Nutrient-Rich Foods to Include

Beyond washing your hands, cleaning surfaces, what else can you do to help keep your body ready to fight against illness? Focus on including plenty of nutrient-rich foods! There isn’t any one “magic” food, rather it is important to include a wide variety of foods that can help to support your immune system.

Check out examples of foods to include below and more on how they can help your body.

Nutrient-Rich Foods To Include - Rich in Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E

PROTEIN

Include a wide variety of protein-rich foods as protein is an important player in the immune system.

Food examples to include: yogurt (especially Greek yogurt), peanut butter, seafood, poultry, eggs, beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, and seeds.

Quick ideas:
- 3 Bean Salad: combine 1 can each (drained and rinsed) of chickpeas, black beans, and kidney beans. Then toss with 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and season with sea salt and black pepper.

- Snack on Bada Bean Bada Boom - roasted broad beans (available in a variety of flavors) that deliver 7 grams of protein per 1/4 cup

- Have a cup of Greek yogurt as a snack and top it with granola, nuts, and/or fruit

VITAMIN A

Think of vitamin A as a regulator - it helps in the body to regulate the immune system. Plus it helps to keep skin and tissues in the respiratory system, intestines, mouth, and stomach healthy.

Food examples to include: apricots, sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, spinach red bell peppers, apricots, or eggs.

Quick ideas:

- Roasted sweet potatoes as a side dish at dinner. Place cubed sweet potato on a baking sheet, drizzle lightly with olive oil, and roast at 425 degrees F for 25 - 30 minutes. Stirring throughout.

- Combine dried apricots with almonds as a snack

- Have a hard boiled egg as snack or sliced on top of a salad

VITAMIN C

Vitamin C is an antioxidant and it is a protector - plus it helps to stimulate the formation of antibodies.

Food examples to include: green peppers, red peppers, yellow peppers, strawberries, tomato juice, oranges, grapefruit, clementines, or Mandarin oranges.

Quick ideas:

- Slice red pepper and have them with hummus or guacamole

- Stir fry peppers with your favorite stir fry sauce and protein for dinner

- Have an orange sliced as a snack or a quick side dish with a meal

VITAMIN E

Vitamin is also an antioxidant which can help to neutralize free radicals in the body.

Food examples to include: sunflower seeds, almonds, vegetable oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, peanut butter, and hazelnuts.

Quick ideas:

- Use vegetable oils to make your own homemade salad dressings - a quick ratio to use: 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup oil, 1 tablespoon honey mustard, season to taste with garlic powder, sea salt, and cracked black pepper.

- Snack on sunflower seeds or top salads with shelled sunflower seeds

- Have a peanut butter and banana sandwich as a quick meal or snack

Bottom-line is switch it up and get a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods. AND KEEP WASHING YOUR HANDS THOROUGHLY (at least 20 - 30 seconds with warm soapy water!).

PB Stir Fry Sauce

Stir Fry Vegetables (Image Source: Molly Morgan)

So what do you do when you plan to make stir fry and realize you are out of soy sauce? Try a new recipe! This peanut butter stir fry sauce easy to whisk together and is full of peanut-buttery flavor.

PB Stir Fry Sauce

Yield Approximately 1 cup

Ingredients:
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 tablespoon sriracha (or more)*

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients. Season with sea salt (if desired).

Serving suggestion: Toss stir-fried vegetables and cubes of sesame ginger tofu with the prepared sauce and serve over brown rice.

Muesli Energy Bites

Looking for a tasty energy bite recipe? These Museli Energy Bites use cashew butter and Seven Sundays Wild & Free Blueberry Chia Buckwheat Muesli as a base.

What I love about the Seven Sundays Muesli is that it has a perfect mix of ingredients including: gluten free oats, sorghum flakes, buckwheat groats, wild blueberries, unsweetened coconut chips, apples, organic wildflower honey, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and lemon extract. 

Make up a batch of these energy bites and then store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for a perfect quick snack.

Museli Energy Bites

24 Energy Bites

Ingredients:
2 cups Seven Sundays Wild & Free Blueberry Chia Buckwheat Muesli
1/2 cup cashew butter
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)
1/4 cup chia seeds

Directions:

In a mixing bowl stir together the cashew butter and coconut oil. Then add in the muesli, cranberries, and chia seeds. Mix until the cashew butter is well combined with the muesli, cranberries, and chia seeds.

