I can’t say enough how much I love putting these posts together. Maybe I’m just weird, but the first thing I think of when I try a new food is, I can’t wait to share it on the blog. It’s fun to share stuff with you! After spending my teens and early twenties subsisting on fat-free diet “foods”, it’s a real joy for me to be able to celebrate my love for all kinds of new foods. Plus, putting together these posts gives me a nudge to try new things and bust out of my food ruts.
Without further ado, here are this month’s foods I’m loving lately…
1) Delicata squash
(also known as sweet potato squash)
I don’t know why it took me so long to try Delicata squash, but am I ever glad I did! It has to be one of the easiest squash to prepare. Because the skin is so thin, you can forgo peeling and just eat the (delicious) skin with the flesh. They are also fairly small, making them very easy to slice. Lately, I’ve been roasting them in olive or coconut oil, salt, and a pinch of cinnamon. So good!
2) Lentils & Split Peas
I’m on a big lentil and split pea kick lately. They are just so easy to throw into soups and salads and easily boost protein. I love that they don’t have to be soaked or fussed over like dry beans. Until I get that pressure cooker I’m coveting (cannot. wait.), lentils seem to be my go-to right now.
3) Carrington Farms Organic Coconut Oil from Costco
I was at Costco in Burlington a few weeks ago and I almost died with excitement when I saw that they now sell HUGE 1.5kg/3.3lb tubs of organic cold-pressed coconut oil for $16.99 CAD.
I immediately text this news to my coconut oil obsessed family:
(Don’t mind the creepy dolls, we were doing a little Christmas shopping!)
4) Seasnax
I have to admit – I thought people were crazy when they said they loved these nori seaweed snacks. While I can’t say I loved them at first, the taste grew on me. I love cutting it up and adding it to soups and salads. If I have a big salt craving they usually do the trick. Eric thinks they are absolutely vile, so to each their own…
5) Coconut Nectar Syrup & Coconut Sugar
I recently discovered Raw Coconut Nectar and I must say I am impressed. It’s simply the sap from tapped coconut trees and it’s very high in nutrients. I’ve been using it as a substitute for brown rice syrup in some of my recipes and it binds almost as well. It has a low Glycemic Index rating (35) meaning that it releases into the blood slowly and is less likely to cause blood sugar spikes. The biggest surprise when I tasted the coconut syrup? It doesn’t taste like coconut! At least not to me. It’s very sweet so I find a little bit goes a long way. Eric also loves using coconut sugar in his tea as a swap for refined white sugar and I also enjoy it for baking.
6) Pears
Aren’t pears so beautiful? I love taking pictures of pears and of course eating them this time of year. I’m quite impatient when it comes to waiting for fruit to ripen so whenever I have pears, bananas, or avocados that need ripening I stuff them in a large paper bag and fold the lid to trap some of the gas. It seems to speed things along.
7) Glo Bars up for auction
I’m excited to let you know that Susan is hosting an online auction (starting today!) for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. As you might recall, Susan was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer over a year ago and she is quickly approaching a year in remission. In 5 months, Susan will be travelling to Scotland to run a half marathon for the society’s Team In Training and needs to raise all the money she can.
I’ve donated a box of Glo Bars for this great cause which has a special place in my heart as my grandpa is currently fighting multiple myeloma. The winning bidder will get to select the flavour of their choice and I can also make the bars gluten-free and/or nut-free upon request. This is a rare opportunity to snag a box of Glo Bars since the bakery is closed for the time being!
Please head on over to Susan’s auction and check out all of the amazing prizes up for grabs!
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments below what foods you are loving lately too.
I just tried delicata squash this fall too and I love it! Kabocha squash still holds #1 place in my heart though.
And thanks for the tip about the coconut oil at Costco – I’m definitely going to make a trip there when I’m home over the holidays!
I love the seaweed (nori) snacks but the ones I can find in the states (Annie Chun’s or Trader Joe’s) come in the clamshell-style plastic packaging. Since each package contains only 2 servings, that can add up to a lot of environmental guilt! Where do you find bagged/bulk nori snacks?
