I bought my Kabocha not knowing that it was the BSI ingredient this week simply because I was inspired by CoCo and Sophia’s creations. Now, I know WHY this Japanese pumpkin deserves all the hype it gets…OMY it is SO GOOD steamed and I would be happy if I ate this every day, even if I turn orange. I like mine steamed and WITH the skin still on. Yum. 🙂
Unfortunately, it seems that after I’ve enjoyed this scrumptious day of eats, I’m coming down with some kind of bug. EVEN NYQUIL couldn’t save me from feeling like a piece o’ dump. Needless to say, the gym has gone to hell this week so far and all I feel like I’ve done is eat and SIT ALL DAY at work. This brings back a terrible childhood memory, one that involves a very mean little boy and the nickname “tub of lard“. OK, enough said, this is depressing.
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According to wiki: Kabocha (katakana: カボチャ) is a Japanese variety of winter squash. The word kabocha has come to mean a general type of winter squash to many English-speaking growers and buyers. In some cultures it is revered as an aphrodisiac!! I like to think of it more as a Japanese pumpkin. It is rich in iron, Vitamin C, Potassium, and beta carotene.
***Backtrack from Dinner***
Dinner is Served
Oven-roasted Fusion Kabocha
Served with spinach mushroom shirataki spaghetti in garlic tomato sauce & steamed prawns
You will need:
- ½ a Kabocha (or whole!), sliced into ½ inch thick wedges
- PAM/other oil spray
- Black and Tan Gomasio (Black and White Sesame seeds)
- Sprinkle of Garlic Powder, Onion powder
- Sprinkle of Brown sugar enough to coat surface of Kabocha slices
All you gotta do:
- Steam the sliced kabocha until its soft, but not falling apart.
- Lay the kabocha on a baking tray, spray surface with Pam
- Sprinkle all seasonings, brown sugar, and sesame seeds over the top
- Pop in to 350 degree oven for ~20 minutes or until squash starts turning brown. DO NOT bake until crisp as if it were butternut squash fries! You want it to still be moist, but have the roasted toasted flavor.
Steamed Kabocha. The best way to devour this baby is steamed! Fresh, sweeter and starchier than butternut squash, Kabocha is fantastic chilled as well!
I’m not gonna lie, I ate the other half of my kabocha as an appetizer. Heaven!!
As for dessert: Nature’s Path Organic Hemp Plus Raisin Granola Bar
Ingredients: Organic tapioca syrup, O rolled oats, O brown rice flour, O raisin (coated w/ organic sunflower oil), O evaporated can juice, O invert cane syrup, O flax seed, O soy oil, O hemp seed, O acacia gum, Sea salt, O molasses, Natural flavor, O rice bran extract.
Stats: 130 Calories, 3g fat, 28g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g protein
Perks: Hemp and flax gives this bar 400mg of Omega-3 fatty acids and 900mg of Omega 6 fatty acids. It is vegetarian, wheat free, made of whole grains, and has no trans fats!
Downside: Notice ALL the different types of sugars that go into making this bar…definitely ameliorates all the perks of all those wholesome organic ingredients!
Taste: This is definitely like a “healthy dessert” thanks to how sweet and delicious it is! Actually, it’s WAY too sweet to have more than one. However, for 130 calories, it is not bad at all for someone with a big sweet tooth (like me!) and the size is bigger and thicker than other granola bars with similar stats. You get teeny bursts of flax seed flavor and when the juicy raisins find their way into your mouth, which is absolutely tasty.
Texture: Super-sticky, almost as if it were coated with a layer of honey. This bar was soft enough to peel apart with your fingers and actually is quite fun to eat.
Overall: Despite all the naughty sweeteners that make up this bar, I would eat this ANY DAY for a dessert or after meal treat. It’s a little too sweet for breakfast, but for now it’s good enough for me!
***
Lunchy-Munchy Non-Cheesy Ravioli!
