31 Days to Better Health - Day 28

Don’t you just love weekends?  I hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday.  I am very happy to tell you that I managed to write a lot of this post on Friday which meant more time with my sweetie over the weekend.  *woo hoo* Today we are getting together with our friend Louis and tomorrow we are seeing Lauren (the nearly vegan nurse we meant at Hopkins).  I am not sure what else we will be doing this weekend but we will definitely being having fun.  J

I couldn’t help but notice that you guys have gotten quiet on me again.  Does this mean that you haven’t enjoyed the last few posts?  If you have any feedback please share it with me.  My goal is to write things that are helpful to you but I don’t know what that is if you don’t tell me.  Please remember that I haven’t gotten my certification in mind reading yet.  ;-)

I have received a few emails asking me if I learned what I have been writing about this month at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and the answer is no. The things that I have been writing about this month are a combination of things I learned:  managing people, taking management and organization behavior classes in college and graduate school, and trying to figure out what would work for me.  The ideas that I have written about this month are some of my favorites but there are many more where these came from. 

For those of you who are just joining us here is the recap of what we have accomplished so far to remind us all of how much we have covered during the first 27 days of January:


Day 1 – Defined Success and What is/was Holding Us Back
Day 2 – Determined our Purpose and Looked at Passion
Day 3 – Listed Our Goals for January
Day 4 – Listed the Things We Have Needed to Work on for a While
Day 5 – Looked at Optimism vs. Pessimism and Fear vs. Intuition
Day 6 – Practiced Conscious Eating
Day 7 – Hara Hachi Bu
Day 8 – Taking the Stress Out of Meal Time
Day 9 – Acknowledgments
Day 10 – No Excuses, Do it Anyway
Day 11 – Is it True?
Day 12 – Have You Really Connected With Someone Today?
Day 13 – Motivation is a Decision
Day 14 - Successfully Navigating Dinner at an Unfamiliar Restaurant
Day 15 - What Do You Want, Have You Asked?
Day 16 – Treating Others as You Wish to be Treated
Day 17 – Food as a Budget
Day 18 – Silence Your Inner Critic
Day 19 – Replace I Have to With I Want to
Day 20 – Identifying Your Rituals
Day 21 – Face Your Fears
Day 22 – Give Up the Diet Mentality
Day 23 – The Meaning and/or Purpose of Food
Day 24 – Trigger Foods/Situations/People
Day 25 – Words Have Meaning
Day 26 – Lose All-Or-Nothing Thinking
Day 27 -  Decide to live as if ……

Two-Bite Test:

Yesterday’s post required a lot of homework so I wanted to write a short and sweet one entry today to give everyone a break.  This is something that I read about years ago and once I put it into practice I realized how valuable it is and I think you will agree once you try it.

The two-bite rule applies to indulgent food.  The premise is that when you want to eat something that is decadent (by your standards), eat the food slowly and consciously like we talked about during day 6. But now we are going to add another aspect to the process. Now I want you to be very discerning about the food.  Let me explain what I mean using cheesecake as an example.

You are out to dinner and see your favorite dessert, cheesecake, on the menu.  You know the pastry chef was trained in Paris and is known for her desserts. Cheesecake has always been your favorite and this one is a bruleed version with a calvados, apple and walnut topping so you order it.  The cake arrives and it is gorgeous and you can’t wait to dive in.  This is where it is critical to slow down and take your time before you take the first bite.  We are going to look at this example two ways to help demonstrate this rule.

Option 1:  You take your spoon to crack the brulee top and it doesn’t snap.  Bad sign number one.  Then you put the cheesecake in your mouth and the texture is much denser than what you like a cheesecake to be.  Bad sing number two.  Just in case you have overreacted you slowly and consciously try a second bite this time with the calvados, apple and walnut topping and the cake.  The apple topping is too sweet and the second bite doesn’t get any better than the first.  Three strikes … this dessert is out.  You stop eating the dessert knowing that what you eat you have to burn and this isn’t worth the effort that it will take you to burn off.

Option 2:  When you crack the brulee top on the cheesecake with the spoon and it snaps.  Nice!  The texture of the cheesecake is soft and it has a light lemon flavor in the base. Now you have a second bite this time with the apple topping and that makes it even better.  Delicious!  This indulgence has passed the two-bite test.  Now the only question you have to answer is whether it is worth burning off and only you decide that.  Given yesterday you may also want to ask yourself if the “healthy you” would be eating this?  Maybe healthy you would have this if it were a special occasion.  Only you know the answer to that question.

The other way to think of this is life is too short to waste it eating subpar food.  You can use this rule with any food it doesn’t just apply to dessert.  I follow this rule whenever I am eating anything that I consider indulgent.  If I am going to eat something that is outside my usual food then it has to be delicious.  I always remind myself that I am what I eat and that helps me to make better choices. Additionally I tell myself that restaurant food always contains more calories and fat than my food and that if I eat I have to burn it off.  These ideas make it much easier to only eat “the best” example of whatever it is I am having.

One reason that I wanted to talk about the two-bite test is something that saw online long ago that I have never forgotten. At a different blog someone had baked a dessert (a cake I think it was) and they continued to eat it every day (for a least a week) until it was gone.  All I could think of was that by day three that cake had to be dried out and not very good and yet they continued to photograph it and eat it another 4 days.  By the end the cake even looked dried out in the pictures.  I was so surprised that someone would waste calories on old dried out cake and knew that I needed to write about that some time. That dried out cake would never have passed the two-bite rule and would have gone into the trash at our house.  I hope this explains the two-bite test.

Today’s exercise:

1.       The next time you have something that you consider decadent employ the two-bite test and see what happens.  Write down your experience in your journal.  Try to answer the following questions:

·         Does the food taste different when you take your time and really try to experience it?

·         When you consciously think about the fact that you will need to burn off what you are about to eat does that cause you to naturally eat less?

·         Realizing that you deserve to enjoy the best, most delicious example of food you want (cheesecake, etc.) does that change how you view the food in front of you?

I think of this as life is too short not to eat “the best”.  If I am going to deviate from my eating plan then I expect that calorie investment (think food as a bank account) to be worth it to me.  I hope this makes sense.

