Recipe: Energy Balls

This is one of my favorite recipes to have as a snack. They are full of fiber, and depending what kind of butter you use, can be full of protein too.  I don't know the exact calorie count, but I have to guess it is between 50 and 75 calories per 1 inch energy ball. 

1. Gather your ingredients and a large mixing bowl. 

     -1 cup dry oatmeal

     -1/2 cup chocolate chips

     -1/2 cup peanut butter

     -1/2 cup ground flaxseed

     -1/3 cup honey

     -1 tsp. vanilla

Simple and Easy! You might have noticed from the picture that there is not peanut butter there, but something different. I am allergic to peanuts, so I cannot put the peanut butter in it, so we had to find some alternatives. What is in the picture is sunbutter, which is made from sunflower seeds. People have told me that it tastes better than peanut butter and it is a lot healthier for you too! It has more vitamins, potassium, and a lot less sugar than your usual Jif or Skippy. Sunbutter is a great alternative for people who are allergic to peanuts, and they make sure that it is made in a completely peanut-free facility. It is also great if you want to try something different!

Anyways, back to the recipe

2. Put all your dry ingredients(oatmeal, flax seed, chocolate chips) in a bowl. 

 3. Add your wet ingredients (honey, vanilla, peanut butter)

4. Mix it thoroughly, making sure that there are no big clumps of any one ingredient. 

5. Form into about 1 inch balls. Yield: about 10-20, depending on how big you want them to be. 

Thanks for reading this! Please try this recipe if you are a chocolate lover, but also want to get in some good fiber and protein. For more chocolaty balls, add more chocolate instead of honey. Please complete the poll! Make sure you check out all the fact files! We have a lot of more healthiness coming!

For the full recipe, go to:

(1) https://www.pinterest.com/sopieemu1207/

Fact Files: Broccoli

Broccoli is the classic stereotype vegetable. In most of the stories, the vegetable that kids never eat or complain about is broccoli. While kids may complain about this vegetable, it is one of my favorites, and it should become your favorite too, when you see how nutritious broccoli is.

Characteristics: Broccoli is a flower. It is green, and has a thick, stringy stalk. The top of the broccoli is filled with tiny flowers. It is crunchy when it is raw, and when it gets cooked enough, it can turn more mushy.

Origin: Broccoli originated from humans. It was bred from a wild cabbage plant, near Italy.

Growing Season: Broccoli blooms from early summer through mid-fall.

When they are ripe: They are ripe when all the flowers are closed. When you start to see the flowers bloom, it is overripe.

Health Benefits: Like the artichokes, there are numerous health benefits to eating broccoli. If you like it, broccoli, or any vegetable is better for you when it is raw. When you cook it, it cooks out a lot of the nutrients and vitamins.




Here is a list of the health benefits:

-Medicinal effects: can help people against some cancers
-Improves digestive
-Lowers cholesterol
-Detoxifies your body
-Prevents allergic reactions
-Maximizes vitamin and mineral intake
-Protects skin
-Prevents birth defects
-Strengthens immune system
-Eliminates inflammation
-Improves vision and ocular health

How to cook: There are many ways to cook broccoli, but you can always eat it raw.

If you want to steam:

If you bought frozen broccoli that is already cut, you can ignore the first few steps.

1. Wash the broccoli
2. Cut about three inches of the bottom stalk.
3. Cut the broccoli into small pieces.
4. Put the broccoli into a steamer pot
5. Cook the broccoli until it is tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Fun Facts: Broccoli is also related to the cabbage family, and was bred from humans.

Warnings: Some people may have allergies to broccoli!

Thanks for reading this! Thank you for all your comments, we really appreciate it.  Please complete the poll if you have not. Check out our Pinterest boards! If you have a Pinterest, please follow us! https://www.pinterest.com/sopieemu1207/ All the recipes that we make will be somewhere on Pinterest. So if you are interested in making some of the things that we make, please check it our for yourself!

