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.
