We have raspberries! Two of my three raspberry bushes have fruit. I picked a small bowl and ate them for breakfast with strawberries and a vanilla yogurt. Raspberry bushes are very harding and easy to grow in most climates. Rasberries not only are red in color, but also can be found in black, purple, and yellow colors.
One cup of raspberries contains 53.7% of the daily value for Vitamin C, 41% of the daily value for Manganese, 31.9% of the daily value for Fiber, and 11.9% of the daily value for Vitamin K. Raspberries are also a rich source of anioxidants. In addition to Vitamin C, raspberries contain flavonoids and ellagitannins.
Raspberries are highly perishable and can only be stored in a refrigerator for 1-2 days. As with blueberries, wash the fruit right before eating. They can become easily water logged or mushy.
Now, I’ve seen everything. The Dollar Tree is selling Steaks for (of course) $1. I don’t know about you, but I am not comfortable buying meat from the Dollar Store- creeps me out. These steaks will not be hitting my grill this summer.
I have no idea what quality of meat they are selling or why the dollar store has decided to sell 3.5 oz Steaks (or any food at all!) I”m guessing it is not Angus beef or beef from a local farm. Where on earth does it come from?
I know I am a bit of a food snob and it may be my personal opinion, but I think the Dollar Store should stick to water guns, sand buckets, holiday decor and paper plates!
What about you? Would you buy steaks from the dollar store? What is your opinion?
Do you need an easy way to include more vegetables in your meals? Try stir-fry. The word “fry” often scares folks off, but when using just a few teaspoons of canola or peanut oil combined with broth of your choice you can cook these beautiful vegetables quickly and easily. Last night I cooked broccoli, scallions, onion, red and yellow bell peppers, mushrooms, and bok choy.
Here are my thoughts on the proposed government regulations on soda size in NYC….
To be honest, I think it’s a bunch of bologna!
First of all, limiting the size of a soft drink to 16 ounces will not make much or any impact on the current obesity and diabetes epidemics. People who buy soda will continue to buy soda. And if they normally drink 32 ounces, they’ll just buy 2- 16 oz cups of soda. Or what about those families who share one large soda at the movies once or twice a year. Who is the government to tell them they must spend more money to purchase several 16 ounce cups for the occasion.
If the New York City government is worried about sugar, what are their plans about candy? Are they going to say you can only have 10 Milk Duds or 12 Raisinettes? Maybe people will only be allowed to buy Trick or Treat size packages. For goodness sake, maybe they should ban all eating and drinking in front of the movies. Isn’t that also sending the wrong message…to eat in front of TV, mindless eating and drinking while being entertained on the big screen.
The proposed regulations also do not apply to diet sodas, also unhealthy & have been linked to a decrease in bone density in several studies. Maybe New Yorkers will switch to diet sodas and an Osteoporosis epidemic will hit the Big Apple.
My take on diet soda…
Americans spend millions of their hard earned dollars to consume liters of non-caloric, non-nutritious, artificially flavored and colored beverages per day while in 3rd world countries folks are happy to get any calories and/or nutrition any way they can.
What if for just one week, Americans sent all of their soda money to Africa to buy nutritious food? Hmm…something to think about.
What do you think would happen if a smoker went to a convenience store to buy cigarettes and was told he/she can only buy 1/2 pack of cigarettes because the government wants to reduce cancer? Right, they will buy two 1/2 packs of cigarettes or just one 1/2 pack and run out to the store again later that day. Smokers will smoke and soda drinkers will drink until they are educated and motivated enough to stop.
In my opinion, if the NYC government wants to get involved in reducing the epidemic of obesity and diabetes, they should invest in Nutrition Education.
How about they run ads on TV during prime time about making good food and beverage choices or maybe run a few scare tactic ads! The ads could show Diabetics with missing limbs on Dialysis. Seriously, most people probably have no idea that kidney failure and amputation can be a side effect of Obesity and uncontrolled Diabetes.
I would also recommend that NYC fund schools to add Nutrition education to their curriculum and/or add programs and basic Nutrition courses taught by Registered Dietitians. RDs could also work with the nurses and guidance counselors to identify kids in need and do one on one Nutrition Counseling in school, after school or at home with their families. Obesity is one of the BIGGEST reasons kids are bullied or have a lack of self-esteem. Both of which can lead to poor grades.
