FitFeat

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Pretty in Pink: Gingered Pear Cooler

Oct 3

Posted by Shari B. in FitFeature, Lose Weight, Recipes, vegan | 3 Comments

Hi friends!

I hope you had a marvelous weekend.  The Colorado weather was absolutely STUNNING:  mid-eighties with blue skies.  Just perfect!

I made a simple, tasty concoction over the weekend that I thought you might enjoy.  It was thoroughly refreshing, very hydrating and quick.

Gingered Pear Cooler:

Serves 1

To a blender, add the following:

8 oz plain coconut water

1 organic red pear* (stem removed and cored, skin on)

1 teaspoon minced ginger** (for this I used a pre-minced ginger by The Ginger People)

3 or 4 ice cubes

Blend until smooth.  Pour into a pretty glass and enjoy!

*choosing an organic red skin pear allows you to keep the skin on and that’s what gives this drink it’s pretty pink color.  If you are not using an organic pear, please peel off the skin.

**the pre-minced ginger I use is lightly sweetened with cane sugar so if you use FRESH ginger (which is an awesome choice!) you may want to add just a touch of stevia to your blender if you feel you could use a bit more ‘sweet’.

 

Pears are GOOD for you!

The Mayo Clinic recommends pears for their high-fiber cholesterol fighting properties.  Pears contain pectin (in even higher levels than apples) which is known for the ability to bind to and remove cholesterol from the body.  The fiber in pears (and some other high-fiber foods) is also thought to bind to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon, making it beneficial for colon health.

For even more great info about pears and their health benefits, check out this link.

Have a great week friends!

– Shari B. =)

 

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Sweet and Tart Summer Beverage

Jun 7

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes | 5 Comments

Hi friends!

It’s going to be another warm one here today in Denver!  Upper 80s, I love it!

To keep you cool, here’s a little refreshment to whip up, carry out to the shade of your front porch and sip on while you rock in your rocking chair (swing in your swing, or glide on your glider – whatever you happen to have on your front porch!).

Cherry Limeade

makes one 8 oz drink – scale up as needed to accommodate guests that arrive on  your porch!  :)

Have at the ready 1 green (Granny Smith) apple, 1 small lime (both washed well) and a bag of frozen pitted cherries.  Because the skins of all three fruits will be going into this, find organic if you can.

Slice a little piece of the lime off to use in the juicer (no more than 1/4 of the lime or less per serving).

Run the green apple* and the lime piece (including the peel) through your electric juicer.  Transfer to your blender and add 4 frozen sweet cherries*.  Blend until smooth, maybe 40 seconds and serve immediately.  Rinse your blender and juicer with hot water quickly and park your backside out to the shade.

I used to LOVE limeade from Dairy Queen and Cherry Limeade from Sonic, back in my early 20s which was way before I learned to eat more naturally and with less added sugars.  What’s great about this is rather than buying premade drink mixes chock full of artificial ingredients, chemicals and added sugar, here you are getting all the healthy goodness of just good ol’ lime, apple and cherries.

Here’s an example of the ingredients from a premade cherry limeade drink mix: Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Aspartame, Red 40, Acesulfame Potassium, Calcium Citrate, Potassium Citrate, Calcium Silicate, Magnesium Oxide. (source)

Oddly there is NO juice in that mix!

Since this FitFeat version of Cherry Limeade is FRESH juice straight from the juicer, it’s still alive and full of enzymes, unlike bottled juices which have all been pasteurized.

Variations:

  • I like the tartness the lime peel provides to this, but if it’s too bitter for you by all means feel free to peel it.  You’ll want to use a little more of the lime in this case.
  • I like to use green Granny Smith apples because they are lower in sugar and therefore have less impact on your blood sugar since this is a juice.  Use whatever apple you prefer or have on hand.  Or you could even use a pear!
  • Switch out the lime for lemon (use a larger slice of lemon that you do lime) and try Cherry Lemonade.
  • You can skip the cherries altogether if you just want a limeade and don’t feel like cleaning your juicer AND your blender :)
  • If you want to make it spiffy, add some sparkling water for a more sophisticated drink to serve with appetizers.  (Or toss in some coconut rum or vodka for happy hour…!)