Everyone who knows me well knows…I pretty much hate anything that TASTES like cheese. Meaning, I can do ricotta in lasagna but keep those cheddars, swiss, blue, and goat AWAY from me!!!! Sadly…I have no idea what Cottage cheese tastes like…
Simply frozen cheeseless ravioli topped with tomato sauce and spinach with a fried egg!
Afternoon Snack ’em!
Jay Robb’s Cashew Coconut Protein Bar
Ingredients: Organic raw cashew butter, organic agave syrup, whey protein isolate, unsweetened coconut, whey protein crisps (whey protein isolate whey protein concentrate, tapioca starch, calcium carbonate), hydrolyzed whey protein isolate, xylitol, gum arabic, rice bran, natural flavors, water, sea salt.
Stats: 230 cals, 11g fat, 4.5g saturated fat, 24g carbs, 5g fiber, 9g sugars, 14g protein
Taste: Not too sweet and not over-powered by the coconut flavor, this protein bar was actually much better than I expected! The cashew aftertaste is faint but apparent, and the coconut aromas are present and dominant though not overwhelming.
Texture: Reminds me of a Purebar. This is a moist, and sticky bar that has tiny little crispy pieces of protein crisps that I enjoyed crunching on. It’s chewy and malleable, kinda like a super thick fruit roll-up or thick slab of caramel, but I got tired/nauseous of ripping through the dense bar toward the last couple bites.
Verdict: 7/10. It was an OK bar that tastes much better than I expected. The ingredients are definitely natural and healthy-sounding. The best part was the 14g of protein that kept me full and satisfied for several hours. I’m definitely curious as to how Jay’s other bars taste!
***
Breakfast Whey Yogurt Mess
You’re lookin’ at: half a honey dew (yes, half), half a banana, half a mango, 1 container plain better whey, sprinkle of kashi honey sunshine & sprinkle of Zoe’s granola.
Not long ago, I got a few coupons to test out Better Whey of Life yogurts and I haven’t used ’em since I’d just bought a 24 cup crate of yogurt from Costco, but since I’m almost out of my stash, I went to pick up a plain Better Whey of Life.
Ingredients: Cultured Pasteurized Grade A nonfat milk, Whey protein concentrate, Inulin, Natural Corn Starch, Kosher Gelatin, Pectin, 4 live active cultures
I’ve put together a handy dandy table to compare plain greek yogurt with plain Better Whey Yogurt. Take note of the higher fiber count in Whey yogurt, but it’s still 1g less of protein, 30 calories extra and 10g more of carbs than Greek.
Better Whey Plain | Chobani Plain | |
Size per Container | 170g | 170g |
Calories | 130 | 100 |
Fat | 0.5g | 0g |
Carbohydrate | 17g | 7g |
Dietary Fiber | 3g | 0g |
Sugar | 7g | 7g |
Protein | 17g | 18g |
Taste: Whey yogurt has a strangely fermented sour flavor that isn’t like your average plain yogurts. It is definitely not sweet, which is a good thing I suppose, but honestly if it wasn’t for the fruit and the add-ins, I couldn’t finish this yogurt plain. I’m not a fan of the fermented flavor and will definitely buy a flavored cup next time!
Texture: I hear whey protein can be grainy, but definitely not this yogurt! It was smooth and creamy but not liquidy or watery. It actually came out as a glop when I dumped it on the fruit, but it did mesh well with the cereal!
Overall: 6/10. I can’t stand the flavor…I don’t know what it is, can’t put my finger on it, but it’s probably because I’m not used to the way whey tastes. I DO like the added fiber in it along with the high protein count. It was a satisfying breakfast and very filling for sure!
***
Anyways, hope everyone’s having a fabulous week so far and no one is getting sick or feeling like a tub ‘o lard like me. Do you have any childhood HAPPY memories to share and brighten up my mood? 🙂
ohhh, I wanted to try this whey yogurt when I was in Chicago but didn’t have time to make it to Whole Foods. They don’t sell it in California yet. Thanks for the review!
