Health & Nutrition Archives - Page 12 of 33

Power Up with This Protein-Packed Wild Blueberry Smoothie

Good news, my friends – spring seems to have officially arrived! This would be great news no matter what, but as a runner, I’m even more excited to welcome the warmer temps and bright mornings. No more pitch dark early morning runs? Sounds good to me!

No matter the weather, I love liquid nutrition after a run. Last month, I shared one of my favorite post-workout recovery smoothies. Today, I’d like to share another one, with a special focus on protein!

If you’re a morning runner, I know it’s tempting to wait until you’ve showered and commuted to work to have breakfast, but it’s really important to make sure that you eat something as soon as possible after your run – ideally within 30 minutes of working out. This applies no matter what time of day you run! The longer you wait to refuel, the worse your recovery will be. Protein and carbohydrates are important to include in your recovery nutrition. Protein is needed to repair your damaged/worked muscle fibers, and carbs replenish your blood sugar and glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrates in the body that gets used when you work out. This is why I really love post-workout smoothies, particularly as the weather gets warmer and a big meal can be hard to stomach right after a workout. I love having a small smoothie (or a larger one, if it’s been a long run day) immediately post-workout and then a larger meal (e.g. an egg sandwich, oatmeal, etc.) a bit later on. In addition to helping with your recovery and reducing the chance of injury, refueling with protein and carbs immediately after working out will also stave off sugar cravings later in the day!

This recovery smoothie is great because it’s high in protein, but all coming from real food! There’s definitely a time and place for protein powders – I use them occasionally in almond milk smoothies and granola bars, and recommend them to vegan and lactose intolerant clients – but I don’t think people realize that you can get all the protein you need without an expensive powder. Thanks to the milk and cottage cheese, this smoothie actually packs a whopping 28 grams of protein! It’s quite large, so depending on how hungry you are, feel free to just have half and save the rest for the next day; 14 grams of protein is still plenty for recovery.

Cottage cheese is a fantastic protein source with about 18 grams in the 2/3 cup used in the recipe, so you don’t need a ton of it to pack in a bunch of protein – it’s one of my favorite ways to add protein to breakfast. Hemp seeds actually provide quality (vegan) protein, too – they include all 9 essential amino acids, are high in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, and pack soluble and insoluble fiber to help keep you full.

I love adding Wild Blueberries to my post-workout smoothies, too, since they are an incredible source of antioxidants like anthocyanins, which reduce oxidative stress on your body after working out and help improve muscle recovery. Make sure you use frozen fresh Wild Blueberries, not just regular – the wild variety packs way more antioxidants (and flavor) than regular blueberries. Banana is also a smoothie staple for me – it provides some sweetness and carbohydrates along with potassium to aid in hydration. As for the pineapple and mango, they help to provide more antioxidants and replenishing carbohydrates, with the added bonus of tropical sweetness, too.

Give this smoothie a shot and let me know what you think. Happy running – and recovery!

Make-Ahead Wild Blueberry Stuffed French Toast: A Brunch Favorite

This make-ahead Wild Blueberry Stuffed French Toast casserole is perfect for Easter brunch! It’s neither overly sweet nor too eggy and has the perfect amount of crunch on the outside and smooth texture inside. It is delicious with a drizzle of Wild Blueberry syrup!

In our family, holidays are celebrated with food. It’s just how it has always been. Holidays never go by without multiple phone calls going back and forth between family members about the menu; discussing who is hosting and making which dish. Does that happen in your family, too?

With Easter just a week or so away, the menu conversations are currently in full swing! Since we get together with my mother and sister each week for Sunday dinner, we are all pretty happy anytime we can throw brunch into the mix. Brunch food to me is the best of both worlds. You get the savory stuff mixed with the sweet – all at the same time! From my husband’s overstuffed omelets to my mom’s famous sautéed potatoes, brunch is definitely my favorite meal. And if there’s something sweet that involves bread, well that is the perfect combination.

