Hey guys!
Sorry I’ve gone AWOL lately, I’ve had a ton of things on my plate and can now happily say that I’ve successfully moved in to my new apartment with three of my best friends! We actually have a pretty sweet deal going on and have 16 (!) people in our immediate friend group, both boys and girls, who are living in the same apartment complex as us and are stationed right above the pool and grill.
From moving in to catching up with everyone, I’ve hardly touched my computer in the last week or so, but I’m glad to be back!
Anyways, I’ve been trying to maintain my healthy habits while in school and have to admit that it gets much harder when the college norms are to consume copious amounts of pizza and alcohol and make late night slurpie runs. I have had some success in whipping up some old favorites like my Lemon Garlic Shrimp Orzo and roasted kabocha! Man, I can’t get enough of that stuff and am SO glad that my local grocery store carries them and I don’t have to hunt them down at Whole Foods or an asian supermarket.
If you haven’t tried kabocha yet, you’re in for a treat. The asian pumpkin is unbelievably tasty and has the most delicious creamy texture. I kid you not that I’ve eaten almost an entire one for dinner and was 100% satisfied. They’re that good. And I don’t mean good as in “healthy good”, I mean just plain freakin’ yummy!
Whenever I roast up one, I find myself constantly sneaking back into the kitchen to grab just one more bite, but end up hovering and eating at least a couple of slices. Never fear, though, because kabocha is not only mouthwatering, but also good for you!
Here are some awesome facts about kabocha to convince you that it’s actually your soul mate disguised as a member of the winter squash family
- “Kabocha is like butternut squash’s sadly under appreciated sister. A single cup of kabocha has forty calories compared to butternut squash’s 60, and has less than half of the carbs of butternut squash (7 grams vs. 16 grams). But, it tastes better… the perfect substitute.”
- It’s a great source of beta-carotene (which your body converts to vitamin A). A single serving has 70% of your daily recommended amount. This means your eyes, skin, hair, and white blood cells will thank you!
- Fiber. Lots of it!
- You don’t have to peel em’. When they cook, the peel softens and is so, so, so delicious with the creamy fleshy part on top.
Anyone else share my obsession?
I just picked up some kabocha today at a local farmer’s market. They were a total steal at $1.50 apiece! Usually they are $1.00-$2.00 a pound wherever I go so I saved a boatload
Happy to see a post from you. I was wondering where you skittered off to when I didn’t see a WIAW today!
Ahh that’s a fabulous deal! I would have scooped up every one they had haha ;). Guess I’m a greedy kabocha hoarder!
Congrats to the new apartment. It sounds awesome! With so many friends around I believe the move in party was a huge one.
It’s so strange that I’ve never seen kabocha around here in Germany. Everyone’s so in love with this pumpkin, I hope I’ll have a chance to try it this season.
Thanks girlie! Haha trust me, there’s been a lot of fun antics going around the apartments ;). How weird! You NEED to try one! I know you’d absolutely love them!
With you on the obsession- but also we should be grateful we’re naturally tanned- the orange tinge isn’t evident!
Good to see you back buddy!
Hahah guess we’re just blessed with good kabocha-eating genes ;). That actually made me laugh out loud…. TAN BUDDIES FOR LIFE!
Looks delish! I tried my first kabocha the other week and it was awesome. Unfortunately it didn’t sit well in my stomach so I’m guessing it was the skin. NExt time I’ll peel it!
Congrats on moving into your new place. Sounds like an awesome living sitch!
Bummer :(. Sorry you had issues with it, you’re right, maybe the skin is harder for some people to digest! I have the same stomach issues when it comes to eating some tougher raw veggies.
Thanks Davida!
Well hey there, lady! Good to see ya again 😀 That’s awesome about moving into a new place with so many of your friends. And oh man… don’t even get me started on my obsession with kabocha. I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that I’m going to turn a nice shade of orange this fall…
Glad to be back! I feel like I have SO much catching up to do with reading blogs, responding to comments, etc. My bloglovin showed 224 unread blogs the other day and I had a mini panic attack haha ;).
Kabocha is the new spray tan!
Ahh missed you girl! <3 so glad you're back! And super SUPER excited about your new living space. Living that close to so many friends + pool + grill?! So excited for you!
Glad to be back! Ahhh me too! It’s going to be a great year 😀
I’ve never tried kabocha squash! I’m seeing it everywhere, though, so I think I need to find one!
You definitely do need to! They’re amazing 😀
You have completely sold me on kabocha! Sounds like you have a great setup in the apartment
Kudos to you for staying on track in college – never an easy thing!
I still haven’t tried kabocha which I feel like is a health blogger sin! Maybe with your guide I’ll be able to manage
We’ve missed ya, girl!!! I’ve always wanted to try kabocha (thanks to the never-ending talk about it in the blogosphere) but you’ve definitely sealed the deal for me. Going to look for it next time I’m at the grocery store! By the way, how awesome you all live in the same complex! That’s got to be SO much fun.
Yum! I had my first kabocha a month or so ago. I recieved it in my CSA and I made it with cinnamon, coconut oil, and kosher salt. It was sweet and delicious. I have to try it the savory way with garlic, it sounds so darn good.
I have yet to try Kabocha! I know, I know! I need to try and get my hands on one ASAP!
I think I’ve seen Kabochas around a lot lately! I never buy them because I never know how to cook them (and I’m a woman with a plan). Know that I have this recipe I won’t shy away. Thanks for posting!
When I started blogging all this talk about ‘kabocha’ made me think it was this strange exotic vegetable I could never find. I just didn’t realise (until last week) it’s just called something else in Australia and I had been eating it since I could remember 😛
Roasted, baked, fried, stir-fried or raw (yes, raw) it’s amazing. This morning I made a smoothie using pureed kabocha, ginger & cinnamon. I was on the floor of the kitchen in delight
The apartment sounds amazing
Like a modern day Melrose Place, but I’m sure the meals will be more amazing than anything a 90s sitcom could throw together 😛
I’ve never had it, but I probably should have
GET IN MY MOUTH KABOCHA!!! 😀
That’s awesome that you have so many friends close by! How fun
Mmmm kabocha. They’re so hard to find here but I snatch them up when I see them!
I don’t think I’ve ever tried Kabocha. It looks a little like an acorn squash which I absolutely love.
Kabochas are so good I always feel like I am eating junk food when I eat them. I usually dry roast them (no oil or anything), and then cut them into smaller chunks and keep them in the oven on low for several hours to dry out more, so they are really thick and starchy. Then I dip them in a chocolate sauce made simply of hot water and cocoa powder with a tiny bit of stevia (the squash is SO sweet that you don’t even need to sweeten the cocoa – I sometimes even just dunk the squash into dry cocoa powder!!) If I am feeling so inclined not to eat chocolate… or it is later in the day (cocoa keeps me up), then, I will just munch it plain, dip it in peanut flour, or dunk it in a sea salt vinegar mix. YUUUMMMM!!
I totally agree! They’re so delicious and almost taste like a treat to eat :). That sounds heavenly! I’ve never tried them that way before, but I can’t wait to pick up my text kabocha to try 😀
Let me know what you think if you try it! If you love chocolate, you will most likely LOVE it! The squash texture makes it seem like a truffle chocolate!! I just ate a massive amount of this for breakfast and now my heart is palpitating from the chocolate! YUMMMM!