Let me know if you try it!  Stay cool today – I hope your summer is off to a fun start!

– Shari B. =)

*Note:  if you are going to do anything with the juice pulp after juicing apples, be sure to core and seed them.  Apple seeds (and cherry pits for that matter) are poisonous – especially to kids and dogs, if consumed in high enough quantities.  If you aren’t planning to consume the pulp in some other way then you can leave your apples whole or halved and toss straight into the juicer.

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Broccomole

May 5

Posted by Shari B. in Product Review, Recipes | 4 Comments

Hi blog buds!

A while back, as a part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I received some free samples of Tostitos Dip Creation mixes to try.  Of course, being the guacamole lover that I am, I decided to start with this packet:

And seeing how it’s Cinco de Mayo, I figured today would be a good day to share this particular creation.

Instead of using avocados as the directions stated, I thought it would be fun to try another green food.  You know I’m always looking for ways to boost my intake of green veggies.

How about trying it with a whole head of broccoli?

Truth be told, I was a little alarmed at the level of sodium in the dry mix so I figured that broccoli would not only keep the calories in check it would also provide a good amount of potassium to balance out some of the sodium.  If you were to use the entire packet, the sodium would be 1920 mg.  That’s a lot.  So I decided to use only half the packet and see how it would taste.

I steamed one head of broccoli florets for about 5 minutes, until they were bright green and fork tender, transferred them to my Blendtec with 1/2 packet of the guacamole mix and puréed.

Place into your favorite dip bowl and garnish:

Cover and place in refrigerator for a bit until the “Broccomole” chills out a bit.

Then enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips!

This was a really tasty snack and would be a great way to get those non-veggie loving friends or family members to boost their green veg intake as well.

One note:  you will want to eat this on the same day you make it.  Leaving it in the refrigerator overnight causes the broccoli flavor to get really strong. :)

You could also try this with green peas, green beans or edamame.

Happy Cinco de Mayo, friends!

– Shari B. =)

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Stuffed Kabocha Squash

Mar 19

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking, Recipes, vegan, Vegetarian | 6 Comments

Good morning friends!

I was a busy bee in the kitchen yesterday, trying some recipes that I want to freeze for later use.  One of the things I made I just couldn’t resist eating for dinner.

I roasted a kabocha squash then stuffed it with a revised version of my Indian Spiced Quinoa.  Because I was using what I had on hand, I substituted dried plums and basil for the dates and mint in the original version.

Stuffed Kabocha Squash with Indian Spiced Quinoa

Makes 2-4 servings (2 as a meal, 4 as a side dish)

  • 1/2 cup quinoa (measured dry)
  • 1 kabocha squash, halved and seeds removed
  • 3/4 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 1 yellow pepper, chopped and seeds removed
  • 1 small finger of ginger, peeled and minced
  • ½  teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • sprinkle of sea salt
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 3 dried plums, finely chopped
  • 3-5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • ½  teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Directions

Soak quinoa for 30-60 minutes prior to cooking.  Rinse well, drain and set aside.

After quinoa is done soaking, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place halved, deseeded kabocha squash face down on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Roast for 30-35 minutes or until flesh is fork tender.

While kabocha is roasting, melt coconut oil over medium heat.  Add shallots, pepper, garlic, ginger, garam masala and a pinch of sea salt, stirring often until peppers soften, about 5 minutes.

Add quinoa and stir well to coat with spice mixture.

Add vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until quinoa begins to look fluffy and liquid has absorbed into the grains.

Allow quinoa to sit uncovered for 3-5 minutes.  Using a fork, mix in plums and basil leaves.  Divide mixture in two and stuff into the kabocha cavities.  Drizzle each very lightly with balsamic vinegar to finish.

