by Angela Hinkle | Sep 30, 2013
Nutty for Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is a versatile food which has soared beyond being jelly’s side kick on bread. Peanut butter can be used as a snack, as part of a full meal, in baking, and yes, even in cooking. It’s an economical source of protein and it is a wonderful food to pack on the go because it won’t spoil as quickly as most animal proteins will.
Even though most people think of them as nuts, the peanuts which are ground up to make peanut butter, are part of the legume family. Peanut butter is packed with heart-protecting mono and polyunsaturated fats – which are the “good”, cholesterol lowering fats. Also the ratio of saturated fats to unsaturated fats puts peanut butter right up there with olive oil. Do keep in mind, however, that these fats are also what make peanut butter a high calorie food. Like other yummy foods, moderation is key so try to limit yourself to about 2 tablespoons – about 180 calories.
Peanut butter is a good source of protein, and essential vitamins and minerals which include Vitamin E, niacin, and magnesium. On average, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter has about 8 grams of protein which helps contribute toward your daily protein needs and it provides energy while keeping you feeling full. Those two tablespoons of peanut butter also have about 2 grams of fiber (about 3 grams if you eat the crunchy). If you eat peanut butter with a fruit or whole grain bread, it can really boost your daily fiber intake.
For tasty ideas, look for peanut butter recipes like: yogurt peanut butter dip with fruit, Thai noodle dishes with peanut butter, peanut butter granola, and peanut butter smoothies. Peanut butter is consumed in 90 percent of households in the USA and Americans eat enough peanut butter in a year to make more than 10 billion peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Most of us don’t outgrow our love of peanut butter. You’re never too old for peanut butter, so go nutty.
For more information about peanut butter, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension office.
by Kendra Hughson | Aug 9, 2013
Arriving home after work, the race against the clock begins. I have only two hours to get dinner on the table and to get my family fed, bathed, and in bed. But, what do I make for dinner? I need something that is quick, easy, and my family will eat.
Use a slow cooker to have dinner ready when you get home.
Preparing healthy meals at home doesn’t need to take a lot of time. Planning will go a long way to help save you time. Good nutrition doesn’t just happen; you have to plan for it. Start by creating a weekly meal calendar and shopping list. This will help you save time and money. For mealtime emergencies, keep a well-stocked pantry and plenty of frozen fruits and vegetable on hand in the freezer.
- Choose foods with faster cooking times: ground meat, tender cuts, chops, or fish. Vegetables and meat cut into small pieces will cook very quickly in a stir-fry. Canned and frozen vegetables make quick side dishes.
- Make extra food when you have time. On weekends, make double or triple batches to stock your freezer with main dishes. Soups, sauces, and casseroles work well to freeze for later use. Cook dried beans, meat, and pasta to freeze for use in meals during the week.
- One-dish meals like fajitas, salads, sandwiches, and casseroles are a great way to include a variety of nutritious foods at dinner time. Use a slow cooker to have dinner ready when you get home. One-dish meals save time on clean-up, too.
- Save time and money by incorporating “planned-overs” into your menus. Pack leftovers for lunches the next day. Use leftover chicken in salads, soups, quesadillas, or pasta dishes.
Preparing healthy meals may take some planning and effort but can be quick and easy. Now, if I could just figure out what to do about my picky eater…
To learn more about healthy cooking, sign up for the Fabulous Foods cooking series beginning in August. For more information about the cooking class or making healthy meals, contact the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension office at 850-606-5200 or contact Kendra Zamojski at Hughson@ufl.edu
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Create Your Own Casserole or One-Dish Meal:
It is easy to make a casserole or one-dish meal with items that you have on hand. Choose one or more ingredient(s) from each of the following categories:
- 1½ to 2 cups cooked or canned meat, chicken, fish, eggs, dried beans, peas
- 1½ cups vegetables (e.g. tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, broccoli, peas, cabbage)
- 1 to 1½ cups cubed bread, cooked rice, or pasta
- 1 to 1½ cups liquid ingredients (e.g. cream soup, tomato soup or sauce, cheese sauce, white sauce, evaporated milk, or shredded cheese plus milk)
- Other optional ingredients for flavor (e.g. onion, spices, herbs)
Mix ingredients thoroughly and cook in the oven or on the stove top. If you cook in the oven, place the ingredients in a covered casserole dish and add optional toppings, such as bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, or Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Uncover the last 15 minutes to brown the topping. Serve hot.
If you cook this one-dish meal on the stove top, place the ingredients in a large skillet. Simmer until bubbly. An optional topping of Parmesan cheese or croutons can be added to each serving. Serve hot.
by Angela Hinkle | May 28, 2013
Fruit – sweet, refreshing, and good for you!
As the days get warmer, bring on the cool refreshment of fruit. Now is the time to delight in fruit’s tasty, healthy goodness.
Reduce Risk and Protect
A healthy diet that is rich in fruits may reduce risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, and may protect against certain types of cancers.
Healthy Nutrients
Nature brings most fruit to us low in fat, sodium, and calories, and always with zero cholesterol. Fruits are a great source of many essential nutrients and most of us don’t get enough. These include:
- Dietary fiber – helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels, is important for maintaining proper bowel function, helps reduce constipation, and provides a feeling of fullness without too many calories.
