Nutrition Spotlight: Nutritional Yeast

One of my all-time favorite snacks to enjoy in the evenings has always been popcorn.  We used to make it with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray, but when we began to get educated about the health concerns of artificial ingredients and chemical additives, things really began to change about the way we make our popcorn.  One of the main ingredients that we have come to LOVE on our popcorn is something called "Nutritional Yeast".  It is delicious!  If you have never heard of it before, don't even worry about it.  I had never heard about it either.  We got wind of it when I began learning more about vegan eating, and what I found just astounded me, which is why I wanted to share it with you!


First of all, as you may or may not know, most vegans tend to supplement their food choices in order to ensure adequate intake of certain nutrients that they will likely not take in without meat, eggs, and dairy.  One of the biggest potential areas of concern rests with the B-vitamins.  B vitamins are typically found in your meat, egg, and dairy products and are essential for cell metabolism, which in turn helps to provide a stable mental and emotional well-being.  Since vegans tend to be deficient in their B vitamins, I made it my job to find out more about what other options I had, since I did not want to take a ton of supplements.  This is when I learned about nutritional yeast.

Nutritional yeast is a powerhouse for B vitamins.  It boasts of multiple hundreds of percent for several of the B vitamins, including a significant source of several other nutrients, both macro and micro.  Also, it only takes a little to get a lot with this wonder powder, which is incredible.  For only 1 tablespoon of the yeast, you get 8g of protein and 4g fiber, which alone is insane!  Check out the rest of this nutritional profile though (taken from Red Star Nutritional yeast's label; other brands may vary slightly):



Nutrients                           Per 1 heaping tablespoon
Calories                               60
Total Fat                              1 gram
Carbohydrate                       7 grams
Fiber                                    4 grams
Protein                                 8 grams
Sodium                                5 milligrams
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)            640% Daily Value (DV)
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)         560% DV
Vitamin B3 (niacin)              280% DV
Vitamin B6                          480% DV
Folic Acid                             60% DV
Vitamin B12                         130% DV
Selenium                               30% DV
Zinc                                      20% DV


The best part about this product, though, is that it tastes great!  It has a cheesy edge to it that is absolutely delicious on popcorn, but we also enjoy it on top of savory dishes as much as we can.  We put it on spaghetti, lasagna, chili, casseroles, in dishes as a pseudo-mac & cheese, etc.  There are a ton of different ways to use this awesome condiment!  If you are looking for a new product to help clean out the bad for you stuff, but keep the delicious taste and value, try some Nutritional Yeast, and definitely share your thoughts and experiences =0)


Question of the Day:  What have you found to be a staple that you like to add to foods for flavor enhancement?

Homemade Pizza Deluxe

Tonight we had the awesome treat of homemade pizza. Since it was Father's Day, I let the hubs choose dinner, which of course was his favorite! He specified, though, that it had to be monstrous with loaded veggies, so I was happy to oblige. Here's the finished product!

Two towering and loaded pizzas of veggie goodness with some white meat chicken added too. I case you too get a craving for super yummy, healthy pizza, here's the top-notch recipe for the enjoyment of your taste buds:

Whole wheat pizza dough (makes 2 pizzas)

• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tbsp active dry yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp oil (I used Grapeseed oil, but whatever you have that is liquid will be fine)
• 5 cups flour (freshly ground is best!)

Toppings:

• Sauce of choice (I just used some bottled organic marinara...organic is best for tomatoes because they absorb pesticides through the skin)
• Various vegetables of choice (I used sautéed onions, red pepper slices, zucchini and basil from the garden, and organic kale)
• Canned chicken, opened and drained, if desired
• Cheese (we not keep Daiya vegan cheese on hand, which is contradictory to the whole canned chicken thing, lol...we still loved it!)

1. If using freshly ground flour, grind wheat grains in mill. In large bowl, pour water, add yeast and sugars, and stir until mixed. Let sit a few minutes for yeast to activate and become frothy.
   
