by Anita Muniz | Aug 23, 2016 | Food for thought, Partner, Recipes
They’re Vegan and better than ever!
In 2008 Dandies Marshmallows arrived on the scene. It all started with a Dad who had wanted his son to enjoy Marshmallows around the campfire. The only issue was all Marshmallows contain this ingredient called gelatin – collagen obtained from various animal raw materials. His son being a Vegan could not eat them. This is when Ryan Howard a Food Process Engineer went to work on creating the first vegan marshmallow. Dandies Marshmallows are 100% vegan – made with no gelatin, but that’s just the beginning of this marshmallow make over.
They are Gluten free, Non GMO Project Verified, free of Corn Syrup (HFCS) and of the most common allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, wheat etc.) soy aside. In other words starting with removing gelatin, these marshies are raising the bar one real ingredient at a time.
Check out this ingredients list!
If you’re a kid at heart and you enjoy S’mores around the campfire or simply seeing your kiddos happily snack on them, then you’re going to love this.
Dandies Marshmallows has an in house chef and delicious mouth-watering recipes on their website. Enjoy your first batch of:
Dandies Classic Crispy Treats
Click here for recipe.
Caramel Coffee Pistachio S’mores
Click here for recipe.
Check out Dandies and try their vegan marshmallows you’ll never want to turn back! Also, share them with your friends, vegan or not these little treats are changing the campfire game.
by Anita Muniz | Aug 16, 2016 | Food for thought, Recipes, Uncategorized
Who enjoys routine meals week in and week out? A simple and basic healthy diet is one thing, but we all get to that place just like hitting a plateau when working out, our tastebuds get bored. Our body needs and craves a diversified diet, which is why we wanted to share this unique dish with you. We love to change it up in the kitchen and come up with new recipes to add to the mix. Coucous can be a fun alternative to rice or pasta. It has less calories and a bit more protein than rice.
Ingredients:
10 ounces of Shrimp 1 cup of Pearl Couscous
3 cloves of Garlic 1 Green Squash
1 bunch of Parsley 2 tablespoon Butter
2 tablespoon Tomato Paste
1 tablespoon Verjus Rouge
1 teaspoon Summer Couscous Spice Blend
2 teaspoons of olive oil ¼ cup of water
Instructions:
• In a medium pot bring water to a boil on high. Add the couscous and cook for 6-8 minutes or until tender. Reserve ½ a cup of the cooking water. Drain the couscous and return to the pot.
• Wash and dry the produce. Cut the squash in to ¼ inch thick pieces. Mince the garlic and chop the parsley & stems.
• In a medium pan, add 2 teaspoons of olive oil until hot. Add the squash and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and stir occasionally for 2-4 minutes or until softened.
• To make the sauce, add the tomato paste to the pan with eh squash. Stir frequently for 1-2 minutes or until dark red. Add the Verjus and ¼ cup water. Stir frequently 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Pat shrimp dry and transfer to a bowl. Season with salt, pepper and spice blend. Add the shrimp to the pan with the squash and sauce. Cook on medium/high – stir occasionally for 2-4 minutes or until shrimp is cooked through.
• Add the couscous, butter and half reserved couscous cooking water to the pan. Stir occasionally for 1-2 minutes.
Eat up & Enjoy!
by Anita Muniz | Aug 15, 2016 | Food for thought, Partner
The truth is Marshmallows we enjoyed as kids are not as innocent an indulgence as our parents might have thought. We can always count on a little marshmallow to satisfy a sweet tooth. No guilt right? I mean it’s a marshmallow what’s there to feel guilty about? The answer might surprise you.
If you take the time to read and see what makes up a Marshmallow, you will surely think twice before reaching for the next bag. After enjoying them in hot cocoa, desserts, s’mores and so much more one starts to wonder, “What am I really putting in to my body?” The answer: Some serious empty calories and something that one would dare to call food. As a Nutritionist I give it an F and that’s not for food.
We turned to the Nutrition Facts label and what we learned next was less than appetizing.
You can always count on the ingredients so start there. We first read High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Dextrose, Modified Corn Startch…
The issue.. the most natural sounding ingredient, or at least the one we could easily understand was ‘sugar’ or technically Dextrose the most naturally occurring form of sugar, yet still just another way of saying more sugar.
Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, TPPS (Whipping Aid)
- Other than a Food Additive it is used as a Water Softener and Detergent Builder. TPPS has been shown to be toxic to Humans in small amounts. Specifically it is alkaline and irritating. Here’s a tip: if you have stress, skin issues or inflammation probably good to eliminate this from your diet.
Artificial Color, Artificial flavor, Gelatin (animal based ingredient, or the reason our vegan friends have never tried Marshmallows).
Once we discovered all of this, our only hope was to find a healthy marshmallow. Anyone with a sweet tooth and a love of camping would understand our struggle.
Then we found them, Dandies Marshmallows. Dandies made their debut in 2009 at Expo West as the first Vegan Marshmallow! This little vegan marshmallow has come a long way since and Dandies only continues to improve it. Check out their awesome timeline for details and see how Marshmallows became an actual guilt free food alas. Also, check out our next blog, the full Dandies story to come!
by Arielle Rubenstein | Aug 2, 2016 | Food for thought, Partner, Uncategorized
Attention meat lovers: Fortified Nutrition’s Harvest Sticks are about to be your go-to protein snack. Your July Fit Snack box included their Grass-fed Beef with Uncured Bacon and Organic Apple.
These ain’t your momma’s beef “jerky” old–these beef sticks are tasty and good for you, too.
