Filed under: Snacks
After all those holiday parties and high calorie eating it is tough to resist the desire to continue over eat. One practical tip I have learned is to eat smaller meals through out the day. For example, in the morning I’ll have a piece of toast with an egg. About 2 hours later I’ll have a mid morning snack such as apples with peanut butter, cottage cheese or dried fruits and nuts. This way I’m not ravenous when lunchtime comes around and I make better choices regarding what I eat and how much. Another useful suggestion is to package dried fruits and nuts in small baggies to take with you when you’re out and about. Consequently, you won’t be tempted to stop for fast food.
FromTheFarm.com has a variety of options for healthy snacks. Here they are:
Nuts:
Walnuts: rich in Omega 3
Almonds
Dried Fruits:
Dates
Prunes
White Peaches
Nectarines
Pears
Angelino Plums
Yellow Peaches
All Natural Fruit Bars: 100% all-natural. Contains two servings of fruit and is gluten, dairy, wheat and nut free! No preservatives or additives. Comes in 4 flavors: Marionberry Blueberry, Marionberry Strawberry, Marionberry and Marionberry with Dark Chocolate. These are the consistency of a thick fruit leather. Convenient for after sports snack, on backpacking trips, pocket or purse. My favorites are the Marionberry and the Marionberrry with dark chocolate.
January 4, 2010
Caramel apples aren’t just for kids. There is nothing like biting into smooth, creamy caramel and getting the sweet, tart, juiciness of an apple. It’s the perfect pairing. Normally, I use store bought caramels to make caramel apples but this year I decided to try and make my own using a candy recipe. The recipe I chose came from a little homemade cookbook that I picked up from a local pumpkin farm. It was easy to make. The caramel was much better than those little squares and I didn’t have to unwrap them, either. Don’t do like I did and forget to butter the wax paper. You’ll be sorry.
Caramel Apples
10 Golden Delicious apples(I love them)
1 pound brown sugar
1 cup butter, plus some for cookie sheet(I used salted)
Dash of salt
1 cup light corn syrup
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 popsicle sticks(you can get them in a craft store)
Wash the apples. Insert sticks half way into the apples. Liberally butter a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Melt the butter in a 3 quart, heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add the sugar, salt and corn syrup. Stir well. Slowly pour in the sweetened condensed milk. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until 245 degrees on a candy thermometer. Once the caramel has reached that temperature remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Immediately begin to dip the apples. Use a spoon to help coat the apples thoroughly. Place the coated apples on the well buttered cookie sheet. Be careful the caramel is very hot and sticky.
September 30, 2009
Who knew that cherries were so good for you? It is hard to believe that such a tasty little fruit is a powerhouse of nutrients. What would you say if I said that by eating cherries you can decrease your risk of cancer, keep yourself looking young and get a great night of sleep? You’d probably say prove it. Well, I will.
Cherries contain phytochemicals also called phenolics. These phenolics protect your DNA against free radicals. Anthocyanins also found in cherries keep the body safe from an enzyme that has been proven to increase the risk of colon cancer.
Vitamin C is important in maintaining collagen which causes cell renewal and keeps our skin looking young and supple. One cup of cherries yields 16% of your RDA of vitamin C.
Sleep is so important to our good health. We need our 8 hours a night. You’re thinking, yeah right. Did you know that melatonin, a sleep inducing hormone produced in our bodies is also present in cherries. So maybe now you can get that 8 hours of sleep.
As a nation our health is such a concern for us today. It’s nice to know that we can make simple changes in our nutrition that impact our lives. It doesn’t have to be big change; in fact, it can be something as small as a cherry.
Two weeks left of the Montana cherry season. Order now.
See my post “A Guilty Secret” for a parfait recipe. Add cherries to ice cream, use in place of blueberries in a muffin recipe or dip in chocolate.
August 11, 2009
I have a confession to make. I have eaten the fruit and yogurt parfaits from McDonalds and liked them. They are surprisingly good. Not only are they good but they have inspired me to make them at home which I have done. They are simple to make and can be eaten for breakfast, as a mid-day snack, or a light dessert.
Just start with some vanilla yogurt (I like Lucerne), your favorite granola and any type of summer fruit, such as, peaches, nectarines, cherries (my husband’s favorite in the parfait), plums, pluots, blueberries and other berries that are in season.
First layer the fruit in the bottom of a bowl, make sure to cut into bite size pieces, next add some yogurt to cover, sprinkle over some granola and finally another layer of yogurt to cover. Enjoy!
July 21, 2009
