Foods Rich in Zinc- (to fight off that cold. )

Zinc

The mineral zinc helps in digestion and in regulating metabolism. It also assists in the development of new cells and DNA and in sustaining your immune system. New studies show that taking zinc can help lessen the duration of a cold. You can increase the zinc in your diet by including the following foods:

• Beef
• Brown and white rice
• Baked beans, Burgers
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Cheddar cheese
• Oysters
• Pork, Lamb
• Crabcakes

Thanksgiving Recipe

Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin ♥ Recipe

Oh my, what heat and cream don’t do for Brussels sprouts

Today’s Thanksgiving recipe idea: A simple gratin of fresh Brussels sprouts, first roasted, then braised in cream, then finished under the broiler.

Oh. My. MY.

What heat and cream don’t do for baby cabbages. In fact, this might be my new most-favorite way to cook Brussels sprouts, simple and decadent both at once. The sprouts are elevated to a whole new experience, perfect for special occasions.

And they couldn’t be easier to make, so for anyone who has room for the calories, this is a great recipe for everyday, too.

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO DOESN’T LIKE BRUSSELS SPROUTS? Not everyone likes Brussels sprouts. But the reason may not be about ‘picky eating’ — but instead about chemicals called glucosinolates. If someone in your family is hesitant, resistant or outright militantly in opposition to Brussels sprouts, know that the trick is to break up the center of the sprouts by cutting them in half and then, to leach out the chemicals, to cook them in a lot of well-salted water.

CREAMY BRUSSELS SPROUTS GRATIN

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 60 minutes
Serves 8

2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts, stem ends sliced off, outer layer of leaves removed, sprouts halved lengthwise through the core
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted in the microwave in 10-second increments
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream

TOPPING
1/2 cup panko
1/4 ounce fresh Parmesan, grated
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 425F. Toss the Brussels sprouts with the butter, salt and pepper. Arrange in a shallow baking dish just large enough for a generous single layer. (The sprouts do shrink while roasting so some overlap is good.) Roast for about 35 minutes (stirring well after 15, 25 and 35 minutes) until the sprouts are very nearly cooked through and brown in spots. Pour the cream over top and return to the oven for 5 – 10 minutes (stirring after 5 and 10 minutes) until cream thickens, coats the Brussels sprouts and darkens slightly. Remove from oven, switch oven to the broiler.

Mix topping ingredients and spread evenly over top. Place under broiler for 5 – 10 minutes until topping turns crisp and golden.

TO PREP AHEAD
DAY BEFORE Mix the topping ingredients.
MORNING OF Prep the Brussels sprouts, toss with butter, salt and pepper.
BEFORE DINNER Roast and finish.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 207Cal; 14g Tot Fat; 9g Sat Fat; 49mg Cholesterol; 320mg Sodium; 16g Carb; 5g Fiber; 3g Sugar; 6g Protein; Weight Watchers 4 points (technically 4.5 points)TODAY’S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from a 2007 seasonal publication from Fine Cooking. This issue features all side dishes but if there’s another this year, based on this one, I would much recommend it.

KITCHEN NOTES
 I don’t recommend using frozen Brussels sprouts for this recipe.
 Choose Brussels sprouts of any size for this recipe. That said, do make sure that all the Brussels sprouts are roughly equivalent in size. In addition, smaller Brussels sprouts will cook somewhat faster. If what you find are large, you might consider quartering rather than halving.
 Note: If you or your Thanksgiving guests are watching carbs, skip the topping. It’s largely a superfluous finish, though does offer some small texture contrast too.
 To reduce the calories, you might try half ‘n’ half (half cream, half milk) but I don’t recommend using fat-free half ‘n’ half, as it doesn’t seem to have thickening properties.
 By accident, I learned that these Brussels sprouts are very forgiving. They were already cooked when I popped them into the oven to reheat for a few minutes. Instead, they were in the oven for nearly an hour and emerged looking completely burned and inedible. Instead, the cream had just turned very dark, the Brussels sprouts had turned into soft bites of amazing flavor.

Vitamin C, just not in OJ.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is necessary for building collagen, a key building block for cell membranes and connective tissue. With strong cells, your body is better able to repair itself and function at its optimum performance. Vitamin C can be found in many different foods.