Progress on my goals:

1.       Newsletters - Friday was hectic since I was busy writing the bulk of thee posts so there was no work on the newsletters that day.

2.       Body Bugg – I continue to wear my bugg and I have gotten back into using it the way I had intended when I purchased it.  Go me!  J

3.       Date with Dan – Dan and I have been going for a walk each night after dinner.  We are planning to go on a date this weekend.  *woo hoo*

4.        Measuring calorie dense food – I am making a little progress on this but I really need to focus on it with every veggie meal to help my body absorb the fat soluble vitamins.

5.       Working on my business –  My schedule got in the way of working on the business today. I am hoping that Dan and I will have some time to work on this together over the weekend. I value Dan’s opinions and would love to get his input.  If we don’t have time to do that this may have to wait until February.  *sigh*

How are you feeling about your progress so far?  I hope you feel like you have made a few lasting changes this month.  J

Random Thoughts:

Evening walks have definitely become a habit for us. We both enjoy getting out late when the neighborhood is quiet and peaceful.  It is wonderful to spend time outside each evening and spending time together.

I get a lot of questions by email about why a particular blog has been included on my blog roll.  Usually this would be because it is either not vegan or not healthy.  Many of the blogs on my blog rolls were added years ago and I haven’t looked at them in years. I am going through the list now and eliminating many that I no longer read. Expect my blog rolls to continue to change as I get time to review the list and add and delete items.  Also if you know of any blogs that I should add please let me know.  My goal is to develop a list of blogs that represent either:  healthy recipes, healthy veganism, health and nutrition in general, humor or artistic chefs who look at food in an unusual way.

Acknowledgements:

Have you made any progress writing acknowledgements?  I hope you are working on this exercise and enjoying it. I find that it helps me stay positive and recognize the things that I do every day.  Here are my acknowledgements:

·         I am very proud of myself for getting so much writing done on Friday to free up my weekend. It is nice when you know what you want to do and can make it happen. J  Since I had a little extra free time I was able to enjoy a leisurely morning and lunch with friends.

·         Thursday I decided to work on a very different recipe, the quinoa and blueberry breakfast bars.  It is definitely good to break out of my comfort zone in terms of cooking.  I think this recipe has promise and I am looking forward to perfecting it so that all of us have a healthy portable breakfast option.

Friday:

My food on Friday was again fast things that I could grab and go. I knew that I didn’t have much time since I was busy trying to write the bulk of three posts so that I could enjoy my weekend.  Here is my food from Friday.

Breakfast for me was two of the quinoa, oat, blueberry and nuts bars that I am working on. The flavor of these is good but I need to work on the texture.  I hope to have this recipe finalized next month.

I also had a grapefruit for a mid-morning snack.

Lunch was leftover kale and veggie stir-fry over black rice.  What would I do without my intentional leftovers?  ;-)

Dinner was very late and definitely made on the fly.  My brain was fried after spending the day writing and trying to be creative.  I literally had no idea what I was going to cook at 9pm.  Dan suggested smoothies but I wasn’t really in the mood for that.  However a hot soup from the Vitamix sounded appealing.  In the Vitamix I combined raw cashews, frozen spinach, frozen artichokes, onion, garlic, nutritional yeast and no-salt seasoning.

Happy thoughts:

Have you gotten into the habit of writing your happy thoughts?  I find it helpful to remind myself how often things go well and that I shouldn’t take these things for granted.   As always there are so many things to be thankful for that I almost don’t know where to start. Here are my happy thoughts:

·         I am thrilled to have gotten so much writing accomplished on Friday.  Knowing that I would have more time with my husband and friends this weekend was a wonderful feeling.

·         We both love spending time with friends and we had a nice time with our buddy Louis on Saturday.  Our sweet Aimee was also working on Saturday so we were able to spend some her too.  I couldn’t think of much nicer way to spend the afternoon than with friends. 

·         It was great to see everyone at the restaurant since this was the first time that saw them since going to hospital. They were all concerned and it was very sweet.  I am really not kidding when I say the restaurant is like “Cheers” for us.  I ducked into the kitchen before we left to catch up with Ian and he was prepping a vegan Thai vegetable dish for tonight. We may have to go back for dinner.  ;-)

·         Tomorrow we are planning to get together with Lauren, the nearly vegan nurse that we met at Hopkins earlier this month. She is the one who also lives nearby for those of you who don’t remember the story.  It will be nice to see her outside the hospital.  I already warned Ian that I am introducing a new vegan to mix; he took it better than I expected. 

·         Ian has added a healthy soup to the menu which we had for the first time today. It was vegan and had kale, white beans, sweet potatoes and I am fairly sure there was yellow miso in the broth. I will make it a point to ask him the details when we go in again so I can make my own version of it for all of you soon.  Dan, Louis and I all got the soup and it was very good.

Signing Out:

I spent most of Sunday writing for the blog and the business.  By the end of the day on Friday I was mentally exhausted. However I was also very happy to have a jump on my work for the weekend.  However it was all worth in on Saturday when I was able to take the morning and afternoon off.  We had a very nice lunch with our friend Louis and had time to fill in Aimee, Ian and the gang about our recent adventures.  I have no idea what we are going to do with our evening but I am looking forward to spending time without my computer.

Whatever you are doing this weekend I hope that you are enjoying yourself.  Tomorrow we will be working on vision boards in case you were wondering what the next post is about.  After that we only have two more health posts to go and we will return to our regularly scheduled programming.  ;-)  Talk with you all again tomorrow.

