What I am Loving- The Soup Edition

The weather is certainly starting to get colder up here in Minnesota!  As I am looking out the window this morning it looks like today is going to be another chilly grey day.  These cold gloomy days are perfect for a great cup of coffee, a warm bowl of oatmeal, a fuzzy blanket, sitting by the fireplace and warm thick soups!  When the weather starts to turn chilly I find myself wanting one thing and one thing only (well besides oatmeal) soup.  With the endless flavor combinations its hard for me to get sick of eating soup!  My favorite soups are thick ones loaded with tons of veggies and flavors.  One great thing  about soup is you can add and substitute things to a recipe to suit your taste.  Not to mention if you make a big batch of soup you can eat the leftovers for days!   I thought today would be the perfect day to share my absolute favorite soup recipes, you know the ones I come back and make time and time again! 

Enjoy!

Pinterest Inspirations

I don't know what it is about Pinterest lately but I feel more obsessed with it then I first was!  Recently I have been pinning a lot of DIY projects.  I always love the idea of DIY crafts but have to admit I am not very creative.  I always love reading about Meg's DIY projects over at Henning Love!  I guess she has inspired me a bit and I have a few DIY projects I would like to tackle when I have some free time!

I thought today I would share a few of the projects I wish will be doing at some point!

A Braided Scarf

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I love how you could wear this to keep you warm, but it also adds a statement!

Another sorta braided scarf!

Would be great to wrap around your neck on those chilly chilly mornings!  And I love the color combination!

And finally how cute is this?

Source

Looks like something that you could find at Anthropoligie!  

Hopefully I can find some time to make these!  

I hope your week is off to a great start!  

Ratatouille

Does anyone else love that movie?

  It could be one of my favorites right next to Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and about a million other Disney movies!

Aren't Disney movies the best?

Any guesses as to what was for dinner last night?

If you guessed Ratatouille you are correct.  Unfortunately I didn't make the Ratatouille because I was at work.  But it was nice to come home to a fresh, healthy and homemade dinner.  If you like a good veggie overload like me you will more then likely love a Ratatouille!  

The touille of Ratatouille means to toss.  Basically Ratatouille is a mixture of vegetables that are tossed together.  Ratatouille is usually served as a side dish to a meal, but may also be served as the main course.  Usually Ratatouille is accompanied by bread, pasta or rice if being served as a main dish!  There are several different methods to making Ratatouille.  Some just toss all the veggies together and let them cook, while some cooks like Julia Child use a layering method!    I secretly wish I could have cooked with Julia Child! 

I mean wouldn't she be just the best teacher?

Speaking of Julia Child the movie Julie and Julia is another on of my favorites!

I have thought many times of cooking through an entire cook book.  I just haven't found the right cookbook!

Anyways lets get back to the Ratatouille.

I found a great recipe on Eating Well.  Actually I found several recipes and wanted to mix and match you know make it my own.  But for dinner last night my dad stuck with the Eating Well Recipe which can be found here.  

Our Ratatouille was served over pasta!  

I already have some great ideas for what to use the leftovers for.  Because let me tell you this recipe makes A LOT of Ratatouille!

  

My thoughts for left overs are 

Ratatouille Burschetta

Ratatouille Filled Crepes

 and I am sure I could come up with more!

Stay tuned for more recipes, and remember to live Happily Ever Healthy!

PS here are some other fabulous Ratatouille recipes I found online!
A healthified Julie Child Ratatouille - Healthy Green Kitchen
Kitchen Parades Ratatouille
Ratatouille (Vegetable Provencal) From the Natural Health Magazine
Enjoy!!

Set Your Pace

I was reading the latest issue of Shape Magazine and I just love their page called"A moment for yourself."

I thought that I would share this particular moment for yourself today!

It was titled Set Your Pace:

To succeed at any challenge in life, you've got to tune out the noise around you- the footsteps of others (ahead and behind), distracting "advice," doubters who tell you it can't be done.  Instead, focus on your inner voice.  Setting your own goal, charting your course and trusting your instincts take courage, but they are the surest route to crossing your personal finish line a winner.  

October 2011 Shape Magazine. 

I can apply this little passage in so many aspects of my life.  To running, the job search, healthy lifestyle, and figuring out the next step in my life.  

I promis I will have a new recipe for you soon!

Enjoy your Monday and remember to live Happily Ever Healthy!

