Good eat: Homemade quick dinner : A vegetarian dish with mushroom and herb pasta dish

Hello dear!

Today I wanted to talk food! If you are a regular around here you already know that tasty food and meaningful eating is one of my passions (smiles)! So I simply wanted to end this week by sharing a simple dish that I find myself making quite often lately, and for good reasons!
1) My husband and children love it!
2) The ingredients can easily be "prepped" ahead of time!
3) Most of the ingredients can be precooked and refrigerated or even frozen!
4) Either I cook it from scratch or precook some ingredients, the dish is simple and quick to make!
5) The dish is versatile and can include any meat/seafood of your choice or nothing but herbs.
6) This dish is an excuse for me to use my fresh herbs and fill the house with the natural and wonderful aroma of nature's best culinary herbs!






The dish I am sharing was made with:
oil
precooked pasta
1/2 pack of mushrooms
1/2 tomato
1/2 green pepper
some fresh and dried herbs such as basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley,oregano,cilantro
garlic
salt


Off to a great start: Culinary herbs from my kitchen garden!
I selected the following from my herb garden: Basil,thyme,rosemary,oregano. It always smells good when I chop them...

 I am getting things set up by having sort of a " Mise en place"! I have already washed my tomato and green pepper with a mixture of water and white vinegar. I actually rinsed my herbs with the same solution even though my herbs are from my own kitchen garden I still rinse everything! No E-coli in this kitchen because I am a stickler on rinsing everything I use! Even if what you purchase is prepackaged you should still rinse before cooking/eating because you don't know how well it was rinsed! Better safe than sorry!

I put a little bit of oil in the wok, once it's hot it's time for my mushrooms...

Mushrooms

Oh...dear... it already smells so good around here....

Mushrooms and fresh herbs

 Under normal circumstances I would have added some fresh garlic, everything taste greater with garlic, if you ask me. I held off on the fresh garlic because I am pregnant and I am taking it easy on the strong flavors!

Mushrooms with herbs, green peppers, and tomatoes.

 I throw in the pasta, spice them with some more herbs and add a little bit of salt. I mix it all up and work it really good!
The herbs I selected are dried herbs from my spice cabinet that I also call my natural medicine cabinet. They are : dried parsley, Italian seasoning, dried oregano and dried basil, humm...the food looks so colorful and will taste pretty flavorful.

The pasta were precooked a few days before and refrigerated! Thankfully I saved time that night.
A few evenings prior to fixing this dish I actually fix the same dish with just a minor difference. Days before I used some precooked onions,mushrooms and green peppers.

 I did not add tomato to the dish on that night so I added some oil to the pasta as I was mixing my dried herbs. This time around, by having some tomato in it, it created some 'juice' to my dish and kept me from adding olive oil when mixing the dried herbs in.
Here, even though I saved time on the pasta, I still had to make everything else from scratch!

 Spicing things a little with a touch of chili pepper from my kitchen garden!

Chili pepper

Voila! Ready to chow! Like we say in French ..." Bon appetit"!

Mushrooms and pasta

Scrapping the wok for some leftovers....I want to cry...there's no more!

" C'etait trop bon" ( It was too good)

Try it and tell me what you think! There's nothing like some fresh herbs to take a simple dish to the next level!
Like I mentionned earlier, I fix some variations of that dish quite often for my husband and oldest son who love the fresh herbs in the pasta. Some days I add meat, or shrimp ,most days it's just herbs alone in the pasta. We rarely eat meat so we are cool with a pescetarian or vegetarian version! With the right seasonings the dish is still very tasty! I just use whatever ingredients I have and adapt my dish to what's available! I can do without any meat or seafood as long as I have the fresh and dried herbs! Thanks to my kitchen garden I no longer lack fresh herbs!

There was a time, years ago, when I would easily get  frustrated for not having any herbs while cooking. I would be cooking something and need some herbs for a dish but lacked the time to run to the store or would have to spend a lot to buy a bunch when all I need was a few leaves! Having a herb garden for the past 4 years have made cooking more fun and delightful! During the winter I cut most of my plants and freeze some herbs to make sure that I still have some to enjoy during the cold weather.

Do you have a simple mushroom and pasta recipe you would recommend? What's your favorite culinary herb?
Happy and healthy eating!

N'na

Simple ways to an Eco friendly and Green lifestyle!

