Tomatoes- How to preserve them and how they preserve you!

Photo: Francesco Bartaloni

There's a chance that you are knee deep in tomatoes right now- in a panic about what to do with all these tomatoes!  It's a love hate relationship.  You hate grocery store tomatoes and so you labor all summer to babysit those crimson globes until you have to drop a half a day to harvest and preserve all those beauties.

Today, we have great ideas to quickly save them all and nutrition notes so that you're motivated to do it all again next year!

How to save tomatoes...

The easy way...

-Bring a very large pot to a rolling boil.  
-Place a large bowl of iced water next to it.
-Drop in whole tomatoes (as many fit in a single layer.)
-Boil for 1 minute then drop into ice water while you refill your boiling water.
-Pull tomatoes from ice.
-Squeeze tomatoes gently to remove skin and remove most of the water.
-Pull tops off and drop into gallon ziplock bags.
-Freeze flat.


Photo: Klearchos Kapoutsis
The yummy way...

-Cut tomatoes in half and line a jelly roll pan.
-Drizzle with olive oil and salt.
-Roast at 425 degrees until sweet. ~ 20-40 minutes (depending on size)
-Eat lots and freeze the rest flat in bags.

The aren't I sustainable way...

Canning Tomatoes

This opens up a lot of options once you've learned it because it doesn't require a freezer and thus no thawing. Which is great because I forever forget to thaw things I need for dinner.

Head over to Pretty Prudent for great directions with pretty pictures to help.

Tomato nutritional benefits...

Now the motivation to do it all over. Or to go buy a bunch of in season tomatoes and heal yourself while you pretend you grew them.  'The yummy way' of cooking tomatoes (above) works all winter long, with all states of crappy tomatoes. fyi.

Tomatoes are full of vitamins A and C and folic acid.

They are high in antioxidants- which protect and heal your cells. Learn all about them here.

They are high in carotene- a "flavonoid compound, beta carotene has powerful antioxidant functions, helps the body scavenge free radicals, thereby limiting the damage to cell membranes, DNA and protein structures in the cell."1.

They pack a cancer fightin' Lycopene punch. Especially protective against prostate cancer.

They contain alpha-lipoic acid can aid in blood glucose control, improve vasodilation and protect against retinopathy in diabetic patients and may even help preserve brain and nerve tissue.2

Tomatoes are high in fiber which helps both heart disease and diabetes.

Alright, enough reading.  Those tomatoes are waiting.  You're burning daylight!

sources: 

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273031.php
1. http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/beta-carotene.html
2. http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/alphalipoic-acid

Your Heart

Photo: Ano Lobb

Today, A quick and easy reference to fight heart disease!

Add Good Fats

Almonds

Avocado

Bison

Chia Seed

Fish

Flax Seed Meal

Olive Oil

Remove Bad Fats

- Fried Foods

-Transfats & Fractioned Fats

-CAFO Red Meat

- (easy to remember: Solid & highly processed)

Exercise

Get moving! 

One of my favorite racing groups 3W Races- says "Do what you can, when you can, where you are."

I love it! Pick something you love and do it 3-5 times a week for at least 30 minutes.

(if you only have 10 minutes, then do 10!)

-Strengthens your heart (it's just like any muscle- use it to strengthen it!)

-Lowers your blood pressure

-Helps reduce stress (A big heart disease factor!)

-"Regular exercise also helps to keep arteries and other blood vessels flexible" 1.

-Keeps the blood vessels open.

Protect Your Cells

keeps cell membranes flexible...

Green Leafy vegetables

Pumpkin Seeds

Salmon

Walnuts

Increase cardiovascular function

Red Wine

Dark Chocolate- dilates your arteries.

Fiber!

Clean those arteries out!

Oats- protect against damage to LDL. (Damaged LDL sticks to artery walls)

Parsnips

Quinoa

Whole Grains

Eat the rainbow...

here's where you fight!

Carotenoids-Like Red Peppers, Tomatoes & Carrots

Foods high in Vitamin C- lowers body inflammation

Antioxidants- Beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E

Smelly foods! -garlic, contains allicin which fights hardening arteries

A good start for today.

Make baby steps to incorporate these things into your daily life and check back tomorrow to learn about more Fightin Foods!

sources:

1.http://www.healthline.com/health/heart-disease/exercise

Beneficial Beans

Photo: Stuti Sakhalkar

It's time to give beans another chance! Dry is better, canned is better than none at all (just rinse them well)

Beans are high in protein, fiber, folate, iron, zinc and B1.

Which ones?

Pinto- These beans are very high in folate.

Navy- These beans are among some of the highest in protein.

Limas- These are very high in fiber. They have been shown to lower LDL and raise HDL.  Beans cooked from dry may lessen the growth of colorectal adenomas (the precursor to colon cancer)

Lentils- have 2 times the protein of any vegetable.  They are high in fiber, folate, manganese, B1 and potassium.  They reduce your risk of prostate cancer by 38%!


Better get Googling those bean recipes!

Here is a great (and super easy) recipe for making your own beans in the crock pot.  Make lots and separate them in thin freezer containers to use whenever!

goto http://www.couponcloset.net/how-to-make-canned-beans-in-your-crockpot/#

Beautiful Berries

For being such a sweet treat, berries pack quite a fighting punch!

Some thing to note:

Frozen Berries do not lose anti-oxidants, so stock up when those organic frozen ones are on sale!

They protect you from free radicals. (and therefore cancer too)

Now for the specifics...

Blackberries-

• Blackberries have the highest antioxidant content of all berries (other than Acai)
• They inhibit tumor cells.

Contain

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K
• Folate
• Potassium
• Zinc
• Beta Carotene
• Lutein

Blueberries-

• Wild blueberries have high anti-oxidants so get picking!

Contain

• Vitamin C
• Manganese (hard to find)
• Fiber
• Anthocyanins (protect cells in body from free radical damage.)

Acai Berries-

• Freeze dried are a great source
• Anti-inflamitory
• Artritus relief
• Cox-1 and Cox-2 inhibitors

Contain

• beta-sitosterol
• phytosterol which competes with cholesterol for absorption and lowers LDL.
• Vitamin A
• Potassium
• Vitamin B1, B2, B3
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Magnesium (very important and hard to find)
• Copper
• Zinc
• Phosphorus which protects from Leukemia.

It's overwhelming all the health benefits these berries pack. Go grab a bowl, then get Googling all those 'what on earth?!' words.

Protect Your Heart

You can protect yourself and significantly reduce your risk of heart disease.

Diet (& exercise) can help greatly.

Here are some fighters you want in your corner…



Almonds & Almond Butter
· High in poly & mono-unsaturated fats which sweep LDL into liver when they replace saturated fats.
· Almond Butter- maintains cholesterol levels

Avocado
· High in poly & mono-unsaturated fats which sweep LDL into liver when they replace saturated fats.

Bison
· High in Omega 3 which reduces LDL & raises HDL

Cereals with Vitamin B6 & B12
· Protect blood vessel walls

Fats
· Omega 3 & Omega 6
· Cold or Expeller Pressed

Flaxseeds
· High in omega 3, which keeps cell membranes flexible


Oats
· Rich in antioxidants called phenols which protect against damage to LDL. (Damaged LDL sticks to artery walls)

Olive Oil (Extra Virgin & Cold Pressed)
· Omega 3
· Monounsaturated good fatty acids
· High antioxidant

Parsnips
· High in potassium
· High fiber

Pumpkin Seeds
· High in omega 3, which keeps cell membranes flexible

Red red wine
· Increases cardiovascular function- Reduces heart attack risks
· Reduces heart disease risk by 25-40% (1 glass women 2 men)
· Raises HDL (good cholesterol)
· High in antioxidants
· Contains resvetatrol which appears to stop arteries from getting blocked by fat deposits

Salmon
· Omega 3 which reduces LDL & raises HDL
· Lowers triglycerides
· Protects against heart arrhythmia
· Increases flexibility of arteries
· Regulates blood pressure

Soba Noodles (Japanese Noodles)
· High in Rutin- halts and lowers body fat.
· Buckwheat extract- regulates blood sugar
· (!Watch sodium content of soba noodles!)

Tuna
· High in omega 3, which keeps cell membranes flexible

Quinoa (pronounces keen-wa) grain like rice
· High protein (8grams per cup)
· Magnesium, folate, iron
· fiber

Vegetables- Vivid
· Like Red Peppers, Tomatoes & Carrots- rich in Carotenoids which reduce risk of heart disease. (Add a small amount of ‘good fats’ to increase absorption of Carotenoids)

Vegetables- Green Leafy
· ? High in omega 3, which keeps cell membranes flexible

Walnuts
· High in omega 3, which keeps cell membranes flexible

Whole Grains
· Soluble Fiber- Lowers Cholesterol (LDL) and flushes it.
· Fiber (adding 10g a day reduces risk of heart disease by 17%)
· Fights inflammation
· Increases oxygen delivery during exercise.
·

Resources:
1. Eat This and Live- Don Colbert
2. Runners World