A Banana a day keeps your Nerves at Bay

I just got back from a 3 day trip and I realized that, once I returned home, I wanted to talk about Bananas.

I did not have a single banana on this trip as unlike New York, where we have a fruit vendor every few blocks its not as easy to just buy one.

For the last 3 months, I have tried to eat a banana every morning either before or after my coffee. I cannot begin to explain, how that banana fuels me through my mornings. Initially, I just thought its in my head but when I don’t eat a banana, I really do have a sluggish morning and I start my day more stressed or anxious.

So, I started doing a lot of research, bananas are chock full of Potassium and Magnesium. Teaching Nutrition, I know that a lot of us are very deficient in these two Minerals. When I do food intake analysis on clients and students, the nutrients that a lot of us don’t get enough in our diet are as follows. In various posts, I will discuss each of these in different foods I  try to eat.

  • Vitamin D
  • Magnesium
  • Potassium
  • Folic Acid a B Vitamin
  • Fiber

I myself am lacking in all of them and the benefits of these are very important in today’s busy world. Magnesium and Potassium are   important for increasing energy and calming nerves and anxiety. The processed foods we consume are devoid of all these nutrients.

Bananas have 60.8mg Magnesium,806mg Potassium and 45mcg Folate.  Each Banana has 5.9grams of fiber, which also helps in the morning.

My husband gets his Banana from my banana bread, which is not my recommendation for the day as it is high in sugar and fat but I will add my healthy banana bread recipe for a treat once in a while.

The recipe Amir loves is the Williams Sonoma Whole wheat Banana bread, its moist and delicious and has a lot of fiber. It does have sugar and fat and so I have over the years modified it to try to make it healthier.

I cut down the sugar and flour and instead add an extra banana and flax seeds and coconut. Amir and the kids also love a handful of dark chocolate chips.

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe bananas mashed
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 stick grass fed organic butter softened
  • 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
  • 2  organic grass fed eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup flax seed ground
  • 1/4 cup coconut shredded
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Beat the butter coconut oil and sugar till fluffy, add the eggs one at a time, then add the mashed banana. The mixture may look curdled, which is okay.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda coconut and flax. With a spoon stir the flour mixture into the banana mix and add the yogurt. Stir in the nuts and optional chocolate chips.

Bake in a heated oven at 350 degrees in a loaf pan for 45 minutes.

Enjoy and let me know your opinions.

I sadly do not have a picture but will post it when i make it next.

 

 

Lunch: Avocados, Grains

My Lunch is always on the go. The days I am home I try to get the nutrients, I may not get in my dinner.

Fiber is again very important, so its either from whole wheat or another grain if your gluten free.

I am still in the process of learning about Gluten free recipes, so when I feel more comfortable will post.

I strongly believe in the Mediterranean diet, its not a typical diet like all the other diets as I do not  personally believe any  is permanent and if you follow a diet and have been successful, that is amazing. The Mediterranean diet is a lifestyle change and you can start very slow with some of the foods.

Avocados are powerhouses of nutrients, they have loads of monounsaturated fats, which help your heart and help against dementia. They have fiber, potassium and some protein. They have Vitamin A and C.

The easiest way for me to eat Avocados are as guacamole. My recipe is easy, spicy and quick. I eat them on whole grain crispbread made with lots of seeds. Trader Jo has an amazing one. I have 1/2 a glass of Pomegranate juice or some berries with this meal.

  1. 1 mashed Avocado chunky with a fork
  2. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  3. 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  5. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  6. 1/2 a jalapeno pepper
  7. 1/4 bunch cilantro

 

Brunch: Quiche

On Sundays , my husband and I love brunch as its a great way to enjoy breakfast/lunch foods together in a meal. We usually go out as I don’t make the best eggs. In general most brunch dishes are not the healthiest considering all the sugar, butter, cream and eggs that are used, but my philosophy is once in a while go all the way and that is exactly what I did today.

My girlfriends from Cleveland were coming for brunch, so I decided to make it at home. I made a Quiche with eggs and cheese and then  added the amazing colorful veggies from the Mediterranean diet. I made a whole wheat banana bread and added flax and chia seeds and coconut. I added a bowl of blueberries and a bowl of cantaloupe. We had coffee and orange juice.

I bought an organic crust made with whole wheat flour from Fresh direct as making a crust is too time consuming and my cooking is quick and practical. I made two Quiches, one was spinach and cheddar with mushrooms and red peppers.  The other was Spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and feta. Both had olive oil and garlic to add to the antioxidants.