If you are serving the squash as the entree, serve the full half like this:

If you are using it as a side dish you can serve cut into quarters (or even slice through into half-circles):

I did put half in the freezer because I’m curious how the textures and flavors will react with freezing and thawing.  I’ll come back out and update this post when I take that one out of the freezer.

Enjoy your Saturday and the LAST DAY of WINTER!  It’s definitely going to feel like spring here this weekend!  In the 70s!  Nice!

– Shari B. =)

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Veggie & Tempeh Stuffed Tomatoes

Feb 27

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking, Recipes, vegan, Vegetarian | 2 Comments

Hi friends!  Wow, Sunday got away from me!  Here is the second recipe from my final presentation for you.  Let me know if you try it!

Vegetable and Tempeh Stuffed Tomatoes with New Mexico Chile & Chipotle Sauce


A protein-rich meal that packs heat and flavor!  A great way to incorporate some vegetarian/vegan friendly meals into an omnivore’s menu rotation, while keeping the body’s pH in balance.
Serves 4 to 6

For the stuffed tomatoes

  • 4 to 6 large tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • sea salt to taste
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • ½ teaspoon smoky paprika
  • 16 oz tempeh (2 lightlife at 8 oz each)
  • 4-5 medium kale leaves, woody stems removed, leaves cut in chiffonade (tiny ribbons)
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 2 teaspoons dulse flakes
  • ½ bunch of cilantro, chopped (woody lower portions of stems removed and discarded)
  • 2 limes, cut into wedges

For the sauce

  • ¾ cup vegetable stock
  • 3 to 4 large dried New Mexico (Anaheim) chiles, stems and seeds removed and discarded
  • ½ to 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (depending on level of heat desired)
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • sea salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure

Slice tops off tomatoes.  Scoop out the insides to make a bowl-like vessel to stuff.  Reserve the inside of the tomatoes to use in the stuffing.

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat coconut oil in a medium pan over medium heat.  Sauté onion and celery sprinkled with a pinch of sea salt until the onions begin to caramelize, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, as the onions are sautéing, bring stock and chiles to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to blender. Add vinegar, maple syrup and cumin. Blend until smooth, thinning with additional stock as needed for desired sauce thickness.  Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

To the sautéed onions and celery, add in garlic and spices and sauté for another minute or two to allow the flavors to bloom.  Transfer the crumbled tempeh to the pan and add the kale.  Heat over medium heat just until the tempeh is warmed through and the kale is wilted, about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in nutritional yeast, dulse and cilantro.  Pour the sauce into the mixture and stir well, then fill the tomatoes with the mixture.  If the tomatoes don’t hold all of the filling (this can happen sometimes if the tomatoes are small), place the extra filling in the oven proof dish with the tomatoes.

Replace the tomato tops onto the tomatoes.  Cover loosely with foil to keep the tomato tops from burning.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.

When ready to serve, transfer tomatoes to a serving platter (spreading any extra filling on the platter first), garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro and set out some lime wedges for squeezing.

***

Have a GREAT start to your week!

– Shari B. =)

Ginger Pineapple Acai Smoothie

Feb 26

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes, vegan | 7 Comments

Hey friends!  Happy Saturday!

The sun is shining here which always energizes me!  I got up early, got in a quick but effective strength workout and then played around with a new green smoothie.  It was so refreshing I had to share it with you.  (And yes I promise my two recipes from my final will still be posted this weekend!)

Ginger Pineapple Acai Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 10-12 oz water
  • 1 Sambazon Açai (pure unsweeened) frozen smoothie pack
  • 1 rounded tsp minced ginger (I love the pre-minced jarred one from The Ginger People)
  • 1/2 peeled cucumber, chunked
  • 1 cup frozen pineapple
  • 1 scoop raw sprouted grain protein powder
  • 1 cup frozen spinach
  • juice of 1/4 lemon (optional)

Place all of your ingredients in your blender (my Blendtec is well worn!):

Blend until everything is smooth!

Pour, garnish and enjoy!

It may not be the most beautiful color, but the flavor was wonderful!