Summer time makes it so easy to live eco-friendly! So if you are considering going Green this summer here are simple ways to get yourself rolling in the righ direction!

#1 Get moving and enjoy the great outdoors.

Between walking, swimming, riding a bike  etc, we should now have more good reasons to enjoy being outdoors and leave the confinement of our homes. Honestly with summer now here, there are fewer excuses to be lazy and sit around doing nothing! So get out and try new things, learn how to swim, join a team, or simply go on walks around some familiar neighborhoods and see what’s new out there!

Yesterday I went on a walk with my family in an area that’s very familiar to me and I was surprised to see some things that I haven’t noticed before. One was the sculpture above. And the following things....


I go to the TN Aquarium and rivefront quite often and yet those were new to me...

Interesting art! Don't you think?

Aren't stairs a real eco-friendly way to exercise? I have never been up those stairs before and it led to a dead end with a garden full of daililies blooms

After descending the stairs I noticed something interesting on the wall...something I just realized ( while selecting pictures for this post) is visible on the left handside of the picture below. Do you see these squares on the left?

There were exactly 12 squares like the  two below. Each square depicted something different.

                    

Truly my biggest surprise was this collection of engraved art. My husband and I  had never noticed them before and we were totally baffled because we have been to the Tennessee Aquarium area so many times..Isn't it weird how things can be there in front of us and we just never 'see them'? I will share all the engraved art that I photographed  in a future article so if you are curious to see what was engraved make sure to come back soon!

Cherokee sculpture @ the Tennessee Aquarium

Cherokee sculpture @ The Tennessee Aquarium

See, walking and being outdoors is a pleasant way to live eco friendly, so many beautiful things surround us! This spot was beautiful and going up was truly a work-out in disguise!

Below is someone obviously enjoying the weather who crossed our path on the glass bridge!

I have found that the best time to be outdoors is early in the day or in the later part of the afternoon. Our Sunday family walk was in the later part of the day and feeling some breeze was a great relief from the scorching heat we felt earlier in the afternoon. With the sun setting after 9 pm it gives plenty of time to enjoy being outside without burning up!


For more images on the beautiful downtown Chattanooga check   http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/04/sunday-walk.html  and http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/05/benefits-of-exercising-introduction.html

#2 Grow a garden and eat more organic homegrown and healthy produces.

With summer time also comes the opportunity to grow a kitchen garden and enjoy some organic homegrown produces. One of my neighbors grows some corn, okra and squash amongst other things. Here is his lush and fruitful kitchen garden!

Kitchen garden

Personally, I stuck to container gardening because it’s low maintenance and less commitment! I have a wide selection of herbs from oregano, to basil and rosemary just to name a few. Herbs are for me a must have, they smell so good and the aroma they bring to home cooked meals is irresistible!

Oregano and Stevia in Containers.



Kitchen garden: basil



I am also growing some produces that we are all watching grow and enjoying with great excitement such as tomatoes, chili peppers, Green peppers, Cucumbers, blueberries etc.

For related articles please read http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/04/benefits-of-gardening-my-edible.html and enter the benefits of gardening in the search box for more articles on gardening!

My tomatoes are bringing me much satisfaction.  

Kitchen garden: tomatoes

Kitchen garden: container tomatoes plant

and the Green peppers are finally starting to show some promises.

Container kitchen garden:Green peppers

I have yet to enjoy some cucumbers but judging by the numerous yellow flowers it’s just a matter of time.


Kitchen garden: Cucumber

#3 Collect Rain water.

 

Collecting rain water is an amusing project for children and it’s such a simple thing. Considering that the cost of a rain barrel or the space for one might discourage some I think the use of small buckets or even cooking bowls is a simple solution to those who want to do it but have limited space or a limited budget!

I have not yet invested in a big rain barrel but instead I am making use of small buckets that I found at a Dollar Store(for just $1.00). After a rain I simply collect the water to water my container plants, outdoors as well as indoor plants benefit better from this natural water than they do from tap water.

Did you know that rain water is even recommended for shampooing our hair as it's said to be better on natural hair than tap water is!

#4 Dry things outdoors and give the drying machine a break!

Another Eco friendly gift from the summer time is the opportunity to maximize nature’s gift of free solar heat and limit our use of the dryer and dry things outdoors as much as possible. If you lack the space or privacy for a clothing line you could still make use of folding racks for small items like wash clothes, kitchen towels, baby items, or socks etc.