Saag Paneer made with Tofu

Saag Paneer has always been a favorite of mine. I used to order it when we went out and made it at home. Back in the day I also used to make my own paneer. I have not made this dish since we became vegan. Today I decided it was time to make tofu version of my dish. For those of you that are Indian obviously my dish isn’t authentic. But I like the addition of the chewy sun dried tomatoes. I call this my Italian American version of saag and here is what I did:

Saag Paneer made with Tofu
Serves 3

Tofu Ingredients:

1 ½ tablespoons fresh ginger, finely ground
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
1 jalapeno, stem removed and minced (remove the seeds and ribs if you don’t like heat)
1 lime, zested and juiced
¼ teaspoon turmeric
14 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into ½ to ¾ inch cubes

Cashew cream:

¼ cup raw cashews
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
water necessary to make a thick cream-like consistency

Brown Rice:

1 cup brown basmati rice
2 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
2 green cardamom pods, smacked with the side
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon oil
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Sauce ingredients:

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced (allow to stand 10 minutes before heating so allicin can develop)
¼ cup water
1 ½ teaspoons garam masala or curry powder, or to taste
10 ounces frozen spinach (chopped not leaf)
6 sun-dried tomatoes, julienned (you can use peeled chopped tomatoes which would be more authentic)

Optional Garnish Ingredients:

A few fresh chopped cherry tomatoes (approx ¼ cup)
Lime wedges

Directions:

Combine the tofu ingredients (except the tofu) in your blender or food processor and process until it makes a paste. Combine the paste and tofu cubes in a well sealed container and toss to coat. Place tofu in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours but longer would be fine. Periodically turn the container over so all the tofu can absorb the flavors of the paste.

To make the cashew cream combine the raw cashews and lemon juice in your blender and process. Add as much water as is necessary to make a thick “cream-like” sauce. Refrigerate until needed.

To make the brown rice dissolve the turmeric in the oil with the pepper. The oil is used to dissolve the turmeric and make it more bioavailable. Piperine in the black pepper also increases the absorption of the turmeric. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and cook covered until the rice is done, approximately 45 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a ¼ or ½ sheet plan with parchment and place the drained tofu in a single layer and bake for 20 minutes. Allow the tofu to cool until it releases easily from the pan and turn the cubes over and bake for another 10 – 15 minutes until it reaches a texture you like.  My husband likes a very firm tofu so that is reflected in my cooking time you can cook it less to more closely mimick paneer.

In a saucepan water sauté the onion and garlic until tender. Move the aromatics, garam masala to your blender and puree. Return the mixture to the saucepan and add the defrosted box of spinach and sun dried tomatoes and cook over low heat for 15 minutes to blend the flavors. You may need to add a little water to thin the sauce.

When you are ready to serve place the baked tofu in the sauce and stir to combine. I serve this in bowl with the rice on the bottom, topped with the sauce. I like to place the cashew cream in the top of the spinach sauce so that you can still see it prominently in the dish. Sometimes I will add a few chopped raw tomatoes to the top of the dish for color and a lime wedge for those that want it.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 481.58
Calories From Fat (26%) - 125.92

Total Fat 15.06g
Saturated Fat - 1.9g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium-  331.39mg
Potassium - 826.24mg
Total Carbohydrates - 69.67g
Fiber - 10.78g
Sugar - 4.37g
Protein - 24.58g

Comments:

This really hit the spot tonight. Definitely different from what we get at the restaurants around here. But that is loaded with fat we don’t want. For those that haven’t had saag before it is a mild spinach dish and this version is also mild. I think it would also be good with red pepper flakes but that isn’t how I have seen it made in the past.

Each serving of this dish contains approximately 11,500IU of vitamin A, 480mg of calcium, 8mg of iron, 170mcg of folate, 520mcg of vitamin K, 505mg of phosphorus, 270mg of magnesium, and 30mcg of selenium. A nice nutrition punch if I do say so myself. I also like that it has more than 10g or fiber and 24g of protein.

As those of you know that have been reading a long time my best friend in college was from Madras. I learned a lot about Indian food from her family. It was the first cuisine I learned to cook after Italian. It has remained a favorite of mine for 30 years. Wow, it is hard to believe it has been that long. Time sure flies when you are having fun. ;-)

Unrelated note:

Tomorrow my hubby is taking the day off so I will be busy with him most of the day. Of course I will make dinner and will get that posted. But I will be mobile most of day so I may not be as chatty in my responses.

I hope all are all having a great week so far. I will talk to you tomorrow.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Fresh Tomato, Fennel and Sweet Italian Seitan Sausage

When I haven’t planned dinner I frequently make pasta because it is something I had done hundreds if not thousands of times in my life. Quick sauces are very useful when you are short on time. I prefer my fennel completely cooked which is why this went into the pot early. The fresh spinach was included at the end for added nutrition. The raw yellow tomatoes were added for fresh texture and their color.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Fresh Tomato, Fennel and Sweet Italian Seitan Sausage
Serves 5

Ingredients:

13.25 ounce box of Barilla whole grain rotini
½ tablespoon of canola oil
1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
8 cups of fresh tomatoes, diced
2 sweet Italian seitan sausages, sliced thinly
8 cups of baby spinach, cleaned and torn in half
3 cups of yellow tomato, diced

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Begin checking the pasta for tenderness two minutes before the package indicates it will be ready. You want to remove the pasta when it is almost cooked and finish it in the sauce so that it absorbs the flavors of the sauce.

While the pasta is cooking make the sauce. Sauté the onion, fennel, garlic, fennel, red pepper, kosher salt and black pepper in the canola oil. Continue cooking, stirring every minute or so, until the onion is soft. Add the fresh tomatoes and seitan sauces and cook to heat through.

When the pasta is ready add it to the sauce and toss to combine. After a minute or two turn off the heat and add the raw spinach and toss it with the pasta. Serve immediately and top with the raw yellow tomatoes.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 501.54
Calories From Fat (9%) - 46.84

Total Fat - 5.38g
Saturated Fat - 0.31g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 629.35mg
Potassium - 1444.11mg
Total Carbohydrates - 92.05g
Fiber - 17.47g
Sugar - 12.11g
Protein - 28.29g

Comments:

This is one of those quick dinners that I rely on when I haven’t planned or spent the day the cooking. The sauce came together while the pasta was cooking. The flavors of this dish are classically southern Italian.

Smoky Red Peppers Stuffed with Tofu Ricotta, Spinach and Pine Nuts

This dish came about because I had a little bit of leftover filling from making the stuffed eggplant this weekend and didn’t know what to do with it. When I saw the peppers in the refrigerator I knew they would be the perfect vessel to hold the filling. I used the smoker because I didn’t put it away from making the smoked mushrooms yesterday. You could just as easily bake this in a 350-degree oven. I included wilted spinach and golden raisins to give this dish a touch of southern Italy.