- Potassium – helps to maintain healthy blood pressure.
- Vitamin C – important for repairing all body tissues, healing cuts and wounds, and keeping teeth and gums healthy.
- Folate (folic acid) – helps the body form red blood cells and reduces the risk of neural tube defects during fetal development.
The USDA MyPlate recommends making half your plate fruits and vegetables. http://www.choosemyplate.gov
How Can You and Your Family Eat More Fruit?
- For snacks, wash whatever fruits you have on hand and place them in a big attractive bowl or basket on your table or desk. When you go by, you can grab one and start munching on it.
- Make fruit more fun and interesting by cutting it up and making it into a colorful fruit salad.
- Add fresh, frozen, or canned fruit to a smoothie or shake. Add fruit to drinks like tea and lemonade. Add some fruit to your water for a little kick of taste.
- Make a habit of using fruit as a plate garnish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- Add a variety of fruit chunks to bamboo skewers or craft sticks for kabobs.
- Fruit added to yogurt provides more color, flavor, and nutrition.
- Since dried fruits last a long time, you can store a package in your car, desk, or even your pockets for a quick pick-me-up.
Sweet, refreshing, good for you fruit – now is the time to savor and enjoy.
For more information, contact your UF/IFAS county extension office.
by Heidi Copeland | May 15, 2013
One of the most comforting memories of childhood has to be the smell of homemade yeast bread wafting throughout the house! Baking yeast bread, like many other kitchen traditions is making a comeback. Bread is a wonderful source of carbohydrades, especially if the flour is made from whole grains. (These kernels consist of three parts: the bran, the embryo and the endosperm). Eating breads made with whole grain flour can help you Make Half Your Grains Whole, as the dietary guidelines recommend.
However, the traditional yeast bread making method – proof yeast, knead dough, rise, punch down, rest, form, rise again, and bake….is being debunked!
I’ve been experimenting with many of the recipes in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day mostly to find a simple experience for baking yeast breads with children during 4-H summer camps. However, my experiments have been so successful that I have asked permission from Publicity @St. Martin’s Press to actually publish the master recipe as long as I give credit where credit is due.
There are those out there, myself included, that swear by the discovery of Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoë Francois that Artisan Bread can indeed be made in just five minutes of “active effort” every day.
The aforementioned authors published their first book in 2007. Currently, they have three best-selling cookbooks on the market, all of which are a very practical guide to producing delicious artisan bread and bread products that require a minimal of basic ingredients: flour, water, yeast and salt. The equipment is nominal too: measuring cups and spoons, a large storage container with a lid, a sturdy mixing tool and of course sheets or pans and an oven to bake your bread in. Of course there are other gadgets but none as necessary as what is listed.
Specifically, the authors choose the French boule (“boule” in French means “ball”) as the basic model for bread making as the shape is easy to form, the taste delicious and quite nutritious.
If you are interested in giving this process a try you can find the recipe in its entirety by clicking here Master Bread Recipe.
by Ginny Hinton | Mar 21, 2013
“Fat” is probably one of the most dreaded words in our culture. While our eyes may light up when we smell a juicy steak or see an apple pie, we’re warned to steer clear of those tempting foods before they leave a deposit – right around our waistlines. But wait. Isn’t some fat good for our bodies? Because navigating through the wealth of nutritional information available today can be tough, here’s a primer about the role of fat in good health. Just call it “Fat 101”.
Our bodies need fat in order to work right. Fat gives us energy and helps us absorb vitamins. It protects our internal organs from injury. Without fat, we wouldn’t grow properly or stay healthy. At the same time, at 9 calories per gram compared with about 4 calories per gram in protein or carbohydrates, fat is very high in calories. So, how do we know when to choose fat and when to stay away?
The answer lies in what kind of fat and how much of it we eat. Healthy fats are unsaturated, which means they stay liquid at room temperature. A form of unsaturated fat that is especially heart healthy and can even help lower high triglycerides in our blood is omega-3 fatty acid. “Omega-3s” can be found in fish like salmon, sardines, albacore tuna and rainbow trout. They are also in soybean products, walnuts, flaxseed and canola oil. While omega-3s are no “magic bullet”, they do offer health benefits throughout our lives. Studies have shown that omega-3s can help prevent some types of heart disease, lower triglycerides, reduce chronic inflammation, and promote healthy aging.
Unfortunately, the typical American diet is low in omega-3s. In fact, it’s estimated that only 25% of us consume any omega-3s on most days. That’s partly because the typical American diet involves eating a lot of fast food that contains high amounts of saturated fat and little to no omega-3s. Fortunately, fish oil or flaxseed oil can be purchased as an over-the-counter supplement for those who don’t eat many foods that are high in Omega-3s.
So, the verdict is in. Omega-3s are an important type of fat found mainly in fish and fish oil supplements. These special fatty acids are a necessary part of a diet promoting overall health and fighting heart disease. While all fats are high in calories and should be consumed sparingly, these are the best of the lot and come with exciting benefits that can help us live a longer and healthier life.
