Everyones talking about essential oils, but what do you really DO with them? Our current favorite oil blend, Veriditas Good Samaritan smells amazing and is super easy to use. Regardless of whether or not you LOVE essential oils or you think it’s hype- this blend is great to have around the house in the cooler months.
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Spaghetti Squash Fritters
Spaghetti Squash is another versatile seasonal favorite. It’s stringy texture lends itself well to anything that works with pasta, but this same texture also makes it perfect for fritters. No shredding necessary, the Spaghetti squash’s stringy flesh holds together nicely for crispy fritters.
Spaghetti Squash Fritters
3 cups of Spaghetti Squash, cooked and pulled
1/3 cup Arrowroot Starch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 green onion
3 eggs, beaten
oil of your choice for frying
- Pull cooked Spaghetti Squash into a bowl, and squeeze out excess water
- Heat oil in pan
- Combine with starch, salt and onion
- Add beaten eggs
- Form into patties, and drop into oil, and brown on both sides.
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The Turkey Dilemma
Welcome to the holiday season (otherwise known as The Turkey Dilemma), that glorious time of year when we all come together to mix pumpkin into absolutely everything, regardless of whether it belongs (pumpkin spice salsa, anyone?)Faced with another case of PPSD (Post Pumpkin Stress Disorder), and the traumatic memories of last year’s epic episode of indigestion, you’ve made the misguided attempt to avoid yet another barely-edible Thanksgiving at Aunt Doris’ (in an assigned seat next to that awkward 3rd cousin with the turtle-neck sweater obsession), and you’ve told everyone you’re going to host Thanksgiving this year.Forget the pumpkin, now you’ve got to try navigate the minefield of options, opinions, myths and misinformation, and decide what sort of Turkey you’re going to buy. And you’re still trying to set the menu, and decide who you’re not going to invite. You don’t have time for this.And that’s why you love Basil Bandwagon Natural Market. We’ve done all the heavy lifting for you (hint: if you ask nicely, we’ll even carry the bird out to your car for you).So, let’s go ahead and assume you’re not going to follow Aunt Doris’ example and go with the conventional, factory-farmed turkey that’s been languishing in a deep-freeze in the back of the supermarket for the last three seasons. (And we’ll assume you prefer your antibiotics prescribed by your doctor).But there’s still so much to consider, right? Right. But we’ll all miss Thanksgiving dinner if we really get into the ethics of turkey choices here (check out our infographic below for the key points). We can assure you, however, that our turkeys check all the boxes, from helping to prevent the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, all the way down to supporting your local farmers (and the turkeys) keep living the good life. And if a heritage turkey is your choice, you’re helping keep those breeds away from the brink of extinction.But after all those considerations, we can break this down to a much simpler choice:Do you like your turkey white, plump, and juicy? Or do you prefer it a little darker, gamier, and more textured?The former? Buy our certified organic turkeys, or turkey breasts, from Koch’s Family Farm in Tamaqua, PA. If the latter sounds more like you, then you’ll want one of our heritage birds, from Double Brook Farm in Hopewell, NJ.And, now that we’ve sorted that out for you, all that’s left is to work out how to let Aunt Doris know you don’t have room for any extra cousins and their turtle-necks. But that one’s up to you.
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Stuffed Delicata Squash
We love Delicata Squash because it’s SO easy to prepare. No peeling- just slice in half and scoop out the seeds. It cooks fast and tastes similar to sweet corn- so even people who aren’t squash fans will enjoy it!
We choose to stuff it with savory mushrooms, Italian chicken sausage and top it with parmesan cheese.
Stuffed Delicata Squash
- 4 large delicata squash, ends cut off, sliced vertically and deseeded
- 1 package of Bilinski’s Organic Mild Italian Chicken Sausage
- ½ small onion, diced
- 3/4 cup of chopped Crimini Mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 stalks of celery, minced
- 6 tbsp. of Organic Valley shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- your favorite fresh herbs to taste
Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush the cut sides of the squash with oil and sprinkle with salt. Place face down on a large baking sheet. Bake until tender and browned on the edges, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan cook sausage on medium heat, breaking up the meat into small pieces as it cooks until the sausage is cooked through and is browned.
We used a food processor to chop the sausage and mushrooms to get a uniform texture.
Add the onion and celery; cook until celery is soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pan, more salt and pepper if needed and cook, stirring 5 minutes, then cook covered for 2 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft and cooked through.
Divide (1/2 cup) between the squash, top with parmesan cheese and bake 10 minutes.
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Honeynut Squash Hash
We love Butternut squash, but if you haven’t tried it’s smaller cousin, Honeynut, you’re missing out. This smaller, sweeter variety is adorable.
Just like last last week’s recipe, this one starts with roasted squash, but we added spicy mustard greens wilted with chopped onions and garlic. We topped it with a poached egg- perfect for anytime of day and full of nutrition!
Honeynut Squash Hash
2 Honeynut Squashes, cubed and roasted
1 bunch of Mustard Greens
1/2 Onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
seasoning salt to taste
4 eggs
• Cook onion until transparent in oil, adding garlic just before finishing.
