Papaya (and Papaya Pineapple Salsa?!)

PAPAYA

1/2 of a small Papaya has at least 150% of your daily Vitamin C needs plus is a great source of fiber, potassium and folate.

My friend Kim Hall of Given Breath and All About Athlete REintroduced me to papaya at a recent AHMAZING retreat.

I went to Whole Foods today as part of my STAYcation, yes, food geeks like me do that... 

ANYWAYS, I brought it home and immediately had the hubby and son try it...

VERDICT: veto--so, proud of them for trying...but more for me! 

The seeds are supposed to be edible and have a pepper taste to them.  I will admit, they are not super appetizing to look at....so I'll be brave and try that next time...

UNTIL THEN, I will try the other half of the papaya and make the following recipe I found for Papaya-Pineapple Salsa!
UPDATE:  I made it! The Fam is not a huge fan of papaya...so I went heavier on pineapple and jicama and NOT spicy for the kiddo.  Will taste way better tomorrow...but with shrimp on a corn tortilla tonight?! YUM

Papaya-Pineapple Salsa

Makes 4 servings
Each serving equals one 5 A Day serving

3/4 cup ripe papaya, diced
3/4 cup fresh pineapple, diced
1/2 cup diced jicama
3 tbsp chopped red onion
1 chili pepper, Serrano or jalapeno
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp lime zest
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp minced cilantro

Combine papaya, pineapple, jicama, red onion, chili pepper, garlic zest, lime juice, and cilantro. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutritional analysis per serving: calories 37, protein 1g, fat 0g, percent calories from fat 5%, cholesterol 0mg, carbohydrates 9g, fiber 2g, sodium 2mg

Brussels Sprouts & Farmers Markets

Lakeway Commons Farmers Market has changed its name to Lone Star Farmers Market and is moving to the Lowe's Parking Lot on 3/3/13.  I think this is one of my favorite times of year for Central Texas Farmers Markets ....due to more growing locally now versus during insane heat of July and August!

Anyway, here is a quick snapshot of what I bought today--

YUMMMMMMM !

p.s. I am most excited about the baby brussels sprouts....I hated them as a kid.  Yet, I recently started roasting them tossed with a bit of chipotle olive oil  from Con' Olio http://www.conolios.com/ and sea salt --these will be amazing!
Did you know that brussels sprouts are an AMAZING source of Vitamin C??  1/2 cup has more than 80% of the Recommended Daily Intake.

Olives: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I've been on a bit of an olive kick lately.  I thought I would research them a bit more.
Here is the Good, "not so good" and Ugly on olives.  
The photo above would be a recommended serving size, 
(which is most likely ALOT less than I've been eating lately!)

GOOD: they are HIGH in monounsaturated or the "good fat" and 
Vitamin E as well as contain anti-inflammatory polyphenols and flavonoids.
NOT SO GOOD:  It is great they are high in monounsaturated fat, but they ARE mainly fat--so moderation is key.
BAD: SUPER high in SODIUM -300 to 500 mg sodium in 4 OLIVES!

*if you have high blood pressure, these would not be a recommended snack

Which, Why, When--Protein Supplements

Protein Supplements
Quick post of a well sourced link discussing a large amount of
the protein supplements out there.
As always- protein needs are based on activity, size & gender- 
their bio availability also differs when
comparing plant based vs animal sourced protein.
http://greatist.com/fitness/protein-supplement-nutrition-guide/

Health Food Face Offs in USNEWS

Health Food Face Offs

(check out this great quick article)

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2012/09/20/health-food-face-offs

Ode to Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash- 
where have you BEEN all my life?










All I can say is tonight was so fun, as I had spaghetti right along side the family!
I ate half a spaghetti squash=110 kcals
(p.s. 1 cup of pasta can have 200 kcals)
plus spaghetti sauce with ground beef.


I STILL had my giant spinach salad with a bit of vinegar on it--this plus the Vit C and B vitamins from the squash (not to mention vitamins in tomato sauce)...delicious AND good for you too!  TRY IT!!


How did I cook it?  cut it long way in half, scrape out the seeds, laid it face down in microwave with about a 1/2 inch of water on high for about 8 minutes or so.  You can use a fork to get the "noodles" out! YUM...

Eggplant(as the bread) Sandwich!

Traci's Eggplant Sandwiches

 Hello veggie lovers everywhere!  I wanted to share a recipe I adapted tonight.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-eggplant-sandwiches/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=eggplant%20sandwich&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe

The baked Eggplant sandwich from allrecipes.com looks GREAT...yet, since I am not eating dairy (except once/week)...I tweaked it to gluten, grain and dairy free!

http://givenbreath.com/about-kim/

•  
• 1 large eggplant sliced longways, THIN
• egg whites or slightly scrambled real eggs
• garlic
• onion
• broccoli slaw (All About Athlete- Kim turned me on to this product!)
• chopped red onion- about a 1/3
• sliced mushrooms (as many as you like!)
• spaghetti/tomato sauce (as I needed to use it up from zucchini the night before!)
• optional: added cheese to the boys "sandwich"

1. First, I dunked the eggplant into the egg whites and laid it on the most awesome of all products, the NON STICK FOIL by Reynolds (on a pan)
2. Second, I baked it for about 15 minutes in the oven at 450 degrees
3. While they were baking, I heated some olive oil, the onions and garlic, then added the broccoli slaw and mushroom and sauteed that
4. Take the eggplant out and flip them, cook for at least another 15--depending on how firm/crispy you want them
5. Layer the egg plant as the base, optional cheese, slaw/mushrooms, tomato sauce and top with other eggplant slice.
6. VOILA

I will admit that I WOULD have been still hungry....Yet, I had eaten some green olives, boiled egg whites and sliced turkey while cooking.  They were going to go on the sandwich, but I couldn't wait...;)

I'd love to hear any creative sandwiches using things other than bread that you have tried--spread the word for Traci is actually in the kitchen- and this is RARE...