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Mar 25, 2018

Swiss Chard Beauty

Rainbow Swiss ChardLook what I found at the market today! Swiss chard is usually mostly green but today it was an explosion of vibrant color and you know what that means? Even more nutrients!

Designer shoes on sale or hot pink Swiss chard – guess which one gets me excited? I was so excited I rushed home to make my spaghetti with chard for dinner. It’s my favorite pasta side dish and I had it with salmon patties.

The chard is sauteed with some garlic and olive oil, add some Parmesan, stir in the spaghetti and it’s done. Ten minutes. Like all leafy greens, Swiss chard has many health benefits.

If you want to try my easy spaghetti with Swiss chard, click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: General, Nutrition, What I Cooked Today
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Mar 22, 2018

Does Chicken Soup Really Help a Cold?

The short answer is yes. Warm liquids, such as soup or tea do help relieve cold symptoms but chicken soup is a better choice. Here’s why:

  1. A compound found in chicken soup (carnosine) helps the body’s immune system to fight the early stages of a cold or flu.
  2. Soup contains anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce a cold’s miserable side effects.
  3. The soup’s salt, steam and heat can also help thin mucus, making it easier to expel. The steam also soothes irritated passageways in your nose and throat.
  4. Soups are also hydrating, which is particularly important when fighting off an infection. Staying hydrated is key to recovery and salty, chicken soup is packed with electrolytes that may help retain even more fluids than water or commercial electrolyte drinks.
  5. Warm soup or other liquids can help open up sinuses, relieving congestion and shortening the time the virus is in contact with the lining of your nose. The faster you can move the mucus through you nose, the better.

Homemade Chicken Soup

Make chicken-noodle or chicken-rice soup or just sip it as a healing broth. If you would like my recipe for healthy, homemade chicken soup click here. – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Nutrition
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Mar 17, 2018

Simple Rice with Brussels Sprouts

Brussel Sprouts RiceI don’t make plain rice any more. Why would I when it’s so easy to add a vegetable to rice while it cooks? And Brussels sprouts make a really good (and healthy) addition. They are a cruciferous vegetable that can protect you against cancer and heart disease. They also benefit your eyes and provide lots of minerals, vitamin C, fiber, and even protein!

My rice of choice is Uncle Ben’s converted rice, which cooks beautifully in 20 minutes, just enough time for the Brussels sprouts to turn soft and tender, and kind of sweet.

There is no meal in this house without at least one cooked vegetable, and always a salad, and this is an easy way to get people who may not like steamed and cooked vegetables to have them mixed into a tasty rice. This easy side dish goes really well with my salmon patties or lemon chicken cutlets. This is a really easy, simple recipe that anyone can make. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Easy Recipes For Beginners, Soups/Salads/Side Dishes
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Mar 2, 2018

Blueberry Pancakes

Best Recipe Blueberry Pancakes from ScratchI made pancakes today. From scratch. In five minutes. If you’ve never made buttermilk pancakes from scratch… do it. You will never buy a mix again. Fresh blueberries are just coming into season and I decided to treat myself to pancakes for breakfast.

I put a little butter on the top, which melted right away, and then poured real maple syrup all over. OMG! And here is some good news: you can also make them with whole wheat pastry flour. They are delicious either way.

Blueberries are anti-aging superstars that are full of antioxidants, good for the brain and heart, and defenders against cancer and inflammation. I’ve said enough. Just do it. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Filed Under: Breakfast, What I Cooked Today
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Feb 23, 2018

Spaghetti & Spinach Frittata

A frittata for dinner? Made with spaghetti? In 30 minutes? This is my kind of dinner!

Frittatas are usually associated with breakfast because they’re made with eggs, but when you throw in some spaghetti and then add health-building spinach, a little parmesan… that’s a mighty fine dinner right there.  It cooks in 6 minutes on the stove top but you do have to flip it over after 3 minutes. Here’s how I do it:

First, you need to use a fry pan with sloped sides. I slide the frittata from the pan onto a dinner plate, cover that plate with another dinner plate, flip the plates over and then slide the uncooked side back onto the pan. It’s easy, but remember to swirl a little olive oil in the pan before cooking the 2nd side.

I’m trying to eat more vegetarian meals and when it’s an easy one pan meal like this, that’s a bonus. Some recipes use different pasta shapes but I prefer angel hair spaghetti for this recipe, and I like to serve it right away… after a salad of course. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Filed Under: Main Dishes
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Feb 16, 2018

15 Minute Veggie Pasta

15 Minute Quick Veggie PastaI just found a better and simpler way to make pasta with vegetables. Everything cooks in one pot and you don’t even have to drain the pasta. With a small amount of water the pasta and vegetables all cook in the same pot. I love it.

