Beetroot Pesto Pasta + Salad w/ Homemade Balsamic*

Carrot, Spinach, Spring Mix, Onion, Garlic, Cranberry & Goat Cheese Vegetable Wrap

Curried Carrot Soup, Salad, and Blue Juice

Blueberry Zucchini Muffins**

Roly Poly's Tart Frozen Yogurt (Roly Yo) Covered in Granola & Blueberries

* Homemade Balsamic Recipe

**Zucchini Bread Recipe

Before I go, here are a few interesting food related articles.

• Just Because It’s Organic Doesn’t Mean It’s Healthy- I am occasionally guilty of buying a box of cookies made with organic flour/sugar and thinking all is well with the world. And there’s BPA in Amy’s canned foods?! I’m not big into canned anything, but that’s downright disappointing.
• Know Which Food is Genetically Modified- It’s possible that I’ve posted a link to a similar article before, but I still find this very interesting. It makes avoiding genetically modified food much easier.
• How to Stop Buying Palm Oil and Help Save the Orangutans- After I realized that my favorite peanut butter contained palm oil, I found a better alternative with fewer ingredients.

Likely inspired by the tasty Sweets & Beets Chips I bought a couple of weeks ago, Danielle made a few homemade batches of her own one night this week. They were absolutely delicious, and I actually felt good about eating them since they were baked instead of fried.

I’ve been trying to eat more salads lately, and the above creation might be the best homemade salad I’ve had yet! Baby spinach, artichokes, avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, goat cheese, and tomato vinaigrette dressing were all involved.

A few informative food-centered articles:

• 9 Reasons to Love Lentils- As if I needed another reason! I could eat Snobby Joes and Dhal for lunch and dinner every single day.
• A Care2 article titled Eat to Defeat Cancer led me to this list of Cancer Fighting Foods.  Maple syrup, who knew?
• Smart Carbs vs. Dumb Carbs- Sometimes I have trouble separating the two. This article was very helpful.

Have a great weekend!

I recently read a Care2 article that listed Five Ways to Add Years to Your Life, and it inspired me to eat at least a cup of raw vegetables a day. I’ve always known cooked vegetables aren’t quite as healthy as raw, but 30% fewer antioxidants is a big deal! Wednesday morning I had the bowl of carrots, broccoli, and celery pictured above with a bit of Liquid Aminos on top. Thursday I had a baby spinach salad with carrots, broccoli, avocados and tomatoes (I know, I know. The last two are fruits). I’m not sure what vegetables I’ll make a meal of today, but I have a feeling kale will be involved.

The Care2 article also mentions eating nuts to promote longevity, which is something to which I would never object. Cashews and almonds are two of my favorite snacks!

What are some of your favorite vegetables? Do you prefer them raw or cooked?

I just read an article about foods that may slow the aging process, and I found it to be both interesting and helpful.  I tend to become so focused on health and beauty products that I forget how big a role the food we eat actually plays in our overall quality of life. I plan to buy kiwis, dark chocolate, and white tea tomorrow  when I go grocery shopping since those three have been completely absent from my diet  for a while now. At the risk of sounding braggy, however, I felt pretty satisfied with myself after seeing berries, spinach, and avocados on the list. It just so happens that I’ve been eating spinach salads topped with strawberries, raspberries, dried cranberries, and avocados for the past few days. I was pretty excited to see tomatoes on the list as well.  I regularly crave tomato and mustard sandwiches, and I’ve been known to drink salsa on more than one occasion.

Check it out:

9 Foods for Youthful Skin