Browsing Tag

Nutrition

FOOD

Food: Trying BluePrint Raw Green Juice

IMG_2477As an equal opportunity foodist, I’ve been hearing and reading about the health benefits of green juice for ages. While in Whole Foods, I stumbled upon BluePrint’s Raw Green Juice featuring a healthy-sounding mix of kale, apple, ginger, romaine, spinach, cucumber, parsley and lemon and couldn’t help but wonder….but how does it taste?

The answer – not terrible, but definitely not great. It tastes, well, like you might expect a healthy green juice to taste. It’s mild enough and the mix is well done so that none of the ingredients are overpowering, but I’m not sure it was for me. I actually found that adding a small splash of agave helped. But, at the $10 (yikes) price tag at Whole Foods, I probably won’t be hopping on the green juice revolution. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing which is supplementing my frozen berry and banana smoothies with spinach, kale, Vega One and/or other green goodies. Not as nutritionally sound, but pretty darn tasty.

However, BluePrint also has other juice varieties that feature beets, etc., so I may have to try something a little less intimidating next time…

RECIPES

Home Cookin’: Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Now that we’re having consistently cooler weather, I am craving homemade soup. I’ve never been a fan of brothy, chunky soups, but thick pureed soups are right up my alley. Featuring creamy butternut squash, broth, a mix of comforting spices and a hint of tart granny smith apple, this soup is incredibly easy to make. In addition to being delicious and flavorful, did I mention that it’s also healthy?

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ENTERTAINING, RECIPES

Easy Entertaining: Cucumber Water

Cucumber Water

Life’s about simple pleasures, right? Whether you entertain a lot, or are looking for a new way to ‘spice’ up your daily H2O, I’ve got an idea for you: cucumber water. Inspired by my former roommate Gabi, adding a few thin cucumber slices to a pitcher or glass of water generates wonderful results. The water is not overwhelmingly cucumber flavored, the taste is more like an essence. Somewhat luxurious and spa-like, yet incredible simple, there’s a wow factor associated with cucumber water. Just ask my mom’s book club (hi mom!).

Have you ever tried cucumber water? If so, what did you think?

For more of my recipes, click here.

RECIPES

Home Cookin’: Homemade Healthy Pumpkin-Vanilla Ice Cream

Pumpkin-Vanilla Ice Cream

Strange, but true fact about me: I am obsessed with pumpkin, so much so that 100% pure canned pumpkin ranks among my favorite pantry staples.  Low in calories and packed with both fiber and vitamin A, canned pumpkin can be used in everything from soup, to homemade pasta, smoothies, or your morning oatmeal.  I also frequently use it as a healthy swap for eggs and oil in baked goods (see my post on using canned pumpkin for fudgey brownie bites here).

So, clearly when I bought my ice cream maker this summer, pumpkin ice cream was on my shortlist of recipes to whip up.  Inspired by another Boston blogger, Healthy Food For Living’s, recipe for Vegan Maple Pumpkin Ice Cream, I tweaked to incorporate another ingredient obsession of mine, Whole Foods Vanilla Soymilk and added a bit more spice.  The result…divine, spicy pumpkin-ness.

Homemade Pumpkin-Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

Pumpkin-Vanilla Ice Cream Mix

-1 can of 100% pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
-1.5 cups of vanilla soymilk (I like Whole Foods 365 brand)
-1/2 cup honey (I used clover, but it’s up to you)
-1 tsp. ground cinnamon
-1 tsp. ground nutmeg
-1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
-1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

-In a medium bowl, mix the pumpkin puree and soymilk. Once incorporated, add in honey and vanilla extract.
-Slowly add in the spices one tsp. at a time. I recommend using a whisk to ensure that they are incorporated evenly. The mix will be slightly thicker than the consistency of water and that’s normal.
-Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for two hours.
-Place in ice cream maker and make according to your model’s specifications (mine took 20 minutes).

If making for a dinner party, I would recommend making that night, because this recipe is best served freshly made.  Because of the low fat content, once it’s in the freezer for awhile the consistency is more like an ice cream-y Italian ice.  Nevertheless, the taste is still delicious!  Hope you will enjoy as much as I do.

For more of my recipes, click here.

RECIPES

Cosmo: 13 Healthy Foods That Can Make You Fat

Making Sushi at Home by Merlijn Hoek From Flickr

I’m a strong believer that when it comes to healthy eating, knowledge is power!  Today my inbox presented me with a Cosmopolitan.com slideshow of the ’13 Healthy Foods That Can Make You Fat,’ and it’s very compelling. I already knew that spicy-mayo and tempura sushi rolls have a higher calorie count than the grilled or steamed veggie variety. I also loathe that my beloved granola will cling to my waistline more than should be allowed for something that’s so yummy. That doesn’t mean that I don’t savor them from time to time, but I appreciate knowing what I’m getting myself into.

What I found interesting were the comments about sandwich wraps and foods with high levels of sodium. Wraps seem more innocent than their sandwich counterparts, plus they’re a standby at work lunches. And, I’ll admit to purchasing the occasional low calorie frozen entree when they’re on sale. It’s sad to think that fat, calories, fiber and protein often catch my eye before sodium levels.

Care to see for yourself? Please click here to view the full slideshow. You can thank me later. Talk about food for thought (yes, I did just drop that line).