For more information, go to:

(1) https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/health-benefits-of-broccoli.html

(2) http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/the-first-broccoli/

(3) http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scene91d8.html

(4) http://servingjoy.com/fun-facts-of-broccoli/

(5) http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/steamed-broccoli-with-olive-oil-garlic-and-lemon-101153

Fact File: Artichokes

Like I said before, vegetables are sometimes hard things to work with. Now, you will get the inside scoop. For these Fact files, we will have different categories. Those are: characteristics and flavor, origin, growing season, how to prepare, how to tell if it is ripe, possible warnings, health benefits, and fun facts. Personally, I have never had an artichoke, and if you are like me, you might want to pick some of these up once you hear how good they are for you.

Characteristics: The artichoke, like almost all other vegetables, is green. They have a thick stalk at the bottom. The outer leaves are hard, and the inner leaves are soft. The most common part of the artichoke that is eaten is the heart. When it is cooked, it has a pretty mild flavor.

Origin: Artichokes originated somewhere near the Mediterranean. Possibly Sicily or near the old city of Carthage.  

Growing Season: Artichokes are usually planted in late winter, and have edible buds on them from mid-summer to fall. The most popular harvest time is in the spring, and the best time to get them is from March-May.

How to tell if it is ripe: make sure that the bud has just opened. If the flower starts to bloom, it is overripe.

How to Prepare: According to source 2, there are several steps to go through to be able to eat artichokes.

1. Wash in cold water and remove the film.
2. Cut one inch off the top and bottom. (optional: cut off the thorns and the tips of the petals)
3. Spread open the petals and put in your favorite seasonings for flavor.
4. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 25-45 minutes or until the leaves can be easily pulled off.




Health Benefits: There are numerous health benefits of artichokes. some are:

-Rich in Vitamin C

-Protects against some forms of cancer
-Heart healthy, reduces cholesterol
-Loaded with Potassium, which neutralizes excess sodium
-Supports good liver health, and prevents liver blockages
-Helps to prevent birth defects
-Increases good bone health
-Rich in fiber, which helps the digestive system
-Beneficial for brain health

Warnings: Some people might have sensitivities to artichokes, due to allergies.

Fun Facts: Did you know:

-the artichoke is technically defined as a thistle?
-the artichoke has the highest antioxidant levels of all vegetables.
-artichokes are one of the oldest foods known to mankind.
-Marilyn Monroe was named the "artichoke queen" in 1948.

Thanks for reading! Please complete the poll if you haven't yet! Keep sharing and following us! We appreciate all your support and comments! Also, if there is a typo, or something seems to be wrong, feel free to comment and correct me. I do tend to make typos. :)

For more information, go to:

(1) https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/other/health-benefits-of-artichokes.html

(2) http://www.oceanmist.com/artichokes/prepare-artichoke/

(3) http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cook_and_eat_an_artichoke/

(4) http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch48.html

(5) https://www.seemonterey.com/food-wine/features/artichoke-tips/

(6) https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/artichoke/how-to-harvest-artichokes.htm

Vegetable Fact Files Intro

So now you know about the starting components of a healthy diet, and know some information about the grains portion, now we will discuss probably the hardest parts: the fruits and vegetables.

I think the hardest part for people when it comes to fruits and veggies is the fact that they are perishable and don't last a long time, and some can have little or no flavor. Also considering the fact that if a kid doesn't like a certain thing, the parents might not feed it to their children and may eventually start to weed it out of their diet too. Problems also arise when something isn't in season. 

Take strawberries for example. Strawberries are great in late spring and summer time, but almost every other time they just taste kind of, well, meh. Apples are another great example. Everyone knows when the leaves start falling, they hit the cider mills and stock up on apple cider and apples of all kinds. 

Now, we will post the fruit and veggies Fact Files. We will tell you about almost every vegetable and fruit that is commonly found everywhere in American stores. You will know all the health benefits, growing seasons, characteristics, and things that you probably would never have guessed about your favorite fruits and veggies. Later, we will post recipes using all these different superfoods. 

We will start with vegetables, and I believe the first one will be artichokes. 

Thanks for reading, and please share and follow us! If you haven't had a chance yet, please take the poll at the bottom of the screen. 

Health Benefits of Whole Grains and Whole Wheat

The first part of our Healthy Diet Unit will be about healthy (and unhealthy) grains.