Your kobacha plating is absolutely beautiful, Michelle! 🙂
Hmmm.. happy childhood memory .. let’s see.. in 2nd grade for a dinosaur project my mom helped me build a giant 3′ tall brontosaurus with chicken wire and paper mache. It was on display at the school for years after I graduated! haha For some reason that popped in my head.. odd.
michelle you’re such a chef! that dish looks amazing! eggs on pasta? i’ve always wanted to try but i think it’s going to be too weird! but i feel like eggs really go with alot of foods.
happy childhood memory? going to the park every weekend.
WOW the kabocha dish look restarant quality!!! maggie is going to have a hard time with all these great recipes coming in 🙂
yum yum yum i love kabocha!
welcome to the kabocha fans club Michelle!!! So glad that you finally tried it out and loved it! Sorry that you felt bad afterwards, maybe too much kabocha for one day? I need to portion myself when making it, otherwise I’d eat an entire kabocha in one day!! (which will cause me serious bloating!)
I love your kabocha creation!! I bet it’s sooooo delicious with shrimp and “pasta”.
good childhood memory? mmmm…… I used to chase my mom all around the house when she do housework and told her I wanted to pee, so when she take to the bathroom for pee, I don’t just: I don’t want anymore, because all I wanted is her attention! 😀
Wow, I pride myself in having a love and knowledge of almost all vegetables, but I truly do not think I have ever heard/seen of kabocha. I must find this asap.
Dinner looks wonderful, and lunch and breakfast. I love days of 3 wonderful meals.
Hope you are having a great week.
Oooh, the kabocha looks delicious! I’ll have to look for some next time I go grocery shopping.
Happy childhood memories? This one isn’t exactly happy, but it’s memorable and funny in retrospect. When I was little (like seven?), I was babysitting this turtle we’d found on the side of the road before we took it out to the campground and let it go in the wilderness. I was holding it next to my face and probably cooing to it or something, while my parents were talking. Then all of a sudden, the turtle BIT ME and literally latched onto my face. I started to scream and flail and cry, and meanwhile, I this box turtle clinging to my cheek. Eventually, my parents were able to pry it off, but I had a weird diamond-shaped mark on my cheek for a couple weeks. Oh, childhood…
It all looks fantastic!
Are you submitting this to Maggie for BSI this week?! It sounds awesome! I’ve never tried it but I’m dying to!
Give your body time to heal – you can hit the gym later!! Hope you feel better soon! Thanks for all the reviews! I wasn’t crazy about that yogurt either – there’s something just off about it 😦
Oh no! You don’t like plain! You MUST try another flavor.
I’m the CEO of Better Whey of Life and I developed the yogurts because whey protein is so good for you. I dropped a skirt size when incorporating into my diet because whey protein does the best job of building, toning, and repairing muscle (thus losing more fat) better than other proteins.
As for the taste, people either love or hate the plain (I, of course, love it with agave nectar and ground flax). But most people love our flavored yogurt with nothing added.
As for Chobani…GREAT choice for Greek Yogurt!!! They are definitely the best. In fact, the person that runs it was my inspiration for going into making yogurt. He is an amazing man with an amazing product!
Thanks again for the review. Please let me know if you have any questions. And I hope you get a chance to try our flavors and let us know what you think.
Daphne
CEO, Better Whey of Life
twitter @proteingirl
Lovely plating. I’ve never tried kabocha! I wonder where I can get it here.
I thought the same about the plain Whey of Life, but I loved the other flavors! Oh my gosh, why can’t I find kabocha here? Oh right, it’s Athens, Ohio. I must try it when I do find it, though- you’ve convinced me!
I’m sorry you’re feelin’ ick! That’s how I was at the beginning of the week. Took pseuodeophedrine and felt a billion times better!
Hmmm, not sure if I can think of any awesome childhood memories…other than when I was 8 or 9 and we picked up our dog from the breeders. She was this tiny little thing and I fell in love with her in seconds. On the car ride home, she was pacing a bit on the back seat, right next to me. Next thing I know, she’s pooped on my hand! We’re bonded for life now.
