Teaching You How to Use Lifestyle as Medicine
It’s summer. It’s hot. Anything cold sounds great. Anything sweet and cold sounds even better! So how about making popsicles that are loaded with antioxidants and fiber (and greens!), balanced to keep you satiated, and encourages you to eat more than one! Perfect for a long day in the yard or movie night instead instead of mindlessly snacking on candy! (This recipes is a simple take on the CARE Coconut Berry Smoothie.)
Fruit and herbs together are some kind of heaven. Think of tomatoes and basil, the classic combination for a caprese salad. When in season, the sweet, herbal basil brings forth the slightly acidic taste of the tomato, so that the flavors of both components together are better than their individual parts. Basil pairs brilliantly with other sweet, lightly acidic fruits like blueberries, strawberries, plums, and peaches. You could easily swap out the strawberries in this recipe for any of them, or better yet, a mix.
This recipe was recommended to me by CARE member, Alana. Thank you, Alana. You were right, it is delicious!
Below, I increased the amount of chickpeas, arugula, and sundried tomatoes from the original recipe. I also used the chickpea penne pasta to increase protein content keeping the dish a vegetarian meal. But the credit all goes to SkinnyTaste.com!
Jane shared on the CARE forum how delicious and easy this cod stew was from the Washington Post. She says “If you like fish, it makes a quick, flavorful light meal. I think this would be good with shrimp or salmon too.” So I tested it myself. I love the versatility of soups for packing in produce, herbs, and other fiber-rich nutrition stars. This soup also adds fish as a source of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats.
Depending on the brand, 1/2 cup of store-bought full-fat alfredo sauce can contain up to 40 grams of fat and 1800mg of sodium! With a little creativity, though, we can find alternatives for decadent choices like alfredo sauce that are better for us and leave us feeling energized, not laden. White bean sauce is tasty, a source of protein and fiber, and just as worthy of a simple weeknight dinner. Try it with fettuccine and sweet peas, broccoli, and zucchini, or simply spooned over a plate of steamed vegetables (frozen work great).
Chia pudding is very similar to our popular No-Cook Overnight Oatmeal Cups. The biggest difference? The increase in chia seeds. More chia equals more minerals and prebiotic-rich soluble fiber. In fact, one serving of this chia pudding provides 50%(!) of your daily calcium, 30% magnesium,25% iron, and 60% selenium(!). And your gut bacteria and entire intestinal tract will love you for giving them so much soluble fiber. These are WOW numbers from food and are exactly what we mean by using Food as Medicine. Plus… it only takes 5 minutes to prepare!
This on-the-go recipe puts the maple right into the batter allowing you to enjoy a mess-free, warm breakfast option even on those hard-to-get going mornings.
Apples contain fibers and polyphenols that help regulate the breakdown of carbohydrate and slow the absorption of sugar from the digestive tract. They are also rich in prebiotic fibers which act as food for our healthy native strains of gut bacterial. Proof that ‘super foods’ don’t have to be super fancy!
Cashews, often deemed indulgent, are a rich dietary source of monounsaturated fat and copper which is essential in energy production, antioxidant functioning and bone formation. Enjoyed in moderation, they contribute to increasing our overall intake of nuts which studies have confirmed can lower our risk of heart disease, lower the risk of developing gallstones, and lower our risk of gaining weight! Participants in a study that consumed nuts 2x per week were 31% less likely to gain weight than those that never ate nuts. Enjoy (in moderation)!
Legume-based pasta (like garbanzo, black bean, and soy) is an incredible way to continue enjoying pasta while getting much more nutrition than just carbohydrates provided by flour-based varieties. This recipe pairs legume-based pasta with our Faux Alfredo Sauce (white bean sauce) to make a plant-based protein-rich, fiber-rich (which equals FILLING) meal. Enjoy with endless varieties of leafy and tender veggies!