Fortified Nutrition created their Artisan meat snacks with the idea that we need more grab-and-go organic, whole food snacks. Each Harvest Stick has a list of easy to read ingredients, and are hand crafted in small batches for the best flavor. This company aims to Bridge the Nutritional Gap, where diet meets lifestyle and nutrition meets flavor.
Perfect for after a solid workout or for keeping you tied over till dinner, these sticks are also 100% grass-fed beef, have no added nitrates, and are a great source of Omega-3’s – 5x more than the competition. Even better, the beef is from free roaming, pasture raised cattle. Oh, and it’s also gluten/GMO/ hormone/dairy/soy free.
Talk about a snack you can feel great about!
Craving more? Check out their
website.
by Meg Marrs | Jul 16, 2016 | Food for thought, Recipes
A morning smoothie is the best way to start your day! We all know that they’re packed full of fruit and veggies, light on processed sugar, and won’t weigh you down like traditional breakfast foods will. They’re also a great grab and go meal for rushed mornings.
But sometimes the same old banana, yogurt, and spinach smoothie gets a little, well, boring.
Wouldn’t it be great to mix it up and give yourself an extra boost of energy, nutrition, and flavor without too much effort?
We’ve got 6 awesome (and super easy) ingredients to pump up your morning smoothie. If you don’t have these ingredients in your kitchen, they’re easy to find either at your grocery store or a local health food store, and you’ll thank yourself all day for the extra kick they give you.
1. Grated Ginger
Ginger root is easy to store (it freezes really well) and easy to add to a smoothie – just grate the frozen root right into the blender. 
Ginger adds a great zing of spice to your smoothie and is a great addition to a banana, coconut, or apple-based smoothie. Ginger is well known for its anti-nausea properties, it relieves motion sickness, and can help reduce inflammation.
2. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are a quick and easy protein addition to a smoothie. They’re loaded with omega-3 which means reduced risk of heart attack and stroke, lower blood pressure, and improvements in cholesterol.
Sprinkle a tablespoon or two into any smoothie for a great nutrition boost. They are also a thickener, so if you find your smoothies a bit too watery they’re a great choice.
3. Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes are a true superfood. Incredibly rich in nutrition, including vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, and potassium, they are anti-inflammatory and help regulate blood sugar levels.
So how can you incorporate them into a smoothie recipe? Combine them with banana and cinnamon, oranges, or carrots and apples. You can use either raw or cooked, but several studies have shown that they are even more nutritious after roasting or steaming.
4. Turmeric
Turmeric is usually added to curry, soups, or on roasted vegetables, but it’s also a great way to power up your smoothie. To start with, it has a bright orange/yellow color that will perk up any dull rainy day. Then there’s the flavor: fragrant and earthy. Add just a quarter teaspoon to a carrot, mango or coconut smoothie.
If you can get fresh turmeric root, you’ll love the strong kick of flavor, but turmeric powder will work just as well (and you won’t get orange on your cutting board and hands). Turmeric is a great anti-inflammatory and helps with stomach bloating, IBS, high cholesterol, and osteoarthritis.
5. Lavender
Are you facing a high-stress day? Giving a presentation or meeting a top-end client? Try lavender to bring down anxiety, lower blood pressure, and help you keep calm ahead of the day’s stresses.
The lightly sweet and fragrant flavor of lavender will be perfect with a blueberry and lemon zest smoothie – try ¼ teaspoon of dried or a tablespoon of fresh lavender flowers – you’ll feel good all day long.
6. Cacao
Love chocolate? Hate the fat and sugar that comes with it? Cacao beans are the way to go – this is where chocolate comes from, but without all the processing. And since it’s unprocessed, all the nutritional benefits in the bean are still present, giving you reduced cholesterol and blood pressure, improved brain function, lots of vitamin C and magnesium, and an improved mood.
Pick up cacao nibs (roasted beans that have been broken into smaller pieces) or cacao powder. Try a tablespoon of powder or ground nibs with a banana, avocado, or blueberry smoothie.
A little extra something in your morning smoothie can power up your whole day – which of these are you going to add to your smoothie tomorrow?
About the Author: Meg Marrs is the Senior Editor at Life Health HQ, a website dedicated to helping people lead healthier, happier lives through whole eating resources.
by Anita Muniz | May 25, 2016 | Food for thought, Partner
Last month we featured a summer staple, sunflower seeds! This month we wanted to shift our focus to a different type of seed, Chia Seeds from Get Chia! This company has a variety of chia based snacks and bars that you can count on for your Super Food boost. Check out the Get Chia store to get your fill of delicious snacks created with Certified Organic Chia Seeds.
Here are some perks these small but mighty seeds provide:
-Healthy Heart
-Weight Loss
-Energy
-Anti-Aging Antioxidants
Fit Snack Facts:
- Chia seeds contain SIX TIMES more calcium than milk, and more protein than soy
- They are grown on the Salvia Hispanica plant, which is related to mint
- “Chia” is the ancient Mayan word for “strength”
Your May Fit Snack box includes a Strawberry Blast FruitChia Bar. You won’t find any added sugars or preservatives here, just apple puree, apple concentrate, strawberry concentrate, and chia seeds. This is a yummy way to get your daily servings of fruits in, as one bar packs two full servings of fruit and contains over 1000mg of Omega-3. If you’ve tried them in our Fit Snack box, you have likely fallen in love, you can get more of these nutritious bars at www.getchia.com.
Aside from these convenient and delicious bars, chia seeds alone have a light nutty taste making them easy to add to recipes. Be sure to add Get Chia’s other products in your next salad, green smoothie or cup of Greek yogurt!
Can you believe that 30 years ago, chia was mostly used to grow overnight animal plants? Thank goodness companies like Get Chia have brought their A game so that we can benefit from this super-seed and get the most out of our snacks!
SaveSave
SaveSave
