Food Focus: Leafy Greens

Leafy Greens are crammed full of good nutrition

Leafy greens are some of the easiest and most beneficial vegetables to incorporate into your daily routine. Densely packed with energy and nutrients, they grow upward to the sky, absorbing the sun’s light while producing oxygen. Members of this royal green family include kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, mustard greens, arugula, dandelion greens, broccoli rabe, watercress, beet greens, bok choy, napa cabbage, green cabbage, spinach and broccoli.

How do greens benefit our bodies? They are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous and zinc. They are a powerhouse for vitamins A, C, E and K. They are crammed full of fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other micronutrients and phytochemicals. Their color is associated with spring and summer, which is a time to renew and refresh vital energy. In traditional Asian medicine, the color green is related to the liver, emotional stability and creativity.

Greens aid in:

• purifying the blood
• strengthening the immune system
• improving liver, gall bladder and kidney function
• fighting depression
• clearing congestion
• improving circulation
• keeping your skin clear and blemish free

Leafy greens are the vegetables most missing from the American diet. Many of us have never learned how to prepare them. Start with this very simple recipe for shiitake and kale. Then each time you go to the market, pick up a new green to try. Soon you’ll find your favorite greens and wonder how you ever lived without them.

Recipe of the Month: Shiitake and Kale

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 bunch kale, chopped
• 1 pinch salt

Directions:

1. Warm oil in a pan on medium heat with minced garlic until aromas of garlic are released, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add chopped shiitake mushrooms; stir fry for 5 minutes.
3. Add chopped kale; stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
4. Add a splash of water and pinch of salt to pan; cover and let steam for 4 minutes.

Small changes yield lasting results. Permanent change is more likely to happen gradually rather than through one big restrictive plan. Allow yourself to climb the ladder one rung at a time.

Here’s to healthy eating! Please feel free to contact Debbie at (630) 470-7634 or email her at Debbie@NutritionandHealthCounseling.com if you have any questions on the material above or if you are interested in scheduling a health consultation. Visit her website at www.NutritionAndHealthCounseling.com for more information.

The holidays are upon us and for many people that will mean giving in to temptation and overdosing on cookies and sweets!  Cravings for sugar are something millions of people experience, so don’t feel you are alone if you are struggling to remove it from your diet.  Sugar is an addictive substance that can be very difficult to break free from once you are in its grip.*

The good news is that there are alternative sweeteners that can be used in place of sugar that will still satisfy your craving for something sweet, yet not wreck havoc on your blood sugar levels.

Keep in mind though, with ANY of these concentrated sweeteners, excessive consumption is the real problem.  If sweeteners are only consumed occasionally in small quantities, they aren’t a problem.  Just because something is listed as a healthier alternative to sugar, does not mean you should go out and pour a cup of it onto your oatmeal thinking you are doing something good for your health.  You want to keep all sweeteners to a minimum, choose the highest quality ingredients that you can and as often as possible, allow the natural sweetness of whole fruits and vegetables to provide the sweetness in your diet that you crave.

Here are some healthy holiday cookie recipes that incorporate some alternative sweeteners or just lower amounts of sugar. You might just be surprised at how they will keep you satisfied, energized and full of the holiday spirit.

Soft Chocolate-Chip Cookies

(Makes 14-20 cookies)

Ingredients:

• 1¼ cups oat flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp brown coconut sugar (or Sucanat)
• ¼ to 1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts (or sub another nut) OPTIONAL
• 1 85% cacao dark chocolate bar (3.5oz)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 3-5 tbsp milk of choice, as needed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 380 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients and mix very well. Add wet and combine. Using a spoon, form little balls on baking sheet.
2. For soft cookies, refrigerate until cold (otherwise, just bake right away). Bake 7 minutes, or until they’ve spread out and look just a little undercooked.
3. Remove from oven when they’re still a little undercooked, then it’s important to let cookies cool at least 10 minutes before trying to remove from tray, as they’ll continue to cook while cooling. For soft cookies, store in a lidded plastic container. For crispy cookies, store in a glass container with a lid.

