Archive for August, 2009
Make-Your-Own Granola
Who loves granola? I do, I do! But, it’s frustrating when I look at the nutrition labels of most granola bars and granola cereals. They’re usually packed with artificial ingredients, chemicals, and preservatives. If I want some granola, can’t it just be the real deal?
My solution: make my own granola. It’s easy to make in a big batch to eat all week or share with family and friends. I made some granola last night and had it this morning over my vanilla yogurt. Here’s how I made it.
Homemade Granola
Ingredients:
6 ounces chopped walnuts
2 ounces sesame seeds
3 cups old-fashioned oats
6 tbsp. honey
6 tbsp. sesame oil
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried apricots
Directions:
Combine oats, walnuts, and sesame seeds in a bowl and set aside. Then heat up the honey, sesame oil, cinnamon stick, and salt in a saucepan over low heat for about 5 minutes. Once it’s heated up, pour the liquid over the oat mixture in the bowl and stir to combine all the ingredients.
Spread out the granola on a sheet pan and bake at 350° for about 20 minutes. After baking, let the granola cool before transferring back to a bowl. Chop up dried cranberries and apricots and add to the mixture.
Optional variation: Once the granola is made, stir in some almond butter and chill in a casserole dish in the refrigerator. It will stick together and you can break off chunks to have as snacks. Check out my almond butter recipe here.
Sweet Potato Mash w/ Goji Berries
I’ve been busy with house chores tonight, but wanted something yummy cookin’ in the kitchen to look forward to. I made a bowl of greens as usual, but also whipped up a batch of mashed sweet potatoes. To boost the nutrients, I re-hydrated some dried goji berries (soaked them in water for a couple hours), pureed them in my food processor, and mixed them right into the mashed potatoes. I couldn’t find my potato masher, so they came out pretty chunky, but I didn’t mind. : )
I love finding new ways to sneak extra nutrients into foods! Putting goji berries in my potatoes added protein and TONS of disease-fighting antioxidants. They were scrumptious.
BTW, I’m working on getting a new camera so I can stop using my cell phone to take bad pictures for you! Coming soon.
Sweet Potato Mash w/ Goji Berries
Ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes
1/3 cup goji berry puree (made from organic dried goji berries)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
4 tbsp. sour cream
4 tbsp. olive oil or unsalted butter
Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°. Wash off the sweet potatoes, rub them with olive oil, and place them in a casserole dish. Bake them for about 1 hour. When the potatoes are done, let them cool for a few minutes. Then, cut into them and scoop out the insides into a bowl to mash them up. Once you have the consistency you want, transfer the potatoes to a medium saucepan on medium-low heat. Stir in the sour cream, butter, nutmeg, goji berries, and salt and pepper. Once everything is mixed, transfer to serving dish and enjoy!
Note: Feel free to leave out the butter, oil, or sour cream if you are sensitive to dairy or are looking to cut calories.
Leave me a comment if you try this out on your own sometime. Or maybe you have your own ideas for sneaking in extra nutrition into basic meals?
I’m Back!
Hi friends!
I’m back to work, recovering from all the fun of my birthday week. I’m working on a few new posts and I’ll have them up for you shortly.
In the meantime, check out my guest post I wrote over on Brian’s How to Live a Longer Life blog: “Life-Saving Leafy Greens.”
Cheers!
It’s my birthday this week, and this girl has some serious celebrating to do! I’m raising a glass to my recent graduation from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and the official beginning of my new journey as Certified Health Counselor. Yay!
So,with all this toasting to do, I’m guessing my blog posts will dwindle this week. But, I didn’t want to leave you empty handed.
A recent study from Osaka University in Japan found that having an few alcoholic drinks with friends could actually reduce your risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. The stress-reducing time you spend at happy hour can scare off disease and help you feel happy and healthy. Of course, these positive benefits come with light-to-moderate drinks…not a fall-off-the-bar “can somebody give me a ride home?” kind of time. Ya know what I’m sayin’?
I like this study because the scientists are taking a different approach to nutritional benefits. They’re looking at the “psychosocial” factors that affect the positive (or negative) outcomes of the food and drinks we consume.
To put it simply…
You can bet that drinking Patron w/Grapefruit Juice & Lime from your couch at home will affect your body differently than the same drink at the bar with close friends and lots of laughter.
Just a little something to brighten up your Monday! Whether or not you enjoy the occasional drinks with friends and family, let’s give a cheers to reducing stress and kicking back every once in awhile.
Wishing you a great week,
Laurel
Tried Something New: Aloe Vera
One of my favorite new books is Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future by David Wolfe. I heard David speak at my school earlier this year and had to know more about superfoods and his living raw food diet.
What are superfoods, you say? They are the most nutritious foods on Earth. When you eat them, they provide unparalleled amounts of nutrition and medicinal benefits to your body. Freakin’ cool, right?
So, little by little, I’ve tried out some of the superfoods over the past few months. I now put goji berries in my smoothies, I stir spirulina into my guacamole, and I crave raw chocolate ALL THE TIME (thanks to chocolate parties hosted by Vanessa at Gnosis Chocolate up in NYC). But there’s still much more to try!
This weekend I hit up a local food market with my sister, and spotted some fresh aloe leaves hidden in the aisle with the fresh greens. I picked one up for $1.50 and decided I’d try it out.
As I’m sure you know, aloe vera is great for your skin, but it works magic inside your body too. I suggest you pick up David’s Superfoods book to get the real deal, but here’s just a few of the benefits of eating aloe:
- Heals digestive issues like IBS, colitis, and ulcers
- Hydrates your body, making your skin look younger
- Promotes a strong immune system
- Aids in weight loss
- Balances blood sugar (reducing symptoms of diabetes) and keeps the kidneys healthy
- Reduces existence of inflammation, cancer, and heart disease
To eat aloe, you cut off a section of the leaf and fillet it to remove the clear gel inside. Aloe vera gel can be added to smoothies, salads, soups, dips, drinks, etc.
This morning I cut off a 3-inch piece of the aloe leaf, removed the gel from the skin, and dropped it right into my berry smoothie before I blended it up. I barely noticed it was there, and if anything, it just added a nice “fresh” element to my drink.
If you want to buy aloe, keep your eye out for the fresh leaves at your local market or grocery store.
Summer Salad with Salmon
One of my favorite summer dinners is a big salad with fresh salmon on top. It’s healthy and easy to make for yourself or for a group. I set out the number of dinner plates I need and then build each salad while I’m chopping everything up. Check out my recipe below.
Summer Salad with Salmon
Tropicana Wrap-Up
So, I had a blast in Chicago! Tropicana and their supporting team were great hosts and I feel so lucky to have taken part in their “Get Your Fruit On!” Weekend.
In addition to enjoying some delicious meals and drinks, staying at the beautiful James hotel, and meeting an impressive group of lady bloggers, I learned a ton about Tropicana’s nutrition, sustainability, and marketing initiatives. Here’s a few key points:
If you’d like to learn more about how Tropicana oranges make it from the grove to your glass, watch their informational video.
One of my favorite parts of the weekend was making breakfast at Bespoke Cuisine. Using special recipes containing Tropicana OJ, we helped cook our own breakfast before chowing down! Here are some of the recipes in case you’d like to try them out. My fav was the fruit salad with toasted coconut, fresh mint, and basil.
Whew! I’m exhausted. Next weekend I definitely need some R&R.
Tropicana Weekend and Photos
So far, I’ve had a wonderful time in Chicago at Tropicana’s “Get Your Fruit On!” Weekend. I’ll post with some fun information I learned later, but for now, here’s a few pictures I’ve snapped today.