Smoky Red Peppers Stuffed with Tofu Ricotta, Spinach and Pine Nuts
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/2 cup wood chips
2 medium red peppers (I used 1 purple and 1 red)
6 cups of baby spinach, raw
2 tablespoons of golden raisins
4 tablespoons of tofu, firm
½ tablespoon of raw cashews
½ garlic clove
1 tablespoon of pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Soak your wood chips for at least an hour so that they are thoroughly saturated when you begin smoking.

Cut the peppers in half top to bottom. Remove the seeds and veins. If the peppers won’t sit upright make a tin foil snake to cradle the peppers in while they are being smoked.

Rough chop the baby spinach and sauté until it is wilted. Rough chop the golden raisins. You want each raisin to be cut once. Add the raisins to the spinach and move everything to wire sieve. Press down on the spinach and raisin mixture to remove as much water as possible. You can also squeeze it dry in your hands.

To make the filling, put the tofu, cashews and garlic into the food processor and process until it is smooth. Put the tofu mixture into a bowl. Add the pine nuts, and spinach and stir to thoroughly combine.

Place the filling evenly into the peppers.

Drain the wood chips and place them in the bottom of your smoker. Put the peppers (in the smoker tray on the rack) on top of the wood chips. Close the smoker and turn the heat on high for 5 minutes. After five minutes reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 20 minutes. Then you want to check the filling to see if it has firmed up a little (like a frittata). It will still be a soft (like a cheese) but will have become a cohesive mass.

Your peppers will give off a little liquid while cooking. Use your finger to keep the filling in the pepper and pour off the liquid while the peppers are still hot. I found they were cool enough to pick up in about five minutes. Cool the peppers to room temperature and refrigerate until you are ready to eat.

I served these cold on top of greens dressed with lemon. They would also be good warm or hot, but I wanted them to top a salad.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 297.95
Calories From Fat (42%) - 125.96

Total Fat - 15.05g
Saturated Fat - 1.43g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 234.12mg
Potassium - 1159.75mg
Total Carbohydrates - 24.38g
Fiber - 6.45g
Sugar - 13g
Protein - 23.27g

Comments:

This recipe turned out well. It was lightly smoky and flavorful. Golden raisins added a little sweetness in random bites. The cooking method kept the pepper crisp. The filling was rich and creamy and very much like cheese. Overall I am very pleased with this dish. I had it today for lunch on top of lettuce that was dressed with a little lemon juice and that acid helped to cut through the fat of the filling.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Spinach, Chickpea and Walnut Pesto

Today I was in a funky mood. I didn’t feel like cooking or doing much of anything. Needless to say I still had to make dinner. This is one of those dinners that comes out of what I have on hand. I discovered that chickpeas in pesto work surprisingly well. I will use that trick from now on. I also like the thickness the tofu sour cream added to the sauce.

Dinner tonight was pasta because it is fast, and easy to eat. I added the chickpeas to increase the fiber, protein and calories. The raw spinach was added for nutrition. Leafy greens are something I don’t think any of us eat enough of. The garlic and rosemary were both added for their ability to fight cancer. Lemon was included because I love lemon and like to add it to pesto even though it isn’t traditional. Tofu sour cream was added because I only had a few tablespoons left from this weekend and I though it would add creaminess to the sauce, and it worked. If we had more tofu sour cream on hand I may have added as much as ½ cup to the sauce.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Spinach, Chickpea and Walnut Pesto
Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 quarts of water
½ tablespoon of kosher salt
19 ounces of whole wheat rotini
6 cups of raw spinach
1/3 cup of walnuts, toasted
½ cup of cooked chickpeas
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves (stripped from its stem)
juice of ½ lemon
¼ cup of tofu sour cream
kosher salt and pepper to taste
walnuts, roughly chopped for garnish – optional
extra virgin olive oil, for serving - optional

Directions:

Bring water to a boil and add kosher salt. Add pasta to the boiling water and stir vigorously for 30 seconds to keep pasta from sticking together. Cook according to package directions and then drain.

While pasta is cooking add remaining ingredients to you food processor and process until everything is smooth and combined. This will take about a minute.

Toss hot pasta with sauce in a large bowl. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Serve immediately. You can garnish with chopped walnuts and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if desired. Both of these garnishes will increase the fat percentage, but will be quite yummy.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 444.36
Calories From Fat (15%) - 66.22

Total Fat - 7.77g
Saturated Fat - 0.52g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 113.65mg
Potassium - 257.98mg
Total Carbohydrates - 81.8g
Fiber - 13.06g
Sugar - 4.19g
Protein - 16.06g

Comments:

I was quite pleased with the overall fat percentage of this recipe. This pasta dish was filling and tasty. If you aren’t watching you fat as closely as we are I would suggest you add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the sauce. Olive oil would add a great flavor and nice mouth feel to this dish. This dish can be eaten tomorrow for lunch either hot or cold.

Cold Spinach, Cucumber and Tomato Soup

My husband took his breakfast with him this morning so I could play around in the kitchen since no one was eating but me. When I talked to my friend Sue this morning she mentioned something she remembered that Jacque Pepin did with leftover salad. She said he took leftover dressed salad and tossed it into the blender and make a cold soup. Needless to say I had to give this a try with what I had in the refrigerator.

I used baby spinach since it is higher in nutrition that lettuce. We had picked up cucumbers from the CSA so I cut one large one into chunks and tossed that into the blender. Garlic is so healthy, so I added a clove. Since I typically dress my salad with sherry vinegar and canola those also went into the soup. I added the chia seeds for their their thickening ability, Omega 3’s and cancer fighting abilities. I knew I wanted a green soup, so the tomato was going to need to go on top the soup so that the color didn’t get muddy.

Continuing with the notion of adding foods that reduce platelet aggregation (from Chapter 17 in "Life Over Cancer"), the foods on that list in this morning’s soup include: tomato, canola oil and garlic. Although the book doesn’t specify chia seeds I assume those also belong on the list since they include flaxseeds for their Omega 3’s.

This is a light soup that is very refreshing and perfect for a summer day. I will be playing around with this concept over the coming months. I like that this soup is so low in calories, and that it includes so many vegetable servings.