Here are some of the health benefits of this smoothie:

  • GINGER is a warming food, which is handy to add to a very cooling drink like this, especially in winter months.  It is beneficial for good digestion and has strong anti-inflammatory properties.
  • PINEAPPLE is a great food to add to your post-workout smoothies.  One, because it is a high-glycemic fruit which is helpful in getting fuel quickly to your muscles to replenish glycogen stores after a workout but also because it contains BROMELAIN, which is a natural anti-inflammatory to help speed recovery and reduce soreness.
  • The SPINACH and CUCUMBER are green foods which are highly alkalizing and assist in maintaining alkalinity in the blood.  CUCUMBER promotes healthy connective tissue (and isn’t that part of why we exercise our bodies?) and is extremely hydrating.

And for those of you who like to know the calorie/macronutrient breakdown, it’s really balanced:

Are you guys still drinking your green smoothies?  What fun things have you been adding to yours?

***

As I was taking pictures for this post, I also figured this would be a great time to mention that I am a Blendtec affiliate now!  I absolutely LOVE my Blendtec and when I saw that I could apply to become an affiliate, I was psyched because I think they have the best blender.  (For some reason that *other* blender company that starts with a “V” and ends with “MIX” seems to get so much of the publicity.)  I’ve used the other brand in school, and I still far prefer my Blendtec.  They have a new WildSide jar (a five sided blender!) that I’ve had my eye on.  Maybe someday soon I’ll get one.  My smoothies are LARGE and the WildSide holds 3 quarts!  (I could make green smoothies for my whole neighborhood!  :) )  So if you ever decide to check out blenders in the future, I’d be super grateful if you check them out through my link (there’s a banner on the right side of the screen) – this girl’s gotta pay back her culinary school loan somehow and every penny helps, right?  ;)

Have a GREAT day and I’ll be back again soon with my recipes from class.

– Shari B. =)

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Sinus Clearing Snack (or Dehydrator Onion Rings)

Jan 15

Posted by Shari B. in Adventures in Dehydrating, Recipes | 4 Comments

Hi friends!

Wow, I’ve missed you guys!  How have you all been?  I’m getting a TON accomplished on my project list, but I have to admit it’s been a little tough to stay away from blogging!  So I thought I’d pop in today to say hello and share a few fun things from the last 9 days (and at the end I’ll talk about that snack referenced in the title).

We had a pretty good snowstorm and some FRIGID subzero temps hit us last Sunday into Monday, so I had my first sketchy (and S-L-O-W) commute to school of this winter season.  But what a gorgeous drive it was.  I took this photo from my cell phone driving along at about 50 mph so it’s not the best quality, but it’s still pretty.  I never get tired of looking at the scenery here.  Check out all the colors!

We’re in the Therapeutic module at school and learning about cooking for diabetes/blood sugar control and candida at the moment.  Yesterday my improv recipe assignment was Kale with Arame, Ginger and Sesame.  It may not be the most colorful dish, but it turned out very nicely and felt very warming from all of the fresh ginger. I left the kale leaves raw, cutting them into very thin ribbons (known as a chiffonade cut) and then lightly dressed them with sesame oil and tamari (use your hands to “massage” the dressing into the kale – this will wilt it slightly and help to increase it’s digestibility).  I cut the kale stalks into tiny pieces and sautéed them with grated ginger (about 2 TBSP), minced garlic, sesame oil, tamari and vegetable stock (to keep it from sticking without using too much oil).  Then I added the soaked and drained arame (seaweed) to the sauté.

Using the raw kale as the “bed” I then topped it with the sauté mixture followed by some toasted sesame seeds.  Extremely mineral rich and full of fiber.

Some of the other photoless recipes I’ve done with our improv assignments have been:

Spicy Gingered Bok Choy with Arame and Goji Berries
Baked Mung Bean and Brown Basmati Burgers
Curried Adzuki Bean Soup
Skillet Tempeh Reuben with vegan Thousand Island

I am enjoying this segment of school a lot.  I’ve had the opportunity to work on recipes alone which has been a nice change.  I can’t believe how fast time has been flying by.  We only have 6 weeks left!