Folding rack

Folding rack: eco friendly living

Folding racks fit easily on a small balcony or on a deck and during the winter I still use them for sweaters and other delicate items by placing them near a vent or in a very small room like a ½ bath where the heat can speed the drying process overnight!

In hanging clothes outdoors I would not suggest hanging your bras and lingerie for all to see unless you have a privacy fence and very few visitors! If you live in an apartment, in the USA in particular where people are less adapted to eco-living as they are in Europe, please do not hang clothes on the railing of your balcony because it’s 'tacky' and the Leasing/ Management office might fuss about it!

#5 Hydrate and recycle.

Hydrate!!! Drink plenty of water!!!

The hot weather forces us to hydrate more frequently and with that we see the increase of bottled water or bottled drinks which we can and should recycle diligently!

Recycle very diligently!

 Talking of getting hydrate, please keep water at the top of your list because sodas will actually dehydrate you.

A better alternative to commercial bottled water would be to add a filter to your faucet or purchase a water filtration system and get your own carry on bottle.

Water bottles

#6 Have a yard sale or shop at one!

Having a yard sale is a great way to turn ' your trash' into someone else's treasure and vice versa.

Well, it's a good concept but when having a yard sale please please please do not sell broken items, clothes with stains or holes, or plain stinky and dirty things. You will be surprised how many people try to make a bargain out of cigarrettes stinking items or dirty things. I think it's rude and inconsiderate and just plain old nasty to sell things that are stinky and/or dirty! I CAN NOT STAND anything that's stinky and dirty. I love a good bargain but I am still picky when it comes to yard sales. I do not buy clothing at yard sale. My desire to live Eco friendly obviously has its limits. Clothing and shoes are the kind of things I don’t believe in buying at second hand stores, thrift stores etc but I enjoy yard sales and Craigslist when it comes to purchasing knick-knacks like baskets, vases, books in good condition, children’s toys, and electronics like TV DVD’s combo that are great for kids ‘playrooms etc.  

You can see above pictures of my last yard sales purchases (back in May 2011). A neighbor was getting set up for a yard sale while I was up early walking in the neighborhood! I have wanted this book from Kevin Trudeau "More Natural Cures Revealed" and already had  in paperbacks " Natural Cures "they" don't want you to know about". Paying just $1 per book is much better than regular price plus tax, don't you think?

One last word of advice, never go shopping (@ yard sales, thrift store...) without a bottle of desinfectant lysol and never go anywhere without Hand sanitizer. (Smiles) For real!!!!
 Even though I would deny having bacteriaphobia or bacilliphobia (grinning ), I strongly believe in desinfecting and sanitizing things. When I buy things from yard sales or second hands places,  I make sure to desinfect and wash them as soon as I get home! I don't even wear brand new clothes from department stores until I wash them (my theory with that is that there are packaging chemicals on them and many people have touched that item before I purchased it) . So when it comes to yard sales I take certain precautions by spraying everything, even books, with Lysol, and everything ,except for books, get washed with soap water and vinegar. Let's just say that I do not believe in recycling people's germs or any kind of germs for the matter! More people need to make it a priority to washing their hands and the things they come in contact with as that would keep us all in much better health.

That's all for my simple ways to live an eco friendly life! As you can see there are simple ways to live an eco-friendly life and be good to yourself and to the environment without being a Green fanatic!

              Happy Eco friendly & Green living and tell us what you think!

Is there anything here that you already do often or plan on starting? What are your personal suggestions to an eco-friendly lifestyle?

N'na

Good Eat: Beef kabobs with yoghurt marinade and the blessings of a kitchen garden

Well it's almost holiday week-end and being pretty much grilling season I wanted to offer you all a little bit of grilling inspiration. I eat more seafood than I do meat and poultry once in a while I just like to eat some tender homemade brochettes! Lamb is my preferred meat but beef chunks are cheaper and more easily available so I am sharing below something you can cook on a budget and still have a diliiiiciouuus meal!!!
Everyone has their own way for making marinade or grilling etc so here's N'na's way!!!

