by Sharm | Nov 20, 2015 | Food & Drink, Health, Home & Living, Lifestyle & Technology, Recipes, Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market is helping me create a stress free, gluten free, egg free and dairy free Thanksgiving and Holiday Season.
I’m sure the questions are crossing your mind as to Why I need a gluten, egg and dairy free Thanksgiving? How Can Whole Foods Market Help? Can it be done and still be delicious? What are you cooking? Do you have any recipes?
Keep reading to find out.
Why do I need it gluten, egg and dairy free?
My daughter has recently been diagnosed with some health issues and some food allergy testing indicates that eggs and dairy are giving her trouble and the doctor has recommended staying off gluten as well.
How can Whole Foods Market help?
Whole Foods Market will do the cooking for you this holiday season by preparing the entire feast or just a few sides. Whatever you need they have it, including dishes for alternative diets. They also have holiday appetizer and party platters as well as desserts. Need a Turkey? They have those too. Get pre-roasted, brined, uncooked or smoked! You can also get a variety of other cuts of meat including lamb, beef and more. There is also a selection of seafood available. Find a full list of options here.
For the recipes I’m preparing, Whole Foods Market carries vegetables and salads that are already washed and cut ready for use or roasting as well as pre roasted and cooked ingredients needed for my dishes.
Can it be done and still be delicious?
YES! The prepared foods are made with the all of the high quality products that are sold in the store and is a lifesaver at the moment. I have always tried to eat healthy but have never been forced to cook a certain way until now and Whole Food Market is saving Turkey Day!
I sampled the vegan mashed potatoes in the store and am going to order them for our Thanksgiving meal. They are creamy and delicious made with olive oil and coconut milk. I will also order the vegan pumpkin pie, which I have sampled as well. It is so good! I’m not sure the crust is gluten free but I am sure my daughter will have no trouble scooping out the middle.
What else are you cooking?
I have my 27 pound Diestel No GMO Turkey from Whole Foods thawing in the fridge as we speak! I will slather him up with my dairy free herb butter just before cooking. This butter is super simple to make and yummy to use as a spread for bread and rolls as well. Just make sure you make separate batches!
I have been inspired by Whole Foods Autumn Couscous and will be making my own version using quinoa, cranberries, pistachios, roasted butternut squash and a handful of the kale. This is going to be our stuffing alternative.
I’ll make gravy using gluten free flour and the broth from the turkey to go with those awesome Whole Foods Vegan Mashed Potatoes.
I make the best roasted brussel sprouts with bacon and dried cherries.
Do you have recipes?
Sure, I’ve included them below. Enjoy!
Whole Foods carries everything I need to make this holiday season healthy and stress free! I wish to thank Whole Foods for providing me with a gift card to purchase my dairy free, egg free and gluten free ingredients which makes me stress free! Thank you Whole Foods Market!
I would like to thank all of my readers as well and wish you a happy and healthy holiday season. Enjoy the recipes.
Herb Butter
1/2 cup Earth Balance Olive Oil Spread
2-3 sprigs each of fresh rosemary, thyme and sage, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and mix well, then give your turkey a good rub down with it. I usually stuff the cavity of the bird with some fresh sage, thyme and rosemary along with a cut up orange, onion and a few garlic cloves. Bake turkey according to package directions and enjoy!
Rosted Butternut Squash and Quinoa Stuffing
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 1/2 cups of roasted butternut squash chunks
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1 cups chopped kale or fresh spinach
1/2 cup toasted pistachios
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
The prepared foods section at Whole Foods and salad bar should have pre cooked quinoa and butternut squash (you could also use sweet potatoes as they have those sometimes too) as well as chopped kale. You could also use fresh spinach. If cooked squash or sweet potatoes are unavailable the produce section should have either or sometimes both cut and ready for roasting. If all else fails you can peel, cut and roast your own.
If they don’t have cooked quinoa available, just grab a box and cook at home according to the package directions.
Stuffing Preparation:
Add olive oil to skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and celery and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Add vegetable or chicken stock. Let simmer 8-10 minutes until liquid is almost absorbed.
Add chopped kale and mix together until kale is slightly wilted.
In large bowl combine cooked quinoa, roasted butternut squash, vegetable mixture, toasted pistachios and dried cherries. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I like using Fisherman’s salt. It’s a new seasoning salt I have found that I have fallen in love with.