2. Add other ingredients into mix, including flour, and then mix. You can get down and dirty with your hands first, use a whisk first until thickens and then get your hands dirty, or you can pour this all in a mixer and avoid hand messiness completely (I don't have a mixer and I love getting my hands on dough). Knead for at least 5 minutes to activate all the gluten and create a fluffy rise.
3. Sit in a warm place for 30-45 minutes, or until doubled. I like to heat my oven until preheated and then turn it off, while sitting my bowl of dough on the stove to feel the heat, but not be baked. Once dough is double and fluffy, it is ready.
4. Pour dough onto surface, cut in half, and roll into two pizzas (shape up to you and your pans) or you can wrap and freeze one dough for later use.
5. Slick your fingers with some olive oil and rub it lightly onto the perimeter (crust) to create a crunchy crust (otherwise, avoid this step of you like a soft crust).
6. Begin adding toppings. When using greens on my pizza, I like to put them on first before the sauce because they then get more moisture and soften, rather than get crispy in the oven. Make sure to spread the weight of the toppings all over so that the middle of your pizza isn't too wet and sinks.
7. Preheat oven to 400F.
8. Bake pizzas for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is crispy and cheese is bubbly. Enjoy!

 

Sunday Morning Madness

"All I wanted to do was enjoy a lovely sit-down breakfast with my family!  Why is this so difficult?"  Have these words ever crossed your mind in the morning?  I have been trying painstakingly to get into the pattern of making a nice Sunday morning breakfast for our family.  I have this vision of pancakes and eggs, orange juice, and fruit, all of us sitting down with smiles on our faces and laughing as we eat.  But, this just does not ever seem to be the picture that actually happens.  Usually, things are rushed, hair is not brushed, clothes are on backwards, the morning chores are half done, etc, etc, etc.  Although I could write this post about my conviction to be better at keeping things more orderly, or how it is so important to be diligent about time management, which are definitely true and important things, today this post is about the seasons of life.

I had a revelation this past Sunday about this very thing.  To put it bluntly, I am not in the season of in depth meals, gourmet anything, or meals that require excess attention.  More importantly, I have a very specific and special season that I am in right now, and it requires my full attention and energy.  I am in the season of the Littles.  "Littles?" you may ask.  Yes, Littles.  The season of the Littles is when children are still in a specific season of training, discipleship, and discipline that requires a LOT of hands on parenting in preparation for seasons to come.  It is a very hands on season, so when my attention is elsewhere, such as on making breakfast, it is easy for tempers to get flared and trouble to develop, because I cannot split myself in two and help gently guide while ensuring the meal gets made.  This intention to present a wonderful sit down Sunday breakfast has left us late for church on more occasion than one, and has strangled our family peace too greatly.  Something had to give!

Naturally, God was ready to help rectify the situation.  He spoke to my and my husband's hearts on this issue, clarifying that the breakfast beauty was just not meant to be; not because it is inherently sinful to make a lovely Sunday morning breakfast, but because it was distracting from the peace of the morning and hurting our overall intentions of getting to church on time (or preferably EARLY, gasp!)  Ultimately, this breakfast vision was becoming an idol, and that idol had to be torn down!

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that it is not okay to have a nice sit down family breakfast.  There is, of course, absolutely nothing wrong with making a nice meal, enjoying it, etc.  The problem comes in when frustration, short tempers, and stress come about because of everything bending around this vision of things looking a certain way, or going a certain way.  If the breakfast meal is causing more issues than it is helping, than it needs to go and something more simple needs to be figured out until a better time at a later date.

The more important focus of the morning should be for us to enjoy life and togetherness as we give glory to God who provided the day of rest (hasn't been very restful with stress first thing in the day!) A healthy meal of oatmeal or cereal with smiles, excellent time management and big picture goals being met is far more important and valuable than eating a lavish meal while everything else goes to pot!  "Better a dry crust with peace and quiet, than a house full of feasting with strife" (Proverbs 17:1).  The funny thing is, I know exactly where this intention of the "hot meal" came from.  Several years ago a good friend encouraged me to make a hot breakfast for my kids in the morning because a friend of hers had exemplified this to her.  It sure sounded good!  "My kids will really feel loved and special, and doing so will absolutely show to them my extreme love and adoration I have for them!"  At the time I was content to ensure that the kids received a breakfast of cereal or oatmeal with juice or a piece of fruit without much thought.  But, once that idea was in my head, it was hard to shake!  This is something that we must always guard against in our media-infused culture, because the Martha Stewarts and awesome homemaking blogs will present a lot of information, often GREAT, which can easily get twisted into a sinful application if we are not careful to discern its proper use in our lives.  For a time I was good about this and did not fret over my children eating a cold breakfast, but eventually that same lie came back to me, rooted in, and up came the first fruits of its growth.  Thankfully, though, God was ready for the pruning!