                                            
It's so much fun to flavor dishes with fresh ingredients right there at my fingertips. The fresh herbs I selected here from my kitchen garden were thyme, oregano, rosemary and parsley. Read more about it the following link: http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/04/benefits-of-gardening-my-edible.html

Some of my ingredients from the kitchen cupboard: Ground cumin, cayenne pepper, white vinegar, salt, oil, dried parsley flakes, dried oregano powder, Cajun spice. I prefer using Apple cider vinegar for cooking but since I was out of ACV I just used the white vinegar!

                                                                  Add some  Yogurt.

Mix it all together

Store in a Ziploc bag and shake well and

Let it marinate and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or overnight.

Get your skewers ready, cut what the fruits or veggies you would use,

I used some tomatoes, onion and green pepper,

and make your brochettes

Time for the Grill!!!!

Remember to turn often!

To keep your meat from being dry mix a little bit of oil and crushed bouillon  cubes. I used something from West Africa called " Cube Maggi". Use a brush and brush the kabobs with the mixture.

Voila!!! Delicious brochettes!

It looks good doesn't it? It was delicious as well. We did serve them with rice and potatoes on that day but I enjoyed them just fine with nothing else!

Well have a nice week-end and hope this post gave you some new ideas for the next time you grill. If you haven't done it yet grow a kitchen garden and keep some potted herbs by your kitchen. They will always be useful and add some omp to your dishes!There is nothing like cooking or grilling with the flavor of fresh ingredients especially the ones you can have at your fingertips when you have a kitchen garden!

N'na

Healthy Kids (& adults too): Let's Move! Everybody move your body!

Hellloooo you all!!! I hope all is well with you and as the weather gets much better, in most part of the country, I hope you are seriously doing something about your health!  A little while ago I expressed the importance of fighting childhood obesity  http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/03/obesity-fighting-childhood-obesity.html and as you know from most of my articles aside from addressing obesity I greatly encourage

an active and healthy lifestyle!

 

As you can see this video is fantastic, dancing is such a great way to have fun and burn some calories!

But moving and fun do not always require any fancy musical beats and lyrics or any fancy room, it can be simple and totally natural....

(Picture found online) I do not know the location of the children above but I can tell they are having a good time, they are moving and they are proof that it doesn't take much to please kids...

(Picture found online of children in Thailand)! I love to see children being creative and using discarded objects as toys! Fun and moving can obviously be a great combination of creativity and simplicity! What adds charm to the picture is that I could classify their 'toy'as a Green toy! An old tire can bring great entertainment to children as you can see on the girl's sweet little face!  Well... an organized activity such as having your kids be part of an organization like these young soccer players  is also a way to get children moving and ensure that they stay active as you can see from this picture found on the link of an organization called Camp Shane! The Green factor here is that they are outdoors but another 'green factor' is quite obvious. The last 'Green factor' I am referring to here is money! It takes nice dollar bills for activities at this organization! But I am confident that when it comes to children's health its well worth the expense!Judging by all the exposure Camp Shane has received in the media they must be worth the investment!

 Camp Shane is in NY, Arizona and California, it's actually a youth weight loss camp that have been featured on TV on shows such Dr.Phil, Tyra Banks, 20/20, etc for their success in fighting childhood obesity! It's obviously not like any other summer camp! How many summer camps even have a weight loss resort?Well, I just don't know too many!

Now, a look at the special individual behind the Let's Move campaign that inspired this very article!

First Lady Michelle Obama!

Thankfully this nation is blessed with the leadership of a First Lady who is greatly conscious of the overall health of her nation and deeply care about the well being of her people. She has enlisted everyone and anyone including celebrities like Beyonce to assist in her efforts to fight childhood obesity and motivates children as well as adults to take care of their health. In sharing the selected videos I hope that youth and adults alike will find the motivation and inspiration they need to

get moving!

For more good videos on the subject of children's health please check the article http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/03/obesity-fighting-childhood-obesity.html

I hope the videos and many of the ones you will come across will inspire you to get moving! You might or might not be a fan of any of the individuals specifically mentioned in this article and it's not about being their fans! It's about being aware that:

•  your health matters
•  children's health matters
•  healthy children are the future of a nation
• there are many good reasons why you should get moving
• there are may ways that you can get moving
• there are simple things that we can do to be healthy
• small changes can have a huge impact
• you are not alone we are all in it together
• we all deserve a better body and a better life

So...To a healthy you and to your better body and to your better life, the natural way!!! Let's Move!