What are your thoughts on smaller soda sizes? Will they decrease Obesity rates? Is it any of the government’s business to make such restrictions?
It seems that since the adaptation of the Atkins & South Beach low-carb diet trends, the potato has somehow gotten a bad rap. Well, I’m here to tell you that my friend, Mr. Potato Head, can hold his head high and take of his mustache and big blue weird shoes. But he may need a new disguise for fear you’ll eat him after reading about the Nutritional Value of Potatoes!
Potatoes are a healthy food and are loaded with vitamins, fiber and eating them can even increase your mood. And who couldn’t use a little feel good in their life?
Here are some potato fun facts. (Thank you to my friend Aidan at GoIreland.com for inspiring this article and providing the below image.)
Ireland is NOT the biggest potato producing country- it’s CHINA (just when you thought only Rice grew there!)
The Irish are NOT the biggest potato consumers- Balarus (next to Poland) has the largest potato consumption (in kg per capita)
The Potato was first cultivated in Chili or Peru.
In 1995, the potato was the first vegetable grown in space.
Cows eat potatoes! You’ve heard of Grass Fed vs. Grain Fed. Well, what about Potato fed? I met farmer, Dennis Byrne, last fall from the Herr Angus Beef farm and found out that Potato Scraps from potato chip production are used in their cattle feed.
One potato can provide 30% of vitamin C (boosts your immunity & great for your skin!)
One potato provides 16% of the recommended amount of fiber (needed for healthy digestion and reduces risk of Colon Cancer).
One potato provides 39% of B6 (important for cell renewal and mood regulation.)
So next time someone tells you that potatoes are too high in carbs, give them a little potato education of your own.
This post was not sponsored by GoIreland.com. I was also not compensated or given a free trip to Ireland (but how cool would that have been!?)
I experimented on my family and friends with this protein packed dip. I have used plain greek yogurt as a dip before, but the dips always became runny. I saw a similar recipe that used cream cheese as well. The greek yogurt and light cream cheese became a great combination. I used a spice blend to add flavor from the Delicious Dietitian (see the side tool bar for their link). The Delicious Dietitian spice blends are free of salt, MSG, Potassium, and Gluten. The spice blends provide a great, strong flavor. Enjoy with fresh veggies!
Thai Protein Dip
Print
Recipe type: Appetizer
Author: Jennifer Lynn-Pullman MA, RD, LDn
Prep time: 2 mins
Total time: 2 mins
Serves: 12
Greek yogurt makes this dip a great source of protein.
Ingredients
5 Tb. Light Cream Cheese (1/3 less fat)
3/4 cup Plain, Nonfat, Greek Yogurt
1 tsp Delicious Dietitian Thai Spice Blend
Instructions
In a bowl mix all ingredients together. Chill for 1-2 hours. Service with fresh vegetables or soy chips.
Per Serving: 23 calories, 1.2 gm Fat, 0.7 gm Sat. Fat, 1 gm CHO, 1.9 gm Protein
What a lovely sunny cool and breezy morning. I started my day with a fabulous Yoga class at Cornerstone with @Balance4Life followed by a locavore adventure to the Doylestown Farmers Market. What is a Lovavore?
A locavore is someone who is committed to eating food that is grown or produced within their local community or region.
While I am not a locavore 100% of the time, I make a HUGE effort to buy and eat foods grown locally and to support restaurants that get their foods from local growers (i.e. Jules Thin Crust) I am also growing my own garden, participate in a CSA and try to buy most of my foods from local growers and farmers in Bucks County. It’s just an amazing feeling to know where your food comes from and to even meet the farmers that grow our local food with love.
My favorite find of the day at the Doylestown Farmers Market was the 100% whole grain flour from the Castle Valley Mill here in Doylestown, PA- Bucks County.
The Castle Valley Mill stone grinds the grains slwowly which keeps the flour cool and keeps all of the flavor, nutrition and texture in the product.
I just made some sweet muffins with the whole wheat flour and they were delicious. Here is the recipe that Castle Valley Mill gave me this morning with the addition of flax-seed from me.
The kids are eating them right now for lunch