So yesterday for a snack, our Kitchen Manager set out some DELICIOUS no-fry onion rings that he’d made in the dehydrator.  They were insanely spicy and insanely good!  He listed off the ingredients he’d used but no amounts so I came home last night and tried to recreate it.

Now let me warn you first:

1. These are CONCENTRATED onions so they pack some punch.  Not only will your house smell like onions while they dehydrate, but your BREATH will rival that of a dragon’s after you eat them.

2. Keep a mint handy for the sake of your friends and coworkers -OR- you may only want to eat these in the privacy of your own home.

3. If you are eating these around your significant other, make sure he/she eats them too so that you can BOTH have dragon breath.  Share the love.  One person with bad breath is no fun.  Two people cancel each other out, especially when it’s time to kiss goodnight.  ;)

4. I have a feeling these will clear out your sinuses.  Mine sure seemed more open after a few bites of these!

But the flavor of this super healthy and LIGHT snack is definitely worth the breath and the long wait during dehydrating.

Dehydrator Onion Rings

Credit for this recipe idea goes to Chef Nelson Schwab, our über-creative Kitchen Manager at Bauman.  I’m not sure if he used the same measurements or not but here is my interpretation.

  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into rings
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
  • 1 tablespoon almonds, finely ground
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • pepper to taste
  • water at the ready

Combine all ingredients except for the onions and water in a mini-chopper or Magic Bullet (or you can do this by hand in a mixing bowl – it just takes longer).  Add just enough water to create a dressing that is about the consistency of thin pancake/crepe batter.  Pour dressing into a Tupperware bowl, throw in the onion rounds, seal the lid onto the bowl, and shake well until all of the onions are well coated.

Place on a dehydrator sheet lined with either parchment paper or a Teflex liner.

Dehydrate overnight at 105 degrees and up to 20 hours or until your desired level of crispiness is reached.

Action shots!

Batter:

Onions after tossing in the batter:

Before dehydrating:

After dehydrating (amazing how tiny things get when you remove all the water!):

And time to snack:

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!  Let me know what you think if you give them a try!

(If you don’t have a dehydrator, no worries!  Bake ‘em in your oven. Start with a low temp around 250 and keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.)

Until next time,

– Shari B. =)

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MandarinBerry Smoothie & Tabata Yoga

Oct 19

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit, Recipes | 8 Comments

Good morning friends!  Happy Tuesday to you!

Lookie what I found this weekend at Whole Foods!  I’m so excited!

My BUBBLY -  in the brand I adore!!!  Wahooo!  And the best news is that it tastes identical to what it did before it was removed from the shelves so long ago!  Now, yes – I am still making my homebrewed version.  In fact last night I bottled yet another batch and started a new one (this new one made with CHAI tea and using a different ratio of tea/water/sugar — can’t wait to try it!).  But I still haven’t mastered that wonderfully fizzy taste that you find in Synergy or Vibranz, so it’s a great treat to have every once in a while.  So if you are a Synergy kombucha fan, hit up your local health food store and see if they have it in stock for you yet!  (And Joan, I think the change to their formula means no “floating mother” – I didn’t see any in this batch so maybe you’d like it!)

***

SITE UPDATE: If you head back over to the Indian Spiced Quinoa post, you’ll see that I’ve added a HEALTH BENEFITS feature for you (located at the bottom of the recipe).  We do that for some of our homework, so I thought you’d like to see what good things you’ll do for your body eating quinoa, dates and sweet bell peppers!

***

And on the topic of recipes, check out this morning’s post-yoga green smoothie:

Postworkout MandarinBerry Green Protein Smoothie:

All ingredients go into your blender – blend until deliciously smooth!  ;) 251 calories, 19g protein (30%), 37g carbs (59%), 3g fat (11%).