I make it with two of the most important vegetables for health: broccoli and spinach but it also works with just broccoli. This super fast vegetarian meal takes just 15 minutes and here a couple of tips:

  • Be sure to keep the water boiling (not too high or too much water will boil away).
  • If too much water boils away, you can add a little more water as needed.
  • A timer is really helpful so you can set it for the pasta cooking time and then keep an eye to know when to add the veggies.
  • When you add the broccoli, just open the lid briefly, toss the broccoli on top, and quickly close the lid. The broccoli will steam right on top.
  • Add more or less parmesan. I like it with three tablespoons.

This can be a side dish or main dish. I plan to try it next with whole wheat pasta and will share my results.  Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Easy Recipes For Beginners, Main Dishes, Soups/Salads/Side Dishes, What I Cooked Today
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Feb 8, 2018

Easy Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread

 Easy Sprouted Wheat BreadI’m so excited to share this new recipe. It’s very similar to my hugely popular simple whole wheat bread recipe. I’ve been curious about baking with sprouted wheat flour and finally decided to give it a try. What a wonderful surprise!

This loaf is soft and delicious with a great texture, and definitely softer than the regular whole wheat version. The dough is a little softer too so I was afraid it might not turn out, but I love it not just for the great taste and texture but because I researched the benefits of sprouted whole wheat flour compared to whole wheat flour. Sprouted whole wheat flour has…

  • More fiber
  • More protein
  • Less gluten
  • More vitamins than regular whole wheat flour, like B, C & carotene
  • More minerals than regular whole wheat flour, like calcium, iron, magnesium & zinc
  • Enzymes that make it easier to digest
  • More flavor because the grains are sprouted

WHAT IS SPROUTED WHEAT FLOUR? Wheat grains are allowed to sprout before milling, producing a living, nutrient-rich food because vitamins & minerals develop that enhance nutrition and digestibility. The major benefit is that those nutrients are in a state that can be more readily absorbed. (I find sprouted wheat flour at Whole Foods and it’s also available online. Once opened, be sure to keep it refrigerated.)

If you like my simple whole wheat bread, this sprouted wheat loaf is just as easy to make. I’m so glad I decided to experiment with sprouted wheat flour. This loaf is softer than the similar whole wheat loaf so if it’s too flimsy for you, try making it with half whole wheat flour and half sprouted whole wheat flour. It will have more body and a really great taste. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Breads/Muffins
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Feb 2, 2018

Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread

Easy Sprouted Wheat BreadI’ve been reading about how sprouted whole wheat flour is healthier than regular whole wheat flour. Sprouted flour has more fiber, more protein, more vitamins and minerals, and they are absorbed better than from plain wheat flour. It has less fat and less gluten so I had to try it. I was skeptical – too good to be true, right? With less gluten, the loaf would surely be a dud.

Well, lookie here! I made my simple whole wheat bread and just swapped the whole wheat flour with sprouted whole wheat flour and I love it. It rose even faster than my regular wheat loaf. This bread is soft and moist and makes a good sandwich bread. I even made French toast with it this morning.

French Toast With Sprouted Wheat Bread

To make sure it wasn’t a fluke, I will bake a few more loaves and then post it as a new recipe. Meantime, if you want to try it, just use my Simple Whole Wheat Bread recipe and swap the whole wheat flour with sprouted whole wheat flour. – Jenny Jones

p.s. One of my visitors (Monita) beat me to it and posted her own loaf made with sprouted whole wheat flour. It worked for her too! See it here.

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Filed Under: Breads/Muffins, What I Cooked Today
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Jan 27, 2018

Ten Grain No Knead Bread

Cracked Wheat No Knead Bread

UPDATE – January 2020: Good news! I experimented and found that it’s not necessary to soften the grains with boiling water. You can just combine them with the flours and other dry ingredients and add cool water. Using this overnight method, the grains soften naturally on their own.

(Jan. 2019) Always looking to add fiber to my breads, here is my easy no knead bread made with ten grain cereal. I use dry cereal and soften it for 15 minutes with boiling water and then put the dough together with even more fiber, adding whole wheat flour, bread flour, and rolled oats.

I use Bob’s Red Mill 10 Grain Cereal and instead of cooking it, I just soften it with boiling water for a few minutes.

This cereal contains a fabulous mix of wheat, rye, corn, triticale, oats, soybeans, millet, barley, brown rice, oat bran, and flaxseed meal. Wow! It provides lots of fiber and protein and a nice chewy texture to this wholesome bread. If you can’t find it, you can try another multi-grain cereal. This loaf needs time to develop so it’s made using the overnight method but it’s still very little work, just waiting time (but you’re sleeping anyway!). Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Breads/Muffins
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