I hear you! I’ve seen those same packages too and I was thrilled to find a larger bag, which lasts me a long time. I purchased it at Organic Garage in Oakville, I believe. Maybe the company has a website with product locations?
I too have been obsessed with coconut oil! What do you do with it?
I love it in my morning smoothie (my sis got me doing this!) and I bake with it quite a bit. I also love to cook with it when I’m sauteing and roasting vegetables. It’s so versatile!
Wow, I it seems like I could have written this post! I already decided to pick up delicata squash at the market this weekend. Lately, can’t get enough of bosc pears. And a couple of weeks ago, my mom called me at college to tell me that she had bought a tub of coconut oil at Costco for me to use when I come home for Thanksgiving (USA)…and a Vitamix…it’s going to be a fun holiday!
I am also loving coconut oil! I recently did a post about it too (http://www.sarasmiles.com/im-lovin-it/). I’ve recently started baking with it (actually used it in a recipe i got from you!) and I swear it makes baked goods so much more delicious. I don’t know what it is, but i know it’s the coconut oil!
I too am loving all of your things this month! As soon as I saw the coconut oil in Costco I texted Leanne because she looooves the stuff! And delicata squash and pears – YES! Pears somehow became a forgotten fruit in my mind, but when I started juicing them in my new juicer, I was reminded how great they are! Looks like you and I have had the same things in our shopping carts these days! :)
I’ve been on the fence about seaweed snacks, I saw it marked on OpenSky as one of Alicia Silverstone’s favorites. I may have to try it now that you recommend them as well.
Love your recipes. They all sound so yummy. Must try more of them so keep them coming.
Those of you in Southern Ontario where are you finding delicata squash? The grocery chains don’t seem to stock them and neither did Whole Foods.
I was just at Costco today and saw that coconut oil! I will have to wait til next time, as I’m still working through a jar. But I use it for stovetop popcorn, my kids hair and faces and my hands–it’s multipurpose for sure! You have to try the Costco salt and pepper pistachios–so addictive…
I am also loving your lentil soup from a recent post–I just bought all the ingredients to make a second pot! Thanks for sharing that!
The sqaush looks delish! What Grocery chains in Ontario carry that type of squash? I’ve never seen it before! I’d LOVE to try it
Any idea which pressure cooker you are going to buy? I have been planning on getting one for a while now, but not sure which one.
I LOVE delicata squash, roasted. I love they are so easy to cut and the skin is delicious. Yum! I also love the sea snax treats. Actually, I love the Trader Joe’s seaweed snacks, but it is an acquired taste. The first time I tried them, I literally pulled my car over and spit them out. Now I tear through an entire bag in 1 sitting. LOL
I stumbled upon a huge bag of coconut sugar at our Costco (in Montreal) last weekend. I think it was a kilo for $9.99. I’m so gonna check to see if they have coconut oil next time I’m there. They sell agave syrup at ours now too. I love that they carry some of these healthier products :)
mmmm! I just had my first delicata the other day – sooo good!! I roasted it in rings, and then made a dipping sauce with almond butter, almond milk, vanilla, and a touch of maple syrup -this was literally like candy :)
You will LOVE the pressure cooker! I use it for steaming vegetables quickly, beans, brown rice, etc. I just saw the coconut oil at Costco too!
My mother is diagnosed with multiple myeloma. I’ve written about it here: http://kellyizzo.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/blue-is-for-my-mother/
I know how much of a struggle it is to have a loved one going through cancer treatment. My thoughts and good wishes are with you.
Thank you Kelly, that means a lot to me. I’m sorry to hear that your mother is also going through multiple myeloma. My thoughts go out to you both!
I’ve never tried delicata squash but I need to! It sounds delicious! And I love lentils too, they’re so tasty and full of protein!
Pears are the fruit of the moment – we run a fruit and veg and wholefoods store and restaurant in Ireland so as you can imagine we’re mad about all things “plant”…nothing like a good juice dripping pear! Your bars looks amazing btw!
Currently loving squash too- I actually just made a batch of butternut blondies. I really want to find some acorn squash but it’s nigh impossible to get my hands on it over here in the UK. Ah yes, and maple syrup, gotta have some of that stuff too.