Healthy Kitchen R and D

It was Sunday afternoon. We'd had a fun, busy weekend. I had a hangry family that needed to be fed and the last thing I wanted to deal with was wash a sink full of dishes.Thankfully, this one pot recipe saved me (and my hubby!) from having to wash too many dishes and filled our stomachs just right. This recipe is loaded with lean protein, fiber, and flavor, and will keep you warm on these cold winter evenings. You COULD put this all in the crock-pot, but I didn't start dinner until 4:30pm, so onto the stove top it went and we were able to sit down before 6pm. If you choose to cook this in the crockpot, cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours, and don't add the noodles & spinach until the very end. Bon Appetit! Ingredients:   (choose organic and locally sourced when available) 1 pound ground turkey 1 onion, chopped 4 celery stalks, chopped 4 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 cup butternut squash, skin removed and chopped (I used the ne...

Wow! December was a busy busy month, filled with lots of friends, family, and fun. While I wasn't able to find time to post to this blog, I was plenty busy cooking. There were broccoli quinoa muffins; slow cooker tangine chicken; a mish-mosh freezer concoction that turned into seafood paella (that's the best way to describe it).  But the recipe that I've made the most over the last month are Black Bean Chocolate Muffins.  This recipe is not an original - I've seen similar recipes on several websites ( here , here , and here ...) so I'm not sure where it originated. I've played around with the measurements and I think I've got it pretty solid. I sent a batch to work with my hubby during one of his marathon meeting days - only 1 person guessed that the secret ingredient was black beans. I gave them to my daughters playmates, who were thrilled I was giving them a "sweet". Especially the one who told me she HATES all beans.... One of my ...

Thanksgiving has been one of my favorite holidays for as long as I can remember. It's ALWAYS been at my parents house, in Cleveland. Over the years the number of chairs at the dinner table have changed, and the menu has evolved (we PERFECTED it this year mom! NO MORE CHANGES!), but the focus has been the same: FAMILY. FOOD. LOVE. When we go to Cleveland for Thanksgiving, we make sure to add a few extra days in to enjoy my hometown. There's always time for catching up with friends & family, art with Nana, and a visit to a museum:  Children's  (new and fun!), Great Lakes Science  (so many hands-on exhibits), Natural History  (dinosaurs!), or  Botanical Gardens  (our new favorite - and after Thanksgiving they have over 30 decorated Christmas trees & gingerbread houses inside to make up for the brown foliage outside). We also get to enjoy the thriving dining scene. My mother cooks for days to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, so we end up eating a lo...