While I was baking this ricotta-stuffed French toast that is bursting with Wild Blueberries my husband was pretty much salivating. He hardly ever gets to eat French toast! The house smelled amazing and even though it was just a regular Tuesday afternoon, it felt like a holiday.

I brought my Italian roots, my love for all things bread, and the intense flavor and versatility of delicious Wild Blueberries to this dish. As usual, the Wild Blueberries take center stage when it comes to flavor. During baking, they melt beautifully with the ricotta cheese (yes, there is cheese inside this French toast!) and create the perfect balance of sweetness, richness, and creaminess. With the natural sweetness of the ricotta and the Wild Blueberries you really don’t need to add much more sugar. I only used ¼ cup maple syrup for the whole recipe, plus a little turbinado sugar sprinkled on top before baking.

This is definitely a special occasion dish and would be the star of any Easter brunch feast! It’s kid-friendly and gorgeously topped with Wild Blueberry-infused maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Wild Blueberry & Ricotta Stuffed French Toast Bake

Recipe: Wild Blueberry Salsa from the Freezer Aisle by Liz Weiss, MS, RD

Part three of a three-part series with Liz Weiss that celebrates the advantages of frozen food. Also see: Part 1, Part 2.

Did you know that 40% of the food grown in the United States is wasted? From farm to fork, nearly half of all our food goes uneaten. That statistic takes my breath (and my appetite) away! I can’t control what goes on in supermarkets, restaurants, or cafeterias, but I can reduce the food losses in my own home kitchen. How? By planning family meals, preparing smaller portions (i.e. only what I know we’ll eat), and turning more to my trusty freezer.

Meal Planning: I wasn’t born with the “organized” gene, so I use a weekly Meal Planner to keep track of the recipes I plan to make each week. Adding more structure to mealtime leads to fewer impulse purchases, less overbuying, and it forces me to take stock of what’s in my pantry before I head to the grocery store. Having a Supermarket Shopping List also comes in handy.

Prepare Smaller Portions: My family happens to love dinner leftovers, and it’s not uncommon for my teenage son to eat them the second he gets home from school. So for me, making extra food at dinnertime makes sense. Being mindful of the amount of food your family consumes at mealtime can minimize spoilage of leftovers that go uneaten. If you’re inclined to freeze what you don’t eat, it’s always a good idea to label it with the name of the item and the date.

Fill Your Freezer: One of the best things about frozen fruits and vegetables is that you only use what you need, so you can say goodbye to rotten fruit and wilted greens. While I’m a huge fan of fresh, local produce, after 100 inches of snow in Boston this winter, I don’t think we’ll be eating a lot of local produce any time soon. That said, I can still enjoy the bright flavors and nutritional benefits of “fresh” by purchasing frozen fruits and vegetables, like frozen fresh Wild Blueberries. They’re frozen right after harvest just a few short miles from where they’re picked, which locks in flavor and nutrition.

Wild Blueberry Salsa
Makes 4 Servings

This salsa calls for two of my favorite freezer staples: frozen Wild Blueberries and frozen corn. Paired with crunchy, colorful red bell peppers, green onion, fresh cilantro, lime juice and zest, and some common spices, this sweet and savory topping is a natural addition to my family’s make-your-own taco night. For the tacos, anything goes, but I’m especially fond of this combo: 8 soft corn tortillas as the base served with shredded rotisserie chicken, guacamole, light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, and my Wild Blueberry Salsa. (You’ll have about 4 tablespoons salsa per taco.)

Wild Blueberry & Miso Salad Dressing Recipe

By Danielle Omar, RD and Nutrition Consultant

There’s still some lingering snow left on the ground but I can hear the birds chirping outside my office window — a surefire sign that spring is on the horizon!

Spring shows up in the produce aisle on a wave of green and is probably the best time for falling in love with fresh vegetables. From asparagus to English peas to artichokes and avocados – green is king! And what better way to celebrate the harvest than to pair green vegetables with the intense flavor of Wild Blueberries? Unlike many other fruits, and especially berries, you don’t have to wait until Wild Blueberries come “in season,” they are available year round, making them a delicious complement for showcasing seasonal produce any time of year.

