creamy butternut squash soup (organic) by Pacific Natural Foods

Butternut Squash as a Soup? You bet! I recommend this for those who want the health benefits of butternut squash without the texture of this squash. Actually, I recommend it to anyone whether you like this squash’s texture or not. Though, this soup is great to have year round, I would recommend this as a new holiday favorite. With its touch of cinnamon and nutmeg, it will fit right in.

Need something quick and healthy for you and the family? This is easy to prepare. Just open up the container, put it on the stove, and within just a couple of minutes on a mid-range heat, your soup is ready to serve. (Don’t recommend using the microwave)

This soup is low in calories (less than 100 per serving), low fat, low in sugar, and no cholesterol. This is a high fiber food, which is a good thing. One thing I am not too fond of, is that I feel like it is a little high in sodium (550mg, or 23% of daily value on a 2,000 calorie diet), but I still feel like it is much healthier for you than most other soups without sacrificing the taste.

If you want more information on the health benefits of squash, check out my post on it under the Nutrition category.

Serving: 1 cup
Calories:  90

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Tags: butternut squash, cinammon, delicious, easy to cook, gourmet, Healthy, high fiber, low calorie, nutmeg, Organic, seasonal, soup

Healthier and Tastier Popcorn

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Popcorn Kernels

2-3 tablespoons Coconut Oil

Sea Salt (to taste)

Serves: 4-6 cups of cooked popcorn

Instructions:

Step 1) Put a large pot (with lid) on the stove, and turn to  medium heat.

Side Notes: If you are wondering why I am not asking you to use a microwave, please read about the Harmful effects of the Microwave.

Step 2) Add the coconut oil to the pan, and coat the bottom of the pan.

Step 3) Add popcorn kernels to the the pot, and put the lid back on the pot.  Soon, you will notice the kernels starting to pop, and allow them to do just that!

Step 4) Once the popping starts to slow down, remove the pot from heat. There still may be some popcorn kernels popping, and that’s OK. It is better to have some kernels not pop, then all the kernels pop and you get burnt popcorn.

Step 5) Once you have removed the popcorn from the heat of the stove, add the salt to taste, and stir the popcorn as you add on the salt.

Side Notes

I use Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil rather than butter! But….why? Coconut oil is one of the few (perhaps only) oils that are still good for you when heated. If you are worried about the taste, do not worry! I discovered this way of making popcorn when I looking for a better solution to butter. When you cook your popcorn with Coconut Oil, the popcorn actually taste as if I cooked it with butter- without the effects of butter!

I use Real Salt, by Redmond. This is the only Salt I use, and I love it for not only it’s taste, but wonderful Health benefits.

Health Benefits of Popcorn

Popcorn is high in Fiber, which helps with your digestion. Popcorn also is considered a “Whole Grain”. As long as you don’t drench it in butter, preservatives, and other harmful ingredients (think Movie Popcorn), then you should feel good about your snacking choice. Another great benefit to popcorn, is that it is a low calorie snack.

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Tags: coconut oil, corn, corn kernel, easy recipe, healthy recipe, healthy snack, high fiber, high in fiber, low calorie, organic extra virgin coconut oil, Popcorn, popcorn kernel, quick recipe, snack

Grape-nuts by Post Cereal

Taste

I actually like this high fiber cereal-every once in a while, It’s not so bad! If you are bored with the high carb/fiber taste, you might want to mix in some fruit, dried fruit, or maybe even some honey to add a little flavor to it. Grape-nuts is great since you don’t need to eat a lot of it, and you still end up getting full. You might want to try eating this slowly, since this does seem to expand in your stomach.

Health and Nutrition

The reason I like this cereal is mainly how impressive it’s Iron content is. For just one serving, you get 90% of your daily value of iron (based on a 2,000 calorie diet). Iron is something a lot of women are low on, and this is a great cereal to add some Iron to your diet. I was low on iron, and I couldn’t handle anymore Sugar Snap peas or Pumpkin Seeds, so I tried Grape-nuts! Of course, you don’t want too little or too much Iron, so please keep that in mind as well. It is all about balance.

Serving: 1/2 cup

Calories: 208

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Tags: Breakfast, cereal, grape nuts, great taste, Healthy, high fiber, iron