acorn squash salad

i recently watched the documentary 'forks over knives'.  life changing.  seriously.  if you haven't watched it, they have it on netflix, and hulu+ and you can live stream it in case you're curious.

{side note: if you're mormon, as soon as you're done watching this documentary go ahead and read d&c 89.  it's chilling.  this documentary is all there, in fewer words.  we've known it all along.  and we're great at avoiding what we shouldn't do, but we absolutely fail at what we should do.  insane}

at any rate, it was because of this documentary that i have, for the last month or so, readjusted my diet.  the only thing i did not do was cut fish out of my diet, like they suggest.  i figure if Jesus ate fish, i'm okay eating fish.  but i'm off red meats, processed foods, and sugar (i get my sugars from fruits and veggies).

i was already eating pretty healthy.  so i didn't have to make that many changes, which has made this transition very easy for me.  i know i could not go from regularly eating sweets, frozen foods and red meat to a nearly vegan diet.  so i'm glad i've been transitioning to a healthier path for the last few years.  

if there's one thing i've learned from changing eating habits is that food is like obeying God's commandments.  the more obedient you are, the easier it gets because you earn a conviction of that principle.  so you become more sensitive to what's bad, and you reject it.  do you have moments of weakness?  yes.  but you refocus, and overcome.  on the other hand, the more you sin, the more you loose your sensitivity to what's bad, until you get to a point where you don't even recognize that as sin anymore.  it becomes the normal thing, the totally acceptable thing, and you don't see the damage it's causing you.  some times, when people have a sober moment they realize how far they've let themselves go... some people loose hope, and believe they're so far gone, they're beyond salvation, so they might as well feast on...   well, with food is the same.

the healthier you eat, the healthier you will crave to eat, because you earn a conviction of how those choices have changed you for the better -- and feel sick when you're exposed to junk.  the same is true to the opposite side of the spectrum... the crappier you eat, the crappier kinds of food you will crave, and your body will get used to that -- the only difference is, when you're eating gross you will think your lazy, unmotivated self is your 'normal' stage, and you simply get used to that.  you will be completely blind to the fact that you could feel like a million bucks, and you'll chalk it up to stress, a busy life, aging, you name it.  and too many think they're too fat to loose weight.  i've been there, and i've pulled myself out of that miserable state.  if i can, anyone can.  

real quickly, this is why acorn squash is an awesome thing to eat...

• one serving or one cup of acorn squash contains 145% of the daily recommended requirements for Vitamin A
• it also contains: vitamin C, potassium, manganese, folic acid, and omega 3 fatty acids
• good source of fiber
• contains phytonutrients, which is believed by many researchers to help cure cancer
• contains beta carotene, which protects from lung cancer, heart disease, and colon cancer.

so enough with the chatter, and on to a delicious recipe that is a step in a healthy direction...

ACORN SQUASH SALAD
{serves 4}

1 acorn squash

4 sprigs italian parsley, chopped

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt, or salt to taste

that's it!  here's the how to: 

pick your squash... the yellow spots basically tell you they are getting ripe. i like mine with a little yellow, but not too much, because those get mushed after cooked.

also... the more yellow you see, the more beta carotene that squash  will have

wash your squash, cut off the ends, and slice them in half.  they are hard, so make sure you use a strong, sharp blade

scoop out the seeds from the middle.  i used a melon baller.

cut the squash into smaller chunks, for fast cooking

boil in small pot for about 7-10 minutes.  you want it to be cooked throughout, but not too soft, or your salad will get soggy.

a good indication that your squash is ready is when it's coloration is yellow.

rinse squash under cold water; it will help maintain it's shape and it will also help cool it off so you can handle it for the next step: using a pairing knife, remove the green skin, then cut it into 1" cubes.

add vinegar, olive oil and salt.  fold well.  sprinkle chopped italian parsley over the top, and fold well again.  put in fridge for an hour.  this will allow the squash to absorb the flavors, and it will cool it off entirely as well.

serve it cold.  

voila!

this salad goes well with plenty of dishes, but i personally love eating this with ceviche... {that's a recipe for another time, though}

bon apetit! :)

the narrows @ zion national park

so scott had told me {in april} that he wanted to cross something off his bucket list.  a hike up the narrows, at zion national park. i have certain physical activity limitations due to my many knee problems {namely, an almost complete lack of cartilage, which makes my knees sound like a bag of crunching metal when i walk.  it's quite nasty, but i'm working out to strengthen the muscles around my knees, and i take huge amounts of glucosamine}.  but regardless the daily intense pain i deal with to move around {drama, drama}, i really do love the outdoors.  ironically, my favorite is biking, which some people might think is bad for my pathetic knees, but i don't feel much pain while biking.  i absolutely love the feeling of the wind as i speed, so i think that thrill helps me cope with the pain, and i do go on bike rides whenever i can {which is whenever i have free time. translation: not as often as i'd like}.

but back to the narrows project... he just sort of mentioned it, wondering if i thought a hike would be too hard on my knees, but i told him i wanted to go.  so he said he wanted to do it either by the end of may, or beginning of june.  then we didn't talk about it anymore.  

i then dismissed it, thinking it was just wishful thinking.  he's usually insanely busy, and even when we go on vacation he brings his laptop to work on any given number of projects.  

but then he told me he wanted to invite the kofoeds {neighbors and close friends of ours} to come along.  so one more layer got added to this idea.  i was curious now to see if this plan was really going to materialize. 

