Green Options

Sweet potatoes are just starting to show up at my local farmers market. The first sweet potatoes of the season are not as sweet as those that come later. Farmers will set some by to cure, thus developing the super-sweet flavor familiar from holiday dinners. Fresh from the ground, they’re still sweet. But they’re not so sweet that they should be called dessert.

Sweet potatoes have a lot of nutrition packed into relatively few calories. According to NutritionData, a single serving (1 cup) of sweet potatoes has 769% of the daily value of Vitamin A. They’re also high in vitamin C and several B vitamins, as well as minerals such as Manganese, Potassium, Copper, and others. The low glycemic load of sweet potatoes gets them into low-carb diets and many weight lifters include them in their meals.

Going Meatless on Mondays doesn’t have to mean deprivation of all your favorite foods. By making some simple changes to recipes, you can easily swap out the animal products for vegan options. Here is a simple veganized muffin recipe, so you can start your Meatless Monday off with delicious, healthy, energizing and decadent baked good.

Tibetan Goji Berries are regarded in Tibet as the “Fruit of Longevity and Well Being”. Goji berries have been traditionally regarded as a food that offers your body longevity, strength-building, and sexual potency. Goji’s are a complete protein source and a low calorie snack that strengthens your immune system, increases energy and helps to curb cravings. It has one of the highest antioxidant contents in all food, which helps to fight free radicals, keeping you young and vibrant. Goji’s contain 18 amino acids, vitamin C, beta-carotene, 20 rare trace minerals, vitamin B1, B2 and B6 and vitamin E.

In honor of this Meatless Monday, let’s boost our energy, keep ourselves looking and feeling young and chow down on some delicious vegan, anti-aging muffins.

A quick trip to the farmers market Saturday afternoon netted me several more pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. The canteloupe vanished soon after arriving home. My daughter had me cut it open and scoop out the seeds for her and she sat down on the sofa with a melon baller. Ten minutes later, it was gone.

While she gobbled down the melon, I surveyed the fridge for dinner. I needed to use up some leftovers from a party earlier this week where I served dips and chips. I had a half jar of salsa and some sour cream left over. With the red potatoes and jalapeños I bought today, I had the makings of a good side dish for dinner.

I’m not a morning person.  When I get out of bed, I want an easy dish to make for my family.  This red potato frittata is a big hit in my house.  It’s a big hit with me because I can do it with my eyes half-closed.

Frittatas are well-known for their ability to absorb leftovers.  Just gather whatever is in your fridge, dump it into an oven-safe dish, and pour eggs over it.  Simple. 

My daughter looks forward to shopping at the farmers’ market.  I think she’s excited because she never knows what will be there.  When one booth owner mentioned that he would have blackberries the next week, she talked about that to anyone who would listen and pestered me about it until we went back.  If my husband or I purchase a head of lettuce at the grocery store, even if she’s with us, she won’t eat it.  But she eats the lettuce she buys at the farmers’ market, just like she eats the lettuce she grows in her little garden.

I confess that I would do many things to get my daughter to eat her veggies – including eating vegetables I hate – but I, too, like gardening and going to farmers’ markets, so this one is no sacrifice. 

Meatless Mondays have evolved to include Tofu Tuesdays, Wheat-Free Wednesday (every day is wheat free in our household), Tightwad Thursdays (otherwise known as food on the cheap) and Fun Fridays. Our family enjoys a minimum of two nights a week sans meat and often I sneak in a few more.  Fridays are always fun, because this is when we opt for all kinds of new tricks to get kids to eat their veggies or help prepare dinner.
Today, I’ve made a new iced coffee beverage that is so good, I have to share! I’m also posting our dinner for tonight, using the vegan cream of mushroom soup recipe I posted a while back. Can you say… “Yum-O!”? Sorry… I don’t have a photo to share yet, since it’s not dinnertime.

According to the folks over at Eat This Not That, there are certain nutrients you should try to eat every day for optimum health. In case you needed a few more reasons to cut back on overly processed and animal based foods, all of the nutrients just happen to be found in natural plant based sources. Not only will you be helping your body by following these guidelines, but by choosing to eat a diet rich in plant based foods, you’ll be lowing your carbon footprint and saving the environment at the same time. It doesn’t get much better then that. Here’s a list of my top 5 of the recommended plant based foods, along with the nutrients they provide for your body and easy ways to start incorporating them into your diet today.

Confused by all the information regarding natural eating?  You’re not alone!

When you are out at the Farmer’s Market, get to know your farmer.  Ask pointed questions, find out if they have an open door policy (can you tour anytime), are they certified organic or do they go beyond organic (beyond organic is a philosophy that USDA organic isn’t enough).   If you are a meat eater, find local farmers and arrange direct meat purchase (our plan is every 3 months because we have decent storage space).  Some meats we find locally: tuna (which we can ourselves), bison, chicken, beef.  Prices average $3.00-$4.00/lb, so this also encourages us to use less meat.  For our family of 7 + 3 daycare kiddos, we have meat packaged in 1 lb sizes to ensure we don’t get meat crazy. :)  You can probably find local eggs at the farmers market, this usually saves you money and supports small, local farms.

Here are some tips to help you navigate healthier, local eating.

I’m a firm believer in moderation.  It is through moderation that we are able to make big changes in the lives of our families, society as a whole and improve the well being of our planet.  Our family strives to eat at least 50% Raw, over time we will slowly increase the amount of Raw foods and reduce the amount of meat.  Reducing meat is easy for me (a former vegetarian) and nearly impossible for my omnivore husband.  Baby steps are vital if I hope to create change in this house.

Here’s a simple recipe for Raw Nut Butter & Raw Jam to enjoy on a warm slice of whole wheat or whole grain gluten free bread.

It’s 85 degrees in my house (because we do without A/C, but that’s another story!).  Despite the heat I’m still in the kitchen because there’s nothing like a slice of fresh, whole wheat bread topped with nut butter and homemade jam.  Yum-o!  Today I made a double batch of organic raspberry and a single batch of organic marionberry.

Normally, we make a low sugar jam recipe, but that still takes about 4 cups of sugar!  This year, I opted to make a no sugar variety and a lower sugar variety.  Our resulting jams are tart, tangy and fabulous (not to mention better for your health!).  Here’s how to make jam without a canner, because it’s not so cost effective if you have to buy expensive tools!

Check at the farmer’s market for squash blossoms. They are a fresh savory treat waiting to happen in your kitchen! Here are a few squash blossom recipes I like. The Barefoot Kitchen Witch shares a great squashblossom hushpuppy recipe as well:

Just add any kind of flour (I think gluten-free rice flour works well), with an egg batter and fry the squash blossoms with cheese. The pairing possibilities of this dish are delightful…