Cold Spinach, Cucumber and Tomato Soup
Serves 1

Ingredients:

4 cups of fresh baby spinach, wash and spun dry
1 large cucumber, cut into chunks
1 clove of garlic, peeled and smash
½ tablespoon of sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon of canola oil
1 cup of water
½ tablespoon of chia seeds
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tomato, finely diced

Directions:

Place spinach, cucumber, garlic, vinegar, canola oil and water in the blender and puree until everything is completely smooth. Add the chia seeds to the blender and let them sit on top the blended vegetables for 10 minutes to rehydrate. Then puree the soup again until the chia seeds are completely incorporated. Taste the soup for salt and pepper and season according to your taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, pour into a chilled bowl and top with diced tomato.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 133.71
Calories From Fat (30%) -40.33

Total Fat - 4.7g
Saturated Fat - 0.45g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 116.2mg
Potassium - 1440.05mg
Total Carbohydrates - 19.5g
Fiber - 7.97g
Sugar - 8.37g
Protein - 7.25g

Comments:

I thought this was a great first attempt at a salad soup. I will be making a few modifications to the next version. I am going to substitute almond milk for the water for a little richness. I also think that tofu sour cream would be perfect on top this soup. I may also add a little cilantro or parsley to the soup when it is being pureed for additional flavor.

This is a good concept that has a lot of potential. I am glad Sue mentioned the leftover salad soup. I can see this becoming a regular at our house, especially during the summer.

Spinach Salad with Orange Segments, Dried Cherries and Seitan

My lunch today was a salad with a little fruit and seitan. I used the spinach in place of lettuce for its superior nutrition. I was in the mood for citrus today and had an orange in the refrigerator. I included the dried cherries for a pop of color and sweetness. The seitan slices were added to get the calories and protein up on the salad. If you want a little more crunchiness a little thinly sliced cucumber would also be good in this salad. If fat is not a probably for you I would suggest you add a few slivered almonds or cashews to this salad.

Spinach Salad with Orange Segments, Dried Cherries and Seitan
Serves 1

Ingredients:

½ tablespoon of sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon of canola oil
a pinch of sea salt
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
3 cups of raw baby spinach, rinsed and spun dry
½ orange, segmented
2 servings of pressure cooked lunchmeat, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of dried cherries

Directions:

Combine the sherry vinegar, canola oil, sea salt and pepper. Whisk to thoroughly combine. Toss the spinach in the dressing. Add the orange, seitan and dry cherries and toss to coat everything.

Serve immediately on a chilled plate.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 278.88
Calories From Fat (12%) - 32.81

Total Fat - 3.75g
Saturated Fat - 0.36g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 88.2mg
Potassium - 676.78mg
Total Carbohydrates - 25.86g
Fiber - 4.45g
Sugar - 6.82g
Protein - 38.83g

Comments:

I intentionally reduced the salad dressing I used today and wasn’t certain it would be enough to moisten all the leaves. I was surprised to find that today’s salad had enough dressing. I liked the combination of orange and dried cherries with the sherry vinegar. The seitan was included for protein and calories. Overall, this is a good salad that is filling and refreshing at the same time.

(This note is for Sue …… I know you were surprised to see the oranges had been supremed. I did save the membrane that is between the segments to add to a citrus salad dressing later today. I wouldn’t want to miss any opportunity to reduce cholesterol and fight cancer).

Brown Rice, Artichoke, Sun Dried Tomato and Caper Salad

Saturday night we had a black bean and garlic sauce vegetable stir fry and I made extra rice so that could use it on Sunday. I decided the rice would make a nice cold rice salad, which was the main component of dinner on Sunday. Much to my surprise I was able to keep the fat percentage down to 11% and yet make a flavorful rice salad. I will be using the 6 to 1 ratio for acid to fat going forward since it worked so well here.

This rice salad gets most of its flavor from the sherry vinegar, which I adore. You could also use red wine vinegar if you prefer. If fat is not a big concern you could add a few diced black oil cured olives, or toasted pine nuts to this salad. Both would be delicious, and would have been included if fat were not an issue for us.

Both my husband and I enjoyed this salad. It would make a great picnic dish since it doesn’t contain mayo or animal products.

Brown Rice, Artichoke, Sun Dried Tomato and Caper Salad
Serves 4 as a main dish

Ingredients:

4 cups of brown basmati rice, cooked and cold
3 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
½ tablespoon of canola oil
14 ounce can of brined artichokes, drained and cut into bite size pieces
12 sun dried tomatoes, finely diced
2 cups of fresh diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon of capers
6 cups of baby spinach, rinsed and spun dry

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients (except the spinach) and toss well to evenly distribute. Refrigerate the rice for a minimum of a couple of hours to allow the flavors to marry. Check for salt and pepper before serving.

To serve, line a bowl with the baby spinach and top with the cold rice salad.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 304.22
Calories From Fat (11%) - 33.55

Total Fat 3.92g
Saturated Fat - 0.53g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 569.04mg
Potassium - 836.18mg
Total Carbohydrates - 60.37g
Fiber - 7.14g
Sugar - 4.82g
Protein - 9g

Comments:

Normally I would have used double the amount of oil in this salad. However, I learned with this salad that it isn’t necessary. I wouldn’t eliminate the oil completely, since fat is required for the body to process fat soluble vitamins. We served this salad over baby spinach for the nutrition. Dark leafy greens are packed with nutrition and we are trying to eat as many of them as we can each week.

This recipe makes 4 large servings. We ate this as our main dish and it was almost too big. With the reduction in overall fat I have been intentionally increasing our serving sizes to keep the calories up.

Boca Burger, Spinach, Hummus and Broccoli Sprout Wrap

Boca burgers are somewhat of a freezer staple in our house. I don’t always have time to make my own veggie burgers. When I am short on time I turn to the Boca burgers. We have eaten these for so many years they taste like a hamburger to me now. It is strange how your taste buds change over time.

The hummus was included to add additional protein and to replace mayonnaise. The spinach and broccoli sprouts were added for nutrition. Dark leafy greens and broccoli sprouts are packed with nutrition and are help to keep the body nourished so that it can most effectively fight cancer. I always add both spinach and broccoli sprouts to my sandwiches and salads unless we have run out.