Mix all ingredients together and place in a baking dish. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes
If you wish to make this recipe ahead of time just assemble all ingredients, place in baking pan and refrigerate until ready use. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. Yield: 6 1 cup servings
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
1 1/2 lb Brussel sprouts cut in half (rinse before cutting and remove outer leaves if they look funky)
Handful chopped bacon, cooked (I just buy the pre-cooked bag)
Handful chopped almonds
Handful dried cherries
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Yield 6 servings
Combine sprouts, bacon, cherries and almonds. Toss with olive oil to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss again. Place on shallow roasting pan and roast at 425 20-25 min. Take out halfway through cooking and toss around to get both sides roasted. If the sprouts don’t look like they are getting brown enough you can bump oven temp up to 450.
Yield: 6 servings
by Sharm | Sep 9, 2015 | Devices, Home & Living, Lifestyle & Technology, Products & Reviews
With summer coming to an end, I have one more post to share with you about some of the features of the Nokia Lumina 2520 which Verizon Wireless loaned out to me in June.
Nokia Lumina
I am not one to watch a lot of news, so having the MSN news app on the start screen has really helped keep up with current events and news.
Another start page app I liked was the Reading List. The handy features allows you to add content you find on the web to read at another time. I always feel like I am finding myself reading an article and then having something come up where I cannot finish it, or wanting to keep it for a reference and this app does the trick.
If my blog was more video based, the Video Director app on this tablet would be sweet! This app allows you take content from your videos and photos and select clips from them and then add music, titles and customize to create cool videos.
With What You’re Missing KC! being mostly about food, it is no surprise that I am loving all of the foodie apps available to download via the Windows Store.
The most recent one I encountered is Smoothier. I am addicted to my Vita-Mix and one thing we do a lot of around here are protein shakes and smoothies. Since a lot of my shakes are usually made up with what I have on hand, the Smoothier app is handy for calculating all the calories I am blending up. You just select the ingredients you have and it will calculate the calories.
Today on hand I had non-fat plain yogurt, frozen strawberries and a peach, which were all ingredients I found in the app. I guess my only complaint would be is that the app needs a broader range of common smoothie ingredients as added some honey and almond milk to the smoothie so it would have been nice to know the additional calorie count in those.
Strawberry Peach Smoothie
August was a busy month for the me as I emptied my nest sending both kiddos to college. I am sorry to say that this tablet has no way of drying those tears unless, someone has created some kind of tissue holding tablet case this device will fit in. However, having the Skype app on the start screen makes it easy to keep in touch, at the touch of the screen.
Kids leaving the nest
Last but not least, and which I have already mentioned before, you know this tablet makes a great travel buddy. My most recent trip was riding the coattails of my hubby business trip to Napa Valley, where we tacked on a couple days to play. I love the entertainment features of being able to play games and watch shows while waiting on flights and in the air. It is also handy for looking up fun things to do and of course finding yummy places to eat like Cookhouse at the Oxbow market, which have some pretty amazing biscuits!
Beef Sausage and Egg Biscuit from Cookhouse
It is now time to send back the tablet and I wish to thank Verizon Wireless for loaning it out to me. For more information on features about this tablet check out my posts on months one and two. To get tablet specifications, pricing or ordering information visit Verizon Wireless.
by Sharm | Aug 4, 2015 | Devices, Lifestyle & Technology, Products & Reviews
This is a three part series on the Nokia Lumina 2520. Verizon Wireless has graciously loaned me this tablet for the summer and in return, I will be sharing monthly posts on all the cool features. Read part one here.
Nokia Lumina
July was a busy month with the Nokia Lumina 2520 and I. For starters I took it with me on National Social Media Day to an event held in Wichita. The guest speaker was Social Media Expert Mark Schafer and with Microsoft Word already installed on this tablet, it was handy dandy for taking notes on all of the great information he had to share. I could literally write a whole blog post just about that.
After the event we headed out for vacation where the tablet help pass time in the airport. I was able to hook up to the wifi and watch some Netflix while waiting on a delayed flight. I also downloaded various games and apps from the Google Play store to keep me occupied while in the air.
While exploring all of the features of the tablet I came across what looked to be an Xbox controller on the touch screen. I was intrigued by this as my son is an avid Xbox fan. Once home I opened the app and had my son log into his Xbox account, which opened up another level of features to this tablet.
In the app we are able to download apps and games from the Windows store, play a select number of Xbox games, look up Xbox friends, find achievements and more. Did you know my son has played 150 Xbox games? Neither did I but the achievement section tells you that. I am not sure I really wanted to know that! No wonder he had so much trouble with that math class in college, I am thinking he should have beed studying instead of playing.
Well I am sure that is more information than you wanted to know about my sons Xbox playing habits but none the less it is a fun feature of the tablet for the avid Xbox fan out there.
Lastly, I paired the Bluetooth keyboard with the tablet and it works like a dream. I love how it becomes a mini laptop. The keyboard is easy to use and makes easy to take on the go.
I have one more month with this Nokia Lumina 2520 so stay tuned for next months post on what else I can discover about this tablet.
