Eat this to prevent cancer and heart disease!

The family is gathered for dinner, Danielle is helping me prep the food, and life is good!

Hello, friends! I want to talk to you today about one of my FAVORITE things to eat. The greatest thing about it besides the deliciousness is how totally good it is for you. What I am referring to is…. the avocado. A simple and humble fruit, but WOW does it pack a healthy punch of nutrients and antioxidants that helps prevent all kinds of really bad illnesses. So my goal here is to tell you why you should be eating more avocados, and then show you a recipe for a scrumptious and easy avocado salad that I made the other day.

The main thing to remember about the avocado is that it is a fruit, but unlike most other fruits it contains healthy fats instead of carbohydrates. Each avocado has approximately 160 calories, 2 grams of protein and 15 grams of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). Although it has 9 grams of carbs 7 of them are fiber, which means there are only 2 net carbs, making avocados a low-carb friendly plant food.

Avocados have:

Vitamin K: 26% of the RDA.
Folate: 20% of the RDA.
Vitamin C: 17% of the RDA.
Potassium: 14% of the RDA.
Vitamin B5: 14% of the RDA.
Vitamin B6: 13% of the RDA.
Vitamin E: 10% of the RDA.
Small amounts of Magnesium, Manganese, Copper, Iron, Zinc, Phosphorous, Vitamin A, B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin) and B3 (Niacin).

Again, avocado is a high fat food. In fact, 77% of the calories in it are from fat, making it one of the fattiest plant foods in existence. But they don’t just contain any fat… the majority of the fat in avocado is oleic acid. This is a monounsaturated fatty acid that is also the major component in olive oil and believed to be responsible for some of its beneficial effects. Oleic acid has been linked to reduced inflammation and been shown to have beneficial effects on genes linked to cancer.

When it comes to nutrients, the total amount of them is not the only thing that matters. We also need to be able to absorb them… move them from the digestive tract and into the body, where they can be used. Some nutrients are “fat soluble,” meaning that they need to be combined with fat in order to be utilized. This includes vitamins A, D, E and K… along with antioxidants like carotenoids. One study showed that adding avocado or avocado oil to either salad or salsa can increase antioxidant absorption by 2.6 to 15-fold. So… not only is avocado highly nutritious, it can dramatically increase the nutrient value of other plant foods that you are eating. This is an excellent reason to always include a healthy fat source when you eat veggies. Without it, a lot of the beneficial plant nutrients will go to waste.

From a food perspective avocados are also very versatile to cook with and to eat. Besides guacamole, which most people think of when they think about making food containing avocados, you can use them in many different dishes. I slice them on top of meat, use them in salads, slice them on top of tacos or nachos, and I love them with eggs too.

I also love the recipe I’m going to share with you today. It’s an avocado salad and the reason I like it so much is that I love guacamole, but when I eat it I find that I eat half a bag of tortilla chips and that is too many carbs and calories for me. It also has black beans in it, which ups the fiber content as well as the protein, and makes it taste even better as well. I hope you enjoy it too!

Avocado Salad

4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup diced onion
2 seeded and minced jalapeno peppers
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2 inch diced

Add the tomatoes, pepper, beans, onion, jalapenos, and lime zest in a large bowl.

Whisk together lime juice, EVOO, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and pour over the vegetables. Toss well.

Carefully fold the avocados into the salad before you’re ready to serve it. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. That’s all there is to it!

I know you’ll love the taste of this avocado salad, it’s got the zesty punch of the lime juice and zest, combined with the creaminess of the avocados, the heat of the jalapenos, and the sweetness of the tomatoes. It’s a delicious variety of flavors! And remember, it’s super healthy for you too. Eating salads like this will help you live a life of vitality- with Valerie:)

One of my fave healthy dishes!

Hello friends!! Summer is busting out all over, at least in my garden and at my local farmer’s market. I have so many peppers and tomatoes I almost cannot keep up with picking everything. My herbs are exploding too, especially my basil. One of my basil plants is over three feet tall!

So I’m trying to think of as many recipes as I can to utilize all of my gorgeous veggies (I know tomatoes cucumbers, peppers and avocados among others are members of the fruit family, but since I use them like vegetables, for the purposes of this post I am considering them veggies) and herbs. Inspiration always comes from the mouths of (my) babes for me. Jacqueline has mentioned gazpacho a few times this summer, and I thought that it would be a good idea to make it again. I haven’t made it in years, so as usual I turn to my handy dandy Vitamix blender to help me out in this endeavor.

