A Vitamix Christening: Rosemary Pumpkin Hummus

I'm not sure a better combination of words exists than that. Maybe if I threw "wine" in there somewhere, it could get better. Mmm. Wine.

Anyway, my lovely husband has been hearing me harp on and on about a Vitamix blender for a few years now - especially after I went to nutrition school and learned more about the magic of juicing and smoothies. I mean.. it does everything. Especially when being compared to our 6-year old Magic Bullet or the CuisinArt Blender that got destroyed by a cat last year.

But alas - they are expensive. Really, really expensive.

So when Scot saw an online deal for 20% off a certified refurbished Vitamix through their website, he jumped all over that knowing full well it would win him super bonus points if this were my birthday gift. (Which it did. Until he convinced me a week later to get another dog.. so now we're even, heh.)

What I find amusing is the automatic connotation Vitamix has of being a "healthy" appliance - especially in today's green juice obsessed world. And the recipe book that came with the blender boasts that with your new kitchen toy, you can eat healthier than ever. Except, when you look through the book, half the recipes call for some sort of heavy cream or processed sugar of some sort. Umm.. no thank you.

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So I was left with the decision of what to christen my new bad boy with. Or, more like: what ingredients did I already have that could be whipped together to make a tasty but healthy treat?

Well, I had chick peas. So I figured I could fudge the rest of the ingredients and make some sort of hummus - every health nuts favorite go-to protein-packed dip! (I must admit, I actually went through a phase a few years ago where I had so. much. hummus. that I got a bit sick of it for a while. I didn't start craving it again until a few months ago, and now I'm back on that MUST HAVE HUMMUS kick. I don't want it go away!!)

I also had lots of rosemary from the garden, so that was an obvious and easy add-in. Then I discovered some cans of pumpkin puree in the pantry.. and we all know how much I love pumpkin.

This could work!

*recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum

A quick note: I decided to add in some roasted garlic (because hi.. roasted garlic). I didn't have any pre-roasted (and wasn't going to spend an hour waiting for a head to roast), so I quickly faux-roasted some pre-crushed garlic in a sauté pan for a few minutes, then combined everything. Magical, I tell you!

And then I proceeded to eat my creation with a spoon. No shame.

Do you have a favorite go-to hummus recipe? Do share - my Vitamix needs more use!!

Take me to MOM's!

A recent "project" the hubs and I have been trying out is to cut down on our spending, therefore cutting down on our credit card debt. Good plan, right?

For Scot, it's more the miscellaneous things - video games (he always plays), books (he never reads), knives (this one I can't explain), beer kits (which is a shame because he makes awesome beer), etc. I think he sees our Amazon Prime account and thinks that since there's free shipping, we can just order whatever we want. I mean.. total logic, right? Amazon Prime is the shiz, seriously.

As for me? Well, it used to be retail therapy, but I've really pulled the reins in on that one pretty well lately. Currently? It's food shopping.

It's true. I get such a high off of buying all these fun, (mostly) healthy things at Whole Foods, and heck, even Giant sometimes. Organic produce and free range chicken and maca infused cacao powder and dairy-free cheese.. it's a newbee-to-the-health-food world's heaven! The problem is that I never really pay attention to what everything costs until I get to register. Then I curse under my breath as I hand the credit card over, justifying the delicious purchases to the fact that I'm just trying to be healthy.

The thing is, I know there are ways (and tons of 'em) to shop smartly and relatively inexpensively, even at health food stores. The problem is that I'm not quite there yet. Let's call this my second "project" - how to shop healthy and cheaply. It's a work in progress, and unfortunately, this post has nothing to do with my discoveries.

It's has to with a different sort of discovery. One called MOM's Organic Market.

A Healthy Heart

It's our control center, our constant internal pacemaker. It's the strongest muscle in our body, but can get broken easily. It's the size of our fist, but can feel as big as Texas. It is inside all of us, but we also tend to wear it on our sleeve. We live from it, and we love with it.

Our heart. It's one of the most vital organs in our bodies, and one that, like most things, needs to be maintained and cared for.

One of the most optimal and easiest ways to do this is to be conscious of what we actually put into our bodies. Have no fear - one of the the best parts of eating heart-healthy foods (aside from their obvious nutritional and health benefits) is that it doesn't have to mean eating bland, boring foods. In fact, you may be already eating for your heart health without even realizing it!

Before we get into the good stuff (aka, the food), let's go over a few of the key points when it comes to talking about heart health. This will help you understand a bit more about why certain foods are as beneficial as they are!