Boca Burger, Spinach, Hummus and Broccoli Sprout Wrap
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 Original Boca Burgers
2 whole wheat roll ups
4 tablespoons of hummus with roasted red pepper, garlic and paprika
½ cup of broccoli sprouts
3 cups of baby spinach
2/3 cup of edamame, in the pods

Directions:

Microwave the Boca burgers according to the directions on the package. Spread each roll up with half the hummus. Top with spinach, the cooked burgers and sprouts. Serve with the edamame on the side.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 433.31
Calories From Fat (23%) - 98.6

Total Fat - 13.57g
Saturated Fat - 3.09g
Cholesterol - 18mg
Sodium - 1181.73mg
Potassium - 1264.08mg
Total Carbohydrates - 61.59g
Fiber - 22.7g
Sugar - 9.41g
Protein - 41.84g

Comments:

If you need a quick lunch this one is packed with protein, fiber and nutrition for a few calories. In addition to being good for you, it is also a very tasty lunch. Add a cup of green tea and you have covered most of your cancer fighting bases.

Seitan Lunchmeat, BBQ Sauce, Spinach, Tomato and Broccoli Sprouts on a Whole Wheat Wrap

Today was spent running to multiple grocery stores to pick up provisions for the homestead. We went to Whole Foods, the health food store and Wegman’s. The combination of things we bought was unusual to say the least. You will be seeing these appear on the blog in the coming weeks.

By the time we got back from the multiple grocery stores we were starving. The tiny 1-ounce bar of 70% organic dark chocolate we split from store number two didn’t really stop the hunger.

Since we had the seitan lunchmeat in the refrigerator I knew we were going to have a sandwich. Sandwiches are the fastest meal to put together when you are starving, like today. I included extra seitan on this sandwich (probably because I was hungry) because two servings didn’t look like enough. We had BBQ sauce because my husband is not fond of mustard, and mayonnaise has a little too much fat if we are going to come close to the 12% target. The spinach, tomato and broccoli sprouts were added for nutrition.

I love broccoli sprouts and put them on most of our sandwiches. After reading that broccoli sprouts contain 100 times the level of sulforaphane of adult broccoli, eating the sprouts made total sense to me. If you aren’t a fan of broccoli, the sprouts have a much milder flavor that doesn’t remind me of broccoli. I think the taste is closer to other sprouts (clover or alfalfa) than it is to broccoli. The sprouts, like the broccoli, are reported to help the body fight cancer and that is why I buy them.

This sandwich is filling and contains a huge amount of protein. Something tells me we won’t be hungry for hours. In retrospect 2 servings of the seitan lunchmeat would have probably been plenty. Oh well, that is what happens when you let yourself get too hungry before a meal. At least the calorie count wasn't out of control.

Seitan Lunchmeat, BBQ Sauce, Spinach, Tomato and Broccoli Sprouts on a Whole Wheat Wrap
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 whole wheat roll ups
2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce, sweetened with Agave
3 servings of pressure cooked seitan lunchmeat, shaved thin
3 cups of baby spinach, cleaned and dried
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
½ cup of broccoli sprouts

Directions:

Smear one tablespoon of BBQ sauce on each roll up. Top with remaining ingredients and roll up the sandwich. Serve whole or sliced.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 408.98
Calories From Fat (17%) - 67.83

Total Fat - 8.48g
Saturated Fat - 3.14g
Cholesterol - 18mg
Sodium - 661.61mg
Potassium - 883.68mg
Total Carbohydrates - 49.56g
Fiber - 15g
Sugar - 14.16g
Protein - 46.73g

Comments:

My husband and I both liked this sandwich. He thought it could use a little more BBQ. I purposefully kept the BBQ to a minimum due to the sugar content and the fact that sugar feeds cancer. You will be seeing more recipes with stevia in the coming months.

If you wanted to add a little more flavor to this sandwich you could include a little hot crushed peppers (wet hots), or Dijon mustard. I would have added some shredded carrot if I had it preshredded in the refrigerator. I was too hungry to wait that long for a sandwich.

Banana, Peanut Butter, Spinach and Soy Yogurt Smoothie

Green smoothies again!

Every Sunday morning we go to the farmers market to pick up our organic goodies. Smoothies are a great breakfast when you are in a hurry.

The smoothie today is a little different from the prior smoothies due to the addition of soy yogurt. The soy yogurt is included for the probiotics, which are reported to boost the immune system. The yogurt also makes the smoothie a little thicker, and gives it a little background tang. The spinach is included for cancer fighting potential, and overall good nutrition. The banana is a great source of potassium and is good for kidney health. The peanut butter adds thickness, protein, fat and a nice flavor. The ice is included to thicken the smoothie.

Banana, Peanut Butter, Spinach and Soy Yogurt Smoothie
Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 cups of baby spinach, rinsed thoroughly
2 bananas, peeled
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
½ cup of soy yogurt
1 cup of soy milk
approximately 6 ice cubes

Directions:

Put everything in the blender and puree until smooth. Serve immediately in a chilled glass.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 326.71
Calories From Fat (32%) - 104.11

Total Fat - 12.12g
Saturated Fat - 2.26g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 194.53mg
Potassium - 1005.23mg
Total Carbohydrates - 46.66g
Fiber - 6.41g
Sugar - 24.77g
Protein - 12.77g

Comments:

Green smoothies are starting to appear more often in our house. The color is a little distracting, but the flavor is excellent. I like that it is a quick breakfast and that it is so good for us. If you haven’t tried a spinach smoothie you will be surprised at how the spinach flavor disappears behind the other ingredients.

Pasta with Pesto, Wilted Spinach and Bean Balls

Yesterday we were out of the house almost all day. At 8 pm I need to make dinner fast ….. we were starving. This is what I tossed together from what we had in the house. It became a quick and very tasty dinner.

The spinach is a very healthy ingredient that is packed with nutrition and reported to fight cancer. Basil, like many herbs, is thought to promote cancer cell suicide (Anticancer, page 123). The remaining ingredients are all healthy and add flavor.

Pasta with Pesto, Wilted Spinach and Bean Balls
Serves 2

Ingredients:

8 ounces of whole wheat spaghetti
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, sliced (allow to stand 10 minutes after slicing so allicin can develop)
¼ cup of basil leaves
1 pound of baby spinach, chopped
8 bean and bulgur balls

Directions:

Cook pasta in 4 quarts of salted water until just done (al dente). Start testing the pasta to see if it is cooked, 2 minutes before the package directions indicate it will be done.

