The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Quick…GO enter my Nuts About Granola Giveaway.  You only have until Wednesday!

And if you have already done that, make sure you take advantage of the fantastic deal that Sarah created for all of my wonderful readers.  Now until Wednesday, December 21st, you can receive 25% off your online order by simply using the code SWYNTSBlog at checkout.  Check out the Nuts About Granola site for some fantastic gift ideas and get a bag for yourself while you’re at it.  I just got mine in today so I’ll have my gifts before Christmas.

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The week before Christmas is supposed to be a joyous time of year.  For some reason I just expect people to be happy this week but most of the time that is simply not the case.  The older I get, the more I realize how people are just angry when life gets exciting.  Busy = stress.  This year, I’m not really stressed.  Life is actually pretty crazy right now but I’m unusually calm about everything.

Breakfast

Last night I made a quadruple batch of pumpkin steel cut oats and placed them in the fridge to eat and enjoy all week.  I’m not sure why I don’t do this more often.  I am loving hot oats in the morning but never seem to want to go to all of the trouble of making them on the stove.  All I do here is portion out a bowl, heat in the microwave and add the appropriate toppings.

Blackberries, Sunflower Butter, Pumpkin Butter, Pumpkin Granola

Last night I also prepped lunch for the week by making a big batch of White Bean Kale and Squash soup.

White Bean Kale and Squash Soup 

Ingredients

• 1/2 Buttercup (Kabocha) squash, cubed (I leave the skin on but you can remove it)
• 3 large Carrots, peeled and diced
• 14 oz can White Beans
• 1 bunch Kale, chopped
• Rosemary (2 tsp dried)
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 4 cup Veggie Broth
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp curry powder

Dinner

It’s no surprise that my favorite meals are usually big loaded salads with some kind of seafood.  I think I may have dreamt about this salad last night because I was thinking about it all day long.

Honey Glazed Pomegranate Scallop Salad 

Where do I begin?

From the bottom up:  Arugula, purple cabbage, sliced pear, avocado, pomegranate arils, roasted brussels sprouts, honey goat cheese, and seared scallops.

The icing on the cake was the glaze I made by combining equal parts of balsamic and pomegranate juice with a touch of honey.