Grains Galore -- Grab Something New Now!

Looking for healthy GRAINS?

There are SO very many delicious options!

Bran, buckwheat, whole wheat orzo, Barilla Plus pasta, whole wheat couscous,
quinoa, wild rice, rye flakes, farro  grain, wheat germ, Mama Mary's whole wheat pizza crust.

If you take a chance at stepping away from Wonder Bread and regular, white pasta and rice,

there is SO much available!!

READ here about WHAT to LOOK for on BREAD LABELS!

Here are posts including these some of GREAT GRAIN options!

Fabulous Flavored Oatmeal

Chocolate Oatmeal

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal (omit chocolate from recipe)

Thomas Bagel Thins

Boboli Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Mama Mary's Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Multi-Grain Flatout Roll-ups

Food for Life Ezekiel 4:9 Cinnamon Raisin Bread (any Ezekiel bread is awesome!)

Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla Chips

Barilla Plus Pasta

DeBoles Jerusalem Artichoke Pasta

Shiratake Miracle Noodles

Better Baking Breadcrumbs can be added to any dish!

Gluten-Free Grains (click on link for many gluten-free grains)

NUTRITIOUS and GLUTEN-FREE GRAINS: amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, and teff

Great Grains are great for energy -- read more on EATING for ENERGY!

COMMENTS: What would you like to see on fresh-you.com?  More recipes?  Superfoods?  Book, movie, or product recommendations?  Videos?  Lifestyle suggestions?  Alternative therapies?

Lemony Kale Pasta

KALE is a super-GREEN!  Benefits of kale: high in Vitamins K, A, C (just a cup gives you more than your daily requirement of each!), and calcium and iron!  Plus, a variety of phytochemicals that help prevent cancer and aging, especially of the eyes!

Lemony Kale Pasta

1 package whole wheat pasta... Here is a post on some pasta alternatives!

1 large onion, chopped ...I've used white and red onions, both are yummy!

2 Tbsp garlic, minced

1/2 tsp pepper

1 pound kale ... I used more than half of Costco's bag of baby kales :)

1/4 c flaxseed, ground

1/4 c nutritional yeast

1/4 c wheat bran, course grain

1/4 c wheat germ

1/2 lemon, juice squeezed on top of pasta dish!

Prepare pasta as directed.  Saute onion, garlic, and spice for 5-7 min on medium high heat. Then add kale and cook for another 5 min, until greens become bright! Combine remaining dry ingredients. Lastly, mix everything together, squeeze lemon juice on top, and enjoy!

COMMENTS: Do you eat Kale?  Kale chips?  Kale soup?

Pasta IS Good for YOU!

You might have heard that "pasta isn't good for you!"  Well, if you choose old fashioned, enriched white pasta, I would agree that what you've heard is true!  Find out why in a bread post, coming soon!  THERE IS GOOD PASTA NEWS!  There are lots of great (YUMMY AND HEALTHY) options available!

Top 4 Pasta Alternatives/Varieties!

#1 Barilla Plus Pasta

Variety of SHAPES; TASTES and LOOKS very similar to traditional white pasta; INEXPENSIVE; Jam-packed with NUTRIENTS: high in a variety of vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber!

#2 Jerusalem Artichoke Pasta

Contains INULIN -- a nutrient called a PREBIOTIC; prebiotics are foods that "good" bacteria eat to grow and flourish. Prebiotics are similar to "healthy bacteria" found in yogurt and kefir!

#3 Shiratake Miracle Noodles

These are CALORIE-free and gluten-free! Fettuccine, angel hair, and rice shapes!

#4 Spaghetti Squash

Nutritious, ONE-ingredient 'product'; cooks easily in a pressure cooker, oven, or microwave; contains less than 25% as many calories as traditional pasta!

Thank you Whole Foods for this lovely pic! Here is a site completely devoted to spaghetti squash, well other squashes are in there, but the site name is spaghettisquash.org! It'll tell you how to prepare it (EASY!), and offer many recipes!

WINTER Squash includes a variety of squash including:

SPAGHETTI, acorn, butternut, and many more!

