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

Orange You Glad You Came?

While on vacation at Disney, I took advantage of the Florida produce, and made sure to stop for a few minutes to get some delicious Florida oranges. On our way to Disney World on the first day, I noticed a HUGE building that was shaped like an orange. I started freaking out, and knew that was the place I wanted to go to get some oranges.

On the last day we were in Florida, we stopped at Orange World to check out their oranges. Unfortunately, the building wasn't filled with fruit (like I thought it was) but there was a beautiful selection of freshly picked oranges and grapefruits. There were also samples of all the fruit that was being sold so we were able to taste to see which types of oranges we like best. After trying all the different types of oranges, my mom and I decided to go with the Valencia oranges. They were big, juicy, and very sweet. We bought a huge bag so that we could share some with family back in North Carolina.



  


Take advantage of your vacation location, and take home some food souvenirs that will bring your vacation back home with you!

                                   

My Favorite: Vegetables

So here is another favorites post, where I basically try really really hard to choose my top five favorites....this time it's vegetables.

Disclaimer: in my mind, sweet potatoes have a category of their own, so they aren't going to be included in this list. Also, I won't include greens in this either for the same reason.

     1. Carrots
I would definitely choose carrots as my top favorite vegetable, because of how it has such a great flavor. Carrots are one of the sweeter vegetables, which I think is especially brought out in roasting them. Also carrots and hummus....need I say more?

 

     2. Cauliflower

Cauliflower is my number two choice because of its versatility. Cauliflower is amazing steamed, made into cauliflower rice, roasted, and even cauliflower mashed potatoes. It has such a buildable flavor which I think is key part in making it a "perfect" vegetable.

     

     3. Peas

I hate to generalize peas, but due to my indecisiveness I am going to. Sugar snap peas, garden peas, snow peas they are so delicious! Super sweet and so great to snack on. I could (and have) eat an entire bag of sugar snap peas, I think its the crunch that is just so amazing. Also, garden peas (frozen, not canned....never canned) are great in salads and also just right out of the bag, out of the freezer. 

     4. Brussel Sprouts

When cooked properly, brussel sprouts are to die for. They are sweet and hearty all at the same time. The key to brussel sprouts is to roast them, if you give me steamed brussel sprouts I won't touch them....but I can easily eat an entire pan of roasted brussel sprouts. They are packed with nutrition and always get so much hate from, as I'd like to call it, the "steamed brussel sprout" generation. But honestly, my discovery of roasted brussel sprouts definitely changed my life. yummmmm...

  

     5. Tomatoes 
Tomatoes are so sweet and juicy, and they are even better in the summer, and even better from my garden. I love just eating them like an apple, or slicing them up with some sea salt and black pepper, or even making a basil tomato sandwich with just a basil leaf in between two slices of tomato. Cherry tomatoes are also perfect because, like peas, they are great to just eat like candy.....right out of the carton.

 

So there it is...my top five favorite vegetables of all time. Hope you enjoyed!

Kale Yeah! My Obsession of the Greatest Green in the World

Today, I will be talking about my favorite green...the best green leaf in the entire world, k a l e. There are so many reasons why I'm so in love with this green, and I could talk about it all day. I actually wrote a whole research paper on it last year (if you actually want to read it, I'll put a link to it).

Kale is not only delicious, but its also super cheap, and has so so so so many health benefits.

     Delicious & Versatile:

When you first try kale, especially if its raw you may think I'm crazy for saying it's so delicious...especially if you are iceberg lettuce person. Kale has a deep, green taste and depending on the type of kale can be a little bitter. It may take a few attempts for you to get used to the deliciousness of the green, but it is worth it in the end. If you're not a fan of the raw kale (which most people aren't) that is totally fine because it is an a m a z i n g green to cook with. Because it is packed with nutrition, and is such a hearty green it cooks beautifully. This green is also great to sneak into smoothies, for added nutrition. If you add enough fruit (three parts fruit, one part green) you can barely taste the kale.

 

The versatility of this green is also enormous. Because this green is so hearty, it can be used as a wrap, or "taco" for a great carb-free, non-processed option.

Also, because kale is so great to cook with, it is perfect to throw into soups, or stews because it can withstand heat very well. Another great way to use kale is to make chips out of them! Kale chips are becoming the latest "trend" and you can find them in most grocery stores, but the store-bought kale chips are so expensive, it is kind of ridiculous. So I definitely recommend making your own. 

k a l e  c h i p s.

All you need to do is de-stem the kale (curly kale works best) wash and fully dry it, then lay it out on a cookie sheet, spray it with a little cooking spray (preferably olive oil, or coconut oil spray) then season it with whatever you'd like (salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes). Lastly, put it in an oven preheated to about 400 degrees, for around five to ten minutes or until they are crispy (keep a close eye on them, so they don't burn!). Then let them cool and enjoy! 

     Nutritious:

The nutrition in kale is kind of unbelievable. It really is a powerhouse, and provides so many benefits in small amounts. It is very low in calories, you can basically eat as much of it as you want (as long as you're not adding butter or a ton of other things to it). In just one cup, you can get well over the recommended amounts of vitamin K (great for blood clotting, and strong bones), and vitamin A (awesome for your eyes). One cup of kale also has about 70% of the recommended amount of vitamin C (which is obviously really good for your immune system). Not only does it have a bunch of vitamins, but it also has a ton of antioxidants as well as anti-cancerous properties. Kale is also a great detoxifier. Like I said before, I really could talk about how great kale is all day long! 

So hopefully, I have persuaded you to give kale a try if you've never tried it before. And if you have tried it before, and hated it hopefully you'll give it another chance...your body will thank you!

LINK TO MY KALE RESEARCH PAPER (for all my fellow foodie nerds) :https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1f3pT2S32cCcGpHdVVfLWZrOVE/edit?usp=sharing