Easy Snack Ideas and Recipes
Submitted By: Lexy
1 Green Pepper
1/4 of a cucumber
2-3 tablespoons of Creamy Peanut Butter
Cinnamon Sugar (Optional)
1. Slice the pepper into four quarters
2. Slice/chop cucumber into small pieces
3. Spread peanut butter into each pepper slice
4. put cucumber on next
5. Top with cinnamon sugar (if needed)
Thanks for Sharing Lexy 
Ingredients:
16oz bag frozen spinach, thawed and well drained
2 cups Havarti cheese, shredded
10 flour tortillas
Instructions:Squeeze the thawed spinach in a colander to get out as much liquid as possible. Place half of the cheese on five of the tortillas. Layer with spinach and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Top with another tortilla and press together gently.
In a non-stick skillet cook each quesadilla on each side for about 3 minutes until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp. Repeat with the other tortillas. When cooked, cut each quesadilla into wedges and serve immediately.
This is a great afternoon snack for kids or works well as a light lunch with a tossed salad.
Few things beat the summer heat like a refreshing smoothie. Smoothies are also a great way to get fresh fruits into your diet, and kids tend to like them, too. Here are some delicous summer smoothie recipes.
The following recipes are enough for approximately two smoothies. You can increase or decrease the ingredients to vary the amount and the taste. Smoothies are very forgiving – if you don’t have some of the ingredients listed below, you can leave them out or try something comparable (soy milk instead of almond milk, for instance, or vanilla yogurt instead of plain). Leftover smoothies can be frozen in ice cube trays (use them in your next smoothie) or popsicle molds.
1. Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie
In a blender, combine:
* 5 medium-sized, frozen strawberries
* 1 frozen, sliced or chunked banana
* 2 ice cubes
* 1 cup sweetened vanilla almond milk
* 1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (you can substitute carob powder if you like)
Blend on high speed until thick and creamy. Add more almond milk if it’s too thick.
2. Summer Breakfast Smoothie
This smoothie contains protein in the form of peanut butter, and it also contains chia seeds. These little seeds are reported to help you feel fuller longer, as they form a thick gel in liquid. They also add a nutritional boost.
In a blender, combine:
* 2 frozen, sliced/chunked bananas
* 1/4 cup unsweetened, natural peanut butter
* 4 ice cubes
* 1 tablespoon flax meal
* 1 tablespoon wheat germ
* 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
* 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
* 1/4 cup plain yogurt
* 2 teaspoons raw honey
* 1 cup milk (if using sweetened nut milk, leave out the honey)
If your blender has an “ice crushing” feature, use that to break up the frozen ingredients. Then blend on high speed until smooth. Add more milk if necessary.
3. Berry and Tea Smoothie
Leftovers of this one are especially good frozen into popsicles.
In a blender, combine:
* 1 to 2 cups of various frozen berries, such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries
* 1/2 to 1 cup of fruit-flavored herbal tea or unsweetened apple juice
* 1/4 teaspoon Stevia extract, or to taste
Blend until smooth, using the ice-crushing feature if you have it. Taste before adding the Stevia, and remember that 1/4 teaspoon of Stevia extract is approximately as sweet as two teaspoons of white sugar.
4. Melon Smoothie
Before making this one, chunk up fresh watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, and/or melons of your choice. Freeze the chunks on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet, then place the frozen chunks in plastic zip-top bags.
In a blender, combine:
* About 2 cups of various frozen melon chunks
* 1/2 cup orange juice, orange-pineapple juice, or pear juice
* 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
* Sweeten to taste with raw honey, sugar, agave nectar, or a sweetener of your choice (you may not need to use any sweetening at all)
Blend until thick and smooth, once again using the ice-crushing feature if your blender has it. Add more juice as necessary.
Broccoli is a plant in the cabbage family, whose large flower head is what we know as this familiar vegetable, often found on a vegetable snack tray at parties right close to the Ranch dressing. But, broccoli has so much more to offer. That’s why broccoli is a favorite vegetable worldwide. Let’s take a look at this flowering veggie that looks like a tiny tree. You might just be surprised at where it was first discovered.
The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest
~ Mollie Katzen ~
This delightful cookbook features over 200 recipes, including lighter, easier-to-prepare broccoli dishes for every taste. You’ll find beautiful pictures and lots of recipes to please a wide range of appetites.
Broccoli is high in vitamin C and fiber. It also contains multiple nutrients with potent cancer-fighting nutrients, such as diindolylmethane and small amounts of selenium. A single serving provides more than 30mg of Vitamin C and a half-cup (about the equivalent ingested at any given office party or potluck) provides nearly double that. Broccoli also contains the compound glucoraphanin, which can be processed into the anti-cancer compound sulforaphane.