• Strawberries
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Grapefruit, or juice
• Bell peppers (green, red)
• Sweet potato
• Cantaloupe
• Oranges, or juice
• Raspberries

Moms With A Mission

 

 

 

Week #13: If you have children in day care or school, encourage them to go non toxic!  Share these resources: http://bit.ly/feu90C and http://bit.ly/f58adQ

Are you getting your Vitamin B6?

Vitamin B6

There are many types of B vitamins, and each one contributes to your health. For example: vitamin B6 helps to increase the amount of oxygen carried to your tissues, assists in protein metabolism and may support immune function. It is found in a variety of foods that easily fit into a healthy food plan, but still people tend to fall short on this nutrient, so adding a supplement might help.

• Turkey
• Baked potatoes
• Bananas
• Chicken breast
• Lima beans
• Spinach
• Salmon
• Tuna

Moms With A Mission

 

Week #12:  The EPA states that toxic chemicals in household cleaners are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air. Use non-toxic cleaners (i.e. Seventh Generation, Method, Ecover brands).

Are you getting vitamin rich food? Vitamin A

Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps form and maintain healthy teeth and skin, contributes to strong vision and joins forces with other nutrients in the fight against disease by helping to boost your immune system and red blood cell production. When choosing foods that provide vitamin A, think color.

• Carrots
• Peas, Broccoli
• Cantaloupe
• Red peppers
• Eggs
• Sweet potato
• Cheese
• Apricots
• Milk
• Pink Grapefruit
• Winter squash
• Spinach

Moms With A Mission

 

 

 

Week #11:  Women and children are exposed to dangerous levels of mercury when they eat certain fish.

Eat small fish and use the mercury calculator at www.gotmercury.org.

A Handful of Reasons to Eat Breakfast

1. Fuel Your Body, Mind and Spirit: Your body is begging you not to deprive it of the nutrients it needs to help you run efficiently. When lunch is your first meal, your body has been running on empty for as long as 18 consecutive hours … sometimes more. Without refueling, your body has to work double-time to create usable energy from stored nutrients. This slows you down – despite all the caffeinated drinks – and makes it much harder to focus and perform. In short: Eating breakfast is an easy and efficient way to maintain a steady metabolism and to improve you concentration, problem-solving ability, mental performance, memory and mood.

2. Set an Example for Your Children: Although breakfast is important for adults, it is even more important for your kids. For them, a long period of semi-starvation can cause physical, intellectual and behavioral challenges. Plus, research repeatedly shows that kids who skip breakfast miss classes more often than their classmates who regularly eat breakfast.

3. Maintain a Healthy Weight: Many women voluntarily skip breakfast to eliminate calories, but this tactic usually backfires. In fact, skipping breakfast is strongly correlated with obesity, because breakfast curbs hunger and cravings. Breakfast skippers tend to eat more at their next meal and munch on high-calorie snacks. Alternatively, research shows that eating more in the morning can prevent overeating at night because breakfast calories are more satisfying and help to minimize calorie consumption for the rest of the day.

4. Get Your Daily Nutrients: Breakfast provides one of the best opportunities in the day to get important nutrients from common breakfast foods, such as fiber- and vitamin-rich grains, cereals and fruits; calcium-infused dairy, like milk and yogurt; and protein-packed eggs and meats. Many of our other meals and snacks don’t offer the same nutritional punch.

Many people – in fact more than 150 million Americans – use dietary supplements in part to help them bridge the gap between what they should be eating and what they are actually eating. Supplements play an important role in achieving good health, but they should be used to complement your diet, not as a replacement for food. A combination of a balanced diet and supplements that are right for you could just be the best approach to achieving your nutrition goals.

5. Treat Yourself: It takes less than five minutes to grab a banana, make some toast and pour a glass of juice, and the benefits you’ll reap will be well worth the time invested. You work hard so you deserve a few moments to take care of yourself each morning.

Pumpkin Recipe

Pumpkin

Ginger Cupcakes

Prep Time:
20 Min

Cook Time:
20 Min

Ready In:
1 Hr 30 Min 

Original Recipe Yield 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding mix
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. Whisk together the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, cloves, and crystallized ginger in a bowl; set aside.
2. Beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla and pumpkin puree with the last egg. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.