A Better Way to Enjoy A Bowl of Noodles

I absolutely love a big bowl of noodles. It's such a great base for almost any kind of flavor you're wanting. They take on the flavors of whatever sauce, broth, or extras you add into them. But often times a big bowl of noodles can also be a big bowl of refined, nutrient lacking, processed calories. Today I'm going to share with you how to make a big bowl of nutrient packed, fresh, raw, healthy noodles.

This is how......

I got this spiralizer for Christmas this past year, and have been loving it! You can find these on Amazon, or other kitchen supply stores. You can buy them for as little as twenty-five dollars. They are very easy to clean by just wiping it down with a wet cloth. Also, you can spiralize almost anything. My favorites are zucchini, carrots, apples, beets, and sweet potatoes. This particular spiralizer comes with three blades, two noodle blades (one is for thick noodles, the other is for thin) and one for circular slicing. So this is how you use this awesome contraption: 

First start off with the fruit or vegetable you'd like to turn into noodles.....I love using zucchini. 

Then, cut off both ends so they are flat..

Next, place on end of the vegetable on the blade..

And place the other end on the side with the spikes..

It should look a little something like this..

Now it's time to spiralize! Simple push in and turn the handle to start cutting the vegetable into noodles..

And voilà, noodles!

They are nice and curly, and look just like noodles!

Do they taste exactly like noodles? No, but they are a great alternative to regular noodles. If you are trying to eat less processed foods this is a great way to do that. You still are getting the noodle texture, but getting more nutrients and less calories by using a spiralizer. These noodles can then be sautéed, heated, added into salads, and of course topped with all different sauces or toppings. This is a great base because the zucchini has such a neutral flavor it is easy to add whatever you'd like! 

I highly recommend buying a spiralizer to add to your kitchen gadgets! They are quite useful and a great tool to eating cleaner, and healthier. Here are a few links where you can purchase them..

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Spiralizer-Tri-Blade-Spiral-Vegetable/dp/B006THC75E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1397532322&sr=8-4&keywords=spiralizer

http://www.amazon.com/Epica-Manual-Multi-Blade-Spiral-Vegetable/dp/B009UEWLMW/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1397532322&sr=8-12&keywords=spiralizer

How To: Cut a Pineapple

With summer quickly approaching, this means more fruit! One of my favorite summer fruits is pineapple. They are so sweet and juicy, and they are also great frozen and blended in smoothies, or even grilled and thrown into salads. Pineapples look pretty intimidating, and many people have no idea how to cut into it, so I wanted to show you guys just how easy it is!



First...

you want your pineapple to be RIPE, to pick a ripe pineapple: pull a leaf from the middle of the fruit, and the easier the leaf comes out, the more ripe it is. You also don't want your pineapple to have a lot of green....so the more yellow, the better! Also, you should be able to smell the pineapple before you cut into it.

These three signs all guarantee your pineapple is ready to get cut open and be eaten! If your pineapple still needs some ripening, leave it out on the counter until it's ripe. Once it's ripe, you can stick it in the fridge until you're ready to cut it.

 

It's time to cut open your lovely pineapple! Start by breaking off the leaves/hair of the pineapple. Just simply twist it right off..

 

Now, you want to cut off both ends so you have two flat surfaces to keep the pineapple from rolling around, or toppling over..

Time to get rid of the skin! Stand it up on one end and go around each side, cutting off the outer layer. Try to leave as much of the actual pineapple, and only cut off the skin..

 Now, your pineapple should look like this..



Once you have the skin off, there is usually some spots of skin still remaining, so to get rid of this just use a knife to cut out the little spots. Again, try to leave as much of the pineapple while doing this..

Now, it's time to cut out the core. Pineapples have a hard core in the center, much like an apple or pear, so to cut this out I like to stand it up, cut around it, and then just pull it out. The core is a lighter yellow, so it's pretty easy to see it.

Lastly, chop up your pineapple into pieces, you can make them big or small depending on your preference. 

YUMMMMMMM.......

Pro Tip: Set a plastic bag beside your cutting
board, this way you can just put all your trash into this
and avoid taking "trips" to the trashcan.
Also, it makes the cleanup a little easier.