Preparing Great Grains
I've spent so much time this month presenting to groups about the importance of whole and ancient grains that I think it's time to post a new healthy challenge to eat more whole grains! Don’t be afraid to prepare whole grains. Most of them can simply be boiled like rice until they’re tender.
Key To Keeping New Year's Resolutions
It is time to make your goals stick, so they positively affect your life rather than make you feel like a failure!
Oyster October
"Les Poisson, les poisson, 'ow I looove les poisson!" That Little Mermaid song is dang funny even if it is somewhat macabre... October is National Seafood Month! If you're new to Foods with Judes, you will soon find out I have a great love for our underwater friends, both to protect and to eat! Seafood has extremely positive effects on our health and brain function. You can learn more about why this is true, in addition to other clarifying mercury tidbits in a previous article, "Seafood Newsflash." I could go on for days about health benefits of different kinds of seafood, but this month's healthy challenge will focus particularly on oysters. Don't worry - you don't have to eat them raw.
15-Minute Roasted Mexican Soup
I can't get enough of this 15-minute soup. It tastes like it been roasting for hours and it has, but by Trader Joe's and not by you! It’s quick and sooo good. You might be able to find these roasted veggies at other stores, but you will for sure find all the ingredients at Trader Joe's. It's a soup-er healthy, zippy, meal hack.This soup can be left chunky or blended smooth, either way it taste soup-perb. The blended version is perfect for those picky eaters who don't appreciate onions, bell peppers or black beans. Shhhh, they'll never know if you don't tell them. Top it with cheese, cilantro, avocados and/or tortilla chips or don’t add a thing to it. It’s a flexible meal using frozen ingredients that you can keep on hand and made on the spot.
Fairytale Eggplants
I'm enchanted by the beautiful baby eggplants I found at the farmer's market in downtown Durham a couple of days ago. In addition to being the most adorable things ever, they are called "fairytale eggplants!" Whoever magically shrunk them did us all a favor. They have tender skins and only a few seeds. They're sweet and firm without the mushiness and bitterness found in the mama-sized eggplants. So for all of you who love eggplant and even those who don't, these ethereal fruits are for you.
Pecorino Romano Cheese
My favorite food staple is Pecorino Romano cheese. It makes food sing! Just a sprinkle of freshly grated Romano cheese on veggies, grains, and lentils takes these foods to a new level of deliciousness. With so much flavor, this cheese feels like an indulgence. Made from sheep's milk, Romano is good for your health and often works for people with other dairy intolerances.
Bare Organic Apple Chips
I found a new healthy product that I love and want to share with you! I'm very selective, so you know it's good if I feature it in my new blog series: "Judes' Market Highlights."
Judes' Healthy Choices at Restaurants
This post is the first of a new miniseries I call "Lunch Date" that demonstrates my healthy choices at various restaurants. As you see my healthful choices, hopefully, it will help you in your restaurant decisions.
Sunflower Seeds: Brain Boost
Sunflower seeds do more than give a satisfying crunch; they improve our health! They are totally delicious AND loaded with some heavy-hitting nutrients that are especially good for our brain power.
Arugula: A Rock Star Green
Arugula isn't just delicious. It’s also brimming with health-protecting nutrients. In fact, arugula strengthens your bones and may make exercising easier. These rock star rockets may even help keep your brain sharp and smelling better.
The Healthiest Bread
Is there bread that is actually healthy? Obviously white bread, rolls, buns, and crackers are problematic, but even among the healthier bread varieties, there is a significant variance. Which one should you choose? Below are the healthiest bread options to eat.
Amazing Vegetable Avocado Soup
If you're busy and enjoy high-quality delicious food, you'll want to try this month's meal hack. You'll be surprised at how well a little salsa and avocado can enhance the flavor of purchased vegetable soup from the refrigerator section at Costco or your grocery store. A delicious, hearty soup that is quick and fun!
Blood Oranges: Winter Detox
Eat half of your meals and snacks in fruits and vegetables for your daily “detox cleanse” and don’t forget to eat a variety of colors, including bright and dark colors. Blood oranges are a perfect winter fruit full of these powerful phytonutrients and lots of vitamin C to boot. Take February’s Healthy Challenge and eat blood oranges while they’re still in season.
Brazil Nuts' Superpower
Bring in the new year by starting a new habit that will benefit your health. It's not even a hard one, so you can actually keep this year's resolution! Just eat one Brazil nut every day (but not more than that) to ensure that you are taking in enough selenium in your diet. This powerful nutrient is an essential mineral found to have a profound effect on our health! It's critical in protecting us from toxins and fighting diseases.
Seafood News Flash!
Contrary to previous recommendations, new government guidelines recommend that everyone, especially pregnant and breastfeeding women and children, consume seafood two to three times per week! Seafood contains nutrients that are difficult to find in other foods that most people aren't getting enough of.
Fabulous Flax
It’s surprising that before now, I haven’t chosen flax seed as one of my monthly Healthy Challenge foods since I started my blog more than six years ago. It’s oozing with valuable nutrients that we have a difficult time getting in our diet, but that truly make a difference to our health.