Sweet Potatoes

One of my favorite recent vegetables is definitely the sweet potato! It always adds the finishing touch to my soups and dishes such as my favorite creamy coconut quinoa dish. So I'm happy to share that it's not only delicious but really good for you too ^_^

Sweet potato nutrition - six amazing facts you need to know

One of the most nutritious foods on the traditional Thanksgiving menu is the sweet potato. These orange-skinned root vegetables offer a host of health benefits (especially when cooked without the unnecessary sugar and marshmallows). If you want to raise health consciousness around the dinner table this holiday season, try throwing some of these six sweet potato facts into the conversation:

1. High nutritional value

A 7-ounce (1 cup) serving of sweet potatoes contains 65% of the minimum necessary daily amount of Vitamin C. Sweet potatoes are also high in calcium, folate, potassium and beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant which converts to Vitamin A in the body: one serving of sweet potatoes can provide you with as much as 700% of the US RDA for Vitamin A. The Center for Science in the Public Interest rates sweet potatoes as the number one most nutritious vegetable because they such are so nutritionally rich.

2. Low glycemic index

If you are unfamiliar with this term, the glycemic index indicates the impact a food substance has on blood sugar levels. A high glycemic index means blood sugar levels can spike. Diabetes and others who monitor their blood sugar levels seek to avoid foods with a high glycemic index or load. Sweet potatoes have a glycemic load of only 17. (By way of comparison, a white potato has an index of 29.)

3. Accessing sweet potatoes' nutritional benefits is easy

To gain the maximum health benefits from eating sweet potatoes, avoid discarding their skins -- much of their healing potential resides in this portion of the tubers. Also, following the common dieters' fallacy of avoiding all fats reduces your ability to access sweet potatoes' benefits: beta-carotene absorbs more thoroughly into the body when consumed with a small amount of fat. Recent research seems to indicate that steaming or boiling sweet potatoes rather than roasting them helps preserve their low glycemic index.

4. Good for your skin

Their high levels of Vitamin A and beta-carotene means sweet potatoes are a skin superfood. The substances on many pricey skin-care products like retinol and retinoic acid are actually derived from Vitamin A. Plus beta-carotene combats the free radicals which result skin aging.

5. Sweet potatoes are like yoga

Their high potassium content means sweet potatoes can alleviate muscle cramps which are often related to potassium deficiency. During times of stress, the body uses more potassium, so eating sweet potatoes can help protect you from the negative health effects of tension.

6. Easy to grow in your garden

Starting a vegetable garden is a great way both to reduce your grocery bill now, and to reduce your dependency on grocery stores for the long-term. Sweet potatoes make a good beginner's garden crop. Although originally native to South America, this type of tuber only requires 100 frost-free days in order to grow, so you do not have to live in the tropics to harvest some of these nutritionally valuable tubers. Sweet potato plants have fewer diseases than other types of potatoes, and they are relatively undemanding plants, requiring little in the way of water or fertilizer. You can read more about growing sweet potatoes here: http://robbwolf.com/2011/04/20/grow... and here http://www.farmradio.org/english/ra...

The 1st Thing to do When a Cold or Flu Strikes

Now that the weather is changing, winter is just around the corner, the air is dryer and more germs are being passed around, and more people are spending time couped up inside away from the sun and in close proximity to each other. So it is important to learn how to handling a cold. 

Tips:

• If you feel a cold coming on Rest! Your body heals and detoxifies itself in sleep. It's better to sleep through a day to repair your body than be stuck in bed for 4-5 days when sick.
• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables...be sure to include fruits high in Vitamin C like grapefruit, oranges, kiwis, guavas, apples etc. 
• Eat soups with lots of veggies, garlic, onion, tomatoes, red bell peppers, and spices like turmeric, cayenne, oregano and others. You want your soup spicy!
• Get your omega-3. In either fish or vegetarian options like flax seeds, pecans, almonds and walnuts...or adding beans like mung beans, pinto beans etc. in soups.
• Drink lots of water or hot teas (without milk). Hot lemon water is also fantastic to drink, or adding lemon to your teas.
• AVOID SUGAR- this is very important when sick. Sugar is damaging to the immune system, so ti's incredibly important to avoid it while sick, or getting sick.
  
• Very important nutrients to prevent and heal a cold is Vitamin C, Vitamin D and zinc.
• Supplements you can take, Ginger, olive leaf extract, high potency garlic, elderberry and cayenne capsules if you don't like it in your soups. 
• Clear your mind, reduce stress as much as possible

Dr. Mercola also shares some wonderful tips on how to optimize immune system to help protect in many infections

How To Avoid The Doctors Office For Good- nutrition diet 

Give Sean of UnderGroundWellness.com a round of applause for yet another concise, entertaining and uplifting video on the foundation of health and disease, cell physiology. 

Pumpkin Spice Latte syrup

One word, yumm! Actually a few...warm, cozy, comforting and boy does it smell good! Just what's needed for the first winter morning of the season!

Pumpkin Spice Latte syrup

and the drink it becomes;)

Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup Ingredients 

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup coconut crystals (healthier sugar alternative)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons 100% pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• dash of cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg

Pumpkin Spice Mocha Latte Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon raw cocoa powder (because chocolate is my middle name)
• 1 teaspoon of instant decaf Nestle coffee
• 1 mug of unsweetened almond milk
• 2 Tablespoons of pumpkin spice syrup
• dash of cinnamon
  

Note: you can add the syrup to your regularly brewed coffee.  Just add a milk (or milk substitute like almond milk or creamer) and you will have a delicious Autumn drink:) The syrup sweetened the drink enough so no need for any more added sweetener.

