The Benefits of Organic Food

According to a 2001 study, today’s conventionally grown fruits and vegetables have about half the vitamin content of their 1963 counterparts. Organically grown food, however, is more nutritious than food produced using synthetic chemicals, as shown by a study published in the Journal of Applied Nutrition in 1993. On average, organically grown food is 63 percent higher in calcium, 73 percent higher in iron and 118 percent higher in magnesium, while being 29 percent lower in mercury.

Read more about "The Benefits of Organic Food" on the SparkPeople web site [Click Here].

Crunchy Chicken & Red Sauce with Whole Wheat Pasta (Recipe)

This so "nummy"!!!  Tom gave it an 11 out of 10!!  (I guess he liked it!!!)  You will fall in love it this recipe too, especially when you find out how with how easy it is to fix.  This recipe started out as a party treat, Crunchy Chicken on toothpicks with red dipping sauce.  But I discovered that it is also amazing over whole wheat pasta topped with cheese!!  If you serve this dish with a simple salad with a few spritzes of spray-on salad dressing .... you have dinner for 400-450 calories!!!

Prep: 10 minutes                              Cook Time:  15mintues                                  Servings 4

1              pound                     Thick chicken breasts, cut into 1” pieces
1              large                       Egg
1              Tbsp                       Garlic, minced
1/2           tsp                          Dijon mustard3/4           cups                       Panko
1/4           cup                         Parmesan cheese, grated (I use Parmigiano-Reggiano)
1              Tbsp                       Italian seasoning
1              tsp                          Garlic powder
2              cups                       Pasta sauce (I just use Prego with Meat sauce)
2              cups                       Cooked whole wheat spaghetti
8              Tbsp                      Part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated (I also use same cheese as above)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2.  Place the chicken in a large bowl.  Whisk together the egg and mustard and minced garlic in a small bowl.  Pour the egg mixture over the chicken and stir to coat all pieces.  Remove the chicken and shake off the extra egg. 

3.  Meanwhile, combine the panko, Parmesan cheese, seasoning, and garlic powder in a large resealable plastic bag or container.  Add the chicken and shake to cover all pieces.  Remove the chicken, place on the baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and sizzling.

4.  Heat the pasta sauce while the chicken is cooking.

5.  Serve ½ cup spaghetti with one-quarter of the chicken, 2 Tbsps mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup pasta sauce.

Nutrition Info:  (1/2 cup spaghetti, 8 pieces chicken, 2 Tbsp cheese, ½ cup sauce)
Calories: 380       Total Fat: 9g (Sat Fat: 4g)     Sodium: 650mg     Carbs: 39g     Dietary Fiber: 4g    Protein: 37g     Calcium: 25%

Banana Peels ... More Talented Than You Think!!!

I have been saving up all our banana peels for a week or so, and tonight I buried them in the tomato pots?  Why????  Because the buried banana peels degrade really quickly ... and when they do, they put potassium into the soil!!!  The tomatoes will love it!!!

When I was looking around the web, I also found out that banana peels are a great NATURAL way to get rid of WARTS ... amazing!!!  Check out Sweet Additions to learn the technique!!

The third thing that I found out during a trivia game is that mosquitoes are attracted to people who eat bananas!!!  I haven't checked out the validity of this fact yet .... but if it is true ... boy, am I in trouble!!!

More Boys and Their Toys: Tom's Dump Truck

Here's Tom with his "toy" truck!!!  I swear I am going to paint it yellow and black and paint "Tommy's Tonka Truck" on the side!!!

Lushious Lavender Lemonade (Plus Recipe)

I have been making tea from my Spearmint and Chocolate Mint leaves for weeks now ... but today I noticed that my lavender is about to bloom!!!!!  I love it!!!  ... Time to start making Lavender Lemonade.  So sweet, so refreshing. 

The recipe I am posting has *white sugar in it ... but I substitute Truvia for the sugar.  I have also made it without sugar, and it is more tart, but still delicious.  If you want a quick fix for sugar-free Lavender Lemonade, buy Crystal Light Sugar Free Lemonade.  (I'm not sure, but I think it contains Equal, which I try to stay away from) then add cold water that has been infused with the lavender buds.

Here's the recipe:

Lavender Lemonade

1 Tray Ice Cubes
1/4 cup dried lavender
2 cups boiling water
3/4 cups white sugar*
8 lemons
5 cups cold water (or as needed)

1.  Place ice cubes into a 2 quart pitcher.  Place the lavender into a bowlm, and pour boiling water over it.  Allow to steep for about 10 minutes, then strain out the lavender and discard. Mix the sugar into the hot lavender water, then pour into the pitcher with the ice.

2.  Squeeze the juice from the lemons into the pitcher, getting as much juice as you can.  Top off the pitcher with cold water, and stir.  Taste and adjust lemon juice or sugar if desired.  Pour into tall glasses.  For guests, top with a fresh sprig of lavender.

Note:  If you are not growing your own lavender, be sure the lavender you buy if "food grade" and not sprayed etc.

Nutritional Info (1/6th recipe with white sugar):  Calories: 127, Fat: 0.5g, Chol: 0mg, Sodium: 15mg, Carbs: 40.7g, Dietary Fiber: 7g, Protein: 1.8g

Safe, Natural, Homemade Vegetable Cleaner

If you are buying your veggies, and even if you are growing them youself like we are, you really need to wash them before you use them to remove unseen pesticides, bacteria, and mold. They sell something in the supermarkets to clean your veggies, but here is a SAFE, NATURAL PRODUCT you can make at home.

Combine a cup each of water and white distilled vinegar in a spray bottle. Add two tablespoons of baking soda and one tablespoon of lemon juice. Use by first shaking, then spraying generously on your raw vegetables. Let sit for five minutes, rinse with water, then proceed with your cooking plans.