Great Quote About Forgiveness

I saw this quote one day and decided to pin it on Pinterest... I was amazed that over 3, 000 people repinned it within 2 weeks! To date it is still my most popular pin...

Pinterest  is such a great place to store all the things you want to remember! I have a complete bulletin board full of all the great quotes I love. In addition, I have a bulletin board with all kinds of things I see on the Internet like recipes I want to try, organisational ideas, tips for moms, etc. but have no where to store them, so I make a bulletin board for them on Pinterest and always have them . 

You can see all of my pins on Pinterest,  where I have a bulletin board with lots of ideas that I find all over the Internet for 

• gluten free recipes 
• decorating, 
• organization, 
• quotes,
• ideas for kids,
• blogging tips, 
• photography tips,
• ideas for natural remedies,
• gardening tips 

You can visit me at  Pinterest  and see all of my great finds..
I would love it if you started to follow me too.


Thursday

 Creative Juice Thursday;  Full Plate Thursday; It’s A Keeper Thursday; What’s Cooking Thursday; Making It with Allie Thursdays; Frugal Follies Thursday;  Bake with Bizzy; Delightfully Inspiring Thursday Link Party; Share Your Awesomeness Thursdays; It’s a Blog Party;  Pennywise Platter Thursday,  Simple Lives Thursday,  Thursday Ultimate Recipe Swap, Tastastic   Katherine's Corner

I Gotta Create Home and Garden Thursday  Raw Food Thursday

Friday
 Simply Sweet Home Friday’s Favorites ;Food on Fridays ;Foodie Friday  Diane's Foodie Friday  Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap ;Creation Corner, Friday’s Link Party ;Feature Yourself Friday ;Sweets This Week Friday ;Simply Delish ; ;It’s a Hodgepodge Friday   Frugal Friday,   Fight Back Fridays Thankful for Food   Shabby Nest  Speckled Dog   Fantabulous Friday  Friday Food, Allergy-Friendly Frida, Natural Mother's Network, Butter Believer, A Well Seasoned Life, Six Sister's Stuff, The Sweet Details) Katherine Martinelli, Fitness Friday,  Sugar Bananas  My Romantic Home  Iron Violet Designs    Home Is Where My Story Begins  Food Friday   Real Food Freaks,  Wellness Weekend, Healthy Vegan Fridays  Gluten Free Friday




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Eggplant Ratatouille SRC

Eggplant ratatouille is the perfect end of summer recipe!

Why?

Because ratatouille is made all of the vegetables that are abundant in the farmer's markets right now:  eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, onions and red peppers:  This seasonal recipe, which originates from the Provence region of France, captures the flavors of summer and is economical, easy, and delicious.

I found this ratatouille recipe on a blog called The Tasty Cheapskate  which was my Secret Recipe Club assignment for the month of September. I was absolutely intrigued by the theme of her blog and this recipe, which was part of a challenge to feed a family of six on less than $10/day!! 

My family especially loved this recipe mixed into pasta ( Gluten free brown rice pasta from Trader Joe's). I cooked the ratatouille a little longer so the eggplant became soft and sticky and mingled with the red pepper, onions, and zucchini for an exceptionally tasty pasta dish.

It can also be eaten over rice or quinoa or eaten as a spread on gluten free bread or crackers! ( The Tasty Cheapskate featured a gluten free cracker for her September assignment)  no matter how you serve it , ratatouille is a welcome addition to any meal!

Of course this recipe meets gluten free and vegan standards! Enjoy

Eggplant Ratatouille

Serves 4-8

Prep time: 30 minutes

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium eggplant, cut into chunks ( about 1 inch) 

1 medium onion, sliced

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped in medium chunks

1 garlic clove, chopped fine

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp salt (I left it out)

2 Tbsps fresh basil, chopped 

The recipe called for a Tablespoon of sugar which I eliminated!

In large skillet, heat olive oil. Add eggplant, onion, pepper, and zucchini and saute for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add garlic and cook a minute or two more. Add tomatoes and salt. Cook, covered, until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. 

Cut up zucchini, eggplant, red pepper, tomatoes , garlic and onions

Saute vegetables in a skillet

Ratatouille

       Variation: Add some dry red wine to the mixture while cooking down.. for extra flavor

       Variation: Toss the Ratatouille over gluten free pasta.. In French " touiller" means to toss!!

