In Praise of Broccoli?

I'm picky.  Yes, I will say it again.  I. AM. A. PICKY. EATER!  I have been forever and maybe someday I will out grow this stage; I am making strides.  I hated chicken until I was 34.  I enjoy chicken a couple times a week now.  I LOATHED broccoli- okay, I sort of still do.  One little piece of broccoli floret can ruin an otherwise wonderful creamy cheesy soup.  Yup, even if the broccoli bit has been removed the floret has done its damage.  The soup can not be revived.  All I can taste is the bitter, overpoweringly green flavor of broccoli.

Broccoli stems on the other hand, don't taste so much like broccoli- they taste green.  I'm good with green, just not bitter, green broccoli- I know hard to tell the difference.  As long as there are no broccoli heads, I can eat the stem.  How, pray tell did I discover this gift?  I love pho and was looking for some bean sprout substitutions because my local grocer was out of bean sprouts.  My brave husband suggested a bag of julienne broccoli, carrots and cabbage cleverly disguised as "SLAW."  I tried it in my pho and it tasted like crunchy green veggies.  I tried it in a salad.  It was edible.  I tried it chopped up in my lettuce wraps, and the flavors melded perfectly together.  What a happy vegetable!  So now each week I pick up a couple bags of "Broccoli Slaw" and use it for the different veggie creations on the menu.  I feel better knowing that I am not villainizing this veggie anymore... I'm still not eating the bushy part though!

Mexican Fused Broccoli Slaw

1 package (12 oz) Broccoli Slaw Mix (julienne broccoli, carrots & cabbage)
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 avocado, diced
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup salsa verde
1 teaspoon salt
1Tablespoon vinegar
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 Tablespoon cilantro
Optional 1/2 black beans or corn

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl.  Let set for 20 minutes.  Eat and enjoy. It tastes even better the next day too. This becomes a super yummy meal paired with Buffalo Chicken!

Veggie Mania

My husband's employer has this great wellness program that encourages you to set goals to help you achieve a healthy lifestyle.  This last month we have focused on eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables-- not unrealistic, but not a cake walk either.  My problem: I kept forgetting to pull out the bag of carrots to munch on when I felt munchie... so here is my solution...

Behold the VEGGIE BASKET

Each baggie contains 1-3 servings of vegetables in easy to grab glory.  Some bags are a mixture of veggies and some are just plain carrots or broccoli.

Check out the prime location of the veggie basket in the fridge (please ignore all the leftovers...)

FYI  One serving of veggies is equal to 9  baby carrots, 10 grape tomatoes, 2 ribs of celery, or 6 broccoli flowerettes.  Mix and match to make a cornucopia of vegetable fun and add a mini container of ranch or onion Greek yogurt dip and you are good to go!

Happy Healthy Eating

Another Reason to Eat Your Veggies

Recently my asthma has been flaring.  The Doctors are not sure if it is something in the air, extra stress, viral infections or what-- and after 2+ rounds of steroids I feel crazy, frustrated and just plain yucky.  I am willing to do almost anything, eliminate anything from my life, just to get this under control.  So I started searching the web for asthma diets.  I came across a fascinating article at Parents.com focusing on preventing childhood asthma.

The article claimed that recent research points away from alergens and dust mites as the main culprets of asthma and more toward food related issues.

"Our research suggests that it's a combination of dietary factors, rather than a single nutrient or food, that protects children from asthma or puts them at increased risk," says Anthony Seaton, M.D., a professor of environmental medicine at Aberdeen University Medical School in Scotland."

Check out this study of children in Saudi Arabia:

"Several years ago, Dr. Seaton traveled with his colleagues to Saudi Arabia to compare asthma and allergy rates of city-dwelling kids -- who tend to eat a produce-poor American-style diet -- and rural children of similar heritage who continue to follow the traditional Arab diet, which is rich in fruits and vegetables.

"The upshot: Even after controlling for pollution and other major risk factors, asthma was three times more prevalent in city kids. "You can't blame diet for the entire increase, but it appeared to account for a substantial part of it," says Dr. Seaton, who is now studying how eating habits during pregnancy affect a child's chance of developing asthma.

"In fact, city or rural kids who consumed the least vegetables and milk were two to three times more likely to develop asthma or allergies than kids who ate the most."

Photo By A.W. Sheffield

I'm going to go munch on some carrots!

Source Cited 
"The Anti-Asthma Diet," Colleen Peirre, RN, Parents, http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/health/asthma/anti-asthma-diet, pp 1-7