The Health Benefits of Vitamin C

08 Saturday Dec 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on December 7, 2012

 

As a water-soluble vitamin, vitamin C is important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preventing disease. The body does not produce water-soluble vitamins; they must be obtained through diet. The recommended daily intake of vitamin C recommended by the Institute of Medicine for adult women is 75 milligrams and for adult males 90 milligrams.

Vitamin C has many benefits, such as growth and repair of tissue such as skin, bone, cartilage, muscle, blood vessels and aids in wound healing. Also, it is a highly effective antioxidant helping to block damage caused by free radicals. In addition, vitamin C helps to prevent heart disease by cleaning arteries and enables healthy blood flow. And contributes to mood elevation and plays a critical role in brain function. Moreover, studies have shown that increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables have been associated with a reduced risk of most types of cancer. Vitamin C also reduces the severity of cataracts and is helpful in the prevention of gout. Lastly, vitamin C aids in the absorption of iron.

Vitamin C is essential to good health, working foods containing it is easy and tasty. Fruits and vegetables are the richest natural sources of vitamin C.

Fruits containing a high source of vitamin C:

  • Blueberries
  • Cantaloupe
  • Cranberries
  • Guava
  • Kiwi
  • Mango
  • Papaya
  • Pineapple
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries

Vegetables containing a high source of vitamin C:

  • Bell Peppers
  • Broccoli
  • Brussel Sprouts
  • Cauliflower
  • Kale
  • Spinach
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Tomatoes

♥ ♥

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Super Easy Chicken Pasta

05 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by in General, Recipes

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Posted by Jennifer (the RD) on December 5th, 2012

I made this dish for myself when I came back from Vegas and was very tired last week.  It was all ingredients that I had in my refrigerator and could easily whip up!

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti

1 TB canola oil

1 TB “better than bouillon” chicken soup base

1 clove chopped garlic

2 portions of frozen, chopped cilantro (found at Trader Joe’s or Fresh and Easy)  or 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

3/4 cup  sliced carrots

3/4 cup  choped celery

3/4 cup boiled and shelled edamame

1 cup shredded, cooked chicken

 

Saute carrots, celery, garlic, cilantro  and edamame in canola oil in a large skillet on medium heat until  veggies are barely tender, for approximately 3-5 minutes.

Add soup base and combine until well blended.

Add in  spaghetti noodles and chicken and mix together until all ingredients are warmed through and thoroughly combined, for an additional 3-5 minutes.

♥ ♥

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WIAW #34

05 Wednesday Dec 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on December 5, 2012


Hello Everyone. Happy What I Ate Wednesday!  I am sharing my meals from last Saturday. Finals are quickly approaching so my weekends are very low key. I hope you enjoy my day. Thank you to Jenn at Peas and Crayons for hosting the WIAW.

This is what I ate:

Breakfast (7:30am)

I started the day with coffee, before heading out for breakfast. We went to Euro Pane in Pasadena and I had my favorite Egg Salad Sandwich. What a treat. 🙂

Lunch (11:45am)

Homemade french onion soup.

PM Snacks (2:00pm)

Beer bread and kale.

 

Dinner (5:30pm)

Taco pie with avocado.

Dessert (6:30pm)

I wanted something sweet badly and I was inspired by Shannon at Healthiful Balances Banana Bread Cookies. At the moment, I am working on cleaning out my over flowing pantry, so I wanted to work with what I had. I sort of experimented with bananas, almond meal, sunflower butter, vanilla, baking soda and chocolate chips. My cookies ended up tasting great but looking terrible because they came out of the oven green. After some research,  I found baking soda or powder react with the chlorophyll in the sunflower butter turning the cookies green. 🙂

Thank you for stopping by. I hope your day was full of healthy meals! 

♥ ♥

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5 Reasons Soup Is Good For You

03 Monday Dec 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on December 3, 2012

 

Homemade soup makes a quick, easy, nutritious and a hot filling meal. With a little creativity the possibilities of soup varieties are endless. Making soup can be a good way to use up leftovers or cleaning our your pantry. Best of all, soup is an excellent way to work more vegetable into your diet.

  1. Broth-based soups are low in fat and calories helping with weight control.
  2. Soups create a feeling of fullness helping with appetite control.
  3. Soups that are full of vegetables offer an immune system boost.
  4. Soups warming energy is comforting.
  5. A large pot of soup is very cost-effective. One pot provide several meals and you only need to clean the kitchen once.

So get creative and cook up some soup.

 Here are a few ideas: 

The best minestrone soup I have ever had!  Recipe here.

 White Bean & Mushroom Soup Recipe Here

Do you have a favorite soup recipe?

♥ ♥

A Humble Bumble

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First Year Anniversary Party!

02 Sunday Dec 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on December 2, 2012

 

You are cordially invited to Jenmi Jenmi’s  First year Anniversary party.  

Our party will start January 28th and run through February 1st. We will be celebrating for 5 days, each day will feature a different post-sharing theme to enhance and help our “Fresh Start.” Since our anniversary coincides with the New Years celebration our theme will be “Fresh Start.” Jenmi Jenmi will be sharing recipes, hints, tips, foods, exercises and advice on how to maintain our healthy “Fresh Start; all year long.”
 

If you are interested in participating, contact us for details!

Come share in all the fun!

♥ ♥

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My Favorite Uses for Butternut Squash

30 Friday Nov 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the RD) on November 30, 2012

I just got my weekly box of organic fruits and vegetables.  I see that it’s time for me to start cooking more butternut squash.  Yum!  Here are some ways I like to prepare it:

  • Cut up and roasted (with olive oil, garlic salt, and pepper);  also roasts well with herbs such as thyme, rosemary, etc.
  • Butternut squash soup – a classic (it’s actually my sister that makes this for us and it is always good)
  • Roasted with other winter squash and cooled, then mixed in with a salad – MY FAVORITE USE
  • Sauteed squash mixed into hot pastas
  • Mixed into chili (my sister makes this for us too)

 ♥ ♥

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Cranberry-Apple Turkey Wrap

29 Thursday Nov 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on November 28, 2012

This is how I used up the last of my Thanksgiving turkey and I wish I had thought of this combination before. We liked this so much that I think I will need to cook some more turkey.  🙂

Ingredients for 2 servings:

  • 4 – 7” whole-wheat tortilla
  • 1-cup turkey, shredded
  • 4 slices of provolone cheese (or any type you have)
  • ½ cup cranberry sauce (I used canned)
  • 1 granny smith apple, cored and thinly sliced

Instructions:

  1. Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray.
  2. Over medium heat, place a tortilla in the skillet and put 1 slice of cheese and ¼ cup of turkey on one half of the tortilla.
  3. Once cheese has melted, remove from heat.
  4. Place apple slices (about 4 slices) and ¼ of the cranberry sauce on top of the turkey.
  5. Fold in half and serve.
  6. Enjoy!

♥ ♥

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WIAW #33

28 Wednesday Nov 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on November 28,2012

Hello, Everyone. Happy What I Ate Wednesday!!  I am sharing my meals from Thanksgiving day.  We had a very low-key holiday at my parents house. My mom and sister did most of the cooking. Thank you to Jenn a Peas and Crayons for hosting the WIAW!

This is what I ate:

Breakfast (7:30am)

Since the kitchen was already busy, we ran out to Starbucks to pick-up coffee for everyone. And we brought pastries from one of our favorite bakeries. I had a very tasty pastry that was sort a combination of a sugar donut and a croissant.

AM Snacks (11:00am)

Unpictured – I think we ate so quickly, I completely forgot to take a picture. 🙂

 We snacked on homemade guacamole (my husband’s specialty) and chips.

Dinner (4:00pm)

For Thanksgiving dinner I had turkey with gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, brussels sprouts, asparagus, sweet potatoes and rolls.  There were other dishes I skipped, my mom cooked for about 20 people but we are a small family of 5. 🙂

Dessert (7:00pm)

Pumpkin pie, of course. My sister made the pie and it was very tasty.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope your day was full of healthy meals! 

♥ ♥

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‘Tis the Season for Giving

26 Monday Nov 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the RD) on November 26, 2012

Above is a pile of scarves and blankets that I have gathered from friends and family to donate to the homeless during the holidays.  I have been doing it for a few years now, and unfortunately, the need grows greater every year.  There are a surprising number of people with small children that are homeless.  It is heartbreaking.  So, I encourage all of you to give a little during this holiday season.

You may think that you can’t make a difference, but believe me, you can!  I have a story for you.  My boss looked to me for ideas for our annual holiday meal that we give out to our patients.  Traditionally, we gave them a meal to eat, but I got the idea from another dietitian to give each patient a whole rotisserie chicken to take home and enjoy with their family.  On the day of the chicken giveaway, I complained all day about fighting traffic while driving back and forth to pick up the chickens, re-packaging each one for each patient, and especially for the mess I made out of my clothing with all of the chicken drippings.  I felt miserable and couldn’t wait to come up with an easier idea for Christmas.  Then, a patient said that he was not planning on doing anything for Thanksgiving up until the moment he received the chicken…now he had something to eat with his family.  I cried when I got home.  So before you think you can’t make a difference, I’m telling  you that you can.  It looks like chickens again for Christmas.  You better believe there will be no more complaining from me!  🙂

♥ ♥

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11/25/12 – Exercise Log

25 Sunday Nov 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on November 25, 2012

 

11/25/12            Walk/Hike 6 miles – X

11/26/12            Cardio Dance 1 hr class – X

11/27/12            Piyo 1 hr class

11/28/12            Cardio Dance 1 hr class

11/29/12            Yoga 1 hr class

11/30/12            Off

12/01/12            Tennis 1 ½ hr class

♥ ♥

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