Favourite Fall Recipe Round Up

Happy FRIDAY!!!

I know that the internet has been exploding with all things related to Fall and I've caught the bug just like everyone else. Comfort foods, fall decor, changing leaves, cool nights.....I just love it all.

Because everyone seems to have "Fall"-fever, I thought it would be fun to kick off the weekend with some of my favourite Fall recipes.

Gluten Free Banana Pancakes with Fried Apples

~ because it's the perfect time of year to pick apples & every day's a good day for pancakes ~

Zucchini Bread Slow Cooked Steel Cut Oatmeal

~ because oatmeal is the epitome of comfort food for breakfast and zucchinis have been

plentiful around these parts this summer ~

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

~ mmmm, I love Shepherd's Pie in the cooler months & this is a

great vegetarian version of a traditional favourite ~

Roasted Sweet Potato & Kale Soup

~ creamy, rich and packed full of healthy Fall veggies ~

Vegetable Stew with Whole Wheat Biscuits

~ STEW = COMFORT FOOD .... this is one of my very first recipes ~

Butternut Squash Fries

~ this is sure to become your favourite Fall side ~  

Winter Vegetable Casserole

~ packed full of Fall veggies! It will warm you from head to toe ~  

Stuffed & Baked Apples

~ a heavenly Fall combination of apples and granola ~

Okay, now I'm drooling :-) Apparently comfort food is my 'thang' because there were a lot of Fall recipes that I could have posted here, but these are some of my tried & true favourites! I've also created a Healthy Fall Recipes board and Fall Decor board on Pinterest, so feel free to check those out and follow me there for many more Fall ideas that are brewing around in this head of mine.

Do you have a favourite Fall meal? If you have a recipe, leave me the link so I can check it out and 'Pin It' to share with others.

Have a wonderful Friday and enjoy your weekend!

Andrea

xoxo

Challenging Myself and an Awesome Broccoli Salad

Happy Friday my friends! This week was a short one for me and it's flown by. Life/Work continues to be crazy busy, so I'm looking forward to putting my feet up and doing some relaxin' this weekend. Hopefully the weather is warm and sunny (they're calling for rain, but I can always hope!), so that I can finally pull out our patio furniture and soak up some rays.

Yesterday I saw a post by one of my bloggie friends, Kelly. She did a recap of some challenges that she set for herself at the beginning of May and then updated us on how she did. I like the idea of putting my plans in writing, so that I can keep focused on the things that I'd like to accomplish. To keep myself on track, I'm going to share my June goals with you.... 

source

Ahem, obviously there a couple of reasons why I'm drawn to this image ;-)

Here goes.....

1. Eat a salad a day. Angela has started this challenge and I intend to eat my greens every.single.day. If you think this is a challenge you'd like to do, check out Ange's post and join in the fun! It's always more fun to do a challenge and get healthy with friends to encourage and support you. Follow My Salad a Day Pinterest board for some ideas too!
2. Practice using my new camera - you may recall that Derek got me a new Canon Rebel T3i for Christmas. For some reason, using it intimidates the hell outta me. I took it with me when we visited my family last weekend and some of my pictures are phenomenal. My goal is to use it everyday, so that I can get more comfortable with the settings and create much better photos for the blog.
3. Create a vision board. Listen, I have been trying to do this for months but I just never get around to it! I have the board and I have some images, so all I need to do is put everything together.
4. Implement a weekly workout routine that I can stick to that incorporates both cardio and weights. Another thing that intimidates me?? Using the weights at the gym. This is one of my 'issues' that I'm determined to overcome. I'd also like to get into the habit of working out before work at least 3 days per week.

So there you have it....easy peasy right?! I'll keep you updated on how it's going and then make sure you check back at the end of the month to see how I did.

...Are you guys still with me???? I know this post is a bit on the lenghthy side, but I hope you're still here because I also have an amazing broccoli salad to share. If you think you're going to participate in the salad a day challenge, this will definitely help you to start off on the right foot.

Mediterranean Broccoli & Chickpea Salad

Serves 4 to 6

6 c chopped broccoli

2 c chickpeas

1/3 c sliced black olives

1/2 c thinly sliced red onion

1/2 c of the best dressing ever - recipe here

sundried tomatoes & goat cheese (or feta) for topping

Add the broccoli, chickpeas, black olives & red onion. Toss with the dressing and refrigerate for at least one hour. Top with a sprinkling of sliced sundried tomatoes and cheese.

This would be great to serve at a barbecue with family & friends.

For a total 'party in your mouth' experience, chop your broccoli into quite small pieces so you can get a taste of everything in each and every bite :)

This is a great salad to make ahead and take for lunch or serve it as a side.

Last night I had it with the best quesadilla combo on the planet.

(Patience peeps...quesadilla recipe to come)

Do you have any goals or challenges this month?

Do you have any newbie photographer tips? All of these pics were taken with my Canon --- I love using it and can't wait to get better!

T.G.I.F.! 

