Posts Tagged ‘vitamin A’

After a crazy week and an extremely delayed flight last night, I finally made it back to Omaha, NE to visit my family for the holiday weekend. We started off the morning with a trip to the Benson Farmers Market, where I had my first shot of fresh wheatgrass juice and a taste of sunflower sprouts! The wheatgrass had a sweet honey after-taste, which was a pleasant surprise! Click here for more information about wheatgrass.

One vendor at the market was selling sunflower sprouts, which I’ll admit, I had never seen/heard of people selling before. Apparently they clip the sprouts of the sunflower after about 6 weeks of growth and sell them to mix in with salads or toss in a juicer. I had the opportunity to sample one – the little green leaves and stem had a slightly nutty flavor to them similar to sunflower seeds, it was delicious!

Sunflower greens or sprouts are considered to be a super food because they contain protein, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin E, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. I will have to be on the lookout for these little guys at the farmers markets in Chicago! I eventually came home from the market with garlic, green onions, and Chinese spinach (more on this later) in hand; all to use tomorrow at the July 4th barbeque!

After the farmers market it was time to harvest some mulberries. Every summer wild mulberries grow in my neighborhood, and this year the crop was quite abundant! I ended up picking about a quart of them! In addition to using them on top of my breakfast cereal and in smoothies I think the plan is to either bake some into muffins or a pie this year!

Mulberries grow wild throughout the United States and are often overlooked when it comes to summertime berries. Like blackberries and raspberries, mulberries are packed with nutrients and provide numerous health benefits. Mulberries are a great source of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B, iron, fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium.

Mulberries contain antioxidants that help lower cholesterol, aid in treating digestive problems, and help to prevent cancer, blood clots, and diabetes. If you have a wild mulberry tree in your neighborhood, harvest the berries between May and July and reap the great benefits mother nature has to offer us!

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Recently krill oil has been gaining popularity as a superior source of omega-3 fatty acids. But what exactly is krill oil and is it better than fish oil?

Krill are tiny shrimp-like crustaceans that live near Antarctica and are a staple food source for baleen whales and penguins. Oil extracted from these small sea creatures are being extracted and manufactured into capsules as a source of omega-3 fatty acids for human consumption. Omega-3 fatty acids are famous for their numerous health benefits: everything from boosting the immune system and increasing brain function to preventing cancer and heart disease. Krill oil also contains vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, and astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant that protects your skin from UV-damage.

The components of omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, are have a different structural arrangement in krill oil versus fish oil. This structural difference allows the krill oil to be more easily absorbed by the human body thus preventing “fish burps” commonly associated with fish oil capsules. Krill oil has been found to decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol, increase HDL (good) cholesterol, and lower blood sugar. It has also been shown to be an effective treatment for reducing aches, pain, inflammation, and PMS.

Krill oil capsules are slightly smaller than fish oil capsules in size but tend to be more expensive. The red pigment of the capsules comes from the red algae that krill consume as part of their diet. Most products recommend that you take 1 krill oil capsule/day and people with shellfish allergies should not take krill oil. While the research is still new on krill oil capsules, it appears that there are no adverse side effects to taking them. Overall, krill oil seems to have similar effects as fish oil with a few added perks. You can find krill oil capsules at your local health food store and give them a try!

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After a long day in Harvey, IL for a Dietetic Internship Seminar, I finally got around to eating my Butternut Squash Tortellini! Unfortunately I crashed into bed before I could get this post up, so here it is now!

This recipe works out perfectly to prepare it ahead of time and freeze it to cook later, which is what I did! It was great to come home after a long day and just have to put on some boiling water for dinner. I got this recipe as well as tips for folding the tortellini from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. I LOVE this cookbook!

The inside is a mixture of 2 cups baked/mashed butternut squash, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 2 eggs, and a tsp of sugar. I cheated a little and used pre-made wonton wrappers to wrap the tortellini which made it even easier. Simply spoon about a Tbsp of the mixture into the wrapper and fold it up! You can do whatever kind of sauce you like for this pasta. I did a butter and freshly chopped safe sauce this time around, but next time I am going to put it with some marinara!

Of course while I was waiting for the water to boil I had to make a snack. I went ahead and made some fabulous kale chips!

Since the oven was already on, I went ahead and heated up some cherry tomatoes that I had purchased from the UIC farmers market last Friday. I coated these little guys with some olive oil, minced garlic, and basil and put them in the oven for 15 minutes (at about 350 degrees). Then I pulled the pan out, sprinkled on some whole wheat bread crumbs (from an embarrassingly stale piece of my leftover homemade bread) and feta cheese. Back in the oven for 10 more minutes and they came out looking like this!

The best part is that measurements for both Kale Chip and Garlic Cherry Tomatoes are totally up to you! These recipes are simple and flawless, so add ingredients that suit your taste buds. Since I am just one person I only made 2 cups of cherry tomatoes with 3 garlic cloves and 1/4 cup of both bread crumbs and feta cheese.

As I mentioned before, I still have leftover butternut squash and I was debating making some soup, but after trying these tortellini I may just have to make some more of it and freeze it for another meal down the road!

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This weekend at the UIC farmer’s market I bought a giant butternut squash. The woman at the stand was just trying to get rid of it, so I got it for $2! Saturday morning I got to work on it. I baked it in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour and scooped out the insides. I mashed it all up in a giant bowl and questioned myself as to what the heck I was going to do with all of this squash for only one person!

First on the list was to make Butternut Squash Tortellini. I made a bunch of this and threw it in the freezer for later this week. More on this when I get around to cooking it for dinner tomorrow night!

Second I made Butternut Squash Risotto. This recipe was great, and super easy. It was the perfect dinner for a cold fall day in Chicago!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs butternut squash, baked and mashed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cans vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp butter
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup short-grain rice (I used brown rice)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt

Bring 1 cup water and vegetable broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Meanwhile melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and add onion. Sauté for about 4 minutes until soft and lightly brown. Reduce heat to medium and add rice, sauté for 1 minute. Stir in 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup vegetable broth mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until liquid absorbs. Add another 1/2 cup of vegetable broth and stir until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding 1/2 cups of broth to the rice mixture until all of the liquid is absorbed (this takes about 30-40 minutes). Stir garlic into mashed squash and add it to the rice mixture. Stir in cheese, sage, salt, and pepper.

Serve warm and enjoy! Makes about 6 (1 cup) servings, so I have been eating it all week, yum!

What’s your favorite butternut squash for the fall? I still have extra squash left over (even after my risotto and tortellini) and am contemplating what to do with it. Maybe some butternut squash soup, you can’t go wrong with that! I also saved the seeds to toast them, I am assuming they will turn out similar to pumpkin seeds, we shall see!

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Tonight was the perfect night for spaghetti squash!

Having class all day I was too lazy too make anything elaborate for dinner so this was the perfect choice. Simple, quick, and delicious!

I just kind of eye ball the ingredients, but here is the exact recipe:

• 1 medium raw spaghetti squash
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 14 1/2 oz canned stewed tomatoes, cut up
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesean cheese (optional)

Squash – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half lengthwise; scoop out and discard seeds. Place squash cut side down in a large baking dish and prick skin all over with a fork. Bake 30-40 minutes or until tender.

Sauce – Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomatoes and Italian seasoning and bring to a  boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until desired consistency.

Rake the stringy squash out of the skin with a fork.  Spoon sauce over squash and sprinkle with Parmesean cheese. Makes about four 1 1/2 cup servings. Enjoy!

I just can’t seem to get enough tomatoes this week!
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