Today I did yoga moves with Tabata timing, just because I was feeling like trying something crazy.  It was a fun change of pace!  Chair pose was especially challenging!  Hold your favorite yoga position for 20 seconds, getting as deep as you can, come out of it for 10 seconds, then back in for 20 seconds.  Repeat for 4 minutes straight.

Image Source

Today I used plank, warrior 2, balancing stick, chair pose and eagle pose (after a good warmup of course, like walking on a treadmill for 5-7 minutes, then a light jog for 3 minutes).

After warm-up this is 20 minutes of yoga, and it was a great way to just mix things up a bit!  I’m never bored with workouts when I use Tabata timing.  So much fun!

Have a TERRIFIC day friends!

– Shari B. =)

***

Shari Becht is a Fit Living Coach & ACE Certified Personal Trainer. She is extremely passionate about teaching people how they can take steps to fit healthy living into their busy lives. She has decided to take her love of nutrition one step further as a student in the Natural Chef Culinary Program at Bauman College and will graduate in Spring 2011.  If you or someone you know could use some help learning how to fit more “FIT” into life, please feel free to email her at shari [at] fitfeat [dot] com.  For more information, click here.

*affiliate link to my OpenSky store – I do receive commission on products purchased through this link.

hari Becht is a Fit Living Coach and ACE Certified Personal Trainer. She is extremely passionate about teaching people how they can take steps to fit healthy living into their busy lives. She has decided to take her love of nutrition one step further by being accepted into the Natural Chef Culinary Program at Bauman College and will graduate in Spring 2011.

If you or someone you know could use some help learning how to fit more “FIT” into life, please feel free to email her at shari [at] fitfeat  [dot] com.  For more information, click here.

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Indian Spiced Quinoa

Oct 12

Posted by Shari B. in Natural Chef Culinary School, Recipes, vegan | 12 Comments

Here is the recipe for the Indian Spiced Quinoa from my homework assignment that I promised to share with you.  I’d love to know what you think if you try it!

This is a super easy recipe that provides a lot of flavor punch for the small amount of effort involved.  You will definitely want to use the dates and FRESH mint leaves (as opposed to dry) – the power of the fresh flavors in those two ingredients makes all the difference in this recipe.

  • 1 cup quinoa (measured dry)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 1 orange pepper, chopped (feel free to use red or yellow)
  • 1 finger of ginger, peeled and minced
  • ½  teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 medjool dates, pitted and minced
  • Mint leaves from 3-4 sprigs, finely chopped

Directions
Soak quinoa for 30-60 minutes prior to cooking.  Rinse well, drain and set aside.

Melt coconut oil over medium heat.  Add shallots, orange pepper, garlic, ginger and garam masala, stirring often until peppers soften, about 5 minutes.

Add quinoa and stir well to coat with spice mixture.

Add vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until quinoa begins to look fluffy and liquid has absorbed into the grains.

Allow to sit uncovered for 3-5 minutes.  Using a fork, mix in dates and mint leaves.  Serve immediately.

Adapted from ‘Carla’ at www.food.com (Garam Masala Basmati Rice)

Health Benefits

Quinoa:  Often thought of as a grain, but actually a seed, one ½ cup serving of quinoa provides 251 mg of potassium, as well as 4.5 grams of complete protein (www.calorieking.com).  Quinoa has a macronutrient breakdown of 71% carbohydrate, 14% fat and 15% protein (www.nutritiondata.self.com).  It is also an excellent source of manganese, magnesium and iron.  Originally a South American crop, it has an interesting Colorado connection, as it was brought here in the 1980s for cultivation by two Americans (Murray 2005, 348-349).

Dates: Dates are a delightfully sweet treat that should be a part of any diet, especially for individuals looking for whole, natural solutions for fueling their endurance exercise. This glucose-rich fruit is easily digestible and highly alkaline (Brazier 2007, 142) providing an astonishing 262% more potassium than an orange per ounce yet providing a relatively low caloric count of 23 calories per pitted date (Murray 2005, 272).  Studies have shown dates to be rich in both antioxidant and anticancer compounds, bringing new meaning to the coined term “The Tree of Life” for the date palm that bears this fruit (Murray 2005, 273).

