Butternut Squash, Spinach and Black Bean Tacos

For a good, long while I have been on kitchen auto-pilot making mostly the same things. The time has now come to work on my menus.

I'm currently researching the best diet for me as I start treatment for breast cancer and while I have just started the process I know that increasing the most nutritious veggies, herbs and spices is as important important as drastically cutting sugar. Cutting sugar has been easier than I expected so I'm focusing on getting the good stuff in.

There are so many different theories are out there - Vegan, Keto, Mediterranean, etc. - all been recommended by various people and sources. I can see pluses and minuses to most so am taking my time and learning what will be right for my situation with my necessary restrictions like gluten free, dye free, etc. So while I continue to research I'm making lots of old favorites (especially Sri Lankan recipes with all the turmeric, ginger and spice) and some new vegan dishes.

Vegetables are a favorite, so it's not a burden to try and reconfigure my diet but it can be a challenge to make them a main course when you love spicy flavors and strive to use only whole foods rather than processed items.

The guys are not changing their diets but are getting exposed to lots of new veggie dishes in the process. So far they are just adding them to their usual meals and it's working out fine for everyone. Joe, especially, has surprised me with embracing arugula and watercress in his salads and trying some different roasted veggies. So in many ways this is a win win for us.

This is one dish I experimented with on our last Taco Tuesday and we liked it so much I made it all over again on Friday - doubling the recipe for leftovers. It's super fast and easy and very satisfying.

I've tried this combination in a crispy taco shell, without tortillas in a bowl and wrapped in in collard leaves. Every version was delicious and I've got another two pounds of butternut squash to saute tonight.

Butternut Squash, Spinach and Black Bean Tacos

Saute in a medium sized saute pan:

1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
1 large Onion, minced
4 large cloves Garlic, minced

In another small saucepan heat:

2 cups Black Beans (approximately, either homemade or canned)

When the onions and garlic are softened, add:

1 teaspoon Cumin
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne (this will be spicy - just a dash if you don't love it hot)
1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano
1 pound Butternut Squash, cut into cubes

Continue to saute until squash is cooked through - about 15 minutes or so. I mashed a bit with the back of a spoon as I stirred.

Just before you are ready to serve, toss in:

2 cups packed and rinsed Baby Spinach which will wilt and heat through in a minute.

Serve in taco shells, as nachos, in bowls or rolled in a large steamed kale leaf and top the squash and spinach with black beans, and guacamole and any favorite salsa you like.

We love to add a mixture of cilantro (one whole large bunch), onion (one medium to large) and jalepeno (at least one large) all minced together and liberally spooned on top. I make up this mixture at least once a week and use it to top almost all Mexican and Asian foods I make. It will keep a couple of days in the fridge.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

b.good - healthy, local, delicious and gluten free

b.good is a restaurant we fell in love with on a recent trip to Portland and Wiscasset Maine. We visited the Portland store at least three times in our five days in Maine. The other two days we were in Wiscasset.

The Portland, Maine store employees were friendly and helpful in keeping our food gluten free and so delicious. The six of us tried just about every gluten free item on the menu from burgers to salads to kale and quinoa bowls. Everyone absolutely loved everything. Especially awesome are the kids meals. We loved it so much it just didn't seem worth the bother to look up other safe restaurants.

The photo on the right is our last visit up in Maine. Loved the brick and the photos of the local farmers.

So the wait for the Raleigh store seemed ever so long. But open it did last week!

Chris, Joe and I went on Friday for lunch. This was their second day open and the line started clear across the restaurant. We obviously were not the only people anxiously waiting for them to open. The line moved quickly and the young man taking our order was friendly and capable. He quickly told us the couple of items we couldn't have and assured us the rest were safe.

The look of the Raleigh store is fresh and new and the farmer photos are local to our area. I was happy to later hear that JMF Photography took their photos.

We ordered and found a spot at the counter in front of the window to sit.  While I all but stopped drinking sodas years ago, at b.good I indulge with their outstanding Maine Roots soda. My family loves lots of their flavors but I always get the root beer. It's just like what we had growing up ages ago - creamy and perfect.

The guys' burgers and my chicken sandwich were perfect. The toppings are fresh and local, as are the burgers and chicken breasts. The veggie patties are house made and vegan (but not gluten free).

But the fries are amazing. If you're gluten free you know what a big deal safe gluten free fries are but at b.good you can get sweet potato or regular fries. Both are absolutely awesome.

The next day Marc, Marie, Aiden and I ran in for lunch. We arrived just before the doors opened and by the time they did open there was another family waiting with us. Several others filled tables before long.

The crowd Friday at lunch was definitely a work crowd and the Saturday lunch crowd was mostly young families. Steve Woodward, the owner said he was pleased with the lunch turnout but also pleasantly surprised by the dinner crowds, many of whom live in the apartments above the restaurant. How convenient would it be to just pick up dinner and take it right upstairs?? It seems a perfect location for everyone.