So that wasn’t the best, but I hope it brought a smile to your face! Have a great day 🙂
Aww, I can even imagine someone calling you such an unflattering name, even if it was in elementary school! I was the kid who would yell thing right back at the boys who called me names. 🙂
Anyway, I love your use of kobucha. It looks so good. I’m not sure where I could buy those here. Maybe an Asian market?
Hope you feel better soon!
Sorry you’re not feeling well. I’m just trying to get over something too.
I bought some kabocha last night and am still trying to come up with a recipe. Your fusion dish looks great!
You are a tub of goodness, girlie! You are sure stellar in that kitchen whipping up delicious eats! =D
This is SO freaking awesome!
cheer up buttercup 🙂 you’re fabulous and don’t you EVER forget it! I can’t remember my childhood haha real nice I know but alls I know is that Chobs rocks my socks off!
i have heard only good things about kabocha! i definitely need to try that, thanks for reminding me!
Hi Michelle! Your recipes always look delicious! I’ve been reading your blog for awhile, but I’ve just gotten my own started (jwhin.wordpress.com) so maybe you can check it out when you have the chance. I happen to LOVE Kabocha because my mom made used to make it all the time when I was living at home 🙂
I’m so glad you tried kabocha! and your creation looks GORGEOUS! I can eat kabocha all day, any way, any time! yay!
so sorry you’re not feeling well…:-( I hope the bug “flies” off soon!
hmm…happy childhood memories…I remember each time before my dad would fly off to his mission trips, he would take me and my brother to McDonald’s to gorge on all the fast food we want. I would order 20 Mcnuggets and my brother would order 4 french fries. of course we couldn’t finish them, but it was fun trying! and then we would go feed the turtles in the pond next to McDonald’s…oh and we would share our “dinner” with my dad, and feed french fries into his mouth!
Your Kabocha creation looks amazing (and I very much enjoyed reading it in katakana!). You added prawns! I looove prawns! What a fabulous dish. I can’t believe this is your first time cooking with it and this is what you come up with – beautiful!
Interesting yogurt review – I personally only really like Greek yogurt. Anything with flavour added doesn’t taste right to me, or is too sweet.
Happy childhood memory? Probably a dangerous one – but I use to sit in my mum’s lap and “drive” the car with her when I was little (she was in fact driving… not me!). Made me feel really grown up and was a huge thrill for lil me. Upon thinking about it now, it’s also definately very illegal. But most fun things are 😉
how amazing does your oven-roasted kabocha look???!! geez, i want some asap!
i hope you feel better soon — you’ll be back to regular activity in no time! but i hear ya on the tub of lard feeling. exercise really does so much for mood improvement!
since i’m visiting my parents this weekend, i have lots of “being home” good childhood memories in my head. like all the times we grilled out in the ancient stone grill in the backyard, mmmm! maybe i can convince the fam to fire it up this weekend, hmmm …
No love for the cheese? Seriously? I love all things cheese. Mmm, cheese. Well, except blue cheese. Otherwise, if it’s cheese, I’ll eat it 😀
And I’ve never seen this magical kabocha squash here. Le sigh. It looks so similar to acorn squash though.
i agree with everyone! your kabocha meal is absolutely gorgeous!!! I need to jump on that squash train! (still haven’t tried it!!)
you totally have me craving shrimp now too!!
hope you are feeling better, and have a great weekend!!!! 🙂
When I was younger a friend of mine (some friend lol) told me she had prettier/longer hair than I did and that I didn’t have pretty hair like hers. So, I wore a blue skirt on my head for something like three weeks. Yep, that’s me! 😀
Great and yummy eats–everything looks good! Sorry you didn’t enjoy the yogurt too much! That kabocha looks delish!
Feel better!
❤ jess
Reading everywhere about Kabocha, I want to try it too!
Yummy eats!
My favorite way to eat kabocha is steamed too. I try to do fun things with it, but just straight up, with a little sprinkle of salt. SO GOOD. I just ate a kabocha lasagna that was pretty good too though. Can’t go wrong with it, really!