The Not-So-Surprise-Anymore-Birthday Bread

Good Morning! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! I spend the majority of mine watching the Olympics and experimenting with my 400m 10m individual medley strokes in my apartment pool with my roommate. It was fun not only pretending to be Olympic swimmers, but also acting like we were 5 years old - it's the little things in life, right?

RIGHT!

Anyway, I digress... time to bring the blog back to serious matters, like strawberry banana bread.

My little sister has a birthday today (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) and as any twenty-something-post-college-grad can relate, a good portion of my monetary funds are shelled out to Sallie Mae on a seemingly weekly basis, so the hopes of my sister getting a Target gift card over $20 are pretty unlikely - well, very unlikely, actually, it's not going to happen.

So in addition to my sweetheart text message she received this morning, she also gets the privilege of enjoying a homemade loaf of strawberry banana bread! Wooo!

I had some pretty brown-looking bananas sitting on my kitchen counter, and knowing my sister's love for banana bread and her lack of motivation to bake anything not from a box, I figured it would be the perfect idea for a birthday present (let's just hope she doesn't read this before this evening)

I grabbed the recipe from one of my favorite bloggers at Daily Garnish.

Fun side note - I actually saw the blogger behind this blog in the middle of my first marathon down in Cincinnati. I didn't say hi for fear of embarassment or because of pain from my 5 inch deep blisters that surfaced around mile 4. 

The recipe is super simple. I took pictures of my computer, from which I was reading the instructions from my kitchen.. If it's too hard to see from the pictures... head on over to the specific link for the recipe:
Strawberry-Banana Bread.

There might be a missing end piece.
I would never give anyone something I baked without trying it first ;)

Stay Healthy,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELSEY!

To Buy Organic or Not to Buy Organic?

We've all seen it - the friend who suddenly decides to buy only organic at the grocery store and consequently winds up only being able to afford the dollar menu at McDonald's in the weeks following.... so much for going organic, right?

So what's the deal? 

How are we supposed to buy organic when we can barely afford to buy regular groceries? 

Is organic really that much better for us? 

Can you only be healthy by eating organic?

I get these questions a lot, and the funny thing about them, is that most people don't even know what it means when something is organic. So, luckily for all you curious minds, and for all those people who I force to read this blog, today we're going to explore the wonderful world of Organics. 

What does Organic Mean?

Well good ole Wikepedia defines organic food as foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives. 

AKA food with no pesticides and more nutrients. 

Is Organic Really That Much Better for Us?

The easy answer? Yes. Organic food is free of pesticides and artificial fertilizers, while also having more nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins. (but hold off on buying all organic until you get to the bottom of my wonderful words of wisdom)

"I Can't Afford to Buy Organic. Help!"
Not to worry. There are certain foods and produce that are less likely (or more likely) to have pesticide residue even after washing them. 

• Foods Worth Buying Organic:

• Apples
• Celery
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Spinach
• Nectarines
• Grapes
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Potatoes
• Blueberries
• Lettuce
• Kale

• Foods Okay to Pass on Buying Organic:

• Onions
• Corn
• Pineapple
• Avocado
• Asparagus
• Sweet Peas
• Mangos
• Eggplant
• Cantaloupe
• Kiwi
• Cabbage
• Watermelon
• Sweet Potato
• Grapefruit
• Mushrooms

Additionally, I would also suggest buying meat and milk organic. Conventional methods of raising animals typically involves hormones and antibiotics to speed up growth and ward off disease and pesticides and fertilizer are used in growing the animals' grain and food source. Organic meat must come from animal sources that are grass-fed and have not been given hormones or antibiotics. 

Please, please keep in mind that these are only suggestions and guidelines. If it comes down to buying organic or paying your electric bill on time.... use your mind and get those organic strawberries .... ha! (only joking, only joking) 

If buying organic IS a top priority in your life, don't always rely on expensive stores like Whole Foods to get the job done. Farmer's Markets and operations like Grean Bean Delivery are excellent alternatives to buying organic while still saving a little extra cash. 

