I BELIEVE IN BROCCOLI AND BROWNIES
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 Thanksgiving is right around the corner and we all look forward to the food traditions we have created for this special day. The following ideas will help you make your favorite Thanksgiving foods even more nutritious while you enjoy the foods you love.
Turkey. Lower the sodium content of your turkey by selecting a plain bird in place of a self-basting bird. If you are worried about dry turkey, roast your turkey with the skin on and don’t overcook the bird. Grab a thermometer and cook the turkey 165° F. Gravy. Reduce the fat in gravy by using a fat-skimmer or place the turkey drippings in a shallow pan and place in the freezer for a few minutes. The fat will start to harden and you can simply scrape the fat off. Dressing or Stuffing (whatever you call it). Pump up the nutrition by adding a ton of veggies -- onions, celery, apples, and cranberries are all delicious Candied yams/Sweet potatoes. Leave out the butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows. Sweeten with apple or orange juice and spice them up with ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Mashed potatoes. Whip up cooked potatoes with a little skim evaporated milk for a creamy texture. Add some garlic powder, chives, and black pepper to bump up the flavor. Rolls & Breads. Try using half whole-grain flour and half all-purpose flour to increase the fiber content. The whole-grain flour adds a nutty flavor and chewy texture. Vegetables. Roast vegetables in a little olive oil. The flavor will pop, and you can bypass any high fat, high sodium sauces. Pies. Use only single crust pies and remember pumpkin pie is packed with vitamin A. Some last thoughts
References: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/safe-minimum-internal-temperature-chart/ct_index  Legumes, such as black beans, are a nutrient powerhouse. A half cup of black beans supplies 8 g of protein, 305 mg potassium, 8 g of fiber, and 114 calories. That means adults can get one-fourth to one-third of their daily fiber needs just by consuming a few beans. With their high fiber and potassium content, beans can promote heart health. Regular consumption of beans – about 1 to 2 cups cooked weekly has been shown to has been shown to reduce lipid levels (cholesterol) in people with heart disease. Antioxidant and phytochemicals along with the fiber in beans may also reduce the risk for colon cancer. If the health benefits don’t convince you to add beans to your diet, the price might. An easy way to stretch your food budget is to cook with dried beans. Dried beans cost only about 15 cents per serving and canned beans cost just 30-45 cents per serving. That is a deal! If you are looking for convenience try canned beans if you have more time cook dried beans on your own. Beans can be eaten at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Try a breakfast burrito with pinto beans, scrambled eggs, and salsa wrapped in a warm tortilla. Make a super salad for lunch by adding garbanzo beans to mixed greens, chopped tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers. For dinner check out this flavorful black bean burger.   Black Bean Burgers 15 oz can black beans, drained 3/4 cup cooked quinoa or couscous 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 1/2 cup minced vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, celery 1 tsp minced garlic 1-1/2 tsp ground cumin A few shakes of hot sauce 1 Egg 3-4 Tbsp olive oil In a medium bowl roughly mash the bean with a potato masher or fork into a paste mixture. Leave a few of the bean part or mostly whole. Add the quinoa/couscous, breadcrumbs, vegetable, garlic, cumin, and hot sauce to the beans. In a small dish beat the egg. Mix the egg and all ingredients together. You can use a spoon or your hands. Divide the mixture into 4-6 equal parts. Using your hands form 4-6 patties. Heat half the olive oil in a large skillet. Cook half the patties in hot oil until browned and heated through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat for second half. These patties are delicious served with a tzatziki sauce or fry sauce. References:
https://beaninstitute.com/ Protein is an essential nutrient that has many functions in the body, including:
 Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. There are 20 amino acids, 9 of them are essential, meaning you need to consume them. Amino acids are linked together to create different proteins. The order the amino acids are linked determine what protein is created. For example, one order creates insulin, while another order of amino acids creates hemoglobin. There are thousands of proteins in your body built from 20 amino acids. All amino acids have the same backbone with an amine and acid group, the side chains are different for each amino acid.  The protein RDA (how much you need) for adults is 0.8 g pro/kg body weight -- less than many think. For a 150 pound person that is 54 grams of protein each day. To put that amount in perspective -- 8 oz of milk has 8 grams of protein, ½ cup rice has 3 grams of protein, 1 ounce of meat has 7 grams of protein, and ½ cup vegetables has 2 grams of protein. Most healthy adult Americans consume enough protein.  Protein is found in both animal and plant foods. Animal products such as meats, eggs, and dairy are high quality proteins. High quality protein supply amino acids in proportion to the body’s needs. Plant products such as legumes (beans), grains, and vegetables are lower quality proteins, because they lack or are lower in some amino acids. You can meet your protein needs with animal or plant foods. Choosing a variety of foods helps ensure your protein intake is adequate.
