Frozen Bananas made Easy

 Frozen bananas add so much creamy deliciousness to a smoothie - even above and beyond what a regular banana adds. When I first started freezing bananas I would put the whole banana into the freezer and then have a hard time peeling it when I wanted to use it. Luckily I quickly reaized that it is much easier to use the banana if I peel and break the bananas into smaller pieces prior to freezing them. This makes for an easy 2 second task as opposed to a 2 minute, frustrating one. I love buying bunches of super ripe, discounted bananas and then having a bounty in my freezer - ready for smoothies or banana ice cream at any time.

Into the freezer I go

The Perfect Fall Smoothie

The onset of fall has brought a bounty of winter squashes to my CSA boxes. The other day I was pondering what to do with them when it hit me - roast them and make pumpkin smoothies (well, pumpkinish as none of my winter squashes are actually pumpkins. I did get one pumpkin but Jane quickly stole that and drew faces and put stickers all over it so I couldn't cook it up after that).

First I rinsed off the squashes (for the first batch I chose the kabocha and acorn squash) and then cut them in half and scooped out the seeds - which I roasted alongside the squashes. Next I cut the squashes into slices and roasted them for approximately 30-40 minutes on 400F (seeds should only roast for about 20 minutes). When the squashes were soft I pulled them out of the oven and let them cool. Once cooled I scooped them out of their skin and put them into a bowl. This made about 4 cups. If you don't want to roast the squash yourself, you can use pumpkin from a can.

There are several delicious ways you can use roasted winter squash in a smoothie. I have made two variations, one with banana and one with oatmeal. The oatmeal one is a little bit thicker and tends to keep me satisfied a little longer, although both are quite filling. Try them both and let me know which one you prefer.

oatmeal version

Pumpkin(ish) Smoothie

1 cup roasted winter squash (acorn, butternut, kabocha, pumpkin, etc) or canned pumpkin

2 Tbs chia seeds or flax seeds

1 banana (preferably frozen) or 1/3 cup rolled oats (preferably soaked in almond milk for at least an hour or two and up to overnight)

1 cup almond milk (can substitute real milk or any nondairy milk)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp cinnamon

5 drops vanilla stevia (or 1 packet stevia or 1 Tbs maple syrup or 1 Tbs Honey - not necessary if using a banana)

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until a smooth consistency is reached.

White Bean and Kale Soup

This cooler weather has brought on some serious soup cravings. Last night I made a delicious, low calorie and highly nutritious soup that I just have to share. Prep time took about 20-30 minutes and overall cooking time took about an hour.

White Bean and Kale Soup

Ingredients
4 cups white beans (can use 2 cans or cook from dried)
4 cups chicken or veggie broth
4 plum tomatoes (can substitute with 1 can of diced or crushed tomatoes)
4 garlic cloves
1 onion (chopped)
2 carrots (chopped)
fennel bulb (chopped, optional - I added this in at the last minute and I thought it made a great addition to the soup, although not everyone likes fennel. You could also add celery.)
4 cups chopped kale (can substitute other greens such as collard greens or chard)
2 TBS Italian seasonings - (I used dried thyme and rosemary)
2 TBS coconut oil (can substitute olive oil if you don't have coconut oil)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Saute garlic, onions, carrots, and fennel with the herbs in the oil until they become soft (about 10 minutes).
2. Add the tomatoes, 3 cups of broth, the greens and 2 cups of beans (or 1 can, including the liquid) to the sauteed veggies and bring to a boil.
3. In a blender or food processor, blend 2 cups white beans (or one full can) with the remaining 1 cup of broth to a smooth consistency.
4. Add the blended bean mixture to the boiling soup and reduce to a simmer.
5. Cover and simmer for 15-30 minutes. Greens should be soft.

What is all the hype about GMO's?

Lately there has been a lot of commotion about genetically modified organisms, or GMO's. To create GMO's, scientists are gene-splicing vegetable seedlings with toxic herbicides and pesticides.This results in a plant that is protected from the insects that would otherwise damage them. This is not only introducing toxins into plants from the ground up, but Americans are now ingesting these unnatural plant varieties that our body doesn't recognize and it can have disastrous effects. In a recent study, a whopping 70% of female rats (50% of male rats) that were fed a GMO corn diet died prematurely - almost all from cancer.

There are currently no studies on the long term effects of genetically modifying our food supply and many countries are boycotting American exports for this reason. There is even a growing group of people that believe GMO's are responsible for the allergy academic.

GMO's have been in the news recently due in part to a bill coming for a vote in California next month that would require food companies to label their food if they use GMO's. The food companies are highly opposed to this as it will likely result in a drop in their sales. However, this will be a huge win for consumer's right to know if it goes through. Monsanto is the number one company that produces GMO seedlings and has millions rallying against them. To learn more about Monsanto and the fight in California visit the website millionsagainstmonsanto.org.

What can you do to avoid GMO's? The best thing you can do is make sure that you choose organic products for the top genetically modified foods. Foods must be GMO free to be certified organic. The top 10 genetically modified foods are: Corn, Soy, Cotton, Papaya, Rice, Tomatoes, Rapeseed (Canola Oil), Dairy Products (choose Organic or rbGH free), Potatoes and Peas.