I especially love this Wild Blueberry vinaigrette. It’s so creamy and flavorful that just about any salad would benefit from a toss in this delicious dressing. What’s different about this dressing is that it’s made in the food processor. Most Wild Blueberry vinaigrettes use the whole blueberry but in this recipe the berries are processed, producing a creamy texture and that gorgeous purple color. The creaminess also comes from miso paste, which has a salty, umami flavor. The combination of salty and sweet makes this dressing really stand out. Another favorite ingredient in the dressing is fresh ginger. Fresh ginger pairs really well with Wild Blueberries and adds to the Asian appeal of this vinaigrette.

You can toss this dressing with your favorite spring produce or massage it into your curly kale. It would be awesome as a dipping sauce for homemade spring rolls, too.

I love that Wild Blueberries are available year-round (you can find them in the frozen section of the grocery store) and always keep their intense flavor. This is because they’re harvested at the height of the Wild Blueberry season and then frozen fresh and packed within 24 hours of being picked! It’s pretty amazing that these “wild” berries have been around for thousands of years and grow up from the ground all on their own.

Creamy Wild Blueberry & Miso Vinaigrette

Danielle Omar is a registered dietitian, clean-eating coach, teacher and cookbook author. She is a passionate food and nutrition educator and founded Danielle Omar Nutrition to support busy men and women on their journey to becoming their healthiest self. An avid cook, she also enjoys sharing plant-based recipes and nutrition strategies on her Food Confidence blog. Danielle has a Master’s degree in Nutrition and has been teaching nutrition at the college level for over 10 years. She has contributed to local and national media outlets such as The Washingtonian, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Shape Magazine, and Women’s Health Magazine. Through her private nutrition practice, media work, and group programs, Danielle has successfully motivated hundreds of busy professionals and families to eat confidently and live a healthy life.

As Spring Emerges, Health It Up!

With Danielle Omar, Registered Dietitian, Nutrition Consultant, and Founder of foodconfidence.com

Danielle Omar was inspired by food at a young age. “My mother is from the Bay of Naples, in Southern Italy, and we were always surrounded with delicious, nutritious food when I was a kid,” recalls Danielle. At the age of 16, Danielle’s mother gave her the responsibility for preparing family dinners, and that’s when her creative spark turned to flame.

“I never opened a cookbook, I’d just open the refrigerator, see what was inside, and go from there,” recalls Danielle. Her mom might leave her a chicken as a starting point and Danielle would literally throw anything on that chicken – condiments, mustard, herbs, whatever. “I learned it was hard to mess it up,” she recalls. “And the more I experimented, the more my confidence grew.” That feeling of confidence is what inspired me to become a registered dietitian and start my blog, foodconfidence. I wanted to share my passion with others and help them in their journey to preparing and eating healthy, tasty meals.

Today, as author of a leading food blog, and with featured appearances on The Food Network, NBC and Fox, Danielle opens a cookbook fairly regularly (and shares a ton of great recipes on her popular blog) but her spirit of invention has not waned.

“I get really passionate about pumping up the nutritional value of standard recipes,” she says. “I’m also a vegetarian now, so I eat more vegetables than the average American.”

Here are some of Danielle’s suggestions to Health-Up a Recipe:

Add more fruit and veggies to your cheese and hors-d’oeuvre platters
When making tacos or quesadillas, try substituting that flour tortilla with a collard leaf
Add seeds to your salads
Instead of mayo or mustard, use hummus
Instead of tropical fruit, use berries, such as Wild Blueberries or raspberries
When making muffins or pancakes, substitute ground oats, flax seeds, shredded coconut or chia seeds for some of the flour
In baked goods, use applesauce instead of oil
In baked goods, substitute fruits like pureed banana, apple, or Wild Blueberries for traditional sweeteners (or a combination of them all)
Substitute standard noodles or white rice with quinoa
For Italian dishes that use pasta or spaghetti, use veggie pastas, penne or rotini, which are made with freshly pureed in-season vegetables
Always add more vegetables to your pasta meals to increase nutrition
Add dried fruit or frozen fresh Wild Blueberries instead of sugar to hot cereals like oatmeal
Stay away from sweetened yogurts. Use whole plain yogurt instead and sweeten with raisins, nuts and dried or frozen fruits
If a recipe calls for fruit, try substituting frozen Wild Blueberries – they are lower in sugar and have extensive health benefits
Try adding frozen Wild Blueberries to salad dressing recipes (check out Danielle’s recipe for Miso Salad Dressing we’ll be sharing next week!)