Most of the grains and carbs that we eat mainly consist of white flour. According to source 3, the article states, "It is, literally, nutritionally deadly and slowly kills you. If you tried to live on white bread alone for 60 days, you would die of malnutrition." That is some pretty scary stuff. White flour doesn't have the most important and healthy parts of the wheat in it, and it has virtually no nutritional value. Since it is like that, there is a law that requires farmers and millers to "enrich" their flour. These vitamins that are added to the flour basically reaps the vitamins that were in the wheat and replaces it with synthetics.

Don't worry, there are healthy options for grains too. The healthiest types of grains are:

-100% Whole wheat
-Oatmeal
-Brown rice
-Whole-grain barley
-Whole rye
-Buckwheat
-Couscous
-Corn
-Quinoa

Whole wheat and whole grains seem like an easy thing to buy. Just buy bread with the words "whole wheat". Sometimes, "whole wheat" doesn't exactly mean you are getting the whole wheat. When looking at labels, always make sure that the ingredients say 100% whole wheat. If it doesn't say that, then it is not whole wheat. Multi-grain doesn't mean whole wheat either.

Most of the products that we buy only have 60% of the wheat. The other 40% is the bran and the germ, and those are the parts with the most nutrients. Some of the nutrients that are in the whole wheat is vitamin B1, B2, B3, E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron, and fiber.

Studies show that a fiber-rich diet decreases the symptoms of diverticular disease, which includes: pain, nausea, flatulence, and constipation. Eating whole grains improves bowel health by promoting the growth of good bacteria. Also, the bran part of the wheat has shown to be an anti-cancer agent.

The benefits of eating whole grains is also very good. The risk of strokes goes down from 30-36%. There is also a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. You will have better weight maintenance too.

So, next time you go to the grocery store and go to the bread isle, make sure you look for the 100% whole wheat. Maybe instead of white rice in your taco mix, try quinoa! A healthy snack to try is 100% multi-grain crackers!

There are many options out there, you just have to look harder then the average American shopper. And for people who are gluten free, Most of the items on the list above are in fact, gluten free.

Thank you for reading, and please comment if you have any questions. Also, please share this blog, and follow us! Take a look at the poll at the bottom of the screen, which will give you some insight about what we will be talking about in the future.

For more information, go to:

(1) http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthy-kitchen-11/reaping-benefits-whole-grains

(2) http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=66

(3) http://www.processedfreeamerica.org/resources.health-news/48-whats-so-bad-about-flour-and-sugar

Introduction to a healthy diet

Hi again!

Our first topic that we will be discussing will be about having a healthy diet.

My doctor told me this: In order to be healthy, you need exercise, enough sleep, and a healthy diet. Having a healthy diet is definitely the hardest, and the most important.

There are many components, and a lot of this is part of the famous My Plate program.

The My Plate program is simple, you have 5/6 of the different food categories.

If you do not know, the six categories are: grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein, and sweets.

Half of the plate is fruits and vegetables, and the other half is grains and proteins. On the top of the plate, you have dairy (assuming that you have a glass of milk).

Most of the time, we have more grains, proteins, and dairy than anything else. Most people just eat fruit for one meal, and vegetables for another.

Take pizza for example. Pizza is basically crust (grains), sauce (vegetables), cheese (dairy), and maybe some other toppings (which mostly consists of vegetables and meat). If you just have one or two pieces of cheese pizza for dinner, that is not really what the whole My Plate is all about.

They are trying to promote more balanced diets, so people are eating just as much fruits and vegetables as they are grains and proteins.

Let's go back to the pizza for a moment. So let's say now you have pepperoni pizza, with a piece of fruit, and a glass of milk. That is more balanced and healthy than just the pizza.

It is very important to have a balanced diet. Just because you have one piece of fruit and ten pieces of candy does not mean that is healthy. Always keep these principals in mind when you go out to eat too.

For more information about the my plate program, go to:

https://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Please share with family and friends, and please follow us! Please take a look at the bottom of the screen for a poll! Please vote so we can see what we need to talk about next!

Welcome!

Hi everyone! On this blog, we will be talking a lot about how to make a healthier world. We will go through many topics, including but not limited to; personal health, exercise, foods/nutrition, recipes, essential oils, bully prevention, and how to be more eco-friendly. We will not have many posts for a couple weeks, but please share this blog! Our purpose is to share this wonderful information to make everyone more healthy. We will try to get at least one post per week! Please follow us also! I hope you enjoy this as much as we do. :)