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Amaranth Clusters

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups rolled oats
• ½ cup amaranth
• ½ cup macadamia nuts, toasted and chopped*
• ½ cup dried cherries, chopped**
• ½ cup dried apricots, chopped**
• ¼ cup raw honey
• 2 large eggs – whites only
• Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Combine oats, amaranth, macadamia nuts, dried fruit, and honey in a medium bowl. Whisk egg whites with ¼ tsp. salt until foamy. Pour over dried fruit and stir to combine.
2. Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop about 2 TBSP of mixture and pat into a 2-inch round on baking sheet. Bake, rotating tray until clusters are golden brown, 15-18 minutes.
3. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

*Let cool after toasting and before chopping or you will lose the good oils. You can also substitute any nut such as almonds, walnuts, etc.

**You can substitute any dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries, strawberries, blueberries, dates, etc.

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Nut Butter Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all natural nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, etc.)
• ½ cup raw honey
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix all ingredients together and bake for 25-30 minutes.

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Chewy Chocolate Dream

Ingredients:

• 6 egg whites
• Pinch sea salt
• ¾ cup organic evaporated cane juice
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 oz dark chocolate (75% cacao or greater), chopped
• ½ cup chopped raw (unsalted) walnuts

Directions:

1. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites with salt using an electric beater until soft peak forms. Gradually add cane juice and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Add cocoa powder, vanilla, chocolate and walnuts and mix well until combined.
3. Drop batter by rounded tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheets, dividing evenly. Bake 1 cookie sheet at a time on oven’s middle rack for 10-12 minutes per sheet, until cookies are no longer shiny.

Per cookie: 56 calories; 1g saturated fat, 1.5g unsaturated fat, 8g carbs, 1g fiber, 6g sugar, 2g protein, 23g sodium, 0g cholesterol.

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Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie “Larabars”

Ingredients:

• ½ cup raisins
• 6 TBSP quick oats
• ½ cup walnuts
• 1/8 tsp plus 1/16 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Pulverize the oats in a food processor, then add all other ingredients and blend very well. Form into balls or bars. (If you want, you can portion the dough into plastic bags before smushing the bars, so your hands don’t get sticky.)

This recipe makes a little over three Larabar-sized (45g) bars. I like to double the recipe—the bars last at least two weeks in the fridge. They can also be frozen.

Each Larabar-sized bar (45 grams) will have around 175 calories, 8 grams healthy fat, 2 grams protein, 25 grams carbs, 5 grams fiber, and zero grams of added sugar.

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Healthy Holiday Granola Bar

Ingredients:

• ½ cup chopped pistachios
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• 2 cups Multi-grain Hot cereal (rye, barley, oats, wheat)
• ¼ cup flax seed meal
• ¼ cup wheat germ
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• ½ cup light Agave nectar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup dried sweet cherries
• 3/4 cup dried Turkish apricots
• 3/4 cup dried black mission figs

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl mix chopped nuts, sunflower seeds, multi-grain cereal, flax seed meal and wheat germ.  Spread onto baking sheet.  Toast for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
3.  In large saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, agave nectar, salt and vanilla.
4. Stir in lightly toasted dry ingredients.  Spread mixture into a 9×11 buttered glass baking dish.  Press down evenly.  Bake for about 25 minutes at 300 degrees.
5. Allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and refrigerate.

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Thanks Debbie for guest blogger and sharing these great holiday treats!

Debbie Slutzky, CHHC, AADP
Founder, Nutrition and Health Counseling

Debbie Slutzky is a Certified Health Coach, marathon runner, and loving mother of twins. She decided to become a health counselor to fulfill her passion of working with people to improve their health and life goals.

Debbie received her training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City, and she is Board Certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. Debbie leads workshops on nutrition, writes blogs on health and nutrition and offers individual health and nutrition coaching. She also received her BA from The George Washington University in Washington, DC.

www.NutritionAndHealthCounseling.com
630-470-7634

*For more information on beating your sugar addiction, please contact Debbie at Debbie@NutritionAndHealthCounseling.com