• Remove stems from greens and tear or chop leaves. Add into onion/garlic mix until wilted
• Season to taste
• Poach eggs, and top hash
• Garnish with fresh herbs, salt & pepper
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Butternut Squash Flatbread
Dinnertime is never easy, especially after a long day at work. You have to eat SOMETHING, and you’d love for it to taste good AND be good for you. That can be a tall order.
We’ve got a suggestion that uses a seasonal favorite: Butternut Squash. Butternut Squash is full of antioxidants and vitamins. It also plays nice with many different flavor profiles and it easy to roast up and keep on hand for recipes.
Here’s a recipe that uses some of our favorite ingredients from around the store, including Milton’s Local Uncured Bacon Sausage, Cadia Pizza Dough and Whole in the Wall Pesto.
Keeping roasted squash on hand makes easy work of recipes- throw it in salads, toss with pasta, serve it alone as a side.
Butternut Squash Flatbread
1 Butternut Squash, peeled, roasted, and diced
1 bag Cadia Pizza Dough
1 package of Milton’s Local Uncured Bacon Sausage
1 container of Whole in the Wall Pesto
1 package of shredded Mozzarella
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Preheat Oven to 450º
- Pull pizza dough out fridge, remove from bag and let it warm to room temperature
- Dice sausage and fry in pan with small amount of oil. Cook until caramelized and slightly crisp.
- Either cut dough in half or use whole- roll out as thin as possible
- Bake at 450º until soft but stiff enough to handle
- Top flatbread with pesto, cheese, sausage, squash cubes and more cheese! Bake until bubbly!
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Introducing: Fall Glory Smoothie
We thought about Pumpkin Spice. We thought about Apple Pie. But what if we blended all the flavors of fall together into one nutrient-rich smoothie?
That’s our Fall Glory Smoothie. Apple Cider, Maple Pumpkin Butter, Organic Pumpkin Puree, Rolled Oats, Vanilla Plant Protein and Coconut Milk combine in this comforting October smoothie.
Welcome Fall!
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Local Spotlight: Her Fitness New Jersey
Starting fresh with fitness and a healthy diet is a huge challenge. We ALL want to get there, of course, but how do you stay motivated? How do you avoid injury? Most important: How do you really get results?
Carolyn found herself looking at 40 with a few extra pounds that crept up on her. Stress led to fatigue which led to the bad habits that so many of us get into, and she was struggling to feel like she could get it under control.
Working with Marie Ande and her group fitness sessions allowed her to see results for the first time in almost a decade.
Her Fitness is Personal training in a group setting for women who are committed to becoming or staying healthy, fit and strong.
In addition to Her Fitness, Carolyn stuck to clean eating. Cutting back on sugar, starch, and dairy- she had to find ways to make sure her meals were thought out ahead of time.
One thing Marie suggested was a good protein shake in the morning. We LOVE Plant Fusion Lean Protein- its super filling, and mixes easily with almond milk in a shaker bottle (and it tastes awesome!):
Carolyn’s go-to lunch was the Mushroom Turkey Burger over greens from the cafe:
Taking good care of your gut is important when you’re trying to drop weight. Getting the most out of your food ensures your body won’t push you into cravings. Probiotics are instrumental:
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Our Go-To Supplements for Staying WELL
Leaves are just starting to change, the air is getting crisp, and off in the distance you can hear the seasonal sound of…someone coughing. Here we go again.
Heading back to school means lots of kids in small places, high stress levels with homework, and very active lives with extracurricular activities. Start now by boosting the immune system and get a head start on a healthy school year and all it’s sneezing, coughing and general ickiness.
Vitamin C – of course, and with added bioflavonoids is helpful (like eating the whole orange – the fruit with the white pith). C helps to keep your cells clean and boost the immune system. Whatever your body doesnt need will be eliminated so don’t be timid about ramping up the dosage.While we know that vitamin D is important for bone health and healthy growth in children, it has also shown to be an important vitamin to the immune system. Start taking your vitamin D now, and continue through April (the month when the sun is closest to the earth).
Elderberry syrup, a great source of vitamin C, proanthocyanadin flavonoids and is known to have antiviral proteins! Kids love the taste, so this is a no-brainer!
Astragalus strengthens our immune reservoir and is helpful for allergic rhinitis – the fall ragweed is in full bloom now! This is a great herb for teachers heading back to the classroom to ward off colds and respiratory illnesses.
Our shelves are stocked and ready with flavorful Zand herbal lozenges – made with zinc and an herbal blend rich in vitamin C. A great little nutritive support to boost the immune system and soothe the throat. The orange flavor is popular with kids!
A Wellness Formula is great way to boost our immune system heading in to winter – we have quite a few on the shelves, filled with vitamins, herbs, antioxidants and anti-inflammatories! Bluebonnet, Source Naturals and Basil Bandwagon all have superior wellness formulas!A large part of our immune system lies in the gut, so keeping our gut microbiome healthy is important. Pick up a probiotic with at least 7 strains of probiotic cultures! Boost that beneficial bacteria and crowd out the unhealthy ones!
And of course, don’t forget to stock the freezer with organic chicken bone broth to prepare a quick chicken soup – a proven remedy for quicker healing time with colds!