Additional questions about buying organic or getting involved with Green Bean Delivery, just ask!

Take advantage of the wonderful central Ohio weather this weekend!

Stay Healthy,

p.s. buy foods in season.... it'll save you even more money :)

Panera Salad and Baseball

Good evening!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday, and more importantly, looking past my terrible and oh-so-creative title up above!

I'm still here at my parent's house... and still taking advantage of that free HBO, those unlimited popsicles and my mom's undivided attention... although, now that I've been here more than a few days, I'm pretty sure that those popsicles aren't quite so unlimited, and... ya know, I haven't really seen my mom in the past couple hours...... hmmm, I think my days of being completely helpless are on their way out....

At any rate, I'll take what I can get.. which means spending my night on the couch with a gimp's best friend

 and watching my Reds hopefully take home a win tonight...

Earlier, I enjoyed my absolute favorite salad from Panera: 

The Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad. 

I realize this photo doesn't do the salad I'm praising about any justice, but if you've been to Panera before during the summer, I can almost guarantee you know what I'm talking about! 

You can see from the nutrition facts below, that this is a great choice from Panera's menu. It provides lots of fiber from the lettuce and fruit, protein from the chicken and healthy fats from the pecans. 

There may seem like a lot of sugar in this menu item, but if you look close enough - a lot of the sugar comes from the fruit in the actual salad and not a lod from the salad dressing, or any other c$#p that shouldn't be hiding in your food. 

On that note, I'm gonna go give my full attention, well, at least half of my attention, to my boys in red on the TV and secretly plan my comeback to the world of long distance running. 

Stay Healthy,

Heart Healthy Start

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Happy Valentine's Day!
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Valentine's Day has a reputation for sweets, chocolate and more sweets. 

And while I'm all for receiving boxes of chocolates (hint, hint) here is an awesome way to start off your V-Day with a heart healthy bang... and yes, chocolate is involved. 

Valentine's Day Strawberry Banana Oatmeal

In the Mix...

• 1/3 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 banana, chopped
• 4 strawberries, chopped
• cinnamon to taste 

On Top...

• 1 tbsp almond butter
• sprinkle of kashi cereal (just for some added crunch)
• Valentine's Day special toppings

I throw my oatmeal, liquids and chopped banana in the saucepan all at once and let it all cook together. This gives the oatmeal a natural sweet taste from the banana without having to add any extra sugar, and also gives it it a creamy texture. 

Okay, now that I have you all wishing you had this for breakfast, here are the heart healthy benefits of this lovely little Valentine's Day treat I enjoyed this morning:

• Oatmeal. Full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. This fiber-rich superfood can lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear. 
• Strawberries. Full of anti-inflammatories, which reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer. 
• Soy. May lower cholesterol, and since it is low in saturated fat, it's still a great source of lean protein in a heart-healthy diet. 
• Almonds. Help lower cholesterol. They pack more fiber and calcium than any other nut, are lower-cal than most other varieties, and are an excellent source of vitamin E.
• **Dark Chocolate. The cocoa ingredient may lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels while preventing diabetes and improving the health of blood vessels.
• Cinnamon. Cinnamon may help stabilize blood sugar by helping insulin work better. 

Oh! And what would breakfast be without an ***appropriate amount of coffee!

I have to give thanks to my mom for my 2011 Valentine's Day mug. Hi Mom!

The caffeine in coffee can speed up metabolism and fat-burning, which helps lower your risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity. And black coffee is one of the lowest-calorie drink choices around.

I'll cheers to that!

Hope everyone has a good, healthy and fun Valentine's Day!

Stay Healthy,

• **Dark Chocolate. As much as I would LOVE to say eat as much dark chocolate as you want to, I can't. Chocolate should be consumed in moderation and infrequently. The little Dove heart seen in my oatmeal above is plenty for the day. Proceed with caution....

• ***Coffee. Limit your intake to 2 cups a day. People with high blood pressure, who are sensitive to caffeine or have high anxiety might want to consider skipping the morning cup of joe. 

blog content taken from health.com