healthy eating

A Shout Out for Sprouts!

/ Jodi / 37 Comments
broccoli-sprouts-mound

Freshly Sprouted Broccoli Sprouts

A Shout Out for Sprouts!

Are you a sprout lover?  I’ve always enjoyed them, but they are not always readily available in my local grocery stores.

I was reminded of them when I recently read Deep Run Roots: Stories & Recipes from My Corner of the South by Vivian Howard and blogged about how to make The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg.   Vivian recommends serving hard boiled eggs for breakfast on a bed of fresh sprouts (broccoli for her).  I didn’t have any fresh sprouts the day I made my “perfect” hard boiled eggs, so I put mine on canned bean sprouts (which was NOT a good choice by the way).

green-pea-sprouts-mound

Freshly Sprouted Green Pea Sprouts

So wasn’t I surprised when a new blog follower here at The Creative Life In Between, RCollab, commented on one of my posts, which made me curious about their blog, and the first post I saw from them was called DIY:  Sprouting Sprouts!  It was as if the blogging gods sent me a gift of inspiration.  Check out their blog for the complete, easy instructions.

RCollab is an abbreviation for Our Collab or Our Collaboration where Colleen and Raphy, a sweet young couple, share their passion and adventures.

sprouts-day-1

Sprouting Seeds Day 1: 1 Quart Mason Jars and Cheese Cloth

Did you know there are many health benefits of eating sprouts?  The impressive list includes the ability to improve digestion, boost metabolism, increase enzymatic activity throughout the body, prevent anemia, help with weight loss, lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, prevent neural tube defects in infants, protect against cancer, boost skin health, improve vision, support the immune system, and increase usable energy reserves.*  That’s quite a list – eh?

Additionally, sprouts contain a significant amount of protein and dietary fiber, as well as vitamin K, folate, pantothenic acid, niacin, thiamin, vitamin C, vitamin A, and riboflavin. In terms of minerals, sprouts contain manganese, copper, zinc, magnesium, iron, and calcium.*

broccoli-sprouts-in-jar

Broccoli Sprouts Day 6

So I was excited to find a sampler pack of certified organic non-GMO sprouting seeds from The Sprout House. It contains a dozen 2-ounce packages consisting of Alfalfa, French Lentil, Kamut, Mung, Daikon Radish, Clover, Green Pea, Garbanzo, Adzuki, Broccoli, Hard Wheat, Black Sunflower, and Green Lentil sprouting seeds.

My first try was the broccoli and green pea, and I love them both.  It was so easy to do, and the price is so right!  I am currently soaking the alfalfa and lentil seeds and can’t wait to try them.

chicken-breast-sandwich-on-jewish-rye-with-broccoli-sprouts

Chicken Breast on Rye with Broccoli Sprouts

When our youngest son came over on Saturday to help my husband with a project he is working on – an art/photography studio for ME in our home (woohoo!) – I made us some yummy grilled chicken breast sandwiches with muenster cheese, fresh broccoli sprouts, romaine lettuce, tomato slices, and a smidge of Dijon Mustard on rye bread!  They were delish!

Sprouts are not only great to add crunch and flavor and nutrients to sandwiches, they are delicious in salads, in wraps, with hard boiled eggs and to just eat plain!

sprout-house-sprouts

Sprout House Assorted Organic Sprouting Seed Sampler

If you want to give them a try, here is a link to where I ordered them:  Sprout House Assorted Organic Sprouting Seed Sampler.   There are simple directions right on the bag similar to RCollab’s instructions.

How do you like to eat sprouts?  Which ones are your favorites?  Can’t wait to hear!

Happy Sprouting!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

*Organic Facts.net

Breakfast Energy Bars – Getting Back in the Groove

/ Jodi / 23 Comments

breakfast energy bars cover

My glorious two-week holiday “vacation” has come to an end, and it is time to get back to work – – – and back in the groove – of a structured work schedule – and a better eating and exercising habit too after a month or so of glutenous indulgence!

So yesterday, I made a batch of breakfast energy bars to have a go-to breakfast or protein and energy-packed snack.  I have made a similar version of these before and blogged about.  The beauty of this recipe is you can use whatever you have on hand (within reason) to create a unique bar each time.

I received several gorgeous sets of measuring utensils as Christmas gifts, so I was excited to get to use some of them for photographing below.  (Really don’t need to measure these things precisely…. but it made for a fun photo to share 🙂 ).  I gathered some creamy peanut butter, coconut oil, honey, oats, shredded coconut, a variety of seeds (pumpkin and sunflower), dried cranberries, and chopped some dates and some beautifully healthy English walnuts.

breakfast energy bars ingredients

To begin, melt the peanut butter, coconut oil, and honey in a good size saucepan.

breakfast energy bars saucepan

When melted, remove from heat and add your chosen dry ingredients.

breakfast energy bars saucepan and dry ingredients

Mix all ingredients until incorporated.


breakfast energy bars saucepan mix

Then spread in a 13 x 9 pan and chill for several hours until firm.

breakfast energy bars pan

Once completely chilled, cut into bars.

breakfast energy bars cut

I packed them in pairs in Ziploc bags and placed in the freezer – ready to grab for a quick breakfast at home…

breakfast energy bars home

or on the go…

breakfast energy bars on the go

Here is the recipe you can use to tweak with the ingredients you like:

Breakfast Energy Bars

1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil (solid form)
2 1/2 cups oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped dried dates
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds

Melt peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil in a saucepan.
Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.
Spread in a 13 x 9 pan.
Refrigerate approximately 2 hours.
Cut into bars and wrap or bag individually.
Return to refrigerator or freeze.

Feel free to substitute other dried fruits (golden raisins, dried blueberries or cherries) or nuts (slivered or chopped almonds, cashews, pecans, peanuts) or even chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, white, peanut butter, butterscotch).

I am going to share this recipe as my first at Fiesta Friday #49.  Fiesta Friday is an online ‘party’, where bloggers share posts in a link up.  Everyone ‘brings’ (shares) a recipe, photograph, craft, memorable story, etc. to the party  I have been hearing about it from several others and decided to join the party this year.  Gotta love a good party – right?  🙂

Groovy Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi