"You're What I Need"

Today's Song: Shawn McDonald's "Take My Hand"

Today I'm talking FOOD!  Nutrition: it's certainly one of my favorite subjects!  Today I took on the task of making my own 'Naked' superfood drink and used my rice cooker/food steamer for the first time.  The results:

Let's start with my super food beverage.  A note before I get into the core of it: I just realized I bought kiwis and forgot to add one of those into the mix.  Bummer.  The ingredients I did remember and had on hand:

Sara's Own Concoction.  Attempt #1

1 cup Meijer White Grape Peach Juice Blend from Concentrate
1 handful broccoli florets

1 handful chopped parsley

At this point I pureed.

1 medium sized banana
1 gala apple - cored and sliced
1 soft-to-the-touch red pear - cored and sliced

Finished pureeing.  How did it taste?  Despite being a bit thick, it tastes great!  I wish I would have remembered the kiwi though!  It made just over four cups.

Having spare bottles for storing and taking to work tomorrow: priceless!  I am excited!

Now onto the steam cooker!  I am really excited about this kitchen helper.  This little machine was simple to use and simple to clean.  Thank you brother for such an awesome addition to my cooking skills!  Ha!

What excites me even more is all the little things that came with it: the little measure cup and spoons!  Now for my first victim:

Frozen salmon.  Farm-raised, bought fresh, frozen from Sunday, looks beautiful!  Read the note on salmon that is listed below for a new health discovery... think color.  How did it turn out?  Thirty five minutes later, along with added chopped up broccoli stems during the last five minutes:

It was absolutely perfect!  It smelled great, tasted even better, and fell apart beautifully!  What a nice little dinner!  AND, with this steamer, I no longer have a need for a humidifier! Ha ha.

Some quick facts, from the book "101 Foods That Could Save Your Life" by David Grotto, about the foods I used today:

Broccoli: "Researchers at the University of Illinois found that when broccoli was heated, the number of sulphoraphanes that fight cancer was enhanced" (59).

Spinach: Getting older?  "A cohort study of 36,644 United States male health professionals found that spinach intake was correlated with a lower risk of developing cataracts" (311)

Parsley: "is used as a breath-freshener, due to its high concentration of chlorophyll" ... And for those who may be diabetic: "Parsley extract was also found to have a protective effect comparable to the diabetic medication, glilbornuride, against liver toxicity caused by diabetes" (226).

Banana: Why these have been a life-saver for me this last year in fighting away ulcers: "Animal research found that bananas caused the cells that line the stomach to produce a thicker protective barrier against acid" (36).

Apples: A "group of researchers followed men at risk for heart disease for five years.  They found that the flavonoids and antioxidants in the apple skin peel may contribute to a decreased risk of developing heart disease" (18).

Pears: "have been used throughout history for a variety of health challenges such as digestive disorders and spasms, and for reducing fevers" (237).

Salmon: "Astaxanthin is a natural antioxidant that is used as a coloring agent to give farm-raised salmon their namesake color" (291).  I just heard about this last week on the the Dr. Oz show I recorded with one of my favorite health information providers Dr. Mercola.  Mercola.com supplies thousands of pages on some of the most interesting studies and results that relate to nutrition and health.  Mercola describes astaxanthin as the next big dietary supplement, but I'd rather eat it from my fish.  It is said to be a potent anti-inflammatory.

http://www.drozfans.com/dr-ozs-advice/dr-oz-astaxanthin-dr-joseph-mercola-1-supplement-to-take/


Comic for the day: