squash – Chocolate 'N Children

September 4, 2015September 4, 2015

Food Fridays – Spaghetti Squash

Making “pasta” with spaghetti squash is surprisingly easy!

Baked Spaghetti Squash

1 medium to large spaghetti squash
1 Tbsp oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Spaghetti sauce of your choice

Cut your squash in half. Using a spoon scrape out the seeds and center of your squash. Place squash inside up in a pan. Brush with oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Bake in a 450 oven for 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cook for a few minutes. Take a fork and shred your squash. It turns into “spaghetti”.

Top with your favorite sauce and toppings.

August 13, 2015August 10, 2015

CSA – Week 13

This week there were some veggies that I haven’t had yet. It’s so much fun having all these tasty vegetables to cook with!

Basil, fortunately, I love basil because I’ve had a lot of basil these past few months.

Potatoes, me and the kids love baked potatoes and these are delicious.

Yellow peppers, or “apples” according to my 2yr old. The yellow ones are so sweet.

Cherry tomatoes. Since I’m the only one who likes tomatoes, cherry tomatoes are perfect because I can grab just a few at a time for a salad or dish. My 2yr old thinks they’re awesome “balls” so he’ll actually sample them.

Acorn squash. I don’t cook with this often, but I do love squash.

Okra. I didn’t know okra could be red as well as green. This okra is delicious.

July 24, 2015July 23, 2015

Food Friday – Glazed Carrots

I’m not personally a big fan of glazed carrots. I like mine raw with ranch, in a salad, or just eaten as a giant carrot stick. But my kids and husband prefer them glazed. Making glazed carrots is super easy, and since I’m on a roll on the blog with easy vegetables I’ll share another favorite recipe.

Glazed carrots

Carrots – sliced – as many as you want to eat, I do about 1/2 lb for my family of 5
1/2 Cup Water
3Tbsp Brown Sugar

Place sliced carrots in pan, add water and brown sugar and stir. Bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer – stirring frequently -about 30 minutes or until most of the water has cooked off and only a glaze is left.

For more easy vegetable recipes check out my:

Sauteed Squash

Green Beans

And my Crockpot Vegetable Soup

July 17, 2015July 14, 2015

Food Friday – Sautéed Squash

We love Sautéed Squash at my house. It’s so quick and easy to make. I’ll whip it up for lunch or an emergency snack. It’s soft so the baby can eat it (though, he has molars now so it’s not really a problem anymore).

Sautéed Squash

1 large or 2 small squash – rinsed and sliced into rounds
1 Tbsp butter
Salt to taste
Parmesan Cheese

Place sliced squash and butter in skillet over medium heat. Add salt as desired. Cook, stirring frequently until squash is soft and lightly browned – about 15 minutes (if you use a nonstick skillet it won’t brown that much).

Remove from heat and serve topped with grated parmesan cheese.

July 9, 2015July 8, 2015

CSA – Week 8

Here’s my latest CSA haul.

I’m just loving this squash. It’s one of my favorite vegetables. And this squash is so tasty!

More celery, I still have half a head from last week so I need to find a recipe that uses lots of celery. I’m thinking I might make up a bunch of cream of celery soup and freeze it for later.

Green onions. I think I’ve gotten green onions every week so far. I’ve figured out how to add them to things without my husband and the kids discovering them so I’m always happy for more.

My 6yr old likes my pickled beets. I’m not a fan of beets but they’re ok pickled. So I’ll probably do that with these.

Basil, I’m loving having so much fresh basil. It’s so delicious and goes great in so many things!

Beans. I’m so excited to finally get some beans. I really love fresh beans, and these were delicious!

Greens, they didn’t tell me what kind and I just don’t know the difference between all of my greens. Unfortunately no one wants to eat them (except for me) so I’m going to have to get sneaky about it.

Tomatoes. I’m loving all these fresh tomatoes! So tasty.

July 2, 2015June 30, 2015

CSA – Week 7

This week there was another green of some sort in my CSA. Sometimes they send an email telling what everything is. This week they didn’t. I’m not entirely sure what this is, but it tastes pretty good.

Green onions. I think I’ve had them in every CSA box so far. I am figuring out how to use them up though, so they’re actually nice to have now.

Basil, I’m just loving this sweet basil. It’s great for making spaghetti sauce, or just tossing in dishes that I’m making. It adds a nice flavor to everything.

Squash and a cucumber. These things are very large! One of them can make lunch for me and the kids. Luckily, we love both of them and I’m loving having them for easy lunches.

This is the first time I’ve had cabbage in my CSA. I asked my husband what he wanted me to do with it (he doesn’t really like cabbage) and he said the only way he’ll eat it is as sauerkraut. So, I’m making some of that. It has to ferment for a couple of weeks but I can’t wait to try it when it’s done.

Red lettuce, this is my favorite lettuce type to get in my CSA. It’s actually a tad sweeter than the green lettuce and has a great overall flavor. This week, I rinsed, cut up, and dried the entire head then put it in a tupperware in the fridge. Eating salads is so much more convenient this way, and covered it’ll last almost a week after I prepare it.

Swiss chard, I’m not eating through it fast enough, because no one will eat it plain. I have no problem getting the kids to eat it if I mix it in other dishes though.

June 25, 2015June 25, 2015

CSA – Week 6

I’m having so much fun with these CSAs. Here’s what came in this week’s CSA.

More beets. This is not my favorite vegetable, but after having them for weeks, I’m staring to discover some ways to use them that me and the kids all like.

Green onions. I’ve started putting these in everything, and I’m finally using them up as I get them!

Swiss Chard. I didn’t think the kids would eat this, but I’ve been putting it in dishes and as long as it’s cut small enough the kids are eating it without a problem.

Parsley. No basil this week, but I have a bit left from last week, and now I have parsley as well.

Lettuce. It’s a good thing we like salads. I’ve gotten lettuce every week.

Tomatoes. I love these tomatoes. They’re so delicious!

Squash. This vegetable is a favorite at my house. And these look so delicious.

Celery. I tried one of these plain and it was so strong! I didn’t realize how much more flavor locally grown would have. I’m loving this in soups and it would be great with peanut butter as well.