In need of Inspiration

I will be honest with you I had a what I am loving post all planned out.  But with the turn of events that happened last night all I need is a little inspiration.  I was hoping to wake up after a good nights sleep refreshed.  I was wanting to not have the newest rejection still looming over my head, but I guess this is not the case.  So I have compiled a bit of inspiration for us all today!

Have a great day everyone, and remember to live Happily Ever Healthy.

Friday Calls for Cookies!

On Wednesday I got an unexpected day off from work.  Along with getting some much needed relaxing/reading in I decided that I wanted to do some baking.  I made cookies and a new pumpkin muffin.  I cannot say that I was that impressed with the pumpkin muffins, they just were not that pumpkiny (is that a word)!  Anyone have a good pumpkin recipe?

But the Snickerdoodle cookies I made I took the cake.  They were crispy on the edges and soft in the middle.  Not to mention snickerdoodles leave your kitchen smelling heavenly, nothing beets the smell of fresh baked cookies and cinnamon!  Snickerdoodle cookies rank right up there with chocolate chip cookies, and of course  peanut butter cookies.  

This particular snickerdoodle recipe comes from Cooking Light, I do love Cooking Lights online archive of recipes!

Lets get baking.

What you will need:

1 3/4 Cups Flour 

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda 

1/2 Teaspoon Cream of Tarter 

1 Cup Sugar 

1/4 Cup Butter Softened

1 Tablespoon Corn Syrup 

1 Teaspoon Canilla 

1 Large Egg 

3 Tablespoons Sugar 

2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon 

Cooking Spray

Here is what you do :

Combine the flour, baking soda and cream of tarter.  Stir to combine.

In a mixing bowl combine butter and sugar until well blended.  

Then add your corn syrup, egg and vanilla.  Mix well. 

Slowly add your four mixture and mix until well combined.

Now sit your cookie dough in the fridge for 10 min.

While the cookie dough is in the fridge combine 3 Tablespoons Sugar and your 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon.

After 10 minutes in the fridge pull your cookie dough out.  Roll cookie dough into 42-1 inch balls.

Roll the cookie dough balls into the sugar and cinnamon mixture. 

Once your cookie dough balls have been rolled in the cinnamon sugar, place them on a cookie sheet.

Now flatten the cookie dough balls with a water glass.

Bake the cookies for 5 minutes, and allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet!

Next step, grab a big glass of milk and enjoy a nice warm, fresh snickerdoodle cookie!

Enjoy, and Happy Friday

A bit of inspiration!

Remember to live Happily Ever Healthy!

Fall Flavors-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Does anyone else have another grey day on their hands?  Up her in Minnesota we do!  I have the day off so I am trying to stay motivated to get my to do list done!  I have to admit I am a bit groggy this morning,  did not sleep well at all.  I stayed up later then usual reading this book. 

I saw the movie Sarah's Key this past Saturday with My mom, my moms god daughter and family friends.  We all left the movie with watery eyes and heavy hearts.  Sarah's key is about the July 16th 1942 French round up of the Jews.  The book itself is a Historical Fiction, but the events described in the book/movie are very much real.  The book follows the lives/happenings of a young Jewish girl Sarah.  She is one of the many children that are rounded up in France back in 1942.  The story slowly works Sarah's story into 2002 where it intersects with a American Journalists.   Both the book and movie are heartbreaking, hopeful, thought provoking and at times dark.  But with that being said I still highly recommend the book and the movie.  The book is  page turner, I am already 190 pages into the book Sarah's Key and I got the book Sunday(it was one of those I have to read the book now type things)!   

Now onto the food related topics of this post.  Before my mom hit up Barnes and Nobles on Sunday to pick up Sarah's Key we decided to go to a local apple orchard!  The weather was perfect not to cold but still the crisp fall air that I absolutely love!  Nothing smells better then crisp fall air, mixed with the scent of fresh apples!  

Not to mention the orchard we went to had apple donuts and the smell wafted through the little shop, it truly smelled amazing.  My mom and I decided not to go apple picking, but we did not leave empty handed!  We left the apple orchard with 2 big bags of apples, 2 acorn squash, and one butternut squash.  I had never prepared acorn squash before but was excited to try something new. I looked up a few recipes for inspiration and after a long 5 mile hike with my mom I rolled my sleeves up and got to work on dinner!  Dinner featured an acorn squash (we picked up at the apple orchard) and was stuffed with wonderful flavors of fall.  Think cranberries apple and cinnamon!  I love the smell of cinnamon and apples baking, the smell seems to linger throughout the house.