Tasty Tuesday – new foodie finds!

Hello!

It’s Tasty Tuesday!

Don’t forget to head over to Lena’s blog and she what she’s got cooking – um, hello Turkey Breakfast Sausages! – and all the links in the linkup party. 🙂

Today, I want to share some new food finds with you!

Well, technically, it’s one”sort of” new find and two for real new ones.

It’s no secret that I love honey.

It put it in my oatmeal (hot AND cold), in my tea, in baked goods, in marinades, on a spoon…… 🙂

Well, I found some at my local farmer’s market!

I didn’t even know there was an apiary in my town!!!

(apiary =  totally awesome place where beehives of honey bees are kept)

So, I’m able to get LOCAL raw honey.

*swoon*

Raw honey is honey that hasn’t been heated, pasteurized, or processed in any way and it has many awesome health benefits.

Besides being delicious and a natural sweetener, raw honey “promotes body and digestive health, is a powerful antioxidant, strengthens the immune system, eliminates allergies, and is an excellent remedy for skin wounds and all types of infections. Raw honey’s benefits don’t stop there. Raw honey can also stabilize blood pressure, balance sugar levels, relieve pain, calm nerves, and it has been used to treat ulcers. Raw honey is also an expectorant and anti-inflammatory and has been known to effectively treat respiratory conditions such as bronchitis and asthma.” (source)

Plus, if you are able to find local honey in your area, it might even help you with seasonal allergies! #winning

So, I was browsing Amazon the other day and I stumbled across this amazingness.

Okay, fine, I actually searched for cashew butter – I didn’t just stumble across it. But, I’d never seen it before and I was definitely intrigued!

So, I ordered some!

Have you ever tried cashew butter? OMG. This stuff, though? HOLY. OMG.

I may or may not have eaten half the bottle with a spoon. #dontjudgeme

It’s been lightly sweetened with coconut sugar (doesn’t taste like coconut AT ALL) and the jar suggests swirling on your favorite pancakes or waffles.

I swirled some on a banana and just about nearly died and went to heaven.

Here’s the link to find it on Amazon. I’m just sharing – I’m not in partnership at all with Amazon nor will I get anything if you buy a jar. 🙂

Finally, my sailor and I stumbled across these at the Harris Teeter this past weekend.

Have you ever tried a red banana?

Neither had we!

But, we decided why not?!

The only thing is, because we’ve never tried them before, we’re not sure how to tell when they’re ripe. Because they definitely weren’t ripe on Saturday.

My sailor took one for the team. Then, washed his mouth out afterwards. haha

Seriously, I’ve googled red bananas and here’s what I’ve learned:

“Red bananas have a distinctive red to purple skin, rather than the more conventional yellow bananas and are usually smaller than regular yellow bananas. This fruit has soft and creamy texture in cream to slightly pink color. The color comes from the beta-carotene red bananas contain, and the aroma reminds of sweet strawberries.

Red bananas can be consumed when their skin starts getting dark chestnut-red color and few brown spots. It is better not to consume the fruit if it is too soft and has intense flavor, because of the fermentation process which causes loss of enzymes and development of some dangerous bacteria.” (source)

And, apparently, they taste like crap when they’re not ripe.

So, now I’m waiting (and I’m a little nervous) until I think they’re ripe.

And then, I’m having one!

Talk to me: Have you ever tried a new fruit on a whim? Do you bake with bananas (besides banana bread)? What about in main dishes?

– jennifer

Ready to Run! Oh, and I made some Greek Chicken

The marathon is in 3 days and a wake up. Travel day is tomorrow. Can! Not! Wait! I’m totally pumped about this whole trip. We’re going to have such a great time! I made another trip to The Fresh Market and picked up some individual packets of almond butter and I have plenty of oatmeal, Clif Bars, and protein bars crammed in my carry-on. Hey, I’ve got a “sensitive” tummy and controlling what I eat is the best way for me to deal with the stress of the travel. I wish I was one of those people who didn’t get motion sickness and who didn’t get jet lag and who could eat whatever without fear of tummy reprisal but alas, I am not. So, I plan and I prepare and I pack foods that I know I can eat race morning. A little bit of preparation really makes for a lot less stress when I’m in a different place. And, it’s about FUN, not stress, right? Right!

Oh, speaking of the Fresh Market, I picked up some cashew butter and sunflower seed butter the last time I was there. I’ve always wanted to try those – move beyond the peanut – and they had both there!

They’re both a little on the pricey side, if you ask me, but then, I would expect that with cashew butter since cashews aren’t cheap to begin with. The price of the sunflower seed butter surprised me a little but, I still grabbed a jar because I wanted to try it. Got them home and Thing 2 takes a look at the jars and says, “Mom, why do you buy such weird stuff?” Haha! My response? “Um, hello, have you MET me?!” 🙂 Anyway, I am totally down with the cashew butter. Oh my gosh, so GOOD! I’ve been putting it in my oatmeal instead of peanut butter and I’ve had it with both apples and bananas and it is supremely delicious. If you like cashews, you are going to love cashew butter. Find some. Buy some. Make cashew butter and banana sandwiches. Eat it all up.

The sunflower butter is a little different to me. Now, I generally don’t eat sunflower seeds. I didn’t grow up eating them and it takes too much work for me to get that little kernel out if its shell. Unshelled sunflower seeds? Yes, please! But, I do not have the skills to do all that work without involving my brain, both hands, a spit cup, and a pile of napkins. So, the flavor is a little strong for me but the butter is still pretty good. It will take me some time to grow accustomed to it but if you are a connoisseur of the sunflower seed, then you will most certainly love sunflower butter. I promise.

You’re probably wondering what the health benefits of both of those are over peanut butter. Well, for the sunflower butter, the obvious is there aren’t any peanuts and that’s great news for people with a peanut allergy. Seriously, it’s not good for you if it’s going to kill you. Literally. Sunflower butter is also PACKED with unsaturated fats (like 90%!) which are super good for you because they help to lower your cholestorol. Cashew butter is also packed with unsaturated fats (75%) and usually has less sugar than most commercial peanut butters, unless you buy natural which only has peanuts in it. You can use cashew butter in place of peanut butter in pretty much everything and it is totally delicious.

OHMYGOSH, MYFLIGHTLEAVESTOMORROW!

Sorry. Excited!

Another Crockpot Success story!

I own a fantastic cookbook entitled Fix It and Forget It and it is seriously jammed crammed with crockpot recipes. More than you would ever imagine. There are so many I’m not sure how long it would take to try them all but I would guess at least 2 years, if you did one a day. I could be wrong. Anyway, I wanted to throw some stuff together and make sure my family has some leftover, healthy foods while I’m not at home cooking for them. I’m sure the leftovers will probably still be there when I get back and there will be McDonald’s trash and pizza boxes in evidence but hey, I did my part. You can lead a horse to water but you can only make him drink when you’re standing there watching him do it. Ha! Anyway, I wanted something easy – who doesn’t? – and I spotted a recipe that was definitely easy. Oh, side note, it was easy because I had a jar of prechopped garlic. Why did I have a jar of prechopped garlic, you ask? Well, my sailor made dinner this past weekend – he boiled some sausages and then grilled them but he needed a large amount of garlic for the boiling part and he didn’t want to spend all day chopping heads of garlic. I don’t normally condone chopped garlic because I think it’s silly to spend money on stuff like that but, it sure did come in handy for this recipe! I mean, the recipe calls for a WHOLE HEAD OF GARLIC. Who has time to chop all that in the morning? So, anyway, if you decide to try this, plan ahead and chop in advance or buy jarred garlic. *sigh* There, I said it.

Anyway, it was delicious. Chicken and potatoes getting friendly with a ton of garlic, onion, and oregano all day long. Nice!

Greek Chicken
Served 4-6

4-6 potatoes, quartered (depends on size of potatoes)
2-3 pounds chicken pieces (I used boneless, skinless breasts but bone-in pieces would be fine, too)
2 large onions, quartered
1 whole bulb garlic, minced
3 teaspoons dried oregano (this will look like a LOT. it’s cool.)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Place potatoes in bottom of slow cooker. Add chicken, onion, and garlic. Sprinkle with seasonings. Top with oil.

2. Cover. Cook on High 5-6 hours or on Low 9-10 hours.

3. Gobble it up!

Will run for Chocolate & Nut Butter Bites

As you know, I’m a runner.  It may seem like I spend more time in the gym than on the road but that’s not true.  I think I’ve got a pretty good balance going.  I’m at CrossFit on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and I run on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  Except for Saturday, I’m usually out running in the dark.  Well, when it warms up, I’ll do some of my Saturday distance in the dark because, well, it really sucks to run 20 miles in the heat, humidity, and sun.  The humidity doesn’t disappear when the sun goes down but it is a little less oppressive without the sun baking me as well.  Anyway, it’s dark, it’s early, and it’s peaceful.

The moon is my light, the frogs and birds are my music, the rooster crowing brings me out of my reverie and makes me wonder what the heck is making all that racket for because, well, it’s DARK!  I don’t understand roosters.  I hear dogs barking in the distance and sometimes, I hear dogs barking at me.  Sometimes they startle me.  Like my heart wasn’t beating fast enough already!  Four words. Thank. Goodness. For. Fences.  Seriously!  The wee morning hours are my time.  I’m out with myself and my thoughts.  I see, hear, and smell the neighbors waking up.  I can smell breakfast cooking and coffee percolating.  Garage doors are lifting, trash cans are being rolled to the street, and the newspaper is being delivered.  I love it.  I consider myself lucky to be a part of it.

Treat time!

I was looking for some quick dessert recipes – hey, who doesn’t love dessert?! – and I came across this one.  Two ingredients.  No, I’m not kidding.  You know I had to make some.  You know you will, too.  Might as well go to the store right now.  Why are you still sitting there?

Om nom nom!

Chocolate & Nut Butter Bites
Recipe from Eating Well
Makes 4 servings

8 1/4-ounce squares bittersweet chocolate
4 teaspoons almond, cashew, or pistachio butter

So easy to make!  Top each chocolate square with 1/2 teaspoon nut butter of your choice (almond, cashew, pistachio).  Squish together.  Put in your mouth.  Be happy!

Per serving:
Calories 79; Fat 6g (sat 2g, mono 1g); Cholesterol 0mg; Carbs 9g; Sugars 6g; Protein 1g; Fiber 1g: Sodium 12mg; Potassium 20mg