The reason I like gazpacho, salsa and other tomatoey foods is because they taste SO GOOD. Additionally though, tomatoes are SO GOOD for you too. They are on the top of any list of super foods, have cancer fighting properties and are full of caratenoids- alpha and beta carotene, lutein and lycopene. Lycopene has the highest antioxidant activity of all the carotenoids and tomatoes are LOADED with them. Tomatoes also contain three high powered antioxidants- beta carotene (works as vitamin A in the body), vitamin E and vitamin C. Most of us only get half the vitamin A we need, and a third don’t get enough vitamin C. Tomatoes also have loads of potassium (a cup of tomato juice has 534 mg and 1/2 cup of tomato sauce has 454 mg). They are part of the famed Mediterranean diet which leads to lower death rates from heart disease and cancer. A cool fact is that when tomatoes are eaten together with healthy fats like avocado and olive oil, the body’s asorption of phytochemicals increases by 2-15 times. I love that because I’m usually combining tomatoes with one or both of those healthy fats.

I love gazpacho in the summer, or anytime of the year actually I just really love it. It’s full of delicious flavor and it’s super healthy for you. Not just the tomatoes, but it contains lots of other veggies and heart healthy extra virgin olive oil too. It’s also really easy and it’s very low in calories. 12 ounces of gazpacho contains 106 calories, 637 mg of potassium, 3.3 g of fiber, 4 g of protein, 28% of your RDA for vitamin A and 81% of vitamin C. Very healthy, right?!! My recipe is super easy and tastes so delicious that I can’t wait to share it with you now.

Valerie’s Gazpacho

5 large tomatoes
1 large cucumber
1/2 large onion
1 medium bell pepper
2 jalapeños
1/3 cup cilantro
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder(I used Aleppo pepper which is a moderately heated, fruity spice used in Mediterranean foods)

Here’s the easy part. First rough chop all the vegetables and put them in the blender, then add the rest of the ingredients. Start with the blender on low and slowly turn it up to medium. Blend on medium for 30 seconds. And that’s it!

I garnish the gazpacho with chopped cucumbers, cilantro, and thin slices of avocado for Jacqueline.

In addition, I added 3 crumbled up tortilla chips to mine because I like the crunch. Salt and pepper to taste of course.

I promise you this is easy and delicious. It is so refreshing and surprisingly filling. Don’t forget that it’s very good for you too! Try it, you’ll like it! It will help you live a life of vitality- with Valerie! 🙂

Dont Be A Turkey- Make Turkey Burgers!

My juicy, yummy turkey burgers!

Here’s the thing my friends, my title might imply a popular misconception about turkey that I plan to clear up for you right now. That is the following, that ground turkey is better for you than ground beef. I am not going to fill my post with untruths, I am here to clear up the untruths for my wonderful, loyal readers. So, when I tell you to use ground turkey it’s not because it’s better for you per se. Turkey is a lean form of protein which is why it got the rep for being healthier than ground beef. Here’s the problem with that though, first of all, ground turkey BREAST is lower in fat than lean ground beef, but as I wrote in my past blog “Fat Doesn’t Make You Fat”, low fat is not necessarily a health benefit for us. Also, because ground turkey breast is low in fat it is also low in flavor and juiciness, so you have to add that back into the meat to make it taste good. Ground turkey usually contains a mix of turkey breast and dark meat, and usually has more fat than ground beef. Which as I told you earlier is not a bad thing for us, I’m just trying to lay out all the facts for you so you can be properly informed.

You might ask me at this point, “Then why are you telling us to use ground turkey to make turkey burgers?” Excellent question my amazing readers, you read my mind on this one! Here’s why. When properly prepared they are light, juicy and flavorful- perfect for a spring meal. I’m going to walk you through the steps I used to make my delicious and juicy turkey burgers. Here we go!

Ingredients for making my turkey burgers!