Top Benefits of Winter Squash

Richness in Vitamins A, C, and folate, as well as copper and magnesium help with:

1. Inflammation reduction (arthritis and asthma relief)
2. Heart AND LUNG health
3. Protection from birth defects

For more specifics on which nutrients help most with which function go to Livestrong.com!

 

Try one of these healthy pasta recipes as you experiment with a new kind of pasta!

Easy Eggplant Parmesan

Vodka Pasta

Penne Italiana

Lemony Kale Pasta

Here is another post you might enjoy!  Grains Galore (some other healthy grain options)!

COMMENTS: Have you ever tried any of these pasta alternatives?  Have any cool recipes to share?

Spicy Vodka Pasta -- Healthy Version

This is SO fast, HEALTHY, and delicious! It is such a simple recipe that one of the chefs who claims to have invented the dish, prepared it table-side in the 70s in a New York City!

When my hubby and I began dating, HE was the COOK between the two of us! This was the first dish he prepared for me, and we ate it countless times in the almost 2 years that we dated before we got married! Such warm fuzzy memories!

Over the years, I have gradually converted the recipe from NOT VERY healthy, to quite the opposite! So here you go -- the HEALTHY VERSION!

Spicy Vodka Pasta

1 Tbsp garlic, minced
½ tsp crushed red pepper
3.5 c crushed tomatoes (28 oz can)
1 lb whole wheat pasta**
1/4 c cashew butter (lower to 2-3 Tbsp to decrease fat)

1 c water

Heat a pan large enough to hold all ingredients. Sauté garlic and pepper in the hot pan with just a little bit of water, adding more when needed. Cook just until garlic turns golden but does not brown, 1 or 2 min. Add crushed tomatoes. Stir to blend, and simmer, uncovered, until sauce begins to thicken (about 15 min, the longer the better). Meanwhile, cook and drain pasta, add pasta to sauce, and toss. Blend cashew butter with water, then add cream to pasta and sauce. Toss once more. Cover, reduce heat to low, let rest for a few minutes so pasta can absorb sauce (longer the better). This dish gets even better as leftovers!

*Click HERE for some great pasta alternatives!

COMMENTS: Do you remember the first meal you ever ate with your partner? On our first date, Mike introduced me to Indian food! It was amazing! Isn't it fun to discover a new food you've never had before? So exciting!

You're Gonna Wanna THIS Penne Italiana!

This MEATLESS meal couldn't be EASIER, or more TASTY! think I had thirds!

To read more about the benefits of meatless meals CLICK HERE :)

FOOD Attitude for Picky Eaters!

Even though my 3YO daughter was fussing that she did want this dish, she LOVED it! She even went on and on, explaining how very much she was LOVING EVERY part of the dish -- even the green leaf parts! HOW?

When she was all upset while I was making dinner, I talked to her about considering the fact that the meal MIGHT ACTUALLY be yummy. I asked her if she usually, or even sometimes, likes foods that I cook.  She said yes. That was about it, but really just talking about another PERSPECTIVE changed her ATTITUDE for when she actually tried the meal a little later. I had told her if she didn't like it, she wouldn't have to eat it all up, just a taste. So she felt independent, and in control. Turns out she had SECONDS!

Click HERE for 8 Tricks and Tips for PICKY EATERS!

Penne Italiana (quick pasta dish, healthy pasta recipe!)

1 box whole wheat pasta OR click HERE for yummy PASTA ALTERNATIVES
3-4 Tbsp garlic, minced
5-6 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped in wedges
~1 Tbsp basil (or plenty of fresh -- yum!)
3-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast!
1-1/2 to 2 lb fresh baby spinach

Saute garlic, tomatoes, and basil in a bit of water on a hot pan, for 5-10 min, until tomatoes appear loose.  Then stir in yeast, simmer for another 5-10 min.  Add spinach and cover for 5-10 min.  Stir in pasta, and enjoy!

COMMENTS: How did you spend this beautiful day? Did you get outside and enjoy some fresh air?