Once combined, cover and let the mixture sit on the counter or in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to make it easier to work with. Then (with clean hands!) roll the mixture into 1-inch bites.

Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Note: Samples of the muesli was provided by Seven Sunday’s - thank you for the samples!

Smoothie Recipe: Tart Cherry Kefir

Tart Cherry Kefir (Image Source: Drink Your Way to Gut Health by Molly Morgan)

This Tart Cherry Kefir smoothie is delicious and it delivers a mix of probiotics and nutrient-rich tart and sweet cherries.

Research has found that the nutrients and compounds that cherries deliver are linked to decreasing markers for oxidative stress and inflammation. (Nutrients 2018)

Plus kefir is used in this smoothie, which is a probiotic and yogurt-like beverage. You can find kefir typically in the dairy aisle at the grocery store, an example of a brand of kefir is Lifeway. A bonus with kefir is that it is protein-rich (11 grams of protein per cup) and delivers 12 different types of probiotics or “good bacteria”. In the body probiotics play many important roles related to gut health and studies find that probiotics play a role in boosting the immune system. (Annals Nutrition Metabolism 2019)

Try adding in this smoothie recipe to your routine!

Tart Cherry Kefir

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen sweet cherries
1/2 cup 100% tart cherry juice
1/2 cup kefir
4 - 5 ice cubes

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until icy and smooth.

Divide among two glasses and serve.

This recipe is from Drink Your Way to Gut Health, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2015.

Omega-3 Rich Products Worth Trying

Sure you’ve heard the advice, shop the perimeter. But I have say that while sure, there are loads of important foods to include in the perimeter of the store, there are some gems in the aisles as well that are worth including routinely in your grocery cart. Captured here are a few of my favorites that deliver omega-3 fats!

Note: This isn’t an add, rather just highlighting products I love!

Barlean’s Omega-3 Oil

This omega-3 oil is a product from Barlean’s that is made from fish oil but let me tell you, there is no fishy taste (or after taste). It is a perfect way to get a boost of omega-3’s into your eating routine.

How much to add-in? 1 tablespoon per day for adults or children over the age of 4. This will deliver 1500 milligrams (1.5 grams) of omega-3 fats, in comparison a 3.5 oz piece of salmon has about 1.8 grams.

How to add it in? It is seriously so delicious just have a spoonful or it. Or it tastes really delicious added into smoothies or drizzle on yogurt.

Where to find it? You can find it in the “natural food” section of some grocery stores in a refrigerator or some vitamin shops (e.g. Vitamin Shoppe) have it as well. Or you can order it direct from Barleans.com. Also it may seem a little pricey yet, one bottle has 29 servings so it really goes a long way.

Note: If you are adding this product in, you don’t necessarily also need to have other sources of omega-3 within the same day - for example, skip the fish oil capsule, chia seeds, or instead of salmon have a different type of fish.

Chia Seeds

Tiny little chia seeds are worth every penny! Plus there are tons of ways to work them into your eating routine. For example, you could make up a batch of Reese’s Bites - click here for the recipe! There are two big nutrition benefits of chia seeds: the omega-3 fats and fiber. Each tablespoon serving of chia seeds adds about 2 grams of omega-3 fats and about 5 grams of fiber.

How much to add-in? Add in a tablespoon of chia seeds as a source of omega-3 fats for the day. Keep in mind, as mentioned above, if you are adding in other sources of omega-3 fats like salmon, walnuts, omega-3 oil, etc. you can alternate the sources because you don’t need them all every day.

How to add them in? A very cool property of chia seeds is they are hydrophyllic, which means they absorb water - in fact, about 10 times their weight in water! This makes chia seeds really great for thickening sauces, smoothies, chia pudding, or energy bites. Click here for a delicious chia pudding recipe from my Fuel2Win sports nutrition project.

Another use for chia seeds is to use them as an egg replacement in baking. For each egg: In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water, let sit for 10 - 15 minutes. Then use in place of eggs in your recipe. This works really well for quick breads and muffins.

Where to buy them? Look for chia seeds in the baking aisle of the grocery store. You may also find them in a “health food” aisle or section or you can buy them on-line from brands like Bob’s Red Mill.

Reese’s PB Bites

Looking for a healthier treat? These Reese’s PB bites will do the trick. They are oat-based and filled with creamy peanut and Reese’s pieces and Reese’s PB cups. Make a batch!

