How to Get More Folic Acid in Your Diet

June 13, 2014 by riverstone

Folic acid stimulates cell growth and regeneration, enhances red blood cell creation, and even prevents against depression, which is important for people of all ages. Pregnant women benefit even further from folic acid because it prevents against fetal deformities. If you want to take advantage of the many benefits of folic acid, here are a few of the best food sources.

Dark, leafy greens. Dark green colored vegetables like spinach, kale, and collard greens are some of the very best sources of folic acid, and even just one large salad filled with these leafy foods can provide you with enough folic acid for the entire day. Spinach is especially beneficial, as it contains 65% of your daily value in only one cup.
Citrus fruits. Oranges, grapefruits, and other citruses have more folic acid than all other types of fruits. One papaya alone offers 115 mcg of folic acid, which is about 29% of the average person’s recommended daily intake.
Beans, peas and lentils. While not all of these foods are high in folic acid, there are a few beans, peas, and lentils that contain impressively large quantities of the B-complex vitamin. Lentils are especially high in folic acid, containing over 90% of your daily intake in just one cup. Pinto beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans are also very good sources.

Surprising Sources of Folic Acid [Yahoo! Shine]
Foods High in Folic Acid [Prenatal Vitamin HQ]
15 Foods High in Folic Acid [Global Healing Center]
18 Foods High in Folic Acid to Prevent Cancer & Birth Defects [Bembu]

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Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Diet, Food, Health, Wellness

Bake Your Own Bread With These Recipe Sites

March 28, 2014 by riverstone

Who doesn’t love the taste of warm, crusty bread right out of the oven? Though homemade bread may seem intimidating to many at-home chefs, these simple websites offer bread recipes for cooks of all skill levels. Whether you’re looking for a sweet cinnamon raisin loaf for tomorrow’s breakfast or an elaborate multigrain baguette for a dinner party, these websites have recipes for every type of bread imaginable.

All Recipes
All Recipes is a go-to website for just about any recipe you can think of, and their bread section leaves nothing to be desired. It features recipes of the day with mouth-watering photos of breads, muffins, and biscuits, as well as a variety of staff picks that are tested by the site’s knowledgeable employees. If you have a specific bread in mind, All Recipes also offers a handy search bar that allows you to search by the name, ingredient, or purpose of the bread.

Food Network
If you’ve ever watched a show on the Food Network and wondered how to make the fresh, delicious breads from your favorite shows, the bread section of the network’s website is the place to go. This page offers simple, instructional recipes for the simplest no-knead breads to the most complex bread puddings, and they’re all ranked by level of difficulty.

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Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Baking, Bread, Food, Recipes

Three Heart-Healthy Soup Recipes

March 25, 2014 by riverstone

It’s one thing to count calories, but finding foods that are just as beneficial to your health as they are to your weight is another story. These delicious soup recipes provide beneficial vitamins and nutrients, keep your heart strong and help you take control of your weight as they warm you up during colder months.

Homemade Turkey Soup
Perfect for using up those turkey dinner leftovers, this hearty turkey soup is full of flavor from its variety of spices. Turkey is a lean meat that provides energizing protein without the extra fat, and the broth base keeps it from weighing you down. At under 250 calories, this makes a light meal that will still fill you up.

Mexican Pozole
If you love the spicy taste of authentic Mexican food, this traditional soup is for you. With lean beef and a large helping of tomatoes, it provides beneficial nutrients as well as exciting flavor.

Rockport Fish Chowder
While other chowders are high in calories due to their creamy base, this lighter version provides the same rich texture without the extra calories. By using low-fat milk and a variety of veggies, you can create a delicious fish chowder that will help keep your diet on track.

For more healthy soup recipes, visit the NIH website.

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Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Food, Recipes, Soup

Bake Bread at Home With these Recipe Sites

February 7, 2014 by riverstone

There’s something so satisfying about bread, whether it’s a crispy piece of toast with jam, a light, fluffy roll dipped in your favorite soup, or a crunchy crostini with goat cheese spread. If you want to make gourmet-quality breads from the comfort of your own kitchen, these step-by-step recipe websites will help you do just that.

Cooking Light
The Cooking Light website aims to make eating bread a bit more healthier, but just as delicious. Its Healthy Baking Guide features a list of the 30 Best Quick Bread Recipes, perfect for the busy home cook or the amateur chef. These breads are leavened with baking powder or baking soda instead of yeast, which makes their cooking times shorter and more manageable. From flaky buttermilk biscuits to zucchini-pineapple quick bread, you’ll find an abundance of fast and easy bread recipes on this unique list.

Better Homes and Gardens
Better Homes and Gardens magazine has published a lot of bread recipes over the years, but this is a list of their very favorite loaves. From Semolina and Rosemary Boule to Two-Tone Banana Bread to Whole Grain Sunflower Bread, these not-so-average breads are all delicious in their own unique ways.

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Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Baking, Bread, Food, Recipes

Find a Delicious Recipe Using Ingredients You Have at Home

November 19, 2013 by riverstone

You know the feeling: it’s dinner time, you’re rummaging through your kitchen cabinets trying to find something to make, and you come up empty handed. These helpful websites are made for days when you just don’t have time to get to the grocery store. They’ll help you to combine the things you already have to make a tasty and filling meal, and you might even find a new favorite recipe along the way:

Super Cook
Super Cook offers a simple layout and easy-to-use search bar that allows you to type in the ingredients you have and browse recipes using only those ingredients. The site searches other places around the web to give you a variety of recipes to choose from, and it even allows you to save the ones you’ve tried and loved or plan on trying in the future. Super Cook also has search filters for dietary restrictions, omitting things like dairy, gluten, meat or shellfish.