The benefits of broccoli are believed to be greatly reduced if the vegetable is boiled, but it still remains an excellent source of fiber and other nutrients which boost DNA repairs in cells. Broccoli has one of the highest levels of carotenoids and is particularly rich in lutein and beta-carotene.
A high intake of broccoli has been found to reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer and heart disease. A compound found in broccoli appears to have more effectiveness than modern antibiotics against the creation of peptic ulcer causing bacteria. Broccoli is one veggie everyone needs in their diet.
Broccoli is usually boiled or steamed in the American culture, but has become a popular raw vegetable to accompany creamy dips. Boiling reduces the levels of anti-cancer compounds in broccoli, with losses of 20% to 30% after five minutes, 40% to 50% after ten minutes, and a whopping 77% after thirty minutes. Steaming broccoli for a maximum time of 3 to 4 minutes is recommended to maximize potential anti-cancer compounds.
Adding broccoli to a stir fry dish helps retain a majority of the beneficial properties, rather than letting the nutrients wash away in the boiling water. Another method of cooking that’s getting more popular is oven roasting. Simply spread broccoli florets (that’s the top cut into tiny bush-like shapes) and diced stem pieces on a baking sheet, coat with cooking oil, and put in oven to roast. You’ll have a lightly toasted broccoli dish that’s almost nutty in flavor, plus the nutrients didn’t get washed down the drain.
You can enjoy raw broccoli in many popular salads, such as the classic Broccoli Raisin Bacon Salad you find at many potlucks. Toss tiny raw broccoli florets in with a big green lettuce salad for a crunchy nutrition boost. Broccoli Slaw is a relatively new idea for serving broccoli. Just peel the stalk to remove all the woody fibers, then cut the light green inside into very thin strips. You can toss these with cabbage and carrots for a slaw, or just eat as is for a snack.
Another popular dish to serve broccoli in a main dish is Chicken Divan. This classic dish features whole broccoli spears underneath a creamy, cheesy layer of chicken. Then, there is the classic Broccoli Cheese Soup. I could go on and on talking about this nutrient-dense delicious veggie and all the tasty dishes you can make with broccoli.
Eat broccoli raw whenever you can for the ultimate health food. When you do cook broccoli, keep your cooking time short if you’re steaming it. Better yet, throw it in the oven and roast it. The next time you walk through the produce department, grab a big bunch of broccoli and enjoy the hundreds of ways to eat it up!
Feeling bushed, exhausted, all in? Pop a handful of blueberries in your mouth and enjoy a little energy boost, along with a mother-lode of nutrients. For such a small fruit, blueberries pack a wallop!
Especially in wild species, similar to its cousin acai berry, blueberries contain anthocyanins and other pigments high in antioxidant properties possibly having a role in reducing risks of inflammatory diseases and certain cancers. Technically speaking, blueberries contain pterostilbene, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and resveratrol, all which inhibit the cell development of cancers. Nutritionally speaking, blueberries are a good source of vitamin C, manganese, dietary fiber, and vitamin E , and are low in calories, so you can enjoy a bucketful without guilt.
Many studies have found that blueberry consumption lowers cholesterol and total blood lipid levels, possibly reducing the risks of heart disease and high blood pressure. Even more studies have found that a diet rich in blueberries may enhance short-term memory in older adults while reducing symptoms of depression.
There are two types of blueberry bushes; lowbush and highbush. The difference is the lowbush blueberries are considered wild, while highbush blueberries are cultivated in a controlled environment.
With upwards of 25% production of all lowbush blueberries in North America, Maine is the single largest producer in the world with more than 60,000 acres. Not far from Maine, Michigan is the world’s largest producer of highbush blueberries, with more than 220,000 tons produced a year.
Since blueberries must be cross-pollinated, upwards of 50,000 beehives may be needed for the job. Due to the large amount of bees needed, in some cases hives must actually be shipped in from other regions specifically for the purpose of cross-pollinating the blueberries in high producing areas.
Blueberries are a lot of fun to eat. They pop when you bite them and turn everything they touch into a reddish-purple hue. This color change makes pancakes, yogurt, cereal, smoothies, and even ice cream a fun new territory for children. Blueberries are found in many breads and desserts, but also make great jams, jellies, and wines.
Fresh blueberries keep very well and can be packaged and stored easily. Freezing fresh blueberries is a cinch; just put them on a baking sheet in a single layer and pop them in the freezer. They will freeze quickly, and once they are frozen, just pour them into a plastic freezer container. Then when you want blueberries, just shake out the amount you want and let them thaw out. Perfect every time. Because blueberries are so moist, they don’t dehydrate well, like bananas or apples do. For that reason, you do not find too many applications for dried blueberries, unless you rehydrate them for a dish first.
