includes the featured food, you can post the link to your blog/website below!

Today’s food is oatmeal.

Picture found here

Oatmeal is great for several reasons- it’s healthy, cheap, easy to cook with, and tasty!

Healthy Facts:

•        Oatmeal (along with other whole oat products) has soluble fiber which helps reduce total cholesterol and LDL or “bad cholesterol.”
•        Oat fiber can also help control blood sugar and reduce the risk of heart disease.
•        Oatmeal is a good source of iron, zinc, phosphorus, selenium, copper, and B vitamins (which help convert food to energy and promote muscles, brain function, and healthy skin and hair)
•         It is very filling, so you are full before you eat too many calories (especially helpful for those trying to lose weight)

(from www.doctoroz.com)

Recipes:

•         Probably the most common- hot oatmeal for breakfast. I am a fan. I have oatmeal almost every morning. It can get boring, but has potential to be combined with other ingredients, like honey, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, peanut butter, almonds, dried cranberries, blueberries, or any other fruit.
•        In Venezuela they make their “avena” (oatmeal) cold. In the blender, for every 2 cups of cold water, add a few tablespoons of oats, a few tablespoons of sugar, a splash of milk, some cinnamon, and ice. Sounds strange, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! (Just make sure you don’t add too much oatmeal so it isn’t super thick)
•         Another favorite oatmeal recipe- "Cow Patties" aka "chocolate, peanut butter, oatmeal cookies" or "no-bake cookies". Not quite as healthy with the sugar and butter, but the oats are there, so it still counts!
•      And oatmeal isn't just for sweets! This recipe for BBQ Meatballs from the Pioneer Woman also uses oatmeal!

      Ok, now it's your turn! Link up your favorite oatmeal recipes....and check out the others!

*Under "Name", please include the name of the recipe. Thanks!

Embrace the Camera

I forgot to post a picture of the esposo and I in my "Fundamentos Firmes Workshop" Post. I wasn't in many pictures...I was too busy pretending to be the professional photographer. :) So here's a pic of David and I- and yes that is a poster of Adam and Eve in the background. Thank goodness for the strategically placed leaves!

Fall favorites part DOS

Since my first post on "Fall Favorites", I have found many more cute ideas for fall decorating (on a budget) and fall snacks! I can't wait to try some of these out.

Glitter Pumpkins @ Tatertots & Jello

Glitter Spray + Cheap plastic/foam pumpkins = cute, inexpensive decoration!

25 (more!) fall wreath ideas @ Tatertots & Jello

Here's one of my favorites:

Mason Jar Lanterns @ Our Best Bites

Mason jars + tissue paper + modge podge +glue +ribbon

Owl S'mores @ Living Locurto

graham crackers + marshmellows + chocolate chips + yellow candy melts + candy corn

Pumpkin Veggie Tray @ Living Locurto

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting