Top 20 Healing Foods- Flaxseed



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By now most health-concious people have heard about flaxseed and know of it's health benefits.  It is high in omega-3 fatty acids and fiber.  But did you know that it is also rich in Vibamins B6, E, Folic Acid, Magnesium and phytoestrogens called lignans? Lignans act like estrogen in the body, blocking estrogen receptors on cells and cotnribute to reduced rates of some hormone-related cancers, such as breast cancer.   Just a tablespoon of ground flaxseed provides 2.3 grams of fiber.  Just be sure that your flax seeds are ground.  Your body can't break them down whole.  They will come out the same way they went in and you won't reap the benefits.  You can find them ground just about anywhere.  Bob's Red Mill makes some- I've even seen it at Walmart. You can also find it in the bulk section of your health food store.  I store it in the fridge to keep it fresh longer.

FLAXSEED
Key Nutrients:
ALA fatty acid
Fiber
Vitamins E, B6
Folic Acid
Lignans
Magnesium

You can find a great recipe for my super simple to make granola that features ground flaxseed as a main ingredient here. Eat it for breakfast and I promise you won't be hungry until lunchtime. :)

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I also like to add about a quarter cup of ground flaxseed to any baked goods I make- breads, pancakes, cookies, birthday cakes, everything!  It's a great way to sneak some nutrition into not-so-good for you foods.

Top 20 Healing Foods- Blueberries

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BLUEBERRIES
Key Nutrients:
Fiber
Antioxidants
Vitamin C
Iron

Blueberries have more antioxidants than 40 other common fruits and vegatables.  Antioxidants help prevent all sorts of things: cancer, heart disease, eye diseases, urinary tract infections and memory loss to name a few. The fiber in blueberries can be a powerful antidote to constipation. Just 1/2 c. of blueberries contains almost 2 grams of fiber, the same as a slice of whole-wheat bread! 

Blueberries are delicious in lemonade- just throw a few in a glass and muddle before pouring the lemonade on top.  They are also delicious in pancakes and muffins like these.

Or, give this recipe a whirl!

BLUEBERRY ZUCCHINI BREAD

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3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup vegetable oil

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups white sugar

2 cups shredded zucchini

3 cups all-purpose flour (experiment with using part whole wheat to up the fiber factor!)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 pint fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini-loaf pans.

Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

*You can cook this in regular loaf pans, but you will most likely need to increase your cooking time.  Or try throwing it in muffin tins for a quick breakfast.  If you want to add a streusel topping you can find a recipe for it in the comment section here.

From Scratch- Pumpkin Crescent Rolls

 

Ah, fall is in the air!  Don't you just love autumn?  It is by far my favorite season.  The heat of summer is over and the air feels crisp and clean.  There are still flowers in the garden, and the leaves on the trees are adding their beauty to the season.  I love pulling out my cute boots, scarves and sweaters.  In my opinion there just isn't anything to not like about fall!

We've been having a fairly busy few weeks.  My awesome hubby is almost done with his graduate program and we are getting so excited/nervous to see where the road of job-hunting will take us in the next year.  We've narrowed down our list of "ideal" places to a top-10.  Hopefully one of those will have a position available for him.  If not, we'll cast the net a bit wider. 

My new preschool is going really well.  We had an awesome fieldtrip to a local organic farm and it was by far the coolest fieldtrip I've ever taken a class on.  They use horse-drawn plows and harvest and plant most things by hand.  The kids got to pick pumpkins, tomatoes, kale, lettuce, beans, gather walnuts, pet goats and cows and so much more!  It was a great learning experience for them to see where their food comes from and how much hard work and dedication goes into putting food on our tables.

Another favorite thing about fall to me is the wonderful seasonal flavors- pumpkin, nutmeg, apples, squash.... I found this great pumpkin recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Money Saving Mom. and just had to share.  This blog is a great resource for savings in just about any area of your life. What I love the most about it though is that she makes so many things from scratch which, though they do take more time, are much easier on your wallet and healthier for your family. She has many GF recipes and freezer recipes for those of us that like to plan ahead.  The recipe and all photos are from MSM.

• 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree (canned or homemade), slightly warmed
• ½ cup warm water
• 4 T sugar
• 3 T softened butter, cut into pieces
• 2 eggs
• 1 t salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour*
• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (or use additional all-purpose flour)
• 1 package instant active dry yeast
• 3-4 additional T softened/melted butter, divided

*Depending on the kind of pumpkin you use, you may need a little more flour than this. Start with this amount, and check your bread machine after the initial mixing (most bread machines “beep” at the end of this time), adding more flour if necessary.

Directions:
In a 2-lb bread machine, add all ingredients in the order listed (except additional butter), or in the order recommended by your specific bread machine. Run the short dough cycle.
On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll each into a 12-inch circle. Brush with 2-3 tablespoons additional butter. Cut each circle into 10-12 wedges.

 

Starting at long end, roll each wedge to the tip of the dough and pinch to seal. Place on greased cookie sheets and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

 

Bake at 375 for 12 minutes, or until starting to brown. Brush with remaining melted butter.