My Flavorful, Juicy Turkey Burgers

First, the burger ingredients:

2 lbs ground turkey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon gluten free bread crumbs
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 small cans mild green chiles
1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Next, the toppings:

1 avocado, sliced
A slice of Colby jack or pepper jack for each burger
1 onion thinly sliced
2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed
A few pieces of romaine lettuce
2 tomatoes sliced
Gluten free buns

Finally, the aioli:

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Pepper to taste

Remember how I said the turkey burgers would be dry and tasteless unless we add in fat and flavor? Even more so for me because I was using ground turkey breast the day I made this recipe for my family (and for my readers too!). At Fresh Market where I shop they grind it up fresh for you, and all they had was turkey breast so I used what they had. It was even more of a challenge for me to make them moist and full of flavor, but I like a challenge so that worked for me!

Meat and ingredients combined by hand, and NOT over mixed!

So what you do first is take all of the ingredients for making the burgers, put them in a large bowl, and mix them together USING YOUR HANDS. Hands are the best way to mix meat to properly combine the ingredients. Here’s an important tip from me to you, DON’T OVER MIX YOUR BURGERS- NO MATTER WHAT MEAT YOU ARE USING- IT WILL MAKE YOUR BURGERS TOUGH. Yuck, who wants that?!! Then, form your burgers into the size you’d like them to be, and put a thumb sized indentation into the center of your burger. I saw that on one of Bobby Flay’s cooking shows on the Food Network. Putting an indentation into the center of the burger patty keeps the burger from puffing up in the middle. It really does stay flat that way- of course he knows what he’s talking about, he’s an Iron Chef!

In the pan and ready to be cooked!

Next either grill or fry your burgers until the centers just turn the lightest pink. During the last few minutes of cooking, add the cheese slices to the burgers and put a cover on the pan so the cheese melts. Then put them on a platter and cover them to let them rest.

Sautee onions and peppers in a pan until they're soft!

Sauté onions and peppers in a pan until they’re soft!

Now, add a half teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil to the turkey pan, add the onions and peppers, and sauté them until they’re soft and slightly browned. I pop the buns on top of the onions and peppers for the last few minutes to steam some flavor into the buns too. See, I’m always thinking about adding flavor!

Special turkey burger topping- easy and super good!

While the onions and peppers are in the pan doing their thing, I prepare my aioli. It’s super easy, just add the mayo, Dijon, garlic salt and pepper to a bowl and combine. That was easy, wasn’t it?

Ready to eat!

Now the fun part, assemble the burgers! Spread the aioli on the buns, put a patty on the bottom bun, add the slices of avocado, onions, and peppers, and finish with sliced tomatoes and lettuce. I served the burgers with an old, secret family recipe for baked beans. That’s all there is to it! Obviously feel free to edit the ingredients based on your family’s tastes, but I promise they will be juicy and FULL of flavor. I love these burgers, not just because they taste good, but because they’re full of protein and vitamins. Try them and you’ll like them, I guarantee it! Meals like these will help you live a life of vitality- with Valerie!

Super Healthy Superbowl Sunday? It’s Super Easy!

Ready for the Superbowl?!!

Ok, here’s the deal, did you know that Superbowl Sunday is the NUMBER ONE EATING DAY OF THE YEAR? Yes, that’s right! More food is eaten on this upcoming Sunday than any other day of the year! Even Thanksgiving is a distant second to Superbowl Sunday in terms of calories. And get this, OVER 6,000 CALORIES ARE CONSUMED!!! When I read that statistic I was stunned. I also read that the week before Superbowl Sunday is also at the top of the list in terms of calories. I guess anticipating the gorge fest brings on early pre-gorge fests.

The typical gathering!

I read this morning that the most popular food item served at Superbowl parties is vegetables! What?!! I guarantee you that people aren’t eating 6,000 calories of veggies on Sunday! Though, vegetables are the most popular food item, we finally get to the root of the problem when you hear the most consumed food items on this day, which are chicken wings and pizza. According to Fox Sports, Pizza Hut will deliver 2 MILLION PIZZAS with 1,700 orders per minute occurring shortly before kickoff. One slice of pepperoni and sausage pizza is 350 calories and three chicken wings are approximately 255 calories so you can see how this meal is problematic calorically. That’s before the beer or margaritas are consumed, and the chips, dips, and desserts too! Can you see now how you can easily get to 6,000 calories with a four hour plus game?!!

So you see the concern that I have, don’t you? And you should be concerned too! With all of this in mind I began to think about my wonderful readers and how I could advise you to make good choices on Sunday (and every day, of course!). The first scenario is the easiest one, which is if you are the one hosting the Superbowl party. Then you can control the menu and preparations. You can also control what your guests bring, that is if they call to ask you.