In the meantime if you are interested in additional information about this tablet including specifications, pricing or more check out Verizon Wireless.com.
by Sharm | Jul 9, 2015 | Food & Drink, Health, Recipes, Uncategorized
Basil Lemon Cooler
I bought a Juicer a few months ago and have been juicing up whatever I have on hand or needs to be juiced up. This mornings juice came out quite tasty and very refreshing so I am sharing the recipe for those other juicing fanatics out there.
Basil Lemon Cooler
1 handful fresh basil leaves
1 apple, sliced
2 lemons, peeled and cut in half
4 baby cucumbers
4 celery stalks
1 small head Romain lettuce
2 handfuls baby spinach
fresh cilantro to taste, or omit if you are not a cilantro fan
Juicing Ingredients
Wash and prepare all produce and run through your juicer. It is ready in minutes! The fresh basil and cilantro really give this juice great flavor!
by Sharm | Apr 21, 2014 | Home & Living, Lifestyle & Technology, Products & Reviews
I recently had the chance to demo the new Google Nexus 7 loaned out to me by Verizon Wireless and am quite sad I have to send it back!
I have been on the go quite a bit these past few weeks and this tablet became my best friend. I had the best time trying out!
While visiting other cities and trying to find our way around, the Google search and navigation system was a lifesaver. At the airport when my flight was delayed 2 hours, the ability to steam and watch Netflix made the waiting time pass quickly. Its thin and sleek design allowed it to slide seamlessly in my bag making it easy to take it on the go!
The high resolution of the sleek 7-inch screen makes the text super sharp and images very vivid and the tablet can be used vertically or horizontally. I must admit I love to play Words with Friends and usually play it on my phone, so playing it on the larger screen of the Nexus 7 became quite addictive.
Another addiction I have is cooking. I had the best time downloading cooking apps and searching for recipes and the size of this tablet is perfect for using in the kitchen. With all the apps and games available for download through the Google Play store, I am sure you will find an app for whatever you are addicted to as well!
At home, I found myself grabbing it when I needed a quick Google search or email check. The speed was phenomenal and sure beat firing up the ancient laptop I have!
One last note, most of my travel is the stretch of I-35 that runs from KC to Wichita and the 4G service this tablet has through Verizon Wireless never failed me, even through the Flint Hills of Kansas.
I wish to thank Verizon Wireless for letting me try out this tablet. If it were their goal to convince me to buy one by doing so, they have succeeded! I would very much recommend this tablet if you are in the market for one.
For tech specifications, service plans and additional information on the Nexus 7 check out VerizonWireless.com.
by Sharm | Mar 17, 2014 | Kansas City, Lifestyle & Technology, Wichita
Overland Park is home to the first Verizon Wireless Smart Store in Kansas and now a second one has opened in Wichita’s New Market Square shopping center. The company eventually plans to convert all 1,700 of its retail locations to this new “Smart Store” concept.
I had the chance to take a tour of the store and was astounded by all of the products and services available.
In addition to the smart phones, tablets and wireless plans you would expect to find at a Verizon store, there are several different areas or zones with devices and gadgets all designed to work with your smartphone or tablet.
The technology and gadgets available allow you to control the thermostat in your home while you are still at the office, track the calories you just burned during your workout, remotely record a favorite television show or get a notification when your plant needs watered and much more!
The different zones include:
• Amplify It – This area includes wireless speakers, headphones and accessories.
• Get Fit – For those looking for health and wellness devices, this area includes devices that will track calories, steps, sleep, heart rates, blood pressure and more!
• Verizon at Home – This area has everything you need to stay connected including internet service plans, home phone service and more.
• Have Fun – Designed for both big and little kids, here you will find everything from educational and learning devices to remote control helicopters.
• Home and on the Go – Everything you need for your home is here whether you want to monitor the security of you home, record a TV show or need to adjust the thermostat while you are away, there is gadget that does just that.
There is also a workshop zone designed with horseshoe shaped table and chairs and big screen television where guest can learn how to run and operate all of the different products available.
Each zone has interactive stations that tell about each gadget and if you need customer service, you can see if there is a wait time, if any for the next customer service rep.
Speaking of customer service, the Verizon Smart Store is dedicated to making customer satisfaction a priority and instead of the sales staff, standing behind a counter; they are all out on the floor with tablet computers and can handle inquiries and sales from anywhere in the store.
I had a great time touring the store and to my surprise, even found a gift for my nieces 5th birthday, The “Learn to Write Mr. Pencil” from Leapfrog. I can honestly I never expected something like that when I thought of Verizon before!
Overland Park
11868 W. 95th St, Overland Park, KS 66214
Wichita
2441 N. Maize Road, Wichita, Kan. 67205