Mashed Cauliflower

Posted on February 16, 2012 by lala362

Mashed Cauliflower

So- how do you feel about Cauliflower? I don’t love it. It is not may favorite veggie… give me some squash or spinach or something green… but cauliflower? Meh! But I am trying to give new and different veggies a try this year- and seeing what I can make yummy from what I might not already like. And cauliflower? Well it is definately an under appreciated vegetable!

Here is a great link with some info on cauliflower for your reading pleasure!

http://experiencelife.com/article/cauliflower-power-2/

Soooo- I have a friend, Alison, who asked me one day if I had ever heard about being able to “mash” cauliflower instead of potatoes and if I would try it for her! So I thought- why not? I don’t eat much cauliflower, so I don’t have much variety in the recipe book for it. (Not one of my favorite veggies, but I DO love it roasted with onions and broccoli!)

I cut up a full large head of cauliflower and boiled it in water with a teeny bit of salt. I boiled the heck out of it! (Figured if I was going to “mash” it, I needed it to be soft!)

Boiling Cauliflower

After I boiled it. I drained it and put it in a large mixing bowl.

To the cauliflower I added butter and sour cream. (Sorry I didn’t really measure- I don’t cook like that unless I am really paying attention- and I just plain forgot this night!) I took my potato masher and mashed it all up together.

For “taste” I added a little horseradish sauce, Mrs. Dash Herbs and Onion and salt and pepper. It came out fabulous! Might not be much to look at- but it tasted so good My Guy wanted seconds! We ate it with the leftover Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash and some Tilapia cooked with olive oil and lime. It was a yummy meal and one we both expect we will try again!

Dinner is Served!

So, Alison, there you have it! Mashed Cauliflower at your request! And boy was it yummy! Thanks for asking!!

Have you ever made mashed cauliflower?

What is your favorite way to eat cauliflower? (I still need more recipes for the recipe box!)

 La-

Wellness is a Choice. Let me help you Choose Well.

La@lauriannamurray.com


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My Year of Learning to Wait

Posted on February 13, 2012 by lala362

Like many of us in this fast paced crazy world, I don’t do a very good job of waiting. I am impatient and want what I want now! I once had a $400 plane ticket I could have redeemed for a flight coupon for travel later. The line was long, I didn’t feel like waiting, so I went home!! I lost an awesome opportunity for free travel because I could not BEAR the thought of waiting in that line! Seriously!

Catching the bus at the crack of dawn!

The problem with this “impatience,” if you will;  I do not have a car.

I can’t just hop in my car, NOW, to run to the store. I cannot just hop in my car, NOW, to go to the market. I can’t just hop in my car… well you get the picture! There is very little immediacy for me and most of my activities right now but there is a lot of planning and well, waiting!

Morning schedule...

Waiting. <sigh> I am learning to look at this from a very “Zen” point of view. Really I am! I am learning that it is ok to hang out and wait. I can sit on a bench and relax while I wait for the bus. I am learning to not be all tapping feet and deep sighs when the bus is late. I am learning that I don’t need to rush OUT of an event or a place- that it is ok to linger because the bus isn’t going to come around that way for a while yet. Unforeseen opportunities can come at any time if you just sit and wait!

Waiting has been having an impact on me. I am not as impatient with others, or myself because I know now, that sometimes I just have to wait. I feel like this is going to have a good impact on other aspects of my life as I set out this year to make even more changes- bigger ones, even the smaller ones. I know now, that not only do I have no choice but to wait- but that waiting itself can have benefits and I can actually endure it. I really can!

Downtown buses...

Another side benefit of all this; I am learning to accept help from others. People offer to give me rides. (I think it freaks them out that I am really going to take the bus home!) By accepting help from others I am learning to be gracious and allow them to receive the blessing of helping me. It’s not easy- my first instinct is to say “No Thanks! I will be ok!” And of course, I WILL be ok. But it doesn’t hurt me to accept and maybe it jus helps us both to work together like this!

Looking up from a bench- while waiting...

So this year- as I look at the way I have chosen to live my life- I am finding that I am receiving so many more benefits than just the financial ones I expected. I am learning to wait… That cannot be a bad thing!

