Top 10 Most Nutritious Veggies

If you're going to make the effort and spend the money on vegetables, you might as well choose those with the biggest nutritional bang for your buck right?  www.bellaonline.com has her list of Top Ten and I have to agree!  Of course, I had to put in my two cents in the brackets.

1. [Dark] Green leafy vegetables, such as kale, chard, collard greens, spinach, parsley and dark green and red leaf lettuce are high in carotenoids and best eaten raw in salads, on healthy sandwiches, lightly steamed or in nutritious soups.
2. Broccoli is good steamed, raw (as a snack or in salads) and cooked in soups, stir-fries and other dishes. Both the green flower heads and stalks are nutritious.
3. Brussels sprouts are best quickly steamed to preserve nutritional values and avoid releasing sulfur smells caused by excess cooking.
4. Cauliflower, because of its bland flavor, can be eaten as a raw snack or added inconspicuously to dishes like soups and chili to boost nutritional values.
5. Red and Green Sweet Peppers are great in salads and healthy stir-fries. [And since we eat with our eyes, the deep colors make everything look more appealing.]
6. Garlic and Onions are most nutritious eaten raw in salads or healthy dips. But they also make great flavorings for just about any cooked dish.  [If you're looking to keep flavor without using a lot of fat or salt, this is an easy way to do it.]
7. Sweet Potatoes are delicious when baked and eaten plain (without butter). They can also be used in soups and stir-fries.  [Beats a white baked potato hands-down in so many ways.]
8. Tomatoes (actually fruit) are good in salads and on sandwiches. Cherry tomatoes make great raw snacks. And pasta sauce is a good source of tomato nutrients.
9. Green Peas are best eaten raw (especially snow peas) or lightly steamed. Add fresh peas to salads (including chicken and pasta salad), soups and stir-fries. [Edamame isn't a pea but can serve the same function and is so good for you.]
10. Carrots are sweet, high in carotenoids and super when grated into any kind of salad. Baby carrots also make good raw snacks.

All my best,

Evelyn Turner

www.TheEasyEntree.com

Ziploc Bags are Recyclable!

Great news!  I spoke with Northwest Recycling in Bellingham, Washington this Monday and they confirmed that Ziploc bags are recyclable!  

"Should they be rinsed?"  Yes, it will help keep odors down.  “How do I recycle them?" Put them in your curbside recycling just as you do other plastics.

How easy is that?!  A big thank you to www.DandelionOrganic.com for tipping me off to this opportunity.

Here at The Easy Entree, we also minimize packaging waste by buying in large quantities.  For example, I buy chicken in 40 pound boxes.  Each box means 40 pounds of chicken that don't need styrofoam trays, white absorption pads, or shrink wrap that is considered necessary for consumers when they are buying in smaller quantities at the grocery store.  One large can of ketchup doesn't have the same environmental impact that six plastic ketchup bottles have, and so on.

By being able to recycle Ziploc bags, we have one more opportunity to minimize our impact on the environment.

 

Evelyn Turner

www.TheEasyEntree.com