The Quiche was high in fat but  full of Calcium. It has fiber from the whole wheat flour and added vegetables. It has Protein from the eggs, cheese and milk. Vitamin A and C from the Red peppers and  Sun dried tomatoes. Iron from the spinach and Vitamin D from the mushroom and eggs.

So overall if your eating this meal once every few months its fine but delicious.

 Spinach, sun dried tomato and feta cheese Quiche

Ingredients

  • Whole wheat Pie Crust
  • 4 Organic eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cup frozen spinach
  • 2 Teaspoon chillie flakes
  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
  • 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Method

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

The vegetables can be done the night before for easy preparation in the morning. The spinach has to be drained in a strainer so it is not full of water. While the spinach is  draining, saute the garlic in the olive oil, then add the sun dried tomatoes. I blot the spinach in a paper towel and add it to the mixture.

In another bowl beat the eggs with a beater add the milk then add the  salt, pepper, chili flakes. Crumble the feta and add it to the eggs.

Bake the pie crust for 10 min, take it out and first add the vegetable mix then the egg mix. Sprinkle the cheddar on the top and then bake for 45-50 minutes.

I will post the Banana bread and the other Quiche next time.

I hope you enjoy it!

 

Breakfast: Granola

Breakfast is a meal, I try to never miss. Nutritionally its one of the most important meals as it gets you fueled through the day.

However, what you eat is key and the quality of a great breakfast is what can help your day start of right.

Protein foods stay in your body the longest, I love foods that have both protein and carbohydrates and I add a fruit. Personally its not always realistic to make a hot breakfast like eggs and hot oatmeal, which are great foods that have both protein and Fiber.

My favorite is   Greek yogurt,  home made granola with blueberries and banana. The  Carbohydrates should be high in fiber at least 3 grams of fiber in a serving. The Greek yogurt should be low in sugar less than 9 grams which is around 2 teaspoons. Plain yogurt is ideal with a teaspoon of  raw honey is another option.

My Recipe for my high fiber, high protein granola is below. Its so easy.

Please send me suggestions or corrections as I am very new blogger.

Granola

Ingredients

  1. 4 1/2 cups regular oats
  2. 1/2 tsp salt
  3. 1 tsp cinammon
  4. 1/2 cup flax seeds
  5. 1/4 cup hemp or chia seeds
  6. 1 cup sliced almonds
  7. 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  8. 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  9. 1/2 cup honey
  10. 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or canola oil
  11. 1/2 tsp vanilla
  12. 1/2 cup warm water

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients then wet ingredients. I use my clean hands as it all mixes evenly.  Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I mix it with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes as the sides tend to brown quickly. It should be evenly browned. If it starts to get dark take it out as it burns easily.

This should be stored in an airtight container or Ziploc bags and stays fresh for at least a month.

I buy a lot of my ingredients from Trader Joe’s, great prices.  Since I don’t live close to one in New York, I go to A Matter Of Health.

Other optional ideas-

For kids add 1/2 cup brown sugar, my husband loves 1/2 cup shredded coconut. The coconut should be added at the end.

I hope you enjoy it.

 

I used this mix from A Matter of Health as it has both Chia and Flax seed.

Healthy Snacks: Energy Bars

My favorite past time in a grocery store is looking at food labels and trying to figure out a food product that has few ingredients and the ingredients that are good for your health.

So I decided a few weeks ago to check out the Energy bars available. I was shocked at the amount of sugar I found, some as much as candy bars.

Energy Bars were used in the past mainly by athletes, but over the last 10 years with everyone on a health kick the bar Industry has rocketed. Many times the bar is a quick lunch or breakfast!

After 4 weeks of looking at bars at every store I walked into, I finally found 1 company that has 11 ingredients, most have over twenty. The most important requirement for me was that all the ingredients be Whole Foods not processed and the sugar should come from natural sources not added and  not more than 2 teaspoons which is 8 grams.

This bar is not a high protein bar, but it’s a bar that you can have if your on the run and need some energy. It has only 5 grams of sugar and 7 grams of protein.

The Name of the company is Thunderbird Real Food Bar. It’s made with nuts, seeds and dates. It can be part of the Mediterranean lifestyle.

There are no artificial ingredients and it is soy and dairy free and vegan.

I love the Hemp +Sunflower +Pumpkin Seed.

If any of you find others that are better or similar, please let me know.