Suppers Served Blog
This blog will have everything to do with food. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I will have great recipe ideas and tips that I come across. Fun ways to get the kids to eat healthier. Foods that pair well together to achieve the maximum amount of nutrients available. Most of us love food, but how much do we really know about what we eat?
Recent blog posts
I saw this tip on Food Inc. and I had to share it with you all while adding my suggestions ;)
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Cooking tip: Freeze your fresh herbs in olive, coconut or grapeseed oil using ice cube trays! Or if you don't want to use the oils use Veggie Broth -
Great way to have quick access to your herbs have a lot of different herbs on hand and keeps them from going bad.
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LIKE OUR PAGE for more tips: www.facebook.com/suppersserved
Cooking tip: Freeze your fresh herbs in olive, coconut or grapeseed oil using ice cube trays! Or if you don't want to use the oils use Veggie Broth -
Great way to have quick access to your herbs have a lot of different herbs on hand and keeps them from going bad.
PLEASE SHARE ON YOUR PAGES :)
If you are buying fresh herbs and greens the best way to keep them fresh and crisp -
1. Bring them straight home and wash
2. Shake them as dry as possible
3. Wrap them separately in a very absorbent paper towel
4. Date and place in a Zip
loc bag
5. Store in the humidity controlled veggie crisper in fridge
Make sure not to cut the herbs from the stems and place back in bag it will make your herbs turn brown - Pull the whole stem out and pull leaves from stem. Change out Paper Towel every time to you open bag to keep herbs fresh and crisp
This works great with lettuce, cilantro, basil, mint, parsley, etc.
I STEAM ALMOST ALL MY VEGGIES AND THE FOLLOWING ARE JUST A FEW OF THE REASONS WHY
Steaming vegetables retains nutrients because they are not in contact with a high volume of water. If you keep the veggies in their whole form, or cut them into big pieces, they are more nutritious because the fewer openings the less opportunity vitamins have to escape. Because of the health drawbacks of using microwaves, it is recommended that you use a stove-top steamer.
Other benefits of eating steamed vegetables include:
- improve digestion
- boost immune system
- facilitate detoxification
- lower the risk of high cholesterol
- low fat or fat free
If you prefer to season steamed vegetables, here are some good ideas:
- sprinkle on a pinch of garlic salt or Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- top with your favorite dried herbs
- toss a little bit of oil, low sodium soy sauce, or red wine vinegar
- squeeze on fresh lemon or lime juice
I read something interesting. It said some people treat their body like a Ferrari - others like a clunker. Although i did find that rather cute I was thinking what about most of the people I know. I don't think they fall in either category. I think we all treat our body like a low-mileage used car - it may have been abused in the past due to ignorance on how to properly take care of it. So we try to treat it better, but because it seemly runs so good we sometimes slip up and let it run on low gas for far too long and we don't give it the proper gas. Also we sure don't get it checked out on a regular bases like we should.
So time for a body tune-up. Lets look at some of the signs that we may be ignoring and find out what you need to fix in either your daily habits but definitely your diet.
Do you have problems with dark under eye circles??? So of course we all know what; get more sleep, HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE and that great little trick of sticking the cucumbers over your eyes. Now lets talk about food, what to eat and what to avoid.
AVOID
Salt - This leads to water retention. Also avoid processed foods because these are usually prepared with lots of salt to serve as a preservative.
Alcohol - Okay this one is a hard one for most of us...lol --but because we are not going to stop having our occasional cocktail follow the 8oz glass of water to ever alcoholic beverage rule. That will help. :)
FOODS THAT HELP
Iron Rich Foods - foods such as liver, lean red meat, egg yolks, beans, dark green vegetables, broccoli and asparagus.
Cucumber - A diet high in salt and sodium can cause water retention. Cucumber, also celery and watermelon, acts as a natural diuretic to help flush out excess water from your body and minimize the appearance of dark, swollen look beneath your eyes.
Vitamin K Rich Foods - Make sure to eat these foods rich in Vitamin K – cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage) leafy green vegetables (spinach), asparagus, cauliflower, okras, lentils, chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and yogurt
Salmon - Another food that can really help reduce dark circles under eyes is salmon, an oily fish. Salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids, a family of fatty acids well known for reducing the risks of heart disease. Recent research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids promotes healthy skin and are essential for keeping your skin from drying out so you stay wrinkle-free. The skin around your eyes is very thin and delicate, and it can become
Black Currant - Japanese researchers from the Hirosaki University found that black currant fruit are helpful in getting rid of dark circles under the eyes. Black currants contain anthocyanins, which improve blood flow to the optical nerve of eyes, and deliver more oxygen to the tissue, thereby helping to reduce dark circles around and under the eyes.
Alright the following is a great recipe that incorporates Salmon and Asparagus which is great natural source of Vitamin K and Iron and just to make it a well rounded meal --throw in some cucumber. I hope you have learned a little something and you enjoy my blog follow me I have a lot more fun tips to come.
Ingredients - Serves 4
1 (1 1/2-pound) salmon fillet or 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
1 pound asparagus spears
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 cups arugula
1 pint yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Whole Cucumber
Preparation
1. Brush salmon and toss asparagus with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill salmon over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) for 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Grill asparagus, turning occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes or until tender.
2. Divide arugula evenly among 4 plates; top with flaked salmon, asparagus, cucumbers and tomatoes. Serve with a vinaigrette.
Do you have issues with Anemia? I'm sure you've heard it before. Take in more IRON but guess what it's a little more than just taking in more iron. Should you take a supplement, if you try to eat things that are high in iron, what works? There are ways you can introduce this vitamin in you diet the natural way. But it needs to be done properly so that you can receive the best results. Heme Iron is iron found in meat and it's readily absorbed; but by pairing that with iron thats found in veggies helps you absorb the iron found in meat (including certain seafood) better than having just veggies alone.
DID YOU KNOW?
Pair Vitamin C and Iron together for better absorption --Iron is best absorbed in an acidic environment
20 small steamed clams contain 25 milligrams of iron -- which is 3 times the amount found in chicken livers -- 40% of the daily value needed
NO - NO's
Iron and Calcium
Iron and Caffeine
So save your milk, coffee, or tea for to the next meal
Alright the following is a recipe that will get a great source of iron and take in some of that Vitamin C needed to absorb that iron better--
Ingredients
8 1/2-inch-thick diagonal baguette slices, lightly toasted or grilled
1 fennel bulb with long stems and fronds attached
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
3 pounds New Zealand cockles or Manila clams, scrubbed
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/3 pounds cherry tomatoes
Coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Divide bread among 4 large shallow serving bowls.
Finely chop together fennel stems and fronds (save bulb for another use).
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with lid, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add chopped fennel and clams; increase heat to medium-high and cook, covered, just until clams open, 7 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer clams to serving plates with bread, then, reserving pot, strain juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Spoon juices over clams.
To the pot, add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and garlic; heat over medium-low heat until oil is fragrant and warmed, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and pinch salt, increase heat to high and cook, shaking pan back and forth once or twice, until tomatoes are collapsed with some of their juices released, 1 to 2 minutes more.
Drizzle clams and toast with oil, then tomatoes and their juices on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.