 

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Whole Wheat Seed Bread

I have been trying to be better about making my own bread rather than buy store-bought. It's so much cheaper and I know exactly what's going into it, which I love.  But often times I'll make it and it just doesn't turn out right.  It tastes good, but doesn't make the greatest sandwiches.  And that's what everyone wants, right?  Good sandwich bread!  I've been experimenting with my breadmaker trying to come up with the best recipe for a whole wheat bread that my family will eat.  Many come out too dry or crumbly.  I really wanted to make mine 100% whole wheat, but it just never quite cut the mustard. So finally, I admitted defeat and used a portion of unbleached all-purpose flour.  I hate to say it, but it's so much better.  I add whatever seeds I have on hand.  I usually use hemp seeds because they disappear.  When you have a picky little girl that wants to know, "What are all these THINGS in my bread?!?" if she sees one tiny speck, you learn to get creative with hiding the healthy stuff.  Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, ground flax or even sunflower seeds would be yummy, too.

When it's done I let it cool and then slice up the whole loaf and store it in a ziploc.  I've found the rest of my family is more likely to eat it if it is pre-sliced and therefore easier to use.  Be sure to eat a slice warm with butter.   It's a slice of heaven!

This recipe makes a 1.5 lb. loaf.

1 c. + 2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon honey, sugar or agave nectar
1 tablespoon non-fat dry milk powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons seeds
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Add all ingredients to your bread maker in the order listed.  Use the basic or white bread setting.  I use the light crust setting because it's a little less crunchy and seems to slice easier.

Über Moist Banana Bread

This is by far my absolute favorite banana bread recipe.  There are two things that make this bread unique.  First, it has sour cream in it which gives it an extra dose of richness and moisture.  Second, the bananas are sliced so you get these big bursts of creamy banana goodness.  I use pecans or walnuts, depending on what I have.  Lately I've been making individual sized "loaves" using 2 muffin tins.  These are just the right size for my kids to have for a snack.  I sprinkle the nuts on top rather than mixing into the batter which makes them look pretty and is easy for my daughter to pick off. :)

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1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. chopped pecans
2 medium bananas, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan, mini loaf pan (4 loaves) or 2 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the butter mixture until smooth. Finally, fold in the sour cream, walnuts and bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 60 minutes for a large loaf, 30-40 for mini loaves or 20-25 mins. for muffins.  Do the toothpick test to see if they are done for sure. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Challah for your Breadmaker

My sis-in-law gave me a breadmaker for my birthday recently (thanks again, T!) and I have been having soooo much fun trying out different recipes!  If you know me at all you know that I am the definition of a carb junkie.  I eat bread in one form or another EVERY SINGLE DAY.  PERIOD.  You'll never catch me on one of those low-carb diets.  :)  This recipe for Challah, a traditional Jewish holiday and Sabbath bread, is one of my new favorites.  It has a wonderful texture and flavor and makes excellent toast.  If you wanted to make a more traditional braid you could throw the ingredients in your breadmaker on the dough cycle and then form the loaf to your liking and bake in the oven at 350 for about 45 min.  Traditionally Challah is topped with sesame or poppy seeds, signifying the manna that fell from heaven.  I think it would be a nice touch, and easy enough to throw on at the last minute before your breadmaker starts the bake cycle. 

For a 1.5 pound loaf you will need:

3/4 c. warm water

1/3 c. butter, cut into small pieces

1 egg

1 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. sugar

3 c. flour

1 3/4 tsp. yeast

poppy seeds or sesame seeds, optional

Layer them in in that order except seeds and bake on the sweet bread cycle.  I chose a medium crust color for mine.  If you want to add the seeds to the top, sprinkle them on when your bread is doing it's final rise, before the baking cycle begins.

Poppyseed Garlic Bread

Garlic bread is an absolute essential to me when eating any kind of Italian food.  I'd be just fine skipping the pasta all together and just dunking soft chewy garlic bread into sauce.  I prefer to make my own garlic bread rather than buy the store-made ones in the aluminum wrapper.  In my opinion they put WAY to much "butter" on those and they become a soggy, greasy mess.  This recipe is super quick and easy, using a store-bought loaf of bread which often times is cheaper than the pre-made loaves.  I hope you like it!

1 loaf bakery Italian bread
Butter
Garlic powder
Italian Seasoning
Poppyseeds
Parmesan Cheese

Slice the loaf of bread longways, so you end up with two long halves and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Spread each half with butter.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, poppyseeds and parmesan cheese.  Place under the broiler till toasty.  Be sure and WATCH IT!  If you walk away it will burn. Guaranteed.  It only takes a couple minutes.  Around here, we like to cut ours into breadstick sized slices, perfect for dunking.

For an extra fancy loaf you can skip the garlic powder and spread with a mixture of butter and roasted garlic.  I'll show you my super easy way to roast garlic in another post!

Cranberry Lemon Nut Bread

Cranberries are one of my favorite fruits this time of year, and I always seem to have some extra lying around after Thanksgiving.  I love their sweet-tart flavor, the health benefits and the festive color they add to any dish.  I also love that they keep so long in the fridge.  Perfect for this most hectic wonderful time of year!  One of my favorite things to do with my leftover cranberries is to make this quick bread.  It is great on a cool afternoon with a cup of tea, or with your morning cup of coffee. Feel free to experiment with the nuts.  I use vanilla extract, but almond might be nice as well.  Heck, you could even throw some golden raisins in there! Happy baking!

1/4 c. softened butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 c. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease one loaf pan.  I like Baker's Joy spray. 

Cream the butter and sugar together in a medium sized bowl.  Mix in vanilla, egg and lemon zest until combined.  In a small bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.  Add half of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar followed by half of the lemon juice.  Repeat until all lemon juice and flour has been fully incorporated.  Fold in cranberries and nuts.  Batter will be thick!  Pour into loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.  Enjoy!