Please if you are new here or not yet committed (smiles) become a Follower and bless this community with your presence as a supporter and a health and wellness advocate! The more we are the merrier and healthier! (smiles)

Freely share all your comments and thoughts as you never know who you might be inspiring!!! 

 What do you think about the First Lady Let's Move campaign? What are ways that you can start moving? How have you been moving? Isn't it cool and interesting that one of the first thing she mentions is the kitchen garden?I think it is! (Check my previous article http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/04/benefits-of-gardening-my-edible.html for a peek at my container kitchen garden)!

N'na

The benefits of gardening: a sneak peek at my edible container garden

Gardening is a very rewarding activity and it feels great to have an edible garden as well. It's exciting to grow something new for the first time and it's rewarding to be able to bring some home grown food on the table!

The first time I harvested enough lettuce to fix a salad plate I was elated! I had limited myself to gardening flowers and herbs until now. I did not want to put forth the effort to get my yard ready for any substantial edible garden because I was not very confident in my abilities to maintain it! With the rewards from my container garden I am much more confident  in maintaining a large edible garden so I will keep you posted on my progress on this particular project! For now I invite you to take a quick tour in my container garden!

My first lettuce harvest

 It doesn't get more organic than that right? When you plant your own produces you don't have to be concerned about any recalls but you still have to rinse your food very well!

A very simple and healthy lunch: The strawberries are not from my garden, mine are still a work in progress

I tried to grow some strawberries last year but in seemed that some kind of creature was constantly nibbling on them before I could harvest even one strawberry! Thankfully I am being more successful this year...

The flowers are a very good sign that I have some nice strawberries coming...yeaah!!!

Yeaaaah some strawberries...

My Chives are 4 years old! They are a perennial herb that I find very easy to grow and much useful to use! As the weather get colder I generally cut them and freeze them, like this I can still enjoy them during the winter months. They are obviously great to top potatoes but they can also be used in soups and stew or to flavor sauces, mayonnaise, sour cream...

Some benefits of Chives: 

they are high in Vitamin C and A and contain essential minerals such as potassium, folic acid,calcium. 

Rosemary and Lavender

are among my older herbs too. They are great for bath, homemade scented sachets, adding scent to your cooking or body oil.

My thyme are 2 years old, obviously another easy perennial herb to grow! 

Some benefits of thyme:

The oil of thyme is used in aromatherapy to elevate the mood! The ancient Romans used it as a remedy for melancholy! Thyme also has some therapeutic properties. It possesses  expectorant and bronchial antispasmodic properties, making it useful in the treatment of acute and chronic bronchitis, whooping cough, and inflammation of the upper respiratory tract.

 Oregano is a must have herb in your garden! It's not only a delicious addition to flavor your dishes but it's full in antioxidants.

Some benefits of Oregano:

Oregano actually has 42 times the antioxidants of a medium size apple! 

Did you know that Hippocrates the great Greek philosopher and scholar used it for its medicinal properties? Oregano has many beneficial properties and it's worth considering as a natural remedy to some ailments! For example, it has antibacterial properties as well as anti-parasitical properties! It can be used as a natural treatment to E-coli! Thanks to its anti-bacterial and anti-septic benefits, the oil can be rubbed on wounds and cuts. In some cultures it's used as a pain-killer probably due to its anti-inflammatory properties, as the oil can also treat inflamed joints and muscles. Well as you can see much can be said about this special herb so more about it later.

This is my first year planting some habanero peppers, I am glad to see those flowers! Habanero peppers are greatly favored where I grew up as many cooks will consider that a dish without habanero peppers is weak in flavor. If you intend on losing weight, spicing your food with hot peppers such as those will assist you in that effort I will keep you posted on my harvest...

It's also my first time planting some broccoli, I am not sure what to expect but I think it's a head coming forth, stay tuned! I am also planted some Brussels sprouts and some tomatoes in my container garden.

 I think that there are 4 great advantages to container gardening:

1) It allows you to start small in case you are not confident.

2) It allows you to still grow what you want even if you do not have a lot of  space! So if you do not have a yard you can still plant an herb and edible garden.

3) It's practically low maintenance.

4) It can move with you once you change residence.

I hope this quick tour has inspired you to try growing something edible in case you have never done it before. Can you think of any more advantages to container gardening? What do you grow in your edible garden?