Are you hungry for Spring and could you use help coming up with some new recipes? Take a moment to think about all the beauty of spring. When a new season of nature emerges from winter, the landscape becomes alive with color, birdsong, and bees. Many possibilities also emerge for making recipes and meals from early spring foods such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard, garlic shoots, spring onions, radishes, asparagus, green peas and a little later, strawberries. Here are 3 recipes to add spring freshness to your meal plans with the special foods of spring. And, to make life easier, here … [Read more...] about 3 Recipes for Spring with Grocery Shopping Lists to Match
Banana-Carrot Quick Bread Recipe
The rich nutrition of carrots is a perfect compliment to the natural sweetness of a simple banana bread. This recipe can easily be doubled to make 2 loaves and it freezes beautifully. So, next time your bananas get super ripe, give it a try! Ingredients 2 tablespoons Butter 2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) 1/4 cup Applesauce, unsweetened 1/2 cup Sugar, white or brown 2 Eggs, large 1 cup Flour, white 1 cup Flour, whole wheat 1 teaspoon Baking … [Read more...] about Banana-Carrot Quick Bread Recipe
Corn is a Tasty, High Quality Carb!
There are many tasty carbs out there. Corn, sweet potato, white potato, pasta, bread, butternut squash, lima beans and more are in the high carb category. They also contain essential nutrients for good health. So, what to do? Enjoy them every day in a sensible portion. Why and How to Choose & Cook Tasty Carbs The essential nutrients in high carb foods are, yes, carbohydrates plus fiber plus vitamins and/or minerals. Since we're talking plant-based foods here, there are also the super important phytochemicals which are helpful in reducing the risk for chronic diseases, boosting the … [Read more...] about Corn is a Tasty, High Quality Carb!
7 Steps to a Successful Picnic
Picnic Month is a July celebration we can all enjoy. When you combine a picnic with good nutrition, it's a successful meal mixed with a lot of fun! Here are 7 steps to a successful July picnic: Invite a comfortable number to your picnic. For experienced hosts/hostesses, this might be 15 or 20; for the less experienced, this might be 3 or 4. Plan ahead to make the special treats. A few examples are deviled eggs, pinwheel sandwiches, blueberry crisp. Take time to include simple, healthy choices. These might include celery sticks filled with peanut butter, cucumber spears, popcorn, … [Read more...] about 7 Steps to a Successful Picnic
Sweet Red Peppers and 3 Ways to Enjoy Them
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the sweet red peppers of Spain! Then I started seeing these beauties in every vegetable market and grocery store I visited around Salamanca, where I'm living this fall. Sweet red peppers are called 'Pimientos' in Spanish and I'm learning that they are a very important ingredient in every Spanish kitchen, restaurant, and tapas bar. How to Use Sweet Red Peppers - 3 Ways The natural sweetness of Spanish pimientos - sweet red peppers - brings bright flavors to all kinds of things. Here are a few examples: Wash, cut into strips and dip into … [Read more...] about Sweet Red Peppers and 3 Ways to Enjoy Them
Seedless Tangerines are ‘Mandarinas’ in Spain
The vitamin C in tangerine-mandarinas will help you stay well and their amazingly sweet flavor will keep them on your grocery list, week-after-week. If you're searching for the rockstars of the citrus world then tangerine-mandarinas are it. For a decade or longer, the demand for a kid-sized, seedless, tangy and sweet fruit has grown and grown. While living in Salamanca, Spain this fall, I've already started to buy seedless tangerine-mandarinas from grocery stores, the Central Market, and small shops that specialize in selling fresh fruits and vegetables. They are in nearly every shopper's bag … [Read more...] about Seedless Tangerines are ‘Mandarinas’ in Spain