The second scenario is more difficult- if you are someone else’s party guest. Then, you have MUCH less control over what is served and your choices will be more limited to what is available. However, I have a solution for you that I hope you’ll like (and it’s not to starve yourself by the way, I’d never say that!). The solution is CHILI!! Specifically, you call host of said party and ask him/her if you can bring something to contribute to the party and when he/she says yes then you offer to bring a pot of chili. It won’t be turned down because EVERYBODY loves chili! This is how you will eat safely and healthily on Sunday.

My yummy (and healthy chili)!

Why is chili such a good solution you ask? Well I’ll tell you, it’s because chili is healthy and filling! The beans and meat provide a nice serving of protein, the tomatoes and tomato sauce a great serving of vegetables, and the beans give you a nice punch of fiber which fills you up and helps you stay full. Calorie wise you’re better off with chili too because one serving (one cup) is only 259 calories and you will feel FULL after you eat it. If you have a cup of chili, one (only one!) beer, a handful of tortilla chips and guacamole you will only have consumed about 600 calories. That’s a FAR CRY FROM 6,000!! Plus all of the nutrition you will have gained from this meal is light years away from the nutritional wasteland of greasy pizza and fried chicken wings!

The best salad I’ve ever made- REALLY!

I’m going to share my recipe for chili, which I think is simple and fabulous. I’m also including the MOST DELICIOUS SALAD RECIPE EVER which I just made up the other night when I was in the mood for something different. I served the salad with my chili and I think the Mexican flavors in the salad really complemented the similar flavors in the chili. Bring the salad and the chili to the gathering and you will make some friends I promise you! If it’s your own gathering make my salad and chili, add some salsa, guacamole and tortilla chips and you’ve got a HEALTHY, DELICIOUS PARTAY!

My yummy chili con carne

2 lbs ground beef
1 large can (28 oz) pureed tomatoes
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 onion diced
2 cups water
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 big cans (28 oz) kidney beans
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

First, sauté onions and minced garlic in a dash of extra virgin olive oil, then after about 3 minutes, add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Next add all the rest of the ingredients and either put that into a crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours, or leave it on the stove on low heat, stirring frequently until thick and bubbly. You may need to add more spices as it cooks so taste it every once in a while. And that’s all there is to it! Done!

Chili and Mexican salad- what could be better?!

The most delicious salad ever

1 bag of organic lettuce greens of your choice
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and with insides removed, chopped
1 stalk of green onion chopped
1 medium tomato chopped
1 handful of fresh cilantro leaves, rough chopped
1/2 avocado chopped
1 lime
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Take the first 6 ingredients and add them to a large bowl. Then in a smaller bowl take the next four ingredients and make the vinaigrette by squeezing one lime into the bowl and then whisking in the olive oil until the two ingredients are combined. Then add the salt and pepper, stir, add the vinaigrette to the salad and toss. This one’s done too! The creaminess of the avocado makes the salad so rich and the jalapenos, since they’ve been deseeded and the insides removed, are no longer really spicy, just fruity and flavorful. The cilantro adds that delicious freshness too. And the lime makes the vinaigrette really pop with flavor! It’s just really good!

And that’s how you avoid consuming 6,000 calories on Sunday, my friends! If you make a pot of chili and a delicious salad you will feel satisfied and know you’ve eaten something really good for your body. I know you can do it! Enjoy yourself in moderation and you’ll be living a life of vitality- with Valerie! 🙂

Holy Guacamole!

Graduation! A time for fun, family, and food!

Tis the season- for picnics, graduation parties, family get-togethers, and pot luck gatherings. If you’re like me, always trying to determine what to bring at the last minute, I turn to my easy, quick go-to, my guacamole. Since I always have the ingredients on hand, it’s a fast and delicious addition to any meal! If you’ve never made guacamole, no fears, I will walk you through it step by step.

Guac ingredients and my Molcajete.

The first step is to assemble your ingredients, utensils and bowls. I use the following ingredients in my guacamole: 2 avocados, 1 medium sized tomato, a quarter of an onion, 1/4 cup cilantro, half a lime, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. I use the Spanish version of a mortar and pestle, called a Molcajete in which to make it, because I think it’s a really cool way to serve the guac.

Veggie wash.