Do you know how to wait? 

What are you waiting for this year?

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Slow- NO! FAST Cooking

Posted on January 26, 2012 by lala362

I love to cook. I love my slow cooker- but recently in my search to find ways I can do cooking classes here locally I found my newest love… a PRESSURE COOKER! Here is a slow fast cooking machine! I thought it would be the perfect tool to demonstrate healthy cooking because I would not need a kitchen to cook in it. The problem was? Well I found it just as Christmas was coming and all my gifts had already been purchased. I DID still mention it to My Guy… but I also said that I would save up and buy one for myself after the holidays.

I guess I talked about it a few times- because come our anniversary in early January… guess what I opened up!! An Electric Pressure Cooker!! We laughed because he felt like it was not necessarily the most romantic gift! I thought it WAS! I mean he paid attention to what I wanted and got it for me! LOVE!

http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/23103-cuisinart-pressure-cooker.aspx

Since I got it (about January 10th) I have made quite a few things already:

  • Black Beans
  • Mushroom Barely Soup
  • Organic Brown Rice
  • Whole Chicken
  • Chicken Stock (Sitting in there right now! Done in less than 90 minutes- stock usually takes all day simmering in the pot!)

Pressure cookers have come a long way since my grandmother used to make turnips and parsnips in hers on the stove! This is electric and has Brown, Saute, Simmer and Keep Warm settings as well as high and low pressure. EASY to use!

A pressure cooker works when steam trapped in the pot builds up pressure that creates hotter temperatures, and the pot is so tightly sealed that vitamins and minerals can’t boil away. It keeps your healthy veggies and food even healthier!

I am excited to keep trying new things in my pressure cooker- it’s a fast healthy alternative to spending lots of time waiting for food to cook in the oven or on the stove!

Do you have a pressure cooker? 

Have you ever actually used it?

What do you make? We’d love to read your recipes! 

La-

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Are You Eating Enough to Lose Weight? A Repost of a Fan Favorite

Posted on January 23, 2012 by lala362

As the new year begins- for many of us it is a time of renewing our plans to live healthier and lose weight. I know I have been very focused and “back on the plan.” (I have lost about 5 lbs! YAY ME!)

Anyway, as we start to focus on that plan or even think about which weight loss plan to choose, many of us go immediately to a super low-calorie diet. The problem with going so low cal- is that it is hard to sustain. Both when we think about eating (we want MORE!) and on our body!

Below is the link to one of the posts I wrote last year that still gets the most hits and I get the most questions about. It explains why it is important to eat enough in order to lose weight and keep it off long-term. Check it out. Get some info! You really DO have to EAT enough to LOSE weight!

http://www.thecurvylife.com/2011/02/are-you-eating-enough-to-loose-weight/

I know I need to re-read this myself and keep the focus. How about you? Do YOU eat enough to lose that weight?

La-

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One Little Word for 2012

Posted on January 12, 2012 by lala362

Every year I pick a word to represent my year. The things I want from it, the things I expect, the things I intend… My goals and my Word for the year come together to give me vision and something to focus on.

This year- My Word is CULTIVATE.  It is chock-full of meaning for my life in 2012! I have such great expectations for this year- I need to cultivate my dreams, goals, relationships etc to grow them to where they will go!

cul·ti·vate

  • Break up (soil) in preparation for sowing or planting
  • Raise or grow
  • Grow or maintain
  • Try to acquire or develop (a quality, sentiment, or skill)
    • - he cultivated an air of indifference
  • Apply oneself to improving or developing


  1. I need to maintain my weight and my lifestyle. I know how easy it is to fall off the wagon and gain weight back. Every day needs my focus. 
  2. I am developing the skills I need to have a successful business. I am also acquiring  the experience and knowledge to help my clients be successful. 
  3. I will be, (am) applying myself to continual improvement of mind, body and spirit.

Still working on my 2012 goals post. (Mostly because I am still trying to work through my goals… but it is a good process and one that cannot be rushed. Having my word will help give me form for my goals.)

Do you do an annual word? What is your word and why? 

This is the site where I got the idea originally for the One Little Word- http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/onelittleword.php

La-

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