a few days later i asked scott about the plan, and he told me he and ryan were talking about it.  {i don't know about other women, but in the world i live in 'talking about it' is code for 'that ain't going nowhere'}

however on thursday, may 31st, i got an email from scott {a little context: i married a geek, whose best method of thorough communication is via email, where he can put things on a list or spreadsheet.  no, i am never offended by it.  i've learned to happily embrace how he does things}.  the email was a list of items we needed to get, and things we needed to do so we could go on our, now impromptu, hiking trip. i say impromptu because the email said we would be leaving on friday, june 1st, the next day.  lol.  yeah, i did laugh when i saw that email.  i was thinking someone was out of their mind.  we had no camelpaks, no water hiking shoes, no rash guards, no hotel reservations, no one to watch the dogs, and no time to get ready to leave so soon.  that evening the kofoeds came over at 10:30pm so we could hash out the details of the trip that was supposed to happen the next day.  we laughed hysterically at our willingness to take on this last minute adventure and decided we should reserve the hotel rooms, so there was no backing out.  we were going to do this thing! {wow, and as i type this, i am realizing more and more how irresponsible we all come across!}

this was the Big Plan:  bethany and i would pack in the morning, then do all the shopping and hopefully be done by 3pm {we're deliriously ambitious}.  of course, we took longer packing and figuring out snacks, so it turned out that we only hit the stores in the afternoon... it was a hilarious mad dash trying to buy everything for her 4 kids and my 2 kids, plus our husbands.  we took forever trying on shoes, because we really had no idea how harsh the hike would be, and we wanted to feel as comfortable as possible...plus we got side tracked when we saw the awesome heals dsw had on sale, but that's not relevant.  :)

meanwhile ryan picked scott up from work around 4 pm, then they went to get camelpaks, and their water shoes... with all of this, it was 7:30pm by the time we hit the road. 

off we went to hurricane, where we were lodging.  we only made one stop, in fillmore, and we got to hurricane a little after 11:30 pm.  great time, if you ask me!  

when we took all of our things inside the hotel i realized something was missing.  my purse.  i had left it behind, in fillmore, where we had stopped for gas! i couldn't believe i did that, but being in the hurry we were, i was just glad it was my purse - and not a child - i had left behind.  {the purse incident had a very happy ending.  i was able to cancel my cards that same night, so the only thing i cared to get back was my i.d.  when we drove back i stopped by and was able to retrieve my purse, which was actually still there, and still with everything in it! so, a woot woot for the honest people of that chevron in fillmore! \0/}

the next morning we got up, had breakfast, and made a quick stop at the walmart... the poor kofoeds had forgotten their baby backpack, and needed something to carry little tyler in.  see...right about now, i know many people who would be feeling discouraged and frustrated, even cranky.  but we decided we were going to have a good time, no matter what, darn it!  so we were all just taking our hurried preparation as lightly as we could manage, thinking about all the funny stories we'd be able to tell in the future because of this crazy trip. 

we finally made it to zion national park, into the bus and up the canyon... and wow.  what an amazing place.  i was overwhelmed.  that's really the only word i can describe the feeling i had as i saw the magnitude of the natural beauty of that place.  man, i felt so insignificant.  those canyon walls are unbelievable!  and the trees growing in the canyon... i mean, amazing.  just amazing.  

scott and i goofing off in the bus

the bus dropped us off at the temple of sinawava, where the hike begins.  there is a trail that follows the river for about 1 mile, and it was populated with darling squirrels that looked absolutely adorable begging for food, but that turn nasty the second you refuse to feed them.  {we almost had one jump on katie, after noticing she had a bag of pretzel crisps with her... sneaky little critters!}

don't trust this cute face

kids minus little tyler, on the riverside mile hike

view along the riverside.  if i were an atheist i would have become a believer after
seeing this place.  there's an incredible feeling at this park.  it's nature saying:
'we're not an accident'.

once you reach the end of riverside walk the real fun begins... we entered the river, and started treading up, against the current.  the kids were having a BLAST!  and, full disclosure, i was having even more fun.  we didn't go very far, but we saw plenty of breathtaking nature at the bottom of that canyon.  i was completely taken by the place, and i tried my best to photograph what i saw.  unfortunately my slr camera is just too snobbishly posh to survive this sort of adventure, so i used scott's phone to take pictures, which i quickly realized was a lame way to record this event... that was the one thing we forgot to purchase: a waterproof, shockproof camera.  it's on our list for the next time we go.  and yes, there will be a next time.  :)

venturing into the river... kids treading through mystery waterfall

they totally got a kick of every little nook and cranny they could play hideaway in

canyon monkeys

katie, scott and livia continuing deeper into the narrows.
the rest of our group stayed behind
{except for me, who also came along, and was the one behind the camera}

us at the narrows

granola clarisse and sporty scott

when you see that person {center} looking up, you gain a small perspective of
the grandeur of the canyon walls.

the river snakes around the canyon, and there's more and more
beauty with every turn.

one of my favorite spots.  this was at one of the turns of the river.
this was the spot where i realized this
beauty just went on and on.  so i took a picture because i wanted to remember
exactly where i knelt and prayed to thank my Father
for the gift of being there.

mystery falls

that person in the pink shirt is livia.  people look like little ants in this place
{insert zoolander joke here}

khombu river shoes + athletic tape = not-so-maimed feet
{i only bruised one toe, and it was because i tried to cross
the current in a hurry at some point}

zion adventure company specializes in providing rental
equipment so people can hike the narrows more easily
{note to self, rent their canyoneering shoes next time}
this was the info they had on the narrows hike the day we went:
70% of the hike is in water that is knee to waist deep;
the temperature of the water was 58 F that day;
40% of the hike is in the sun, but the day was super hot {100 F}
so we were cooled off in the canyon.
conditions were perfect!

the infamous spontaneous quartet: us and the kofoeds