Clean Eating for Beginners

Here are a few images that will help you start eating clean:

 

 

Superfoods from A to Z

Here is a great list of Superfoods from Kate Morin. 

At first I was confused by D... doughnut?  Is that a superfood?  Did I miss something?

Ohhhhhhh!  It's a date!

To get the complete list of foods and why they are so super, read the original post here: The Best Superfoods, from A to Z.

Pumpkins - An Update!

So I first showed off my pumpkins a month a go: 

Okay... so maybe they weren't too impressive then. 

But look at them now!

I'm getting excited for Halloween!

Huckleberry and Walnut Cookies

My husband went on a hike last weekend and picked a good amount of huckleberries.  We've been snacking on them all week, but I thought I should try my hand at a new type of cookie with the fresh, tasty little guys.

I've included two versions of this recipe.  One is how I usually make cookies (with almond flour, coconut oil, etc.) and the other has more common, regularly used ingredients that you might have in your fridge and pantry.

Huckleberry & Walnut Cookies

My Usual Recipe:
2.5 cups Almond Flour
1/2 cups Oat Flour
2 Tbs Flax Meal
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tbs Vanilla Extract
10 Tbs Coconut Oil
10 Tbs Honey
1/3 cup Walnuts
1/3 cup Huckleberries

Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

Mix the dry ingredients (flours, flax, baking soda, salt) together in a small bowl.  Mix the wet ingredients (vanilla, coconut oil, honey) together in a large bowl.  Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing the entire time.  Fold in walnuts and huckleberries.

Form small balls of dough with your hands, flatten them slightly, and place them on the cookie sheet. 

Bake 12-13 minutes.  Let cookies cool for 3-4 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them. 

Makes ~30 small cookies.


Recipe With More Common Ingredients:
3 cups flour (white or whole wheat)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tbs Vanilla Extract
10 Tbs Butter (softened)
1/2 cup White Sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup Walnuts
1/3 cup Huckleberries (or other fruit like dried cranberries)

Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

Mix the dry ingredients (flours, baking soda, salt) together in a small bowl.  Mix the wet ingredients (vanilla, butter, sugar, eggs) together in a large bowl.  Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing the entire time.  Fold in walnuts and huckleberries.

Form small balls of dough with your hands, flatten them slightly, and place them on the cookie sheet. 

Bake 10-12 minutes.  Let cookies cool for 3-4 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them. 

Makes ~30 small cookies.


Let me know what you think of them!

Protein in Plant Foods

Here is some awesome info on plant proteins from Live Love Fruit.

1. Chia seeds (1/4 cup = 12 grams)
2. Hemp seeds (1/4 cup = 10 grams)
3. Sunflower seeds (1/4 cup = 8 grams)
4. Spirulina (1 oz. = 16 grams)
5. Quinoa (1/4 cup dry = 6 grams)
6. Sesame seeds (1/4 cup = 7 grams)
7. Pumpkin seeds (1 oz. = 9.35 grams)
8. Mushrooms (1 cup – 5 grams)
9. Barley grass (1/2 cup, juiced = 12.6 grams)
10. Watercress (1 cup = 3 grams)
11. Peas (1 cup = 8 grams)
12. Asparagus (8 spears = 3.08 grams)
13. Romaine (1 cup = 1 gram)
14. Almonds (1 oz. = 6.03 grams)
15. Cauliflower (1 cup = 2.28 grams)
16. Maca root (1 tbsp = 3 grams)
17. Broccoli (1 cup = 5.7 grams)
18. Kale (1 cup = 2.5 grams)
19. Sprouts (1 cup = 5 grams)
20. Avocado (1 avocado = 4 grams)
21. Brazil nuts (1 cup, shelled = 20 grams)
22. Figs (1 cup = 2.5 grams)
23. Goji berries (1 cup = 10 grams)
24. Spinach (1 cup = 5.35 grams)

If you want a bigger image, be sure to check out the original post on Live Love Fruit.  There is a printable PDF available.

Happy eating!

Seven Superfoods to Help You Live Longer

Here's an infograph from Lemongraphic:

Pretty darn good, huh?

I'm happy to say that I regularly eat kale, coconut oil, chia seeds (this is a recently new addition), and lentils and beans, and I eat blueberries when they are on sale. 

Acai and maca?  Never.

To be honest, I'm not sure what maca is... but now I'm interested.

Have you ever tried maca?  Let me know what you think about it.

Spicy Food and Risk-Taking Personalities

According to a new study that was presented at the annual Institute of Food Technologists meeting and as reported by NBC News, there is a possible correlation between liking spicy foods and having a risk-taking personality.  You can read the full report from NBC here: Your Love of Spicy Foods Means You're a Risk Taker, New Study Says.

My thoughts:

1. I love how definitive the title of the article sounds when they have a quote stating, "I don’t think we can say that spicy food lovers are always risk takers, since there are always exceptions to the rules."
2. Perhaps I'm one of those exceptions:  I love spicy food, but it takes me 10 minutes to work up the nerve to jump into a cold lake. 
3. I feel like this study would not hold up in other cultures.  I love Thai food and Indian food, especially when it's spicy, but spicy to me is tame for someone who grew up in one of the cultures.

Your thoughts on spicy food and risk-taking?