Danielle regularly shares her passion for food in the Wild Blueberry Blog. See her recent recipes and be on the look out for her new recipe for Wild Blueberry Miso Vinaigrette.

Mardi Gras King Cake

Wild Appetizers (for Super Bowl, but good any time of the year.)

Wild Blueberry Quesadillas with Rosemary & Jalapeno Jelly

Rehydrate + Refuel with this Post-Workout Recovery Smoothie

By Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

Like me, most of you are probably more than ready for spring. As a runner, I’ve certainly had my fill of ice and snow recently, and can’t wait until my early morning runs are filled with sunshine and clear, non-slippery sidewalks! Who else has been suffering through cold, dark runs in the name of training these past couple months?

Regardless of the weather, I often find that runs leave me craving something cool and refreshing. Wild Blueberries are among my favorite foods to enjoy post-workout, particularly in smoothie form, because they are delicious and packed with good nutrition to help speed up the recovery from my rigorous training routine.

Wild Blueberries are high in antioxidants like anthocyanins, which can improve muscle recovery time and prevent against disease-causing oxidative stress. You’ll find them in the freezer section of your grocery store; just be sure to look for “Wild Blueberries” on the label! Here’s a link to more information about where to find them.

A frozen Wild Blueberry packed smoothie is a great way to get in some nutrition in a fast, easy, and portable way after a hard workout. Refueling within 30 or so minutes is not only important to tame hunger throughout the rest of the day, but also because your muscles need nutrients to adequately repair themselves.

wild blueberry recovery smothie ingredients

There are at least five reasons why this recovery smoothie is perfect as your post-workout recovery drink:

Because it’s filled with antioxidant-packed frozen Wild Blueberries.
Because bananas and coconut water are both high in potassium, an electrolyte that helps rehydrate you after a hard sweat
Because the Chia seeds help your body stay hydrated, as they can absorb about 10 times their weight in water.
Because this smoothie is packed with anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids (thanks to the chia seeds and walnuts), which prevent muscle soreness and improve recovery.
And lastly, because Greek yogurt is high in protein, which is necessary for recovery so that your muscles can rebuild and strengthen after being worked out.

Try enjoying this after your next workout – let me know how you like it!

Wild Blueberry Recovery Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen Wild Blueberries
1 small banana
1 6-oz container plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon walnuts
2/3 cup coconut water

Directions:

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

So there you have it: rehydrate and refuel, all in one glass. Here’s to an early spring and warmer running temperatures!

Until next month, my friends!

Anne Mauney is a Washington, D.C. based registered dietitian and the writer behind the food and fitness blog fANNEtastic food, which she started as a way to motivate others to lead happier, healthier lives through nutrition and exercise. Anne has a Masters of Public Health in Nutrition and owns a private practice where she helps clients to lose or maintain weight, feel healthier, and improve their relationships with food. Her fitness tips and recipes have been featured in The Huffington Post, Glamour, SHAPE, Fitness Magazine, Health Magazine, The Washington Post, and Woman’s Day. Check out her blog for easy healthy recipes, health tips, and more. You can also find her on Twitter @fANNEtasticfood, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Recipe: Frozen Wild Blueberry Pudding by Liz Weiss, MS, RD

By Liz Weiss, MS, RD

February is that time of the year when we are all looking for a little color to return to our lives, especially up here in New England where I live. Frozen fruits and vegetables can provide an illustrious boost of color, flavor, and nutrition, and they are often more affordable and more convenient for moms on the go. While frozen foods have been sadly maligned by some critics, as a mom and a nutritionist, I have found a variety of reasons to love them.