Puree the spinach in the food processor with a tablespoon of two of water. You want the basil to be very fine.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the bean balls to the oil and cook to warm through and lightly toast all over. Add the garlic to the bean balls and quickly (about a minute) then add the spinach. Continue to cook until the spinach is wilted. Add the pureed basil and stir to mix throughout. If the sauce is dry add a ladle of pasta cooking water.

When the pasta is cooked toss it into the sauce. Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper as desired. Serve hot.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 688.62
Calories From Fat (17%) - 117.37
Total Fat - 13.6g
Saturated Fat - 3.15g
Cholesterol - 11.34mg
Sodium - 570.74mg
Potassium - 1056.98mg
Total Carbohydrates - 123.19g
Fiber - 11.41g
Sugar - 6.43g
Protein - 32.26g

Comments:

For a fast dinner, this is really tasty. The nutritionals were also not too bad. A few less calories would have been good, but we were starving after being out of the house most of the day. The basil and spinach was a very tasty combination. I also liked the bean balls after a quick sauté in olive oil.

Orange, Red Onion and Spinach Salad with Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

We eat a lot of salads in our house. I tend to rely on a few different salads most of the time, but like to a change things periodically.

This salad uses raw spinach, which is a nutritional powerhouse that is also a cancer fighter. The orange contains a nice sweetness and vitamin C (an antioxidant). The red onions are added for flavor, and for their flavonoids. Consuming onions has been linked to a reduction in a stomach and colon cancer.

The combination of orange, onion and olives is a classic Italian combination. I decided to make black olive vinaigrette to get the olive flavor without the texture. Not all the members of my family like olives, but they do like this salad dressing.

Orange, Red Onion and Spinach Salad with Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette
Makes 4 starter salads

Ingredients:

1 recipe for Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette (below)
8 cups of baby spinach, stems removed
½ red onion, thinly sliced in half moons
1 navel orange, peeled and sliced

Directions:

Prepare Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette.

Remove stems from the 8 cups of baby spinach. Wash and spin the spinach dry. Toss the spinach with the olive vinaigrette. Slice the red onion as thinly as possible into half moon shapes and add to spinach. Toss the salad to evenly distribute the onions. Place dressed spinach and onions on four salad plates.

Remove peel and pith from one orange. Thinly slice the orange into 12 slices (3 per salad). Top each salad with 3 orange slices.

Serve cold, preferably on cold plates.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 81.41
Calories From Fat (56%)- 45.51

Total Fat - 5.17g
Saturated Fat - 0.52g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 137.62mg
Potassium - 396.68mg
Total Carbohydrates - 8.33g
Fiber - 2.33g
Sugar - 3.23g
Protein - 2.19g

Kalamata Olive and Sherry Vinaigrette
makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

6 black olives
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons of sherry vinegar

Directions:

Place ingredients in a small food processor and puree until you have a thick dressing. If you don’t want to use a food processor you can finely mince the black olives with your chef’s knife and whisk the olive oil and vinegar together and then add the minced olives. This dressing gets plenty of salt from the olives. You can add a little black pepper, but the dressing does not need to flavor boost.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 45.24
Calories From Fat (95%) - 42.93

Total Fat - 4.86g
Saturated Fat - 0.47g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 89.46mg
Potassium - 3.78mg
Total Carbohydrates - 0.58g
Fiber - 0g
Sugar - 0g
Protein - 0g

Comments:

This is a very flavorful salad that is also low in calories. The salad gets a lot of flavor from the black olives and red onion. This is a very fast salad that comes together with only a few ingredients. It is a nice salad to know if you need to add something to a menu that needs another small dish.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Pea and Spinach Pesto

Fresh uncooked pasta sauces are one of my favorite things. I like to use all types of raw vegetables to make my sauces. This sauce is very clean, fresh and light. The toasted walnuts add a nice crunch and a little fattiness to the otherwise very low fat pasta sauce.

The raw spinach is included in this sauce for added nutrition and cancer fighting potential. I thought it might be nice to have the spinach in a savory dish instead of a smoothie today.

If you reduce or eliminate the water in this sauce it would make a nice spread for bruschetta or pizza. It would also be good with almond feta if you have that in the house.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Green Pea and Spinach Pesto
Serves 4 main dish servings

Ingredients:

13.25 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen and thawed green peas
2 cups raw spinach
1/4 cup packed basil leaves
Juice from one lemon
1 tablespoon green olives
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of water
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup chopped walnut pieces, toasted

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook according to the package directions. When you add the pasta to the water stir it vigorously for 30 seconds to make certain it doesn’t clump together when it cooks. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain linguine and transfer to a bowl large enough that you can toss the pasta with the sauce.

Meanwhile, put peas, spinach, basil, lemon juice and olives into a food processor and pulse to make a paste. With the motor running, add oil and water in a steady stream. Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste. Toss the hot spaghetti with pesto and enough pasta cooking water to make a thick sauce.

Top with walnuts and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 369
Calories From Fat (25%) - 92.4
Total Fat - 10.83g
Saturated Fat - 0.96g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 108.7mg
Potassium - 171.76mg
Total Carbohydrates - 59.05g
Fiber - 10.05g
Sugar - 4.98g
Protein - 12.53g

Comments:

I am happy with the nutritional statistics on this dish and the taste. This dish is light yet filling. I have leftovers for our lunch tomorrow. I think it should reheat fine in the microwave. If something needs to be tweaked in the reheating I will update this post tomorrow (Friday).

Cold Cucumber Soup with Raw Spinach and Lime

I have been posting a lot of “green” things over the last week. I don’t know if this is due the produce that is now available locally grown, or my body is craving green vegetables now that the weather is turning warm. No mater the reason, green foods are very healthy and soup is no exception. This is nice cool refreshing soup that is light in taste, texture and calories yet is still satisfying.

This is another recipe that is packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. One serving of this soup contains over 2100 international units of vitamin A which is enough for the entire day for a middle aged woman. The soup also contains 75 mcg of folate, which is approximately 25% of what you need for the day (again for a middle aged woman). If you are curious about what levels of vitamins and minerals are recommended for you and the members of your family this is a nice source of information from the USDA.

This soup with its onion, garlic and spinach is another good source of phytonutrients that help protect you from cancer. I like that it is also tasty and low in calories. The little bit of fat in the roasted garlic makes certain that your body can process the fat soluble vitamins that are present.

Cold Cucumber Soup with Raw Spinach and Lime
Makes 4 cups – 2 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of sweet onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of white wine
2 cloves of roasted garlic (or sauté it with the onion in wine)
1 seedless cucumber
1 lime (zest and juice)
12 ounces of brown rice milk
1 cup of raw spinach
½ teaspoon of sea salt
2 tablespoons of parsley, finely minced - optional

Directions:

Sauté the onion in white wine until translucent. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Cut the skin from the cucumber in four slices leaving a rectangle of cucumber. Dice the cucumber with skin, into small dice. Reserve the diced cucumber with the skin for a soup garnish.

Cut the cucumber without skin into large chunks that will fit in the blender. Put the cucumber (without skin) in the blender. Add the cooled onions, and roasted garlic, lime juice, rice milk, raw spinach and sea salt. Process until the mixture is smooth. Taste for seasoning before refrigerating.

Store the soup in the refrigerator until it is completely cold. Top with diced cucumber, lime zest and minced parsley (if using). I also like to finish my soups with a little freshly grated Himalayan sea salt and black pepper.

If you want you can top with a dollop of tofu sour cream or a teaspoon of good extra virgin olive oil.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 136.28
Calories From Fat (25%)- 34.33

Total Fat - 3.97g
Saturated Fat - 0.6g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 551.67mg
Potassium - 484.91mg
Total Carbohydrates - 20.53g
Fiber - 3.52g
Sugar - 4.53g
Protein - 3.57g

Comments:

This soup is light and refreshing. The acid from the lime gives the flavor of the soup a little lift without adding unnecessary sodium.

When the weather is hot and you don’t feel like eating something hot this soup, a green salad, and a couple of whole grain crackers makes a great meal.

Banana and Spinach Smoothie

We liked the smoothie I made yesterday but thought that it would be better if it had a little more banana flavor and less peanut butter. I think I got it right today both in terms of flavor and texture. At least my husband and both liked it, so that is good enough for me.

Today I added a little cinnamon to the smoothie for health and flavor. Cinnamon has been shown to reduce blood glucose, trigylcerides and cholesterol. In a study by the USDA, cinnamon was shown to reduce the growth of leukemia and lymphoma (cancers). Cinnamon is an anti-inflammatory food. The ability of cinnamon to reduce blood clotting is well documented. Overall, cinnamon is a good thing to include in your diet wherever possible.

Banana and Peanut Butter Breakfast Smoothie with Raw Spinach
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 bananas
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
1 cup of almond milk
2 tablespoons of flaxseeds
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 small bunches of young spinach (about 20 leaves or 2 cups)
2 cups of ice

Directions:

Put everything in the blender and process until it is completely smooth. Serve immediately in chilled glasses.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 332.12
Calories From Fat (38%) - 127.12
Total Fat - 14.86g
Saturated Fat - 2.5g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 161.09mg
Potassium - 839.3mg
Total Carbohydrates - 43.09g
Fiber - 8.6g
Sugar - 20.9g
Protein - 10.17g

Comments:

The texture of this smoothie was much better than yesterday. The extra banana undoubtedly helped, as did the reduction in liquid and the use of chilled glasses. The smoothie was thick and rich, almost like a milk shake. The banana flavor was the most pronounced, but it didn’t overwhelm the smoothie. I could taste a hint of peanut butter in the background. As usual I thought the spinach was at most a background flavor. I couldn’t taste the cinnamon at all. Next time I will double the cinnamon.

Both my husband and I have decided the spinach in our smoothies is a good thing, and something that we will continue to do through the summer. We both like knowing that we are consuming a healthy raw vegetable in our breakfast.

Nutritional Info updated 07.05.09

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie with Spinach

Smoothies make a great breakfast when the weather gets warmer. I love how quickly you can throw them together and get on with your day. Somehow hot food isn’t anything that I am very interested in when the weather gets warmer.

I have decided to try to include spinach in my morning smoothies for a while (basically until I get bored with it and need a change). I like that the spinach adds a lot of nutrition, and potentially helps to fight cancer.

Peanut butter is a very popular ingredient in our house. Both my husband and I love the gooey stuff. Peanut butter is packed with protein, as well as healthy fat, and calories. I buy the raw organic peanut butter that is made with the skins because it contains more nutrients.

I thought that peanut and banana sounded like a great smoothie combo today. Bananas are a good source of potassium which is essential for maintaining your blood pressure. Consuming bananas has also been associated with a reduction in strokes. Eating bananas has also been linked to kidney health and a reduction in kidney cancer. Since I have a particular fondness for kidney protection expect to see more banana based recipes in the future. Hummmm…. banana and peanut butter soy ice cream sounds good. But I will save that for another post.

Flaxseeds always go into my smoothies. Four little teaspoons of flaxseeds contain almost 100% of the daily recommended value of omega 3’s. Omega 3 fatty acids help protect you from forming dangerous blood clots. The consumption of omega 3’s is also associated with lower blood pressure.

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie with Spinach
Makes 2 large servings

Ingredients:

1 banana, very ripe
1 cup of soymilk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 tablespoons of peanut butter
2 tablespoons of golden flaxseed, freshly ground
2 bunches of young spinach, about 20 leaves
1 cup of water
2 cups of ice

Directions:

Drop everything in the blender and process until completely smooth. Serve cold.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 354.06
Calories From Fat (47%) 166.13

Total Fat - 19.42g
Saturated Fat - 3.35g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 262.77mg
Potassium - 1123.49mg
Total Carbohydrates - 33.96g
Fiber - 9.27g
Sugar - 13.23g
Protein - 15.71g


Comments:

The peanut butter was the dominant flavor in this smoothie. We would like this better if the banana flavor was a little more prominent. I will be adding more banana in the smoothie I make tomorrow. My husband and I are not in agreement on the spinach flavor. I wasn’t certain I could taste it, he thought he could taste the spinach. Either way, the spinach was at most a background flavor. We both thought this was a very good starting point for a recipe.

Nutritional Info updated 07.05.09