As much as I love October, November has so much to offer and so many delicious vegetables and fruits in season.  Root vegetables are some of my favorite vegetables to prepare and are in their prime.  They make for great rich and flavorful soups and stews.  I still get to use pumpkin in my recipes but I also love using other root veggies to create rich fall flavors. 

Here are some of the best fruits and vegetables that are in season…varying depending on where you are: apples, artichokes, arugula, bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, cranberries, dates, endive, garlic, kale, leeks, potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, rutabaga, squash, sweet potatoes, turnips, and watercress just to name a few.

Chili is one of my favorite fall meals and it is so easy when you make it in the slow cooker.  Here is my recipe for

Slow Cooker Chili

 Ingredients-

•    ½ tbsp. olive oil
•    1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
•    4 cloves garlic, minced
•    1  chipotle chili, chopped
•    2, 15 oz. cans of dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
•    2, 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
•    2, 14 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
•    1, 15 oz. can of light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
•    1, 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
•    1 cup of beer
•    2 tbsp. chili powder
•    1 tbsp. ground cumin
•    1 tsp. salt
•    1 tsp. sugar
•    ½ tsp. black pepper
•    Toppings if you want, I like to use shredded cheddar cheese, sometimes tortilla strips, or sour cream

Instructions- 

•    Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with desired toppings and enjoy your perfect November fall chili!

I love roasting squash this time of the year.  It has such a unique taste that is prefect for fall and November!  Here is a wonderful way to roast a squash:

Spicy Roasted Herbed Squash 

Ingredients-

•    1 large acorn squash, seeded and sliced
•    3 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
•    3 tbsp. brown sugar
•    1 tsp. chili garlic sauce
•    ¼ tsp. salt
•    ¼ tsp. pepper
•    4 oz. crumbled feta
•    1 tbsp. chopped basil
•    1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
•    1 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano

Instructions-

•    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and place the sliced squash on a lined baking pan.
•    Mix the coconut oil, brown sugar, and chili garlic sauce together in a small bowl.  Pour over the squash slices and sprinkle the salt and pepper over the top.  Roast for about 20 minutes, move the slices around and roast for another 20 minutes. 
•    Remove from oven and sprinkle the feta, basil, cilantro, and oregano over the top.  If there is any extra sauce over flowed on the baking pan, put it on the squash.  Let cool a bit and serve your wonderful roasted squash.

Just in case that recipe didn’t satisfy your roasted squash fix, here is a delicious recipe for

Parmesan Roasted Squash

Ingredients-

•    2 small acorn squashes, sliced in large chucks and seeded
•    ½ cup heavy cream
•    8 sprigs of dried oregano
•    ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
•    Extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste and drizzle

Instructions

•    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and place the sliced squash on a lined baking pan and season with salt and pepper.  Spread the heavy cream and herbs evenly on the slices.
•    Bake for about 40 minutes until the squash is tender.  Remove from the oven and top with the parmesan cheese and place back into the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.
•    Remove from oven, drizzle with olive oil and enjoy another wonderful roasted squash!

November is such a great time to bake and make some delicious fall food.  I consider October and the beginning of November the preparation for Thanksgiving!
 
Hope you are having a great November!

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

We all know that there are certain foods that are better for parts of your body and your mental and emotional health.  I swear that a good breakfast can keep my kids going all morning and keep them attentive.  But there are some foods that are even better than others to keep your energy and brain power.  Have two growing children has made me very interested in these kinds of foods.

I always try keeping up to date on latest findings and research about what is best for my kids and my husband and I.  I found a few really interesting articles about foods that fuel brain power and memory.  These foods are good for our entire family and can keep us healthy.  I believe it is important to know what is good for you and take it into your own hands. 






Here are my findings and knowledge on “brain power food”:

•    Almond Butter can help find memory loss because of their high content of vitamin E, which has been found to help reduce the risk of cognitive impairment.  Almond butter has three times as much vitamin E than ordinary peanut butter.  Why not make an easy switch to a healthier and better for you nut spread.

•    Leafy Greens like spinach or broccoli packed with vitamin K can help improve verbal memory and the ability to understand and remember verbal instructions.  Vitamin K is good for both my husband, our children, and myself.  Leafy greens are also high in tandem that works with vitamin B12 that helps cognitive function in older adults. 

•    Blueberries are the ultimate power food.  The flavonoids in them are shown to help spatial memory and the antioxidants reduce inflammation that helps with long term memory and brain health.  There are so many powers that blueberries have it is hard to name them all.

•    Green Tea helps improve brain plasticity making it easier to learn and retain information. 

•    Tomatoes are packed with carotenoids that help improve cognition and memory over long periods of time.  Tomatoes also have lycopene found in the skin that helps protect against depression-causing inflammation.

I hope to continue eating these foods and incorporate them a little more in my life.  There are huge lists foods that help brain power and cognitive health but these were some of my favorite foods. 

What are your “go to” brain boosting foods?

Go Green and Go Keen,

Julie

It is very important to eat a diet high in nutrients to make sure your body has the essential vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy.

Your plate should be a spectrum of bright colors.  We are naturally attracted to bright things, whether it be lush landscapes, clothing hues, bright flowers, or whatever it might be.  The foods you chose to eat shouldn’t be any different, the brighter in color the food is, the more likely it high is nutrients.

Foods that are bland colors often don’t provide as much nutrients as bright fruits and vegetables.  I taught my kids to fill their plate of color.

From when they were little, we always made sure we had at least three colors on our plate for every meal.

Liam and Hannah will even comment if our dinner or lunch is lacking in bright colors and find some fresh veggies to add to it.

Instilling good eating habits to our children is essential to their health.  Here is a list of five food color groups that are great for growing children.

• Orange fruits and vegetables are often high in vitamin A, improve immune and reproductive health, and also have anti-cancer properties.  Sweet potatoes, yams, winter squash, carrots, and apricots are all good sources of your daily dose of orange.

• Yellow fruits and veggies like squash, potatoes, bell peppers, and apples; promote skin and eye health.  They can also improve cognition.

• My favorite color, green is great for lowering the risk of cancer, improved eye health, and stronger teeth and bones.  Some of my favorite green veggies are asparagus, kale, spinach, and broccoli.

• Blue and Purple fruits and vegetables are my second favorite to eat.  Eggplant (my favorite), purple cabbage, prunes and raisins help to protect cells from being damaged and help lower the risks of heart disease, and cancer.  They also have anti-aging and brain boosting properties.

• Red fruits and vegetables like cranberries, bell peppers, tomatoes, and pomegranates contain antioxidants that benefit heart health and can help prevent some cancers.

If you have young children there was a rainbow game we used to play that can be found here.  It is a great way to get them involved with the meal and healthy choices.

I challenge you to try having three different bright colors on your plate this week.  It is not as difficult as you might thing, but the rewards will be well worth it.

Eat the rainbow.


Go green and stay keen,

Julie