For one, when I choose frozen, I can use only what I need and not worry about waste. Second, because of my profession as a nutritionist, I happen to know that many fruits and vegetables are picked and frozen at the very peak of their ripeness, sealing in flavor, nutrition and health. These foods are excellent vehicles for bringing color into your winter diet, and a few of them – like frozen corn, frozen mango, and frozen fresh Wild Blueberries – are at the top of my list.

Last week, in between shoveling out from yet another snowstorm, I whipped up a recipe using frozen Wild Blueberries that was the delight of my 16-year-old son Simon. I called it a Wild Blueberry Frosty, but he said it was more like Pudding, so I went with his suggestions. Give this recipe a try for a colorful and healthy reward.

Frozen Wild Blueberry Pudding

Makes 4 Servings (a generous 1/3 cup each)

Frozen fruits—wild blueberries, mango, and banana—are the nutritional super stars in this healthy, delicious, and kid-friendly treat. It takes just minutes to prepare, and moms can feel good about serving this frozen fruit pudding as an after-school snack or family dessert. For a snowy twist, sprinkle shredded coconut on top.

Liz Weiss is an award-winning broadcast journalist, cookbook author, and radio show host who started Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen, a leading blog for parents in search of better ways to feed their family a super-nutritious diet. She’s also the co-author of two great books: No Whine with Dinner: 150 Healthy, Kid-Tested Recipes from The Meal Makeover Moms and The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers: Improving the Way Your Family Eats, One Meal at a Time and she recently released a mobile recipe app called, Meal Makeovers. You can read more about Liz at http://mealmakeovermoms.com/

Recipe: Mardi Gras King Cake with Wild Blueberries

By Danielle Omar, MS, RDN

I’m fascinated by traditions and the idea that you do something just because it’s the way it has always been done. I especially love traditions that include eating certain foods. Italians eat the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. In Mexico, they celebrate dia de la Candelaria by eating tamales. And in New Orleans, there is the traditional Mardi Gras dessert – King Cake.

Mardi Gras itself is a pretty amazing tradition. Rooted in religion, the Mardi Gras season officially starts on January 6th, leading up to Mardi Gras Day, or Fat Tuesday, which is the day before Ash Wednesday and always 46 days before Easter.

Mardi Gras is also known as the Twelfth Night feast of the Epiphany, or the day that the three kings first visited the baby Jesus. As part of the celebration, it is traditional to bake a cake in honor of the three kings. “King Cake” is typically oval-shaped and decorated in the traditional Mardi Gras colors, purple which represents justice, green which represents faith, and gold representing power. A small baby, symbolizing the baby Jesus, is traditionally hidden inside the King Cake. Whoever gets the slice of cake with the baby inside is rewarded with good luck and is usually responsible for bringing the King Cake to the next party!

Custom prevails that King Cakes are made from twisted strands of dough, sprinkled with cinnamon and decorated with purple, green and gold colored sugar. It was not until the 1980’s that bakeries in France started to stuff the King Cake with various types of custards, puddings and cheese-based fillings.

I can’t imagine a more innovative way to highlight the intense and delicious flavor of Wild Blueberries than to mix them with cream cheese and stuff them into a King Cake!

Now if you’re like me and the thought of creating a twisted cinnamon dough has you shaking in your boots then you are in luck because I have created a King Cake that you can literally make in less than 15 minutes, with no baking skills required! That’s right, 15 minutes to King Cake heaven, all due to the wonderful versatility of angel food cake and Wild Blueberries.

First, frozen Wild Blueberries are blended into a decadent cream cheese filling, providing intense blueberry flavor and gorgeous purple color. The filling is then stuffed into a halved angel food cake. Then comes the fun part – put the top back on the cake, drizzle on the glaze and decorate the cake with traditional Mardi Gras-colored sugar.

In my opinion the Wild Blueberry and cream cheese filling is really the star in each bite of this tasty treat! Of course it’s a wonderful added bonus that Wild Blueberries provide a healthy serving of natural phytochemicals and twice the antioxidant capacity of regular blueberries.