Sweet Red Bell Pepper: Bell peppers are considered one of the highest nutrient-dense foods based on the ratio of their nutrient level to calories, at only 20 calories per 3.5 ounce pepper.  A one cup serving of bell pepper will provide you with 291% of the RDA for Vitamin C and 105% for Vitamin A (www.whfoods.com).  The red pepper is superior to green from a nutrient standpoint.  Eating bell peppers is thought to be protective against cancer, heart disease, strokes, cataracts and cholesterol levels.  Because bell peppers are members of the nightshade family (which have been thought to worsen the symptoms of arthritis), people suffering from arthritis may choose to reduce or eliminate their consumption of these particular vegetables.  (Murray 2005, 167).

Bibliography

Bauman, Edward. Eating for Health: Your Guide to Vitality and Optimal Health. Pengrove, CA:  Bauman College, 2008

Brazier, Brendan. The Thrive Diet: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life. Philadelphia, PA: DeCapo Press, 2007

CalorieKing’s www address www.calorieking.com.

Livestrong’s www address www.livestrong.com

Murray, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. New York, NY: Atria Books, 2005

SELF NutritionData’s www address www.nutritiondata.self.com

The World’s Healthiest Foods’ www address www.whfoods.com

***

Shari Becht is a Fit Living Coach and ACE Certified Personal Trainer.  She is extremely passionate about teaching people how they can take the steps to fit healthy living into their busy lives.  She has decided to take her love of nutrition one step further by enrolling in the Natural Chef Culinary Program at Bauman College and will graduate in Spring 2011.

If you or someone you know could use some help learning how to fit more “FIT” into life, please feel free to email her at shari [at] fitfeat  [dot] com.  For more information, click here.

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Easy Vegan Butter

Oct 6

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes, vegan | 6 Comments

Hi there blog buds!

So yesterday’s post about making a better “butter” had to be removed because it was causing some technical difficulties.   I’m going to try to paste it below with hope that it works this time.  Ironically, while I was spending a couple of hours trying to figure out what the problem was (and grumbling about why I ever chose to go self-hosted with my blog) my credit card was being charged at that time for the next full year of hosting!  Ha! 

***

The other day when I ran out of Earth Balance vegan ‘butter’, I was getting ready to write it down on my grocery list when I recalled seeing a “better butter” recipe in The Ultimate pH Solution by Michelle Schoffro Cook, DNM, DAc.  I thought this would be the perfect time to give it a try.

It’s incredibly simple and things made at home are always better for you than something that’s been sitting on a shelf at the store.  ;)

This “butter” is made using equal parts coconut oil (extra virgin unrefined) and flaxseed oil.  To a small sauce pan add your coconut oil only (never heat flaxseed oil) and use a very low heat to melt your coconut oil to liquid.  Remove from the heat, then stir in the flax oil, place in a container and refrigerate.  The cooling of the coconut oil will cause the whole mixture to harden like butter.

Michelle also recommends adding fresh minced herbs to this mixture while it’s still liquid, for a flavored ‘butter’.

If you find that you avoid eating flaxseed oil because you don’t care for its strong taste, try using this recipe on some toasted Ezekial bread, then top it with some paste from a roasted garlic.  You’ll never even know the flax it there!  It’s a great way to get in your daily Omega 3s from the flax and the coconut oil is a terrific energy source, thanks to the medium chain triglycerides.  (Click HERE for some further reading you might find interesting about the benefits of coconut oil.)

You won’t want to use this spread in place of butter for any kind of cooking (or baking) though because of the flax – so use it as a finishing product to top onto your warm food.  How about putting a pat over your freshly steamed veggies and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice as they are being served at the table?

Once this batch is gone, I’ll be experimenting with other oils in place of the flax that CAN be used for heating, like macadamia nut oil, to see how it works in cooking recipes.

– Shari B. =)

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Reference:
Schoffro Cook, Michelle. The Ultimate pH Solution. New York: Harper Collins, 2008

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