In my season with the Littles, though, a lavish breakfast is more trouble than it is worth, as much as I enjoy blessing my family in this way.  The truth is, though, that we are not yet in the season when breakfasts like this will be served, because it is low on the priority list compared to the other character traits we are working to instill into our children (such as diligence, efficiency, and time management in their morning chores).  In this season, cereal, oatmeal, toast with peanut butter, etc. is just fine for the majority of days to allow for the training which will prepare and allow for the season of lavish breakfasts and meals to come.  This is the vision for our family!  There will come a day where my children will have been trained sufficiently in doing their chores that I will not have to be alongside of them in the mornings. There will come a day when my children will have been trained in the kitchen to make a great meal without me having to be in there with them.  Today is just not that day; and in this truth, I have great peace, because the cold breakfasts and quick fix meals of today are giving way to the more enjoyable and valuable fruits of tomorrow.  "Let us not grow tired in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).  Now, that is a promise worth believing!

What's For Dinner?

"What's for dinner?"...the question that every mother dreads.  You look at the clock, and it is already 5:30 pm.  Looks like another pasta night, or night of eating out.  Too many nights like this will inevitably bring on the stress, stretch the wallet, and bring reasons to hide the scale.  But, dinner does not have to be a thing of dread.  When planned in advance, dinners can be a predictable and enjoyable part of the day!  All it takes is a little initiative.

There are so many different ways to meal plan.  There is the Once a Month cooking method, where you cook an entire month's meals in the course of a day, or a few days.  There is the method of rolling foods, where you bake something like a chicken one night, and then make chicken tacos, the next night, chicken noodle soup the next night, etc.  And then, there is meal planning mostly separate meals, but planning in advance so that you know what you will be making that night AT LEAST in the morning and know that you already bought the ingredients on your weekly grocery trip (right?  No more running to the store every day for missing items!)  You, your husband, and your children will all be thrilled with the predictability of your planning, and you will enjoy the blessings of a new routine that will encourage harmony in the family and peace in the home.

First, you want to determine if there are any known foods that you need to refrain from bringing into the home (food allergies, sensitivities, etc.).  Make sure to plan your meals to avoid these items, making substitutions where necessary.  Second, you need to choose which type of meal planning you wish to follow and then make your plan according to that style.  I like to do a combination of the three, making larger quantities of some things, knowing I will use the leftovers in the next day's meals (for instance, if I am making Black Bean soup one night, I will make extra black beans for tacos or black bean burgers another night, that way I only have to cook the black beans one time...yes, we use dried, not canned beans, since they are MUCH cheaper!)  Third, get familiar with the recipes you already have on hand and categorize them (there is again a variety of ways to do this, but I grouped mine into something like stews/soups, lasagnas/pastas, pizza, burgers, one-pot meals/casserole, chili, etc. since I found I had a lot of recipes in these categories, but you could also do something like bean meals, meat meals, chicken meals, etc.)

Once you have your recipes organized into some grouping, begin taking out or noting the ones you know are tried and true for your family.  Start with these.  If our family just loves pasta, see what other kinds of variations you can come up with: different sauces, add some different vegetables, mix in some squash or beans, etc.  If your family enjoys meat, grain, and veggies all separated out, determine a rotation for different meats/grains/veggies to keep things new.  Try to keep your weekly night's meals fairly similar, such as Monday is Soup Night, Tuesday is Lasagna Night, Wednesday is Casserole Night, Thursday is Meatloaf Night, Friday is Pizza Night, Saturday is Burger Night, and Sunday is Musko Night (everything MUST GO!...i.e., Leftover night, but it sounds better as Musko, doesn't it?)  There are so many variations to all of these groupings that any style of eating can fit within it (even vegan!)  I recommend including inexpensive food options in your meal plans to help stretch your budget.  The BEST items for this are legumes!  Lentils and beans are super cheap and help to stretch a meal.  They are nutritionally dense, so having these as the heart of the meal a few nights a week will absolutely reduce your spending.  Always make sure to have a vegetable of some kind in your meal, whether in the dish itself, or as a side.  These can be fresh, frozen or canned (in water, no or low sodium).  If you are not the biggest veggie fan, now is the time to train your palate to appreciate these super healthy and good for you foods!  They do NOT have to taste like dog food...at all!

