Some of the listed cooking oils to avoid surprised me, but the reasons make sense. On my quest to eat less processed foods, and more whole foods, I value this info. I want the best nutrition for our family, especially when what goes in our little girl’s body is being used to create new tissue that will be with her for life.
In an effort to provide vital information on health and fitness, I’ll start to share what I find interesting from other articles/blog posts. With less time being spent on writing my own posts, this content will have practical advice for parents, kids, and, well, anyone looking to live a happy and healthy life.
Hopefully you find value in what I have to share and can put the info to good use. Enjoy the read and please let me know if you have anything specific you’d like to know more about.
Processed To Death – Get These Cooking Oils Out of Your Pantry STAT!
Mary’s Gone Crackers recently sent me a package with four of their Super Seed Cracker varieties to try. They provided them free of charge and only asked for a delicious recipe in return. Make a healthy recipe and get awesome organic and nutritious crackers? Win-Win!
I’ve been enjoying their Original Crackers for a few years already, but the different flavors were a nice change. My favorite way to enjoy is by pairing them with baby carrots for a super crunchy snack with a little sweetness from the carrots balancing the light saltiness. And of course dipping in cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt, crunched on salad, and bean dips are all spectacular uses. On our recent 9 Year Anniversary trip to Travaasa Austin, Going Mom and I both snacked on the crackers in delight.
Anchovies + avocado + Mary’s Gong Crackers = Delicious!
I have an affinity for dips, so it didn’t take long to decide on creating the perfect dip for these lovely crackers. Taking my love of pairing carrots with Mary’s Gone Crackers, I knew just what to do. With steamed carrots, beans, and several health-boosting herbs and spices, the dip was done in under 10 minutes.
The flavor was just like a good bean dip with a little sweetness added from cooked carrots. Turmeric adds some earthiness and a host of health-promoting benefits. One of them being that it helps to retain beta carotene from the carrots.
Mary’s Gone Crackers are one of the few foods I feel good about eating even though they are packaged. No added oils (even helthy ones usually get damaged from high heat processing), lots of delicious nuts and seeds, and all organic make them a great choice for anyone. And if you love crunchy, then these are the crackers for you! Seriously, just crumble them on a salad or over eggs, they are wonderful.
I’ll stop going on and let you try for yourself. Once you grab a box (or five), make this High Antioxidant Carrot Bean Dip to share or keep all to yourself.
High Antioxidant Carrot Turmeric Bean Dip
by RC Liley
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 5 Minutes
6079405
Ingredients
1 15oz can of pinto, black, or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup steamed carrots; Use pumpkin puree if you don’t have or don’t want to use carrots
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried parsley (dill or basil would be good too)
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Let me keep this simple…
Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth; scrape down the sides once or twice to get everything.
Have you tried Mary’s Gone Crackers before? Ready for football season to start or could you care less?
Mary’s Gone Crackers provided their products free of charge in exchange for this recipe posting. All opinions are strictly my own and I was not compensated in any other way.
The sweet potato as well as all potato varieties are incredibly underrated vegetables. Both offer distinctive nutritional benefits, but are completely different vegetables from each other. Sweet potatoes actually come from a completely different family in the plant kingdom. While many sources hold sweet potatoes on a pedestal claiming they are far superior to the regular “baking” potatoes, they both have a welcome place in our diet.
Just like the regular spud, sweet potatoes come in many varieties and range in color from a pasty white to a deep red; each imparting unique tastes and textures. Although sweet potatoes taste sweeter than their distant “white” cousins, they do not spike our blood sugar as much as the regular spuds.
One reason is the fact that sweet potatoes have almost double the amount of fiber than their counterparts; fiber plays a major role in slowing digestion and releasing sugar. Both varieties offer similar amounts of vitamins and minerals, but sweet potatoes come out on top for antioxidant content. So, don’t skip out on baked potatoes as they have a lot to offer in flavor and nutrition, but I want to focus on the sweet tuber today.
Choose sweet potatoes that are firm and do not have any cracks, bruises or soft spots. Avoid those that are displayed in the refrigerated section of the produce department since cold temperature negatively alters their taste.
Sweet potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark and well-ventilated place, where they will keep fresh for up to ten days. Ideally, they should be kept out of the refrigerator in a cool, dry, dark place not above 60 degrees F / 15 degrees C, which would fit the characteristics of a root cellar. Yet since most people don’t have root cellars, we’d suggest just keeping your sweet potatoes loose (not in a plastic bag, but if desired, a brown paper bag with multiple air holes punched in it will work) and storing them in a cool, dark, and well-ventilated cupboard away from sources of excess heat (like the stove).
After selecting a sweet potato or five following the tips above, here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy:
1. Sweet Potato Peanut Stew or Bisque – Eatingwell.com provides a great recipe I use and change as needed. Instead of the tomato juice their recipe calls for, I use canned chopped tomatoes; sometimes I toss some cubed and cooked chicken breast in after pureeing for a protein boost. The peanut butter provides healthy fat that enables the body to better absorb the beta-carotene in sweet potatoes.
2. Sweet Potato Chocolate Pudding – So good. Cube and steam the sweet potato in the microwave, throw all ingredients in a blender with a little milk, and blend away! Add avocado for extra creamy nutrition; trust me. This is great hot or cold and with or without roasted peanuts added for a little crunch.
3. Roasted Sweet Potato – either cut into fries or simply cubed, I love baking these in a 375 degree over for 30 – 45 minutes. The roasting brings out the sweetness of the spud and is even better with cinnamon sprinkled on top. For something savory, toss with whole garlic cloves, ground cumin, and parsley to roast in the oven; this is great served cold too!
4. Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili – If you haven’t combined sweet potato with black beans yet, make this now! When it’s hot outside, make it a cold salad instead by cutting out a few steps. Try adding sliced avocado for a cool and creamy addition with extra nutrition.
Eat Me…….seriously
5. Sweet Potato Pancakes – a great change from regular flour pancakes for a special weekend breakfast; try this recipe I found on Pinterest you will love it! I use half unsweetened applesauce and half plain full fat yogurt instead of just yogurt. Whisk plain yogurt with peanut butter (Like NuttZo!) and honey for a tasty topping; sliced bananas with extra cinnamon is a great way to really up the flavor!
The potato is a versatile food and can be prepared in less than 10 minutes for when you have no time to spare. Kelley and I have found the Jersey Sweet Potato to be our favorite so far; we simply rinse and microwave for 4 -5 minutes and enjoy topped with plain full fat Greek yogurt. Similar to my squash puree mixtures, I sometimes use cooked sweet potato instead; this makes for a very creamy and delicious treat when mixed with frozen berries or bananas.
Don’t be scared to eat more potatoes, both sweet and regular are great nutritional powerhouses. Buy organic so you can just rinse the skin and eat it to obtain the vital vitamins and minerals it has within. If you do not buy organic, you might be better off peeling the potato to limit the amount of pesticides you ingest.
How do you enjoy sweet potatoes?
An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.