Next, I use a vegetable and fruit cleanser to clean my vegetables before preparing them. I feel this is an essential step because even though I buy organic vegetables whenever possible I still want to make sure they are clean before serving them. There are numerous different fruit and vegetable wash products on the market today, the one I am currently using is called “Veggie Wash” and can be purchased at any grocery store.

An easy and neat way to get the pit out of an avocado.

Now it’s time to get the pit out of the avocado. It is easily done by taking a knife, piercing the pit, and while holding it over the trash, twisting the knife. The pit pops right out and can be discarded.

Removing the avocado from the skin.

Then, remove the avocado from the skin and place it in your bowl. I do this by first scoring the inside of the avocado, horizontally and vertically. Then I take a spoon and run it underneath the skin of the avocado and the inside is not only quickly separated from the skin but it’s already chopped into cubes from the scoring.

Rough chop of Cilantro.

After this step is complete, the next thing is to chop the cilantro. Now I admit I am no chef so my rough chop is very rough but it gets the job done. I start with a quarter cup of cilantro but you can use as much or as little as you’d like, and I chop it into small pieces. Add it to the avocado in the bowl.

Chopped avocado, cilantro and onion.

Next step is to chop your quarter onion. Again, I’m no chef so I try to dice the onion into small pieces so my family won’t get big chunks of raw onion when they’re eating, although a few large hunks usually end up in finished product. Use as much or as little onion as you like.

The addition of lime makes guacamole sublime!

Squeeze the juice of half a lime into the bowl. I think there is no substitute for fresh squeezed lime, those “lime in a bottle” products don’t even taste like lime to me, but if that works for you then go for it.

Use the pestle, or a spoon, to combine the ingredients.

Chop an entire tomato, add a teaspoon of minced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Then, using the pestle or a spoon, I kind of smash the pieces of avocado, but I leave it a little chunky because I like it that way. However, if you like it smooth keep stirring and smashing until it gets to the texture you’d like it to be.

The all important taste test!

Now, the next step is very important. After combining the ingredients to your desired level of smoothness, taste your guacamole so you can determine the balance of flavors. If more salt or pepper, etc, are needed now is the time to add them before it is served.

Voila! The finished product!

I serve my guacamole with blue corn tortilla chips made by Garden of Eatin, which I purchase at Whole Foods or Earth Fare, my local health food grocery stores, but they are available at some regular grocery stores as well. They’re gluten free, non gmo (genetically modified), all natural and delicious too. Plus I think they make a nice color contrast with the green and red colors of the guacamole for presentation purposes. I also wiped down the sides of the Molcajete to make it look prettier. You may have to add more salt and pepper again at this time because I always think guacamole needs more salt, but have other people taste it and see what they think. Now the fun part happens when you get to eat your delish creation!

Wrap guacamole carefully to preserve it!

If any guacamole remains after everyone has enjoyed it, I have found a way to wrap my guacamole so that it doesn’t get brown and yucky looking. Most people wrap the top of the bowl with plastic wrap, but I actually put the wrap on the guacamole. I gather the leftover guac into a mound in the middle of the bowl and then place the plastic wrap directly on the guacamole making sure there is no air between the guac and the wrap. This keeps the guacamole green and fresh tasting for one or two days. Any longer than that and it will not taste or look good no matter what you do so eat it all before then.

My version of guacamole is very good for you, first it has avocado which is an excellent source of monounsaturated fatty acids or mufa’s. That’s the good for you plant based fat that is essential for enhancing heart health and protecting against chronic diseases. Even though guacamole has a relatively high amount of fat, it’s the healthy fat that can actually help you lose weight! It also has tomato which contains lycopene, vitamin C and folate, which may reduce cancer and heart disease risk. Guacamole is very fiber rich, with 15.4 grams of fiber in a 1 cup serving, that’s a significant amount given the minimum 20 grams of fiber we need every day. Fiber is very good for our hearts and our digestive systems, and it helps you feel full longer too.

Thanks for reading my post today and please feel free to leave comments. I hope this recipe works for you and if you try it, be sure to let me know! Buen apetito!

Valerie

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Vitality with Valerie

Sharing the importance of living a joyful and healthy lifestyle!

avocado

Eat this to prevent cancer and heart disease!

One of my fave healthy dishes!

Dont Be A Turkey- Make Turkey Burgers!

Super Healthy Superbowl Sunday? It’s Super Easy!

Holy Guacamole!

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