No matter how you decide to eat your blueberries, you can’t beat the nutritional value. If picking wild blueberries, don’t forget to be polite to the landowner and ask permission. Or, plant a few blueberry bushes in your own garden. Invite the bees in and you’ll soon have your own blueberry crop to enjoy. Just a reminder: It’s not easy to get away with pilfering blueberries – you are likely to get caught ‘reddish-purple’ handed!
True Blueberry: Delicious Recipes for Every Meal
~ Linda Dannenberg, Zeva Oelbaum ~
Blueberries have become a favorite ingredient for dishes at every meal, and the medical profession is 100% behind this trend. Studies have proven that blueberries are one of nature’s most powerful ‘super foods’ offering nutrients and antioxidants that are known to fight cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, and even the effects of aging. Read all about this powerhouse of healthy eating and how to serve blueberries at every meal.
Acai berry, pronounced [ah-SIGH-ee] is probably one of the most highly disputed fruits of the current day. Let’s take a deeper dive into this amazing little fruit and find out exactly where it came from, some possible health benefits, and a few ways to incorporate this fruit into your diet.
Acai berry is a small reddish, purple fruit, resembling a stretched out grape. These berries are found on the Brazilian wild palmberry tree, native to Central and South America. There have been numerous studies done on the health benefits of these berries, but a majority of them have been focused on the antioxidant activity which could help prevent certain diseases.
Acai has been around for thousands of years, but was not introduced to the western world until the mid 1990′s. First used by the tribes of the Amazon jungle as a cure for various ailments, acai berries soon made a home in the Americas. It didn’t take long for westerners to believe in the tremendous health properties credited to this tasty fruit.
The acaí berries can be found on a palm tree with a long thin trunk. The berries would be grouped in clusters that look like little blue bottles hanging in between ribbon-like leaves. Traditionally, the acai berries would have to be picked by hand. The tribe’s men would shimmy up the tree and cut the branches from the top of a palm tree laden with acai berries. The harvest would then be brought back to the women of the village to pluck and prepare.
The health benefits are where most of the debate on acai is concerned. Some studies show there are no greater health benefits from eating acai berries than similar fruits, berries, and vegetables. However, other studies claim to prove the antioxidant levels are much higher. Even if acai berries are only on an equal footing with other fresh produce in providing a defense against free radicals, they would be worth considering when eating a healthy diet.
Acai contains powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins and flavonoids. These two antioxidants help defend the body against life’s stressors. They also play a role in defending the body against free radicals. Free radicals are harmful byproducts either introduced to the body as toxins from the outside environment or produced by the body from the remnants of processed foods and other internal pollutants. By lessening the destructive power of free radicals, antioxidants may help reduce the risk of some diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.
Acai berries can be consumed in a number of different ways. Some people prefer them raw as acai na tigela – literally translated as ‘acai in a bowl’. Others prefer to drink the sweet juice, sometimes as part of a smoothie. Straight up, acai juice is similar to drinking grape juice.
Acai berries are a great addition to salads, especially when combined with slivers of toasted almonds and crumbles of soft goat cheese. Due to the natural pH of the juice, acai is also great at tenderizing meat and makes an excellent marinade for beef and lamb. Another trend emerging from the acai world is wine made from the berries. The list will grow as more and more people find out about this fabulous super food.
1. Berry-Nice Acai Berry Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup skim milk
1 1/2 cups acai berry pulp
Turn oven on to 350 degrees.
Line muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
Put butter and sugar in mixing bowl, and With hand or stationary mixer, mix on medium-high speed until creamed together and fluffy.
Add eggs to bowl with mixer running and beat until incorporated well, then turn off mixer.
In a sifter or sieve, sift the cake flour and baking powder together into a separate bowl.
With mixer running, slowly add the flour-baking powder mix to the creamed mixture in bowl.
Continue mixer running and slowly pour in milk, continuing to let mixer run until everything is combined; turn off mixer.
With a rubber spatula or spoon, fold the acai berry pulp into the mixture, using up-and-over movements, until combined well.
Spoon mixture into the prepared muffin tins, filling each cupcake paper about 2/3 full.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until just starting to get golden around the edges and toothpick comes out dry when inserted into center.
2. Blue-Razzy Acai Berry Slushie
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup low fat yogurt
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 cup acai berry juice
1 tsp wheatgerm or flaxseed
1 cup ice cubes
Put all slushie ingredients in blender, then with blender on high speed, start adding ice cubes until desired consistency. Serve immediately in tall, chilled glasses. This is a nutritious and delicious breakfast, lunch, or pick-me-up drink.