 Carbohydrates are the primary source of fuel the body uses for energy. From a chemical standpoint carbohydrates are made of three elements: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. We call these compounds saccharides and generally divide them into two basic forms – simple and complex. Mono and disaccharides - also called simple sugars are generally 6 carbon molecules. A monosaccharide is one sugar molecule. Mono= 1. A disaccharide is two sugar molecules. Di=2.
Glucose, galactose, and fructose are monosaccharides. Glucose is main form of carbohydrate found in the body and is important in providing energy. It can be measured in the blood (blood glucose) and stored in limited amounts. Galactose is a monosaccharide that combines with glucose to make lactose. Fructose is a monosaccharide commonly found in fruit. When two monosaccharides are combined, they become a disaccharide. Glucose and fructose combine to make sucrose -- more commonly known as table sugar. When glucose and galactose combine the disaccharide lactose is created. Lactose is the natural sugar found in milk. When two glucoses combine maltose is created. Maltose is usually found when long chains of glucose are broken down.  En Papillote is a cooking method where food is cooked wrapped in paper. Parchment paper is usually used but the good ole “tin foil” dinner might fall into this category as well. En Papillote is my no fail way of cooking fish. It is fast, easy, and the fish turns out perfect every time.
First start with a large piece of parchment paper – big enough to fold over the fish and all the vegetables you’ll be adding. Place your fish on one half of the paper. I live far from a coast, so I almost always purchased frozen. I place the frozen fish right on the paper. Eggs are such a simple food that I think they are often overlooked as the nutrition powerhouses they actually are. Eggs are packed with protein, have a multitude of vitamins and minerals, are low in calories, and are budget friendly.  You probably know that eggs are a super source of protein. One large egg has about 6 grams of protein. The protein is found in the egg white, but most of the nutrients are housed in the delicious, yellow yolk. Some of the nutrients in eggs such as vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin D, and iron are well known, but you may not be as familiar with the nutrients choline, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
 When I was a kid shopping for yogurt was easy, you just had to choose the flavor you liked. Now there is Greek, Australian, Icelandic, traditional, whole milk, low-fat, fruit on the bottom, sheep milk, cow’s milk, – wow! The choices are endless. So, what is yogurt? Yogurt is a food made by fermenting milk with bacteria called yogurt cultures. The bacteria produce lactic acid, which gives yogurt its distinctive tart flavor. Different yogurt brands use different bacteria to create the brand’s unique flavor profile.
Do you love the taste of chocolate peanut butter cups, but not the added sugar, fat, and calories? Then this chocolate, peanut butter oatmeal is just for you.  My New Year’s resolution is to eat more often on the good dishes. Specifically, to use my china or “nice” dishes at least once a month.  Growing up we ate Sunday dinner on my mom’s china each week. Her cousin purchased her china in the 1950’s while out of the country serving in the military. The brand is Noritake and the pattern is a gray background with soft pink flowers. The plates made Sunday dinner special, no matter what the meal contained. My mom’s philosophy was good things are to be used and enjoyed, not just placed on a shelf. As a teenager my parents gave me a set of china. Like my mom’s it is Noritake (probably because my mom liked hers so much). The pattern is white flowers on a white background, with a sliver trim. I rarely use them, in fact they are in a box in the closet. For Christmas this year, my parents gave me a set of Blue Willow patterned dishes. My initial thought was to store them next to my china in the closet, but then I thought – you need to eat on the good dishes. So, I made a spot for the in the kitchen cabinet for them, right next to the everyday dishes.
We eat for reasons beyond nutrients. Food touches each of our senses:
So, here’s to using my new Blue Willow pattern dishes I got for Christmas. #eatonthegooddishes I enjoy gardening. There is something about planting a tiny seed in the spring and harvesting armfuls of produce in fall. Herbs are one thing I grow each year. I have both indoor and  outdoor herbs.  I always have my favorites – basil, rosemary, chives, and parsley and then venture out with a few new flavors each year like lemon thyme, sweet mint, chocolate mint, oregano, or sage. My chives and rosemary usually grow as perennials, so I don’t have to replant them each spring. And after months of coaxing I’ve finally got my pot of parsley to grow year-round indoors. There is not much of it, but it grows year-round.
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