All Natural, Budget Friendly Health and Beauty Elixirs (Part 2)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Swiss Chard

Since today is St. Patrick's Day, I should ask, "Did you wear green today?", but instead, I would rather ask, "Did you eat green today?".  Green leafy vegetables (GLV's) play a vital role in promoting health and beauty.  GLV's are among the least expensive sources of vital nutrients.  They are high in dietary fiber, folic acid, vitamins C and K, potassium, magnesium, iron, and calcium.  They also contain disease fighting phytochemicals, such as lutein, beta-crypoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene.  GLV's are low calorie and low glycemic.  These beneficial qualities all work together to help lower risk of cancer, diabetes, and bone loss while improving immune function and eye health.  GLV's also help reduce inflammation, which is a huge concern for those suffering from arthritis or athletic injuries.

Spinach

Some of my family's favorite green leafy choices are raw spinach, steamed broccoli, and cauliflower. To minimize nutrient loss during preparation, it's best to eat GLV's raw or lightly steamed.  When we grow weary of salads or steamed vegetables, I'll mix GLV's into all sorts of other foods.  Spinach has a mild flavor, so it can be added to a surprising number of foods without much impact on overall flavor.   I'll mix spinach leaves into soups or pasta dishes to add more color variety and an antioxidant punch.  The green color is powerful, however, so when the spinach is mixed in with a blender instead of just tossed in as whole leaves near the end of cooking, it will turn almost anything green.  Our children are usually fascinated by my green concoctions and are eager to try them.

The kids love green smoothies.  To make them, I simply toss 4 cups of spinach, 1 cup yogurt, 1 cup berries or bananans, a few ice cubes, and a dab of sweetener (Stevia, Truvia, or honey are my preferred sweeteners) into a blender and mix.  If I'm making the smoothie just for me, I'll also add in some all natural chocolate whey protein for a powerful protein boost and for more of a chocolate covered berry flavor.

In an effort to keep healthy, high protein snacks conveniently on hand instead of the 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips I usually grab in my quest for quick energy, I "engineered" a new green snack this week that I call Popeye Puffs.  I wanted to add in some turkey ham and call it Green Eggs and Ham, but ham, even low fat turkey ham, is banned from the anti-inflammatory diet I am aspiring and failing to follow at least to some extent.

These green puffs taste like cheese quiche, but they certainly do have a nasty appearance.  My kids thought the green color "rocked".  Each standard muffin size serving has only 46 calories and less than 0.8 grams of sugar, but contains 7 grams of protein, lots of spinach, and 80 mg. of calcium.  Maybe I should just eat them with my eyes closed or reserve them for St. Patrick's Day only.  For more appealing recipes that pack in a lot of protein and GLV's without as much green coloring, click here.

"I'm Popeye the Sailor Man

Popeye the Sailor Man

I'm strong to the finich, cause I eats me spinach 

I'm Popeye the Sailor Man!"   

(Popeye's theme song)