With this plan in hand, sit and figure out what ingredients you have in the house, and what you will need to buy.  The more week's you plan for in advance, the cheaper your groceries will be in total.  You will pay less for a larger amount than you will by buying smaller amounts more frequently.  The only items that will not work great for this is your perishables, so you will want to plan for weekly purchase for some of these to keep them fresh (to help with ensuring great produce usage, keep your meals rotating with produce spoilage in mind...see my post on this topic here).  Of course, if you grow some of your produce, you will definitely have fresh and cheap produce on hand as needed, too =0)  Now, armed with a grocery list, head to your local store and buy the ingredients you will need for your planned meals.  You no longer will be making decisions about ingredients on the fly, which will ultimately lead to lowered spending for foods.

Once you have a week's plan figured out, you could take the initiative and plan out a rotation of foods for the entire month, or for two weeks, or just stick with one week at a time (this is a great way to start).  As you become more and more familiar with and accustomed to planning your meals, you can expand your plan as desired.  At this point, I have slowly progressed to a four week rotation with each night of the week containing a meal from a focused grouping of foods.  Ours goes: Sunday night is Pizza or Pasta Night, Monday night is Soup or Stew Night, Tuesday night is Lasagna Night, Wednesday night is Burger Night, Thursday night is Chili Night, Friday night is One-Pot/Casserole Night, and Saturday night is leftovers.  I have also planned a rotation for breakfasts and lunches.  In this season with everything being a bit off with Zach, though, this plan is not really followed, but it is an anchor to which I can return when needing a meal idea in a pinch.  I hope this gives you some guidance and ideas to get you started in your meal planning journey!

I am sorry this is sooooo blurry, but my computer which contains the file is broken right now, so the best I could do was to snap a picture.  I will update it when I can with a clearer picture, if not the original file!  I still hope it helps =0)

Before they rot...

When we first began eating a vegetarian diet several years ago, I did a lot of research to learn more about vegetables and how to properly use/store them.  Although our diet has changed repeatedly since then, I did for a long time have pieces of paper on my refrigerator with the information I am about to share with you.  You see, I did not grow up with a great understanding of vegetables.  My mom was excellent about encouraging us to eat our vegetables and such, but I did not really understand what made vegetables and fruits tick.  Why did certain items seem to last forever, while others seemed to rot overnight?  It was a baffling thing to me, so I set out to do some research about how to best protect our produce so that it could be well enjoyed over the course of the week, or more.

I stumbled upon an article in Vegetarian Times years ago, which addressed this very issue.  It was from this article that I wrote down the information on my pieces of paper which were gracing our fridge for years.  Here, in a short summary, is the information provided in that article:

1. Many fruits and vegetables are "gas-releasers" which means that they expel ethylene, which ripens produce faster.  For this reason, gas-releasers must be carefully placed around other produce if you want to avoid spoilage.
2. Some produce needs to be refrigerated to keep it fresh longer, and some really needs to be kept out of the fridge.  Gas-releasing foods that need to be refrigerated include apples, apricots, canteloupe, figs, and honeydew.  Gas-releasing foods that need to be out in the open include avocados, bananas, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, and tomatoes.
3. Foods that need to be kept away from the gas-releasers include ripe bananas, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce and other leafy greens, parsley, peas, peppers, squash, sweet potatoes, and watermelon.  
4. Plan your meals using your produce according to the spoilage of the produce.  Use the fastest spoilers first and then move onto the slower spoilers throughout the week.  Here is the list of spoilage:

A working meal plan is the most helpful way to effectively make sure that you use your produce and don't let it go to waste.  This is most annoying when it is delicious and wholesome organic goodness, so be sure to take care of your produce to have it available for nutritious eating.  Please comment below, or ask questions as needed...always welcome!  =0)

Question of the Day:  What is your favorite vegetable and how do you like to prepare it?  Me?  I LOVE salads with flax oil, apple cider vinegar, a pinch of salt, twist of pepper, and whatever vegetables on top I can find.  Sounds delicious...I think I will go make that right now =0)