I love this modern version of King Cake. Although not traditional, the spirit of Mardi Gras is alive and well in this fun and easy to make King Cake!

About the Author

Are Frozen Fruits and Veggies Healthy? An Interview with Liz Weiss, MS, RD

A three-part series that proves how frozen fruits and veggies are healthy, affordable and “green.”

Let’s face it, there’s a stigma associated with frozen food. Frozen dinners, frozen desserts, and yes, even frozen fruits and vegetables just aren’t something that price-conscious, health-conscious, and earth-conscious moms rave about. But if you’re skipping the freezer aisle altogether, then you’re missing out, says award-winning broadcast journalist, nutrition expert and blogger, Liz Weiss, RD.

“Frozen fruits and vegetables got a bad rap years ago when freezing technology was in its infancy,” says Liz. “But things have changed a lot and there are plenty of reasons to shop the freezer aisle, especially if you’re a health conscious, price conscious, and earth conscious mom.”

Liz was kind enough to share her philosophy about buying frozen. You’ll be surprised by what she’s keeping in her freezer and why price, environment, and nutrition are among her top motivators for shopping frozen.

Why do you like using frozen?

What I love about frozen fruits and veggies is that they are always at the ready. If I’m making quesadillas and I need corn, I can always grab a cup and use only what I need. If I’m making a smoothie, I can grab a cup of frozen fresh Wild Blueberries. And when I seal the bag, I know those berries are going to last several months, not just a few days. Frozen fruits and veggies are a go-to ingredient for cooking and the perfect choice for a mom on the go.

How do frozen foods stack up in terms of price?

Prices vary and, as with any food you buy, you always want to look for what’s on sale, especially if you are a bargain shopper. But keep in mind that even if a frozen option is a few more pennies per pound, you’re still going to benefit from a lot less food waste. For example, frozen mangoes will be pitted, peeled and chopped, strawberries are going to be hulled and your green beans and spinach will be trimmed. So, there is often more value in the frozen choices.

With all of the advantages, why don’t more people buy frozen?

There is a stigma associated with frozen and canned foods, and a perception that frozen can’t be as nutritious. But this is not true.

What about nutritional values?

Consumers should not worry about the nutritional value of frozen fruits and vegetables. A recent study by the University of California-Davis looked at the nutrient content of eight commonly-purchased frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables (blueberries, strawberries, carrots, corn, broccoli, green beans, green peas and spinach.) The results show that the nutritional value of the frozen choices are generally equal to – and in some cases better than – the fresh choices.

So the nutritional benefits are comparable?

Yes. Many of our nation’s frozen foods are processed at the point – and peak – of harvest. When I visited the Wild Blueberry barrens in Maine last summer I saw it first-hand. There, the processing plants are situated right in the middle of the Wild Blueberry fields. Harvesters are collecting the ripe fruit, washing it, and freezing it within hours of harvest. Those berries don’t suffer the delay or the impact of a long transportation system.

Are there environmental factors to consider?

Yes there are. When you use frozen fruits and vegetables, you’re not going to waste as much food. A full 40 percent of the food in this country is wasted in the home kitchen. Much of that is because it spoils before it’s eaten. Buying frozen fruits and veggies allows you to use exactly what you need and store the remainder for later.

So buying frozen is more earth friendly?

Yes. One of the biggest emerging environmental issues is food waste. In a few years, our planet is going to be asked to produce enough food for 7.5 billion people. Yet, we know that consumers waste hundreds of millions of pounds of food annually. Simply put, if we waste less, we can feed more people and lower our family’s carbon footprint.

What’s in your freezer now?

Right now I have Wild Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, mango, and pineapple. In the veggie world I have petite frozen peas, frozen corn, edamame, spinach, and kale. I often have frozen mixed greens and even sweet potato fries. I keep a large variety because I love to cook and I want a good diversity of food on hand.

Can you share some ideas for dishes using frozen fruits and veggies?

