Edamame: To Shell or Not to Shell March 28, 2012

Tuesdays have become date night with my parents.  We take turns with making dinner, but for the last couple of weeks, my mom has supplied the eats!  Now, I am definitely not complaining because whatever she makes is always a treat for the palette.

The meal included homemade macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob, baby brussel sprouts and edamame.  For those who do not recognize the name, these are like snow peas.  The company who produces edamame is PictSweet which is based in Bells, Tennessee.

The packaging is microwavable, so we read the instructions on how to prepare these cute little pea pods.  Below is a photo of the cooking directions, notice the writing in blue!

I see that it may be difficult to see what it says, so here it is:

SHELL BEANS BEFORE EATING.  DO NOT CONSUME POD.

Yes, I can read and I understand that you are not to eat the pods!  Just to let you know that you don’t shell these before you heat them, it is once they are heated and you are ready to eat them, that is when you have to shell.  At this point, the question running around in my head is why can’t they make these without the shell?  It’s just the curious side of me.

My mother said that these were a new item and she only paid .98 cents.  Well, being the humorous person I replied with: “that’s why you have to shell them yourself, so we can keep labor costs down!”

Despite having to work for eat these green babies, they were actually pretty tasty!

Just to satisfy my curiosity, I am going to write a letter to PictSweet and ask about an alternative method of packaging.  I will let you know how it turns out….maybe free coupons, or perhaps nothing at all, who knows!

If anyone would like to try these, they are available at Wal-Mart.

Don’t forget to eat your greens!

Hot Weather Calls For Juice August 24, 2011

Everyone knows that eating an ample amount of fruits and vegetables is good for your body, but how much more benefit would your body receive if you drank them?  When juices are extracted from whole fresh produce, they quench the body with pure liquid nutrition.  Every sip you take offers clean bio-availabe fuel, instant energy and hydration for your cells.

Juicing is an optimal way to add more fruits and veggies to any diet, especially for kids that are finicky about food.  Stripped of produce fiber, the clarified juice contains all of the plant’s health-promoting compounds in a form that is very easy for the body to digest and absorb.  Fresh juice can be absorbed in as little as fifteen minutes on a empty stomach-a true and healthy fast food.

A variety of fresh juices provides a concentrated source of a full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes needed to fortify, protect and nourish the body.  Because fresh juice requires very little energy to digest, it allows the body to direct more of its energy into repairing cells and tissues.  Fresh juices work to “speed the recovery from disease, by supporting the body’s own healing activity and cell renewal,” advises Dr. Gabriel Cousens, a raw food advocate known for treating diabetes through nutrtion.

Many health practitioners believe that fresh juice also improves digestion by eliminating toxins, while facilitating nutrient up-take.  Dr. Joseph Mercola, of the Natural Health Center, explains:  “Most of us have impaired digestion as a result of making less-than-optimal food choices over many years.  This limits your body’s ability to absorb all the nurtients from the vegetables.  Juicing will help to pre-digest them for you, so that you will receive most of the nutrtion.”

The raw state of fresh fruit and vegetable juice means that all of the nutrients, enzymes and compounds remain intact.  This includes water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C that are easily destroyed by cooking and processing, and essential enzyme proteins that catalyze digestion and the assimilation of nutrients.  Leading health authorities further believe that these enzymes also help boost metabolism for healthy weight management and stable energy levels.

Fresh juice is obviously preferred to packaged juice from a taste standpoint, as well.  One significant distinction is that commercially prepared juice is heat pasteurized to kill pathogens.  As Dr. Andrew Weil remarks, “Unfortunately, while heat treating can help keep store-bought juices safe, it also destroys enzymes, lowers vitamin concentrations and alters the taste-juice becomes blandly sweet, rather than featuring a natural symphony of complex and subtle flavors.”

So drink deep and enjoy fresh juices’ most bountiful benefits.

This juice is really great, I have tried it and it may look yucky, but it is awesome!

Lemon Ginger Green Beauty Tonic (For Men and Women)

Makes 2-4 servings

1 head Romaine lettuce
6 stalks celery
1 cucumber
1/2 bunch parsley
2 organic green apples
1 lemon
1 inch of fresh ginger

1. Wash all the produce. Separate the Romaine and cut the bottom stem into pieces that will easily fit through the juicer. Cut the cucumber into quarters lengthwise. Cut the apples into sections that will fit through the juicer. There is no need to remove seeds if the produce is organic.

2. Juice all ingredients in a vegetable juicer, alternating for easy processing.

3. Drink while the juice is fresh.

Information in this article provided by Renee Loux- a green expert, organic chef, restaurateur and media personality, and the co-founder of Andalou Naturals. For more information visit ReneeLoux.com.