Gluten Free Tip of the Week: 

If you want to make Gluten Free Matzo Balls, the following recipe is amazing and tastes every bit as good as a regular matzo balls - very easy and just a few ingredients- Gluten Free Matzo Balls

Arugula and Garlic Saute Over Spaghetti Squash

.                              
Arugula is a peppery green that is packed with healthy antioxidants and toxin cleansing chlorophyll. If you think of your body as a machine, you realize that you need to clean it out sometimes or it will become clogged  and then toxins get trapped inside your body. The bad news is that toxins are stored in fat and without cleansing, you store more fat.

Greens  ( kale, collard, arugula, romaine lettuce, spinach, etc) are powerful detoxifiers that encourage the body to eliminate extra fat. As long as you have toxins, you will probably have excess fat, especially around the belly. For more information on how greens reduce belly fat read " Reduce Belly Fat with Greens"

I love the peppery taste of raw arugula in salads, which is probably the most beneficial way to eat arugula.

 It is  a great source of vitamins A, C,  iron, potassium and fiber as well as other minerals and nutrients that are essential for proper body health. It also contains vitamins K and P which help maintain a healthy liver, which is the filter of the body and needs to be kept clean. 

So, don't forget to add a handful of arugula to your salads. The health giving benefits are worth it!

This is the first time I ever tried to cook arugula..
Lightly sauteed in garlic and oil, arugula has a wonderful flavor.
 I tossed the sauteed garlic and arugula with baked spaghetti squash, but you could use any grain or gluten free pasta..

Arugula is available in most supermarkets. I purchased a super size container at BJ's, and that is why I needed to find some innovative ways to use it up.

I liked it cooked. It made a nice and healthy side dish.

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash ( pierced with a fork and baked at 350 for about 1 hour till soft)
3 cups arugula, washed well
4 cloves of garlic , sliced
2 TBSP olive oil or olive oil spray for sauteing

 Saute olive oil and garlic in a skillet for about 3 minutes. Add fresh arugula and sautee for about 3 more minutes until wilted. Toss with spaghetti squash .

Variations: Add feta cheese spread to mixture ( my favorite) or add spaghetti sauce
How to cook spaghetti squash

Assemble Baked spaghetti squash, arugula, and garlic

I will be sharing this recipe on the following daily blog hops: 

Zucchini, Red Pepper, and Spinach Quiche

I made these  colorful quiches for a family brunch. They were fast and easy to make, filling, and used lots of delicious veggies, like zucchini, red pepper and fresh spinach. It doesn't really matter which veggies you use, you can select vegetables of your choice. However, I really like the look of the red pepper rings. And if you are making these at the end of the summer, it's a great way to use up some of the ever abundant zucchini.

My brunch menu with the quiches:
Just for the record, I also made my usual mozzarella tomato and basil platter, an egg salad mold, and roasted vegetables to go with the quiches.. My daughter in law filled in with an incredible banana strawberry trifle for dessert, and my sister in law brought a well seasoned chopped avocado and tomato salad!
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I found the inspiration for the recipe on Pinterest , but it called for a spring form pan.

Since my spring form pan was unlocatable (word?), I decided to split the recipe in two and make 2 smaller quiches using two Pyrex pans. Although I liked the looks and height of the quiche in the spring form pan, having 2 smaller quiches worked out well this time. Next time I'll try it as one recipe in my spring form pan and cut the eggs back to 6.

The quiches were really quick and easy to throw together, looked great, and were perfect for brunch!

Makes 2 quiches
Ingredients:
8 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup half and half ( or 1/4  coconut milk or almond milk)
1 container of  plain Greek yogurt or plain coconut yogurt
3 TSP cream cheese ( optional but good)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, cup in strips
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced
1/2 shredded cheese
1/4 chopped fresh basil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute vegetables and garlic in olive oil in a skillet until slightly soft for about 5- 10 minutes.
Using a fork, beat eggs, half and half, creams cheese, and Greek yogurt in a bowl.
Add sauteed veggies to the bowl and mix well.
Pour mixture into two 9 inch greased Pyrex containers. Bake at 350 for about 35 -40  minutes.( check on the quiches after 30 minutes , they may cook faster in your oven)

Step by Step instructions:

Pour mixture into two pyrex bowls

After it cooked for 30-35 minutes

Fresh mozzarella , tomato, and basil platter

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