Yes, there are tons of great ways to make use of frozen fruits and veggies, which is why I keep so many on hand. Here are some of my favorites:

Smoothies—these are an obvious place for frozen fruits and veggies. At my house, we are huge smoothies fans and we probably drink smoothies 5 days a week. Frozen Wild Blueberries find there way into a lot of our smoothies, but other fruits and greens are also great. Check out Liz’s Blueberry Frosty and Wild Blueberry & Chia Seed Smoothie.

Quesadillas—these are a favorite and the varieties are endless – I use flour tortillas with veggie filling and cheese to “glue” it all together. I combine sautéed bell peppers with frozen spinach, frozen corn kernels with leftover chicken and stir in some BBQ sauce. Check out my Quick Quesadilla Pockets.

Lasagna or Ravioli—Frozen spinach is great for a quick lasagna or ravioli. This is a dish that kids love too. Check out a short video and recipe for my Super-Fast Spinach Lasagna.

Soups and Chili—I use frozen corn, edamame, and frozen green beans in all types of soups and chili. The frozen mixed veggies hold up really well too. See my recipe for Beef Vegetable Soup.

Pasta Salads—I’m a big fan of pasta salads. I add shelled edamame, corn, or any number of frozen veggies to a pasta salad. Check out my recipe for Tortellini Lunchbox Salad

Vegetables and Snacks — one of my favorite all time recipes is for Lightened Up Creamed Spinach and you can’t go wrong with this edamame snack.

Heart Healthy Wild Blueberries are Perfect for Valentine’s Day

By Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

Hello and Happy February! Did you know that February is National Heart Month?

As a Registered Dietitian, I’m all about bringing awareness to heart disease and how people can prevent it. So let’s get the bad news out of the way first: heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, contributing to 1 in 4 deaths. Risk factors for heart disease are things like poor diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use, obesity, and diabetes.

The good news? Since heart disease risk factors are mostly lifestyle related, heart disease can often be prevented by making healthier choices, like eating better and exercising.

The even better news is that our delicious little blue friends, Wild Blueberries, are a great way to do this!

As I shared in last month’s post, Wild Blueberries are a rich source of a type of phytochemicals called polyphenols, which boast a wide array of protective health benefits due to their antioxidant qualities. In fact, research has shown that including Wild Blueberries consistently in diets may help improve or prevent cardiovascular disease due to a reduction in chronic inflammation and improved lipid profiles. (Cardiovascular disease includes heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.)

The flavonoid anthocyanin, a phytochemical found in blue-pigmented fruit, is particularly high in Wild Blueberries compared to regular blueberries. A recent study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who eat three or more weekly servings of berries may reduce their risk of heart attack by up to 33%. Another study, a recent randomized controlled trial, found that daily consumption of blueberries helped to reduce blood pressure in post-menopausal women with pre- and stage 1 hypertension (high blood pressure). This is because anthocyanins are believed to help dilate arteries, helping to counter plaque buildup. There’s good news for men too. Another study found that Wild Blueberries can improve vascular function in healthy men, even from intake of just ¾ cup a day.

Bottom line: Wild Blueberries are both delicious AND functional – there’s no reason not to eat up, especially since they are available year round in the frozen food section.

To inspire you to eat for your heart this month, here’s a fun recipe to try. I know what you’re thinking – wait, scones? I thought I was supposed to be eating healthy? Well, these are healthy! Not only are they packed with antioxidants from the Wild Blueberries, but they also boast protein from the Greek yogurt and milk, and fiber from the whole wheat pastry flour. Even better is that they have very little added sugar – only 3 tablespoons – and instead get their bright flavor and sweetness from the lemon zest and Wild Blueberries. This would make the perfect breakfast in bed on Valentine’s Day, either for your significant other, or as a treat to yourself! Good for the heart, both literally and figuratively. Enjoy!

This heart healthy breakfast also makes a great pre-workout snack – enjoy it before heading out for your workout of choice! Need some workout inspiration? Here’s one of my recent favorite workouts – you can customize it to make it as short (or long) as you like.

For more tasty and easy Wild Blueberry recipes, check out my post from last month – it includes a couple full day’s worth of breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner ideas!