Archive for September, 2009

LOHF on Top 50 List

OnlineNursingPrograms.net recently posted their list of the “50 Healthy Food Blogs You Shouldn’t Be Without.”

I’m happy to report that Laurel on Health Food made the top 50 under the “Nutrition and Weight Loss” section. Check it out and maybe you’ll find a few new reads while you’re there.

Thanks to Amber for sending me the great news!

What’s in Season?

Hey there! I’ve been thinking a lot about seasonal cooking this week. Last Saturday I took a trip to the local farmer’s market and was excited to see some of my favorite fall produce on display. Down in Florida, we’re not feeling much of a change in weather (it’s still hot & humid), but we should get a break soon enough.

One of the best things about cooking and eating foods in season is they taste better and they’re at their peak levels of nutrition and freshness. Eating seasonally means you can eat locally (supporting farmers and community-supported agriculture). Your food will travel shorter distances from the fields to your plate.

Here’s a list of fruits in vegetables in season for Autumn/Fall: apples, arugula, asian pears, beans (for shelling), broccoli, Brussels sprout, fennel, green tomatoes, hard-shelled squashes, pears, persimmons, pomegranates, radicchio, sweet peppers, and sweet potatoes. (Ref: Fresh From the Farmers’ Market by Janet Fletcher)

Look out for these foods in your local stores and markets. Or maybe you’re lucky enough to have a few growing in your garden!

I picked up some fresh Brussels sprout last weekend and they’re really delicious. I recently learned that these magically healthy cruciferous vegetables are sweeter during their peak season. I could really taste a difference and they didn’t have the strong bitter flavor Brussels sprout tend to have other times of the year (the longer they’re stored off the stalk, the stronger their bitter flavor becomes).

Happy Fall Season and I hope you enjoy some seasonal produce!

Easy Marinara Sauce

Hey there! I hope everyone’s having a good weekend. I’ve had a very busy couple of weeks, so I’m playing catch-up today. On Thursday night I made organic semolina pasta with a homemade marinara sauce and sautéed zucchini on the side. It came out really yummy and was super easy. I had lots of leftover sauce, so I’ve been eating it with everything over the past few days.

Here’s my marinara sauce recipe in case you’d like to try it. Many store-bought pasta sauces are filled with extra sugar and salt you don’t need. Plus, a bunch of them contain high fructose corn syrup, which you should avoid like the plague. It’s really easy and affordable to make your own marinara sauce.

Feel free to increase/decrease any of the portions to your liking. You really can’t mess this one up.

Laurel’s Easy Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:
2 cans organic tomato sauce (no added salt)
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
5 fresh basil leaves
3 sprigs fresh oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. ground red pepper
salt & black pepper

Directions:
Pour the cans of tomato sauce into a medium sauce pan and heat on medium-low. Add the bay leaf to the sauce. Chop up garlic cloves and sauté for 1-2 minutes in a pan with the olive oil (don’t burn). Pour the sautéed garlic and olive oil into the tomato sauce and stir. Add red pepper and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Chop up the fresh basil and oregano leaves and stir them into the sauce. Turn the heat down to low, and let simmer until you’re finished cooking the rest of your meal.

Note 1: I like my sauce a little spicy, but you can leave out the red pepper if you like it more mild.

Note 2: For added flavor, add 1/4 cup onions to the garlic and olive oil sauté mixture.

Fubar Organic Bars

Stacey from Fubar Organic Bars sent me 2 samples each of their Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Coconut organic fuel snack bars. I wanted to share my review with you in case you’d like to try them out sometime.

The main thing I like about Fubar’s snack bars is they’re made of certified organic, all natural, healthy ingredients (like almond butter, agave nectar, dark chocolate chips, sesame seeds, etc). These days it’s really tough to find anything in a package that’s free of chemicals, artificial sweeteners, and and other scary ingredients I can’t pronounce. Whole foods are really the best option.

My favorite of the two Fubar flavors was chocolate chip, but they were both pretty tasty! I had them as mid-morning snacks and felt like I got a little boost of energy that lasted a couple hours. I think they’re a good choice if you’re looking for something healthy to eat when you’re on the go.

You can find out more about Fubar products and purchase them online at www.getfubar.com.