Reese’s PB Bites

Serves 12 (2 bites each)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3 cups rolled oats

3 tablespoons chia seeds

4 Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, chopped

3/4 cup Reese’s pieces, finely chopped* (divided)

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl combine the coconut oil and peanut butter.

2. Then add the oats & chia seeds. Stir combine. Add the chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups and the 1/2 cup of the chopped Reese’s pieces.

3. Let the mixture set for about 30-minutes.

4. Roll into 1/2-inch balls. Roll each ball in remaining chopped Reese’s pieces. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.

   *A food processor works well to chop the Reese’s, pulse until chopped.

White Chicken Chili Soup

Cold nights call for warm soup! This chicken chili comes together quick and is full of flavor.

White Chicken Chili - Image Source: Molly Morgan

White Chicken Chili
Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and diced
1 red onion, diced
1 pound chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 cups frozen sweet corn kernels
2 (15 oz) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
32 oz low sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. In a stock pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the jalapeno and onion. Saute for 5 minutes until tender.

2. Then add the chicken, chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Cook the chicken for 10 minutes, until mostly cooked through.

3. Add the corn, beans, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Finish with adding the heavy cream, divide among bowls, and serve.

Serving suggestion - serve with whole grain corn bread!

Whole Grain Corn Bread

Skip the cornbread mix and make your own delicious, whole grain corn bread! This recipe is adapted from the Dinosaur BBQ cookbook, my twists: swapping our all-purpose flour for whole grain flour to up the fiber and nutrients and lowering the amount of butter. And good news, it still tastes great.

Our favorite whole wheat pastry flour is Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, which is typically available in the baking aisle at the grocery store.

Whole Grain Corn Bread - Image Source: Getty Images

Whole Grain Corn Bread
Serves 9

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine the cornmeal, sugar, whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.

2. Add in buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla, stir to combine. Add the melted butter and mix well. The mixture will be thick.

3. Transfer to the prepared pan. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until the top is golden brown. To test, use a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.

4. Drizzle with honey. Slice and serve.

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

Cold days call for warm soup! This slow cooker black bean soup is hearty, filling, and delicious. Plus, if you’d like you can make it in an Instant Pot and cook the soup under pressure for a meal that is done in minutes. Each serving has 8 grams of heart-helping fiber AND 14 grams of protein. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup (Image Source: Molly Morgan)

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup sweet peppers, chopped
5 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 cups canned or cooked black beans
32 ounces low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup medium salsa
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
black pepper
sea salt

Directions:

1. In a skillet* add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, and peppers. Cook for 7 - 10 minute until the vegetable are softened. Then add the minced garlic and cook for one minute more.

   *Instant Pot - use the saute setting.

2. Transfer the vegetable mixture to the slow cooker* and add the black beans, vegetable stock, salsa, chili powder, and cumin. Cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 6 - 8 hours on medium or low.

   * Instant Pot - keep working in the Instant Pot. OR to cook under pressure, change the setting to cook under pressure and seal the lid, cook under pressure for 15 minutes.

3. Then about 30 minutes before serving*, add the cooked rice and stir. Season with salt and pepper.

   *Instant Pot - Add the cooked rice to the soup after the pressure cooking is complete.

Nutrition facts (per serving): 270 calories, 4 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 170 milligrams sodium, 45 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams fiber, 3 grams sugar, 14 grams protein

Misfits Market Review

The idea of misfit produce is so intriguing! So I signed up for a Misfit Market subscription, yesterday the first box arrived. WOW! It seems like a great value.

The box arrived!!

I ordered the madness box, which was estimated to be about 18-22 pounds of produce. It had such a wide variety arrived and included lots of items! It definitely seemed worth the value.

Box variety!

Pictured here is the variety that and included: oranges, mandarin oranges, peppers, grapefruit, cauliflower, potatoes, shallots, red onion, celery, green beans, rainbow Swiss chard, summer squash, and spaghetti squash.

As far as how ‘misfit’ the items were? The celery was the most ‘misfit’ but still in perfectly good shape and otherwise it was in great shape. Now it’s time to put this delicious produce to use! Check out Creative Nutrition Solutions Facebook for a video of the box.

If you want to give Misfits Market a try, here’s a code to save 25% on your first box:

COOKWME-OU0ANF

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