Pumpkin Spice Syrup Recipe

In a small sauce pan, combine water, sugar alternative, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice. Simmer over low to medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (do not boil) I simmered it while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 13 minutes.

Let the syrup cool to lukewarm. Strain syrup through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth, into a bottle or jar. Screw lid on tightly and store in the refrigerator. Use within one month. I strained enough to fill a bottle I had, and there was still some left and I don't like to waste! So i put the rest in a smaller jar that fit perfectly for a most spicy unrefined mixture (don't want to waste all that goodness).  Personally I won't bother straighing it next time I make this, but it's some people's preference to have a smooth syrup. 

Pumpkin Spice Mocha Latte Recipe

To make a pumpkin spice latte: give the syrup a quick stir, and add about 1-2 tablespoons of syrup for a mug of latte...I guess it depends how large your mug is...mine is about a cup and a half so I used 2 Tbsp.  I'm not a huge coffee person, but I wanted to make a genuine latte for this post, so I used one teaspoon of instant decaf coffee, one mug full of unsweetened almond milk, one tsp of raw cocoa and and a sprinkle of cinnamon for presentation at the end...and boy did the steam smell good as I took an aerial view photo of it ^_^ If you want to get fancy, you can top it with whipped cream, if desired. If I had some non-dairy whipped topping I would have used it for presentation.

 All Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice Syrup

 Add all ingredients on medium low...

 be sure not to boil...and stir constantly

 Strain the syrup into a jar that will close tight to store in the fridge...do this after it cools a little

 I strained enough to fill the bigger jar and the remaining into a small jar (the unstrained rest)

 There wasn't too much of a consistency difference between the 2

 The strained one was a little more smooth

 You can see the spices in the unstrained jar yumm

 All ingredients for the latte

 Add all ingredients to small sauce pan with the pumpkin spice syrup

Whisk together

 I added one teaspoon of cocoa...because I can:)

 Whisk together until hot enough

 Pour into mug, and dust with cinnamon...Enjoy!

30 Ways 30 days! make a difference

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Importance of nutrients

Importance of Nutritional Supplements - Pharmacist Ben Fuchs Report

 

This interview continues the discussion on yesterday's blog about Death by Medicine.

Death by medicine

Death by Medicine

  Avideo that American medicine frequently causes more harm than good and it is evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the United States.

Gluten/Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie

Gluten Free & Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie

 

Ingredients

For pie crust

• ½ cup sifted coconut flour 
• ¼  cup shredded coconut 
• ¼  cup ground almonds (almond meal)
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1 egg white beaten
• ½  Tbsp cocoanut crystals (sugar substitute)
• 2 Tbs melted coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp cocoa butter
• 1 Tbs water
• ¼ tsp Himalayan salt

NOTE – because coconut flour crusts cook much quicker than wheat flour crusts, you should keep an eye on the crust. After pre-baking the crust cover the edges with foil.

Recipe for crust:

Sift coconut flour and set it aside.  Whisk together the remaining ingredients (except the 1 beaten egg white) until thoroughly combined. Add coconut flour and mix well to form dough.  Knead the dough with your hands for about 1 minute. If the dough feels too soft to roll, knead in a little more coconut flour.  Form the dough into a ball and roll out to about 1/8” thickness.  I used a rubber pie sheet that gave me a scale of the size to roll. Then flip the crust into the pie pan very carefully…it crumbles super easily, so just patch up together. Flute if desired to make it pretty.  Prick bottom and sides of crust several times with a fork. 

Preheat oven to 400 and bake for 12-15 minutes. Stick crust in freezer for about 10 minutes to cool.  The edges will cook quickly, so cover with foil or a pie shield to prevent burning when baking the actual pie.

Variation: substitute ½ cup almond flour/meal for the ½ cup shredded coconut.  I chose to use half of each...because I just couldn't choose!

 For Pie Filling

• 2 large organic eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened organic pumpkin
• 1/2 cup raw clear agave nectar
• 2 Tbsp raw dark agave nectar
• 2 droppers Vanilla Creme stevia liquid drops (optional)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 tsp pumpkin spice
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg 
• 1/2 allspice 
• 2 Tbsp vanilla 
• 2 Tbsp cashew butter (simple blend raw cashews to a paste) 
• 3 Tbsp gluten-free flour (I used brown rice flour)

Recipe for filling:

To prepare pie filling, use a stand-up mixer to beat eggs. Add rest of ingredients in the order in which they are listed; blend. Pour into prepared pie crust.  Bake in 400 degrees preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes or until center is set.

 I lightly sprayed the pie pan with olive oil and spread it around with a paper towel

 All ingredients for pir crust and pie

 Pie crust ingredients

 Ready to roll pie crust

 Rolled out pie crust- a really nifty rubber mat made for rolling out pie crusts gave me an outline of the exact shape and size for a 9" pie crust (also showed other sizes...hard to see in this image)

 Brushed on egg whites onto the crust, and poked holes with fork all over pie crust

 Pie crust pre-baked and pie filling ready to go!

 Filled the pie crust with the filling

 Covered the edges of the pie crust with foil so it doesn't burn...as you can see above the edges already browned enough from the prebake of 15 minutes!

 After 15 minutes of baking at 400 degrees, and 45 minutes of baking at 350 degrees it turned out perfect! The pie crust was perfect, not burned:)

I topped off my piece of pie with vanilla Rice Cream (a dairy free option for whipped cream or ice-cream) My first option would have been vanilla coconut ice-cream (they just didn't have any at the store).