Recipe Matcher
Another great website for combining mismatched ingredients into delicious, wholesome meals, Recipe Matcher operates off of user-submitted recipes that are constantly updated. If you have a recipe that you’d like to share, Recipe Matcher also has a submissions page to allow you to help others become less wasteful and save a bit of grocery money along the way.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Food, Nutrition, Recipes

Find Local Food in Season Near You

November 15, 2013 by riverstone

Finding fresh, healthy foods nearby can extend beyond the produce counter at your neighborhood grocery store. If you want find food grown in your region, these three websites can help guide you:

Local Harvest
The CSA page of the Local Harvest website gives you complete information about signing up for a CSA, and where to find one in your area. CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture”, and it generally operates like a subscription to your local farmers market. If you want a constant supply of fresh, local produce, Local Harvest is worth a read.

FarmersMarket.com
FarmersMarket.com is an entire website devoted to, you guessed it, farmer’s markets. Type in your zip code and you’ll instantly receive information about all of the farmer’s markets in your area, giving you quick and easy access to information about local and organic products. FarmersMarket.com also has an informative blog with tips and recipes for using your market purchases in healthy and delicious ways.

Epicurious
This self-described website “for people who love to eat” features information about farm-to-table meats and produce and where to find them in your area, including an interactive ingredient map. Epicurious also employs healthy, seasonal recipes, a tight-knit online community, and articles from chefs and other experts to keep you informed about local foods.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Food, Nutrition, Recipes

3 Easy Diet Swaps

October 11, 2013 by riverstone

Dieting doesn't mean cutting out your favorite foods — just switch them for healthier, low-calorie versions. Check out these tips:

Dip
Don't fear dips anymore. Switch out high calorie dips with Greek yogurt-based dips. It has way less calories and more protein. Trying dipping veggies!

Popcorn
Craving something salty? Instead of reaching for that bag of chips, pop some popcorn. You'll get the same satisfying salty flavor for less calories, just watch your toppings!

Pizza
You can still have pizza while dieting! Instead of ordering a deep dish pizza with all the toppings go for a flatbread pizza with veggies. Or even better, make your own pizza. For a snack size use an English muffin with a little bit of tomato sauce and low-fat mozzarella cheese.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Dieting, Diets, Food

Easy Entertaining Idea: Charcuterie Plate

September 27, 2013 by riverstone

Don't stress the next time you have unexpected guests for lunch or dinner. You can put together a quick charcuterie plate, using staples you probably already have on hand. Here are some basic ingredients:

Keep a couple different types of cured meats in the fridge. Popular meats include prosciutto, salami, soppressata, and mortadella. Just about any thin, salty, dried meat will work.
Use a loaf of bread like ciabatta or focaccia bread. Breads that work best have a thicker crust and soft inside so they can complement the meat.
No plate would be complete without cheese. Add two different cheeses which can be easily sliced or cubed.
A few dips or spreads will finish off the tray. Even simple things like mustard or jam pair well with cheese, meat, and bread.
Have some olives? Put them on the tray. Small fruits or nuts work well too!

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Diet, Entertaining, Food, Health, Recipes

Spring Produce: Seasonal Fruit and Veggie Highlights to Add to Your Menu

April 26, 2013 by riverstone

As spring begins, gardens are alive with new shoots. The spring fruit and vegetable season adds tons of exciting new options to your cooking. Here are some of the best fresh fruits and vegetables to consider cooking with this season.

Asparagus is one of the most eagerly anticipated new crops every spring. When picked fresh, it’s fragrant and delicious. Cooking it is incredibly simple – steam it, roast it or grill it. All it needs is a little salt, pepper and olive oil for its natural flavor to shine.

Garlic shoots are an unusual but remarkable spring harvest. Before the white garlic bulb that you are familiar with forms, the plant grows a large, green shoot, also called a “scape.” This has a flavor similar to the bulb but milder. It’s great for soups.

Spring is also the best time to harvest new potatoes. Although potatoes can stay in the ground through the summer and into the late fall, harvesting them early keeps the skin from setting, making for sweet, tender spuds that cook quickly and burst with flavor.

In terms of fruit, one of the best bounties every spring is the cherry harvest. Cherry fruit starts growing in the middle of the season, and should be eaten quickly after harvesting for the best flavor.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Diet, Food, Health, Nutrition

The Fresh Food Benefits of Joining a CSA

March 20, 2013 by riverstone

The local, organic food movement is in full swing, and if you’re interested in jumping on the band wagon, think about joining a CSA. What’s a CSA? It’s Community Supported Agriculture. You sign up for a “share” of a local farm’s harvest, and each week you’re graced with hearty veggies and plump fruit. As you would imagine, the food is not only fresh, delicious, and better for you, but you’re also supporting your local community by participating. You can visit Local Harvest to find a CSA near you!

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: community, community supported agriculture, CSA, farm, Food, harvest, local, organic, vegetables