Andrea

xoxo 

Spicy Mexi-Lasagna Night

Happy Tuesday!!! I know I'm a little late, but how was your St. Patty's Day Weekend? Ours was totally and completely unbelievable. The weather in Southwestern Ontario continues to be to die for. Usually our temperature at this time of year is 4C and we've been in the low 20s for days!! For those of you who still use Fahrenheit, 20C is really warm!!! The forecast for Wednesday and Thursday is calling for 27 and 28 which is what we usually get in mid-August. We are all counting our lucky stars and praying that all of this amazingness continues right into the summer months!

We should be barbecuing and heading out to the patios for dinner, but since Derek wasn't home last night, I decided to pull together a bunch of food that's been hangin' around in my pantry and make up a layered Mexi-inspired casserole. This one was inspired by a recipe that was posted by Jenn a while back and it didn't disappoint. I tossed in a bunch of veggies that were looking pretty sad and I ended up with a dense and delicious meal. Make sure you have some toppings: sour cream, guac and salsa make this meal amazing!  

Spicy Mexi-Lasagna
Serves 8

9 corn tortillas
1 onion, diced
1 orange pepper, diced (green, red or yellow would be fine!)
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 packet taco seasoning
2 c black beans
1 1/2 c corn kernels
1can refried beans
2 c salsa
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar (Daiya would work for my non-dairy friends)

Preheat your oven to 400. Grease a deep dish 9" pie plate.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with non-stick spray. Add the onion, orange pepper, jalapeno and garlic and  cook for 5 - 6 minutes until the veggies are starting to soften.

Add the sea salt, pepper, taco seasoning, black beans and corn and mix well. Cook for an additional 2 - 3 minutes until the mixture is heated through.

Now for the fun part! Assembly!!!

Cover the bottom of your pie plate with corn tortillas. I used scissors to cut apart my tortillas so that the bottom was completely covered. Add half of your refried beans and smooth over the tortillas. Follow with 2 c of your veggie/bean mixture and 1 c salsa. (an extra layer of cheese would be awesome here, but between snapping pics and assembling my pie, I totally forgot!!)

Repeat your layers one more time. Cover the top with more tortillas and then the shredded cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes. Now mine did overflow a wee bit, so you would be wise to stick a cookie sheet underneath.

Once the casserole is cooked through, remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes so it has the opportunity to set.

Cut into wedges and serve.

You can spice this up as much as you like. If you're like us, you can amp up the heat with some Frank's red hot, some jalapeno seeds or some red chili pepper flakes.

It's not the most gorgeous looking beast, but it is sooo gooo-oood!!!

Tastes amazing with sour cream and guacamole. A little extra salsa would also be great!

Now I have to tell you this is VERY heavy and filling, so you won't need much on the side. I was going to steam some veggies as a side, but I didn't have room for one more bite!

Did you do anything in celebration of St. Patty's Day?

What is your favourite type of take out? I LOVE LOVE LOVE Mexican and Thai.

Have a fantastic day!

Andrea
xoxo

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for....Zucchini?!?!?!!

Happy Sunday!

Are you having a fabulous weekend? This has been a fairly uneventful weekend for me, which has been really nice. We've been super busy lately and the end of the summer is jam packed with a wedding, arrivals of LOTS of babies, milestone birthdays, year end team parties and family visits.  Sometimes it's nice to spend a day bumming around home and chillaxing a bit.

Derek's away for most of the day and I woke up with an urge to get my booty into the kitchen. Well, first I hit the gym and then I stopped by my favourite veggie stand (I'm pretty sure the gal working the stand was really happy to help this sweaty, red-faced

babe :-) ....and then I got my booty into the kitchen.

One of my best deals at the veggie stand was 3 zucchinis for $1. You can't get a much better deal than that! You've probably noticed that I tend to use zucchini alot around here, but I have yet to share my most favourite way to eat it......I'm talkin' about some seriously amazing zucchini bread!

Zucchini Bread
Adapted from allrecipes
Makes 1 loaf

This is the best zucchini bread recipe I have ever made. I've made a few minor changes to make it more healthy and it is the most moist, mouthwatering bread of all time!!!! Tastes best when served warm smothered in Earth Balance. This bread freezes really well.

1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 chia eggs (or regular eggs)
1/2 c coconut oil
2/3 c white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 heaping c grated zucchini
1/2 c chopped walnuts, optional (I didn't have any this time, but usually I do include them)

Grease an 8" x 4" loaf pan. Preheat oven to 325.

Sift flours, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a medium sized bowl.

Mix chia egg, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Note: I found the batter to be a little drier when I made my healthy substitutions, so I added a little under a 1/4c of water. Feel free to add a splash of water, if necessary.

Looks different when using chia --- but it's so healthy!!!

Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes on the middle rack. You'll know it's done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool on the rack.

I dare you to try and eat just one slice!!! The first bite is pure heaven. I might have had two three slices as soon as it came out of the loaf pan. Don't judge :-)  

What is your favourite way to eat zucchini?
Do you like to make your own breads and muffins? Fave recipe - please share or link it up!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Andrea