Marc and Marie ordered burgers and I ordered the spicy avocado lime kale and quinoa bowl.  It was my first b.good bowl and I ordered it as a healthy and maybe lighter choice. It was such a great combination of fresh veggies with a very spicy and flavorful sauce that I have a new favorite. So fresh and satisfying.

One thing I really love about b.good is their kids meals. Our sweet Aiden loves to eat and Marie and Marc feed him real, whole foods. The kids meals at b.good live up to their requirements and Aiden loves them.

Saturday he enjoyed a bunless turkey burger (freshly grilled and juicy) and a side of veggies. He loved the tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots and kale.

Aiden - so happy and busy with his kid's meal.

It's so nice to be able to walk into a restaurant and know that we can all enjoy healthy, local and delicious food without a worry about gluten. I can't recommend b.good highly enough.

Happily shared on Gluten Free Wednesdays at Gluten Free Easily!

November Gratitude - Day Nineteen

My handsome, healthy guys. Love them so.

Today I am thankful for The Feingold Association. We joined the summer of 2005 due to Joe's yellow 5 induced migraines. I was hopeful I would be able to help Joe avoid all dyes and the headaches and migraines that went with them.

Avoiding artificial dyes, preservatives and flavors are only a part of the program but I really thought that was all we would need. But as I read more about the program and spent time on the members' board I realized we needed to try the whole program. That meant starting at stage 1 and removing fruits and vegetables with high salicylates. Apples, berries, grapes and oranges are a few favorites we gave up for a while.

We found Joe did so much better with this new healthier way of eating and surprisingly found he (and I) reacted to some of the stage 2 items we tested back in. We also found we both strongly reacted to cinnamon and he was sad to know maple syrup caused problems for him, too. These last two items are not typically problematic to Feingold members but because we'd kept a food diary we were able to track foods and reactions. Like many other Feingold members we both react to chemical scents. Artificial air fresheners, stinky laundry detergents and perfumes can be tough. But keeping our house free of scents seems to help us deal with other scents better.

We kept our house Feingold safe - all for one and one for all - but Chris and Marc ate what they wanted to out side of the house when Joe was not with them. Marc had things like Butterfingers and Kit Kats and movie popcorn and sodas at work and when out with friends. He was convinced for a long while none of it bothered him. But he finally realized there was a correlation between his headaches and feeling cranky and junk food. So he started eating better on his own.

I'll be honest and say right up front that Feingold was not easy at first and was not our total answer. For many people it is and that is a wonderful blessing.

For us Feingold was the springboard improving our health and we took things beyond Feingold considerably.  I don't know that I could have gotten to this point without Feingold and the amazing members board. Many of the members that helped me are still there helping others.

We no longer consider our diet to be the Standard American Diet. We eat a more plant based, whole food diet with emphasis on naturally gluten free foods and limit our sugar and meat consumption greatly. We consume as many organic foods as possible to lower our exposure to chemicals. These changes have evolved over years in baby steps.

Lots of research into supplementation, incorporating applicable aspects of Body Ecology Diet, Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Specific Carbohydrate Diet and The Westin A Price Foundation and then addressing yeast overgrowth have made a huge difference.

Feingold has been wonderful for our family and I am thrilled to pay my membership dues each year and volunteer some of my time. I am always happy to answer questions and help anyone get assimilated because I of the great moms who were there when I needed them.

Good health and happy kids - that's a lot to be grateful for.


Thanks for this pic Gabby!

October Unprocessed Challenge

Saturday night I opened Facebook to find that two bloggers I follow had just posted about the October Unprocessed Challenge. Shirley at Gluten Free Easily and Deanna at The Mommy Bowl are two blogs I love to check out - very different but equally wonderful.

I had never heard of Eating Rules and Andrew Wilder before let alone the October Unprocessed event.  Skimming through his site I realized how close we are to eating unprocessed but how certain products still make it in to my cart on a regular basis.  That's not great for our health or my wallet. I love Andrew's definition of "kitchen test" and the way he challenges you to decide for yourself whether a product works for you and if you need to make any exceptions for the challenge.  The official guide is HERE.

I think back to 2005 when we were struggling to figure out Joe's migraines and the way we ate - the fake colors of processed kids' food and trips through the drive-throughs and I cringe. We were so fortunate to find Feingold and ditch the food dyes and preservatives. Through the online members' board I "met" so many people who helped me learn more and more about nutrition and health and I researched with book after book and site after site on health and nutrition. The blogging community helped me take it to another level.

We've come so far in this journey and we feel so much better but I know that good health is a process and I'm ready to take the next step. What about you? What steps do you take towards good health?