About Quince ~ the golden fruit

"They dined on mince, and slices of quince, which they ate with a runcible spoon; and hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, they danced by the light of the moon." ~ Edward Lear, "The Owl and the Pussycat"

Related to apples and pears (see our 1/28/11 entry: About Pears...another Power Food), fans of this seasonal holiday fruit adore its exotic fragrance and the way it blushes from peach to rose as it cooks. The whole quince fruits are so fragrant at room temperature they were used in ancient times to perfume the room, much as we use room fresheners today.

Unfortunately, quinces seldom receive much recognition in American cooking. They are one of the true gems of Persian origin and are prized for the delicious jams and jellies made from them. Similar in texture to apples, quinces are a bit drier, firmer, and far more tart, which makes them an ideal fruit to use in baking. Quinces are very receptive to seasonings and spices, and are easily peeled with a veggie peeler. The challenge is cutting them as they are super tough and require a good, firm knife.

The raw fruit is sour, so it is usually poached in syrup, roasted with a sweetener, or simmered until soft before using.

If you like trying new things, click here for some purchasing and storing tips and a few delicious, sure-to-please recipes...Enjoy!

Why we MUST EAT Organic Strawberries.

Life in southern California is blessed with a wide array of fruits and veggies year-round. Cali is the largest producer of strawberries in the United States, but beware: California strawberry growers are using a highly toxic pesticide listed by the state as a known cancer-causing chemical (despite vocal oppositions from public health experts, environmentalists and farm workers.) This highly toxic chemical is also linked to late-term miscarriage, thyroid disease and permanent neurological damage. 

Despite this, and over the objections of 2 dozen California legislators and 54 scientists, including 5 Nobel laureates, methyl iodide was cleared for use on a national level by the Bush administration in 2007.

About a year and a half ago the State Department of Pesticide Regulation gave final approval to permit the use of methyl iodide, a fumigant designed to eradicate bacteria, weeds and insects from growing soils. State officials insist the pesticide, a liquid that is injected into the soil, will be applied only by specialists (so what?!!!), and treated areas will be covered by impermeable tarps (again, so what?!!!)

Strawberries are naturally packed with healthy antioxidants, rivaling citrus fruits for vitamin C content (98mg), and have 3.3g of fiber, 40mcg of folate and 254mg of potassium.

Unfortunately, conventionally grown strawberries rank in the top 10 pesticide-ridden fruits and veggies. Be aware! Know that if you choose to buy conventionally grown strawberries (non organic), you are poisoning yourself.

Enjoy our healthy berry recipes du jour.

Live a healthy, balanced, informed, good life...every day.

Day 5 of our eat2live challenge.

As a mother, I realize more than ever, the importance of good health.  I know that I have a choice to either live each day feeling great...living with energy, feeling light and agile ...easily able to keep up with my kids ~ OR live like each day I am getting nearer to my death, due to disease or so much excess weight on my body it is a drag to move around and hard to truly enjoy the day.

I also want my kids to live a good, balanced, happy life.  I do not want to encumber them with diseases they can avoid like diabetes, cancer and heart disease. I do not want them to have to depend on drugs to help them make it through the day.  Therefore, I will try anything to give them the best start I can.

Ignorance is truly bliss. Once I began learning about what is going on with our food supply, it was hard for me to ignore the problem.  My buying and eating habits have changed, mainly with respect to buying organic where necessary, avoiding processed foods...and now, with trying to eat mainly fruits and veggies.

It is not easy to change the way we eat ~ particularly if we are used to a diet full of tasty fats and refined sugars. But there is too much evidence not to attempt to eat for better health.

When I first became a mother, the best piece of advice I was given was to : PICK YOUR BATTLES!  The food our kids consume is well worth the battle of changing habits that are bad, dangerous and deadly.

Click to read more ...

About Beans

Beans have significant amounts of fiber and soluble fiber. One cup of cooked beans provides between 9-13gms of fiber. Soluble fiber can help lower blood cholesterol. Beans are also high in protein, complex carbs, folate and iron. 

NOTE: Some kinds of raw beans (especially red and kidney beans) contain a harmful toxin (the lectin Phytohaemaqqlutinin) that must be destroyed by cooking. A recommended method is to boil the beans for at least ten minutes; undercooked beans may be more toxic than raw beans. Cooking beans in a slow cooker, because of the lower temperatures often used, may not destroy toxins even though the beans do not smell or taste bad  (though this should not be a problem if the food reaches boiling and stays there for some time).

Click to download our day 5 eat to live Menu & Recipes

Grateful for Employment

Over 15 million Americans have lost their jobs and are unemployed today. This is the equivalent to the entire populations of Singapore, Denmark and Finland combined.

This outrageous number revealed that not only are more and more Americans unable to make a living today, the number of long-term unemployed has increased sharply since the recession officially began in December 2007.

By mid-summer (July-September 2010) nearly half of unemployed Americans (nearly 8 million people) were jobless for 27 weeks or longer (nearly 7 months.) The number of people jobless for a year or more rose from 645,000 in mid 2007 to 4.5 million this past summer! 

Everyone of us knows someone who has lost a job, is having a hard time making ends meet, or has lost both their home and their job.  By race, Caucasians made up nearly 74% of all unemployed people and 70% of those have been jobless for a year or more.

These trying times are exactly this. After so much greed, unjustified glory and overindulgence, what went furiously up has come down hard, and now is the time for us to all be truly grateful for what we have...be it simply good health, family, friends or shelter.

Whatever it is we wake up to, we certainly wake to the choices of how to live this day. Choose wisely and choose well. Choose foods that nourish our bodies and brains, foods that are good for the soul...for what comes around goes around, and if you are waiting for something good to appear, you first have to put it out there in this manner.

For those of us who wake to employment today ~ be grateful.  For those of us who have kids ~ it is time for them to truly understand what being grateful means...looking at the world from a 'glass-half-full' perspective, particularly at this time of the year when materialistic Americana is at its peak.