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Well it's finally friday!!! is everyone in a food coma??? I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving. I have so many things to be thankful for I don't even know where to begin.... I may not be rich in the monetary sense but I have wonderful friends and family and for that I am MOST thankful. So I will keep this post simple and leave you with my fresh friday post. This was my Thanksgiving contribution...
Roasted Root Vegetables
1 large fennel bulb chopped
1 rutabaga chopped
12 Brussels sprouts
3 parsnips peeled and chopped
3 turnips chopped
shiitake mushrooms
1 small onion diced or shallots (your choice)
8 garlic gloves minced
place all veggies in a bowl and mix together olive oil teaspoon sea salt and 3tbs balsamic vinegar
place in glass baking dish and bake at 425 remove and toss all veggies with truffle oil and fresh chopped tarragon.
I have to say this was out of this world Tasty!
I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend...
TGIF !!! well we are full swing into fall and on our way into winter. So what is a person to do to get through the long midwest winter??? Well for starters you have to stay active and find something to keep you moving.... For me it's is going to be yoga and riding the trainer. You have to keep your mind and body active along with keeping your taste buds from getting bored.
There is something comforting about a bowl of homemade soup , some good hearty bread followed with a nice glass of cabernet and some good oraganic chocolate. Now that is a match made in heaven. Since I have really gotten into cooking I am so amazed at how easy it really is to prepare a good healthy meal that is also so satisfying. I can't believe how much I have learned about flavors and using fresh seasonal ingredients. I really love the idea of cooking with seasonal ingedients it's a great way to try new things and to get out of your box. So with that I leave you with my Fresh Friday recipe...
***** Roasted Red Pepper Dip*****
One jar of roasted organic red peppers
2 tbs olive oil
Cup of sauteed mushrooms of your choice
Cup of toasted walnuts ( place on cookie sheet and toast for 5-7 min) at 375
Salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 garlic cloves
Pinch of crush red pepper to spice it up
Throw all ingredients into food processor and puree
Serve with organic blue corn chips or all natural pita chips
Enjoy, oh and don't forget to pour yourself a glass of vino ....
- You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients.
- Julia Child US cook & cookbook author (1912 - 2004)
So I have been sick with the flu the last two days and I feel really bad that I missed my husbands birthday yesterday.I always bake him a pumpkin pie. So after two days on the couch and the mercy of the flu I mustered up enough energy to bake him his favorite... Pumpkin pie. Of course it is going to be a lighter healthier version. Now it just wouldn't be fall without pumpkin pie right?
So I came across this healthier option for pumpkin pie, and the hubby approved !
so who says pumpkin pie can't be delicious even if it is a healthier low fat version. Now I gave it my own little twist instead of the traditional cool whip topping I melted down some really good organic chocoalte and drizzled it on top.
Organic Low Fat Pumpkin Pie :
For the crust you will need
1 1/2 cups of graham crackers I found low fat ones and just threw them in the food processor
2 Tbsp apple juice
2 Tbsp butter I used smart balance soy butter
mix all ingredients and press mixture into a 9 inch backing dish and bake for 15 min at 350 degrees
let crust cool completely
meanwhile... for the filling
mix together 2 cups organic pumpkin
1 egg yolk I used organic eggs
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup of honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
Now if you notice you don't use any sugar that's where the honey plays it's part
Once crust is completely cooled pour mixture into crust and bake 1 hour
melt chocolate and drizzle on top. I hope you give it a whirl... now I am not a pumpkin pie fan but I was a little curious so I gave it a try and I have to say it was really tasty! I think I may warm up to pumpkin pie just yet, of course I will have to have a glass of red wine with mine :-)
Something to think about ...
Eat...
....all the colors of the rainbow
...all five tastes
...a varied diet
...locally grown, seasonal foods
and
Enjoy your food and mealtime.
Happy Friday!
Even in the woods there are highways and intersections, these posts were always welcoming because the told you how many more miles you had to go before camp.
What a cute little blue sailboat, how fun would that be to have no rules or responsibilities and just tool all around... I could be happy doing that!
Ok I know you are wondering how we look so clean for backpacking, this was actually our last night so we had a chance to get clean , and let me tell you it's the best 6.00 shower you ever had after 7 days in the back country!
Isle Royale has some amazing sunsets...
I know you can't tell but my dogs were barking at this point, this is the Minong trail and it's the hardest and most challenging trail on the island, yes the trail is all rock so it is so hard to walk on this trail especially after several hours and 45 pounds of weight on your back. But needless to say I motored on ...
So after several hours on the trail we were rewarded with this beautiful view of Thunder Bay Canada, if you look close you can see we were as high as the tree tops. This is why I L.O.V.E backpacking ~"It's not the mountain we conquer but ourselves" Author : Sir Edmund Hillary 
A peaceful sunset ... I felt so privileged to be the only two people at this campsite. So amazing
Enjoying a good book and a great view of Lake Holloran, Life is Good !
Yes that is what you think it is Wolf scat, we were just hiking along and right on the trail there it was. How cool to think this wolf walked the same trail we did. It was also kind of erie to think this wolf was in the same area we were and probably not too far ahead of us ,the scat had not dried up yet it was still pretty fresh!
So to our surprise we were still hiking the same trail and we came across wolf tracks , I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. My husband says I have wildlife turrets syndrome when I am out hiking , I can't help myself I get so excited. At that moment I felt special that we got to experince this and it really made me appreciate nature even more.
Yes that is my crazy husband waving moose bones in the air like a crazy caveman, he always makes me laugh, he can find humor in just about anything. Now this was a cool find, those bones still had blood and marrow oozing out of them! Poor Mr Moose :-( but Mr Wolf's tummy was happy... 
We found out that these little beauties are called Indian Pipe and are a pretty rare find.
Yes that exposed rock is the trail, at times it was hard to follow the trail sometimes the trail would take you down into the woods then straight back up the steep rock, what a work out.
Our Transportation to the the island a little seaplane.Now anyone who knows me knows that I am terrified to fly but... " I bought the ticket and took the ride" and what amazing views you get when you fly over to the island.
And the last pic is up at Copper Harbor Michigan, we found and awesome beach and had a little vino seeing that it would be awhile before I had my next glass. I hope you enjoyed the pics. I am already getting excited for next years trip. I am just so happy we didn't get trampled to death by that psychotic moose in rut!!! I am just glad we lived to tell about it. :-)
So this is how our camping weekend started out with this amazing sunrise. Now it is not very often you get to appreciate a beautiful sunrise. The sky looked like it was on fire. This was one of those moments that you just savored the experience completely. I took a deep breath and said to myself how lucky am I to be able to enjoy this.
Then we rolled into the little sleepy town of Nashville Indiana and walked around and looked at all the cute little shops that were all decked out for the holidays, I think that really got me in the Christmas spirit. We went back that same night to see the town a lit up with all the twinkle lights, they even had trolly all done up like a sleigh too cute! 
So the hubby went off to ride 20 some odd miles of mountain bike trail within the park. I stayed back at the campsite and hung out with Molly and drank vino and made my self a little campfire , so perfect and so relaxing. I really needed to recharge my batteries. We headed out the next morning to do a little hiking and we were welcomed by this nice little lake, truly a beautiful day for a hike in the woods.
The sky was so clear and blue this day... 
